Washington, White House

"Oh sell ga, these people are crazy, how dare they ......" President Roosevelt held in his hand an urgent diplomatic cable from Buenos Aires pleading for assistance.

For a moment, I almost went crazy.

Secretary of State Rout shrugged helplessly and replied with a frown;

"It is clear to the truth, Mr. President, that we are in big trouble and that we are about to face the most painful choice since the founding of the country.

While this is a bit of an afterthought, I want to make it clear to you, Mr. President, that you are paying for the rampant rhetoric of you and of radical politicians who share your views.

The dictatorship of the Ocean Empire will not tolerate unbridled offense, see what you say when you are proud?

Just two days ago, Congressman Rumsfeld, a far-right member of Congress, also made a public speech in response to the chaos in Argentina, claiming;

Citi will fully support the just action taken by the Argentine government, and if necessary, will not hesitate to fight for it, and will use the guns of the Great White Fleet to bombard all these ugly yellow monkeys to the bottom of the sea.

I have been telling you, Mr. President, that these ignorant and rampant rhetoric will fundamentally damage the bilateral relations between our country and the Ocean Empire, and if you see it as an enemy, then it is an enemy.

Unfortunately, my words were unfortunately verified.

It's like you've just hunted a bison with a herd of rude cowboys, and you're happily preparing for a bonfire, unaware that you've been targeted by a black hole.

Mr. President, Citigroup will pay for your hubris, which is a heavy price that we did not have to pay. ”

"If I can apologize, I sincerely ask for your forgiveness, Root." President Roosevelt was much calmer under the blow of these words, sat down in the chair of the Oval Office with a gloomy face, put his arms on the table and scratched his hair vigorously, then raised his head and said; "We can't avoid such a serious challenge, and now I need your valuable support, man."

"No, you'll see my resignation in a moment."

"Why Root?"

"There has been a strong opposition to the war from the Admiralty, our lads are all novices, and the fleet has expanded dramatically in the past two years, and they are not even well trained and experienced enough to meet this serious challenge. Their ability to carry warships from the windswept Cape Horn on the East Coast to San Francisco on the West Coast is already the ultimate in ability. Secretary of State Rout shook his head with a heavy expression and said in a low mood;

"When I heard the news of the sharp deterioration of bilateral relations between Citigroup and the Ocean Empire and the possibility of a war, the lads were terrified.

Rear Admiral Evans and Rear Admiral Sperry also felt deeply lacking in confidence, Mr. President, the Royal Navy of the Ocean Empire is a world-class maritime power, and in the Battle of Makigang, they once created a brilliant record of annihilating the combined fleet of the Fuso State, and they are far from being a strong enemy that rookies in the Navy can deal with.

If war were declared openly, we would face an invincible enemy, and it would be a complete disaster. ”

"Root, that was more than a decade ago, and we have the third largest main battle fleet in the world after Britain and Germany, you know...... We can't back down. ”

"I'm sorry Mr. President, that's your problem, not ours, and one last word, don't open the door to war, that will interrupt the process of development of the country, and you will be torn to pieces by the capitalists."

After Secretary of State Rout finished speaking, he turned around and left the Oval Office without hesitation, closing the door with his hand.

"Damn it!" President Roosevelt slammed the table hard, his face extremely struggling.

Citigroup's national policy is the "Monroe Doctrine", believing that the Americas are the Americas of the Americans, and has always regarded Central America and South America as the backyard of Citigroup, and it is a basic national policy that cannot be shaken by outsiders.

Now that the back garden is not safe, facing an elephant rushing in and ravaging savagely, if Citigroup shrinks its head and does not say a word at this moment, then the prestige accumulated for more than 100 years will be lost, and what kind of back garden is a joke, who will take it seriously?

If you rush forward bravely, this small body is a little unstoppable!

The timing of the Ocean Empire's choice to launch was so tricky that it really made President Roosevelt lift him in the air in one breath and then poke him in the waist, which was really painful.

Since the decision was made to form the Great White Fleet for a global visit, 8 months have passed, and all aspects of rendering and public opinion propaganda have also been put in place, and the countries visited along the way, the supply ports have also been implemented one by one.

The mighty Great White Fleet, which is expected to have a range of 46,000 nautical miles, is a peaceful and wordless demonstration of the majesty of the new navy of the United States of America.

The voyage of the Great White Fleet sends a message to the world:

The Citigroup Navy can be deployed anywhere in the world, even from ports in the Atlantic, enough to protect Citigroup's interests, and the Pacific Ocean is no exception.

The fleet departed on December 16, 1907, first to Trinidad in the British West Indies, then through Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Punta Arenas in Chile, Callao in Peru, and Magdalena Bay in Mexico to the west coast of Citigroup, and finally arrived in San Francisco on May 6, 1908.

Upon arrival in San Francisco, Rear Admiral Evans' ill health had led to a temporary recuperation of the fleet, and Rear Admiral Sperry had been appointed to take over as fleet commander a week earlier.

At this time, Rear Admiral Sperry estimated that the situation in Argentina in South America had deteriorated sharply before he knew every captain of the ship.

Other words

The Great White Fleet vigorously publicized for more than half a year, from the east coast of the Chinese flag country to the north all the way around the storm-stricken Cape Horn, and finally arrived at San Francisco on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, which is equivalent to a big circle around Citigroup, visiting many cities in South American countries along the way, and has not yet embarked on a journey around the world, at most it can be regarded as a friendly visit around South America.

At this juncture

The Argentine crisis broke out, which made the Great White Fleet anchored in San Francisco panic, and it was really impossible to advance or retreat, and it was embarrassing in the port.

Because the next phase is planned to be a long voyage of 16,336 nautical miles (30,254 kilometers) from San Francisco to Manila. The Great White Fleet passed through Honolulu and headed for Hawaii, then south to visit Auckland in New Zealand and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia.

After resting, it departs from Brisbane, passes through Qingdao in the south, Darwin arrives in Moresby, then goes around Tianquan, Longmen, and Jayapura to Cebu, then continues north to Manila, and after resting in Manila, it continues north through Taiwan, and finally reaches Yokohama in the Ryukyus.

Calculating the 30,000-kilometer voyage, ninety percent of it is within the scope of the Ocean Empire, and according to the rapidly deteriorating bilateral relations between Citi and the Ocean Empire, isn't this a sheep's mouth?

The Great White Fleet has great ability, and there is no way to skip half the world, and the awesome of the round-the-world voyage has been blown out, is it gray and then retreat?

I didn't dare to move forward, and my face was swollen when I retreated, do you say it's uncomfortable?

How did things turn out like this?

President Roosevelt sat in his chair in a daze, feeling a splitting headache, and his sixth feeling was to fall into a long-planned trap, as if a noose was tightening around his neck, leaving him breathless.

He gasped and picked up the phone on the table, and commanded; "I need to see Secretary of the Navy Mr. Doug and National Security Advisor Adam Smith immediately, please arrange it as soon as possible."

I thought about it for a moment

Vice Admiral Doug, Secretary of the Admiralty, who was about to meet the Great White Fleet's global voyage, President Roosevelt's head hurt again, he rubbed his brows vigorously, and made a phone call; "Pick me up from Admiral George Dewey's residence, it's ...... now"

It didn't take long for the phone to go through.

President Roosevelt's voice softened and he spoke gently; "George, old fellow, I need your help now."

An hour later

In the Oval Office of the White House, National Security Advisor Adam Smith, Navy Secretary Vice Admiral Doug, and former retired Admiral George Dewey all came here, looking at President Roosevelt standing by the window and looking out, feeling the atmosphere of solemnity invisibly.

President Roosevelt was still looking out the window, but his voice came; "Here's an urgent call from Argentina, you can take a look at it and then we'll talk about how to make the hard decision."

As soon as this statement came out

Adam Smith's face changed suddenly, and he hurriedly took a step, picked up the message on the table and looked at it, which was already gloomy like a drop of water in a blink of an eye, and silently handed the message in his hand to Lieutenant General Doug.

Soon, the message was circulated, and the atmosphere in the office was suffocating.

Needless to say, who understands what this means?

Lieutenant General Doug did not show a strong accusatory attitude, but was thinking with a solemn expression, weighing the pros and cons in his heart, and it was difficult to make a decision in his heart.

At this point, it's useless to say superfluous things.

Half an hour later

President Roosevelt turned around, let out a long breath as if he had just finished making a big sword, stared at the three heavyweights in the Oval Office with solemn eyes, and asked in a deep voice; "Now tell me your decision."

"War, it must be war, there is no doubt about it." Adam Smith replied without hesitation, with a very firm expression.

President Roosevelt turned to Admiral George Dewey, his eyes full of expectation, now 71 years old, retired General George Dewey's sideburns were gray, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, and he hesitated and slowly shook his head.

Between the love of his life, the Navy, and his close friend, President Roosevelt, Admiral George Dewey chose to obey his heart, he served as the commander of the U.S. Fleet in the Far East, and knew the power of the Royal Navy of the Ocean Empire;

The training was first-class, the discipline was first-class, the technology was first-class, and it was a powerful fleet that fanatically worshipped the founding monarch, and the spirit of sacrificial knighthood was the soul of this fleet.

The Citigroup fleet had not fought for 50 years, except for bullying the declining Spanish fleet in Cuba in 1898.

If the equipment is second-rate (all the 16 battleships of the Great White Fleet are former dreadnoughts), the training and combat effectiveness can only be said to be third-rate.

North America is too far away from Europe, the center of the world, and the leisurely and peaceful life of peace has worn out the fighting spirit of the cowboys, and it seems that it is a beat worse than Europe in all aspects, including army building and the creation of advanced technology.

Europe has launched a vigorous dreadnought race, in Citigroup's shipyards, 1907, 1908 and the future 1909 are all former dreadnought-class battleships, this kind of main warships in Europe has been eliminated, in Citigroup is a lively scene.

This is not a question of any one person, but the entire national defense system, from the Congress to the navy, from the naval designers to the shipyards, is slow to take a beat, and the latest trend of the world's military development is not taken seriously, the response is slow, and the decision-making is slow.

Reflected in the construction of ships has become the way it is now, Europe and the ocean empire are going all out to build dreadnought-class battleships, only Citigroup is still vigorously building old warships, launched in 1906 into service 6 battleships, namely Connecticut, Georgia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Virginia.

In 1907, four battleships were launched into service, namely the Kansas, the Minnesota, the Vermont, and the Nebraska.

In addition, with the addition of 6 battleships USS Missouri (1903), USS Ohio (1904), USS Wisconsin (1901), USS Illinois (1901), USS Chilshaji (1900), and USS Kentucky (1900), a total of 16 capital ships of the Great White Fleet are all former dreadnought battleships, with a unified 305 mm main gun and a range of 15 kilometers.

Admiral George Dewey has been retired for six years, and he does not have the most advanced naval information of our time, and he has a very dangerous feeling with an intuition that he has cultivated in his 10-year naval career.

I have to say that there are still many people in Citigroup who understand.

The moment he saw General George Dewey shaking his head, President Roosevelt's heart sank into the abyss, and his body began to tremble a little.

For him, who regards honor as his life;

If he did not dare to respond to the challenge of overseas powers, or if the Great White Fleet stopped in the port of San Francisco and did not dare to enter an inch, the consequences of any one would be a serious shame that he could not bear.

He will be nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of the United States, and the political future of his personal and family will be ruined.

In American humor

The once-glorious surname "Roosevelt" will be equated with the vile cowards and the bombastic liars, and this invisible humiliation will continue for a long, long time.

President Roosevelt's neck stiffened and turned to Vice Admiral Doug, the Secretary of the Navy who had been vehemently opposed to him sending the Great White Fleet around the world, who seemed like a prisoner awaiting sentencing, with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Doug, if needed, there are 5 more battleships on the west coast, and we can form a huge lineup of 21 battleships, and as far as I know, the Ocean Empire only has 11 battleships, which is less than half of ours......"

"Twelve, Mr. President, the newest battleship HMS Tasmaria has been in the water for more than two months and will appear in the sequence of the Royal Navy Expeditionary Fleet of the Ocean Empire, if desired." Lieutenant General Doug replied with a solemn face.