War Minister Ai Jie was a little confused.

Although he also subconsciously believed that there would be a war between the United States and Spain.

But when the war came, the former Northern Army officer was a little at a loss.

There are only 28,000 active army troops, and at least half of them are on the border.

One of them had recently been beaten to pieces by New Mexico militias.

And the Spanish army stationed in Cuba was 150,000!

Aijay sat in his office with a melancholy expression.

He thought about it for a moment, but hung up the phone with the president.

"William, are we really going to war with the Spaniards?" On the phone, the Minister of War asked with a slight hesitation.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then McKinley's voice came without any emotion:

"Yes, Aijay, we are facing a war!"

"But a few weeks ago, Sherman told me that this war wouldn't happen for a while!" Aijie said bitterly.

"It's different, the Maine has sunk, Agey, and Congress will soon pass the bill that will make the war start." The voice on the other end of the phone still didn't make any waves, "It's up to us." ”

"But we don't have soldiers yet! New guns and ammunition are still being produced on the production line of the arsenal! We don't even have a battle plan! ”

If it weren't for the need to hold the microphone in his hand, Ai Jay would have been eager to grab his hair right now.

"Then you can start working now, and I'll call Army Commander Nelson Myers to set up a command."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and he continued.

This time, though, it's more like an ultimatum than a communication.

"Don't forget, everyone in our country is a fighter, and this is something that flows in our blood, so I don't think it's a problem."

"After the war, the navy will do their duty first, and you have a month or two to prepare for war, and I think that's enough time."

Immediately, the phone hung up.

Agey sat down in his chair.

He was a little desperate.

Why are you able to say such cold words from the mouth of thirty-six degrees!

A month or two, to put it lightly.

The first thing to do is to recruit enough soldiers.

Then they need to be trained, otherwise, they will be sent to death on the battlefield.

Finally, there are their guns, ammunition, clothing, food.

How is it possible to be ready in a month or two?

He regretted his hesitation and listened to the damned secretary of state.

Ai Jay half lay back in his chair, thinking about his next steps.

Suddenly, a man popped into his mind.

His good friend, Chen Jianqiu.

Although he is a Chinese, he is no different from a wise and enthusiastic American businessman in Ai Jie's mind.

Chan always had a way to help him.

The timber he had hoarded in the Rocky Mountains for himself saved him from bankruptcy.

Had it not been for his agitation to get involved in the political investment in McKinley, he would still be a lumber merchant in the West.

Chen Jianqiu is his "lucky star"!

He is the largest arms dealer in the United States, and he has a group of Chinese under him, and there will definitely be a way.

Aijie sat up suddenly:

"Charlotte! Charlotte! ”

He called his assistant in.

"Go to Roosevelt next door and ask where Chen is, I want to meet him."

The assistant took the order and left.

He soon returned with news.

Chen Jianqiu "happened" to be in Washington, and not long ago he had talked with Roosevelt about the ammunition order.

The next day, Mr. Chen showed up at Ai Jie's office.

Dressed in a suit, he walked slowly into the office of the Minister of War.

"Chen, you're here."

Having just signed the recruitment order, Agey handed the document to Charlotte and motioned for him to leave the office.

Chen Jianqiu took off his hat and revealed his short hair, which made him look more lean.

"You may be seated."

After the assistant left the office, the minister stood up, walked to the door, closed the office door, turned his head and said to Chen Jianqiu.

Unlike Roosevelt's office, Agey has a large sofa here.

He sat opposite Chen Jianqiu.

"Is it so urgent to call me for an order for that batch of Clark rifles from the Springfield Arsenal?" Chen Jianqiu smiled, "By the way, can you smoke here?" ”

Ai Jie didn't speak, got up and walked back to his desk, bent down and took out an iron ashtray from the drawer, turned around and handed it to Chen Jianqiu.

Chen Jianqiu took out a cigar and lit it with a big grin, and handed it another one to the minister.

But the minister took the cigar and put it directly on the table.

He stared at Chen Jianqiu intently:

"Mr. Chen, are you willing to fight for America?"

Chen Jianqiu looked startled.

"Mr. Minister, I am certainly willing to fight for the freedom and dignity of this country." He sat up straight and said "in righteous words."

Ai Jie breathed a long sigh of relief:

"Then Mr. Chen, I hope you can take your Chinese soldiers to Cuba to defeat the Spaniards there."

After hearing this, Chen Jianqiu's brows tightened.

He took a sharp drag on his cigar, his face full of hesitation.

"Mr. Minister, there is no problem with guns, ammunition and supplies, but I don't have anyone in my hands."

After a long time, Chen Jianqiu said.

Minister Ai Jie waited for a long time, and almost couldn't hold back when he heard Boss Chen on the other side say such a sentence.

"Mr. Chen, you and I both know that not long ago, your militia just clashed with the border guards!" He simply said it directly.

Anyway, they are all their own people, and they are also the parties involved, and he is not ashamed of the War Department's affairs.

Chen Jianqiu shook his head:

"Mr. Minister, you are wrong, they are not my soldiers, although they are all Chinese, but they are the militia of New Mexico, under the command of the governor of New Mexico."

"I'm just a businessman in New Mexico."

Aijay almost fainted again.

Who do these Chinese listen to, don't you have any points in your heart?

Chen Jianqiu stood up, took two steps back and forth, and sighed:

"It's not that I don't want to serve my country, you know, a lot of people have doubts about whether the Chinese can fight for this country, but in fact, this is also our home."

He looked up at the ceiling of the Minister of War's office at a forty-five degree angle, and his expression was melancholy:

"I was supposed to have my heart and the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the ditch!"

Eight hundred miles under the command, fifty strings turned over the outside sound, and the battlefield autumn soldiers."

Ai Jie's temples hurt when he heard this, and he didn't understand what Chen Jianqiu was talking about, so he had to interrupt the latter's words:

"Mr. Chen, I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about."

Chen Jianqiu turned his head and looked at the minister:

"I mean, my heart to serve the country cannot be satisfied, and I attract suspicion all day long."

"Don't pay attention to the nonsense of the congressmen, the president and I believe in you!" Ai Jie hurriedly waved his hand, "I'll give you the name of a regiment, it's called the Second Volunteer Cavalry Brigade!" You go and gather the troops yourself, and when the time comes, you can listen to the orders of the command. ”

"Where's the number of people?"

"The more the merrier, but you'll have to figure out what you need to do with your equipment, ammunition, and supplies." Aijay replied as he walked back to his desk to sign the order.

"Who is the 1st Cavalry Regiment?" Chen Jianqiu asked suddenly.

"Theodore, he came to me not long ago and said that as soon as the war began, he would resign from the post of deputy secretary of the Navy and lead the team to Cuba." The minister already had a pen in his hand.

It didn't take much time for him to sign this commitment.

By the time Chen Jianqiu left the office of the Minister of War, he was already the commander of the Second Volunteer Cavalry Brigade of the United States, Lieutenant Colonel Chen.

Chen Jianqiu, who had successfully obtained the number from the War Department, immediately returned to Roswell.

More than 12,000 of his soldiers were massing there.

Most of the soldiers were Chinese, but there were also some Indians, Mexicans, and blacks.

This unit is well equipped.

In addition to fully loaded bolt-action rifles, at least a third of the soldiers are armed with automatic and semi-automatic rifles.

There were about 200 Makqin heavy machine guns.

This firepower, at a time when there were only a dozen or so heavy machine guns per unit, was terrifying.

In addition, they brought freshly baked mortars.

The power of money is indeed powerful.

The designers of the Roswell Ordnance Factory not only designed the mortar in three months, but also spent only five months to complete the one-stop tasks such as optimization, component finalization, and mass production.

By the time this volunteer army was officially formed, there were already more than a hundred mortars and corresponding ammunition at their disposal.

The subordinate cavalry brigade also has logistics and medical units.

Although the name given by the Ministry of War was the Cavalry Brigade, Chen Jianqiu did not plan to take the horse ashore.

Chen Jianqiu knew from the number that these old men in the US Army were all laymen.

It is very likely that none of them sent anyone to Cuba on the spot.

The fighting will take place on the coast of southern Cuba.

It's a bit stupid to fight on horseback in that place.

In addition, Chen Jianqiu also arranged to purchase a large number of single clothes for the 12,000 soldiers under his command.

These singles are long-sleeved, but lightweight, airy, and cool.

In order to fight this battle, Chen Jianqiu recalled all the experienced generals under him, including Xu Ajiu in Hawaii and Asuka in Juarez.

They gathered at Roswell's City Hall and began to study possible tactics of warfare once they disembarked.

The information gathered by the Border Detective Agency and the Cuban rebels was placed on the table.

Chen Jianqiu had a cup of tea in front of him, wafting hot white gas.

On the wall behind him hung a map of Cuba, with detailed descriptions of the terrain.

"I think the order given to us by the U.S. command after the war should be to besiege San Diego." Xu Ajiu looked at the map of Cuba and said his judgment seriously.

"I think it's Guantanamo." Li Sifu on the side expressed his dissent, "Santiago is heavily guarded, according to intelligence, the Spaniards have built complete fortifications there, it is not easy to fight, it should be from Guantanamo landing, from east to west." ”

"yes, do you think those whiteskins will really make us comfortable? Let's take the lead and feed the bullets! Xu Ajiu insisted on his opinion.

The two men had their own opinions and argued.

And Chen Jianqiu, who was sitting under the map, smiled and watched the two of them come and go,-for-tat.

"Boss, what do you say, which side should we put on the first target?" Xu Ajiu looked at Chen Jianqiu, hoping that the boss would give an explanation.

"If you want me to say, you're all thinking too much."

Chen Jianqiu picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then spit the tea leaves in his mouth to the ground on the side.

"These white-skinned members of the U.S. Army have not fought a serious battle since the Civil War, and there are very few experienced people among them."

"How could these people, who are still dreaming of their own courage and strength, give us the opportunity to make a difference in their careers to our mixed army?"

"They're just going to let us play auxiliaries, like assisting a large force with a landing or something."

He glanced up at his two generals and put down the teacups in his hands.

"In addition, let me remind you that the main goal of our trip is not only to win this battle, but more importantly, to get Cuba!"

Chen Jianqiu stood up, picked up a pen from the table, and stood on the edge of the map.

He first circled two locations in Santiago and Guantanamo.

"According to our intelligence, most of the Spanish soldiers in southern Cuba are cowering in these two strongholds."

He drew a route on the map with his pen.

"After the declaration of war, I will seek an order to send supplies and equipment to the Cuban rebels."

"In this name, we were the first to enter Cuba and cooperate with the local rebels to clear all the Spanish strongholds in the south except for Guantanamo and Santiago."

Chen Jianqiu threw the pen on the table.

"According to the pace of mobilization of the rest of the army, it is impossible to land in Cuba in two or three months, and we want to seize the most territory in this time!

"As for the two hard stones of Santiago and Guantanamo, let the whiteskins knock their teeth first."

The people in the council chamber began to discuss this policy.

However, just then, a man suddenly barged in.

The beards of the people who came were all white, their faces were flushed, and they were naked with two or three guns hanging from their bodies, and two pistols pinned to their waists, and they were menacing.

Everyone was startled at first, and then looked at it, who was the person who came, who was Zhang Danian?

"Uncle Da Nian! You, which one are you? Li Sifu looked at the old man dumbfounded.

"Why don't you let me go?" Zhang Danian stared at Chen Jianqiu, "I don't want to be an officer, I can be an ordinary soldier!" ”

Chen Jianqiu was full of smiles, and was just about to open his mouth to speak, but Xu Ajiu on the side had already replied:

"Uncle Danian, you're almost eighty years old, that hellish place in Cuba is too hot, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold it, so let's rest and rest."

"Fart you!" The old man suddenly became furious, "When Lao Tzu retreated to the drill mountain in eastern Guangdong, your hair hadn't grown yet!" ”

Xu Ajiu saw that Zhang Da began to put up his qualifications, and he didn't reply again, but just muttered a few words.

"Back then, Lian Po was still in his seventies, and Lao Huang Zhong could still kill the enemy, they all had to wield a big knife, why couldn't I pull the trigger?"

"Do you think I'm dizzy and inaccurate, or how do you drop, do you want us to compare?"

The more Zhang Danian spoke, the more angry he became, and when he took off the gun behind his back, he was about to pull up Xu Ajiu to compare.

Xu Ajiu was a little troubled.

He won justifiably, and if he lost, he was embarrassed and couldn't get it.

Just when he hesitated, Chen Jianqiu saved him.

Boss Chen took off his shirt and put it on the old man.

He whispered to Zhang Danian:

"Uncle Danian, I have a more important task for you." (End of chapter)