Chapter 199 Army Red Deer
The sudden appearance of this huge fleet, which included two threatening warships and dozens of cargo ships, startled the U.S. Navy fleet that was carrying out the blockade on the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. If it weren't for the Stars and Stripes flying above the fleet, they would have thought that the intelligence was wrong and that the Spanish fleet had unknown strength and might have some other plans.
After being reported to the higher authorities, the report reached Fleet Commander Thompson. Thompson, who was on the armored cruiser USS New York, listened to the report of the naval staff beside him and asked in surprise, "Such a large scale? They belong to the United Fruit Company?"
"Yes, General Thompson." The naval staff officer was also somewhat surprised. "The current sentiment of revenge against Spain in the United States has led many people to voluntarily organize armed forces and join the war in their private capacity. Our Deputy Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Roosevelt, is one of them. However, such a large number of volunteers is indeed not common."
It was not only uncommon, but also completely unheard of. At least Thompson himself had never seen such a large number of volunteers. He turned to the ship and asked, "Does anyone know anything about this company?"
"I'm from New Orleans. The United Fruit Company is a domestic company operating in Central American countries. It has many shareholders, including Sheffield Union, the largest company in Texas, and other companies such as McHale Mining and Gail International Trading. Many farmers in the South are shareholders, and the few I mentioned are just the more famous ones." Another naval staff officer opened his mouth and revealed everything he knew.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of applause from the entire flagship command room. In the eyes of many people, this was the incomparable patriotic enthusiasm of the citizens of the United States, not to mention that the addition of such an armed force could not be a bad thing no matter how you looked at it.
They came here at the risk of war, and they couldn't just turn away the active military personnel of their country. Soon the armored cruiser New York contacted the civilian volunteers who came from Haiti to help in the war, and after some routine encouragement, they lifted the alert status.
"These cowardly Yankees are so cautious even though they have nearly three times as many warships." John Connor pouted and said to the radio operator, "Thank you General Thompson for your concern for us. Our overseas citizens are also very indignant about the tragedy of the USS Maine and are willing to contribute their own strength to this war. But we can't stay at sea for too long. Fortunately, the Spanish fleet has been blocked in the port by the great American Navy. Now we, the civilian armed forces, will find a suitable place to land."
"We have telegraphed our plight, and I believe the real navy will understand." Brown added, "A large number of people have no experience of drifting at sea and cannot stay at sea for a long time."
This is the truth. Apart from the Black Gold Company's armed forces, most of the armed forces of other companies have not lived on the sea for a long time. What is it like to stay in a shaking can? Many people may not have tasted it, although Brown himself has experienced this feeling more than once. Although this time the vibration was not the strongest, it was not pleasant. At the least, it caused dizziness, and at the worst, it was inevitable to vomit. If you are not careful, you will have a close contact with a hard object.
Even someone like him who frequently traveled across the Atlantic Ocean had such a reaction after two days of bumpy ride. As for this armed force of more than 10,000 people, the reaction of most people can be imagined. Now, as long as they can find a place to land, even if a war starts immediately, it is acceptable. Anything is fine as long as they don't continue to stay on the sea and sway with the wind. Everything will be fine.
In this situation, everyone knows what it means to live a day like a year, and a minute seems to be as long as several centuries. They are private armed forces of the people, willing to join the war out of patriotism, but it is a bit difficult to expect them to obey orders. Everyone needs to be responsible for their own lives. For people like John Connor, fighting for the country is a side job. They all need to be responsible to their respective bosses. After all, the boss is the one who pays the salary, not the so-called federal government of the United States.
The main task of this armed force is to quickly find a place to land and reap all the property of the Spanish nobles on the island of Cuba. Just as their boss said, although there are many businesses that are slower than robbery, if there are conditions to rob, who can say no?
After a long time of exchanging information by telegraph, John Connor already knew that there was indeed no Spanish force on the sea, so the biggest obstacle did not exist. Cuba was a big island, and as long as you searched patiently, you could always find a landing place. How could there be no place to land on such a long coastline?
Inside Cuba, the Spanish army of more than 200,000 was not in a good situation. Outside, the huge US naval fleet had turned Cuba into an isolated island. Inside, the Cuban rebels everywhere had made the Spanish army, which was facing a very powerful force, exhausted. More and more people expressed pessimism about the prospects of the war.
As the economic center of Cuba, Havana has the best urban area, the most modern public transportation system and the most enviable cleanliness in Cuba. In order to escape the war, many Spanish nobles, wealthy businessmen, missionaries, officers and talents from all walks of life flocked to this largest city in Cuba. It seems that only here can they feel a little comfort.
From the beginning of the war until now, the Spaniards who were expecting a miracle to happen have never heard any good news. The Spanish fleet coming from overseas was once their hope for a comeback, but the following news shattered the hope that had just risen. This was a very cruel thing for many people. From the news that the Philippine fleet was annihilated, to the blockade of Cuba and even the Caribbean Sea, the support fleet that came to Cuba was unable to advance or retreat.
The miracles in the hearts of many people are increasingly heading towards collapse. At first, they could still comfort themselves by saying that it was the wrong timing or that the international community was intervening. But now, there is no reason to comfort themselves. They are already meat on the chopping board, and what fate they will face depends entirely on how the increasingly obvious winner arranges it.
Thinking about how they treated the Cubans at that time, many Spaniards prayed to God that they would not be treated the same way as the Cubans.
The Spanish fleet blocked in the port had no other options, although they successfully supported Cuba through tactical maneuvers. But some things cannot be changed by individual efforts alone, and the course of history must also be considered. If the Spanish fleet had fought hard against the blockade of the US Navy at the beginning, it would no longer have this opportunity.
With support from the mainland, the total number of the US Navy fleet that blockaded Cuba has now reached 24. It is more than three times the strength of the Spanish fleet. Although the 8,000-ton armored cruiser New York is the flagship of this fleet, it is not a significant role in terms of tonnage and firepower. But even the armored cruiser New York is no longer a battleship that any warship in the Spanish fleet can contend with.
The US Navy's blockade fleet also contained many battleships. The three Indiana-class battleships were all main battleships of the US Navy launched in the last three years, and each of them was a 10,000-ton ship. The Iowa battleship was the newest and most advanced battleship in the US, equipped with 12-inch main guns and displacing 11,500 tons. It was an irresistible behemoth for the Spanish fleet at that time.
With such a visible gap, the Spanish sailors who had set out with full confidence had to admit that their past glory had been overwhelmed by the cold reality. Compared with the fleet in front of them, which was full of the atmosphere of an industrial power, these sailors of the Spanish Empire were not much stronger than the Native Americans who fell to the Spanish colonial army a few centuries ago, and seemed to be a little weaker.
In this unknown and uneasy situation, a debate was raging within the blockade fleet on the sea that the Spanish could never have guessed. If they knew that there was a dispute within the US military, they might be more optimistic about their situation.
It all stems from the fact that the American Expeditionary Force has not yet completed its assembly, but a private armed force that is said to be employed by a domestic company but has a large number of people and looks quite respectable has arrived first.
The procrastination of the Second Class Army made the First Class, who already had the upper hand, very dissatisfied, because according to the current telegram, it might take another ten days to wait for the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force.
"Cuba is an island, and the Cuban rebels have already controlled most of the territory, but now those people in the army are dithering. If we waste time, it will be difficult to deal with the situation."
"Didn't the United Company have more than 10,000 private soldiers? I think we can destroy the Spanish fleet without waiting for the army and let these private soldiers land from Guantanamo on the other side."
Inside the blockade fleet, all kinds of voices were transmitted to the command room of the New York through telegraphs. The meaning behind the words was that private armed forces could completely replace the army, and the powerful strength of the navy fleet could be used to kill the Spanish fleet and cover the landing of this armed force.
Thompson fell into long thought. This was certainly not as simple as it seemed on the surface. It also involved the dispute over military spending between the navy and the army. If he could prove that the army was useless, he could ensure the continued development and growth of the navy.
Through John Connor, Sheffield soon learned of this action, and the atmosphere suddenly became peaceful. He thought that only Japan had such a sea-land conflict, but it seemed that all countries had it but with different degrees of severity. The navy seemed to think that it could resolve the small island of Cuba without the help of the army.
"Promise the Navy, those army troops are really of no use." Sheffield agreed immediately and asked Jesla to send a telegram to John Connor, saying that the lower the status of the army, the better.
(End of this chapter)
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