It is very necessary to find a scapegoat for this failure. If not, the U.S. government will undoubtedly become the target of attacks by the American people.

And if the government finds a scapegoat, it will find a catharsis for the anger of the people. This is necessary to divert people's attention and reduce the pressure on the government. And is there a more suitable scapegoat than Admiral Pershing?

After the start of the war, General Pershing was the commander of the US front line, and it was he who led the US army into Mexico and almost drove the squadron directly into the sea. It's just that after starting with a large-scale increase in troops in Mexico from China, General Pershing's good fortune seems to have run out, and he began to lose again and again. First came the crushing defeat of the Battle of the Sierra Madre do Sul, followed by the Battle of the Central Mexico Line. Now again the crushing defeat of the Battle of the Rio Grande. With the exception of the Northern Mexico Campaign, which was commanded by Admiral Davis, several other U.S. defeats were inextricably linked to Admiral Pershing. If it weren't for the fact that Admiral Pershing himself had a lot of influence in the U.S. Army, plus Theodore. If President Roosevelt defended it, perhaps he would have been court-martial long ago. And this time, it is clear that Admiral Pershing will no longer be able to escape responsibility!

U.S. Army Chief of Staff Leonard. Admiral Wood was flushed with anger when he heard the words of Admiral Meyer. He really wanted to stand up and defend Admiral Pershing, the reason why the US army failed did not have much to do with Admiral Pershing, but it was precisely because of Admiral Pershing's efforts that the US army lasted so long. In terms of the comparison of the military strength of China and the United States, the US military is too far behind. Admiral Pershing has tried very hard, but unfortunately, despite Admiral Pershing's best efforts, he has not been able to reverse the gap between the two sides. It is obviously unfair to now put all the blame on Admiral Pershing on the head of Admiral Pershing. Leonard. Admiral Wood was about to say something, but saw the Minister of War, Elihue. Rutter winked at him and had to swallow back the words that came to his lips. He knew that the army did have to take responsibility for this fiasco, and General Pershing was indeed a good candidate. If this responsibility is not borne by Admiral Pershing, then perhaps it should be shouldered by him, the chief of staff of the army. When it comes to self-interest, Leonard. Admiral Wood had to keep his mouth shut!

"Do you think Admiral Pershing is responsible for this defeat?" Theodore. President Roosevelt asked with one look at the crowd.

No one answered, everyone was silent. However, the silence at this time is obviously acquiescence. Rather than let the American people vent their anger on the government, it is better to put the pot on the head of Admiral Pershing. This is undoubtedly the best outcome for these high-ranking officials of the US government. This may be where the darkness of politics lies!

"Okay, when the situation at the front is stable, let Admiral Pershing return to Washington and be tried by a court-martial!" Theodore. President Roosevelt said. Although he also knew that the defeat of the American army could not be blamed on Admiral Pershing in essence. But the rest of the cabinet agreed to punish Admiral Pershing severely, and he could not reverse the decision in order to preserve the unity of the government. Although, Admiral Pershing once helped him a lot. But now Theodore. President Roosevelt still had to abandon General Pershing.

"Then we have to find a way to stabilize the situation. At the very least, the Army has to buy enough time for the Navy. Does the army have any plans for the next step of the war? "Theodore. President Roosevelt asked. Even without General Pershing, the war would have continued. The Army will have to hold out at least until the U.S. Navy defeats the Chinese Navy.

"His Excellency the President and the Army plan to withdraw the main force of the Army from the Rio Grande Line in the coming week. Then use the Colorado River, Brazos River, Red River and Mississippi River in the southern United States to slow the pace of the Chinese offensive. Take a step-by-step approach and gain enough time. Army Chief of Staff Leonard. Admiral Wood said. The current U.S. Army, after this defeat, has lost the ability to confront the Chinese Army head-on, and they can only rely on their geographical advantage to resist the attack of the squadron. At the same time, the U.S. Army has also put its hopes on the Navy. They want to rely on the victory of the navy to turn the tide of the war. If it is simply to delay the attack of the squadron, the US Army can still do it. Even if the bridges over these rivers are blown up, it will be more difficult for the Chinese Army to cross these rivers under the defense of the US military. And this will also buy the United States a lot of time.

"If this plan is successful, it will buy enough time for the United States." However, the premise was that the main forces of the army should be withdrawn from the Rio Grande line. Otherwise, do we have enough troops to resist the Chinese? Relying on the soldiers who have just come out of the boot camp will definitely not work! "Theodore. President Roosevelt asked. Although the U.S. Army has expanded the scope of its troop increase, it has indeed recruited a very large number of soldiers. However, when these soldiers joined the army, their combat effectiveness was extremely low, and like the defenders of San Antonio, 100,000 men were defeated in less than three days. If you want to resist the attack of the squadron, the key is to have elite troops.

"Your Excellency, we already have a well-developed plan. The commander of the Rio Grande Line, Admiral Pershing, proposed to leave some troops at Laredo and McCarran to hold back the squadrons, while the main force of the Army would move eastward, as far as the Gulf of Mexico, and then retreat along the coast to the heart of the United States. When the time comes, the Navy will need to send battleships to provide cover for the army units.

As long as the main forces of the army can march at a distance of ten kilometers from the coast, it is impossible for the Chinese to intercept us at the risk of the main guns of the battleships of the Navy! When the time comes, the main forces of the army will be able to withdraw! "Leonard. Admiral Wood said. He deliberately pointed out that the plan was proposed by Admiral Pershing. However, the people present did not express anything about what disappointed him, as if they were deliberately ignoring Admiral Pershing. There is no intention of letting Admiral Pershing go because he came up with this highly feasible plan!

"There is no problem with the Navy, as long as the main forces of the Army can retreat to the Gulf of Mexico, the Navy will provide cover for the entire process of the Army. We can put at least ten or more battleships into the protection of the Navy. As long as the Chinese dare to pursue, the battleship's main guns will definitely tear those yellow-skinned monkeys to pieces! Secretary of the Navy Meyer said.

"In that case, let's go according to this plan! Admiral Wood, how many main forces the Army can withdraw this time has a direct bearing on our future operations. Therefore, the army must ensure the success of this plan! "Theodore. President Roosevelt said!

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Leonard. Admiral Wood nodded.

At the end of this meeting, Leonard. Admiral Wood sent a telegram to Admiral Pershing, asking Admiral Pershing to begin the implementation of the retreat plan. At this time, the U.S. government had publicly announced that Admiral Pershing, who was in charge of commanding the Rio Grande Line, would be tried by a court-martialed and would take responsibility for the defeat of the U.S. military. This prevarication of the US government, coupled with their claims, immediately deceived many people who did not know the truth, and they believed that the failure of the US military was entirely due to the unfavorable command of General Pershing. Many news media outlets also directly branded General Pershing as incompetent and traitor. And the funny thing is that neither the US War Department nor the Army have dismissed General Pershing from his post at that time, and still let him command the US army and implement the plan for the main retreat of the US army!

This shameless move of the US Government is undoubtedly very unfair to Admiral Pershing. If it had been someone else, maybe he would have stopped doing it a long time ago. Even more extremely, surrender directly to the squadron. In this case, the United States will be completely finished, and the shameless politicians of the government will pay a heavy price for it. And Admiral Pershing may be able to reap a lot of benefits by surrendering to China.

It's just that Admiral Pershing didn't do that. He is a pure military man and does not have as many dirty thoughts as politicians. All he wants is the hope that the United States can win this war, or that the United States will not lose a single defeat in this war and will not be destroyed by China. Therefore, even though he bears a lot of infamy, even if he is regarded as a traitor by the American people, General Pershing still insists on commanding the battle. And the retreat plan began.

"General, we plan to leave 14 corps in Laredo to stop the Chinese. There will also be a knockout in The Macallan. The remaining troops will be withdrawn to the Gulf Coast. Of these, Laredo's troops retreated first. However, when these troops retreat, the Chinese will definitely launch a fierce attack. If we fail to withstand the attacks of the Chinese, then our plan is likely to fail. The retreat will evolve into a collapse, so that the main force will be annihilated by the Chinese before retreating to the Gulf Coast! "Chief of Staff Payton. Lieutenant General March said. The plan for retreat has been drawn up, the US army will leave a total of 24 corps to block the Chinese, and the remaining main force will retreat. It's just that whether it will succeed or not is still uncertain!