MacArthur and Hatton, and Hatton and the Cadet Army did not have much interaction, so MacArthur was basically talking in detail from beginning to end. Roosevelt, Hull and Marshall, General King listened very carefully. , after MacArthur finished speaking, Roosevelt said: "I am not too clear about military matters. Marshall, General King, have you discovered anything?"
Marshall's face looked quite grim. He and Admiral Kim looked at each other and then slowly relaxed and said: "Through Commander MacArthur's account, I found that the development of the situation in the Far East is much more severe than we expected. So far, The Philippine Department fought a total of three battles with the Japanese army, and was defeated again and again. It can be concluded that if there is no support from a considerable naval fleet and aviation force, retreating from the Philippines will be our only option." He said this with a face on his face. He showed a wry smile: "We have been losing consecutive battles against Japan, but the Xuebing Army has been winning consecutive battles. In this situation, not to mention how our Asian allies will view us, I think one thing is certain. Ouyang Yun will definitely no longer be content with being commanded. This is not conducive to our preparations for the establishment of the Far East Allied Forces General Command. However, if we want to completely withdraw the Philippine Department, we can only ask for the help of the Cadet Army. Moreover, if the Xuebing Army also abandons the Philippines, what will happen to Australia?"
"The Xuebing Army will not give up on the Philippines." MacArthur suddenly said,
Everyone looked at him, and General Jin asked: "What makes you so sure that the Xuebing Army will not abandon the Philippines?"
MacArthur stood up and walked to the map of the Far East, reached out and drew a line between Sumatra and Japan, and said: "This is actually related to the Japanese strategic steps. Why did the Japanese attack the Philippines? It is actually to ensure the safety of this route. We all know this, so what happens after the Philippines is captured? Please take a look." His hand first moved to Taiwan Island, then to Hainan Island, and then moved along the coasts of Guangzhou, Fujian and Zhejiang: "This The routes that can still threaten the safety of the Japanese transport fleet are all under the jurisdiction of the Xuebing Army." At this point, he turned his head and glanced at everyone, and said with emotion: "This trip to Guangzhou, let's I feel deeply that we all thought that the Xuebing Army was just a separatist warlord force in China. The reason why it has the current military scale is because of Ouyang Yun’s militarism. Through this trip to Guangzhou, I found that the truth is not in this way."
"What is the specific situation in Guangzhou? Is it really as prosperous as New York as reported by those reporters?" Hull asked,
"Yes." MacArthur said, suddenly feeling a little discouraged.
"According to this statement, after the Philippines is captured, the Japanese army's strategic focus should be to attack the cadet army." Admiral Jin said; "If the war situation develops like this, it will be a good thing for us. If the main force of the Japanese army is captured by the cadet army, If we are restrained, our preparations for war in Australia and the Far East will be much calmer. Well, I agree with Commander MacArthur's judgment that the Xuebing Army will not give up on the Philippines easily. If I were Ouyang Yun, I certainly hope that the war will start outside the territory. That will reduce local losses."
"If the student army wants to stick to the Philippines, it will be very detrimental to our retreat. The student army in the Philippines is only the size of an army. Of course they hope that we can help them share some of the pressure. Well, we need to further "He helped Mrs. Chiang build momentum and isolate the Xuebing Army diplomatically." Marshall said,
"I support the White House's diplomatic decision. After Japan, there should no longer be armed forces capable of threatening world peace in the Far East." MacArthur said,
"But Sharp called us and hoped that we could deepen our cooperation with the Xuebing Army. What do you think about this?" Roosevelt asked,
MacArthur and Hatton also just learned that Sharp and his US-Philippine coalition still existed. Hatton, who had remained silent, said: "A commando team composed of twenty soldiers can actually penetrate deep into the heart of the Japanese army. This kind of combat effectiveness It is shocking. Your Excellency, we need such an elite force. I think it is worthwhile to continue to maintain a military alliance with the cadet army and let them help us train a special operations force. In jungle warfare, the cadet army is worth it. The army does have its own tricks."
Roosevelt thought for a while and said: "Let this matter be carried out secretly. The Xuebing Army, like the Chongqing government, should also hope to get a share of our economic aid. They help rescue people. We must always show something. As long as our The young men can sacrifice less, and we can try to satisfy them financially."
"What about the purchase of the Xue Type 1 production line? The British really want to get a production line," Hull asked.
Everyone was silent. Talking about this issue was a big blow to the self-esteem of the Americans. The complete destruction of the Pacific Fleet and the overall disadvantage in the air battle in the Philippines made them aware of the technical gap in their own fighter aircraft. The White House some time ago He once sent an invitation to Ouyang Yun, hoping that he could visit the United States. The purpose was to obtain the production technology of Xuebing-1 fighter jets. However, Ouyang Yun actually refused. Originally, this was nothing, but from this, he thought that Xuebingjun was in Xuebingjun. When the Type 1 fighter jet was first put into production, they were given the opportunity to obtain relevant technologies, and everyone felt like they had been slapped in the face.
"Wavell has just reached a deal with the Xuebing Army and purchased fifty Xuebing-1 fighters from Guangzhou at one time. Are we asking them to provide one or two for research?" Marshall said softly,
No one responded to his words. In terms of diplomacy with China, out of long-term considerations, the White House has set a tone that is close to Chongqing and far away from Guangzhou. The reason why the White House kept a low profile on the return of MacArthur and Hatton was that it was extravagant. The exaggeration of Mrs. Chiang’s visit to the United States was all based on this new diplomatic strategy towards China. Therefore, when they suddenly found that they were dependent on the Xue Bing Army in many aspects and were constrained by the Xue Bing Army, they couldn’t help but feel annoyed and angry.
McIntyre suddenly walked in and asked Hull to answer the phone, saying it was his assistant calling and it was an emergency.
Hull got up to answer the phone and returned a few minutes later. His face became ugly. As soon as he walked in, he said loudly: "It's really unreasonable. The Xuebingjun is so overbearing. They actually demand that they must be given a seat in the Congress speech tomorrow."
Roosevelt frowned and said, "This doesn't look like Gu Lianyun's style of dealing with things. Could it be that they want the diplomatic community around the world to laugh at them?"
"It is to express dissatisfaction with our overemphasis on Mrs. Chiang. I think we can give them a speech slot. Haha, the Chinese want to fight among themselves. We are happy to see it happen." Admiral Jin said,
"I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Gu Lianyun and Mrs. Jiang showed quite a tacit understanding at the airport and at the dinner today." Hel said with a worried expression.
"Mrs. Chiang is the wife of the most powerful person in China. What is Gu Lianyun's identity? Where is she in the U.S. Congress? Is she a vegetable market?" Marshall said rudely,
"The person who contacted Moore was Ouyang Yun's special envoy Guo Muyi. He actually dared to threaten us, saying that if we did not give the student army a speech slot, they would not mind letting the public see the poor performance of American soldiers in the Philippines. This was a threat.
, The naked threat is really too much..." Hull was so angry that he seemed a little incoherent,
Everyone looked at Roosevelt, expecting his decision.
Roosevelt closed his eyes and thought for a while, then opened his eyes and looked at Hull and said: "You have dealt with Gu Lianyun the most. Is she someone who would make such common diplomatic mistakes? This kind of behavior is in line with the FBI's investigation of Ouyang Yun.
Personality analysis, well, just give Xuebingjun a quota, I would like to see what Xuebingjun wants to do."
"Your Excellency," Marshall wanted to say something else, but was pushed back by Roosevelt.
Roosevelt said: "There are still tens of thousands of soldiers in the Philippines waiting for us to take them home. For them, what if we compromise once with the cadet army?"