By the time John rushed home from the Klabeau barracks, Middleton had already arrived. At this moment, he was holding little Eric in his arms with a kind face in the garden and watching Ella swing.

Middleton, now 52, has been living alone in Baton Rouge since his daughters married (Middleton's wife has been dead for many years). Little Eric is nominally his godson, but in fact he is younger than his grandchildren and granddaughters.

At this age, even Xiang Middleton, a veteran general in the army who once galloped on the field, will inevitably lick the calf of a child. Since becoming Eric's godfather, Middleton's affection for the little guy is no less than John's own father.

"Good evening, Troy!" John greeted Middleton warmly: "Why didn't you go trout fishing in Lake Michigan this summer?" ”

"I'm afraid I won't be able to go this year." When Middleton said this, instead of a trace of regret on his face, he smiled, and his spirit seemed to be several years younger all of a sudden.

"You've got something good going on, you can't even care about fishing. Shouldn't I congratulate you, Troy? John laughed and teased the fishing enthusiast.

"I'll tell you after dinner." Middleton gave John a "you know" look, and then hummed a nursery rhyme to tease little Eric.

"Eeny-meeny-miny-moe, Catch-a-tiger-by-the-toe......" John couldn't help but feel a little emotional as he looked at Middleton, who was singing nursery rhymes for little Eric. For those who don't know, who can see that the gray-haired, gold-rimmed glasses, and kind-hearted smile in front of him have a fight with the future KFC grandfather University president, who is an army general known for his calmness in critical moments.

"Troy, John, dinner is ready!" Standing on the terrace on the second floor, Adele shouted to everyone, "Ella, come back and wash your hands, look how dirty you are!" ”

It's been a long time since the family has had dinner together, and John thinks it's a good meal tonight. But it's not him who eats the most, it's little Eric who only started adding complementary food this month.

The little one gobbled up spoonful after spoonful of mashed vegetables and potatoes that Adele fed him, and occasionally when Adele stopped to correct little Ella's dining etiquette, he would try to lick the food in the bowl himself.

"Eric must be a smart, strong guy who can play quarterback in the future." Middleton is joking with John and Adele while watching the little guy sell cuteness.

With a proud smile on his face, John thanked Middleton for the compliment. Becoming a football quarterback is something that almost every American boy dreams of.

As the leader of the team who is responsible for directing the offense on the court and leading the offensive tempo, the quarterback is the absolute heart of a football team. This position requires not only extremely high physical fitness, but also intelligent brains, accurate judgment, superb tactical literacy and outstanding organizational skills.

At school, a quarterback on the school football team is definitely the star of the whole school and the object of affection for the girls in the school. John himself fantasized about being a quarterback when he was in middle school, but by the time he graduated, he was just a substitute wide receiver. If Eric Jr. can become a quarterback in the future, as Middleton said, then at least his school days will be bright.

After dinner, Adele takes the children to the garden to eat, while John takes Middleton to the study. Although he had already roughly figured out Middleton's intentions, he still wanted to hear the other party uncover the mystery himself.

"Troy, how many days will you come to Alexandria this time? If there's nothing important to do next, just stay with me for a few more days, because school is out for the summer anyway. John pulled out a bottle of Dutch gin and two glasses from a secret compartment in the bookcase.

"Pokma in 1921? You've got this kind of goodie hidden in your study. Middleton asked in surprise as he glanced at the bottle. In 1921, when Prohibition was first implemented in the United States and was at its strictest, it was not so easy to get a bottle of imported gin originating in Schiedam, the Netherlands.

"I didn't hide it, and I basically didn't touch the furnishings in the study. This is what the original owner left behind. John said as he began to pour wine into the glass. The rich aroma of Dutch gin immediately fills the study (Dutch gin has a strong aroma and is suitable for pure drinking, unlike American gin, which is mostly used to make cocktails).

"Would you like some ice?" As he spoke, John opened another cabinet door, and there was a small ice machine inside.

"I didn't expect Professor Greenwood to have this hobby." Middleton took a pleasant sip of gin, "He had been a drinker for years when I knew him. (As mentioned earlier, John's house was found for him by Middleton, a retired professor at Louisiana State University, Alexandria.) ）

"I remember, you came to Louisiana State University after you were discharged from the army, 1937 or 1938?" John asked casually.

"In 1937, four years will be completed next month." Middleton paused, as if lamenting the passage of time, and as if expressing his reluctance to part.

"John, my call-up order has come down. Next month I'm leaving Luda and returning to the Army. ”

"I knew it was so! Have the positions been decided? John was more concerned about Middleton's whereabouts.

"It's not decided yet. Did you hear that Douglas is coming back. At the end of this month, the Philippine Army will be merged with the US forces in the Philippines, and Douglas will return to active duty as commander and lieutenant general of the US Far East Force Command. ”

"No one knows about this now. What, do you want to go to the Far East? John asked curiously.

"Last week, I was approached by Douglas and he wanted me to come over." "You know, I was a platoon commander under him when I was 14 years old," Middleton said. I also spent time in the Officers' Training Corps in the Philippines. They were well acquainted with Wainwright and Parker (MacArthur's right and left hand in the Far East). However, the appointment may not come down for a while, and he means that I should go to Marin to help for the time being. When he's settled, transfer me over. ”

John, of course, knew about Middleton's relationship with MacArthur. MacArthur had a falling out with Roosevelt and retired angrily, which indirectly led to the shattering of General Middleton's dream. Now, MacArthur has returned to the U.S. Army, and it is not surprising that he wants to make up for his old comrades-in-arms who were cheated by him.

And Marin Craig is a cadre who was pushed out by conservatives to take over as Army Chief of Staff after MacArthur stepped down. He recently returned to active duty and is currently the Chairman of the Army Reserve Forces Committee. It would be nice for Middleton to go to him first.

However, John remembers that historically, Middleton did not join the Far East Army as he wished. Instead, he was sent to Europe, first as a major general of the 45th Division, and then as commander of the 8th Army. Under Patton's command he fought from Sicily to the heart of Germany.

Considering that historically, Eisenhower (after Pearl Harbor, he was the deputy chief of Far Eastern affairs in the Operations Planning Division of the General Staff) and a large number of other officers who had a relationship with MacArthur failed to join the Pacific theater as they wished. John felt that perhaps the feud between MacArthur and Marshall, the two bigwigs, was much more serious than he had previously thought.