"This is absolutely not good, if it is the entire Spanish ocean-going fleet that kills in, those second-class and third-class protected cruisers will not be of any use at all!" Dewey directly rejected Magifin's plan.

"I felt like we were committing a crime. Prevaricate the duties of others by a means of coping, and send too many people's lives as sacrifices to the altar of war! But we have no choice, there is only so much for the fleet, and if the second fleet is badly damaged, then we will wait for half of the war that has already been lost. Nor can we split the fleet according to Colonel Magifin's opinion, although Colonel Magiffin had already proposed the idea more than once before. But it was impossible for the Admiralty to accept this approach, because the Navy needed to give the Spaniards a strong response in a short time! Gather your best forces to avenge the USS Chilshaji and the USS Kentucky, and avenge the fleet that sank outside the Hamilton Naval Harbor! I admit that this war was prepared too hastily, but once it began, we had no choice. After the meeting, Admiral Simpson wrote these words in his diary.

"Let's send the Third Fleet. After all, we need an explanation on the Army's side! Actually, Colonel Magifin, you don't have to worry too much about this, it is unlikely that another Spanish fleet will secretly pass through our defense zone. Theodore Roosevelt hesitated for a long time, but decided to maintain the original plan.

"Mr. Roosevelt, you're going to cause America to lose the war! We must leave as many new ships as possible for the final showdown! If you need a scapegoat, I can cover up the truth of this history with my own life. Hear that. Magiffen said loudly! Theodore Roosevelt glanced at Magiffin, who was full of grief, and then left the venue with a cold face.

"Shelly, your fleet will be in danger, why don't you object?" After Roosevelt left, Magiffin looked at Shelly and asked. He couldn't understand why Shelly was blind to this crisis.

"Actually, I don't think it's very likely that the Spanish fleet will sneak through the blockade line in the Eastern Caribbean." Shelly thought for a moment and said.

"This is a pretext, and any possibility of danger should be erased. We cannot rely on luck to hope for survival. Majifen was puzzled.

"This is war, as long as it is war, there will be danger, there is no absolute security. All right. The others left first, and Colonel Magiffin stayed for a while. Admiral Simpson said with a frown.

"Mr. Colonel, tell me what you think of this meeting." Admiral Simpson said after everyone had left.

"This meeting can cause us to go from one failure to another. The escort force is not enough to fight the opponent. This is a fatal vulnerability. Majifen said with some annoyance. If the Spanish expeditionary fleet enters the battlefield from the Eastern Caribbean, we can quickly retreat and concentrate on a decisive battle with the opponent, if the opponent is divided into two fleets, then the second fleet can stalemate with the other Spanish fleet, and our fleet in the Eastern Caribbean can easily pack up to 4 Spanish warships, no matter which option the other side chooses, we can deal with it. Magiffen also tried to convince Simpson in the last moments.

"This idea seems to be good, and I have thought of this countermeasure before, but it has been rejected. And guess who? Admiral Simpson said with a strange smile.

"Brigadier General Dewey?" Magiffen asked tentatively.

"It's Inoue Yoshio, which Japanese. Relatively speaking, these Japanese high-ranking people know the combat effectiveness of Beiyang warships better than you. Admiral Simpson said.

"How is that possible? I know better than them about the performance of the Beiyang battleship, I once inspected Admiral Xu's flagship, and I turned around almost every compartment on it. Whether it's pizza or homecoming! Majifen felt insulted and protested loudly! …,

"But do you know what results this data can be transformed into in actual combat? For example, what exactly happens when a 10-inch shell hits a dome battleship? What will a 7,000-ton Dome cruiser do when it faces a Guiyuan-class cruiser? Do you know this? Have you ever seen it on a Japanese battleship after the battle? You don't, you only know that Lu Dao has won, but you don't know how much the other party has paid. Whether it hurts to go down with a punch or not is not the person who wields the punch who has the final say, but to see what the person who has received that punch feels! Admiral Simpson's words left Magiffen dumbfounded.

"Inoue once showed me some pictures, including the naval battle off the Izu Sea and the naval battle off the Datong River. There are also some detailed information on the damage to Japanese warships after the war. I have to say that these Japanese are still very meticulous. Then from his description and the information provided, I came to a conclusion. That is, even if the Second Fleet and 6 Spanish warships collided, it would definitely not be able to fight. Admiral Simpson said helplessly.

"We have 5 warships, 2 armored cruisers of more than 8000 tons, 2 protective cruisers of 7000 tons and 1 protective cruiser of almost 6000 tons, while the other side is 2 armored cruisers of 10,000 tons, 2 light armored cruisers of more than 5000 tons and 2 protective cruisers. Among them, the USS New York and the USS Brooklyn are naturally not opponents of each other's two 10,000-ton cruisers. And two 7000-ton cruisers ....... Admiral Simpson paused and then said, "The armament on it really doesn't match its tonnage." And the Olympia is too strong to beat two protective cruisers. And according to Japanese records, the Dome cruiser was easily slowed down in battle, so it ....... ”

"So you chose to send Commodore Shelly's fleet to death? And leave the more powerful Dewey fleet? Do we have to make some people make senseless sacrifices? We could have held the transport line until the Army occupied the whole of Cuba. Majifen still said he didn't understand.

"We can't concentrate the entire fleet on every transport. And if the Navy is only a supporting player in this war, then you tell me where the future of the Navy is? Not to mention the fact that the supplies and men of the army did not set sail from one place, before they were concentrated. They will still be attacked, the Spanish fleet can attack the east coast, and the same can be guerrilla on the Florida peninsula, you tell me, what should the US Navy do? Admiral Simpson patiently explained.

"And you should also know that our pressure is not just from the enemy." Admiral Simpson paused. "We must make the White House and the American people aware of the strength of our adversaries, and only then will we be able to do so. They will not denounce our navy because a certain port or a certain ship has been beaten, we need to create an environment for ourselves to fight as unrestricted as possible, and the best result is to make the army subordinate to the needs of our navy. If this can be achieved, I don't mind losing 2-3 protective cruisers. If this loss is within our reach, we can concentrate on fighting the Spaniards! Admiral Simpson was a reluctant. He told the colonel everything he knew.

"Actually, I don't think it's a wise choice for this war to break out at this time. If we wait another 2 years, our fleet will be able to form absolute superiority. The Spaniards had already spent their last silver dollar for the navy, but the United States of America had not yet made a move. Time is on our side. Majifen said with a sigh.

"If it's just against Spain, we do have time, but you know, what we need is an opportunity, an opportunity for the American people to realize the importance of the navy, and to strive for a better environment for the development of the navy. Other than that. We also need to expand our sphere of influence as much as possible before the European powers pay attention to us. European countries will not pay attention to a country with 4 battleships, but they will definitely pay attention to a country with 10 battleships! Simpson said. …,

"In fact, prior to this, Mr. Roosevelt intended to bring the Philippines and Cuba under the control of the United States of America and, incidentally, to complete the occupation of Hawaii. But now it seems that we will not be able to enter the Far East for a while and a half. If we fail again this time, I am afraid that the US Navy's entry into the ocean will be delayed indefinitely. Admiral Simpson's eyes were full of concern.

In fact, the root cause of this predicament lies in the intervention of the United States of America in the war in the Far East! We chose the wrong object. Japan was defeated by the Qing state, and now the Far East is dominated by the Qing state and Russia. The Russians were grossly xenophobic and would not share the benefits with the United States of America, which the Qing were hostile to for reasons that were well known. More importantly. They have chosen revenge! Magiffen said with a long sigh.

"That's all that Admiral Xu told you?" Admiral Simpson asked with interest.

"How to say it, the Beiyang system is not very friendly to the United States, and even some heroes who have not been good to the United States among the children who have studied in the United States. They knew that their compatriots had been treated unjustly here, that they had learned about the Chinese Exclusion Act, that the United States had helped their enemies, and that it was enough for them to choose to side with the Spaniards. What is even more terrifying is that it is very likely that the two countries will fall into a cycle of mutual revenge. When Ma Jifen said this, a drop of cold sweat couldn't help but drip on his face.

"Don't worry about this, do you know what is the biggest diplomatic advantage of the two parties in power?" Simpson said with a smile. There was a hint of unscrupulousness in the smile, and there was also a hint of banter.

"The new political party can choose what is best for the country regardless of what the previous government did, that is, this government may still be hostile to a certain country, and the next government may become friends with that country!" Simpson said.

"So you mean, you or some people in the U.S. leadership might be thinking about improving relations with Qingguo?" Majifen was taken aback by the idea, and in his opinion, the U.S. government has never been a country that will take the initiative to reconcile with the other side.

"There is a kind of friendship in this world that is formed in this way, when you find that you cannot defeat your enemy, or that there is no benefit in the war with your enemy, both sides already have the basis to become friends! To put it bluntly, enemies who can't be defeated become friends! "Simpson taught Magiffen like a teacher.

"This ......." Majifen was speechless for a long time in shock.

"Helping Russia is certainly not going to work, it is tantamount to direct hostility with Britain, and since the end of the Three Emperors Alliance, Germany and Russia have drifted apart. So if you want to get a piece of the pie in the Far East, then you can only go and cooperate with the Qing State. And those domestic capitalists instigated the president to support Japan, in the final analysis, in order to open the door of the Qing country through the bayonets of the Japanese, and then give the United States the opportunity to enter! But now, apparently, no, so why doesn't the United States make some fuss about economic cooperation? Simpson ignored Magifen's reaction.

"Do you know the way? If this war is lost, Mr. Roosevelt and I will be scapegoated, even Dewey and Shelley will not be spared, but you can't be affected, do you know what is wrong? Simpson said very seriously as if he had changed at this time.

"Because Beiyang is the most powerful faction in this old empire, because I used to fight side by side with the high-level leaders of Beiyang? So I'm suitable to be this intermediary? Majifen was a little speechless.

"That's right, that's what it means, that's why I'm telling you so much, you still have a long way to go, and there's no need to put yourself on the hook for an ill-prepared war. I remember that Yang Yonglin once sent you when you left the Qing Kingdom? Now you are enemies, but one day, you will sit together again and drink tea. "After saying this, Admiral Simpson waved his hand, meaning that I am tired, you can go!

Thanks to the book friend Xiaoye boxwood 2 for the evaluation vote~~. Today's 4000-word chapter, can you support it more? ? (Your support on this site is my biggest motivation.) )