Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 886 Bring it home, okay?

  After the meeting

  President Roosevelt left Navy Secretary Lieutenant General Doug Smith alone. After sending off the others, President Roosevelt walked back with White House Security Adviser Adam Smith and closed the door.

"Hey, man, you don't look very good." Adam Smith deliberately eased the atmosphere, walked to the opposite side of Lieutenant General Doug and sat down, sighed and persuaded; "The president is mobilizing the country's resources to build the Navy. Ships, the Naval Academy has expanded by 1,700 people this year, and we will recruit more experienced sailors to join the Navy. The most difficult days will soon be over, we need to keep fighting, and America will never give up.”

After he finished speaking, Lieutenant General Doug did not continue the conversation. After a long silence, he said quietly; "Navy tradition needs a long period of precipitation, these newcomers can't even perform 1/10 of the performance of the warship, I can't take them with me. To die is extremely irresponsible."

  Speaking of this

   He looked at President Roosevelt sincerely and said; "I feel that I have made a huge mistake and misled His Excellency the President. As a soldier who advocates honor, I will bear the consequences for my guilt, but not now.

  Mr. President, the Navy needs more time to grow, please don't give them too much tasks they can't accomplish. "

   "Huh, so they hid in the Port of Seattle?" President Roosevelt snorted coldly, his expression extremely dissatisfied.

  Whatever you say now is false. After the Hawaiian naval battle, the Great White Fleet of the U.S. Navy, which was full of confidence, was filled with extreme panic. It regarded the Ocean Empire Navy as the devil, and it was two wars to talk about...

  More than 7,000 people didn't come back alive, Nima is too scary, can you be any more cruel?

  The San Francisco Bay Area is a good port with a fairly wide sea area, which is very conducive to the entry and exit of large ships, but because the side facing the Pacific Ocean is too wide, the difficulty of defense increases sharply.

  The port of Seattle is completely different. This is a port deep in the strait. There is a superior environment around which coastal forts can be arranged. No matter how strong the enemy is, it can keep the Great White Fleet in a very safe situation.

   As long as Seattle does not fall for a day, the Great White Fleet hiding inside is very safe.

   As for the control of the sea around the west coast of North America, ahem...you go, but don't drag me to death.

   is a vivid portrayal of the current thinking of the officers and soldiers of the Great White Fleet. It is not planned at all. It will become the fourth existing fleet after the Manchu Qing Navy, the Ottoman Empire Navy, and the Tsarist Russian Navy, even if it becomes a laughing stock.

   In the face of President Roosevelt's questioning, Lieutenant General Doug remained silent. His heart was full of scars from self-blame and remorse. If he hadn't wanted to gain a little more life for the Great White Fleet, he would have already committed suicide by drinking a bullet.

  Death is not the most terrifying thing, but the most terrifying thing is facing infamy and moving forward with humiliation.

   "Doug, can I still trust and rely on you?" President Roosevelt asked softly.

   Vice Admiral Doug raised his head, with a hint of doubt in his eyes but a firm answer; "I have devoted my life to the cause of the Citizenship Navy, and I am loyal to this country with no regrets, and I am willing to give everything for it."

"That's great, I also love this country deeply, and I don't want to see him being ravaged by the Ocean Empire. Now I want you to be the commander of the Great White Fleet and bring our main fleet back to the west coast intact. can you do it?"

   "Mr. President, you are..."

"I have already seen that under the strong oppression of the enemy, the Great White Fleet will continue to remain on the Pacific coast without any use, but will lose the determination and courage to fight the enemy to the death because of staying in the port for a long time." Roosevelt The president smiled and said warmly; "The boys have indeed encountered great difficulties, and they should return to the west coast to regroup and train, and be reinforced by new cutting-edge ships until they are really strong enough to take on important tasks. For the United States , the Atlantic route is the real lifeblood, and this is our home."

"Well, Mr. President, this is not a good idea, the long voyage from Seattle to Buenos Aires is full of uncertainty and great danger, and enemy ships are densely populated on the Pacific East Coast. Negligence can lead to catastrophic results, I'm not entirely sure."

   "I want to know, how sure are you?"

   "If God is on our side... less than 30% sure."

"Why?"

"Mr. President, this is actually a dead-end proposition. The Great White Fleet does not have the ability to compete head-on with the enemy's powerful fleet. If a little bit of whereabouts are leaked or encountered by passing merchant ships, what awaits us is the ubiquitous enemy fleet. Encircling, chasing and blocking, the enemy will even arrive at Cape Horn one step ahead of time, completely blocking the return channel of the Great White Fleet." Lieutenant General Dawn thought for a while, feeling that this mountain-like task was overwhelming him, after repeated consideration said;

"Once we set off from the port of Seattle, there is no way back. We dare not resupply in big ports such as San Francisco or Newport. We can only furtively supply supplies in some small ports. This requires great luck and strict shore defense to prevent rest. leak.

  If you are lucky, the Great White Fleet will leave the west coast as soon as possible and enter the vast Pacific Ocean, which can temporarily ensure the safety of the fleet.

   I expect;

Once the fleet is found to have left, the enemy can easily guess our whereabouts, and will lay heavy blockades in Newport, Salem, Portland, San Francisco and other Pacific coastal areas, and rely on the Hawaiian Islands to cast a large net to search for Traces of the Great White Fleet.

  If all goes well, the Great White Fleet goes deep into the Pacific Ocean to avoid these searches.

The commander of the enemy fleet is not an idiot. He may have realized that the Great White Fleet had escaped into the depths of the Pacific Ocean, so he could lead the fleet to take advantage of the speed to reach Cape Horn first, occupy Tierra del Fuego as a base, and exercise strict control over the entire strait. blockade.

Whether    can successfully break through the strait is our next difficulty.

   Even if you are lucky enough to break through the strait, it will be difficult to avoid the passing merchant ships and fishing boats along the coast of Argentina, and then you will face the pursuit of enemy ship formations.

  This journey is full of dangers, and luck is too much, and I don’t think I can succeed. "

Lieutenant General Dawn said and shook his head, disapproving of this kind of military adventure. In his opinion, as long as Seattle can defend, the Great White Fleet hiding in the strait is safe and can be trained daily and slowly temper combat skills. .

   After all, the strait connecting the Puget Sound is deep and wide enough, and there are many islands in the strait, and the waterway is complicated, which can provide enough space for the officers and soldiers of the fleet for artillery training and ship maneuvering training, so there is no need to take risks.

  Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. It is located between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about 174 kilometers away from the US-Canada border. On the west side of the bay is the Olympic Mountains, and on the east side is close to Lake Washington.

The rivers, forests, lakes and fields near Seattle are very rich. There are many good places for sailing, skiing, biking, camping and hiking in and around Seattle throughout the year. The plants are lush all year round and it is called the "Emerald City" .

  The Great White Fleet stays here, and there is no need to worry about various supplies.

  This is the closest city from North America to the Far East. The city has a population of about 260,000. It is the capital of Washington State. Business is prosperous and trade is prosperous in the city. In their spare time, officers and soldiers can go ashore to stroll and relax without going crazy.

  President Roosevelt was silent, just glanced at Adam Smith, who immediately knew that it was his turn to appear, so he put on an expression of "I'm thinking of you" and persuaded;

   "General Doug, the Indians have a saying; a bow that is fired cannot be retracted.

For our beloved country, this war that the imperialists have imposed on the United States, we all have to fight to the end, the Navy will eventually fight to maintain the integrity and national interests of Citi Nation, that is inescapable Fate.

  The Great Demon King Li Fushou has an insatiable appetite, showing a dangerous and malicious intention to dismember and split Citigroup. This may be God's test for us, and it is the biggest ordeal in the process of America's progress. We must face it without fear and fight to the end.

  The President and I are mentally prepared enough to use two or even three battleships to fight against one of the other's ships. We can continue to build the lost battleship, and Citi will pay for it.

  We are the most powerful industrial country in the world, with unparalleled industrial power, and building 13 battleships at the same time is the best tough answer to the enemy.

  We have formed a powerful formation with only three remaining battleships and 21 cruisers in the Atlantic Fleet, and arrived in Buenos Aires ahead of schedule to meet the Great White Fleet.

   Once the two sides converge, even in the face of a powerful enemy, there is still a fight.

   Now, what is needed is the fearless spirit of sacrifice of the naval officers. Only by accepting the experience of blood and fire can we thrive. The President has ardent hope for this. "

When Adam Smith said this, President Roosevelt clenched Lieutenant General Doug's arm tightly and stared into his eyes with sharp eyes and said; "Doug, I don't want you to sit in your own house like a coward. In the study, he picked up the revolver and shot himself in the head.

  Even if you die, please die gloriously in the vast ocean.

  America doesn't need cowards, he just needs a monument made of blood and loyalty that will be admired forever by future generations.

  The heroes of North America have come forth in large numbers, let us fight like Washington, fight like Lincoln, and leave behind a glorious and moving legend. The United States has never been afraid of sacrifice. In order to spread the glory of democracy and freedom, we will continue to move forward.

  If I fail in the presidential election at the end of the year, I will sell all my property immediately, form the National Volunteer Division, and lead them to fight on the front line against the evil army, shed the last drop of blood for America.

  Doug, my man, I want you to bring the Great White Fleet home.

  The Great White Fleet is like our cherished child, he is really not used to the waves of the Pacific Ocean, bring him home... okay? "

  President Roosevelt's very provocative words worked once again, and Lieutenant General Doug nodded in a ghostly manner and responded; "Please rest assured, Mr. President, I will do all I can to achieve this goal."

   "That's good, man, I'll be waiting for you in New York Harbor for your smooth return."

   (end of this chapter)