The Rise of the Empire

"Although His Royal Highness has no record of serving in the navy, he is very sensitive to naval battles. Both in actual combat and in predicting the battle situation, we can even call it a talent! Of course, this is for you It doesn't matter, I think you are more concerned about his relationship with the Russian Navy." Simpson said while looking at Theodore Roosevelt who was silent across the way.

When Simpson received the results of the Qingri Yellow Sea Battle, his mood at that time can be described as shock, because Ruprecht's prediction results are almost exactly the same as the actual results, whether it is the tactical play of the two sides, the battle process and the result. At least 90% match! You know, this is the first large-scale naval battle in decades, and it is unimaginable that it can be predicted so accurately. Invisibly, Simpson had a kind of awe for the prince from Germany. Or worship? Compared with Mahan's somewhat mysterious theory, Ruprecht's prediction is more real! Also more convincing!

"This kind of tactical issue has very limited meaning to me. I am more concerned about the impact of Germany's behavior on the future situation in the Far East. My perception tells me that Russia is not a partner that can get along well. They Powerful, tyrannical, domineering and closed! Will take everything and don't know how to share it with others. I think Japan will get along better than Russia." Theodore Roosevelt said.

In history, whether in the Sino-Japanese War or the Russo-Japanese War, the United States has purchased a large amount of Japanese bonds. Therefore, a very peculiar relationship has been formed in history. On the one hand, Japan and the United States have issues on certain islands There are conflicts, like Hawaii. But on the other hand, the United States supports Japan to kill Russia.

There are two fundamental reasons for this phenomenon. The first is that the Russians are too domineering. Americans believe that once Russia controls the Far East, the United States will not be able to intervene at all. And the Japanese seem to be easy to talk to? Another reason is that Americans believe that Japan is weaker. Supporting the weak and attacking the strong to strike a balance is the only choice for intervening players. This policy continued until the end of the Russo-Japanese War. When Japan gained dominance in the Far East, the Americans found that the Japanese were more greedy than the Russians....

Of course, this is something for later, let’s not mention it for now, at least a considerable number of people in the United States now think that Japan is better than Russia, and the continuous support of the Germans for Russia makes Americans worry. Although the United States in this era already has some hegemony, it is still incomparable with later generations. At most, the United States hopes that the great powers will respect the authority of the United States in the Americas, and it only pursues economic interests in external regions except for very few places.

"But the current situation is that Russia, Germany and even France are very dissatisfied with Japan, and if we intervene rashly at this time, it may lead to a strong rebound from the three major countries. The Far East is too far away from us, and we are beyond our reach." Simpson said .

"But this problem cannot be avoided. We must obtain a support point in the Far East. Samoa is small and it is too difficult to obtain. We need to provide a support point that is large enough and will not cause direct conflict with powerful countries. I think you should mine Meaning. We don’t need to publicly support Japan now. On the one hand, we support Japan’s development economically, and on the other hand, it is my purpose to carefully handle relations with major powers.” Roosevelt thought for a while and said.

"In addition, the bigwigs in Congress are ready to mediate the Sino-Japanese War at the right time, but before that, I think we should first mediate the relationship between Germany and Japan. According to our plan, Japan's victory is important for the United States of America. It is beneficial, but countries such as Russia, Germany and France may interfere. This is what Congress is worried about." Roosevelt thought for a while and decided to say more.

"Well, do you plan to influence Germany's foreign policy through some informal channels?" Simpson asked. After all, Germany is different from the United States. The former is a monarchy country, and every real monarch and their heirs have a great influence on the country's political situation. Have a great impact,

The other party is the heir to the second largest duchy in the German Empire, and at the same time has a relationship with the Kaiser's family. It is normal for Roosevelt to have such thoughts.

"However, the Japanese and the prince had just fought a battle. If the latter hadn't reacted quickly enough, it would be really unpredictable what would happen. The nobles hold grudges very much." Simpson said with a smile.

"If you don't try, I feel that this prince is more like a businessman, and the most basic requirement for a qualified businessman is to be able to learn to do business with his enemies. The conflict between Germany and Japan is at most an accidental conflict Not war. So I'm pretty confident," Roosevelt said. "In addition, I would like to know how the German prince evaluates the quality of the US Navy? For example, how do we compare with the Russian Navy?"

"That's the point. I always thought it was weird. Based on my observations, I felt that his understanding of the details of the navy was very limited, but he had a good grasp of the macroscopic aspect, and his evaluation of the navies of various countries is also quite special. For example, Japan, although the Japanese navy is his enemy, he still believes that after a period of training, the Japanese navy's combat quality can be in the middle and upper reaches. It is stronger than the Russian fleet, but he is a little vague about us." Simpson said.

What does it mean to be unclear? In Roosevelt's view, it means that there are some words that cannot be said.... However, Roosevelt did not mean this result. He was a very pragmatic and capable person, and he naturally knew the shortcomings of the US Navy. At least before 1898, the development of the US Navy was restrained.

Not only is the shipbuilding budget tight, but the promotion of personnel is even more of a problem. The number of officers who are promoted to the rank of a school is fixed every year, and a large number of experienced and capable personnel are eventually forced to retire due to promotion problems. The number of capable and experienced officers in the navy has always been small, and the navy is not attractive enough compared to other industries. Many talents do not go far to join the navy. In addition, the peace period is too long, the Americans have no pressure, and the level of naval training is definitely not high. Adding these problems together, it is no wonder that the quality of the US Navy's personnel is high!

"The prince is telling the truth, and I really believe that he has a certain talent for the navy, which is even comparable to his industrial talent." Roosevelt was not angry at all. "In addition, I hope that Mr. Mahan can accompany me. I need the help of a professional." As Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt did not know much. In order to maintain the dignity of the United States Navy, Roosevelt thought he should at least bring a professional People from all walks of life come to show off!

"No problem, Mr. Mahan will be back soon. But I would like to remind you again that you must avoid stalemate in the talks. This is just an informal talk, and we need to create a harmonious atmosphere." General Simpson finally reminded.

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