"You're going to the Western Continent?"

"I just submitted an application for transfer to the Ministry of Defense, and I don't know if it will be approved." Jackson looked a little embarrassed when he said this.

After all, strictly speaking, this is an escape.

Thompson nodded thoughtfully, not looking surprised.

Prior to that, Jackson had twice submitted requests for transfer, but both were denied.

In fact, after receiving a call from Jackson and on the way back to Decheng, Thompson had already thought that the old colonel, who was over 50 years old, was determined to say goodbye to Van Luoguo. Otherwise, it would not have been at this juncture to let the most capable men return from the front line.

With Jackson's experience in German City, anyone would be dead.

"I mentioned in my report that if the Pentagon approves my transfer request, you will be in charge of the advisory group after I leave."

Thompson nodded again, sighing at the same time.

This is not a beauty difference at all, nor is it a promotion, but more like wiping someone's ass. It's just that he thinks Jackson takes it for granted.

The army is not an enterprise, so there is no reason to pick and choose.

If you really have the ability, you wouldn't have been sent here in the first place.

"You've been in Van Luo for a while, so you should be very clear about the situation here. I won't say much about the rest. There's only one thing to focus on, don't think you know the country. To put it mildly, we don't know as much about this country as we do about the desert islands in the Guia Ocean. ”

"Just like the Liangxia Empire?"

Hearing Thompson say this, Jackson couldn't help but smile bitterly.

In the eyes of the Nulands, the Liangxia Empire does have many similarities with the Van Luo Kingdom, especially the history of thousands of years, after all, Nuland has no history to speak of. For the vast majority of Nulanders, especially the new generation after World War II, it is impossible to imagine what thousands of years of heritage looks like. Many young people in their 20s will even think that it is the era of prehistoric civilization.

It is precisely because of the lack of understanding that in the eyes of many Nulanders, ancient eastern countries such as the Liangxia Empire and the Fanluo Kingdom are simply extraterrestrial civilizations.

Relatively speaking, the Liangxia Empire was a little better.

Regardless, the Liangxia Empire was the number one winner of World War II, and a global hegemon, possessing a power far superior to that of other nations. After the normalization of diplomatic relations, the Nuland Republic studied the Liangxia Empire in an all-round way, and also had a deeper understanding of the Liangxia Empire.

For the poor and backward country of Van Luo, the Nulands obviously will not flock to it.

Even after the alliance, there were very few Newlanders who had been to Van Roe, and there were even fewer Nuland scholars who studied Van Roe's history.

"Do you think it's possible to negotiate?"

Thompson abruptly changed the subject, and Jackson didn't react at once. However, he then understood what Thompson meant.

The news that the Hwaseong authorities had sent people to the country of Paxi to negotiate secretly with the Liangxia Empire had long been spread in the advisory group, and not long ago, Jackson had mentioned this to Thompson, telling him not to talk about it after arriving in Udaipur and to keep his mouth shut.

Of course, just a kind reminder.

"I want to know too, but unfortunately no one told me." Jackson smiled wryly and shook his head, but didn't say any more, because he didn't know what to say.

On the matter of the armistice, Jackson was actually very contradictory, or he had gained and lost.

Of course, this is true for most military personnel.

It's just that Jackson also knows very well that he is just the head of the military advisory group stationed in Van Luo Kingdom, and he has no right to intervene in national affairs at all.

Whether it can be negotiated or not, it is not his turn to worry about it at all.

"Don't you think that's weird?"

"What's so strange?"

Thompson hesitated for a moment before saying, "There is no doubt that if the rumors are true, then it must be the Liang Xia Empire that initiated the negotiations, and the Liang Xia authorities will inevitably offer a condition that can make Hwaseong move and send an envoy to the Paxi Kingdom for negotiations." ”

"You mean, return the Howaii Islands?"

Thompson nodded, and said at the same time: "For the time being, I can't talk about returning, or agreeing to return, but it must have something to do with this archipelago, such as determining the ownership of some islands through negotiation." You know, in the past few decades, the Liang Xia Empire has not had the will to negotiate with us at all. As long as you can talk about it, it's a good thing. Overall, the Liangxia authorities must make concessions on the issues that concern us most. ”

This time, Jackson just nodded and didn't answer.

"The key is that the goal of the Liang Xia authorities is to cease war with us as soon as possible, so that they can concentrate their forces on dealing with other enemies, control the scale of the big war, and shorten the duration of the big war. There is a very critical issue involved here. Thompson paused, and waited until Jackson turned his gaze before he continued: "Won't the old fox in power in Hwaseong get an inch, and the Liangxia authorities will go against the grain?" ”

"The strategic initiative, as well as the strategic advantage, are all in the hands of the Liangxia Empire, judging from the current situation, if the Huacheng authorities do not know how to advance or retreat, I am afraid that the secret negotiations will end in nothing."

"If we really want to come this far, we have to defend the kingdom of Brahmana to the death."

Jackson nodded, knowing what Thompson meant.

If you can only fight to the death, even if the Van Luo Kingdom is a mud that can't support the wall, it still has the value of existence, such as consuming the troops of the Eastern Bloc.

If nothing else, it would take at least millions of troops to occupy and control the kingdom of Van Luo.

If there were no Van Luo Kingdom, these millions of troops would have been sent to other places, such as to sweep the Nangu Continent.

"It's just that those guys in Hwaseong may not be so ignorant."

"You mean, can it be negotiated?"

"If there is no hope, will there be those rumors?" Thompson paused and then said, "Although we are not diplomats and do not know negotiation skills, we all know that negotiation itself is a process of mutual compromise, and since we can sit down and talk, it shows that there is still room for compromise and retreat." Besides, the first thing that both sides need to ensure is their own core interests, and what they need to compromise is their secondary interests. For us, the core interest is the Khowaii Islands. So what were the core interests of the Liang Xia Empire? ”

Now, Jackson's brow tightened.

Thompson didn't rush to continue, in fact, what he said at the beginning was clear enough.

"According to you, the one who is being compromised is the Brahma country? The question is, is it really that important? ”

"Don't forget, among the countries bordering the Liangxia Empire, the only one that is not allied with the Liangxia Empire is the Fanluo Kingdom. Although the southwest and northwest regions bordering the kingdom of Fanluo were very desolate, theoretically only the kingdom of Fanluo could directly threaten the mainland of the Liangxia Empire. What's more, the Van Luo Kingdom has a population second only to the Liang Xia Empire, as well as a relatively large enough land, not a barren land, and a very crucial geographical advantage. What reason do we have to suspect that the Liang Xia Empire does not regard the Van Luo Kingdom as a major problem? ”

"The question is, isn't there much of a threat posed by the Western Continent Group?"

"Whether the threat of the Western Continent Group is big or small, and how important it is, has to be seen from several aspects."

Jackson didn't answer, letting Thompson continue.

"From a long-term, strategic perspective, the importance of the Western Continent Group is actually far above the Khowaii Islands, and we must protect it."

Jackson nodded, not refuting the idea.

The importance of the Western Continent group has long been agreed within the Nuland military. From the perspective of military strategy alone, the Western Continent Group is the only reliable and effective foothold for the Nuland Republic on the world island, and it is the only way to prevent the Liang Xia Empire from dominating the world island.

Before the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Liangxia Empire, the strategic plans drawn up by the Nuland military all emphasized the importance of sending troops to the Western Continent after the war. It can be said that in those 20 years or so, almost all war plans revolved around assisting the Western Continent Group in its fight against the Eastern Bloc. According to the prevailing military doctrine at the time, as long as the Western Continent group was defeated, the Nuland Republic would be finished.

Even after restoring diplomatic relations with the Liangxia Empire, the Nuland military did not give up the idea of sending troops to the Western Continent.

Without the containment of the Western Continent Group, relying only on its own strength, the Nuland Republic is by no means the opponent of the Liang Xia Empire, and it will definitely be defeated.

Comparatively speaking, the symbolism of the Khowaii Islands is much greater than its actual value. Crucially, the recovery of the Khowaii Islands will not change the strategic landscape in the Guia Ocean.

In addition, the ownership of the Khowaii Islands is more like a sore handle used by politicians to influence the relationship between the two countries.

"In the same way, the huge threat from the Western Continent Group, as well as past grievances, the Liangxia authorities will definitely not make concessions on the issue of the Western Continent."

"Then there's no way to talk about it."

"Or don't talk about it."

Jackson was stunned for a moment, but then he understood what Thompson meant.

It is not to say that there will be no negotiations and consultations, but that the issue of the Western Continent Group will not be discussed, and the affairs of the Western Continent will be put on hold, or the status quo will be maintained.

In this way, the only one who can be sacrificed is the country of Brahman.

To put it bluntly, as long as the Nuland authorities want to recover the Khowaii Islands, they must exchange the country for the country of Van Luo, or give up the country of the country of Van Luo.

Obviously, this is a loss that can be afforded.

Crucially, regardless of whether the Nuland administration voluntarily abandons Van Roe, with the current situation, Van Roe will become history before the end of the war.

It is simply impossible to say that it is impossible to defend the kingdom of Brahman.

Thinking of this, Jackson couldn't help but sigh.

"It's just that there's a key point here."

"What's the key?"

"The Hwaseong authorities will not publicly declare that they will abandon the Van Luo Kingdom, and it is even less likely that they will inform the Van Luo authorities, but they will convince the Van Luo authorities that we will provide full support."

"Otherwise, the Van Rowe authorities will surrender first?"

"In order to safeguard the core interests of the country, as well as the interests of the family, which are more important than the interests of the country, and even the life and death of the entire Gabala family, what can Tigara not do? What's more, the magnates of the Van Luo Kingdom are not only the Gabala family, but also the other big families who have to consider the vital interests related to survival. If Tigara had gone the other way, I dare say, he wouldn't have survived even an hour in Decheng. ”

Jackson smiled wryly, but didn't refute Thompson's point, because that's what happened.

Regardless of the fact that the country has a population of 1 billion and a land area of 3 million square kilometers, and claims to be a democratic country, its social structure is not fundamentally different from that of the colonial period, or even from the previous feudal dynasties. The main theme that constitutes the state, or the basic structure of society, is still the elite who control the vast majority of resources, especially the hundreds of large families at the top of the elite.

Of course, these large families are usually attached to a large clan and are the spokesmen of the clan.

It is precisely for this reason that no matter who is the prime minister, the Van Rowe authorities are always only the spokesmen of tribal politics, and the interests of the tribes are always above the interests of the state.

In order to protect the interests of the country, the interests of the tribe are sacrificed?

Even if it was to create the rebirth of the founding fathers of the Brahma Kingdom, it would not be possible!

"Of course, we don't need to worry, that never happens. In any case, the Vatican army will definitely fight to the end. ”

Jackson looked up at Thompson.

"If you want me to say, the key is in the west. The main contradiction in the negotiations will definitely be how to deal with the Western Continent Group, or whether or not to let the West Continent Group join in. ”

"This ......"

"The Empire may not accept it, but most of the other countries of the Western Continent Group will choose a truce, after all, there is not much benefit in fighting."

"If the Rimman Empire doesn't agree, then it will be difficult for the Western Continent Group to ......"

"The premise is that the Empire can still control the entire Record Group. Unfortunately, the proportion of the Empire in the Western Continent is too low, its control over the allies has been decreasing, and the poor performance of the Empire in the Great War means that few countries are willing to be at its mercy. Whether the Empire can keep the position of the boss of the group, or even whether it can keep the country, is a fundamental question. ”

"...... so"

As soon as the words came out, Jackson was stunned, and he showed a look of complete disbelief.

Thompson has been hinting at him all along.

If the Hwaseong and Liangxia authorities reach an armistice, and neither side is willing to make concessions on the issue of the Western Continent and protect their core interests, then the only way is to join hands to dismember the Western Continent Group, or to be precise, to divide the West Continent Group in two. At that time, the western countries of the Western Continent fell into the arms of the Nuland Republic, while the eastern countries joined the Eastern Bloc dominated by the Liang Xia Empire.

For the Nuland Republic, this was the only option to maintain a military presence on the Western Continent, maintain influence on the World Island, and continue to contend with the Liangxia Empire. Otherwise, when the Liang Xia Empire defeated the Western Continent Group, the Nuland Republic would have to retreat to the Western Hemisphere.

Of course, for the Liang Xia Empire, this was also the only option to quickly end the Third Global War.

In this way, in the next few months, the Nuland military will gradually shift its focus to the Western Continent, and continue to fight the Van Luo Kingdom.

Regardless of whether the Vatican army can fight or not, it must hold on.

Until the Western Continent is determined, the Southern Subcontinent will remain the main battlefield. If you want to contain the Liang Xia Empire, you can't give up this battlefield.

Thinking of this, Jackson sighed again.

Thompson didn't say anything more, just patted Jackson on the shoulder, and then left.

Of course, Jackson had already thought of it.

If Thompson's analysis is correct, the Department of Defense will certainly not approve his transfer request until next spring, and he will have to stay in Van Roe for a few months.