In the lower reaches of the Almagray River in eastern Mexico, the destroyer "Conway" sank into a mine, and the officers and soldiers on the ship were killed and injured. This bad news was like a bolt from the blue for General Frank Ben Upperm, the commander of the 3rd Battleship Detachment of the US Atlantic Fleet.

The Mexican rebels' fortifications and powerful artillery repeatedly defeated the Mexican government forces that came to attack, thus strengthening the rebels' momentum. However, in front of the New Mexico-class battleships that condense modern shipbuilding and military technology, such a fortress is like a mud-built wall that does not require too much effort to push it down. The Americans even naively thought that the Mexican rebels who defended Lapusca were a group of mobs supported by the Germans, and the incompetent Mexican government forces were just enough to encounter a powerful opponent like the US Navy, and they might hear the roar of heavy artillery and oil on their feet.

If this is a dignified battle, General Upperm only needs to let two New Mexico-class battleships stop at the mouth of the Almagray River, light ships set up guardian formations, and water reconnaissance planes take off to observe the bounce point, and the Mexican rebel fortress can be flattened in one or two days. But the question is how can the US team bombard a group of Mexican Catholics who have taken weapons to fight for religious freedom? Previously, their military operations in northern Mexico have been widely publicized by international public opinion before

The speculation that the United States may annex northern Mexico provinces has aroused strong resentment from people in the United States and Mexico, which put a great pressure on the US government, which boasts democracy and freedom. The US Navy dispatched the 3rd Battleship Detachment of the Atlantic Fleet to present a demonstration and pressure on the Mexican Christ Rebel Army so that they can give up unrealistic demands and accept the terms of peace talks issued by the Mexican government as soon as possible, rather than erase them from the map with powerful force.

If General Upperm led his squadron to this trip, he could quell the Mexican civil war and then cut off the evil intentions of the Allied camp to control Mexico, it is worthy of great credit. However, this U.S. naval general has been in the army for more than 30 years and has personally experienced the Spanish-American War and the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion of China. He has a deep understanding of the United States' actions to incite Panama's independence, invasion of Cuba and occupation of sea areas. He knew that showing off by force alone may not make his opponent surrender, and he was worried that the rumors that the Mexican Christ Rebel Army had to have torpedo boats and submarines were true, so he negotiated with the Mexican military before leaving from New Orleans, and then sent two American destroyers to participate in the Mexican government forces' blockade of the Almagrare River estuary, and reconnaissance of the surrounding geographical and hydrological conditions to prepare for the arrival of the main force of the squadron.

While dispatching naval fleets to interfere in the Mexican civil war, the US government is also actively dealing with the allies through diplomatic means. Under the US diplomatic offensive, the Irish and Spanish governments successively issued statements that they did not support the Mexican Christians' military force against the Mexican government, and demanded that citizens who stayed or lived in Mexico should not have any acts that hindered the Mexican government's exercise of legitimate power. The German government also promised not to be involved in the Mexican civil war in any form, which in exchange for important concessions by the US government in suppressing the French revolutionary forces and the Chaco war in South America. When General Upperm's squadron sailed to the Gulf of Mexico.

In the western waters, the United States and Germany signed a secret agreement in Berlin, demarcating the power boundary between the two sides in South America, and limiting Germany's support for the Mexican Christ Rebel Army with the situation of the treaty. Without Germany's behind-the-scenes operations, Ireland and Spain alone cannot compete with the United States. Diplomacy made the situation in Mexico simple and clear. General Upperm issued an order to the two American destroyers that arrived at the mouth of the Almagrare River, requiring them to head to Lapusca to negotiate with the Mexican Christ Rebel Army. As long as the rebel army agrees to disarm, the United States will come forward to ensure their safety in life.

If this move can achieve its goal, Upperm will become a famous hero for quelling the Mexican civil war and stabilizing the American backyard. He is admired by thousands of people and even becomes a famous figure in history. He never expected that the two destroyers under his command would swallow bitter fruit because of a small detail: in order to cover up people's eyes, the two destroyers hung Mexican flags when blocking the estuary of the Almagrare River and mingled among the Mexican ships. After receiving the order, they

When Lapusca Port was driving in, they failed to raise the American star-stripe flag in time. They realized this negligence after being bombed by the other planes, but it was too late. The mines of the Christ Rebel Army did not have eyes. The "Conway", which was much larger than the Mexican ship, was in trouble and was hit by two powerful drifting lightnings one after another. It was not easy to survive the crew. Another American destroyer, the Stockton, retreated hastily and escaped by luck.

When he wanted to be a peace messenger, he was poured with a pot of bone-blown ice water on his head. General Upperm was furious and ordered the fleet to launch a cannon plan. All the staff set up their formation in the waters near the estuary of the Almagrare River. The carrier-based reconnaissance planes ejected from battleships and cruisers and began to conduct air reconnaissance on the fortress of the Mexican Christ Resistance Army. After everything was in place, General Upperm summoned the main officers under his command to the flagship "Mississippi" and asked whether they agreed to punish the Mexican Christ Resistance Army.

The captains of the Mississippi and Iowa were two "post-80s" officers, who were also born in 1882, Hursbend Kimmel and William Frederick Halsey. In the U.S. Navy, there were more officers with higher qualifications than them. The reason why the two were able to become the commander of the main battleship at their forties was largely due to the "ten-year construction of the U.S. Navy from 1916 to 1926

". During this period, warships of all sizes slid off the ship like dumplings, and a large number of young people were recruited to join the naval force. The total tonnage of US Navy combat ships more than doubled to 2.41 million tons, the tonnage of the main ships increased from 620,000 tons to 1.05 million tons, and the active naval personnel increased from less than 100,000 to nearly 300,000. The overall strength was comparable to that of the German Navy, and became a powerful player in the battle for world maritime power.

The two young naval colonels were both outstanding among their peers, proficient in naval affairs, and had in-depth contact and exchanges with the Royal Navy during the US and UK honeymoon in the early 1920s, so they had a broader vision than the average US Navy officers.

"I don't think the Germans are making sincere concessions. They are trying to make a step by step, first putting Europe under their own rule, then Azores and Paraguay. Their appetite will not be satisfied with the oil fields in the Chaco area. The Chilean and Argentine governments are moving closer to the Germans. Next, Mexico, which has a strategic role in the United States. By that time, no country can compete with Germany internationally, and Emperor William's dream of the world will become a terrible reality. At this time, we must use our tough skills to learn what the Germans did in Portugal and France."

Looking at General Upperm facing a difficult choice, Colonel Kimmel first put forward his own opinions. This unlucky guy who took the blame for Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in the old time and space, graduated from the Annapolis Naval School. His family background and career began were not as good as Halsey, but he was fortunate to become an adjutant during Franklin Delano Roosevelt's tenure as assistant minister of the Admiralty, which provided him with the help of his future advancement.

"It is unquestionable that the Mexican rebels' mines sank our destroyers, but we have to face the contradictory reality: our destroyers were sunk in the Almagra River in Mexico, and this area has long been recognized as a dangerous war zone, and mines are recognized as defensive weapons. The sinking of the Conway may not necessarily become the key to the outside world's unanimous support for us in war against Mexican Catholic armed forces."

The news that the Conway sinks and at least fifty crew members have been returned to the U.S. Admiralty Department via radio telegram. There is no feedback from the country yet. What consequences will it cause are still unknown. General Upperm stares with red eyes and shouts: "It must be a key, and it has become a key. Only by making the Mexicans pay the corresponding price can the damage suffered by the United States be healed this time."

Through the porthole, you can see the adjacent "Iowa" that faces sideways towards the Mexican coast. All 12 50-distance 356mm main guns have already raised their guns. Just waiting for the shooting parameters and shooting instructions, they can launch a fierce bombardment on the Lapuska Fortress more than 20 kilometers away.

The Mississippi was also in the same state at this time.

"Let's just wait and see!" Colonel Kimmel said with a gloomy face, "Anyway, the decision lies with Washington, not with us."

Halsey, who was born in a naval family, did not agree with this. He reminded: "If you are afraid, you are afraid that Washington will give us an ambiguous reply and we will take responsibility."

The officers thought General Upperm would yell to smooth out the Lapuska Fortress, but after hearing Halsey's judgment, especially the word responsibility, he suddenly calmed down.

Halsey said again: "Perhaps we can contact them through the plane to let them know how big the mistake they have made, let them remove the current state of war, sit down and have a good talk with us, and then we can make our requests. If they disagree, morality will be in our hands."

General Upperm hesitated for a while: "Okay, let the plane throw them a cowhide bag with letters to let them know that they are blatantly fighting the U.S. Navy and see what their attitude is. Alas, is the plane we sent back?"

The officers quickly found out that the first two seaplanes departed have not returned yet, and the air stagnation time is close to their endurance limit. Given that the Mexican government forces often have precedents that aircraft are shot down by rebels, and the US Navy's water reconnaissance aircraft are focused on flight performance and have weak self-defense defense capabilities, they are probably in danger.
Chapter completed!