Chapter 141: The Faces of All Beings in the Dark Age (II)

Although it was a time of war, the United States, as a golden sign of the spirit of democracy and republic, held a presidential election in 1948. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Under a special wartime law, the presidential election will no longer be voted nationwide and will be voted on directly by the House of Representatives and the Senate. Naturally, the scale of all kinds of campaigning and canvassing activities was greatly reduced, and the entire process of the presidential election was reduced to less than half a month -- because President Truman, who was exhausted, had no intention of being re-elected, he withdrew from the race from the very beginning...... So, the former five-star general Douglas who hurriedly took off his military uniform and came to run for the election. MacArthur became a long-awaited star idol, and was elected as the 34th president of the United States with a high vote.

-- Indeed, at the beginning of the war seven years ago, MacArthur was defeated by the Japanese army and lost the Philippines, and then he was repeatedly defeated in Australia, and his territory became smaller and smaller. finally turned over and landed on the Japanese archipelago, and within a few days, he was taken prisoner on the Japanese battlefield again, and was paraded in an iron cage in the streets...... But despite all the setbacks and tribulations, he was still unable to defeat the indomitable MacArthur commander - after leaving Japan in disgrace, MacArthur continued to fight in the Philippines and regain Manila, successfully falling and getting up from where he fell.

Although MacArthur had to abandon the Philippines again and withdraw with his troops, everyone knew that this was not his responsibility, but more because Halsey had destroyed the Pacific Fleet in the typhoon and completely lost the supremacy of the sea.

Soon after leading his troops to withdraw to China, in the face of the unprecedented danger of the collapse of the African battlefield and the rebellion of South American countries, MacArthur once again put on the battlefield, and took his veterans who withdrew from the Philippines to go to South America under the cover of the Atlantic Fleet. To a considerable extent, it has alleviated the growing crisis of material shortage in the United States.

It can be said that without MacArthur's courageous march to recover most of South America within a few months with the strength of only six divisions, the current situation in the United States would have been much worse and more turbulent, and the war against the Soviet socialist camp would probably not have been able to continue.

In view of these exploits, people quickly forget the ugliness and shame of MacArthur being a prisoner of war in Japan and paraded in iron cages, and instead applaud and cheer one-sidedly for his bravery, tenacity, and courage to take responsibility. According to MacArthur's supporters: "...... In these difficult times, when life and death are the final deaths, we need such an indomitable man as General MacArthur to lead the United States forward......"

At this very moment, MacArthur, who is about to enter the White House, is holding his last thank-you and celebratory reception before his inauguration as president, connecting with his supporters and future cabinet members, and making promises and vows to repay them for their contributions to the campaign.

-- The U.S. Constitution does not make any explicit written provisions on the question of how to transfer power between the old and new presidents of the United States. Therefore, after the US election, there is no absolutely fixed legal procedure for the transfer of power between the old and new presidents, only some unwritten unspoken rules and conventions.

Generally speaking, the presidential election day in the United States is the first Tuesday of November of the election year, and the inauguration day is January 20 of the following year (March 4 before 1933). There was a 10-week break between the two presidents. During these 10 weeks, the president-elect and his campaign team will not only need to recuperate from the fatigue of the fierce competition, but also need to come up with a proper plan to take over the vast and complex US executive branch, which will be tasked with formulating a plan for the new administration and, more importantly, appointing thousands of senior officials...... A considerable number of them have oil or imposing idle positions, such as ambassadors and consuls of certain friendly allies, which are customarily paid to their sponsors. But how these positions should be assigned will have to be bargained for by MacArthur with a smirk on his face......

Now there are less than three days left before President MacArthur enters the White House, and all kinds of activities to recruit rebels and make wishes have basically come to an end.

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Sending away the last of the guests who had come to pester, MacArthur pulled his corncob pipe out of his mouth and drank it down, the sweet wine flowing down his throat with a hint of bitterness. Looking around, the lavish hall under the crystal chandelier is filled with all kinds of celebrities and dignitaries, beautiful ladies and silk satin and diamond jewelry, glittering in the light. Political party dignitaries, financial tycoons, wealthy businessmen, celebrities from the art and press circles, and courtesans as a foil are so surprising that it seems that the elite of the whole country are gathered here.

As a son of a wealthy family, Douglas. MacArthur was no stranger to all this socializing, but after all these years of stumbling on the battlefield overseas, MacArthur felt that he was beginning to feel a little unaccustomed to the social world of New York -- whenever he closed his eyes, he felt as if he was still in a reckless rainforest, engaged in desperate battles with all kinds of enemies, full of mutilated soldiers and hideous wreckage of weapons, full of the roar of guns, the roar of military vehicles and tanks, and all kinds of foul language from soldiers.

But, in fact, now he is wearing a crisp suit and leather shoes, with a hypocritical smirk, and using the most awkward and obscure words, playing with others...... He found that the content of his thinking had become too far from that of these American celebrities in the back. Because, while he was crawling and rolling like a savage in the rainforests of the Pacific Ocean and South America, these people were still living at the top of civilized society, and they continued to enjoy the nightlife with music, art, dance, stars, wine, food, and intrigue and fraud. In contrast, MacArthur's nerves had been dulled by the long artillery fire and death threats, as if he had become a dirt bun that did not understand elegance.

For a moment, MacArthur, who found himself at odds with the social scene, suddenly felt depressed and began to look boredly at the other people at the party—a political gathering in which there were not only wealthy tycoons and celebrities who were decorations, but also celebrities and courtesans who were pleasing to the eye, and most importantly, government officials and congressmen in evening dresses and stiff bow ties.

Even the most brutal world war in history does not seem to change the temperament of these politicians and bureaucrats. They were still the same pot-bellied, tired-looking as they had before the war, drinking too much wine, smoking excessive cigarettes, walking like ducks with their briefcases in their pockets, debating like bulls at the top of their lungs, and then indiscriminately formulating one outrageous wartime bill after another. They only learned about the war from newspapers and radios, and no one went to the front. Because of lax supervision, the work was more procrastinated than in peacetime, and a large number of idlers were raised in the mushroom-like new institutions set up after the rain. Many people have enriched themselves in the name of war. They devised all kinds of ration coupons and all kinds of cumbersome material approval procedures, and apart from causing complaints from the residents in the rear and inconvenience to the soldiers at the front, all their actions simply did not play a positive role. Moreover, some of them are still the most hated gangster organizations in the United States, with an unknown amount of blood, tears and crimes on their hands.

When he saw them, MacArthur couldn't help but think of the jokes that were popular among the soldiers at the front, in which the fat-headed, greedy, and low-minded bureaucrats and politicians in the rear were always the protagonists of the jokes and the objects of complaints, just like the enemies on the other side.

Although the United States no longer has colonies and the allies are almost disintegrated, American businessmen remain, managers remain, and corporate bankers remain. They are still selling their inferior goods through all kinds of connections and connections, and they are still trying to make money from the war industry, the largest business in the world - the soldiers are bleeding, the civilians are starving, and they still know how to make money!

Now, however, he will soon be sitting in the Oval Office of the White House, relying on the support of such a bunch of guys, leading the exhausted United States to victory in the war, or at least to fight a decent peace...... It's a tough challenge!

Fortunately, Stalin's situation was probably even worse than his own: on the American side, except in the frontier places of Hawaii and Alaska, at least the hinterland of the homeland was absolutely safe. In the Soviet Union, Leningrad, the most prosperous city on the Baltic Sea coast and the second largest city, had already suffered several nuclear bombs, and the material losses and mental damage caused to the Soviets could not be compensated for by a victory in a distant overseas battlefield. Of course, given Russia's anti-democratic and tyrannical tradition, it is true that Stalin could use his brutal and high-handed policies to force everything and drive his people to continue to make sacrifices and dedication to the war, but there is a limit to this kind of forceful approach, and once it rebounds or even backfires, the consequences are simply unimaginable......

In addition, the United States, which has retreated back to the New World of America, has certainly lost most of its allies, but it has also been able to get rid of many burdens and burdens and be able to travel lightly -- even if the abundant resources of the Americas alone are enough for the United States to operate normally without leaving the Old Continent.

And although the Soviets seemed to have planted the sickle, hammer and red flag all over the Old World, the Kremlin had to take on the same half of the world's troubles as the most basic price...... In addition, in such a brutal all-out war, how to coordinate with "big" allies such as China and Japan to avoid internal friction and conflict is also a major test of the Kremlin's diplomatic art.

To sum up, in MacArthur's view, as a party in a strategic defensive posture, with the abundant resources of the "chosen nation" and the natural geographical advantage of the east-west ocean barrier, it is probably unrealistic for the United States to completely defeat the enemy and dominate the world. However, if we lower our goal and only seek to maintain the hegemony of the United States in the New World, so that the Soviets and the Japanese who have crossed the ocean will retreat in the face of difficulties, and thus end the war with dignity, it should still be relatively easy to achieve...... Because of this, MacArthur dared to take off his military uniform and run for the presidency in the Oval Office of the White House.

Otherwise, if the war was now certain to be lost, why would he compete with others for the disgraceful position of signing a surrender agreement?

“…… The United States of America is a beacon of civilization and the hope of mankind, as evidenced by God's messengers to guide its people whenever the United States is in crisis. There are mediocre presidents in peacetime, great presidents in wartime. There was Washington in the years of the Revolutionary War, Lincoln in the era of the Civil War, and now there is our MacArthur! He will soon be at the helm of the presidency and guide the great ship of America to a brighter future......"

Listening to this sycophancy, as well as the admiration and respect of many men, women, and children around him, MacArthur, who had always loved vanity, couldn't help but show a smug smile, reached out and picked up a glass of champagne from the waiter's large tray again, and drank it all in one gulp......

Unbeknownst to MacArthur, however, was that the first major test of his presidency had already crept in......

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The Japanese archipelago, Chiba Prefecture, which was almost slaughtered into a no-man's land by the flames of war, is the garrison base of the Soviet Union's strategic air force for Japan, which has just been completed

Silver-white giant jets with sickle and hammer badges painted on their wings silently stopped at the end of the runway. Below the airport tower, a gray-haired Soviet base commander holds a large bottle of vodka and is giving the pilots a final farewell drink before the attack - in fact, according to common sense, pilots should never fly under the influence of alcohol...... But this rule never worked for the Russians......

While the Soviet pilots raised their glasses, the military band played the tear-jerking "Farewell to the Slavic Woman...... Then, an officer with a straight face stood up and read the final order to the pilots gathered under the tower, as well as to the guards and ground crews who were ready to see them off: "...... The formation of strategic ultra-long-range bombers stationed in Japan will carry nuclear bombs to attack this morning! Target: Los Angeles, USA! ”

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ps: This week is really full of exciting revelations, Hillary's Loli Island bills are out, and then there is freshly squeezed fresh human milk on the menu...... It's really good enough to play.,Isn't it to tie Lori's mother as an add-on? In addition, Clinton actually sent someone to North Korea to abduct Lori to play? Still caught? Is this me crazy or is the world crazy? Why don't you find an entertainment company in South Korea instead of playing sticks, but go to North Korea to die?

Anyway, I'm beginning to wonder if every family in the villa of American dignitaries has an underground cell torture room, where the little Lori wearing a collar is imprisoned.

And then a few British judges tried to declare Brexit null and void, and wanted to re-enter the EU again - how could such a major event be overturned? I'm out, I'm in, I'm out again, I'm in again...... Do you want the whole EU to play with you? Why don't you say that the collapse of the USSR was also nullified? (To be continued.) )