To Leslie's call, Frederick did not inform other officials with it

What happened on the 29th annoyed Frederick greatly, and if it hadn't been for Leslie's timely call, Frederick would have faced even more trouble.

After calming down, Frederick also knew what the problem was.

China certainly expected that the US military would send the USS Washington aircraft carrier battle group into the South China Sea to intervene in China's military operations in Vietnam without entering the war.

It's a simple and commonly used strategy.

Frederick didn't see it, and neither did Berkeley!

It is indeed uncomfortable to be fooled, and what makes Frederick feel even more afraid is the possible conflict between China and the United States.

Under the threat of the USS Washington aircraft carrier battle group, the Chinese Navy still adopted an offensive strategy and carried out an all-out bombing of the Philippine naval bases and air bases, annihilating the Philippine Navy. Obviously, the Chinese Navy does not take the US military seriously, and in the event of a conflict, it will definitely concentrate its efforts on taking out the USS Washington aircraft carrier battle group.

Until the arrival of other battle groups, the "Washington" will have a hard time coping with a joint strike by the Chinese Navy.

Luckily, Leslie alerted Frederick just in time.

Before the Secretary of State returns to Washington. Frederick ordered the USS Washington aircraft carrier battle group to withdraw to the eastern Gulf of Thailand. The aircraft carrier battle group, which was rushing to the South China Sea, slowed down.

Leslie won't call back from Kuala Lumpur for no reason. And will not return to Washington early without reason.

It doesn't matter if Frederick is stupid or not. We should all know the situation of the United States at this time.

After learning about the bilateral negotiations between China and Malaysia. Frederick had to marvel at Leslie's incomparably accurate strategic vision. In the case of a "disarmed surrender" in Malaysia. The door has been opened for China to resolve the Spratly and South China Sea issues peacefully. Any "excessive" actions taken by the United States at this time will not yield good results. The most correct way to do this is to acquiesce to a fait accompli.

Leslie came to the Oval Study. Frederick instructed the secretary not to let anyone come and disturb him.

"Tredui has debriefed me." Frederick personally poured a cup of coffee for the Secretary of State. "What do you think will be the outcome of the negotiations between China and Malaysia?"

"The most detrimental outcome for us." Leslie's answer was crisp.

Frederick sat down, looking very gloomy.

"Prior to this, China had bilateral contacts with Malaysia." "Although China has fought against Vietnamese troops in Laos and the South China Sea, and has bombed military targets in Vietnam, Malaysia has not agreed to formal negotiations with China, indicating that Malaysia does not want to make concessions on the Spratly and South China Sea issues," Leslie said. Shortly after my departure from Kuala Lumpur, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malaysia held urgent consultations with his Chinese counterpart. The Malaysian prime minister then held a closed-door meeting with senior officials in the Prime Minister's Department for a full day of deliberations, culminating in a decision to enter into formal negotiations with China. From this, it can be concluded that there has been a fundamental change in attitudes in Malaysia. ”

"This does not mean that Malaysia will make concessions in the negotiations."

"If Malaysia does not intend to make concessions at the negotiating table, there will be no formal negotiations with China at all." Leslie smiled faintly and said, "China's swift and decisive actions in the South China Sea battlefield are enough to convince Malaysia of China's determination to recover the Spratly and the South China Sea." In the event that we are unable to provide Malaysia with a 'national security guarantee', Malaysia has no other choice. After all, a quarter of Malaysia's population is Chinese, China is Malaysia's largest trading partner, and China's trade policy towards Malaysia is the most modest. As long as China can make concessions on other fronts to meet Malaysia's interests, Malaysia will make concessions at the negotiating table. ”

Frederick let out a sigh and said, "What do you think Malaysia will ask for?" ”

"Trade, economy, military and diplomacy, almost all areas that are closely related to national interests, Malaysia will make demands."

"In this way, Malaysia is not only surrendering to China, but also actually entering into a quasi-alliance with China."

"No surprise at all." Leslie did not look the slightest surprised, "After the Sino-Vietnamese War, the situation in Southeast Asia will undergo a fundamental change. Even if Vu Sam Minh can gain a foothold in Ho Chi Minh City, he will hold out for two to three years at most. As long as Ruan Liangyu makes some achievements in the north, Wu Sanming will have to go into exile sooner or later. After Vietnam fell into the arms of China, almost all of the Indochinese Peninsula fell into Chinese hands. The Philippines cannot afford to support the Philippines, and it will never be able to become a country with a say in Southeast Asia until the national issue is resolved. Indonesia's land problem is equally serious, and if it cannot solve the religious and ethnic problems, it will at best be a large regional country with a large population and rich resources

Not at all. Brunei is a small country, no matter how powerful it is, there is only a slap, then there are only Malaysia and Singapore. In the short term, there will be no major change in Singapore's policy, given that China's political system is not to Singapore's liking. With Malaysia turning to China, Southeast Asia will sooner or later become China's backyard. ”

Frederick's brow jumped a few times and said, "What are we going to do?" ”

"There aren't many options." Leslie sighed, "In the short term, our country must adopt a strategic defensive posture and cannot enter into a direct conflict with China, or even a direct confrontation with China." It is still Vietnam that can make a fuss. As long as Vu Sanming has a firm foothold in South Vietnam, we can use Vu Sanming to contain the northern government, so that China has to make great efforts to deal with Vu Sanming. ”

"If China supports Nguyen Luong Ngoc to power, it will not necessarily expand the scale of military operations in Vietnam."

"Not sending troops does not mean not contributing." Leslie pushed down his glasses, "China's support for Nguyen Luong Ngoc will inevitably use the new Vietnamese regime as a 'model' for propaganda, making other countries in Southeast Asia more dependent on China." On the other hand, if the Vietnam issue is not resolved, China's prestige will be dealt a huge blow. In this case, even if China does not send troops to help Nguyen Liangyu fight the civil war, it will also contribute money and materials to help Nguyen Liangyu arm a strong enough army. That's what we need to achieve, and the longer the civil war in Vietnam is fought, the greater the benefits to us. As long as China is unable to expand in other directions, we can gain a precious respite and redeploy our strategy to gain a foothold in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, so that China cannot control Southeast Asia in the short term. ”

Frederick nodded slightly, convinced by Leslie's strategic analysis.

"For us, it's just three to five years." Leslie smiled and said, "As long as we complete the strategic adjustment during this period, catch up with China in important areas, and successfully survive the economic crisis, we can not only continue to maintain our strategic advantage, but also suppress China in more directions." At that time, even in a cold war with China, we still have a good chance of winning. The key is that in the next three to five years, we must not easily disperse the country's strength, we must concentrate all our capabilities to adjust the domestic economy, increase investment in high-end technology, and survive the Great Depression! ”

"So we have to shrink across the board."

Leslie nodded and said, "Shrinking is not the same as retreating, and it is not the same as doing nothing. In my opinion, military assistance should be provided to Wu Sanming as soon as possible, so that he can have the ability to form a new army. In addition, we must use Japan to re-emphasize Japan's role as a deterrent to China. ”

"Japan?" Frederick immediately frowned.

After the Japanese military junta came to power, US-Japan relations plummeted. When the financial crisis and economic crisis broke out, Japan not only depreciated the yen sharply, but also provided huge subsidies to export companies and products in order to pass on the crisis. In the global trade war, in addition to focusing on cracking down on Chinese goods, the United States also focused on dealing with Japan's "dumping behavior," and its relations with Japan were very stiff.

In addition to economic problems, Japan's military threat has also put the United States on pins and needles.

Although Frederick was born after World War II, Americans will never forget Pearl Harbor. Sooner or later, Japan, which is controlled by the military, will embark on the path of foreign expansion, and sooner or later it will pose a threat to the United States.

"In the long run, Japan will hardly pose a threat to us in 30 years." Leslie's words were cautious, "Japan grows stronger, and the first thing to feel threatened is not us, but China." Whether it is history or reality, when Japan embarks on the road of foreign expansion, it must first deal with the strong enemies around it. As long as China does not fall, Japan will not only not pose a threat to us, but will also become the main force to contain China. ”

"The problem is that Japan poses a threat to our allies."

"South Korea?"

Frederick nodded.

"As long as Japan is a little sane, it will not deal with South Korea."

"The question is, is there any reason for a military-controlled Japan?"

Leslie smiled bitterly and said, "After Southeast Asian countries part ways, do we have any other way to contain China?" ”

Frederick hesitated, then shook his head.

"Since there is no better choice, Japan is the best choice." Leslie thought for a moment and said, "We have to grasp the specific policies so that we can't let Japan go too fast or too slowly." As long as China feels the threat posed by Japan, we don't have to worry about China expanding aggressively in other directions. ”

"This is a question that needs to be carefully considered." Frederick sighed and said, "You give me a detailed report as soon as possible." ”

Leslie nodded in agreement. Although Frederick lacked foresight on military matters, he was very assertive in international relations. (To be continued)

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