In this era, although the United States has become the country with the strongest industrial production capacity in the world as early as 1900, its status in the world has always been not particularly high, and Britain and Germany have pressed it down, because these are the two great powers of the world's fleet, France is also above him, and even to a certain extent, Russia has greater influence than him.

This is also the fundamental reason why the United States is anxious to participate in this war, the United States in this era has not yet formed the attitude of later generations that is empty-eyed and the strongest in the world, and it can be said unceremoniously that the United States, which has just come out of the War of Independence and came out of isolationism, has just had the idea of becoming strong, and is paying a huge price for being strong, and millions of losses in Europe, this is not a joke.

That is, after participating in the war, the US army became stronger, but it simply refers to the army, their own country, the national guard is responsible for domestic security, its strength is not strong, if it is not for the reorganization of the army in World War I, the combat effectiveness of the US army can almost be said to be scum, before World War I, the real case of the United States, a few robbers, and even some sought-after, can sweep the entire United States, the American police and the National Guard, can not resist at all, and they are defeated.

The United States is not ready to resist the attack on its homeland, and under the premise that war is in full swing, if the American mainland is attacked and even the Statue of Liberty, the symbol of American freedom, is killed, can such Americans not be shocked? After the sneak attack on New York, follow the coastline south along New York, and start with New York on the entire West Coast. A series of large cities, these cities have been attacked again and again. For the United States, what it means. Booming cities will be hit, and so will the shipbuilding and heavy industries that the United States is proud of, and even affect America's preparedness for war. The most important thing is that the mainland of the United States, which has never been ignited in the flames of war, has suffered a direct attack at the capital ship level, which is difficult to assess the blow of the Americans, and most of the staff officers are inclined to be devastating, which is also the fundamental reason for this attack.

War is an extreme act after there is no way to solve a political problem, and all wars are a continuation of politics. There is no war that does not have political significance, both ancient and modern, both in China and abroad.

In the past years, China's intelligence officers have traveled all over the world, not only drawing incomparably accurate war maps for China, but also drawing maps of major countries in the world, and this map is in Yang Yuanzhao's hands, really looking at the map, even Yang Yuanzhao has to admit that the geological conditions of the United States are really unique. In addition to its proximity to ports along the Atlantic coast, the core of heavy industry in the United States is actually located in the Great Lakes region, which is a natural advantage of being located in the interior of the United States. Relying on the connection of the Great Lakes, it can have a better transportation environment, and even the possibility of being attacked. will become the lowest, both from land. Or from the sea, through the vast territory of the United States. Attacking Pittsburgh, Chicago and other heavy industrial cities in the Great Lakes region of the United States is an almost impossible task.

Of course, the Great Lakes region is not impossible to deal with, as long as the ports are blocked, New York and other cities are attacked, they cannot be transported, and then the air force is used to attack the railroads, and the United States industry is completely blockaded in the Great Lakes region, the goal can also be achieved.

This is not something that can be done at present, China has too few warships, such a rare, large-scale operation to destroy the war potential of the United States, can only be transferred 4 Fantasy-class, and only such a perfect warship as the Fantasy-class can carry out guerrilla operations in complex and changeable naval warfare, and others, including Orion, may not be able to attack, one or two attacks may be okay, and after a long time, there will be no Fantasy-class sustained combat capability.

For Yang Yuanzhao, for China, this is an extremely risky decision, 4 Fantasy class may be besieged, and even not come back, this, Yang Yuanzhao is also a little hesitant, 4 ships, more than 7000 fighters, and 4 capital ships, the battleship is gone, it can be rebuilt, but it is not easy to replenish qualified sailors, it is never a warship that restricts the development of the Chinese Navy, China has shipyards all over the coastal ports, which can form a more powerful shipbuilding capacity than the United States, the key is still in people, there are not enough personnel, There are too many warships, no one to pilot, and still can't form a combat force.

If there is a choice, Yang Yuanzhao will not choose to use such a risky method, but will fight steadily, step by step with the United States, and gradually let China's shipbuilding capacity and population advantages be brought into play, but unfortunately the United States is too ruthless, 400,000 casualties, just like a volcano, the people who have just come out of the difficult old era, including the newly rising navy, are not allowed not to react, countless navies signed up for this operation, and even sacrificed at the expense.

There is no way, Yang Yuanzhao can only agree, he will choose to draw the most elite forces, taking into account both voluntariness and combat effectiveness, and the shipyard will make final adjustments and improvements to the fantasy class, such as some new achievements in power, artillery adjustments, by the way, the last rest, this time will not be very long, about 15 days at most, after that, they will go deep into the ocean to punish everything the United States has done.

At the Qingdao wharf, Yang Yuanzhao met Cheng Biguang, as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Fleet, his arrival has this special significance, this is a nine-life operation, although at the beginning, the United States is defenseless, they will not be in danger, along the way to attack the entire West Coast of the United States, it is impossible for the Americans not to react, the only advantage is that the American warships, unable to pay these capital ships, the United States has just received the British order, their capital ships have not yet been launched, the previous ships are not at all the opponent of the fantasy class.

If the Entente army really sends more warships to encircle and suppress, even if it pays the price of 4 ships, China will definitely say that Germany will act, even if it uses planes, it will also guarantee the attack of the German team Britain, at least, there is no problem in landing on the British Isles, if this step can be achieved, the European war is basically doomed.

The Entente and the Allies fought a war, both of which had a key, one was Britain and the other was Germany, either side withdrew from the war, it would end the entire war, Britain could not surrender casually, even if the mainland was occupied, it might not withdraw from the war, Britain still had a large number of British Commonwealth, he retreated to Canada, he could still exist, and even mobilize a strong army, but the Atlantic Ocean would become an absolute obstacle. The war in Europe was over in a sense, and the remaining France was isolated, and as for the United States, without Britain as the fulcrum, the laborers on the expedition would have become the Entente, would they take such a big risk to fight? 4 capital ships, thousands of soldiers, but can kill two birds with one stone, on the one hand, to hit the morale of the United States, on the other hand, to put Britain in a dilemma, no matter which point is achieved, it will be beneficial to China in the future, and even directly affect the situation of the war, with this fulcrum to pry the entire war, it is possible to read it.

Cheng Biguang is the highest officer involved in this operation, and he is also the first batch of volunteers to ask to participate, as a former Beiyang remnant, as China's first officer to drive a warship and travel around the world, he has been involved in the evacuation of overseas Chinese in Mexico decades ago, and the Chinese people feel the same suffering, even if he is not the commander of the Northern Fleet, he has to go, and even only as an ordinary soldier to participate in the war.

With Cheng Biguang in charge, for the fleet that attacked, the guarantee is very obvious, he is an old man, once he encounters something that cannot be done, he will make the choice he should make, this is also the root of Yang Yuanzhao's final agreement, it seems that the dangerous expedition of 10,000 miles, as long as it is not particularly unlucky, under the premise that the supply is in place, there may not be danger, the fantasy class has been made from the first battleship to the present, almost 3 years, 3 years, countless battles, let the fantasy class prove his ability, the armor belt composed of new armor, At least 25% higher than the former German Fantasy class, this armor belt is impossible to destroy in this era.

In the naval barracks, Yang Yuanzhao met Cheng Biguang and the captains of 4 battleships, they are carefully cultivated seeds, with the current expansion rate of the Chinese Navy, the ordinary sailors and sailors at the bottom, this is not a problem, China's more than 15 million tons of merchant ships, 700,000 fishing boats of different sizes, and tens of thousands of ocean-going fishing vessels, these are the strong foundation of the Chinese Navy, engaged in the ocean-related population, from less than 300,000 in 1908, to the present, more than 30 million practitioners, These will always be the foundation of the strength of the Navy. Choosing from the base of 300,000, and 2 million, 30 million, the difference between this is almost heaven and earth, which is the basis for China to have the confidence to break out on a large scale in the future.

Ordinary sailors, even sailors, this is very easy to do, but senior personnel, but there are some difficulties, China spent a few years, to consolidate the foundation of the navy, but the real fleet commander, sub-fleet commanders and other high-level personnel, half of them from the former Beiyang, a hundred years of the navy, this sentence is not just talking, Beiyang with decades of time, the foundation cultivated, was inherited by the general over, and through training, improvement, and inheritance, began to carry forward.

It is this kind of heritage that allows China to take this risk, 4 capital ships and more than 7,000 crews, even if all the losses are lost, they can bear it, at most delay the pace of China's naval construction, but once it succeeds, for China, it will establish a very positive image, and even let China re-enter the world's mainstream powers, which also represents China's rise. (To be continued.) )