Chapter 475: The Lion Opens His Mouth

"The British actually want to buy our warships? Or the twelve capital ships in active service?" President Woodrow Wilson couldn't help being stunned after hearing the request from the British side. Obviously, this also exceeded his expectations.

"Yes, Your Excellency. The British side has already made a formal request, hoping that we can sell them the twelve capital ships currently in service." Secretary of State Bryan said.

"What exactly do the British want? Isn't their request too ridiculous?" President Woodrow Wilson shook his head speechlessly. Obviously, he couldn't understand the thinking of the British.

"Your Excellency, the British also wanted to buy from us because they were beaten so badly by the Germans in the decisive battle at sea. They only have 8 capital ships left now." Daniels said. said the minister.

President Woodrow Wilson couldn't help but raised his eyebrows when he heard the words. From Minister Daniels' words, he actually heard that the other party was inclined to agree to the request of the British, which surprised him very much.

"What? Daniels, do you agree to sell those capital ships to the British? If those capital ships are sold, then we can only rely on those old former dreadnoughts to protect our coastline." President Woodrow Wilson Said.

"Yes, Your Excellency. Originally, I did not agree to sell those capital ships to the British. After all, our navy is not strong now. However, what Churchill said convinced me. Now, I am inclined to sell them Sell ​​those warships," Secretary Daniels said.

"Oh? How did Churchill convince you?"

"Your Excellency, first of all, we are a neutral country. Even if we sell warships to the UK, the Germans are very dissatisfied. But they have nothing to do with us. Now Germany is deeply involved in the war, and it is they who defeated Britain, France and other countries The primary target. They will not fight us at this time. Even after the war is over, it is impossible for the Germans to fight us. Thousands of kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean are not so easy to cross. Germany’s strong military power, without So easy to send to the west coast of the Atlantic. In addition, the American Republic has never been a weak country. Even if our navy is not the opponent of the Germans for the time being. However, if the Germans want to attack our homeland and defeat us, it is impossible Yes," Secretary Daniels said.

President Woodrow Wilson nodded. This is indeed very reasonable.

"Secondly, we can get a lot of money by selling these warships to the British. We also need a lot of money to build new battleships. If we can get a sum of money from the British, this will effectively ease our finances Pressure. We can also build more battleships, which will help our future confrontation with the Germans.

In the end, the British showed their determination to fight the Germans again. This is also very beneficial to the Republic of America. After we sell our capital ship to the British, the British, the French and the Italians will unite to fight the Germans again in a decisive battle. If the Allies win, Germany's threat to us will be completely removed. Even if the Allied Powers cannot win, they will definitely pay a lot of losses in the decisive battle. A weakened Germany will also minimize our threat. If the German navy suffered heavy losses in this battle, their blockade of Britain would also collapse. At that time, Britain will be able to use overseas resources to further develop its own strength. In that case, the war might be able to continue. "

Minister Daniels added his own understanding to what Churchill said, and explained it to President Woodrow Wilson.

After listening to President Woodrow Wilson, he did not express his position immediately, but was thinking. Indeed, their sale of capital ships to the United Kingdom seems to be of great benefit to the United States and no harm.

"Secretary of State, what do you think?" President Woodrow Wilson asked.

"Your Excellency, since selling warships to the British has so many benefits. At the same time, the Germans have nothing to do with us, so naturally they should sell warships to the British. Let the British continue to fight the Germans. They fight The longer the better, the best is to smash the entire Old Continent into pieces. In that case, no one will be able to stop the rise of the American Republic." Brian smiled.

President Woodrow Wilson nodded again and again: "It is true that the continuation of this war is very beneficial to the American Republic. Then, let us let the war continue!"

"Yes, Your Excellency." Both Brian and Minister Daniels replied.

"During the negotiation with the British, the asking price should be raised as much as possible. After all, the British have ruled the world for so many years and accumulated a lot of wealth. Now is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for us." Woodrow ? President Wilson said.

"Your Excellency, I think that the battleships we sell to the British can cost 50 million U.S. dollars per capital ship. Armored cruisers can go for 20 million U.S. dollars. Light cruisers can also go for 10 million U.S. dollars directly. Destroyers can go for 30 million U.S. dollars. One million dollars. I believe that the British will definitely not refuse!" Minister Daniels said with a smile. He finally had such an opportunity, of course he would not let it go. The butcher's knife in his hand was already raised high, just waiting to stab the British severely. Anyway, this is a one-shot deal, so naturally the asking price should be raised as much as possible.

"Well, yes, I am very satisfied with this price." President Woodrow Wilson laughed. This addition is already five or six times their construction cost. If these warships can be sold at such a price, then all the funds for the construction of the new warships of the US Navy will be collected.

"In addition, the British's 381mm main gun and steam turbine technology are also more advanced than ours. Since we provide them with these warships at such a critical juncture, the British will naturally transfer these two technologies to us for free ’” Secretary Daniels continued.

Compared with Britain and Germany, the U.S. Navy still has a big gap in terms of large-caliber main guns and power plants. If these two key technologies can be obtained from the United Kingdom, it will make up for the shortcomings in this area and further enhance the strength of the US Navy.

President Woodrow Wilson, of course, is very supportive of this.