On the morning of June 30, the White House, Washington, D.C.

President Wilson listened to Secretary of State Lansing's report with his beloved Havana cigar in his hand, his half-clouded eyes half-squinted, and his half-clouded eyes.

"It seems that our old friend, Prime Minister Asquith, and Mr. Churchill, the son and grandson of the Duke of Marlborough, have surprised us again." After listening to Lansing's details of the Battle of Port Blair, which was relayed by the British Embassy, the President could not contain the joy in his heart, and held up the goblet on the table and took a big sip.

Putting down his wine glass, he added with high interest: "Another step towards the victory of the just cause, a small step worth remembering." ”

"Now only the Royal Navy has the ability to fight the Yellow Monkey fleet." Lansing, who was busy wiping his glasses, told the truth, but was glared at fiercely by the Secretary of the Navy Daniels on the side.

"Without our American warships to assist in the defense of the North Sea, the Royal Navy would have been driven out of the Indian Ocean by the yellow monkeys." Daniels looked up slightly on his intellectual white and clean chin, but he did not boast.

Lansing shrugged: "If it weren't for the Royal Navy holding the main force of the Yellow Monkey in the Indian Ocean, God knows what would have become of the west coast of the Road?" ”

"The United States is now good enough to protect itself." "As of last week, the U.S. Army has expanded from 600,000 at the beginning of the war to 36 infantry divisions, and 30 divisions are still being trained. ”

"The enemy has lost the best opportunity to invade the United States." General Wood, the tall Army Chief of Staff, commented in a loud voice.

"From the outset, the enemy lacks the ability to maintain a two-sided operation at the same time, the United States or Southeast Asia, and the choice is one of the two." Vice Admiral Simms, the chief of staff of the Navy, who had a steep nose, replied with a little hindsight.

"God willing, they didn't choose us." Wilson raised his glass and smiled.

"God bless America—" the crowd toasted and chanted.

Put down your glass. Leaning back on the sofa and clasping his hands in front of his knees, Lansing continued to report to the president: "One more thing, the ambassador conveyed the expectations of Prime Minister Asquith. ”

"Expectations?" Wilson frowned warily.

"The prime minister expects the US Army to land in France as soon as possible......"

Wilson narrowed his eyes again and turned to Minister Stimson with a blank face: "Is the Army really enough to protect itself?" Didn't we lose Alaska last month? ”

Stimson glanced at Daniels and stroked his hand: "The main way in and out of Alaska is by sea, and we can't defend Alaska without a strong navy." ”

The corners of Daniels' mouth twitched, and he explained in a slightly raised tone: "The Navy has done its best, and we have sent the latest cruisers and destroyers. Summer"

"At present, the main force of the East Asian Combined Fleet led by China is facing off against the Combined Entente Fleet led by the Royal Navy, and it is a great opportunity to recover Alaska." Chief of Staff Wood took the opportunity to interject.

Sims sneered: "The main forces of the Navy have all gone to the North Sea. What do we take to recover Alaska? ”

"The combat power of the Pacific Fleet is equal to zero?" Wood seems loyal, but he speaks harshly.

Sims spread his hands disdainfully: "Even if it is recovered, can it be kept?" ”

"It's not a question of whether we can hold it or not, it's a question of whether we have the determination to regain the lost territory!" Stimson couldn't help but get up and sing a high note.

Wilson impatiently raised his hand to stop the increasingly fierce battle between land and sea: "Alaska will be recovered sooner or later, but that's another question, I just want to know if the army has the confidence to defend its homeland, and at the same time has the spare strength to send an expeditionary force to the continent?" ”

Stimson and Wood looked at each other and nodded, "Yes, Your Excellency." But now we can't send too many troops. In addition, we are desperately short of officers. Especially officers with real combat experience. ”

"How did you get your experience?" Wilson asked rhetorically, twisting his gray bushy beard.

Stimson was slightly shocked, and then straightened his chest and said: "I think that we can send a division to France first, first, to give an explanation to the allies, second, not to affect the local defense, and third, to gain actual combat experience and prepare for a major counteroffensive in the future." ”

Wilson took off his monocle, twisted it in his hand, and nodded slightly: "Yes, the big counterattack...... Remember. It's not a game of housekeeping, war is a fight to the death, the enemy is still on our doorstep, and the muzzle of the gun is against our backbone. Drive the enemy back home. It is God's mission that we have given us, and we must not let up for a moment! ”

Stimson got up and took a step forward, and said with a resolute expression: "The enemy will definitely be driven back to his hometown." We are all looking forward to the moment when the Stars and Stripes will fly over Beijing. ”

Wilson put back his glasses, took a puff on his cigar, and waved his hand: "Okay, gentlemen, now is not the time to be lyrical, the matter of sending an expeditionary force is so decided, go to a division first, and discuss the specific matters with the army and navy staff." ”

Wood and Sims said yes together.

Lansing shook the wine glass in his hand slightly and reminded the president: "Recently, the call for a counteroffensive has become louder and louder, and many parliamentarians have begun to criticize the government again...... accuses the government of not recovering the lost territory in front of it, but using US ships to defend Britain. ”

Wilson looked around the crowd unhappily: "We don't have a choice, do we?" ”

"The public can only see what is in front of them, they only know that the Chinese shells have landed in San Francisco, but they cannot understand the connection between India and Hawaii." Lansing explained with utter contempt.

Wilson shook his head helplessly and turned to the two chiefs of staff: "Are we ready?" Preparing for a large-scale landing on the field? ”

"Without sufficiently powerful carrier-based aviation, I do not think that surface ships alone will be able to protect the landing fleet, and our aircraft carriers are just laying keels, and there are very few experienced pilots." Sims calmly replied, "We also don't have professional mechanized landing equipment, and the technical department is still digesting the drawings provided by the British, but even the British themselves have no experience in using these equipment on a large scale in actual combat." Finally, we will expand the Marine Corps, and the Marine Corps with professional skills will be the indispensable vanguard of modern landing warfare, but we lack experience, and the request to send British officers for guidance has not been implemented for a long time......

"The army needs tanks, but the plan for an annual output of 3,000 tanks is still on paper, and the tank teaching team only has a pitiful few imported tanks, so we have to use the method of wrapping cardboard on the outside of the car to train tank ......soldiers."