The black clouds rolled, the overlay drooped low, and the sultry evening breeze blew wantonly and messily in Washington, D.C., and thunder rumbled. The dust is flying, the trees are swaying, the bright moon is hidden in the thick black curtain, and a summer rain is imminent.

In one room in the White House, U.S. President McKinley sits behind a large desk; In front of him, Secretary of War Alger and Navy Chief Roosevelt sat squarely, each with a corner. Although all three were dressed in civilian clothes, there was no lightness on their faces.

"According to the information just sent back by the intelligence services, Spain spent another 300,000 pounds to buy a large amount of arms and ammunition from Germany. Although these guns and artillery were all the goods that the Germans began to install in the army in 10 years, and were not the latest weapons of the Germans, their performance was at least one grade advanced than the weapons before the Spaniards, and in some places even slightly better than the equipment of our American Army! ”

McKinley punched the mahogany table and said with some anger: "Has this group of Hans recently contracted Tennessee mad cow disease or something, why have they repeatedly sided with the Spanish murderers to fight against my United States of America?" A month ago, they sold three capital ships with a total of 26,000 tons to Spain, and they were active warships that could be used directly, and this time, they provided the Spaniards with weapons and equipment for the army! That polio patient thinks that I, the United States, am a kind of goods like Spain, and I can be bullied casually, right? If we don't give those Hans a little color, then in the future, any great power will be able to ride on my American head and without any scruples! ”

Roosevelt whispered, "Mr. President, please calm your anger." The Germans are hateful, but we really have no way of punishing them. Germany and the United States are separated by oceans, and with our current military strength, there is absolutely no threat to their security. And even if it's an economic sanction, I think it's better not to do that. As for the specific reasons, you should know best, Mr. President. ”

McKinley exhaled a breath of turbid air hatefully, and did not speak, acquiescing to what Roosevelt had just said. Two years ago, when the U.S. economy was at a low ebb, McKinley made trade protection the core of his administration in order to win votes in order to win votes. Over the years, the U.S. economy has gradually come out of the trough, but foreign goods and capital have been withdrawn from the U.S. market in large numbers due to high tariff barriers, and this situation has not improved to this day. At the moment, Germany does not have much assets in the United States, and even sanctions are only scratching the itch in the boot and do not play a substantive role at all.

In addition to this, politics is also a very important factor. The war launched by the United States against Spain this time is ostensibly a righteous army to avenge the death of the officers and soldiers of the Maine, but this is only a cover to plug the mouth of the world, and the hearts of those powers must be like mirrors. Spain had no motive at all to sink the American warship at this juncture, so it is highly likely that the explosion of the Maine was a bitter ploy by the United States in order to seize Cuba. Although Spain did not have very close relations with European countries, as a member of European countries, he was forced to fight by the United States for no reason; No matter from any point of view, those powers are unlikely to be on the side of the United States, an outsider. This time, Germany picked a head, selling weapons and warships for Spain, and to a large extent, it was not without the acquiescence of the European powers; If the United States chooses to go toe-to-toe with Germany, it will not be a wise choice!

The only consolation to McKinley was that the Spaniards had no extra money to spend on the Army's military purchases after they had bought the ships; The Germans were extremely greedy and offered these arms nearly three times the market price, so Spain did not buy much equipment. He calmed down and said, "I have invited you two here today to discuss my next move in the United States. The batch of arms provided by Germany to Spain undoubtedly seriously disrupted the military pattern in the Cuban region. General Russell, I wonder what you think about this? ”

Seeing that the president's eyes were on him, the 62-year-old Secretary of the Army, Russell Alger, no longer shirked, and said: "Mr. President, I personally believe that this batch of munitions has indeed strengthened the combat effectiveness of the Spanish army, but the degree of strengthening is very limited. In order to quell the riots in Cuba, Spain mobilized 200,000 troops and spent three years, but it did not suppress the riots, but made the local indigenous forces stronger and stronger, which is enough to prove that the Spanish army is vulnerable. Even if they change their equipment, their combat capabilities are unlikely to be greatly improved. What's more, the Germans sold it at a high price this time, and the Spaniards could replace German ordnance for up to 10,000 people. Although our American army has not fought for decades, its total strength is only one-third of that of Spain in Cuba; But thanks to our great industrial strength, we were far superior to the Spaniards in terms of material reserves and firepower density, and it was definitely not difficult to defeat them according to our battle plan. What's more, the lads of our army also have naval warships to provide fire support; Even if the Spanish army were to become superhuman, we would be able to secure the important port city of Cuba at worst! ”

Alger's voice was thick and old, and there was a soldier's gold and iron clash in it. After listening to the speech of the veteran army general, who was promoted to colonel at the age of 27, McKinley's face also became a little better. He rolled his gaze to ask Roosevelt for his opinion, only to find the tall, fat man with one-sided glasses sitting motionless in his seat. McKinley coughed and said, "Theodore, the task of providing fire support for the army should be completed by the navy, right?" ”

Roosevelt raised his head and said with some absent-mindedness: "Please rest assured, Mr. President." A month earlier, I had drawn up a well-developed plan to cover the landing of the Army, and the few battered wooden warships of Spain in Cuba could not pose any threat to our fleet at all. At that time, six coastal defense heavy gunboats of the Atlantic Fleet will also sail along the coastline to the southernmost tip of Florida, and then cross the sea in calm weather to support the Army's operations in Cuba. Although these six battleships were only 1 foot tall on freeboard and did not have any resistance to wind and waves, their firepower was comparable to that of battleships. The 6,060-ton Puritan was armed with four 12-inch guns, the 4,084-ton Monterrey was armed with two 12-inch guns and two 10-inch guns, and the four 3,990-ton Amphitori Special Class were armed with four 10-inch guns. These 6 ships alone will provide 6 12-inch and 18-inch guns with superior firepower, plus our main fleet, it is impossible for any coastal target of the Spaniards to escape the fate of being destroyed! ”

Roosevelt paused, and then said: "At present, the battleships that Spain bought from the Germans have not yet completed personnel training, and it is impossible for them to be the enemy of our American Atlantic Fleet with their strength of three second-class ironclads and one Garibaldi-class patrol. Therefore, within the next two months, the right to control the Caribbean Sea will belong entirely to us, the United States; The only potential threat to us is the Spaniards' strategy of breaking diplomatic relations. All of their four main warships can reach a speed of 20 knots, and several colonial cruisers of more than 1,000 tons can also join this operation, while only our two armored cruisers, New York and Brooklyn, can reach a speed of 20 knots, and they are in a state of passive attack on the fast fleet. Therefore, we must quickly end the fighting in the Cuban area, break the Spanish forces in the Cuban area in a short time, and prevent their attacking ships from inflicting too much damage on us. ”

Seeing that Roosevelt calmly and eloquently told the plan, McKinley's face couldn't help but show a hint of joy. He smiled slightly, and was about to praise him, but saw that Roosevelt's face was still gray. McKinley was puzzled in his heart, and couldn't help but speak: "What's the matter, Theodore, is there anything else wrong?" ”

Roosevelt shook his head slightly and said in a low voice: "If nothing else, we will definitely be able to win the battle of Cuba." On the other side of the battlefield, however, the form is much more collapsing than that of Cuba. ”

Alger's brows furrowed, and he said suspiciously, "Another battlefield? What other battlefield besides Cuba? ”

"General Russell, have you forgotten that Spain not only owns Cuba, but also has a colony in the Pacific Ocean that they have colonized for more than 300 years. Its proximity to the Far East, with its large indigenous population, is both economically and strategically important. It would be great for me to be able to annex that area, the United States! Roosevelt said softly.

"Are you referring to the Philippines?" Alger's face changed, and he said, "Theodore, I must admit that you are a very courageous person, but I have to say that you should give up this idea." Because that land is an absolute taboo for the Germans! The Germans began to plan for the annexation of that land as early as one year ago, as evidenced by their unforeseen capture of Puerto Santa Ana in the Philippines more than half a year ago, only to be protested by the French. To this day, under the banner of helping the Spanish to suppress the natives, they have conquered all of northern Luzon. In this case, how could they possibly let us go for another piece of the pie? ”