"As I have just explained, whether it is Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom, their rise is basically based on the control of the sea."

The bald Professor Mahan sorted out the manuscript on the table.

But he did not read the script, but continued to speak confidently:

"During their heyday, they all had an invincible navy, and their downfall was accompanied by the defeat of naval battles."

"For example, England defeated the Dutch three times between 1652 and 1673, and in 1588 the English sunk the once invincible Spanish Armada to the bottom of the sea."

"Fortunately, our government is paying more attention to the development of the Navy, and our battleships and cruisers have been going underground one by one over the past few years, and all of you here are witnessing the growth of the U.S. Navy."

Professor Mahan said with a smile to the naval officers in the audience.

Regarding Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power on History 1660-1783", Chen Jianqiu had the privilege of reading it before crossing over.

The main idea is that sea power determines whether a great power can rise.

Sea power here refers not only to military affairs, but also to capital and trade.

Only when a country has a strong maritime power that can expand and protect its economic interests can the country be strong and remain prosperous.

Dominating the oceans and seas means having significant influence in the world and being a major factor in the security and prosperity of the country.

Regarding the development of the US Navy over the years, Chen Jianqiu and Roosevelt also had many exchanges.

After the Civil War, the U.S. Navy did languid for a while, and was even forced back by the Chilean Navy's ironclads.

Seven years ago, the U.S. Navy had only six cruisers and no battleships, but today, seven years later, the U.S. Navy has six battleships parked in various ports, and there are as many as 16 cruisers.

Most of these ships were designed by the Armstrong shipyard in the United Kingdom and produced by shipyards on the East Coast of the United States, with Chen Jianqiu helping in the middle.

But Roosevelt was not yet in charge of the Admiralty at the time, and most of the shipyards were owned by the U.S. government, so Mr. Chen only got some shares in a smaller shipyard in Philadelphia.

Today's U.S. Navy is indeed not what it used to be.

"Teddy, I heard from Philadelphia that the Admiralty is urging the construction period again, and they told me that there are not enough people, so I told them that it shouldn't be a big problem to transfer some Chinese workers over."

Chen Jianqiu suddenly remembered something, turned his head sideways and said to Roosevelt on the side.

Roosevelt nodded.

But apparently his attention was still on Mahan's side.

A young officer of the Admiralty suddenly raised his hand:

"But Professor, the sea power powers you listed earlier, they have been on this road for hundreds of years, and we don't have any advantages at all."

Another mustachioed officer followed:

"Yes, as you said before, the world has almost been carved up by them, but we haven't even fought a modern naval battle, so we don't have any chance."

"Especially the empire on the other side of the ocean, their navy is too powerful, compared to them, we are like a bunch of stinky beggars."

The others chimed in, exchanging heads.

Roosevelt held his pipe in one hand and his chin in the other, his brow furrowed.

"Do any of you others share the same opinion?" Mahan looked around.

The expressions on the faces of most of the officers indicated that they agreed with this view.

But a cold sneer came from the back row of the seat.

Mahan looked at him.

He found that it was a Chinese man who was sneering.

The Chinese sat next to Deputy Secretary Roosevelt and didn't know when he came in.

The professor came interested.

He beckoned to Chen Jianqiu:

"What do you think of this gentleman in the last row?"

The officers in front all turned their heads.

They were surprised to find that there was an extra Chinese in the back row.

Some of these officers knew him and knew him as a friend of Roosevelt, but this did not affect the fact that most of the officers did not have a good opinion of Chen Jianqiu.

They think that this Chinese is just a shit luck, made a fortune, and looks like an upstart.

These people didn't think he could have any original opinions.

Because on the other side of the Pacific, this man's homeland had just experienced a fiasco in a naval battle three years ago.

Chen Jianqiu saw that everyone was looking at him, so he pointed to himself:

"Me?"

Mahan nodded:

"I see you just smiled, so I'd like to hear your opinion."

Mahan's words caused discontent among some officers.

What qualifications do you, a Chinese observer, have to laugh?

"What are you laughing at?" A bearded officer asked Chen Jianqiu in a rough voice, "Here is your share of laughter?" ”

This person is relatively old in the navy, and he doesn't even buy Roosevelt's account, let alone this Chinese who usually doesn't look at him when he walks on the road?

Chen Jianqiu stood up unhurriedly.

"When I was in school, I met such a classmate."

"They never study in class, but they insist on their 'skeptical' attitude towards the lessons taught by the teacher, and they are known as independent-minded, right, Professor Mahan."

The bearded face was green, but Roosevelt was present, and it was not good to come up to fight immediately, so he could only stare at Chen Jianqiu viciously.

Mahan's interest intensified.

He picked up a glass of water from the table and looked like he was listening.

Chen Jianqiu bowed slightly to Ma Han:

"In Your Excellency's writings, it is clearly pointed out that there are six major factors affecting sea power."

"Geographical location, natural structure, national characteristics, characteristics and policies of government, territorial scope, population"

"Today's overlords, that is, the 'empire on which the sun never sets' as this mustachioed friend just said, they have no problems with the first four elements."

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the mustache that was talking just now.

"Surrounded by the sea, with many excellent deep-water ports, the Industrial Revolution, the ambitions of various emperors such as Elizabeth I, they also made them a generation of hegemons."

He paused, and the conversation changed:

"But they have never been able to solve the problem that their land and population have never been comparable to those of a real power, which has forced them to follow the old path of land power, and use the dividends of expansion to support a large naval power and seek further development."

"It's a fragile balance, and at the same time there is a huge hidden danger, and it's too costly. The strength is still good, but once there is a slippage and the leaders are unwilling to carry out strategic contraction, the balance is broken, exhaustion and inability to do so will become the norm, and weakness will become inevitable. ”

"And the United States is different."

"He has all the conditions in the 'Theory of Sea Power'. So I don't know what you're worried about, and in the future, expansion will be inevitable. ”

Ma Han listened to Chen Jianqiu's exposition of his views without blinking, holding a water glass in his hand.

Originally, he just wanted to point out this Chinese and let him not be ignorant in the Admiralty.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jianqiu used his six factors of sea power theory to interpret the world situation, which is quite reasonable.

"What do you mean by that?" Mahan took a sip of water and asked quietly, "Expansion becomes inevitable." ”

Chen Jianqiu continued:

"As you know, there was a financial crisis in the United States a few years ago, and there are many reasons for this round of crisis, but one of the most important points is overcapacity."

"As a businessman, the Second Industrial Revolution has brought huge productivity gains to industry and agriculture, and I am deeply touched by this."

"If the government is unable to open up new overseas markets, export, and export capital overseas, another depression will be inevitable."

If the naval officers could still understand what they had just said about Britain, then this theory made them a little confused.

However, there were still people present who could understand what Chen Jianqiu meant.

One was Mahan and the other was Roosevelt.

The Deputy Minister of the Navy listened to Chen Jianqiu's speech, smoking his pipe without saying a word, and at the same time thinking about something.

He was not only a general, but also a politician.

"Therefore, 'isolationism' is no longer advisable in the United States now, and it is inevitable to challenge the existing maritime order in the world."

Ma Han was completely attracted by Chen Jianqiu's words.

Many of the things the latter said coincided with his ideas, and he had just been preparing to put them on paper in the past few years.

He made an inviting gesture at Chen Jianqiu:

"Sir, though I don't know your name, please come to the front and tell me what we should do?"

Chen Jianqiu still refused.

He patted Roosevelt, who was still smoking a pipe, on the shoulder:

"Hey, Teddy, is there a map?"

Roosevelt shouted at the mustache just now:

"Go hang up the map."

Mustache was a little reluctant, but ran back to the office, and soon after ran over with a large world map.

He unfolded the map and fixed it with a few nails to the wall behind the podium.

Ma Han leaned sideways and gave Chen Jianqiu a position.

The latter grinned, said "thank you" to the professor and mustache, and began to continue his speech.

His hand pointed to an area below the United States.

There is the Caribbean Sea.

"Let's leave aside the economic factors that we talked about earlier." Chen Jianqiu drew a circle on the map and said, "From a strategic point of view, this is the backyard of the United States. ”

"I don't know if you know the history of your country, but I think Teddy and Professor Mahan do." He glanced at the professor next to him, and then at the audience, "Seventy years ago, a president made a message to Congress. ”

Looking at the blank looks of many of the officers in the audience, Chen Jianqiu pursed his lips: "It seems that you don't know." ”

He expressed the hope that Europe would not carry out colonial expansion in the Americas, and that the Americans' affairs would be handled by themselves, and the actual meaning was that he hoped that Europe would not interfere in the interests of the United States in the Americas.

"The proposed presidential name is Monroe, which is also known as the 'Monroe Doctrine.'" He had to explain.

"In the last few decades, that's all that's been talked about, and now Central America should be the first step for the United States to take the Monroe Doctrine." Chen Jianqiu said.

"Why?" The bearded officer in the audience just now looked at Chen Jianqiu and asked a question that seemed stupid to him.

"You should study geography when you are in school." Chen Jianqiu sneered.

His hand rested on the Isthmus of Panama.

"There will inevitably be a canal here in the future, after all, the economic benefits of that will be immeasurable."

"But have you ever wondered what this canal will bring?"

"Europeans will pay more and more attention to this place, and according to the theory of 'sea power', if they choose to seek a port here, not only will the east coast be unsafe, but the west coast will not be safe!"

Hearing Chen Jianqiu's words, those officers finally understood the seriousness of the matter.

Some of them began to sweat behind their backs.

And the smoke that rose in front of Roosevelt became even thicker.

"Is there any good way to do that?" An officer asked.

"Yes." Chen Jianqiu slapped a country on the face.

"Cuba?"

Someone below said the name of the island nation.

"Yes, Cuba." Chen Jianqiu compared the geographical location of Cuba on the map.

"It controls the Gulf of Mexico, the three entrances to the Caribbean: the Yucatan Strait, the Windward Strait, and the Mona Strait, as well as the Isthmus and Jamaica shipping routes." Chen Jianqiu said.

He was about to continue, when Roosevelt, who was in the last row, suddenly stood up.

He clapped his hands:

"It's a wonderful talk, but today's meeting is almost here, let's disperse first."

The officers below had completely lost their previous contempt for Chen Jianqiu, but listened to it a little unsatisfied.

But since the leader has spoken, he has to leave if he doesn't leave.

I can only hope that next time I will have the opportunity to ask this Chinese for advice.

After the other officers left, only Roosevelt, Mahan, and Chen Jianqiu were left in the conference room.

"What do you call it?" Ma Han stretched out his hand to Chen Jianqiu.

"Chen Jianqiu."

"I can't believe that there are still readers in the East, and not only do they read, but they also have their own unique opinions. I don't really remember where my book was printed. ”

Mahan burst out laughing.

The old man was very happy.

After all, it's a great pleasure to have someone who has studied your theory in depth and has a lot of common agreement with you.

"Your book can be found on a website, and you have to pay for it." Chen Jianqiu muttered quietly.

"Huh?" Mahan didn't hear clearly.

"Nothing."

Mahan then turned to Roosevelt, who was sitting on the edge of the table, still smoking his pipe and thinking.

"Theodore, what Chen said is what I want to say, and he said it more thoroughly, we have to attack the Spaniards!"

"I've wanted to do it for a long time, but I haven't been able to convince the president and Congress." Roosevelt finally spoke, in a word, a puff of smoke.

"So, I'm here today to give you some evidence to convince them."

Chen Jianqiu said with a sad face,

"I was in Cuba a few months ago, and the situation was very bad, and if we didn't do anything, we would lose the best chance to drive the Spaniards out of the Caribbean."

Of course, the condition of the Cuban rebels was "not good", especially the Chinese rebels.

In the months since Chen Jianqiu's departure, according to his policy, Lai Hua and Hu De joined forces and fought from east to west, turning the countryside far from the cities in the southwest upside down.

They liberated many of the Chinese laborers working on the plantations, and the ranks had grown to nearly 10,000.

However, the tens of thousands of Spanish troops and warships cruising in the sea in the city could not be solved by the rebels.

Not to mention that there are so many fortifications outside the city of San Diego.

The stubble has to be knocked by the American army first, at least consumed.

He was distressed by the death of one more Chinese brother.

"I'll try." Roosevelt thought for a moment and said.

He sighed.

"Sometimes, for Americans, it really only takes one reason!"

(End of chapter)