America 1881: Legend of the West

Chapter 568: Sea Power

"As I just explained to you, whether it is Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom, their rise is basically based on controlling sea power."

The bald Professor Mahan arranged the manuscripts on the table.

However, he did not read the manuscript, but continued to speak freely:

"During their heyday, they all had an invincible navy, and their downfall was also accompanied by the failure of naval battles."

"For example, the British defeated the Dutch three times from 1652 to 1673, and in 1588, the British also sank the once-invincible Spanish Armada to the bottom of the sea."

"Fortunately, our government is gradually paying attention to the development of the navy. Our battleships and cruisers have been developing one by one in the past few years. Everyone here is witnessing the growth of the U.S. Navy."

Professor Mahan smiled and said to the naval officers in the audience.

Regarding Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power on History 1660-1783", Chen Jianqiu had the opportunity to read it before traveling through time.

The main idea is that sea power determines whether a great country can rise.

Sea power here refers not only to military power, but also to capital and trade.

Only when a country has strong maritime power that can expand and protect the country's economic interests can the country be strong and remain prosperous.

Control of the ocean means significant influence in the world and is a major factor in national security and prosperity.

Regarding the development of the U.S. Navy over the years, Chen Jianqiu and Roosevelt also had many exchanges.

After the Civil War, the U.S. Navy did languish for a period of time, and was even forced to retreat by the ironclad ships of the Chilean Navy.

Seven years ago, the U.S. Navy had only 6 cruisers and no battleships. Today, seven years later, the U.S. Navy has 6 battleships parked in various ports, and as many as 16 cruisers.

Most of these ships were designed by Armstrong Shipyard in the United Kingdom and produced by shipyards on the East Coast of the United States. Chen Jianqiu also helped in the process.

However, Roosevelt had not yet taken power in the Navy Department at that time, and most of the shipyards were owned by the U.S. government, so Chen Jianqiu only obtained some shares in a smaller shipyard in Philadelphia.

Today's U.S. Navy is indeed different from what it used to be.

"Teddy, I heard from Philadelphia that the Navy Department is in a rush period again. They told me that they don't have enough manpower. I told them that if some Chinese workers are transferred there, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Chen Jianqiu suddenly remembered something, turned his head and said to Roosevelt beside him.

Roosevelt nodded.

But it was clear that his attention was still on Mahan.

A young officer from the Admiralty suddenly raised his hand:
"But professor, those sea powers you listed earlier have been on this road for hundreds of years, and we don't have any advantage at all."

Another officer with a mustache also said:

"Yes, as you said before, the world has been almost divided up by them, but we haven't even fought a modern naval battle, so we don't have any chance."

"Especially the Empire on the other side of the ocean. Their navy is too powerful. Compared with them, we are just like a bunch of beggars."

Others followed suit and whispered among themselves.

Roosevelt held his pipe in one hand and his chin in the other, frowning.

"Do any of the rest of you hold the same view?" Mahan looked around.

The expressions on most of the officers' faces showed that they agreed with this view.

But unexpectedly, an imperceptible sneer came from the last row of seats.

Mahan cast his gaze over.

He found that the person who sneered was a Chinese.

This Chinese man was sitting next to Vice Minister Roosevelt, and he didn’t know when he came in.

The professor became interested.

He waved to Chen Jianqiu:
"Mr. in the last row, what do you think of this matter?"

The officers in front turned their heads.

They were surprised to find an extra Chinese in the back row.

Some of these officers knew him and knew that he was a friend of Roosevelt, but this did not affect the fact that most of the officers had no good impression of Chen Jianqiu.

They thought that the Chinese just got lucky and made some money, looking like a nouveau riche.

These people simply didn't think he had any original insights.

Because on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, this man's homeland had just experienced a disastrous defeat in a naval battle three years ago.

When Chen Jianqiu saw everyone looking at him, he pointed at himself:

"me?"

Mahan nodded:

"I saw you smiled just now, so I want to hear your opinion."

Mahan's words caused dissatisfaction among some officers.

What right do you, a Chinese who is listening in, have the right to laugh?

"What are you laughing at?" A bearded officer asked Chen Jianqiu in a rough voice, "Do you have the right to laugh here?"

This man is relatively senior in the Navy, and he doesn't even buy Roosevelt's account, let alone this Chinese who usually doesn't even take a second look when walking on the road.
Chen Jianqiu stood up calmly.

"When I was in school, I met such a classmate."

"They never preview in class, but they insist on their own 'skeptical' attitude towards the courses taught by the teacher. They are known as independent thinkers, right, Professor Mahan."

The bearded man's face turned green, but Roosevelt was present and could not immediately come to fight, so he could only stare at Chen Jianqiu fiercely.

Mahan's interest intensified.

He picked up a glass of water on the table and looked like he was listening.

Chen Jianqiu bowed slightly to Ma Han:
"In your works, it is clearly pointed out that there are six major factors that affect sea power."

"They are, geographical location, natural structure, national characteristics, government characteristics and policies, territorial scope, and population."

"Today's overlord, the 'empire on which the sun never sets' as my friend with the mustache just said, has no problems with the first four elements."

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the mustache who spoke just now.

"Surrounded by the sea, with many excellent deep-water ports, the industrial revolution, and the ambitions of various emperors such as Elizabeth I, they also became a generational hegemon."

He paused and changed the subject:
"But they have never been able to solve a problem, that is, their country's land and population have never been able to compare with the real big countries. This has forced them to follow the old path of land power and use the dividends brought by expansion to support their huge naval power and pursue their goals. further development."

"This is a fragile balance with huge hidden dangers. Its cost is too high. The strength is still good, but once there is a decline and the leaders are unwilling to carry out strategic contraction, the balance is broken and they are exhausted and exhausted. Inadequacy will become the norm, and weakness will become inevitable.”

"That's different in America."

"He has all the conditions of the 'Sea Power Theory'. So I don't know what you are worried about. Moreover, in the future, external expansion will become inevitable."

Ma Han listened to Chen Jianqiu's explanation of his views without blinking, holding a cup of water in his hand.

He originally just wanted to give this Chinese man a lesson and tell him not to be so ignorant of his own limitations in the Navy Department.

But I didn't expect that Chen Jianqiu used his six factors of sea power theory to interpret the world situation, which made a lot of sense.

"What do you mean by that?" Mahan took a sip of water and asked calmly, "Expansion is inevitable."

Chen Jianqiu continued:
"As you all know, the United States experienced a financial crisis a few years ago. There are many reasons for this round of crisis, but one of the most important reasons is overcapacity."

"The Second Industrial Revolution has brought about a huge increase in industrial and agricultural production capacity. As a businessman, I feel deeply about this."

"If the government cannot open up new overseas markets, export, and export capital overseas, another depression will be inevitable."

If the naval officers could understand the previous speech about Britain, then this theory left them a little confused.

However, there were still people present who understood what Chen Jianqiu meant. One was Mahan, and the other was Roosevelt.

The Deputy Minister of the Navy listened to Chen Jianqiu's speech, smoking his pipe in silence, and thinking about something.

He was not only a general, but also a politician.

"So 'isolationism' is no longer desirable in America today, and challenging the world's existing maritime order is inevitable."

Ma Han was completely attracted by Chen Jianqiu's words.

Many of the things the latter said coincided with his own ideas, and he had just been preparing to put them on paper in recent years.

He made an inviting gesture towards Chen Jianqiu:

"Sir, although I don't know your name, please come to the front and tell us what we should do?"

Chen Jianqiu still refused to give in.

He patted Roosevelt on the shoulder, who was still smoking his pipe:

"Hey, Teddy, got a map?"

Roosevelt shouted at the mustache guy:
"Go hang up the map."

The man with a mustache was a little reluctant, but he still ran back to the office and soon came back with a large world map.

He unfolded the map and nailed it to the wall behind the podium with a few nails.

Ma Han leaned sideways to make room for Chen Jianqiu.

The latter grinned, said "thank you" to the professor and the man with a mustache, and continued his speech.

His hand pointed to an area below the United States.

There is the Caribbean Sea.

"Let's put aside the economic factors we mentioned earlier." Chen Jianqiu drew a circle on the map and said, "From a strategic perspective, this is America's backyard."

"I don't know if you know the history of your country, but I think Teddy and Professor Mahan should know it." He glanced at the professor next to him, and then glanced at the audience. "Seventy years ago, a president presented a message to Congress."

Seeing many of the officers in the audience looking confused, Chen Jianqiu curled his lips and said, "It seems like you don't know."

"He expressed the hope that Europe would not expand its colonies in the Americas, and that Americans should take care of their own affairs. In practical terms, he hoped that Europe would not interfere with the interests of the United States in the Americas."

"The president's name was Monroe, and it became known as the 'Monroe Doctrine,'" he had to explain.

"In the past few decades, these things were just talk, but now, Central America should be the first step for the United States to implement Monroe Doctrine," said Chen Jianqiu.

"Why, why?" The bearded officer who had just spoken rudely looked at Chen Jianqiu and asked a question that seemed stupid to him.

"You should have studied geography carefully when you were in school," Chen Jianqiu said sarcastically.

His hand was placed on the Isthmus of Panama.

"There will definitely be a canal here in the future. After all, the economic benefits it will bring are immeasurable."

"But have you ever thought about what the completion of this canal will bring?"

"Europeans will pay more and more attention to this place. According to the theory of 'sea power', if they choose to seek a port here, not only will the east coast be unsafe, but the west coast will also be unsafe!"

After hearing what Chen Jianqiu said, the officers finally understood the seriousness of the matter.

Some of them began to sweat on their backs.

The smoke rising in front of Roosevelt became thicker.

"Is there any good solution?" asked an officer.

"Yes." Chen Jianqiu slapped a country.

"Cuba?"

Someone below said the name of the island country.

"Yes, Cuba." Chen Jianqiu gestured to the geographical location of Cuba on the map.

"It controls the key point of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as three entrances to the Caribbean Sea: the Yucatan Strait, the Windward Strait and the Mona Strait. It also directly controls the shipping routes to the Isthmus and Jamaica," said Chen Jianqiu.

He was about to continue speaking when Roosevelt in the last row suddenly stood up.

He clapped his hands:

"That was a very interesting speech, but today's meeting has to end here. Let's go now."

The officers below no longer had any contempt for Chen Jianqiu, and instead seemed to be listening with a sense of wanting more.

But since the leader has spoken, I have to leave even if I don’t want to.

I can only hope that I will have the opportunity to seek advice from this Chinese person next time.

After the other officers left, only Roosevelt, Mahan and Chen Jianqiu were left in the conference room.

"What's your name?" Ma Han extended his hand to Chen Jianqiu.

"Chen Jianqiu."

"I never thought that there are readers of mine in the East, and that they not only read my books but also have their own unique opinions. I can't quite remember where my books were printed."

Ma Han laughed heartily.

The old man was very happy.

After all, it is a very happy thing to have someone study your theory in depth and share many common views with you.

"Your book can be found on a certain novel reading website, and you have to pay for it." Chen Jianqiu muttered softly.

"Hmm?" Ma Han didn't hear clearly.

"nothing."

Mahan then turned to Roosevelt, who was seated at the table, still smoking his pipe and thinking.

"Theodore, what Chen said is what I want to say, and he said it more thoroughly. We have to take action against the Spaniards!"

"I have wanted to take action against them for a long time, but I have never been able to convince the president and Congress." Roosevelt finally spoke, one sentence and one puff of cigarette.

"So, today I am here to provide you with some evidence to convince them."

Chen Jianqiu said with a "sad face",

"I was in Cuba a few months ago, and the situation there was very bad. If we didn't take action, we would lose our best chance to drive the Spanish out of the Caribbean."

The situation of the Cuban insurgents was certainly "bad", especially the Chinese insurgents.

During the months that Chen Jianqiu was away, according to his strategy, Lai Hua and Hu De joined forces and fought from east to west, turning the rural areas in the southwest far away from the city upside down.

They liberated many Chinese workers working on the plantations, and the team had expanded to nearly 10,000 people.

However, the rebels were unable to deal with the tens of thousands of Spanish troops hiding in the city and the warships cruising on the sea.

What's more, there are so many fortifications outside the city of Santiago.

The American army has to deal with the tough ones first, at least to consume their energy.

He would feel sad if one more Chinese brother died.

"Let me try." Roosevelt thought for a while and said.

He sighed.

"Sometimes, for Americans, all you really need is a reason!"

(End of this chapter)