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Text Chapter 284 Undeclared War

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    "Gentlemen? If we declare war on China, will we have the strength to defeat China?" William?  President McKinley asked.

    Everyone was silent.  Although China has just completed its reunification not long ago, their strength is unquestionable.  China's military strength is enough to rank among the best in the world.  In terms of the army, China has millions of well-equipped, well-trained, and war-tested troops.  In the United States, there are only about 100,000 National Guardsmen who have not experienced war for a long time and lack heavy weapons.  According to estimates by professors at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Chinese Army can defeat the U.S. Army with just two divisions.  As for the navy, although the gap is not as big as that of the army, even the Pacific Fleet stationed by China in Hawaii is not something that the US Navy can definitely defeat.

    "So, by declaring war on China, isn't this humiliating ourselves?" William?  McKinley said.

    "But, Mr. President, now our minister has been killed. If we don't care, what will other countries in the world think of us? What will the American people think of us. So, Mr. President, now we are gone.  We have no other choice but to show our courage and strength. Even if we fail, we must show our determination!" Secretary of State John?  Sherman said.

    William?  McKinley was silent. He knew John?  Sherman's intention was to use the sacrifice of soldiers to give an explanation to the American people and to awaken the bloody spirit of Americans.  However, is this method too cruel?

    "Your Excellency, we must fight this war. However, we do not have to declare war on China. In addition, the scale of the war should also be controlled, just control it in Hawaii and the Chinese Pacific Fleet. If the navy can defeat the Chinese Pacific Fleet  , we will be able to occupy Hawaii and conduct a just trial against Queen Liliuokalani. If the Navy cannot win victory, we can only quickly conduct peace talks with China to avoid the expansion of the war!" Deputy Secretary of the Navy Theodore?  Roosevelt said.

    "In other words, we are undeclared war against China?" William?  McKinley frowned. This undeclared war seemed a bit against the rules!

    "Your Excellency, this is the last resort for us. The main force of the Chinese navy is contained in the Western Pacific. We can even contact the United Kingdom and ask them to help us contain the main force of the Chinese navy. As for our navy,  Launch an all-out attack on the Chinese navy. Victory or failure depends on this. If we can win, then the Chinese can only let us occupy Hawaii. Even if we fail, we can have an explanation for the people at home.  The army has tried its best, and there is nothing we can do about failure! We can also take this opportunity to expand our armaments!" Theodore?  Roosevelt said.  In this case, there will not be a full-scale war between the United States and China, but at most it will be a military conflict.  Once the United States fails, it can end it immediately and avoid suffering greater losses.

    "What do you think?" William?  President McKinley did not rush to answer, but looked at the others.  Although he is the president, he cannot make decisions entirely based on his own wishes. In many aspects, he must reach agreement with cabinet members.

    "Your Excellency, I think this method is feasible. Although I don't want to admit it, I have to say that this is indeed the best way for us. Even if we lose this war, it can end at any time.  Will not expand the scale of the war!" Vice President Garrett?  Hobart said.  Obviously, he is not optimistic about the U.S. Navy.

    "Your Excellency, while accelerating the development of the navy, we must also accelerate the development of the army. If the navy fails, we will definitely have to pay a certain price to end the conflict with China. What if the Chinese raise an issue that is difficult to accept?  What should we do under the conditions? Therefore, we must also build a strong army. Only in this way can our country's interests be guaranteed to the greatest extent!" Secretary of War Russell?  A?  Alger said.  The U.S. Army is really terrible. This is undoubtedly an opportunity to take advantage of this rapid development.

    William?  President McKinley nodded. It was indeed time for the U.S. Army to accelerate its development, especially since the Navy was not absolutely sure of victory.  In that case, the entire United States will not be equivalent to being disarmed after the navy's failure.  Moreover, China and the United States are separated by the vast Pacific Ocean. It would be very difficult for China to land in the United States.  The United States only needs an army that is not too powerful, and it can defend its homeland well.

    "Your Excellency, I will contact Britain, France and other countries to ask them to stand on our side. In this way, even if we fail, we will not pay a high price!" Secretary of State John?  Sherman also said.

    "Okay! Gentlemen, let's have a fight with the Chinese!"But, Mr. Roosevelt, I hope the Navy can give me a surprise, and I hope the brave young men can bring victory to the United States!  "President William McKinley said.

    "Yes, Your Excellency, I will work hard to win. However, I have a suggestion, let Colonel Mahan command this battle. Our naval officers have never experienced actual combat and do not know how to operate on steam.  To defeat a powerful enemy in this era, Colonel Mahan is the dean of the Naval Academy and has witnessed two fierce naval battles in the Far East. At the same time, he also has in-depth research on the Chinese navy. He is the only one among our navy who is qualified for this task.  Commander of a battle!" Theodore?  Roosevelt said.

    "However, Colonel Mahan has retired, and his military rank is only colonel. I'm afraid he is not suitable to command this battle! You know, for this battle, our navy has deployed almost all the main battleships  ." Secretary of War Russell?  A?  Alger said.

    "If we want to win, we have no choice. If Colonel Mahan can't lead our navy to victory, then neither can anyone else!" Theodore?  Roosevelt said stubbornly.

    "Okay, Mr. Roosevelt. We can immediately promote Colonel Mahan to Vice Admiral and be responsible for taking full command of this battle!" William?  President McKinley said.  Although he knew that the possibility of winning this time was very small, he still held on to a glimmer of hope that the U.S. Navy could create a miracle.

    After that, Theodore?  Roosevelt immediately met with Colonel Mahan and explained the matter to him.

    "Congratulations, Lord Mahan, you will become the first general in the U.S. Navy to be directly promoted from colonel to lieutenant general!" Theodore?  Roosevelt said with a smile on his face.

    "Oh my God! Roosevelt, do you want to deliberately embarrass me?" Colonel Mahan was speechless.  No doubt he didn't think it was a good job.  Let him command the U.S. Navy to fight the Chinese Navy. No matter how you look at it, he is going to die!

    "Mahan, are you so unconfident? At least we have four battleships, and the Chinese only have two. We also have more cruisers and destroyers, and we are very likely to win!" Theodore?  Roosevelt cheered for Mahan.

    "Roosevelt, you have never personally experienced the battle between the Chinese Navy and the Japanese Combined Fleet, and you don't know how terrifying they are. At that time, they had only been in the army for less than two years, but their artillery skills were very terrifying, even worse than the Japanese.  The navy that has been in the army for decades is even more powerful. The distance at which they engage is almost more than 6,000 meters, and our navy, let alone 6,000 meters, even if it is 4,000 meters, it is very difficult for them to accurately hit the target.  Difficulties!" Colonel Mahan said with lingering fear.

    "But, Mahan, we have no other way now. I can't find a more suitable commander in the country than you." Theodore?  Roosevelt said.  The first enemy of the U.S. Navy is the powerful Chinese Navy. This is something he did not expect.

    "Okay, Roosevelt, I will try my best! However, I can't guarantee victory. I can only guarantee that I will try my best to bring the boys back instead of letting them die! In addition, I haven't been here for a long time.  I've been in the army, what if those guys don't obey my orders?" Colonel Mahan said.

    "I will ask the President to give you the power to appoint and dismiss the fleet. This time, after the main force of the Atlantic Fleet and the Pacific Fleet merge, they will be merged into the U.S. West Fleet. Before the end of the war with China, you will be solely responsible for the appointment and dismissal of the fleet's personnel.  !" Theodore?  Roosevelt said.  Now, he can only trust Colonel Mahan.

    "Okay, that's no problem. I'll rush to San Diego immediately and get familiar with the troops first!" Colonel Mahan said.  The Atlantic Fleet is still on a long journey and will not arrive in San Diego until at least the end of August.  At that time, the warships will need to be overhauled, and a battle against the Chinese Navy will have to wait until at least September.  Therefore, he still has enough time to become familiar with this fleet, which gathers almost all the combat power of the US Navy.

    "Mahan, may God bless you!" Theodore?  Roosevelt said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine!¡± Mahan smiled.

    ??The Queen of Hawaii Hangs John, the U.S. Minister to Hawaii?  Stevens' incident caused an uproar in the world, and Western powers strongly condemned Hawaii's practice.  As a result, China has also come under great pressure.  However, China still expressed its toughness on this. While placing the responsibility on the Kingdom of Hawaii, it announced that it would protect the security of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This made the Western powers very dissatisfied.

    However, the United States seems to be silent.  However, everyone knows that as the U.S. Navy is concentrating on the West Coast, China and the United States are directly??, maybe there will be a war.

    PS: The third update is here!  I started streaking again, please subscribe!  (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to become a registered member of Piaotian Literature to recommend this work. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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