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Text Chapter 276 America¡¯s Choice

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    (Thanks to book friend Glorious Charter for the tip!)

    President William McKinley was the last president to participate in the American Civil War. He joined the army with the rank of private and retired with the rank of major.  Therefore, compared with his predecessor, President Grover Cleveland, he also showed a tougher military stance.  Otherwise, he would not have appointed Theodore Roosevelt, a famous hawk, as Deputy Secretary of the Navy.  The U.S. Secretary of the Navy, John Davis Long, was sick all year round, so all actual work of the U.S. Navy was presided over by Theodore Roosevelt.  It is precisely because of Theodore Roosevelt's insistence that the U.S. Navy accelerated its naval construction. Now, all four of the U.S. Navy's first-class battleships, the "Indiana-class" battleships, have been commissioned, and the second-class battleship "Kisha"  The construction of "Zhi Level" has also started.  This all shows that the United States has gradually begun to give up their original isolation and normalcy, and began to move towards external expansion.

    The United States is located in North America, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It has natural geographical advantages.  In addition, Canada to the north and Mexico to the south are both weak countries, which means that the United States hardly needs to retain much military strength and can focus all its energy on economic development.  This also caused the U.S. economy to take off.  But now, the development of the US economy has reached a bottleneck.  Because of the rapid development of U.S. industry and commerce, there are not so many markets available to the United States. This forces the United States to seek more and larger markets, and outward expansion has become the only way.

    Hawaii is undoubtedly the first step in the United States¡¯ outward expansion.  When the coup occurred in Hawaii that year, Sanford Dole was backed by the United States, so they dared to subvert the rule of the Kingdom of Hawaii.  However, President Grover Cleveland at the time seemed a bit conservative and believed that the United States' actions were inappropriate. He once proposed restoring the rule of Queen Liliuokalani.  However, the U.S. government required Queen Liliuokalani to pardon those who launched the rebellion after she resumed her rule.  However, Queen Liliuokalani refused and vowed to hang the rebels.  This made the United States no longer support the restoration of Queen Liliuokalani.

    As soon as William McKinley came to power, he consulted Congress on the annexation of Hawaii to the United States. As long as Congress passed the merger bill and he signed it, Hawaii would become the 50th state of the United States.  But now, Hawaii has inexplicably become a vassal state of the Chinese Empire. How could this not surprise William McKinley?

    "Your Excellency, last night, the Chinese rescued the imprisoned Queen Liliuokalani, defeated the army of the Republic of Hawaii, and arrested President Sandford Dole. The Kingdom of Hawaii has been restored successfully. And China has already  The Kingdom of Hawaii¡¯s request for admission was immediately agreed to. Therefore, the Kingdom of Hawaii has now become a vassal state of China, and China has stated that it will fully protect the security of the Kingdom of Hawaii!¡± said Secretary of State John Sherman.

    "What? Those damn yellow-skinned monkeys, they dare to directly send troops to subvert the regime of the Republic of Hawaii. It is illegal for them to do so!" William McKinley roared angrily.  He was already ready to make Hawaii the 50th state of the United States, but now, something like this happened. Doesn't this mean that all his previous work was in vain?  How could he accept this?

    ¡°They advertise to the outside world that they are mercenaries. However, it is obvious that it is their regular army that subverts the Republic of Hawaii!¡± Vice President Garrett Hobart also said.

    ¡°So, gentlemen, what steps should we take to prevent this?¡± President William McKinley asked.

    "Your Excellency, Hawaii is a strategic location in the Pacific. We have huge interests in Hawaii. Only by occupying Hawaii can we expand to the Pacific. Therefore, we must control Hawaii!" Deputy Navy Department  Secretary Theodore Roosevelt said.  He was also shocked by the sudden intervention of the Chinese Navy.

    "But now Hawaii has become a vassal state of China. If we want to take Hawaii back, we have to go to war with China!" Secretary of State John Sherman said.

    "Your Excellency Roosevelt, can our navy defeat the Chinese navy?" President William McKinley asked.  Everyone else's eyes were all focused on him.  This put Theodore Roosevelt under great pressure.

    "Your Excellency, the Chinese Navy has four battleships and 10 sub-class battleships. Moreover, they also have a large number of battleships under construction and will be put into service one after another. However, as far as these four battleships are concerned, our navy  The four Indiana-class battleships currently in service are no match for it!" Theodore Roosevelt said.

    ¡°So, do we have to acquiesce to China¡¯s occupation of Hawaii?¡± Secretary of War Russell A. Alger asked.  He is also a well-known hawk in the United States.

      "No, if the Chinese want to stabilize Hawaii, they will definitely send a navy. And their main enemy now is Japan, not us. Therefore, the navy they send to Hawaii will definitely not have many warships. As long as  If we can figure out these problems, we may not have no chance!" Theodore Roosevelt said.

    "Then, I think the mystery will be revealed soon. The Kingdom of Hawaii has been restored, and the Chinese navy will soon appear in Hawaii. Then we will be able to know whether we have the strength to defeat their navy in Hawaii. So  , let¡¯s protest to China first! We will wait for the situation to become more clear about the follow-up actions!¡± President William McKinley thought for a moment and then said.

    Everyone nodded, this was undoubtedly a very cautious approach.

    "Your Excellency, we have only one battleship on the Pacific coast. If we want to defeat the Chinese fleet stationed in Hawaii, we must send more battleships to the Pacific. Therefore, I request that the main force of the Atlantic fleet be sent as soon as possible.  Towards the Pacific Ocean. After all, it is more than 20,000 kilometers from the east coast to the west coast, and it takes two months to reach it. We must prepare early!" Theodore Roosevelt said.  Before the opening of the Panama Canal, the United States' two-ocean navy was indeed very miserable.

    ¡°We have sent all the warships to the Pacific, but what about the Atlantic coast?¡± Secretary of State John Sherman asked.

    "Your Excellency, Secretary of State, we have no enemies in the Atlantic. The main enemies come from the Pacific! Therefore, under the current circumstances, we can only strengthen our strength in the Pacific as much as possible!" Theodore Roosevelt said.

    "Well, Mr. Roosevelt, let's do as you ask!" President William McKinley said.  There is no doubt that China's expansion into the Pacific has posed a threat to U.S. interests.  Regardless of whether the United States wants to take back Hawaii next, strengthening its strength in the Pacific is undoubtedly very important.  In addition, traveling from the east coast to the west coast also takes a lot of time. If you prepare now, you can save more time once it is determined to take back Hawaii by force.

    "In addition, Your Excellency, the Chinese have now shifted their attention to the Pacific Ocean, which will inevitably pose a greater threat to the United States. Therefore, I request funding for the Navy to speed up the construction of current warships. To defeat  Chinese, we must build more and more powerful warships!" Theodore Roosevelt took the opportunity to say.  With the threat of China, this is undoubtedly a good opportunity for the US Navy to expand.

    "Your Excellency Roosevelt, there are five battleships under construction now. Do we need to add more?" Treasury Secretary Lyman J. Gage asked.  Battleships are money-burning guys. Each one costs tens of thousands. The current US finances are not very wealthy.

    "Your Excellency, although there are five battleships under construction, including two 'Kishaji' class battleships and three 'Illinois class' battleships, according to the current progress, I am afraid that they will not be able to enter service until the next century. And  We are now under huge pressure, so it is very necessary to speed up construction. In addition, in order to deal with the threat from China, we must build more and better warships. Let me tell you the truth, even after we built the latest Illinois class  'The combat power of the battleships is probably not as good as the 'Sichuan-class' battleships that the Chinese equipped four years ago. Moreover, the newer battleships that the Chinese have already built are probably about to be completed. Therefore, we also have to speed up the progress.  That's it. The design office has completed the design of the fourth-level 'Maine-class' battleship, and I request that construction start immediately. In addition, the design work of the fifth-level 'Virginia-class' battleship will be accelerated. Once the design is completed, we will immediately  Start construction, and it must be put into service before 1900!" Theodore Roosevelt said stubbornly.

    President William McKinley frowned. He had seen the Navy Department's plan. The Navy Department planned to build three ships of the 'Maine Class' and five ships of the 'Virginia Class'.  Among them, the cost of the 'Maine class' is US$4.8 million, and the cost of the 'Virginia class' is US$5.2 million. To build a total of eight ships, it would cost US$40.4 million.  This is a very big pressure on the current US finance.  You know, last year the US fiscal revenue was US$340 million, and this year it is estimated to be only US$350 million.

    "What do you think?" President William McKinley looked at the others.

    "Your Excellency, I agree!" Secretary of War Russell A. Alger immediately replied.  Others did not express their opposition clearly.

    "Well, Mr. Roosevelt, just follow your request! I have only one request, we in the United States must not lose to the Chinese!" William McKinley said firmly.

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