Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 1307

After accepting the radio interview, Hoover's popularity rose sharply.

Warren Harding was a very mediocre man. During his six years in the Senate, his work was unremarkable and nothing remarkable. He neither promoted any important bills nor achieved any achievements worth looking back on.

Still, Warren Harding's standing within the Republican Party was strengthened by his gregarious optimism, eloquent eloquence, piety to the Republican Party, and the fact that he represented an important state. That's why it unexpectedly won the support of both factions of the Republican Party that split in 1912.

Hoover is an excellent official with ability, reputation, and financial foundation. The only stain was locked in the safe by Roque and could not be used as evidence to attack Hoover.

However, after experiencing a president who is actually very capable like Woodrow Wilson, the United States is tired of people with outstanding abilities. If the president is too outstanding, then Congress is nothing more than a rubber stamp.

That's why the members of Congress thought of Warren Harding, the most mediocre American, and the most reassuring, and chose him.

Now the balance in the hearts of the top Republicans has finally tilted towards Hoover.

Warren Harding was really good, mediocre and easy to control.

But letting such a man with such a huge moral blemish be elected president would also be a devastating blow to the image of the Republican Party.

When Roque saw the media reports, he felt an inexplicable sense of absurdity in his heart.

Does this count as interference in the US presidential election?

It probably counts, but no one is sure to blame Rock at this time.

Rock’s reason for choosing Hoover is simple. If Hoover is elected president, Hoover will push Congress to loosen restrictions on southern African companies and gradually open up the US market to southern African companies. The companies here are not limited to physical companies, but also Including financial companies, which means that financial companies in southern Africa will be able to acquire American companies by then.

Think about those top [-] companies in the world who are still very weak now, but will be powerful in the future. Southern African capital can easily complete the acquisition with only a small price.

Entering August, delegations from France, Italy and other European countries have arrived in New York one after another. Rock is even busier. France and Italy also have their own demands. They all hope to gain an advantage in the Mediterranean. Both countries have huge colonies in North Africa. A lifeline for both countries.

Coincidentally, Southern Africa also has interests in the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus has become Arthur's fiefdom, the territory of the Ottoman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, and after the World War it has become a mandated area for Southern Africa. The Mediterranean Fleet was established online to safeguard the interests of southern Africa in the Mediterranean region.

For this decision, France and Italy are ambiguous.

If Rock establishes the Mediterranean Fleet, it will nominally become part of the British Mediterranean Fleet, and France and Italy have no right to object.

This issue is actually very complicated. George V granted Cyprus to Arthur, on the one hand to use southern Africa to contain France and Italy, and on the other hand to reduce the pressure on the Royal Navy.

Now Britain is no longer able to maintain its naval dominance before the World War. Since Britain's strategy changed from external expansion to internal contraction, the decline of Britain has been obvious.

France and Italy have ambiguous attitudes, and a big factor is the attempt to divide Britain and southern Africa.

Britain's traditional advantage is the navy, and the army is relatively weak.

The tyranny of the Southern African Army was fully demonstrated in the World War.

If southern Africa and Britain maintain close relations, then with complementary advantages, Britain's hegemony remains unshakable.

But if southern Africa also starts to develop the navy, then the relationship between the British government and southern Africa will no longer be unbreakable, at least France and Italy think so, so don’t think that other countries’ support for the development of the navy in southern Africa is a good thing, most of them are hidden.

Of course Rock understood this, so he explained it thoroughly to Belfort.

"Southern Africa may build two to three aircraft carriers of about [-] tons in the future. Our positioning of the navy is defense and escort, not offensive. The southern African navy and the Royal Navy can completely complement each other. Our The core interests are all in the Indian Ocean." Roque focused on the big and let go of the small. The Navy Conference was the second spoils conference after the Paris Peace Conference. The attitude of the United States was very clear, not only to ensure the interests of the United States in the Americas, but also to expand abroad. The main direction is the Pacific Ocean.

Britain's strategy is still shrinking, the Americas have become the Americas of the United States, the Pacific Ocean will be the main battlefield for future British and American hegemony, and the Indian Ocean will be Britain's back garden.

Looking at the map, you will know that around the Indian Ocean, India, Ceylon, Sudan, Aden, and Malaya are British colonies, and southern Africa and Australia are British overseas dominions. The entire Indian Ocean except Madagascar and Italian Somalia, and Goa in Portugal Outside, it is almost the inland sea of ​​Britain.

"Is it necessary for the Southern African Navy to build three aircraft carriers?" Belfort had doubts, and the Royal Navy only equipped two aircraft carriers.

"We don't have any plans to build a capital ship." Roque's answer reassured Belfort a little. Although the role of aircraft carriers has been proven during the World Wars, it will take time to change the deep-rooted concepts in people's minds.

The current mainstream thinking of the navy is still giant ships and cannons. After the World War, the shipbuilding plans of the United States and Japan are all battleships, and aircraft carriers are still in a secondary position.

"Does the southern African navy have the strength to maintain three aircraft carriers? The cost of an aircraft carrier is higher than that of a battleship—" Belfort was still a little disappointed. The cost of an aircraft carrier plus carrier-based aircraft is indeed higher than that of a battleship, and the maintenance cost is also higher.

Rock smiled and said nothing. If southern Africa can't afford three aircraft carriers, then there is no country in the world that can afford aircraft carriers.

To put it bluntly, even a resource-poor country like Japan is ambitious to build an "eight or eight fleet". According to the strength of southern Africa, it is normal to build ten and eight capital ships.

"The pressure we are facing now is enormous—" Belfort was worried, and didn't care about Rock's attitude.

At the end of the World War, the Royal Navy's advantage not only did not shrink, but further widened the gap with other countries.

From 1909 to 1914, Britain built 23 Dreadnought-class battleships, and Germany built 17 Dreadnought-class battleships.

After the outbreak of World War II, Britain built 11 more battleships, Germany built only 2 ships, France built 1912 Dreadnought-class battleships between 1914 and 7, Italy built 6 ships, and the United States built 12 ships.

These battleships are collectively called "super dreadnoughts" to distinguish them from "pre-dreadnoughts".

After the end of the World War, the United Kingdom did not continue to build the "super dreadnought", but the United States and Japan announced their own huge shipbuilding plans.

Japan is easy to say, limited by its national strength, the threat it poses to the United Kingdom is limited.

The U.S. is now the main threat to the Royal Navy. Compared with the Royal Navy, the current strength of the U.S. Navy is still far behind in terms of quantity, but the quality is not bad, because the technology is advanced and the tonnage is relatively large, so it is ready to challenge the Royal Navy. strength.

The United States is now ambitious to build ten "super battleships" of about [-] tons. If these ten battleships are in service, the strength of the US Navy will surpass the British Navy in an all-round way.

"There is pressure to be motivated, and we can continue to build battleships with larger tonnage and larger artillery calibers." Rock understated. Before the World War, the Royal Navy said: Germany will build one battleship, and Britain will build two.

Now if the Royal Navy wants to maintain its advantage, it is very simple. If the United States wants to build ten battleships, the United Kingdom will build 20, and the Royal Navy can still maintain its advantage.

The key is not being able to afford it.

The British government has no money, and it still owes a lot of debts. It can't even pay off the debts. How can it have the money to build new warships.

Belfort squinted at Roque with bad eyes.

"The Royal Navy builds battleships, and the Southern African Navy builds aircraft carriers. Our biggest advantage is cost sharing. The rise of the United States is unstoppable. Maybe we should support Mexico—" Rock also has a counterattack plan, and the United States cannot be allowed to act recklessly. Britain, Or in southern Africa, they also want to do something in the back garden of the United States.

100 years ago, the then U.S. President James Monroe proposed that "America is the Americas of the Americans", "The countries of the American continent that have obtained and maintained their freedom and independence shall not be regarded as future colonization targets by any European powers." , against any European countries interfering in American affairs, this is known as the "Monroe Doctrine".

This sentence should actually be understood as "America is the America of the United States", or "Latin America is the sphere of influence of the United States" is more appropriate.

Looking at the process of the United States' invasion of Mexico, you can know the attitude of the United States towards the Americas.

Roque's meaning is obvious. To strengthen ties with Mexico, the foreign minister's visit to Mexico from time to time, or the Royal Navy's visit to the Gulf of Mexico, will immediately stimulate the pain points of the United States.

"It's not that easy, unless we want to break out of war with the United States." Belfort doesn't want to provoke the United States. Among other things, once Britain and the United States go to war, Canada will definitely not be able to keep it, and most of the British military bases in the Pacific will not be able to keep it. , New Zealand will also be greatly affected.

If one fails, most of Britain's global colonial system will collapse.

"We don't want to, and the United States doesn't want to—" Rock is not afraid. If a war is really going to break out, Britain will bear the brunt. Southern Africa is far away in the south of Africa.

(End of this chapter)