The Rise of the Empire

"Then, has your country asked France and Russia? Are they willing to let your country use their ports? If possible, why can't your country's fleet be stationed separately? Some fleets are in Hong Kong, and other fleets can also go to the north of the Qing Dynasty or the French Empire Annan," Salisbury asked.

"After all, we are a fleet, and it is not good to separate. We may send squadrons to visit other countries, but the Navy wants to be stationed in Hong Kong as a temporary home port. We will abide by the laws of your country, just want to be stationed temporarily." Hai Yi asked.

"It's difficult. The Russians are expanding their military in the Far East very fast. In order to ensure the stability of the situation in the Far East, the Imperial Navy will move from Singapore to Hong Kong in two months to deter the Russian Navy. Hong Kong cannot accommodate two large fleets. Yes, although Shanghai is prosperous, it is not a suitable naval base, so within the British sphere of influence, there is really nothing that can be done." Saltsbury bit his tongue tightly and refused to let go.

The British are very good at retreating to advance. You can come, and I can also provide some help. If you dismantle the fleet, it will be fine. But it is impossible to all be stationed here. Regardless of whether the Russians really have any intentions in the Far East, anyway, in a word, the British think they have intentions, so the Far East Fleet will go north. If it goes north, it will not be able to accept the American Fleet. You see, there are so many reasons for this ?

Hay finally realized that such negotiations would be fruitless. Although he didn't know much about military affairs, he knew that the British would never let go this time. In desperation, Hay, who couldn't understand the matter, decided to leave, but before he left, a promise from Salisbury made Hay relax a little.

"My concern for your country is very clear that the British Empire will warn Japan to end their standoff in Hawaii. As a show of goodwill to your country, what do you think?" Salisbury said before the end of the meeting. , The tone is so sincere. Hay, who didn't know the specific situation, was actually quite happy!

"Hay, you idiot! You're happy to be tricked!" Roosevelt angrily threw the telegram sent by Hay to the ground, and he almost stepped on it a few more times, while Day and Simpson beside him also had pale faces. Hay's telegram has made them understand two things. The first thing is that the British do not agree to provide assistance to the US Far East Fleet. And another thing has gradually surfaced, that is, in addition to the United States, Japan also has great ideas about the Philippines!

As a lawyer, Day interpreted the relevant documents word by word, and then came up with his own opinion: "The British emphasize the balance in the Far East, and this so-called balance is not to maintain the status quo, but to prevent the intervention of new forces. .Their theory is very close to our Monroe Doctrine, that is, East Asian affairs should be handled by the current East Asian parties. And their attitude towards us is neutral.”

"They seem to be indifferent to the fate of the Spaniards, but it does not mean that they will allow any powerful country to take the Philippines. Even according to the British, they still want to curb the influence of the Russian Navy in the Far East. In early 1898 Transferring part of the East Asian fleet to Hong Kong is an obvious move. They are also very wary of the Germans and French. Then think about what the British did on the German warships. In fact, they have acquiesced in Japan's actions against the Philippines. ’” Roosevelt said with a gloomy face.

"Japan's ambitions for the Philippines are only a speculation and cannot be equated with an act of war." Day discouraged. In fact, although he agreed to use force against Spain, he also hoped to bring the Philippines under his control,

But it is really not ready to fight a country with a strong navy on the other side of the ocean. The United States is on the rise, and a defeat in a battle will be a serious blow to the country's will and people's hearts. Therefore, he would rather choose a conservative strategy than take risks.

"The so-called neutrality of the British is actually supporting the Japanese. Japan has the right to garrison troops in southern Taiwan. They can set up their fleet base in Tainan. The distance from Tainan to Manila is very short. If our fleet cannot obtain With the support of other powerful countries, we can only choose Samoa. It is like fighting at the same time, we must be the ones who suffer, and we do not have a strong enough base in the Far East to support the operation of the fleet. If not, I am very pessimistic about this war.”

General Simpson also hesitated. If Day was worried about it from the political aspect, then Simpson was thinking about it from the military aspect. He is not optimistic about this battle. Now he hesitated a little, and even considered that if Japan attacked the Philippines first, would the United States give up?

"We must never give up. Even if we fail, we must never give up. It is absolutely unacceptable to back down and make concessions without even the courage to fight! This will make other powers feel that the United States is a weak and bully weak! We have not experienced it before. Failure. In 1812, the U.S. Navy dared to challenge the powerful British fleet with several warships. The British destroyed our naval base on the Great Lakes and our presidential mansion, but we did not give in. The United States of America is still tenacious until today What is the Japanese? Just a dog of the English! We are not afraid of England, but are we afraid of a dog?"

Theodore Roosevelt's words were full of hostility. In his opinion, he could tolerate failure. The United States is a big country, so what if it loses? The big deal is dormant for a few years and then come back. The industry of the United States is already the number one in the world. Warships, cannons and troops can be produced continuously. The United States is like a strong man. Although he lacks experience and means, he is physically strong and has high morale! And other countries are weak old people, maybe their past glory makes them look terrible, maybe the opponent may have an advantage in a battle, but the Americans can come back if they lose, and other countries lose this chance. !

"We can fail, but we must not lose our pursuit of victory! I will not let the boys of the United States die in the Far East in vain. The Far East is not up to the British! Britain and Japan also have enemies in the Far East!" Roosevelt said.

"You mean joining forces with Russia!" Day immediately thought of this equally large and powerful country.

"No, not only Russia, but also France and Germany, all countries willing to stand on our side, we want to completely change the order in East Asia, they think they can stop the United States of America if they don't cooperate, that's impossible! " Roosevelt sneered.

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