For a long time, whether it was Stimson, William, or John himself, they were not too concerned about his future development in the military world. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info At first, Stimson asked him to enlist in the army, but it was just to deal with the attack of isolationist forces. William believes that having a period of experience in the army and serving his country will be beneficial to John's future entry into politics.

And John himself, at first, was a little resistant and helpless. But as a time-traveler, he has an instinctive impulse to participate in and change history. It is still very attractive for him to be able to devote himself to a major historical event such as the Second World War, which will have a profound impact on future generations, and to experience it firsthand and change the course of history in a small way.

However, precisely because he did not have a strong utilitarian sense and did not have a clear sense of purpose, John behaved a little too freely in the year he entered the army staff. He couldn't help but want to use the "historical experience" he had at his disposal to change and influence future wars.

As a result, his performance came across as overly "active", whether it was proposing a logistical reform programme, helping the Army Aviation Command to establish a statistical control office, or participating in arms aid operations to Finland and the United Kingdom.

It stands to reason that John, a temporary lieutenant colonel who has never attended a military academy for a day, should be honest in the staff and wait for the end of the war in peace. Anyway, no one in the army's top brass has ever "expected" him, and no matter how he performs, he will inevitably have his share of "rewards" when he retires from the army in the future. For people like him, the top brass of the army has always been stingy.

However, it is such a dispensable role, but he is so high-profile. Within a year, he not only became the number one person in the operational planning department, but also had a certain influence in the entire army general staff, the army aviation command, the logistics command, and the armored force command. Not to mention that he was still on Roosevelt's side, and even the State Department, the Admiralty, and even the British began to notice him.

In this way, Marshall and some of the top echelons of the Army can't help but think about it, after all, it's too abnormal, isn't it? In their opinion, John's desperate performance must be due to the forces behind him wanting to make a move in the army. This is not a time of peace, and many forces want to get involved in the military circles.

If John's previous high-profile behavior was just fooling around, it is estimated that Marshall would have sent him to a cold bench in some corner. However, he has done a very good job this year, and has been recognized by a group of army backbones, and even Marshall himself has to admit his ability to work in some aspects.

That's why there was a "strange thing" that Marshall wanted to transfer John to be his secretary. In the post of secretary to the chief of staff, it will not delay the development of John's ability, but also cut off his connection with the forces behind him. It would be less convenient for others to use John to do anything within the Army.

From John's point of view, although he was a little unhappy with Marshall's "little calculation", he did not care very much. He is different from those career officers who have graduated from military academies and are bent on getting ahead in military circles. To put it bluntly, he is a ticket player, and the complicated interests in the army have nothing to do with him. For him, the process of participation is more meaningful than the final result.

However, John soon discovered that he might not be able to continue playing like this. Stimson's next words made him realize that things were getting more and more complicated.

"I've discussed it with William and Knox, and everyone thinks it's necessary to plan your future career path in the Army." Stimson "informed" John very seriously.

"Is this necessary? I won't be in the Army for a few more years. John whispered to Stimson's "resolve" that he didn't want to put a shackle on himself.

"It wasn't necessary before, that's why we let you toss around on your own. But now, even Roosevelt and Churchill have a good impression of you, and it would be a pity not to take advantage of such a good situation. Stimson ruthlessly shattered John's dream, "It's not a matter of your personal development, it's a matter of the big picture." You have to take a long-term view, and you can't just look at your immediate interests. ”

It's over, speculating in stocks and becoming a shareholder, and picking up a girl to become a husband, this time it's really fun. John has a bitter face, he really doesn't want to be involved.

"John, I'm sure you're well aware of the attitude of the big boss on Pennsylvania Street. Sooner or later, we will have to get involved in this war. In the coming years, all political, economic and social activities will revolve around this war. We have to have a say in it. Stimson spoke bitterly about John.

"But isn't it enough to have you and Knox? What good can I have as a little temporary colonel? John was a little puzzled. Stimson and Knox are the Secretary of the Army and the Navy respectively, so do they still lack the right to speak during the war?

"Knox and I are civilians, not soldiers, and are naturally restricted in some areas." Stimson patiently explained: "I still worked in the army, there are a group of old subordinates in the army, Knox has not even been in the navy for a day, he is the secretary of the navy with short legs. ”

In fact, Stimson is not much better than Knox. The last time he served as Secretary of War was in 1911, when Taaffe Sr. stepped down as president. His old subordinates are basically old now. Speaking of which, in addition to Devers, Stimson is really a few of the Army's descendants who can handle it.

"In peacetime, a captain who has been in the job for 10 years may not become a major. But in wartime, a captain may become a general in a few years. It is no exaggeration to say that Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne Division in World War II and future chief of staff of the Army, is still a captain). Even if you can't become a general, you can get a few medals, get the identity of a combat hero, and turn around after retiring to run for state legislature. ”

Stimson may have felt that this was not very attractive to John, so he paused and continued: "John, even if you don't care about this yourself, won't your Hughes Aircraft Company need the support of the Army Air Corps' top brass in the future?" ”

John was a little tempted by Stimson's words. That's right, he didn't care if he could become a general. But if he can become a member of the core of the army in wartime, the benefits for his future career development are still obvious. Otherwise, why are so many military enterprises willing to hire retired generals as senior officials, isn't it their connections that they value.

"So, what should I do next?" John wondered how Stimson had planned for him.

"You are now a colonel, and if you want to go further, even if you are a temporary brigadier general, you must have experience working in front-line troops, and this link is essential." Stimson said: "The other day at the White House, I pointed out the shortcomings in your inspection reports in front of Roosevelt, Hull, and Marshall. In particular, your report on Britain's home defense plan, although the angle is good and the analysis is reasonable, there are some common sense errors. ”

"I told Roosevelt that it was all because you didn't have practical experience in the field and didn't understand some of the issues. It is recommended to transfer you to the front-line troops to learn and practice for a period of time. Stimson was very satisfied with the little tricks he played that day: "Roosevelt nodded, what else can Marshall say, he can only agree to arrange for you to go to the front-line troops for exercise." ”

"I would have suggested arranging for you to go to the 2nd Panzer Division at Fort Knox." John was still very satisfied with Stimson's arrangement. The 2nd Armored Division of the U.S. Army is the originator of the U.S. Armored Forces. Besides, Devers is now the deputy commander of the Army Armored Corps Center at Fort Knox, and he is a classmate of Patton, the commander of the 2nd Armored Division, so he can take care of it in any way.

"But Marshall disagreed, and he advocated arranging for you to go to the First Army, saying that Hugh was in need of a new logistics chief." John finally knew what Major General Bull had said about Lieutenant General Hugh Drum's stealing of people during a meeting. In fact, the First Army was not bad, and it was stationed in New York, the stronghold of Vanderbilt's family.

However, except for General Drum (Drum is a conservative in the army, but he served as Marshall's direct superior during World War I, and the personal relationship between the two is not bad), the command is Marshall's people from top to bottom, and Stimson obviously will not agree.

"And then?" John said in his heart, you two won't not talk about it, let me choose for myself in the end.

"No, then." Stimson shrugged: "We didn't talk about it at the time, and it just so happened that you couldn't come back from London for a while, so I put it aside." As a result, I forgot about it. I'll talk to Marshall again in two days. You should also think about it first, and if you have any ideas, you can tell me first, but you have to hurry. ”

John couldn't complain anymore, and he could forget about such an important matter. Whether Stimson attaches importance to his development in the Army or not.