Bidding farewell to Van Vliet and Weidmeier, John suddenly thought of a question on the way back to the dormitory: with Weidmeier's background and personal ability, why did he never get the opportunity to fight in the end. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

That's right, Weidemeyer is a mild-mannered man with a very political mind, and he is a good hand at military diplomacy. But the military literacy of the people is also very good. From 1936 to 1938, Weidemeyer also went to the German Military Academy for two years to study, and it can be said that he is the person who knows the German Army the most in the US military at present.

Why is it that such a person with a deep background and outstanding ability has been pressed to the rear to play the role of a liaison with no real power (after the United States entered the war, Weidemeyer served as Marshall's representative at the Anglo-American Joint Staff Conference for a long time)?

Although Weidemeyer was later appointed chief of staff and commander of the US military in a large theater (China theater), his name seems to be not small, but this is not a beautiful difference. In Washington, since the "Stilwell affair," U.S. military and diplomatic officials have viewed China as a graveyard for their future, and most have shied away from the appointment.

Moreover, it was already late 1944 when Weidemeyer succeeded Stilwell (the Indo-Burma theater had been separated in October 1944 and was under the responsibility of Lieutenant General Sölden). After taking office, his main job was to coordinate and arrange US aid materials and help Chiang train US weapons troops, and he did not have the actual right to command operations. To put it bluntly, he is still a "senior liaison".

John didn't think it was strange before, but it's a bit strange when you think about it. If Weidemeyer is not reused, his promotion speed during World War II was no slower than that of front-line commanders such as Patton and Bradley. From 1942 onwards, Weidemeyer climbed almost one step a year, and in three years climbed from lieutenant colonel to the position of three-star lieutenant general.

However, if we want to say that he is highly employed, he has been arranged to engage in some coordination and liaison work in the center, and it can be said that he is a typical "high position but not heavy power", and he has never really grasped the command of the troops. John vaguely felt that there seemed to be a black hand operating behind the scenes, deliberately cutting off Weidemeyer's direct contact with the combat troops.

But what kind of person could have the power to isolate Weidemeyer, who was protected by Marshall, Embick, and Norris at the same time, from the core powers of the Army? Before John could think about it, he was called to the principal's office by George Jr., the secretary of Major General McNair.

Since Major General McNair also served as the head of the Combat Training Department of the Army Staff, he did not spend much time at Fort Leavenworth in peacetime. It was the first time John had seen him since returning on New Year's Day.

"Report!" Pushing open the door, John found that Major General McNair was not in the inner office, but was drinking tea with Colonel Spalding, the head of the school's Doctrine and Publications Department, in the outer reception room.

"John, come and sit." Major General McNair beckoned to John warmly, "Spalding is very interested in the Chinese military book you have translated, and would like to discuss with you about its publication." ”

"John, I have asked a few friends who study Sinology to read the book you translated, and they all have high evaluations." Spalding said with a smile: "Our school press is preparing to publish the "Research on Strategic Fundamental Issues" series, and we plan to include this one you translated. Now the copyright is still in your hands, and you haven't sold it, have you? ”

John was overjoyed when he heard this. When he first translated "The Art of War", he went to seek fame. After the translation, he also thought about publishing. Translations were also sent to several major publishing houses, including the Harrisburg Military Publishing Company, which was the first in history to publish a single English version of The Art of War.

But after the manuscript was sent, there was no news. Not long ago, he called several publishing houses to ask, but they didn't seem to be very interested in it.

Think about it, in the United States in the 40s, books related to China were mainly to satisfy readers' curiosity, focusing on literature and oriental mysteries. If you publish a book on ancient Chinese military theory, how many people will buy it? Besides, there is already an English translation of the Giles version on the market, and John's book is far from academic alone.

Historically, the popularity of "The Art of War" in the United States was not until the height of the Cold War in the fifties and sixties. It was only after the US military suffered two successive losses in North Korea and Vietnam that there was an urgent need to understand and recognize China's military strategy and way of thinking.

At present, the study of military theory is still dominated by Europe, and even specialized publishers such as the Harrisburg Military Publishing Company are not interested in John's translations.

John thought his book would be shelved for many years. He planned to pay for his own money to print a batch as a gift for his friends. Unexpectedly, Colonel Spalding actually "discerned pearls" and fell in love with his "Art of War" mixed with private goods.

"No, it hasn't been sold, and the copyright is still in my possession," John replied quickly. Although it is not a single book, it is not bad to be able to squeeze into the series of books "Research on Strategic Fundamental Issues". At least in the future, all major military schools in the United States will inevitably have to include a copy.

"That's good, that's good." Colonel Spalding was well acquainted with the Harrisburg Military Publishing Company and knew that John was already in contact with the publishing house. That's why he hurriedly pulled Major McNair to find John, wanting to grab the copyright first.

"Well, the copyright fee ......" Before Colonel Spalding could continue, John took the initiative to interrupt him: "$1, I only need $1 for royalties, and I can sign the contract now." ”

John really didn't take the money seriously. Anyway, he didn't pay anything, and his grandson and his old man wouldn't ask him for copyright. Moreover, he also knows the situation of the school publishing house, which cannot be compared with the big publishing houses outside. Anyway, there wasn't much money in total, so John simply went back and was just generous, and he thought it was a contribution to his "alma mater".

His generosity overjoyed Colonel Spalding, who complimented John on his recent academic achievements (Colonel Spalding was also Professor of Military Science at John's Short School). McNair was also very happy, thinking that this "disciple" of his own had given him a long face. For a while, the atmosphere in the principal's office was much more relaxed and pleasant.

After a little chat, Colonel Spalding went back to prepare the copyright contract contentedly. Maj. Gen. McNair kept John behind to check on the progress of his paper. In general, McNair is still very satisfied with John's student, although the foundation is a little poor, but he is diligent and inquisitive, and his understanding is not bad.

"There are a couple of workshops that I've been doing at the school recently, and I'm probably going to be there for about a week." After making a few revisions to John's thesis, Major General McNair nodded with satisfaction: "If you still have any questions about the paper, you can come to the office at any time to find me." ”

"Okay, Headmaster." Seeing that it was getting late, John stood up and prepared to take his leave.

"By the way, I heard from Bull that you have a lot of ideas about airborne operations? There's a workshop on this next Tuesday, so why don't you do it. As John was about to leave the door, McNair added, "It just so happens that George needs to go back to Washington that day, and you can take the minutes of the meeting for him, and you can coordinate the details yourself." ”

"Okay, I'll go find George." John turned and walked out of the office. Whether McNair did it intentionally or casually, this workshop was a great learning opportunity for him, and John didn't want to miss it.