Chapter 800: Forcing the United States to Join the War
Appointed commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, Pershing had a lot to do.
For example, organizing conscription, developing training plans for the troops, assigning instructors, etc. He should have stayed in the United States with the troops.
However, as soon as Pershing came out of the White House, he flew to New York with his chief of staff, Hubbard.
(The picture above shows Brigadier General James Hubbard, Pershing's right-hand man during World War I. He was responsible for the daily organization and logistics coordination of the expeditionary force. In the early days of World War I, the US military did not have helmets, and officers often wore French or British helmets. Hubbard wore a French Adrian helmet)
(Some American officers also did this, removing the badge on Adrian's helmet and writing "US")
The plane landed at the New York airport, and Pershing immediately got into the car that had been waiting there.
Hubbard couldn't help himself and asked Pershing, "Where are we going, General?"
Pershing replied nonchalantly, "France."
Hubbard was caught off guard and opened his mouth in shock. It took him a while to react:
"France? But..."
"I don't think this is the right time, General."
"You should stay in the United States, with your troops..."
Hubbard was a little panicked. The expeditionary force needed Commander Pershing to take charge of the situation, but he abandoned his troops and rushed to France with only a few people.
Pershing turned sideways to avoid the wind blowing in from the car window, slowly lit a cigarette, and handed one to Hubbard.
He exhaled a long puff of smoke before asking, "What can I do if I stay here?"
"A lot of things, General." Hubbard was puzzled. "Mainly training."
"Really?" Pershing turned to look at Hubbard. "All our war experience comes from the Indian Wars, San Juan Hill, or fighting guerrillas in Mexico. Do you know how to train troops? I mean to face the Germans."
Hubbard was stunned.
None of them knew how to fight this battle, and of course they didn't know how to train.
"Our training is probably wrong, James." Pershing nodded slightly to Hubbard, but his eyes were very cautious: "This means that everything we do is useless and may even harm the soldiers. Do you understand?"
Hubbard agreed.
The wrong training direction will cause the troops to form a kind of inertia. Once they fight based on this inertia on the battlefield, they will inevitably pay a price, the price of blood and life.
Pershing looked ahead at the dock that appeared in his sight, thinking: "The most important thing now is learning, not training, conscripting troops, or anything else."
After a moment's silence, Hubbard suddenly remembered something:
"There's someone who might be able to help, General."
"His name is Johnson. He is from the military tank laboratory. He purchased the 'Charr A1' tank from Charr and studied tactics."
Pershing's eyes lit up: "Call him over, I might be able to use him. Also, buy the equipment produced by Bernard Company in the United States."
"Which one, General?" Hubbard asked. "How much?"
Pershing looked at Hubbard in disbelief.
If it weren't for his many years of cooperation with him, Pershing would have kicked him out of the car for this statement.
The US military will expand from 300,000 to 1 million, and may reach 2 million or even 5 million in the near future.
Everything was in short supply, especially munitions.
And Hubbard, the guy in charge of daily organization and logistics coordination, actually asked "which one" and "how much to buy"!
The United States has been at peace for too long and has no concept of war, and Hubbard is no exception!
…
At the training base in Bizency, France, Charles is enjoying his lunch, a Lorraine quiche.
(The picture above shows Lorraine Quiche, a specialty food of Lorraine)
I didn't feel anything about Charles. It was just bread with ham, salmon, onions, and the like.
Western food is almost the same over and over again: bread with meat is a hamburger, bread with cheese or something like that is pizza, and bread with stuffing is pie.
But compared to the food on the battlefield, it is still delicious.
"What day is it today?" Charles asked Chao Xianpai, raising his chin and asking Tijanni: "I remember that Bizansi does not belong to Lorraine, but it has Lorraine's special food."
Tijani put down his knife and fork and blew out the candles: "June 12, General, happy birthday!"
Charles was stunned and replied, "Thank you, Major General."
"No, don't thank me." Tijani turned his attention to the food again and shrugged. "I strictly follow your orders. There is no such thing as birthdays on the battlefield. This is prepared for you by Mr. Victor. He found out your birthday."
"Victor?" Charles didn't remember knowing such a person.
Tijani explained:
"He had factories in Metz, and he led the workers in an uprising when we entered Metz."
"When the British were defeated, he was afraid of being liquidated by the Germans, so he fled here."
"I think he wants to use this quiche to remind you not to forget Lorraine!"
Charles smiled lightly, hoping that he could lead his troops back to liberate Lorraine, especially Metz.
"Why didn't he flee with the English?" asked Charles.
"Obviously." Tijani replied vaguely: "They think it is safer to escape here, and they believe that you can take them back to their things. In addition to him, there are many people who think so."
Ciel shook his head slightly.
I'm afraid they will be disappointed. Charles intended to use this land to consume the strength of the British and German armies.
At this time, the signalman brought Charles a telegram from Deyoka:
“Happy birthday, my child!”
"The good news is that the US government paid a high price to purchase all the inventory and production capacity of the Joseph Arms Factory. We made a total of more than 600 million US dollars, and this is just the first batch."
"Your decision was very successful. We even sold helmets at a high price. Setting up a factory in the United States was very wise and far-sighted."
This warning to the United States worked, and Charles was very satisfied. He now had funds to continue acquiring high-quality assets in France.
“Good news?” Tijani asked.
"Yes," Charles answered, "the United States is ready to join the war."
Tijani dropped the knife in his hand onto the plate with a clang. “Are you serious?”
"Of course it's true." Charles: "Surprised?"
Tijani shook his head slightly, his expression very unpleasant: "Although it's not surprising, but... the war is going to continue."
Tijani accepted what Char had told him before, that this war was one that the capitalists did not want to stop.
So he knew that the United States's entry into the war was not to stop the war, but to prevent negotiations and to prevent a ceasefire.
Charles was eating the quiche on his plate.
Although it was he who proposed the "negotiations" and "truce", he never thought of actually achieving them.
Charles's goal from the beginning to the end was to force the United States to join the war.
Including the "Zimmermann" telegram that was decrypted and sent to the United States.
(End of this chapter)
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