"...... me?"

Lieutenant Colonel Phelps was stunned for the first time after arriving in the cabin, and then began to think, understanding that the general was asking him what he thought of the current situation in the Middle East theater.

As a naval pilot, Phelps usually didn't think much about this kind of thing, he felt that what he should do was to prepare seriously and take to the air, and other things would naturally be completed by a cadre of generals in the command. But even so, in the last few days, he has been completely stunned by the offensive of the Russians, and Sean Phelps naturally has some opinions of his own, anyway, it is not a formal meeting now, and in the face of an old general who has always had an eccentric temper, he said it without thinking:

"It's not going to be good, uh, it's very bad for us.

My personal opinion...... Your Excellency, I don't think it's necessary for us to fight the Russians to the death in the Middle East; Fighting a war like this is simply not giving full play to the true capabilities of the navy, and it is a serious waste of personnel and equipment. ”

"Oh, yes."

Facing the young Navy pilot sitting on the sofa, unlike his usual erratic and crazy appearance, John Ford, a decades-long battlefield veteran of NAVY, now very reservedly did not say much, he slowly fumbled out a shiny metal cigarette case from the desk drawer, held it in his hand and played with it for a moment.

Coming from the flagship CVN-69 "Eisenhower" to inspect the improvisation, which is now requisitioned from the mobile officer's office on the aircraft carrier, Vice Admiral Ford kept his eyelids unblinked for a moment before speaking again:

"You know what. Sean; Since the death of my wife Caroline. I never smoked again. ”

“……”

A muffled word to the general. Sean Phelps wisely remained silent, he felt that the general's words did not need to be taken by himself.

"At that time, at the funeral, I kept thinking that if she had listened to my advice and not always injected insulin casually, would she have left me a few years later? But...... I also thought that I was also persuaded by others, and I was not a stubborn smoker all the time. Can't be listened to no matter what people say?

So, I haven't smoked since then. ”

"Your Excellency, General, I ...... Understand your feelings. ”

Feeling embarrassed to just sit and not speak, Phelps finally found an opportunity to interject.

Hearing the lieutenant colonel's words of relief, the gray-haired vice admiral showed an indifferent smile, he slowly straightened his waist and sat at his desk, and his tone became a little more relaxed:

"Ah, lad, that was a long time ago, after all.

There is always a death. Isn't it?

If Caroline were still alive, it would only be to see me, an old and decrepit officer. Spending the rest of your life in a naval sanatorium full of geniuses and madmen is a sight that makes people completely unrefreshed by the sight, but in fact, it is not a tragedy of another life.

I said, Sean Enfield,"

As he spoke, the general leaned forward and grabbed a cup of water to pour a few sips of warm coffee, "I ran into you by chance today, and that's good." Don't think I'm old and confused, I still remember that you were a young man, and at the friendly football match at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, you were the stunned boy who didn't admit defeat, right? ”

Hearing the aging lieutenant general mention a football game, Sean Phelps thought for a moment before remembering that he had indeed traveled to Annapolis as a cadet a few years earlier to participate in a naval and air force exchange event, which included a football match full of gunpowder. Although Phelps, who represented the Air Force in this game, failed to bring victory to the team and almost fought with the Navy players on the field, it was during this event that he gained more knowledge and understanding of the naval atmosphere in Annapolis, and he later went to Pensacra to become an elite naval pilot.

Seeing the young man in front of him, he seemed to have a feeling, and he should have recalled the scene of that year, and a little smile appeared on Lieutenant General Ford's vicissitudes of life, but this smile did not last long, and the old man fell back into his own love.

"So, Sean Enfield,"

Although he recognized the young man, he had always mistaken his name, and the general's tone became more and more muffled, "Today's conversation between you and me should be regarded as an ordinary exchange between colleagues."

Seriously, young man, it's not for nothing that I'm sitting here today babbling nonsense and saying foolish things that no one cares about but myself; Those idiots at the Pentagon probably thought that I was already in my old age, so my head became not bright at all, but in fact the opposite is true.

Yes, if you think about my own life experience, some things can not be changed by persuasion; I remember that you said just now that you were confused by the combat operations of the United States in the Caucasus, didn't you? Oh, yes; Actually, that's what I think. -- Not only that, but my principle is to act immediately and without delay, and I have traveled to many places and talked to many people for this purpose, but unfortunately, the president and Congress have always ignored these things.

As for the military, hmph, I don't know who poured ecstasy soup into them, and it is ridiculous that they would come to this hellish place in the Middle East to fight the Russians!

Yes, lad, I know that everybody's had a hard time in the last few days, whether it's because of this damn war, or because of the Russians' counterattack - but you've got a pretty good idea, haven't you? If an army chooses the wrong direction and the wrong time to act, then no matter how many tactical victories it achieves, it is doomed to be worthless.

What's more, looking at the way it looks now, Sean:

I think that the complete defeat of the United States in the Middle East is also imminent. ”

“……”

The so-called "defeat is imminent", this sentence came from the mouth of a senior admiral, and naturally Phelps was very surprised.

As a commander and commander of a huge aircraft carrier battle group, Admiral Ford should not have said such a thing, but in all fairness, the lieutenant colonel had to admit that the general's assertion was actually very close to the ominous premonition in his heart.

In the past few days, although it has been on an aircraft carrier adrift on the surface of the sea and will not be directly threatened by the Warsaw Pact for the time being, the analysis of the battle situation that has been announced every day is visible to everyone; In the Middle East, which lacks strategic depth and is right on the doorstep of the Warsaw Pact, the Russians are wreaking havoc with steel and the flag of the free world is crumbling in a storm.

But anyway, since this is now the case, then ......

"Hehe, young man; What are you frustrating again? ”

"Uh...... Your Excellency, General, I ......"

Unlike Sean Phelps, who felt that the battle situation was unfavorable and frowned, the pilot in front of him was depressed, but John Ford threw the metal cigarette case back to the drawer nonchalantly, he stood up and took two steps closer to the sofa, his eyes looked directly at the young man's raised face, and nodded to Phelps with his lips pursed:

"You're going to keep your mouth shut, aren't you?

Well, I don't think there's any need for a promising young man to be so depressed. -- Let's look at it, Sean Enfield: Even if the United States were to leave the Middle East tomorrow in a very undignified manner, it would not be a big deal, and even if we made a stupid mistake here, we still have a lot of war potential, and we can afford to pay that price.

Here, I might as well tell you that the landscape of the Western world will soon change; The war will continue, and we, and our allies, will continue to fight, as they have always done. As for those Russians, huh...... Sooner or later, they will understand that this life-and-death struggle between the two poles is far from over. ”

After finishing his words in a frustrated tone, the final tone turned a little somber, and John Ford seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief from the boredom in his chest, but his eyes were a little dull. The General was a little distraught at the thought of the current crisis in the south facing the United States, and he waved his hand lightly to the young man on the sofa:

"But in any case, we must admit that the defeat in the Middle East theater is already doomed."

"Why, why ......?"

Hearing the general's oath just now, Sean Phelps asked, half puzzled, half unwilling, "But we're not there yet, General!" Now, if you resolutely fight back,-"

"Hehe, I said Sean, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Enfield!

Fighting back is a sure, of course, and I don't intend for the Russians to seize the precious lands controlled by the free world without firing a single shot. As for the Pentagon, it is unlikely that we will tolerate this. But young people, you'd better learn to accept reality as early as possible; I am no less than you young people who have led troops to fight and charge into battle, but now I ......"

As he spoke, he paced slowly to the large map on the wall, and Vice Admiral John Ford, who was gray-haired but still in shape, stood upright with his hands behind his back, facing the map on the wall like a statue, his eyes staring at him for a long time, falling into a long silence.

After a while, the general took a slow breath, and he waved his old hand slightly at Sean Phelps, which ended the dull conversation with the lieutenant colonel:

"Please come back, Lieutenant Colonel Enfield; The fighting in the Middle East is over for me. (To be continued......)