chapter 149
Negotiate
July 5, 1930.
USA, Fort Drum.
A late wind blew past the window. Despite the midday summer weather, the command staff was busy with icy breathing.
Generals gathered around a collapsed meeting room table in the center.
Among them, the expression of the old man with the muzzle in front of him was by no means light.
“Put down that gun for now, Douglas.”
United States Field Marshal Pershing said that to MacArthur, who was aiming a pistol. But there was no response.
“hurry.”
“How can I trust you?”
MacArthur finally spoke up.
Hearing the trembling voice, Marshall, who stood by Pershing’s side, exclaimed momentarily.
“General! What kind of foolishness to the enemy… !”
“Are you still forcing me to be polite even in this situation? It’s a very trusting relationship.”
I had nothing to say.
However, the opponent was unwilling to retreat. It was only when Pershing finally noticed that Marshall backed away.
“I will give you a chance to explain, Marshal.”
With a cock of his arrogant chin, MacArthur pointed at Pershing.
“I was trying to redeem you.”
Honest answer.
For a moment, MacArthur almost moved his finger on the trigger. He took a deep breath and waited for the next words. The story isn’t over yet.
“I didn’t mean to kill you. You are too precious for that.”
Shaking his head resignedly, Pershing said. At the same time, thoughts raced through the old enemy’s head like a storm.
the plan fails
MacArthur surrounded all of Pershing’s direct command units around the conference room, and pointed their guns right in front of him. Reserves and communication networks were all incapacitated.
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Perhaps he had similar thoughts, even an arrogant smile was engraved on the lips of the elite general. But Pershing had one fact in store to throw cold water on it.
“However, surprisingly, all of your operations have failed. With that in mind, I wonder if you’re fit for the position.”
“Did we have another way?”
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Pershing flinched. After some time, the old enemy shook his head.
“… there was no Time, power, justification, everything was lacking.”
He spoke confidently, but in fact he couldn’t even think of a sharp number.
A short-term battle in the first place.
From the beginning of the war, when we couldn’t see the outcome, the outcome was fixed.
It’s a fact that everyone knows, but pretends not to know.
“I, MacArthur, did everything I could. Except for surrender.”
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Pershing couldn’t fault them.
Who was it that led them to oxidize like moths?
It was clearly himself who limited his options. For this reason, Pershing silently listened to MacArthur with his head bowed.
“I know very well that it is not desirable. But someone had to bear the burden.”
MacArthur, who continued to speak without interruption, seemed to shine with boundless confidence.
Like a saint who became a glorious scapegoat.
Soon after, he turned his attention to Pershing.
“So if the answer of the cross is this, O venerable Marshal. I can’t hide my hatred from you. You son of a b*tch!”
As he drew his gun, MacArthur raised his voice. At the same time, the crowd was agitated.
“General! This… .”
“MacArthur, you son of a b*tch! What are you doing now!”
Eisenhower, his lieutenant, and Pershing’s loyal Marshal all raised their voices at the same time.
No matter how much MacArthur he was, he never thought he would intimidate a truly living symbol of the US Army.
However, the general’s expression did not waver an inch. Amidst the commotion spreading in the meeting room, Pershing stopped Marshall from rushing out at any moment and quietly stepped forward.
“… It may not be your fault, Douglas. I couldn’t have found another way in that situation.”
Seeing the face of the steadfast enemy, MacArthur hesitated for a moment. But then he gritted his teeth and replied.
“Then you shouldn’t have bitten the fleet.”
“You know it’s crazy, don’t you? If we went on like that, we would all die.”
“So what is this? What the hell am I supposed to say to a dying Fleet Soldier? Wasn’t it an idiot who didn’t gain anything?”
“It was unavoidable from the beginning. don’t you know?”
“There can be no surrender!”
A shrill roar cut across the meeting room.
“For 10 years… The country was in an abyss.”
As MacArthur continued his story, his eyes were not on Pershing, but on the other side of him.
Towards the window where no one was standing, even the sunlight was obscured by clouds.
“It may be a very short time for some, but it seems not to the people of this country. There will be no future after defeat for the United States. I bet you don’t know that either.”
“know. but… .”
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Pershing lowered his head.
“What’s the use of that when everyone is dead?”
“I create meaning.”
There was no hesitation in the answering voice.
“John Joseph Pershing. I will arrest you here and there for rebellion.”
MacArthur quietly glanced at the escort. As they moved, he stared intently at Pershing. The old enemy did not move much as if he had given up.
Until someone standing behind the enemy draws a pistol.
“no!”
bang-
silence.
* * *
Four days later, London, England.
“You mean Pershing is dead?”
“If the information coming in is true, then it is.”
Office of the 1st Naval Police Officer.
Facing Admiral Field, I frowned.
“I’m going crazy.”
“I agree, Louis. I don’t know what the hell is going on.”
The admiral nodded with a tired face and sighed quietly. It was such an outrageous thing for us.
“I think it’s true that the end of the war has come forward.”
“okay. but… .”
Big things are happening in America.
“Now I have more to think about.”
The problem is, I don’t know if that’s good news or not. What the hell is going on. Did MacArthur really decide on a coup? You want to become a dictator?
“Has there been any further news from the Ministry of Information?”
“I am checking. America is not in a frenzy right now.”
“Maybe now is the best time. But why does that happen… ?”
“Because they don’t know that, everyone is dumbfounded. Since Mexico is broken, it’s difficult to attack it recklessly.”
Admiral Field frowned as if he also had a headache.
Anyway, thanks to the little tacos, the plot got a little twisted.
If those friends provide a bridgehead, things will be easier… .
Everyone knows by now how much preparation is required for an amphibious assault. In addition, large-scale operations require a lot of time.
So it’s important to predict what kind of ramifications this situation will bring… .
“I feel like I’m going blind. You should definitely like it.”
“I agree. There is still too little information.”
It is unknown.
While I was rotting my head, the admiral who received the teacup brought by the orderly asked me.
“Stop talking about complicated things. It’s not even under your jurisdiction yet. Even more than that, do you remember the dispatched squadron of the Japanese Combined Fleet?”
“Yes, Admiral Yamamoto’s task force?”
The topic quickly shifted.
Well, it’s not something we should worry about. I’m also curious about the current status of our friends who have come a long way to have a bite.
But after Ryuzo’s sinking, haven’t you heard anything special?
“The aircraft carrier Kaga is here.”
Damn, you almost dropped the teacup.
The admiral continued his words without even having time to gather his surprising mind.
“Currently stationed near the Caribbean. It’s no surprise that the allies are coming to help, but… .”
“What do you want? Wasn’t the Pacific side more urgent?”
“Hasn’t it been confirmed that they will actually take it all by themselves? Who will stop the Combined Fleet?”
Admiral Field shrugged.
That’s definitely true. The Pearl Harbor blockade is more than enough with the remaining power. As long as our Oriental Fleet has been dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean, it is safe to say that the Pacific Ocean is completely a Jabbs’ sea.
However, this movement is a bit awkward.
“If the gesture is to want the Atlantic Ocean… You are making a risky move.”
“Even if not necessarily, it could be a means to have a voice in future negotiations. Either way, it’s just as embarrassing.”
With a tired sigh, Admiral Field looked back at the map on the wall. The vast Atlantic Ocean was now full of colorful marks.
“I can’t ignore the voices of the Germans and Austrians. The latter is to be dealt with on the Mediterranean side, but the former is… .”
“It is dangerous.”
“that’s right. I’m done with my business now.”
Among them, the marks of the Great Sea Fleet stand out the most. Of course, the proportion of the Royal Navy is still overwhelmingly high, but the performance of the flagship of the Great Sea Fleet cannot be ignored.
It was only in the original history that the lineage of German ships was cut off by the Treaty of Versailles, but this is not the case here. The majesty of the Kaisermarine Naval Division remains intact.
Intelligence has also been obtained that the construction of a new 50,000-ton class battleship has already begun.
It’s fortunate that the Red Fleet in the Baltic Sea is also in check. The power of the fledgling Soviet fleet also included the Izmail-class battlecruisers. What’s wrong with ignoring it?
“Well, no matter what, we are still allies. Don’t show off too much.”
“What do you see me as?”
“Aren’t you the only admiral among us who goes wild?”
“You are doing too much.”
It’s not exactly wrong, but… . Still, wouldn’t it be rude to talk to yourself directly? It’s meant to be a joke in the first place.
As he said, the admiral, who had a big laugh, took a sip of the teacup and looked away quietly.
“So what do you mean?”
“Finally it’s my turn.”
Small papers on the table.
The admiral, who quietly accepted it, passed the paper with his legs crossed.
“Congratulations on getting your aviator license. How was the air force?”
“yes… It’s more fun than you think. There are so many things these guys want.”
“Now that they are friends who have established themselves.”
Admiral smiling happily. However, he is also a man of the era of the giant tycoon. Negotiations about air power will never be easy.
“You want a new aircraft? Or a new squadron? Or do you want an aircraft carrier?”
“no.”
So, this winning number should be thrown now.
“Hoo?”
Was it an unexpected answer?
Admiral Fields stopped turning over the paper and stared at me. I calmly shrugged my shoulders.
Wings, aircraft carriers, yes they are important. But what I want is not such a secondary facility. You can get enough of that later.
All I want is a bigger bastard.
“I want a battlecruiser directly under the fleet. Admiral.”
Admiral Field’s wide-eyed expression was very eye-catching.