Chen Jianqiu looked at the sky-high fire behind him, and the coolness behind him was fluttering.

It may not be the closest he's ever come to death, but it's definitely the riskiest one.

He never imagined that the explosion of the Maine was actually caused by the spontaneous combustion of a pile of coal.

If he had acted a little later, or if the coal pile had spontaneously combusted earlier.

I am afraid that I will die in the belly of the fish like those sailors on the ship.

This danger is unpredictable, and his sense of death cannot save him.

But sometimes that's it, death or tomorrow, you never know which comes first.

"Extra! Extra! The USS Maine sank! The USS Maine sank! ”

The next day, the early morning fog in New York was broken by the crisp voice of the newsboy.

Many people have just woken up from their sleep and are shocked by the news.

Not only New York, but also major cities along the East Coast, Boston, Philadelphia. have received this news.

Naturally, the newspaper tycoons, led by Pulitzer, would not let go of this opportunity to stir up the emotions of the people.

Cruisers, explosions, sunks, Cuba, Havana ports, Spaniards.

A few words put together.

Without the need for newspaper reporters and editors to write more, a complete logical chain comes out.

The Spaniards, dissatisfied with the Americans' intervention in their suppression of the Cuban Revolution, blew up the departing Maine.

Shock and anger spread among the citizens, and it seemed that the whole of American society wanted its government to ask Spain for an explanation.

"Smack!"

The newspaper and the telegram were slapped on the table at the same time by McKinley.

"Why do these newspapers get news faster than we know from within the government?" The president's anger was palpable.

"William, we should organize someone to investigate the sinking of the Maine now." Secretary of State Sherman stands at McKinley's desk.

"Shouldn't the Spaniards give us an explanation?" Roosevelt said aggressively from the sidelines.

"Theodore, there are some diplomatic things you don't know very well, the truth has to be in our hands! Otherwise, we may have to face war with Spain! Sherman was very unhappy that Roosevelt interrupted him halfway.

But Roosevelt showed his toughness.

"Sherman! That's our warship! Sunk out of the Spaniard-controlled harbor! They're at war, do you understand?! ”

He roared uncharacteristically, stunned McKinley and the rest of the president's office.

"This is the worst betrayal of the faith of the Spaniards." He stared at the president and raised his voice, "America, we need a war, it's honor and dignity!" ”

After a brief moment of surprise, McKinley quickly regained his composure.

He waved his hand at Sherman, the secretary of state for foreign affairs:

"Sherman, you go and send a note to the ambassadors of Spain and see what their attitude is."

Sherman nodded, turned and walked out the door.

McKinley then turned to the remaining deputy secretary of the Navy in his office, who had come to talk to him about some naval equipment matters in advance.

He spoke at an unhurried pace and was very clear:

"Teddy, I know what you think, and I've never said anything about some of your actions. However, I hope you can stay calm until things get to the point where war is necessary! ”

Roosevelt took a deep breath:

"No problem, Mr. President."

Then he turned around and walked out of the president's office.

After the two men went out, another man walked in.

Marcus Hannah, McKinley's old partner, Senator.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the Capitol?" McKinley asked, looking up at Hannah.

"I'll see what you think." Hannah gets straight to the point.

"I don't know if it's a good choice to go to war with Spain now, with Roosevelt here, the navy's preparations should be acceptable, but I still can't be sure if it can take advantage of the Spaniards."

McKinley had a pen in his hand and repeatedly tapped the newspapers and telegrams on the table.

In fact, his mind is very clear, and he knows the situation in the government very well.

"But the army side is a mess at all, Ai Jie has no experience at all, the army is a mess in terms of personnel and equipment, and they are not ready for war at all."

Hannah looked at his partner and shook his head:

"I don't know if the army is ready or not, but I have to tell you one thing, if public opinion is really aroused, you and I will have no choice."

"Do you remember? A large part of the reason we got into this office is because of the divisions within the Democratic Party. ”

"If you and I stick to our original point of view, there is a good chance that we will be backlashed."

The two men were too familiar with each other, so Hannah's words were very direct and without any tactfulness.

"However, we don't know the real reason for the sinking of the Maine." McKinley looked up at Hannah.

Hannah leaned forward with his hands on the edge of the table, staring intently at the president.

He whispered:

"William, does the truth really matter? Do you think the people need the truth? They only believe in what they want to believe. ”

"Let's take it one step at a time." McKinley sighed.

The backlash in Hanna's mouth did not make the president wait too long.

A few weeks later.

House "Tsar" Reid is facing the most chaotic moment of his political career.

He sat in the speaker's seat and watched the members of the House of Representatives who were speaking in the audience.

Old Rhett had never seen anything like it.

In addition to the Democrats and Plebeian Party, as well as a small number of Republicans, who had always advocated war against Spain, those Republicans who had reservations also joined the ranks of the main war faction.

The speaker is now a man named Ferdinand Brooke.

"I was adamant not to send troops to Cuba! But the Maine was unfinished, and all the wording was to no avail. ”

"We drove the boat to Havana and didn't do anything to them, we just wanted to protect our population! But the Maine was sunk! ”

"This is a betrayal of the Americans! Abandonment of the faith and inhumanity permeated the blood of the Spaniards! Any country that allows such offense should not exist in the world! ”

"I'm a Republican! But I'm an American first and foremost! ”

His speech resonated with most of the audience.

"We should be immediately! Right away! Let's go! A Democratic congressman stood up, "We don't have time for any more discussion!" Our Mr. President is a coward! ”

"Go to war! War on the Spaniards! Teach those Spaniards a lesson! ”

Old Rhett's face was gloomy.

He used his life's experience in politics to end the House of Representatives session that he would never forget.

Immediately after the meeting, he went to McKinley's presidential office.

He was joined by Senate President Hobart.

The Senate is not much better off than the House of Representatives.

Senators are more educated, but more determined, than their representatives.

The two of them looked at each other without saying a word, only sighing.

"Mr. President, I don't have any control over the Senate anymore."

It was Hobart's first words when he met McKinley, "If you don't do it again, I'm afraid they'll leave you alone!" ”

"The USS Maine has brought the Democrats, the Commonwealth Party, and the pro-war Republicans together as they attack your reputation and try to hit you in the fall midterm elections!"

Red tells another cruel truth.

In the face of the dire situation, McKinley remained calm.

He hoped to find from the Secretary of State the possibility of finally avoiding war.

However, the Spaniard's passive and hard-line attitude not only disappointed the secretary of state, but also made McKinley completely determined.

They want war more than the Americans.

At this time, Spain was in crisis.

Twenty-five years of civil war and riots have torn the country apart.

In 1898, the country was ruled by an incompetent queen and a corrupt parliament, a cynical cabinet that took turns in charge.

Labor struggles, anarchist uprisings, student marches swept the country.

But the country's military of 500,000 men, 150,000 of whom were stationed in Cuba, was far more than the 28,000 standing troops of the United States at the time.

The government is more inclined to war from top to bottom.

Because rather than having themselves overthrown by the populace because of a compromise with the United States, they wanted to consolidate the rule of the dynasty through a victory.

They need to deflect contradictions.

As a result, the Spanish government had no other response to the explosion of the Maine than to routinely defend itself.

Their attitude, more like:

I didn't blow up this ship, even if I blew it up, what can you do to me?

After learning the true attitude of the Spanish government, McKinley knew that there was no need for him to hold on any longer.

He needs to start preparing for war.

But in the cabinet, someone moved before him.

Theodore Roosevelt couldn't hold back when he walked out of the president's office that day.

But when he calmed down, he suddenly realized that he couldn't do anything until the president declared war.

And the Secretary of the Navy, John Long, seems to have little interest in it.

He is more concerned about the medicine prescribed to him by his personal doctor, whether it is better to take in the morning or in the afternoon.

Roosevelt was a little helpless, and he seemed to have nothing else to do but rush the factory's ammunition orders and get the soldiers on the fleet to step up their training.

Until one day, Chen Jianqiu appeared in his office again.

After Chen Jianqiu watched the "fireworks display" from Havana, he immediately returned to the United States by boat and went straight to Washington.

"Aren't you on vacation in Europe?" Roosevelt looked at Chen Jianqiu who appeared in front of him with a puzzled expression.

"You've been rushing for ammunition, and I'm thinking about going on vacation?" Chen Jianqiu said with a smile, "Don't worry, the ammunition you want has already been put on the ship, and it will soon be in the hands of the fleet." ”

"That's good." Roosevelt nodded.

Chen Jianqiu looked around the office and found that there was no place to sit except for Roosevelt's own chair.

So he simply leaned back on the large desk.

"The old man is on vacation again?" Chen Jianqiu pointed to the minister's office with the door closed opposite.

Roosevelt let out an "um".

He was a little irritable.

This old man is pretending to be stupid and pretending not to know anything except to take sick leave all day.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

The good thing is that the old man will turn a blind eye to some of what he usually does, and the disadvantage is that he really encounters important things, and he can't find him to make a decision at all.

Thinking about it this way, Roosevelt was even more worried.

"Oh, sighing doesn't look like yours, Teddy." Chen Jianqiu turned his head, looked at Roosevelt and said, "Let's listen to it, don't suffocate yourself." ”

Roosevelt didn't have any scruples, and told Chen Jianqiu what he was thinking.

"What do you mean, the old man never said anything about what you did?" Chen Jianqiu raised his eyebrows.

"It's good that he can come to work. I guess he doesn't even know how many ships there are in the fleet right now. Roosevelt said.

"Then give the order directly to the fleet and let them complete the deployment first." Chen Jianqiu's words were shocking, "In the name of your vice minister." ”

Roosevelt was stunned.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, the matter of deploying the fleet requires the minister's order." Besides, the fleet won't necessarily listen to me. ”

Chen Jianqiu smiled.

He walked up to Roosevelt, put one hand on the back of his chair, bent down and whispered in his ear:

"Is it important to win the war? Or is the program important? ”

Chen Jianqiu straightened up and spread out his hands:

"If I'm not mistaken, you asked Mahan and Mahan to help you draw up a naval battle plan against Spain last year, do you want it to remain on paper?"

Roosevelt pulled out his pipe.

Every time he gets into a thought, he subconsciously smokes a cigarette.

Chen Jianqiu planned to accompany a cigar.

"Teddy, don't hesitate any longer, in my hometown, there is a saying, 'strike first, strike later', this war is about glory and the future, and it is worth gambling." He said as he puffed out his cigar.

Chen Jianqiu's words lingered in Roosevelt's ears like a magic sound.

Smoke, rising in the office.

A few minutes later, Roosevelt finally made up his mind.

He excitedly lifted the pen and landed on the telegraph:

Dewey, XG: Ordered the detachment to refuel the coal ...... Your mission is to ensure that the Spanish fleet cannot leave the shores of Asia...... Offensive operations against the Philippine Islands......

After sending the telegram out, Roosevelt was relieved.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at Chen Jianqiu with his pipe in his mouth:

"Chen, if there is a war, will you go to war? I mean, except for those two ships of yours. ”

"Oh? What are your thoughts? Chen Jianqiu turned his head and looked at Roosevelt with interest.

"The readiness of the army is very different from that of the navy, and the number of people is far from enough, I guess your old friend Aijie will mobilize the militia and volunteers."

Roosevelt looked out the window.

"I will also apply to the Ministry of War to organize an army and go to the front line to fulfill my patriotic promise, I remember that you are not bad, are you interested in joining!"

"No problem." Chen Jianqiu smiled.

He didn't tell Roosevelt that he wasn't the only one who would go to war.

And the 13,000 militia he had assembled in Roswell, Juarez, and Oklahoma.

These militiamen are all Chinese!

Their goal is not only to win against the Spaniards, but also to win Cuba! (End of chapter)