"Although this prince has no record of serving in the navy, he is very sensitive to naval battles. He is very powerful in both actual combat and prediction of the combat situation. We can even call him a talent! Of course, this is not important to you. I think you are more concerned about his relationship with the Russian Navy." Simpson said to the silent Theodore Roosevelt opposite.

When Simpson received the results of the Qing and Japanese Battle of the Yellow Sea, his mood could be described as shock, because Ruprecht's prediction results were almost exactly the same as the actual situation, regardless of the tactical styles of both sides, the battle process and the results, the results were at least 90%. You should know that this is the first large-scale naval battle in decades, and it is unimaginable that it can predict so accurately. Invisibly, Simpson had a sense of awe of this prince from Germany. Or worship? Compared to Mahan's somewhat mysterious theory, Ruprecht's prediction is more realistic and more convincing!

"This tactical problem has very limited significance to me. What I care more about is what impact this behavior of Germany will have on the future Far East situation. My perception tells me that Russia is not a partner who can get along well. They are strong, arrogant, domineering and closed! They will take away everything without knowing to share with others. I think Japan will get along better than Russia." said Theodore Roosevelt.

In history, both during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Russo-Japanese War, the United States once purchased a large number of Japanese bonds, so a very strange relationship was formed in history. On the one hand, Japan and the United States had conflicts on certain island issues, such as Hawaii. But on the other hand, the United States supported Japan to kill Russia.

There are two fundamental reasons for this phenomenon. The first is that the Russians are too domineering. Americans believe that once Russia controls the Far East, the United States will not be able to interfere at all. And the Japanese seem to be easy to talk to? Another reason is that Americans believe that Japan is weaker, and supporting weak and balancing the strong is the only choice for interfering people. This policy continues until the end of the Russo-Japanese War. When Japan gains dominance in the Far East, Americans find that the Japanese are more greedy than the Russians......

Of course, this is a later story. Let's not mention it for now. At least a considerable number of people in the United States believe that Japan is better than Russia, and the Germans' continuous support for Russia has made Americans worry. Although the United States in this era has a bit of a hegemony, it is still incomparable to later generations. At most, the United States hopes that the great powers can respect the authority of the United States in the Americas, and for external areas, except for a few places, they only pursue economic interests.

"But the current situation is that Russia, Germany and even France are very dissatisfied with Japan. If we intervene rashly at this time, it may lead to a strong rebound from the three major powers. The Far East is too far away, and we are beyond our reach." Simpson said.

"But this problem cannot be avoided. We must obtain a support point in the Far East. Samoa is too small and it is too difficult to obtain. We need to give a support point that is big enough that will not cause direct conflict with powerful countries. I think you should be what I mean. There is no need for us to publicly support Japan now. On the one hand, we support Japan's development economically, and on the other hand, we carefully deal with the relationship with big countries. This is my goal." Roosevelt thought for a while and said.

"In addition, the bigwigs of Congress are ready to mediate the Japanese-Shenzhen war at the right time. Before that, I think we should first mediate the relationship between Germany and Japan. According to our plan, Japan's victory is good for the United States of America, and countries such as Russia, Germany, France and other countries may interfere. This is what the Congress is worried about." Roosevelt thought for a while and decided to say more.

"This, are you going to influence Germany's foreign policy through some informal channels?" Simpson asked. After all, Germany is different from the United States. The former is a monarchy country, and every real-power monarch and their heirs have a great impact on the political situation of the country. The other party is the heir of the second largest priest in the German Empire, and the relationship with the German royal family is also OK. It is normal for Roosevelt to have this idea.

"But the Japanese and the prince had just fought a war. If the latter hadn't reacted quickly enough, it would be unpredictable what would happen. The nobles were all very revenge." Simpson said with a smile.

"What if I don't try it, I feel that this prince is more like a businessman, and the most basic requirement of a qualified businessman is to learn to do business with his enemies. The conflict between Germany and Japan is at most an unexpected conflict rather than a war. So I am very confident." Roosevelt said. "In addition, I want to know how this German prince evaluates the quality of the US Navy? For example, how do we compare with the Russian Navy?"

"I always think it's strange. From my observation, I feel that his understanding of naval details was very limited, but he had a very accurate grasp of macroscopic aspects, and his evaluation of navies of various countries was quite special. For example, Japan. Although the Japanese navy was his enemy, he still believed that the Japanese navy's combat quality could be in the middle and upper reaches after a period of training. It was stronger than the Russian fleet, but he was a little vague about us." Simpson said.

What does it mean? In Roosevelt's opinion, it just means that he can't say something... But Roosevelt doesn't mean that he is a very pragmatic and capable person. He naturally knows the shortcomings of the US Navy. At least before 1898, the development of the US Navy was suppressed.

Not only is the shipbuilding budget tight, but the promotion of personnel is also a problem. The number of officers promoted to school every year is a certain number, and a large number of experienced and capable personnel are forced to retire due to promotion problems. The number of capable and experienced officers in the navy has always been very small, and the navy is not attractive enough compared to other industries, and many talents are not far from participating in the navy. In addition, the peace period is too long, the Americans have no pressure, and the navy's training level is definitely not high. Together, these problems are combined, it would be strange if the quality of the US Navy personnel is high!

"The truth about this prince, and I do believe that he has a certain talent for the navy, and this talent is even comparable to his industrial talent." Roosevelt was not angry at all. "In addition, I hope Mr. Mahan can accompany me, and I need the help of a professional." As the Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt didn't know much. In order to maintain the dignity of the United States Navy, Roosevelt believed that he should at least bring a professional person to serve as a face-to-face!

"No problem, Mr. Mahan will be back soon. But I would like to remind you again that you must avoid a deadlock in the talks. This is just an informal talk, and we need to create a harmonious atmosphere." General Simpson reminded at the end.
Chapter completed!