In fact, the question of whether the United States should intervene in Cuba's war of independence has been a reserved debate in the US Congress for the past two years.

That hasn't changed since McKinley came to power.

Those who opposed the war were mainly conservatives in the Republican Party and some old-school officers.

The former feared that the war would take a heavy toll on the recovering U.S. economy.

The latter, on the other hand, was pessimistic about a war with Spain.

They believe that although the United States has built many new warships in the past two years, it is completely incomparable with the experienced Spaniards in terms of the overall training of naval personnel.

In addition, the southeastern coastline of the United States is long, and if it were attacked by the Spanish navy after the war, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The Lord and the Church have come up with many ways to solve problems.

For example, through diplomatic mediation, the Spaniards were persuaded to stop the brutal repression of Cuba; Another example is to offer the Spanish government a price that they cannot refuse, and buy Cuba from Spain.

This is typical businessman thinking.

They came up with this idea based on a number of successful cases since the founding of the country, such as the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867; In 1803, the Louisiana area was purchased from France.

This idea was ridiculed by the Republicans and Democrats, led by Roosevelt.

At a private gathering, Pier Bailey, the leader of the Democratic House of Representatives, derided the Lords and factions as "wigs and no eggs."

But that doesn't change the fact that President McKinley has always been neutral.

Theodore Roosevelt began to propagate the theory that Chen Jianqiu had spoken in the Admiralty conference room to McKinley and his cabinet.

He was now convinced of Mahan and Chen's claims, spreading their theories as if they were missionaries.

Plus the situation on the Cuban side got worse and worse as time went on.

A large number of Americans on the island of Cuba are in a very bad situation.

They lack food and medicine.

The mentality of McKinley and his cabinet began to change.

But once again, the conservatives showed off their skills.

They can postpone any policy with endless arguments.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Thomas Reid is nicknamed "Reid Czar".

He stood still like a boulder, and anything that seemed too radical to him would come to an abrupt halt with him.

There is nothing that cannot be solved by "procrastination", and if there is, it means that it has not been delayed long enough.

Summer goes to autumn and autumn comes, autumn goes and winter comes again.

The question of whether or not to intervene in Cuba with arms remains on the back burner in Congress.

President McKinley and the Secretary of State are still experimenting with diplomacy, and Roosevelt and the rest of the pro-militants are not idle.

The Minister took leave, and Roosevelt led the Admiralty in intensive preparations for war.

He used all the resources at his disposal to prepare strategic supplies for the navy, such as coal, and ammunition.

As the largest gunpowder manufacturer in China, Chen Jianqiu was the first to bear the lead and became the target of procurement, and signed several urgent shell orders alone.

But it's definitely not enough to just eat meat, you have to sell meat.

Just as Chen Jianqiu was about to leave after signing an armor-piercing contract in Roosevelt's office, Roosevelt suddenly stopped him:

"Chen, I have something I want to discuss with you."

Chen Jianqiu turned around, smiled and returned to Roosevelt's large desk and sat down:

"Your Excellency, what are you doing? Is there still a need for new products, cannons or shells? ”

Roosevelt was smiling, and a pair of small eyes looked at Chen Jianqiu behind round lenses, looking cunning and cunning.

Chen Jianqiu had a sense of foreboding.

"I've heard you have a private armed ship in Hawaii, is there such a thing?" Roosevelt asked.

Chen Jianqiu raised his eyebrows and grinned:

"Hey, what am I talking about, but there are only two armed merchant ships, one for escort, one is called 'Peng', and the other is called 'Kun' a little earlier, both of which are produced in Armstrong, England."

"Hey, armed merchant ships?" Roosevelt's small eyes were unusually focused, staring at Chen Jianqiu without moving, "I have never seen any armed merchant ship with that kind of aspect ratio, nor have I seen any armed merchant ship that can sail on the ocean at that speed." ”

"My observer in Hawaii had observed them sailing through Hawaiian waters at a speed of at least twenty knots, and told me that it was the most terrifying firepower he had ever seen besides a battleship."

Roosevelt pulled out a stack of reports from a drawer and placed them on the table, along with two black-and-white photographs attached to them.

Chen Jianqiu had a headache.

This is considered "everyone has stolen goods".

It is estimated that the two ships were seen during the offshore exercise.

Can't these guys go a little farther?

"Hehe, I just changed the boiler, in front of the navy, whether it is tonnage or firepower, it is a small thing."

Chen Jianqiu admitted it, but he didn't seem to fully admit it.

After all, this kind of thing, if it is put on the line by someone with ulterior motives, it is still quite troublesome.

Seeing Chen Jianqiu like this, Roosevelt no longer hid it:

"Chen, as you said, war between us and Spain is inevitable, so, I would like to incorporate these two ships of yours into the navy in wartime."

"I hope you can support this country with concrete actions." His eyes flickered as he added.

Who knew that Chen Jianqiu agreed without thinking:

"No problem, you can add these two ships whenever you need them. They will carry out any order issued by the Navy. ”

He looked unusually generous.

However, Chen Jianqiu quickly changed his words:

"But Teddy, let me tell you in advance, the captain and crew of the 'Kun' are some of the British I hired, but the 'Peng' ship, from the captain to the first mate to the crew, are all Chinese."

He stared intently at Roosevelt:

"I want them to be officially established in the Navy and not to be unjustly treated because of the color of their skin when they are rewarded for their merits after the war."

Roosevelt also stared at Chen Jianqiu intently:

"Glory belongs to every warrior who fights for their country, and it doesn't change because of what color they are, so I can promise that."

But the two looked at each other for a while, and couldn't help but look at each other and smile.

"We're actually talking about the post-war aftermath now, and it's not even certain if we're going to go to war, or when we're going to go to war." Roosevelt smiled bitterly at himself.

"Maybe, soon." Chen Jianqiu said.

His gaze was cloudy, and he couldn't see anything like an abyss.

February 15, 1898, Havana, night.

A cruiser flying the American flag was quietly moored in the harbor.

The boat is brightly lit.

The sailors leisurely set up open-air bodies on the deck.

They grilled meat, drank beer, played games, and didn't seem to care at all about the Spaniards watching them from the harbor.

The "Maine" was ordered to deliver supplies to the Americans in Cuba.

Although Spain lodged a solemn protest against the Maine's entry into the port of Havana.

But they have not taken any actual action so far.

This confirmed the speculation of everyone on the Maine: not only were the Americans suspicious of going to war with the Spaniards, but the Spaniards were also reluctant to provoke themselves.

"Roberts, do you think we're going to be in danger here?" A thin man with a full glass of beer in his hand asked another sailor sitting across from him.

The sailor named Roberts had drunk a lot, and his face was flushed from the incandescent lights on the deck.

"Don't worry, if it's really dangerous, we won't be here, captain, they eat the mentality of those Spaniards."

He held up the glass full of beer in his hand and touched the thin man.

The two drank it all.

"As long as we eat well, drink well, and have a good time, this is the purpose of this trip, I turned around and asked the captain if he would approve us to go ashore to relax for a few days, and we will also have two Cuban women to play."

Roberts wiped the foam from his mouth with a big grin, burping, and the words that followed became more and more vulgar and vulgar.

The sailors continued to drink heartily.

However, at this time, a yellow-skinned sailor appeared on the deck.