America 1881: Legend of the West

Chen Jianqiu looked at the firelight soaring into the sky behind him, feeling a chill in his back.

This may not be the closest he's come to death, but it's definitely the riskiest.

He never expected that the explosion of the Maine was caused by the spontaneous combustion of piles of coal.

If he had acted a little later, or the coal pile would have spontaneously ignited a little earlier.

I was afraid that like the sailors on the ship, I would be buried in the belly of the fish.

This kind of danger is unpredictable, and his sense of death cannot save him.

But sometimes that's the case, death or tomorrow, you never know which comes first.

"Extra! Extra! The Maine has sunk! The Maine has sunk!"

The next day, the early morning fog in New York was broken by the clear voice of the newsboy.

Many people were shocked by the news as soon as they woke up from their sleep.

Not only New York, but also major cities on the eastern coast, including Boston and Philadelphia, have received the news.

The newspaper tycoons headed by Pulitzer naturally would not let go of this opportunity to incite public sentiment.

Cruiser, explosion, sinking, Cuba, Havana harbor, Spanish.

Several words put together.

There is no need for newspaper reporters and editors to write anything more, and a complete logical chain comes out.

The Spanish were dissatisfied with the American interference in suppressing the Cuban revolution, so they bombed and sank the Maine on the way.

Shock and anger spread among citizens, and it seemed that the entire American society wanted its government to ask Spain for an explanation.

"Snapped!"

McKinley slapped the newspaper and telegram on the table at the same time.

"Why are the news in these newspapers faster than the news inside our government?" The president's anger was palpable.

"William, we should immediately organize people to investigate the sinking of the Maine." Secretary of State Sherman stood in front of McKinley's desk.

"Shouldn't it be the Spaniards who should give us an explanation?" Roosevelt said aggressively from the side.

"Theodore, there are some diplomatic things that you don't quite understand. The truth must be in our hands! Otherwise, we may have to face war with Spain!" Sherman expressed great dissatisfaction with Roosevelt for interrupting him mid-sentence.

But Roosevelt showed his toughness.

"Sherman! That's our warship! It sank outside the Spanish-controlled harbor! They went to war, do you understand?!"

He growled uncharacteristically, leaving McKinley and others in the Oval Office stunned.

"This is the worst betrayal of faith by the Spaniards." He stared at the president and strengthened his voice, "The United States needs a war. This is honor and dignity!"

After a brief moment of surprise, McKinley quickly regained his composure.

He waved his hand to Sherman, the Secretary of State in charge of foreign affairs:
"Sherman, go check with the Spanish ambassador and see what their attitude is."

Sherman nodded and walked out the door.

McKinley then turned to the Under Secretary of the Navy who was still in the office, who had come to communicate with him in advance about some naval equipment matters.

He spoke not quickly but very clearly:

"Teddy, I know what you are thinking, and I have never said anything about some of your actions. However, I hope you can stay calm before things develop to the point where a war is necessary!"

Roosevelt took a deep breath:

"No problem, Mr. President."

Then he turned around and walked out of the President's Office.

After two people went out, another person came in.

Marcus Hanna, McKinley's old partner and senator.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Congress?" McKinley looked up and asked after seeing Hanna.

"Let me see what you think." Hanna got straight to the point.

"I don't know if it is a good choice to go to war with Spain now. With Roosevelt here, the navy should be well prepared, but it is still not sure whether it can take advantage of the Spanish."

McKinley held a pen in his hand and repeatedly tapped newspapers and telegrams on the table.

He actually has a very clear mind and is well aware of the situation within the government.

"But the army is a complete mess. Ajie has no experience at all. The army is in a mess both in terms of personnel and equipment. They are not prepared for war at all."

Hanna looked at his partner and shook his head:

"I don't know whether the military is ready, but one thing I want to tell you is that if public opinion is really aroused, you and I will have no choice."

"You remember? We got into this office in large part because of the divisions within the Democratic Party."

"If you and I stick to the original point of view, it is very likely that we will be backlashed."

The two people were too familiar with each other, so Hanna's words were very direct without any euphemism.

"However, we still don't know the real reason why the Maine sank." McKinley looked up at Hanna.

Hanna held his hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward, and stared at the president intently.

He whispered:
"William, does the truth really matter? Do you think the people need the truth? They only believe what they want to believe."

"Just take it one step at a time." McKinley sighed.

The backlash from Hanna's mouth did not keep the president waiting too long.

A few weeks later.

House "czar" Reid is facing the most tumultuous moment of his political career.

He sat on the speaker's seat and looked at the members of the House of Representatives who were speaking in the audience.

Old Rhett had never seen anything like this.

In addition to the original Democrats, Democrats and a few Republicans who had always advocated war against Spain, those original Republicans who had reservations also joined the ranks of the war faction.

The one who is speaking now is a man named Ferdinand Brooke.

"I used to resolutely not advocate sending troops to Cuba! But the USS Maine is not closed, and all the words are of no avail."

"We sailed the ship to Havana and didn't do anything to them. We were just trying to protect our people! But the Maine was sunk!"

"This is a betrayal of Americans! Breach of faith and inhumanity permeate the Spanish blood! Any country that allows such an offense should not exist in the world!"

"I'm a Republican! But I'm an American first!"

His speech resonated with most people in the audience.

"We should act immediately! Immediately!" A Democratic congressman stood up. "We have no time to discuss any more! Our president is a coward!"

"War! War on the Spaniards! Teach those Spaniards a lesson!"

Old Rhett looked gloomy.

He used his lifelong political experience to end this House meeting that he would never forget.

After the meeting, he immediately went to McKinley's presidential office.

He was accompanied by Senate President Hobart.

The situation in the Senate is not much better than in the House.

Senators are more educated than representatives, but also more determined.

The two looked at each other in silence, only sighing. "Mr. President, I no longer have any control over the Senate."

This was the first thing Hobart said when he saw McKinley, "If you don't take action anymore, I'm afraid they will leave you alone and take action alone!"

"The USS Maine incident has brought the Democrats, the Civilian Party, and the pro-war Republicans together. They are attacking your reputation and trying to use this incident to hit you in the fall midterm elections!"

Red told another cruel truth.

Faced with the grim situation, McKinley remained calm.

He hoped to find from the Secretary of State the possibility of ultimately avoiding war.

However, the Spanish's negative and tough attitude not only disappointed the Secretary of State, but also made McKinley completely determined.

They want war more than the Americans do.

Spain at this time was in crisis.

Twenty-five years of civil war and unrest have torn the country apart.

In 1898, the country is ruled by an incompetent queen, a corrupt parliament and a cabinet that is only good at sneer and rotation.

Labor struggles, anarchist uprisings, and student demonstrations swept the country.

But the country's army had 50 troops, 15 of whom were stationed in Cuba, far more than the 28000 regular U.S. Army at the time.

The government from top to bottom is more inclined towards war.

Because rather than being overthrown by the people because of compromising with the United States, they would rather consolidate the dynasty's rule through a victory.

They need to divert the conflict.

Therefore, the Spanish government had no other response to the explosion of the Maine except for the routine self-defense.

Their attitude is more like:

I didn't blow up this ship, and even if I did, what can you do to me?
After learning the true attitude of the Spanish government, McKinley knew that there was no need for him to persist any longer.

He needed to start preparing for war.

But in the cabinet, someone took action earlier than him.

Theodore Roosevelt could no longer contain himself when he walked out of the Oval Office that day.

But after calming down, he suddenly realized that he seemed to be unable to do anything before the president declared war.

And Secretary of the Navy John Long seemed to have little interest in this.

He was more concerned about whether the medicine prescribed by his personal doctor was better to be taken in the morning or in the afternoon.

Roosevelt was somewhat helpless. It seemed that there was nothing else he could do except urging the factory to place ammunition orders and stepping up the training of the soldiers on the fleet.

Until one day, Chen Jianqiu appeared in his office again.

After watching the "fireworks show" from Havana, Chen Jianqiu immediately returned to the United States by boat and went straight to Washington.

"Aren't you on vacation in Europe?" Roosevelt looked at Chen Jianqiu who appeared in front of him with a puzzled look.

"You've been urging me for ammunition, how can I think of going on vacation?" Chen Jianqiu said with a smile, "Don't worry, the ammunition you requested has been loaded onto the ship and will be in the fleet's hands soon."

"That's good." Roosevelt nodded.

Chen Jianqiu looked around the office and found that there was no other place to sit except Roosevelt's own chair.

So he simply leaned on the large desk.

"The old man is on vacation again?" Chen Jianqiu pointed at the minister's office opposite with its door closed.

Roosevelt said "hmm".

He was a little irritable.

This old man spends his days either taking sick leave or pretending to be stupid and knowing nothing.

This is a good thing and a bad thing.

The good thing is that the old man will turn a blind eye to some of his usual actions, but the bad thing is that when something really important happens, he can't find him to make the final decision.

Thinking of this, Roosevelt became even more worried.

"Sighing is not like your style, Teddy." Chen Jianqiu turned his head and looked at Roosevelt and said, "Tell me what you think, don't let yourself get bored."

Roosevelt had no scruples and told Chen Jianqiu everything he was thinking.

"You mean, the old man never said anything about what you did?" Chen Jianqiu raised his eyebrows.

"He's lucky to be here. I don't think he even knows how many ships there are in the fleet," Roosevelt said.

"Then just give the fleet an order and let them complete their deployment first." Chen Jianqiu said shockingly, "In the name of your deputy minister."

Roosevelt was stunned.

He thought about it and then shook his head: "No, the deployment of the fleet requires the minister's order. Besides, the fleet may not listen to me."

Chen Jianqiu smiled.

He walked up to Roosevelt, put one hand on the back of his chair, bent down and whispered in his ear:

"Is winning the war more important? Or is the procedure more important?"

Chen Jianqiu stood up and spread his hands:
"If I remember correctly, you asked me and Mahan to help you draft a naval operation plan against Spain last year. Do you want this plan to remain on paper?"

Roosevelt pulled out his pipe.

Whenever he was lost in thought, he would subconsciously smoke.

Chen Jianqiu planned to accompany him with a cigar.

"Teddy, don't hesitate any longer. There's a saying in my hometown, 'He who strikes first wins, he who strikes later loses.' This war concerns our honor and future, it's worth a gamble." He said as he took out a cigar.

Chen Jianqiu's words lingered in Roosevelt's ears like a magic sound.

Smoke rises in the office.

After a few minutes, Roosevelt finally made up his mind.

He excitedly picked up his pen and wrote on the telegram paper:

Dewey, XG: Order the squadron to take on coal…Your mission is to ensure that the Spanish fleet cannot leave the coast of Asia…take offensive action against the Philippine Islands…

After sending the telegram, Roosevelt felt relieved.

He leaned back in his chair, holding his pipe and looking at Chen Jianqiu:

"Chen, if a war breaks out, will you join in? I mean, except for your two ships."

"Oh? What do you think?" Chen Jianqiu turned around and looked at Roosevelt with interest.

"The army's preparedness is far different from the navy's, and the number of troops is far from enough. I estimate that your old friend Ajie will mobilize the militia and volunteers."

Roosevelt looked out the window.

"I will also apply to the Ministry of War to organize an army and go to the front line to fulfill my patriotic promise. I remember that you are quite skilled. Are you interested in joining us?"

"No problem." Chen Jianqiu smiled.

He did not tell Roosevelt that he would not be the only one joining the war.

and the thirteen thousand militiamen he had assembled in Roswell, Juarez, and Oklahoma.

These militiamen are all Chinese!
Their goal is not only to defeat the Spaniards, but also to win Cuba! (End of this chapter)