The Rise of the Empire

The situation is already obvious. The Japanese also have plans to get involved in the Philippines, and they have obtained the acquiescence and even support of the United Kingdom. They are fighting against a regional naval power on the other side of the distant ocean, and behind them is the most powerful empire in the world. , Even Roosevelt was a little worried and hesitant. The United States is indeed very strong, and its various industrial indicators are very good, especially the indicators linked to quantity, which are simply crushing. The United States relied on its strong national power to propose the famous Monroe Doctrine, and all countries in the Americas must look up to the United States. For many years, Americans have regarded America as their own backyard.

But Roosevelt is still not satisfied, the future of the United States should be the world leader! And if you want to lead the world, you must project your power onto the world's largest continent, Eurasia! The powerful European countries cannot be provoked by the United States, and entering Africa will be jointly suppressed by European powers, and the only breakthrough is in the Far East! And the gateway to the Far East is in the Philippines!

If the United States can't take advantage of the weakening of Spain, the door has become gradually decayed, and the new power has not yet risen. If the door is kicked open, the door may be closed for 10, 20, or even longer time! Americans can't wait! Whether Russia expanded to the Qing Dynasty, or Japan defeated Russia to become the overlord of the Far East, they will firmly repair this door, and they may even walk out of this door and march to America!

It's not that Roosevelt never thought about waiting two years before talking. After all, the competition between Russia and Japan cannot be won in a short period of time, and infighting in the next five years is impossible! And Day and Simpson also have this opinion! But Roosevelt knew he couldn't wait.

That's right, if you wait a few years, the American fleet will be even bigger, but just because you wait, it doesn't mean that Japan will wait. And when the Japanese got the Philippines and operated for a few more years, why would the United States, which lacks bases in the Far East, launch an expedition to break the ocean? From the United States to Samoa in the Far East, besides Hawaii as a base, is there another place that can provide supplies for a huge fleet? Up to now, the Americans don't even know how long it will take to transfer a fleet from the east to the west coast! Is it too much to cross the Pacific Ocean to fight Japan at this level?

Some people may say that the United States can wait until the outbreak of war between Japan and Russia before acting! But Roosevelt knew that this was impossible, for the simple reason that the United States was not facing a single Japan! Britain and Japan are allies. If Japan fights Russia alone, Britain may not intervene, but if a third party dares to attack, Britain will definitely intervene!

Roosevelt would not think that the current national strength of the Americans could intimidate Britain. No matter how good your American national power is, what is your long-distance delivery capability? It's not that the British have never fought against countries stronger than their own! Whether it was Spain in its heyday, or Napoleon, the great European emperor, have the British persuaded them? No! Therefore, if the United States wants to take action when Japan and Russia go to war, then it must consider facing the British navy.

The American industry is indeed strong, but it is unknown when the U.S. Navy will surpass the British Navy. Even if the U.S. is willing to build the world's number one fleet, the U.S., which lacks overseas bases, cannot compete with the British, at least in the next 20 years. There is no opportunity to see it within a year. And even if the United States joins the war after the Russo-Japanese War breaks out, the cost will be terribly high. How many fleets does the United States need to send to deal with the Japanese? How many armies? Do those in Congress have the guts to go to war? These are all unknowns!

Judging from Roosevelt's experience, at that time, it is possible for the United States to help Russia behind the scenes, but it is impossible for the president and Congress to pass a resolution to go to war against Japan! too much risk

Enough to scare most people away! Even if the president is going to war with Spain now, he only acquiesces. If he wants to really fight, he needs to use some small means!

Therefore, the only chance for the United States is to attack when the Japanese navy has not yet grown up! Taking advantage of this fight against Spain, take the Philippines together! Anyway, the British promised not to intervene this time, at least for now they can seek help from Russia, and the Japanese need to defeat the Spanish and American fleets at the same time before they can occupy the Philippines. At least the current Japan is out of a period of weakness, forcibly taking drugs to save a navy. The overall environment is better than after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War.

Moreover, the cost of fighting a battle is relatively low now. Even if it loses, it is nothing to the national power of the United States. What if all the 8 cruisers sent to the Far East are sunk? The Navy made up for it in two years. The Navy started construction on 3 battleships in 1996 and 2 in 1997! Once stimulated, the US Navy can get more funding! So Roosevelt was not worried about failure at all.

Of course, not being afraid of failure does not mean that he is willing to fail. Since Roosevelt dared to insist on bringing the Philippines under the control of the United States of America, it meant that he had the ability! Even though the paper fleet is weaker than Japan, it can still defeat the Japanese navy!

Roosevelt was a politician, but he was also the second in command of the Navy Department, so Roosevelt, who also studied naval politics, knew how to plan this matter from two aspects. If you want to win Japan, you need to make two preparations, one is the supply, and the other is the fleet! The British have made it clear that they are unwilling to help, so well, the Americans can find someone else!

After searching for a long time, Roosevelt found sadly that the United States can only rely on Germany at this time! From the perspective of the distance from the Philippines, there are actually three choices, namely France’s Cam Ranh Bay in Annan, the Dutch East Indies, and Germany’s islands in the Pacific Ocean, such as Kaiser Wilhelm’s Land, Bismarck Islands, and the German Solomon Islands. All the way to German Samoa.

But in fact, the Netherlands absolutely dare not offend the United Kingdom, so the Netherlands is directly eliminated, and the possibility of France is not high, because the relationship between the United States and France is very average. Why do people take the risk of offending the British to cooperate with the Americans? It doesn't make sense.

But Germany is different! During the Sino-Japanese War, Germany and Japan had feuds, and the current relationship is still based on the business of buying and selling. If the Japanese can spend money to "buy back" Germany's favor, then the restoration of the relationship between the United Kingdom and Germany may take a long time. After all, the British did not admit their counsel, the Germans were very shameless, and the future emperor of Germany Also dislike the British!

And the infrastructure of the Germans is good. In order to domesticate and deploy the Munich-class armor in the Far East, the Germans have made some preparations, while the French only have a few cruisers in the Far East. The tonnage is terribly small. The conditions in Cam Ranh Bay are good, but That is a natural condition, not a port condition!

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