The Navy is fighting for national strength, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this statement! When the United States industry and national strength have developed to a certain extent, the American cowboys, who are already invincible in North America, are no longer satisfied with continuing to hang around the coastal waters, they need to go further, from a historical point of view, the Americans' attempt to expand their influence to a greater extent is definitely not just what one or two leaders think, but a kind of general public opinion! Even without Theodore Roosevelt, the Spanish-American War would still break out, but the time may be slightly delayed, which can be seen from the speed of renewal of the US Navy's armaments at that time!

In 1896 and 1897, the Americans simultaneously started construction of a total of 5 battleships of the 2nd class! The Chilshaji and Kentucky, respectively, of the Chilshach-class battleships, were armed with four 13-inch 35L guns, four 8-inch 35L guns, and 14 5-inch guns and 20 6-pounder guns. As well as 4 x 18-inch torpedo tubes. Its main armor is 16.5 inches of Harvey hardened armor, the upper armor is weakened to 5 inches, the thickness of the gun mount is 15 inches to the thickness of the turret is 17 inches to 15 inches, and the thickness of the secondary main gun is 11 inches to 6 inches. The power output is 10,000 hp and the speed is 16 knots. The displacement is 11540 tons.

The other three were Illinois-class battleships, the USS Illinois, the USS Alabama, and the USS Wisconsin. The firepower was 4 12-inch 40L guns and 14 6-inch guns, 16 6-pounder guns and 4 18-inch torpedo tubes. The sidestring armor was similar to that of the Chilshaji, with slightly weaker turret protection, 14 inches in the front, 15 inches to 10 inches in the gun mount, and the secondary main gun turret was reduced to about 6 inches. The powertrain and displacement are similar to those of Chilsach.

And now these 5 steel behemoths under construction have attracted the attention of some people. "If we can attack the Newport News shipyard and the nearby Hamilton Naval Base, the U.S. fleet will definitely be removed from the Caribbean and choose a decisive battle with our forces." Reinhardschel said, pointing to the map.

"Sss Yang Yonglin couldn't help but gasp, this Scheer really dared to think, three of the five new battleships built by the U.S. Navy were built in Newport News. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the cradle of the U.S. Navy fleet, and the Hamilton base next to it is also an important U.S. naval base.

If the U.S. fleet concentrates on the south, this base will inevitably be empty, although it is protected by shore artillery, but as long as the fleet appears outside Hamilton Harbor, even if no shots are fired, then the U.S. Navy will definitely go north! This is the most important shipyard in the United States. If there is a mistake, the impact will be far greater than sinking a few battleships! And at the same time, in order to ensure the smooth flow of army supplies. It is highly likely that the American fleet will divide its forces, so that all problems will be solved!

"If this plan succeeds, the Americans will remember your name, Colonel Schell." Jericho said half-jokingly.

"It's nothing, your country once burned down the official residence of the President of the United States, and we just walked around their shipbuilding base to see if there was anything cheap to take advantage of!" Scheer said with a smile.

"And what about fleet allocation? Too weak to attract the attention of the American fleet. Too strong will weaken the strength of the Breaking Squad. Severa asked.

"2 Dante-class battleships and 2 PISA-type armored cruisers acted together to attack the Newport shipyard, and the remaining 6 battleships were used to attack the breakdown." Yang Yonglin said. "Major Sippel and I lead the Broken Detachment to attack the U.S. Navy's convoy and cruiser forces, and Admiral Severa can go to Newport with Colonel Scheer. It's not about how much damage is done, it's about inflicting a psychological shock on Americans. ”

"This is just the first phase of our battle plan, weakening the U.S. cruiser fleet and distracting the main forces of the U.S. Navy. Admiral Severa must remember not to fight for a long time, our aim is only to disperse and not to attack the harbor with precious battleships. After the end of the first phase of the battle, we need to regroup near Haiti so that we can look for a suitable opportunity for a decisive battle with the US Navy. Do you have any comments? Yang Yonglin saw that Ji Lu was almost done, and then asked. …,

"How can the supply and liaison problems be solved? The new spark radio transmitter is too close. Liaison on the battlefield is barely enough, but how to solve the problem of such long-distance contact? Scheer asked, although a timetable would certainly be made when making a detailed battle plan, but the situation on the battlefield was changing rapidly, and this timetable was not particularly reliable.

"The fleets of the British Empire spread across the seas were not only for trade and transport, but also for some ships to deliver information." Jericho said this in a proud tone.

"Is it possible to solve the supply problem in this way?" Scheer on the side was very dissatisfied with Jericho's arrogant attitude.

"Of course, no matter how bold the American cowboy is, it is impossible to attack the colonies of the British Empire." Jericho was dismissive of Scheer's jealousy and resentment. In his opinion. A continental country can never understand the power of the sea.

"Everything that needs to be done has been done, and we are now waiting slowly, waiting for the war to happen." Although I don't know why Xu concluded that the Spanish-American War would definitely break out in 1898. But Yang Yonglin still decided to trust this person who brought new life to Beiyang.

At the same time, Theodore Roosevelt finally decided to withdraw the Far East Fleet of the United States of America from Asia. According to the information received, the strength of the Spanish fleet was enough for the American fleet to go all out. The division of forces at this time is obviously not a wise move, if the battle is won, then the American fleet can rest and kill the Philippines, if the battle is lost, then there is no need to think about anything.

"If we can defeat the Spaniards by a large margin, that Admiral Xu of Beiyang should approve of our action against the Philippines, right?" Theodore Roosevelt whispered.

"If there is not much difference in the quality of the two sides, after this battle, the winning side will also come back to pay a heavy price, and don't think about fighting another naval battle within five years." Admiral Simpson smiled wryly. "Tell me, why are we so eager to go to war with the Spaniards? By the time our battleships were all launched, the Spaniards would not have any chance. ”

"Do you know which warships will be completed and when? 1900 year! More than 2 years to go! Our target should not only be the Americas, we need a huge market in the Far East, we failed to open up the situation in the First Sino-Japanese War, if it drags on for another two years, I am afraid that the Qing fleet will be even stronger, and we will completely lose the possibility of entering the Far East. Theodore Roosevelt said.

"The Northern Fleet also needs to deal with the Russians." Simpson said calmly.

"If Russia and the United States of America join forces, then the British will definitely not sit idly by! You know, the number one enemy of the British Navy now is the Russians! And I need the people of the United States to realize the role of the Navy as soon as possible! If the United States wants to have a higher status in the world, then it must have a navy that is awe-inspiring! And this will be an opportunity! We are short on time, and we must show the members of Congress as soon as possible with facts that the Navy will bring unimaginable benefits to the United States! Theodore Roosevelt said with some excitement.

"The best outcome would be to take control of the West Indies, and the United States would not have the strength to enter the Philippines after the Great War." Simpson said.

"Do you agree with that Magiffin?" Theodore Roosevelt said with some dissatisfaction.

"He does have a point!" Simpson said calmly.

"If that's the case, it means that the U.S. Navy will not be able to influence the Far East until Russia and the Qing state are decided." Roosevelt said with some frustration.

"The Far East is too far away from us. In fact, why don't we learn from the British? Seeking only sufficient commercial benefits, rather than using military force to control? Simpson asked. …,

"If Britain doesn't have a strong navy, then is it still Britain? By the same token, the United States of America could never have made it out of the Americas without a strong navy. Roosevelt said with a sigh.

And when Xu Jie learned the news that the U.S. Far East Fleet had embarked on its return journey, the stone that had been hanging in his heart finally landed. The return of the US Far Eastern Fleet is definitely not an accident, which means that the United States is finally ready to do it. Whether the strengthened Spain can defeat the United States, Xu Jie does not dare to guarantee, but Xu Jie can be sure of one thing, that is, no matter whether the US Navy wins or loses, heavy losses are absolutely inevitable, and in a country like the United States, which has a federal parliamentary system, heavy losses will inevitably touch the sensitive nerves of the people, so that the pace of foreign expansion will definitely slow down, and the US Navy, which has suffered huge losses, is afraid that it will not be able to cross Hawaii within 5 years, right? That is, at least, the US Navy's range of power will not reach Guam and the Philippines here. This means that if Xu Jie can successfully defeat the Russians, then East and Southeast Asia will be in the range of China's power, as for the British? The rise of Germany was enough of a headache for him. And the time to manage the Far East?

If the Spanish fleet had narrowly defeated the American fleet or even just a draw, then the impact on the United States would have spread directly from the military level to all corners of society. An expansionist vanguard like Roosevelt will inevitably become scapegoats, and those politicians who have expansionism must also be restrained, and perhaps within 10 years, the United States will have to rebuild its navy while carefully testing the reaction of the great powers! Although Cuba will fall into the hands of the Americans sooner or later, before that, if Xu Jie can hold Hawaii in his hands, then the American fleet will always hang out in the Eastern Pacific! And after the start of World War 1, I'm afraid there will be no chance to think about Hawaii, right?

"Lord Yang, it's up to you, how far my Huaxia Navy can go in the future depends on how well it fights against the odds!" Xu Jie said in his heart.

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