Dole floated up and down on the boat, and his mood was the same. He was not a fool. He knew that Tang Jian's visit to him was definitely not as simple as "reminiscing about old times." *1*1*
Dole soon arrived on the Pacific Fleet flagship "Orient". When he walked up the gangway and stepped onto the deck, he saw that the forts above the deck were ready for live ammunition, and most of the Chinese soldiers were ready. Shuashao stared at him with a ferocious look, like a group of ferocious lions looking at a weak antelope.
Dole felt uncomfortable with such a look, and hurriedly walked towards the bridge command room. As soon as he entered the bridge, Tang Jian stepped forward and said with a smile: "Dear Governor Dole, long time no see. !hehe."
Dole felt Tang Jian's strong and strong hand again. After Tang Jian shook hands with Dole, he said kindly: "Come on, please sit down!"
In the bridge room, Tang Jian had already prepared two cups of coffee. Under Tang Jian's invitation, Dole sat down a little uneasily. Tang Jian's "infamous reputation" as a "Far Eastern arsonist" and "war madman" was It's deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Tang Jian smiled and said: "Your Excellency Dole, don't be so nervous, I just invite you to reminisce about the past."
??Is it necessary to use such a big battle to reminisce about the past? Hundreds of warships are placed in front of people's homes, and then they want to reminisce with you? Is this a useful way to reminisce about old times?
Although Dole thought so in his heart, he did not dare to express it verbally, so he could only sit down obediently.
Tang Jian nodded with satisfaction. Dole reluctantly took a sip of coffee and asked, "I wonder why President Tang Jian suddenly brought so many fleets to Hawaii?"
Tang Jian took a deep breath of cigarette and said: "It's just a regular naval exercise. As you know, Europe is now covered with war clouds and a war is about to break out. It's impossible not to make preparations. That's why the exercise is held in the Pacific Ocean. I happened to pass by Hawaii today and came here. People from Piaotian Literature Network shouldn¡¯t mind, right?¡±
"Of course, of course I won't mind! It's a great honor." Dole quickly squeezed out a smile: "It is our honor that President Tang Jian can come to Hawaii in person."
Tang Jian changed the topic, his tone was cold, and he said word by word: "But I heard that the Chinese in Hawaii have suffered a lot of unfair treatment. This is one of the main reasons why I came to Hawaii."
Dole trembled, he was really looking for trouble!
Dole quickly explained: "This is absolutely impossible. Under my governance, the Hawaiian government has always taken good care of the Chinese and has never made things difficult for them. How can there be unfair treatment? I think President Tang Jian, you must be Misunderstood."
Tang Jian sneered: "You are the governor of Hawaii, of course you would say that."
"It's true, it's not true. This is such a huge injustice!" Dole now has the urge to cry. Is this what the ancient Chinese proverb calls "the crime of wanting to inflict crime"?
Tang Jian shook his head: "I have already found out about this matter. President Dole need not say more. I am now announcing in the name of the President of China that I need to go to the Big Island of Hawaii on the grounds of examining the living conditions of the Chinese on Hawaii Island. In order to To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, I need Governor Dole to order your soldiers to put down their weapons to avoid misfires. If something goes wrong by then, it will be bad, don¡¯t you think?"
"Well, yes, yes, no!" Dole responded habitually, but he immediately woke up when he heard Tang Jian's conditions: "No, President Tang Jian, you can't do this. The US government has sovereignty over Hawaii. You You cannot bring troops into Hawaii, you must notify our Ministry of Foreign Affairs via official documentation, and¡.¡±
"That's enough, I'm talking about now! Now!" Tang Jian scolded.
Dole immediately shut up knowingly. It was obviously a stupid choice for him to annoy Tang Jian at this time. The Pacific Fleet lay across the waters off Pearl Harbor. As long as Tang Jian gave an order, Hawaii could be razed to the ground!
Dole is now in a dilemma. If he disagrees, Tang Jian may get angry at any time and send troops to attack Hawaii. His few troops are not enough to fill his teeth.
If you agree, wouldn¡¯t it mean leaving Hawaii undefended? If Tang Jian is really interested in Hawaii, wouldn¡¯t he just hand over Hawaii to others? Then he would have no way to report to the US government, and he might even go to the gallows and be executed for treason.
Therefore, no matter which choice is made, it is a dead end for Dole!
Dole was silent for a moment and then said: "Dear President Tang Jian, although I am the Governor of Hawaii, the military power in Hawaii is in the hands of General Grant, and I do not have the final say alone. Therefore, I suggest that I go back and talk to Grant." How about we talk to the general and ask him to order the soldiers to put down their weapons and welcome President Tang Jian ashore?"
Tang ?He looked at Dole with a half-smile but not a smile for a while. Dole felt frightened by this look. He was afraid that Tang Jian would understand his plan, so he pretended to be righteous.
Tang Jian patted Dole on the shoulder and said, "Well, I hope Governor Dole can reply to me soon and don't keep me waiting!"
"Well, okay, I'll go and advise General Grant!" Dole suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and nodded quickly.
Tang Jian personally sent Dole to the gangway, pointed to several ships in the fleet array, and said: "We encountered these on the road. Seeing that they were acting suspiciously, we took control of them, but they said they belonged to Governor Dole. Subordinate, Governor Dole, take a look, is that a ship of your Hawaiian Navy?"
When Dole saw it, the corners of his eyes suddenly twitched. Isn¡¯t that a patrol boat of the U.S. Hawaii Navy? No wonder I didn't receive a report from the patrol force today. It turned out that he was controlled by Tang Jian.
When he thought of this, Dole was even more shocked! By what means can a patrol boat with a radio be controlled by the Pacific Fleet without giving a warning.
This fleet is so terrifying!
"Yes, that is a patrol boat of the U.S. Hawaii Navy. There may be some misunderstanding with President Tang Jian!" Dole said.
"Haha, that's good. Fortunately, we didn't sink them, we just controlled them. Since Governor Dole said so, then take all your subordinates back!" Tang Jian smiled slightly.
In this way, Dole returned to the shore with several patrol boats of the U.S. Hawaii Navy in fear.
Ye Zugui looked at the retreating figures of Dole and others, and asked: "President, isn't this letting the tiger go back to the mountain? Dole obviously has no sincerity in surrendering. He is stalling for time. I am afraid he will want to resist to the end. Do we really Want to attack by force?" Ye Zugui heard Tang Jian say before that he wanted to seize Hawaii at the minimum cost, preferably without dispatching the Pacific Fleet, but Tang Jian's actions at this time made him a little confused.
Tang Jian raised his index finger and made a negative gesture, and said: "First, Dole is not a tiger, he is just a docile kitten. Even if he shows his claws and teeth, it is just a bluff. Second, I Of course, it can be seen that he is not sincere in surrendering, but I am not worried at all. Haha, thirdly, does he want to resist to the end? Then it depends on whether he has such a chance? "
Every time he saw Tang Jianxin¡¯s confident expression, Ye Zugui knew that the president must have found a way.
When Dole returned to the shore, Grant had already arrived. Although he had a habit of being passive and slow at work, such a big thing suddenly happened, and even Grant could understand the seriousness of the matter.
When Grant rushed to the shore, he was also shocked by the sight in front of him. How could such a huge fleet suddenly and quietly appear in Pearl Harbor?
He could find no other reason except that he allowed his subordinates to commit malfeasance.
Grant realized the seriousness of the matter, but he did not panic too much. The outstanding qualities of the American people were displayed in Grant at this moment. Although his inaction in Hawaii caused him to be criticized by Dole and other subordinates, This cannot conceal his excellent military qualities.
When Grant learned that Dole had gone to China for negotiations on the Pacific Fleet flagship, he always felt that the matter might not be that simple. Although the Pacific Fleet's battle array was huge, it did not scare Grant.
During the negotiations at Dole, Grant immediately mobilized troops and generals to strengthen the coastal defense positions on the coast. At the same time, he sent a message to ask the nearest US warships to come over for support.
As soon as Dole returned to the shore, his feet were already too weak to walk. After meeting Grant, Dole told Grant the contents of the negotiations one by one. Although the two had always been at odds, under the powerful In front of the outside world, the two still chose to stay together.
After Grant heard this, he waved his fist angrily and said: "The threat is simply a naked threat. They want to seize the Hawaiian Islands! They are just a group of bandits!" When Grant said this, he did not think of the original threat. How did the United States seize Hawaii from Queen Liliuokalani and the native Hawaiians.
At that time, the United States did not talk about negotiations. Instead, it directly launched an armed coup and overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaii. At that time, the United States acted even more like a bandit.
"What should we do?" At this time, Dole could only turn to Grant for help. After all, he was the military commander.
Grant pondered for a moment and then said: "Tang Jian is declaring war with the United States! This is an act of challenging the authority of the United States. We must not surrender just like this! Don't worry, as long asWe will hold on tonight, and our fleet will arrive early tomorrow morning. "
"But" Dole hesitated.
"Your Excellency, Governor, do you want to die heroically for your country or live in humiliation? For the honor of the military, we must persevere!" At this time, Grant was completely different from the image of a drunkard, and instead became an outstanding American * *people.
"For our great motherland, for freedom and democracy, hold on!" Grant stretched out his right hand.
Dole just hesitated for a moment and then made up his mind: "For the sake of the United States, stick to it!"
¡°Bah!¡± The two high-fived each other in the air and decided to stick to the policy of waiting for help.