While Ouyang Yun was convening a conference call, Washington, the White House, and the future new owner of the White House were also convening a meeting. The outbreak of the "poisoning incident" gave Solomon an opportunity to clear his name, but even so, within the military, especially the Army, However, many people are hesitant and doubtful about fighting the Chinese army. Because they had the energy to jointly resist the Japanese army in the Philippines and Australia, the generals of the US Army have a clearer understanding of the strength of the Chinese army. Moreover, because many people have experienced After being trained by Guo Kui and others, and even receiving favors from the Chinese army, they were psychologically unwilling to be enemies of their former teachers. When their voices were reflected above, Secretary of War Stimson felt that this was not the best " "Become an enemy of China" opportunity, he believes that "the U.S. Army still needs to strengthen training and its weapons and equipment must keep up." Otherwise, he cannot guarantee that the troops can maintain combat effectiveness when they go to the front line.
As for the generals of the U.S. Navy, because the Japanese navy had dealt them such a heavy blow, the naval generals headed by Admiral Kim had long hated the Japanese. Originally, they were actively planning to take advantage of the Japanese troops on land. The victory in the war taught the Japanese navy a painful lesson when they were in a state of arrogance. At this time, the government's decision to conclude peace became a mockery and shame for them.
As soon as he heard about the signing of the treaty, Admiral Kim's reaction was quite violent. In an irregular telegram sent to the White House, he declared, "If the government insists on doing this, we Navy people will not be able to agree because we will not be able to face what has already happened." Comrades who died in the war, the Pacific Fleet has been rebuilt twice because of the Japanese. We have vowed to repay the shame the Japanese have given us, but now what is going on? How can I control my subordinates? , how will our U.S. Navy gain a foothold in the world..."
The U.S. Navy particularly hates the Japanese. The Pacific Fleet was rebuilt twice because of the Japanese. What they cannot forget most is the undeclared war of the Japanese in the Battle of Pearl Harbor. In the words of an ordinary American sailor: "We are not afraid of failure, but we cannot tolerate the Japanese using sneak attacks to defeat us. This is definitely not what soldiers do."
An ordinary sailor has this understanding, let alone the generals, so Admiral Rujin said that if the government insists on signing a treaty with Japan, he himself will not be able to pass the psychological test, and how will he be able to command the troops.
What Stimson and General King said was actually the truth, but in Solomon's opinion, it was definitely not the case. For the sake of the safety of 150,000 US soldiers, he did not think that he had done anything wrong in this matter, and "poisoned The outbreak of the "incident" made him more confident on the anti-China issue. Therefore, in his view, the questioning of Stimson and General King became a challenge to his authority and a disapproval of his power to act as president, because now He was still just the acting president, so he didn't dare to touch Stimson and General King. But after all, he was an old politician who had been in politics for many years. He had his own way to deal with this situation, so he had this meeting to meet the occasion.
Personality determines style. Unlike Roosevelt, who was quiet and quiet, and perhaps eager to prove himself because of his "getting something for nothing", Solomon's performance since taking office has been quite aggressive.
"I know that (the secret treaty with Japan) has caused a great response in the military." At the beginning of the meeting, he got straight to the point: "What I want to say is that even if I had the chance to start over, I would still make this choice," he said. Then, he turned around and pointed at the giant world map behind him, held a pointer in his right hand and circled the North Pacific area, saying: "See, this was originally our sphere of influence. Here is our Asian fruit plate and our Asian fishing grounds. It will also be our largest market outside of the Americas, but now, who does this belong to, China? Gentlemen, why, I admit that in this great war against fascism, the Chinese did pay a lot, but they Is it the one who has given the most? No, the one who has given the most is none other than us..."
A wise man once said that every outstanding politician is first of all an excellent orator. Solomon is obviously no exception in this regard. However, his audience today is not ordinary people, so he spoke excitedly above. For more than twenty minutes, few people below were infected.
When he asked, "Gentlemen, do you have any questions?" General Kim said unceremoniously: "Mr. President, I have something to say."
"Please tell me."
"I admit that you are right, but do we have to resort to war measures? I am not afraid of fighting the Chinese navy when I say this. However, I think this must be done at least after Japan is completely defeated. Mr. President, I once said You sent me a telegram explaining my reasons. Don't those reasons convince you?"
"General, I read your telegram carefully, and I admit that what you said is right. However, from the standpoint of the President of the United States, I cannot accept it. First of all, I must not ignore the life safety of 150,000 American young men; secondly, I cannot ignore the safety of 150,000 American boys. , if we still want to seize the interests in Asia that originally belonged to us, is there any better choice than now? Do you think the Chinese will return Guam, Midway and the Philippines to us after defeating Japan?"
"However, the Japanese once took away the lives of thousands of our young soldiers, and their atrocities across Asia have aroused the anger of all mankind."
"I know, I know, but we can't be blinded by hatred because of this. We should focus on the future."
Seeing that the voices of the two people were getting louder and louder, Secretary of the Navy Knox stepped forward to smooth things over and said: "Mr. President, General Kim, arguing will not solve the problem. Please sit down and drink a glass of water. Mr. President, generals, since we and Japan's conclusion of the treaty has become an established fact. I feel that it is no longer helpful to discuss right and wrong. What we should do now is to consider how to make the best use of it. I think that maybe this is an opportunity for us to regain the Asian interests lost before the war without any blood."
Knox's argument was fresh and immediately captured everyone's attention.
After successfully distracting the attention of Solomon and Admiral Jin, Knox said: "My idea is, why not take this opportunity to put pressure on the Chinese government and obtain the islands lost before the war through diplomatic means. The Chinese government We are concentrating all our efforts on counterattacking Japan. I think they are even less willing to confront us at this time. Then, we can definitely conclude an agreement with China..."
Before Knox finished speaking, everyone already understood what he meant. Many people's eyes lit up when they heard it, and Admiral Jin couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
At this time, MacArthur, who had not spoken for a long time, suddenly asked: "But, will the Chinese agree?"