"The British lost again." Sims sent the information in his hand to Magifin, who had just arrived in London for less than three days. "Is your presence here a sign that something is really about to start? Is there news in the country? Looking at the silent Magiffen across from him, Sims asked.

"The United States will enter the war in 1917, but the exact time has not yet been decided, our preparations have not yet been completed, and the external conditions have not yet reached the optimal." Magiffen looked up and said.

"Optimal external conditions? You mean after the fall of Russia? When the Entente is in a desperate situation, we will step forward and pull them up, come to the European battlefield as saviors, and then take what we need? A slight sneer appeared on Simms' lips.

"It's just one aspect. We need to make the Entente aware of our role, but it is not enough for the Entente to agree. Believe me, this war is far from being as simple as we imagined, don't look at the war has been going on for more than two years, but as long as a certain country does not let go, then this battleship can continue to fight until we are all tired! Majifen said solemnly.

"You mean the assistance of the Huaxia Republic to the Allies? That transport corridor through the Strait of Malacca to the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean? This is indeed a problem. Sims said, touching his chin. Maybe we can cut it off? Sims asked. In his opinion, it was obviously a cowardly move for the British to finally abandon the attack on this voyage under pressure from the Republic of China, and now, if the Americans were to side with the British, China would have to weigh it carefully.

"You're not alone. But I'm shocked that you still think this way. Magiffen gave the other party a blank look. Let's not talk about the actual deployment, if the Huaxia Republic sells the second, third, or even fourth Longwu-class battleships to Italy. So tell me, how do we balance the forces at sea? The Allied Navy still has 11 capital ships in the Mediterranean, which is weaker than the American fleet, but if there are a few more, I am afraid it will be different, the British have already overdrawn their shipbuilding capacity, and in the foreseeable future. There won't be many new ships launched! Another defeat on either front in the North Sea and the Mediterranean could lead to catastrophic consequences! ”

"Isn't Huaxia worried about the vacuum that will form before the launch of new ships?" Sims asked, confused.

"You can rest assured, once we officially join the war, the number of fleets we will remain in the Pacific Ocean will not exceed half of the Huaxia Navy! The Super Dreadnought of the New York will almost always be mobilized from now on. We are going to put in at least 10 or so super dreadnoughts to support the Entente in the war, so now you tell me, how many warships do we have left in the Pacific direction? The sea pressure in the Huaxia Republic is almost minimal so far! And when the war is over, their new behemoths may all have to be put into service. ”

"Don't underestimate our enemies. Even with the addition of the US Navy. What can be brought is only to let the Allied fleet regain the advantage, but it is only an advantage, and it will cost a lot to overwhelm the other side, the United States is indeed very strong in industry and manpower, but when the Germans and Austrians clear the Eastern Front, they can also obtain a large amount of supplies, and draw a considerable number of troops to the Western Front, which can be called a flesh mill in the trenches of the Western Front! Without the overwhelming dominance of force, it is impossible to achieve a breakthrough. But after a few years of fighting, Britain and France, as the attacking side, were tired. And let the hastily expanded U.S. Army take the lead? I'm conservative about that. The French have been preparing for this war for decades, and we? The main force of the army is still the young people who just entered the barracks a few months ago! More importantly, although the voice of the war at home now has the initiative, will this voice continue in the face of huge casualties? Germany has shown great restraint towards the United States, and it is the capitalists and politicians who really want to go to war! Magiffen said sharply.

"Your opinion is a little too pessimistic, if I'm not mistaken, the future commander of the U.S. Fleet in Europe should be you, right? That's not what a commander should have. Sims pouted.

"This time the Italians fought abnormally, when did that guy in Tycho's brain become so complicated? How could a capital ship as big as the Longxiang form combat effectiveness just after it arrived? I can't tell you the former, but I'm sure of the latter, there are definitely a considerable number of Chinese Navy officers and sailors operating this warship, and in this naval battle, this giant ship actually sank 2 super dreadnoughts, and also severely damaged the other 1, which is really powerful. The meaning of Majifen's words is very clear, Huaxia has actually participated in this war, although there is no large-scale military intervention, but only from the perspective of Huaxia providing a large amount of materials to the Allies, this giant has played a role no less than Italy's role in the war.

At the same time that Magiffen and Sims were discussing the situation of the United States entering the war, President Wilson was also weighing the gains and losses of the worst situation, and the excuse for going to war was really good, this kind of thing did not bother the great president's affairs, the key is that if this battle really starts, then what price will the United States pay, and what can it gain at the same time? The situation is different from what Americans are beginning to expect. The combat effectiveness of the Allies did not tend to dry up, Germany was a populous country, and at the same time a populous power, the only thing that limited them was resources and food, but now, this shortcoming was made up by the Chinese Republic, and the defense of the Western Front made Germany's manpower loss much lower than that of the opponent, and what about the Eastern Front? The Russian Army was really inferior to its counterparts in Western Europe, almost at the level of being beaten down by the Germans with one hand.

And now, if the Russians really lie down, then how will the army hastily assembled by the Americans behave in the face of the reinforced German army on the Western Front? The United States could provide the Entente with money and weapons, but if it was to lose too many people, then Wilson would have to think about it. But don't you do it? Obviously not! If the Entente lost, not even lost, but drawn, and could not receive supplies and reparations from the Allies, what about the billions of dollars in debt that the Entente owed to the United States? Let these debts become waste paper? This is absolutely unacceptable!

And if Germany wins the war, or even if the original borders of the Western Front remain unchanged, then Germany, which has acquired a large amount of land and resources from Russia, will definitely become the hegemon of Europe. Before that, Britain and France could only draw with Germany, so what about after that? I am afraid that Germany at that time was not only looking at Europe, but also aiming at the Americas on the other side of the Atlantic. I'm afraid that even America's own backyard will be at peace! Whether it is for the sake of the pockets of the capitalists in its own country or for the future development of the United States, it seems that the United States must join the camp of the Entente and fight to the death with the other side. But the current United States seems to be far from the wartime requirements, at least the people are very resistant to conscription and expansion. After all, in their opinion, the war in Europe is too far away from them, and they naturally do not think about what will happen if the capitalists do not collect what they owe!

The Americans are now thinking about how to win the war at the lowest possible cost. There is an old Chinese saying that the bottom of the kettle draws wages, and the Americans also understand this truth, so the best and most economical, and at the same time the most effective way to reduce the number of casualties in the war is to make a breakthrough in the Mediterranean, reoccupy North Africa and control the Suez Canal, and if they can, the Americans will even fight to the plains of Asia Minor and Mesopotamia! At least on this front, the Americans only had to destroy the Italian Navy and the land forces of Austria, Italy and Turkey, and did not have to face the feared German Army, at least here, there would not be so many trenches and permanent fortifications. Of course, the U.S. Army must also join in the Franco-German battlefield, but it is unlikely that it will break through head-on. Or that the cost of the breakthrough is too high and beyond what the Americans can afford.

For this reason, the top level of the US military formulated the following plan in accordance with the government's intentions: First, Majifen will command the main force of the US fleet to go to the Mediterranean, and they will launch another attack on the Allied Mediterranean Fleet together with the remaining French fleet, and the Admiralty is very optimistic about this battle, and in the decisive battle in the Mediterranean, the Allied fleet as the victorious side has also paid an extremely heavy price, and there are only 11 capital ships left. And the US Navy has a well-armed Iron Tortoise on its side. It had a considerable advantage in battleship battles. Second, the U.S. Army will be deployed in the African theater under the cover of the Navy. And slowly advance towards Egypt with the local Allied garrison. The Americans even considered passing through the Spanish colonies in order to avoid interception and strikes by the Allied navies.

After defeating the Allied Mediterranean Fleet, the American Fleet would head north to join the British Fleet, and then, together with the Grand Fleet, would completely lock down the High Seas Fleet. As for the future, it's a slow push. The German defense line on the Western Front was completely destroyed with supplies and personnel. "We really have two enemies to face, one is the Allied army, which is dominated by the German Army, and they are fighting us head-on. The other was the Chinese Republic, which provided a steady stream of aid to Germany. It was they who gave the German war machine momentum. We must find a way to reduce the flow of goods from China to Germany. Wilson mentioned it more than once.

But this is easier said than done, and the current Entente and the United States have no good way to restrain China, and they can't even rush to buy scarce materials through economic means, because China is too big and too rich, especially after controlling the Dutch East Indies, even the oil that China lacked is enough to use. There are hardly any shortcomings in resources. On the contrary, the rubber and tungsten sand needed for the war of the Allies also needed to be provided by Huaxia. (The British and French colonies in the Far East were already struggling to transport supplies to the mainland.) And it seems that the Chinese government was well aware of the Americans' entry into the war, and they began to tighten the management of some strategic resources, restricting exports to other countries on the one hand, and increasing exports to the Allies on the other. The hostility lurking in this is very worrying to the United States.

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976, hukaikaka for the reward, and the book friend Dark Night Fork Crow, I am a vegetable worm for the monthly pass support ~~~. (To be continued......)