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Piaotia Literature of the Fourth Empire of China www.piaotia.com Chapter 465 The Wind Arises in the Pacific

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    On June 13, in the vast Eastern Pacific, a huge fleet was sailing westward.  The thick black smoke from the battleship's chimney covered the sky and the sun, like a huge dark cloud.  The battleship sailed across the sea, leaving behind traces of water.

    This fleet is the U.S. West Coast Fleet.  The fleet departed from the San Diego Naval Base yesterday, preparing to head to Hawaii to engage in battle with the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet.  Almost all U.S. Navy officers and soldiers hope to defeat the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet this time and avenge their past humiliation.  However, the actual situation is not very optimistic.  Even though the strength of the U.S. Navy has increased a lot, the strength of the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet has also been strengthened.  Under such circumstances, can the U.S. Navy still win?  At least, Admiral Mahan, the commander of the U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet, cannot guarantee that.  The failure two years ago is still vivid in my mind.

    On the USS Illinois, the flagship of the U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet, Admiral Mahan, commander of the West Coast Fleet, stood on the side of the ship, looking at the huge fleet riding the wind and waves, and his heart was full of sighs.  He didn't know how many of these battleships would be left after this battle was over.  Although, as the commander of the fleet, his idea was somewhat wrong.  But General Mahan had to think this way.

    In Admiral Mahan¡¯s view, now is not the best time for a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy¡¯s Pacific Fleet.  Or it should be earlier and have a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet before the strength of the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet has been strengthened.  At that time, the U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet was still able to occupy a great advantage.  But now.  The Chinese Navy has deployed some warships from its home fleet to strengthen the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet.  Even some old warships that have been in service for several years.  But the performance of these warships is far better than that of warships equipped by the U.S. Navy.  If nothing else, the performance of the "Sichuan-class" battleships and "Chengdu-class" heavy cruisers equipped by the Chinese Navy is much more powerful than the "Illinois-class" battleships and "New York-class" armored cruisers of the U.S. Navy.  Therefore, General Mahan had no confidence in winning.

    If possible, Admiral Mahan would prefer to have a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet after the Chinese Navy and the joint fleets of Britain, France and Russia have decided the winner.  But, sadly, the military must be subordinated to politics.  Britain puts pressure on the United States.  If the U.S. Navy continues to stand still, Britain will cut off all assistance to the United States.  Moreover, after defeating China, the United States will also be excluded from the ranks of victorious countries.  For the United States, this is absolutely not allowed to happen.  Therefore, after deliberation, the U.S. government decided to dispatch the West Coast Fleet to fight a decisive battle against the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet.  The U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet contains all of the U.S. Navy's battleships and armored cruisers, as well as half of its cruisers and destroyers.  If the West Coast Fleet is defeated again.  The flames of war will probably reach the United States.  Admiral Mahan knew it.  China has deployed nearly 200,000 troops in Hawaii.  If the West Coast Fleet is defeated and these armies reach the United States, how can the weak US army withstand the attack of the powerful Chinese army?  The Chinese Army has already proven its strength on the battlefield.

    "General, are you still in trouble? Since Secretary Theodore Roosevelt has issued an order on behalf of the government, we can only obey it. And we must find a way to win. Otherwise, for the United States, it will be  A huge disaster!" Vice Admiral Benson, deputy commander of the U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet, came to Admiral Mahan and said.  There is no doubt that if it fails again this time, I am afraid that this US government will have no other option but to resign.  In the last war, after the United States failed, it not only abandoned Hawaii, but also compensated China 80 million pounds, which caused a heavy blow to the American economy.  If the United States continues to lose this time, it will definitely pay a heavier price.

    "Benson, what do you think of this war?" General Mahan asked.

    "General, although China has shown extremely strong combat power in this war. One country is fighting five powerful countries at the same time and still has an advantage. However, whether China is military or economic,  We have reached our limit. With just one failure, the momentum China has finally built up will collapse. By then, it will be very easy for us to win the war!" Lieutenant General Benson said.

    "Let China fail? Do you think this is possible? Is it us, or the British, French and Russians?" A sarcastic smile flashed across General Mahan's face.  He was very dissatisfied with the government's orders.  The government was too optimistic and believed that the combined fleets of Britain, France and Russia would definitely win.  If the United States does not take action now, it will be in vain in the end.  Therefore, the government couldn't wait to order the West Coast Fleet to defeat the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet before the Chinese Navy's Home Fleet was defeated by the joint fleets of Britain, France, and Russia, to show the United States' support forcontribution to this war.

    "General, we are not without the strength to defeat the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet. Although the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet has been strengthened, we are not bad. Moreover, the current US Navy soldiers are completely different from those two years ago.  Changed. This time, we will definitely let the Chinese know how powerful we are!" Lieutenant General Benson said confidently.

    "So, what about the decisive battle between the British, French and Russian combined fleets and the Chinese Navy's Home Fleet? Who do you think will win?" Admiral Mahan asked.

    "General, do you still have any doubts? The combined fleet of Britain, France and Russia has a total of twenty-nine battleships and ten armored cruisers. The Chinese only have eight battleships and eight heavy cruisers. Britain, France and Russia have an overwhelming  Advantage. Even if the Chinese warships are more advanced, I believe that in the face of the overwhelming numerical advantage, the performance advantage of the warships can be compensated!" Lieutenant General Benson said with great certainty.

    General Mahan smiled and said nothing more.  He knew that Lieutenant General Benson's view was the mainstream view in the United States. The U.S. government and military all believed that the combined fleet of Britain, France, and Russia would win, but Admiral Mahan did not think so.  He believed that the outcome of this naval battle would probably exceed everyone's expectations.  Even as an American, he very much hopes that China will be defeated.  However, he could not restrain the thought deep in his heart.  Admiral Mahan was a little sad. He put forward the "Sea Power Theory", but his motherland was unable to become a maritime hegemon. This is indeed a very sad thing.

    "Don't worry, Benson, I will try my best to win this victory for the United States!" General Mahan showed a smile on his face, patted Lieutenant General Benson on the shoulder, and said with a smile.

    At this time, the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet also set out to sea from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The huge fleet left the military port and sailed to the East to win another victory for the empire.  The strengthened Pacific Fleet has five battleships, eight heavy cruisers, 14 light cruisers and 20 destroyers.  The fleet's combat power is twice as powerful as before it was strengthened.  This makes Fleet Commander Admiral Li Dingxin and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gao Yihai full of confidence in this battle.  Although the strength of the U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet has also increased a lot, they still believe that the victory in this war must belong to the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet!

    In Washington, USA, all the attention of the US government has been put on the upcoming naval battle.  For the U.S. government, this battle is also crucial.  If it failed, no one, including President William McKinley, would be able to withstand the anger of the people.

    On the evening of June 13, Washington time, U.S. President William McKinley asked Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt and Secretary of War Russell A. Alger to have dinner, and then began to discuss the war situation.  Although it has been three months since the United States made its choice about China, this is the first time the United States has taken military action against China.  To be honest, US President William McKinley himself had no idea whether this war could be won.

    "Your Excellency, the war has progressed so far, and the Chinese have achieved a huge victory. On land, Russia has been defeated steadily. The Russians have lost the Far East, Eastern Siberia and Central Asia. This has made Russia at least  Almost half of the territory was lost. Although these territories were barren. However, given the Russians¡¯ love and desire for land, this was something that Tsar Nicholas II was absolutely unwilling to accept. It is foreseeable that China and  The war in Russia will continue for a long time. Tsar Nicholas II, that stubborn emperor, will definitely not give up. The British and French lost Nanyang. Now, the Chinese are about to win the Nanyang region.  The Japanese have lost all their navy and are now trapped on several small islands. Coupled with China's blockade of Japan, it is said that famine has begun in Japan and the situation is very critical. The British, French and Russian joint fleets expedition to China is almost  This is everyone¡¯s last hope! Of course, I am very optimistic that the British, French and Russian combined fleets will definitely win. After all, their advantages are too obvious!¡± Secretary of War Russell A. Alger took a sip.  After coffee, he analyzed.

    U.S. President William McKinley nodded after listening to Russell A. Alger¡¯s analysis. He himself was also inclined to this view.  Otherwise, the decision to dispatch the US Navy's West Coast Fleet to launch a decisive battle against the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet would not have been made!  (To be continued.)

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