As a result of a fierce quarrel between Stilwell and MacArthur, Stilwell was demoted from the position of chief of staff to the commander of the Eighth Infantry Division, and MacArthur's orders to Stilwell were even more ruthless. ,!

The task of the 8th Infantry Division was to hold off the 40,000 men of the 103rd and 104th Divisions of the Japanese Army with a force of less than 20,000 men in the mountains of Xilai, and not to take half a step back without the order of the commander-in-chief, MacArthur, that is, even if there was only one person left, you Stilwell would have to keep an eye on me.

It's not just that there is more than luck, it's almost like sending him to death, MacArthur is not afraid that Stilwell will see that he is killing people with a knife, what can you do? Of course, you Stilwell can refuse to accept orders, that's easy to do, the charge of disobeying military orders, waiting for you, go to the front to die and go to court-martial, for a professional soldier like Stilwell, the result is similar.

MacArthur gave his former chief of staff two choices, in fact, there was no choice, besides, MacArthur did need to have a force to hold the Japanese for a few days, so that he could make a campaign deployment to defend Manila.

Stilwell knew better in his heart what kind of unit the Eighth Infantry Division was, it was in the northern part of Luzon, the troops that let the Japanese fight all the way to Batangas, the formation was incomplete, it was said that it was a division, I am afraid that it was less than 10,000 troops, and those young master soldiers were afraid that in the process of retreating, they might even lose their heavy weapons on the way, but they could not choose, only to accept orders.

The acumen of the military allowed him to see. If the opportunity to encircle the two divisions of the Japanese army in the mountains of Xilai is lost, and according to MacArthur's plan, Manila will be held to the death, and then the American army will probably be surrounded by the Japanese regiments, and finally. All died in the end of Manila.

He didn't want to see the result, MacArthur bastard, but thousands of American soldiers were innocent. Therefore, he made a last effort to propose to MacArthur. Asking the Chinese Tang Qiuli for help, as long as Tang Qiuli's troops attack from behind, the Japanese will be in chaos, and the dark clouds hanging over the US troops will also disperse.

Stilwell's words, with sincerity and sincerity, made MacArthur stunned for a moment, and a sense of unbearability swelled in his heart. In other words, appreciation, this guy didn't defend himself, or find a way to push back this appointment that he knew was going to die, but thought about himself. He was a real soldier, but this sudden feeling was immediately hated and scattered without a trace.

However, he didn't want to kill them all. The sooner Stilwell dies, the sooner the Eighth Infantry Division will finish, and the more unfavorable it will be to his plan to defend Manila, "Division Commander Stilwell, you are no longer the chief of staff of the headquarters, this is not a matter that you should care about or consider, think more about how to complete the task I have assigned, of course, I will provide you with a possible addition." ”

"I will replenish the strength of two heavy artillery regiments, one tank regiment, and two infantry regiments to the Eighth Infantry Division, and in addition, the air force planes at the airfield in southern Luzon will also provide necessary air support for your troops!"

Stilwell didn't say anything anymore, he saluted with a military salute, his tall body was slightly hunched, and he left hobbly, from beginning to end, he didn't look back again, he worked together for several years, there was sincere cooperation, and more of General MacArthur who quarreled and disagreed.

Seeing Stilwell's back go away, the corners of MacArthur's mouth, always with a trace of disdainful sneer, defeated the stinky and hard Stilwell, and sent him far away, MacArthur's heart, there was not the slightest joy of victory, only endless irritability and anxiety, not because of the drive away Stilwell, the Japanese stopped attacking, and their crisis had not been resolved.

Ridiculous, ask for help from that Chinese Tang Qiuli? Only a person like Stilwell, who has no long brains, will have such a naïve idea, not to ask for help, but that the Chinese should fulfill the agreement, four days after the outbreak of the war, if Tang Qiuli wants to lend a hand, he does not need to ask for help himself, not to mention, this cunning Chinese has countless excuses to delay time.

The simplest reason is that Tang Qiuli's troops are in the East Indies, and it is okay to transfer them back to the Indochina Peninsula, and it is okay to launch an attack on the Japanese, but it will take time, half a month, a month is reasonable, and there is nothing wrong with two months, but by that time, the Pacific War may have already settled.

MacArthur suddenly thought that if the British had not been defeated by the Japanese in the Indochina Peninsula, or had been beaten by Tang Qiuli in the East Indies, would the British, who had been strong and strong, send troops to support him?

Thinking about it, there was no reason for the British not to send troops, MacArthur vaguely regretted it, once the Japanese attacked the Indochina Peninsula, once Tang Qiuli attacked the East Indies, and he twice sat on the mountain to watch the tiger fight, and refused to lend a hand, so that the British were so badly injured that they were dying and had no ability to help themselves.

MacArthur was thinking wildly, feeling that his two moves were too stinky, and he let out a long sigh, returning to the cruel reality, the danger brought by the Japanese still had to be solved by themselves, and what must be done now is how to organize the defense of Manila and hold the last foothold of the Americans.

At this moment, "Bang bang bang!" There was a heavy knock on the wide open door of the office, and a lieutenant colonel officer knocked anxiously on the door while probing his head in, seeing that he meant to use this movement to wake up the distracted commander-in-chief.

MacArthur frowned, this officer he was familiar with, he was the director of the Confidential Communications Division, and in the past few days, he had brought him bad news, and he had already called this person "Ominous Bird" in his heart! As soon as I saw him, I was indescribably bored, so MacArthur said in an unkind tone: "The door is not closed, come in!" ”

The lieutenant colonel hurriedly came in, and said with a forced joy on his face: "Report to the commander-in-chief, I received a telegram from the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the country, in the name of His Excellency the President!" As he spoke, he handed over a page.

MacArthur was in good spirits, and the whole person felt refreshed, thank God! God opened his eyes, and finally waited for the reply of those old men, with domestic instructions, everything was easy to do, and for MacArthur, who was in fear, hesitation, and panic, this telegram was undoubtedly a beacon in the midst of being lost.

As soon as he snatched the telegram, he unfolded it and looked at it, and said a few words: "The Joint Chiefs of Staff has conveyed the instructions of His Excellency the President, General MacArthur, commander of the Southeast Asia and South Pacific Regional Headquarters, to immediately report the specific situation in the Pacific Theater so that the Joint Chiefs of Staff can formulate a practical plan. ”

No, just a few words without a head and a brain, I passed away my days and nights of hard work, without any specific instructions, four days, the Joint Staff Council and the Ministry of Defense have not come up with a plan for the Pacific theater, are they all dry? A bunch of pigs, idiots and stupid!

MacArthur was furious, and in front of the lieutenant colonel, he scolded loudly, and after scolding, he thought about it carefully, "No, in the past four days, I have sent at least two telegrams to the Joint Chiefs of Staff every day, although the specific situation is not clear, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff should know that the situation on the battlefield is very unfavorable to the US military, and on this basis, increasing the strength of the US military in the South Pacific theater is the most basic countermeasure, why is there no mention of it in the telegram?" ”

MacArthur's brain, a little wooden, suspiciously looked at the telegram carefully, this look did not matter, almost made him angry, the date of receipt of the telegram was 9:43 a.m. on June 1, that is, four days ago, this telegram arrived at his headquarters, and he did not see it until today.

Why? MacArthur looked at the lieutenant colonel with a fierce look in his eyes, and the words that were almost squeezed out of his throat were squeezed, "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, can you sue me, what is the reason for this?" Domestic emergency telegram from four days ago, I didn't see it until today? ”

The lieutenant colonel was frightened by the fierce eyes of the commander-in-chief, and hurriedly explained: "I'm sorry, Your Excellency the commander-in-chief, since the early morning of June 1, after the Japanese army launched a large-scale attack on us, the confidential communications office received urgent telegrams from various battlefields, like snowflakes, receiving them all the time, and the officer on duty was busy and dizzy, and pressed the domestic telegram behind. If you want to see it, I'll get it right away! ”

As he spoke, he was about to go out, this lieutenant colonel officer, who was also a clever man, felt that His Excellency the commander-in-chief's feelings were wrong, and he had an expression as if he wanted to eat people alive, and he also knew the importance of this kind of telegram, but if he made a mistake in his own department, he didn't dare not report it, and he couldn't hide it.

The matter has already come out, and I can't hide from it, so I have to pretend to report the good news, hoping that the commander-in-chief can ignore the date of receipt of the telegram and get through the customs in a fool's way.

Unexpectedly, it was still seen by His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, looking at the face as black as the bottom of a pot, the lieutenant colonel's heart and liver trembled, his legs and stomach trembled, and he used the excuse to get a few other telegrams, and first get away from the commander-in-chief who was about to go berserk, otherwise, with a thunder and lightning, he might blow himself up to the outside and the inside, and his body was incomplete!

(To be continued) ......)

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