The soldier who was slapped by Patton and driven back to the battlefield was called Kull, he was not a deserter, he was not hospitalized for no reason, but he was suffering from malaria, his temperature was as high as 39 degrees, and he was a little unsteady on his feet. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Kuhl was still a reasonable man, and he knew that as a busy general, it was inevitable that Patton would make some mistakes once in a while, so he didn't make a big deal out of it.

Merely......

He mentioned it in a letter to his father the next day.

Kuhl's family was reluctant, especially Kuhl's father, who said, "My son is risking his life to fight for the United States, and he has never flinched in front of the enemy, but look at ...... What an insult he suffered!

！ ”

Journalists always like to chase after the wind, especially this kind of negative news that can attract people's attention, and they are a good topic to get to the bottom of it, so they rush to the hospital for interviews without Barton's knowledge, only to find out that what the soldier said is true.

Coincidentally, Patton beat another seemingly innocent patient in another hospital, and he was also driven back to the battlefield...... So there was this question from a reporter.

Barton thought for a moment and replied, "Gentlemen, you ought to know...... A soldier is also a citizen, in fact, the highest duty and right of a citizen is to take up arms to defend the motherland, and some cowardly dog mongrels can make excuses for themselves not to go to the battlefield! What are we going to do if everybody is like this, and they all make a high-sounding excuse for themselves? What will happen to our country, our loved ones, and even the whole world? No, fuck it, we Americans don't do that! ”

Patton actually knew in his heart that he was wrong to blame the soldiers, but he didn't want to admit it, at least not in front of reporters.

It is understandable that an arrogant general like Patton would rather resign than bow his head and admit his mistakes.

"But the General!" The journalist was certainly reluctant to let Patton go: "What if the person you accuse or even beat is not a coward? Their bravery on the battlefield was well received by their comrades, and their illness was not an excuse...... That's what you get, do you think that's fair? ”

"General, what do you think is the difference between this approach and the fascist countries forcing their own soldiers to go to war?"

……

Patton was asked as he didn't know how to answer, he had no idea that the press conference would turn out like this.

"Gentlemen!" At this time, Zhang Chi stood up: "I don't want to defend General Patton, I just want to remind you...... The general in front of you, who slept only a few hours for days and nights, just to command a team of more than 200,000 people to fight the enemy valiantly on the battlefield, and after his victory, you were more concerned about how many soldiers he scolded? Gentlemen, that's an army of 200,000 men, and believe me, if it were you, you might not be able to manage even twenty men! ”

As soon as they said this, those reporters felt a little stupid, after all, Barton's achievements could not be denied by everyone, and no one could use this small mistake to negate Patton's achievements.

Barton couldn't help but glance at Zhang Chi gratefully, which was tantamount to a relief in the snow for him.

Then the reporters turned their questions to the Battle of Sicily, to which Patton was of course happy to answer.

After that, everyone thought that this page would be closed, because it was really not a big deal, especially in the army...... It is not uncommon for a commander to be rude to his subordinates.

But what is touching and surprising is that a few days later, a journalist made the incident public to the nation on a Sunday radio program, and in it, he also added fuel to the fire, describing Patton as overbearing and rude, and on the other hand, talking about the beaten soldier who was more wronged than Dou E...... This is the strong point of journalists, who are very good at using words to stir up the emotions of their listeners.

This was like a bomb that shocked the whole country, so another climax of condemnation of Patton was set off:

"We demand an investigation into George Patton's actions!"

"We should drive Patton out of the army, a commander so incapable of controlling himself is not worthy to command a company, let alone an army group!"

"We can't trust such a reckless and arrogant general who has no one in his eyes, and at the same time we don't feel at ease about putting the army in his hands!"

"I ask for a thorough investigation into the affair with General Patton, these poor children are American soldiers, not German soldiers, and if our soldiers are to be mistreated, then bring Hitler in and let him do it!"

……

There are even many people who speculate out of thin air that Patton was not investigated because he was a good friend of Eisenhower, and Eisenhower deliberately covered up the truth of the incident for Patton's shortcoming.

Knowing these words, Barton couldn't help but scold: "Fuck, if Ike protects me, how can I make a fuss now that everyone in the world knows!" ”

Zhang Chi can only say that he is speechless about this, this is the pressure of public opinion...... Those who live in a peaceful society have no idea how difficult it is to be on the battlefield, and they will stand on the moral high ground to criticize anyone who fanned the flames.

It's a bit like modern-day cyberviolence.

It's easy to criticize people, but if you put yourself in Barton's shoes, there are a few people who will do better or not make mistakes than him.

But the people didn't care about this, and the calls for an investigation of Patton grew louder and louder, so much so that Eisenhower could not bear it.

Barton was silent for a few days before finding Zhang Chi.

He complained to Zhang Chi with some frustration: "Major General, I want to let go of all this!" ”

"Yes, I understand!" Zhang Chi poured a glass of wine for Barton: "But you can't admit defeat?" ”

"Can't throw in the towel?" Barton couldn't help but look at Zhang Chi suspiciously: "What does this mean?" ”

Zhang Chi raised his glass and took a small sip, then explained: "General, do you think this matter will be as simple as it seems?" ”

Barton was stunned when he heard this, and then asked, "Then what do you think this is?" ”

"It's just a small thing, isn't it?" Zhang Chi said: "But it can make such a fuss, and even completely overshadow the victory of the Battle of Sicily...... It's not something that a few journalists can do with a few articles, and I believe it's an organized act! ”

"But...... Why? Patton said, "Why are they doing this? ”

"General!" Zhang Chi replied: "Do you still need to say this?" Your victories on the battlefield are so dazzling that they overshadow the others. So they ...... I want to take you down in another way! ”