"The Chinese Empire will be the greatest enemy of the United States in the future, and the United States will be able to ensure the security of the country only if it defeats the Chinese Empire. To defeat China, how far does our military power need to go? ”

U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. General Marin Klaiger, Prime Minister, said: "Your Excellency, the total number of active duty members of the Army is 187893, including 22,387 in the Army Air Corps; 199491 members of the National Guard. The main combat units include 9 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry divisions, 1 mechanized cavalry (armored) brigade and 18 infantry divisions of the National Guard. The equipment is outdated and outdated, and the National Guard training is uneven, ranging from fair to poor. Such a military force, if you want to fight with the Chinese, I can only say that the Chinese only need to use a group army to defeat us, or even not. And such a group army, another twenty Chinese. ”

"The main force of the Chinese army is 20 group armies, each with more than 160,000 men, they are well-equipped, brave in battle, and have repeatedly defeated the famous army power. This was demonstrated in the last world war, as well as in the war against Soviet Russia and the war against Japan. Admiral Marin Klaig said bluntly.

"Your Excellency General, is there such a big gap between us?" Secretary of State Cordell Hull seemed incredulous.

"Your Excellency, that's exactly what happened. At present, the total strength of the US Army is less than 400,000. All divisions are dissatisfied. And the total strength of the Chinese army is already four million. So, we and the Chinese, simply one in the sky and one in the ground. Admiral Marin Klaig said.

"Your Excellency, what should we do if we want to defeat the Chinese?" President Roosevelt asked.

"Your Excellency, our defeat of the Chinese, at least from the army's side, is simply a false proposition. In other words, the United States cannot defeat the Chinese Army alone. China has the largest population in the world, and if they want to, they could even expand the size of their army tenfold. In terms of their industrial strength, it is perfectly possible to arm these armies. And the United States, there simply is not so many troops. Therefore, if we want to defeat the Chinese, it is best to be able to unite with other countries and rely on everyone's strength. Admiral Marin Klaig said. In his view, the United States should try to avoid war with the Chinese Empire. The U.S. Army, in particular, simply doesn't have that strength. Of course, if war is unavoidable, the only way to do this is to unite with other countries to deal with China.

"Your Excellency General, what if we just hold the homeland and resist the attack of the Chinese?" Roosevelt continued.

"Your Excellency, if that's the case, the U.S. Army can accomplish this task. First of all, because of the barrier of the Pacific Ocean, if the Chinese want to land on the US mainland, they must first destroy those military bases in the Pacific Ocean. Let's not talk about whether the Chinese can achieve this strategic goal, even if they achieve this strategic goal, it will take quite a long time. And we, long ago, could have used this time to complete the mobilization. Relying on our industrial strength, the army can fully arm up to two million people. We are more than capable of building a strong line of defense on the West Coast. If the Chinese want to land on the west coast, it is simply impossible. Admiral Marin Klaig said. Relying on geographical superiority, the United States can concentrate its forces on the west coast defense, and as long as the Chinese army dares to land, then they can completely rely on the superiority in strength to annihilate the landed Chinese army in one fell swoop, thus ensuring the security of the United States homeland.

President Roosevelt nodded, and he was quite satisfied with such an answer. Then he asked one last question.

"If the Chinese were to attack the continental United States, could they land somewhere other than the West Coast? Alaska or Central America, for example? Roosevelt asked.

"Your Excellency, I think that the possibility of Chinese landing in Central America is greater than that of Alaska. Alaska's climate and geography are harsh and unsuitable for the deployment of large armies. Secondly, Alaska's transportation conditions are terrible, and it is simply impossible to attack the continental United States through Alaska. What's more, the areas bordering Alaska and Canada are all high mountains and difficult roads. We only need a small number of troops to choke the main communication routes, and we will be able to resist the attack of the Chinese* army. Even, we can rely on our partial superiority in strength to encircle and annihilate the Chinese * army. Traffic conditions in Central America are also very poor. The Chinese * army is a large-scale army equipped with mechanized equipment, and logistical supplies alone are enough for the collapse of the Chinese * army. Of course, it is also necessary to strengthen control over the countries of Central America in order to ensure the security of the United States. Admiral Marin Klaig said.

"Okay, General, thank you for answering these questions for us." Roosevelt said.

"What about the Navy? General Leahy. Is it possible for the Navy to defeat the Chinese? Roosevelt looked at Admiral William Daniel Leahy, Chief of Naval Operations. The answer from the army side was quite satisfactory to him, and now it depends on the navy.

"Your Excellency, the U.S. Navy has now deployed all of its main forces to the West Coast. But even so, we can only keep us as safe as possible from being defeated by the Chinese. If we are going to defeat the Chinese, it will be very difficult. Unless, we now double our naval strength. Admiral Leahy looked a little pessimistic.

"Doubling? How much does that cost? Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. muttered. After all, compared to the army, the navy is very expensive. Those huge battleships cost tens of millions of dollars. Although, last year, the United States' fiscal revenue was already as high as more than $5 billion. However, there are also many places to spend money, and it is impossible to invest too much in the navy.

"Admiral Leahy, that is, the gap between our navy and the Chinese is still very large?" President Roosevelt asked.

"Yes, Your Excellency. If we must fight the Chinese, I also recommend that we avoid fighting the Chinese alone as much as possible. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for us to win, and the losses will be very large. Admiral Leahy said.

"So, is it possible for us to turn the tide of the Navy with some new weapons? For example, I was advised to develop aircraft carriers. President Roosevelt asked. The Americans are not all fools, and while being guided by the Chinese Navy to develop battleships on a large scale, there are also people who realize that aircraft carriers are the future development direction, but compared with the Chinese Navy, the US Navy is still much behind in terms of aircraft carriers.

"Your Excellency the President, whether aircraft carriers will be the main force in future naval warfare remains to be examined. However, the achievements of the Chinese in aircraft carriers may be greater than ours. They started researching it very early. Now, of course, we're catching up. The US Navy now has six aircraft carriers in service. In addition, there is one more aircraft carrier under construction. If war breaks out, with seven future aircraft carriers and a huge fleet of battleships, we should be able to withstand the attack of the Chinese. At that time, we can rely on our strong shipbuilding strength and continue to build more warships to compete with the Chinese. Of course, to defeat the Chinese, we also need more warships and more soldiers, both of which are indispensable. Admiral Leahy said.

Roosevelt nodded, he understood what Admiral Leahy meant. That is, with its current strength alone, the U.S. Navy can at most defend itself against the attack of the Chinese Navy. If the Chinese Navy wants to defeat it, the U.S. Navy will have to continue to invest more. Otherwise, if you want to win, it's not likely.

"Alright, two generals, thank you." President Roosevelt said.

"Your Excellency, this is what we should do." Admiral Marin Klaig said.

Afterwards, Admiral Marin Kleig and Admiral William Daniel Leahy took their leave. President Roosevelt's meeting went on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe the words of the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief of Naval Operations, you have all heard it. With the current military power of the United States, it is impossible to counter the Chinese Empire. But that doesn't mean we don't have the power to protect the United States. If we increase investment in the army and navy to resist the attack of the Chinese, it is entirely possible. Roosevelt said.

"Yes, Your Excellency. Although, the industrial strength of the Chinese Empire has already surpassed ours, and now it is one and a half times more than ours. However, our population is only a quarter of the Chinese. In other words, our per capita industrial output value is still 2.5 times that of the Chinese. Commerce Secretary Hopkins said.

President Roosevelt nodded, then continued: "Of course, we can't just aim at fending off the Chinese. We need to defeat the Chinese. Do you have any suggestions for this? ”

The senior officials of the US Cabinet all looked at each other. The Chinese Empire, which was far more industrially and militarily powerful than the United States, would have been too difficult to defeat such an adversary.

"Your Excellency, although the Chinese Empire is strong, they are not without weaknesses. The Chinese Empire has made too many enemies. Britain and France are both enemies of the Chinese Empire, and we can unite with them. Even Soviet Russia was the great enemy of the Chinese Empire, and the so-called enemy of the enemy was a friend, and we could fully cooperate with them. Hopkins said. (To be continued.) )