Chen Qiang didn't know how Mr. Song would deal with Master Kong. As the saying goes, two tigers will suffer one. Chen Qiang hopes that the two countries can fight one of them and both lose one.

The cake of Sino-US trade is too big, big enough to make these big compradors and capitalists sell the entire country. Neither the Song family nor the Kong family can give up this big cake. If the two families have a big conflict in this regard, they may not even be the peacemaker. It would be normal for both sides to fight to the death.

In the next 1948, the Nanjing government will lose military successively, and the economic situation will deteriorate in its eyes, and the public will complain. It is already a time when the prince of the Jiang family took the Shangfang sword and went to Shanghai to rectify the financial order. In the end, the strong dragon lost to the local snake and quickly returned in disgrace. The wealthy businessmen, bureaucrats, and the big figures behind these wealthy businessmen and bureaucrats made the prince's "financial rectification" difficult to move forward. The biggest obstacle was that Master Kong.

At that time, Nanjing had already suffered a defeat. However, for Master Kong, whether the "uncleman" in Nanjing who holds great power can continue to live in the country is far less important than making money by himself. In other words, every penny earned by Master Kong and every penny that he plundered was actually destroying his uncle's position, which also accelerated the demise of the Nanjing regime.

The huge benefits that can be generated between Sino-US trade can make people like Mr. Kong don’t even want their own country. In order to make this money, he can even abandon his greatest backer. It is not an exaggeration to say that he kills a chicken to retrieve eggs.

Chen Qiang planted a seed of crisis in Mr. Song's heart and quickly grew into a sapling. And as Master Kong became more and more prominent, the sapling would quickly grow into a towering tree, and may eventually ignite the war between Kong and Song families.

The banquet continued. After Mr. Song talked to Chen Qiang for a few words, he went to greet other guests.

Master Kong also met many new friends, including from all walks of life in politics and business. From time to time, Master Kong even greeted Chen Qiang to introduce the new friends he knew.

"Chen Qiang, come here." Master Kong called Chen Qiang to his side again, pointed to a man in beautiful clothes next to him, and continued, "I'll introduce you to you."

Chen Qiang looked at the man in beautiful clothes. He looked about sixty years old, his temples were gray, and his height was only about 1.7 meters. He was short among Americans, with a well-proportioned figure and eyes, and looked more like a scholar than a soldier.

Only the introduction of Master Kong, "This is the commander-in-chief of the US military in the China-Myanmar-Indian War Theater, and the chief of staff of the Allied forces in the China-China War Theater General Joseph Stilwell! General Stilwell, this is Chen Qiang, you must have heard of him, he is the best athlete in China."

"He is General Stilwell!" A sudden enlightenment appeared in Chen Qiang's eyes.

General Stilwell could speak Chinese. After the outbreak of the Pearl Harbor incident, the United States participated in the war. General Stilwell was sent to China and served as chief of staff of the Chinese theater, commander-in-chief of the US military in the China-Myanmar-Indian theater, deputy commander of the Southeast Asian Allied Command, commander of the Chinese army in India, and was assigned to the head of US aid to China. Later, he was promoted to four-star general of the US military. General Stilwell is also an old friend of the Chinese people. He made great contributions to China in the War of Resistance Against Japan, so in 2015, General Stilwell won the commemorative medal of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japan.

Chen Qiang still had a good impression of this American general who helped the Chinese people's war of resistance, so Chen Qiang made it easier for General Stilwell to chat. As for Master Kong, he was hooked away by a noble lady's eyes at the banquet.

General Stilwell was a sportsman in the school in high school. If he was weak, he would not be able to get into West Point Military Academy. In terms of sports, General Stilwell and Chen Qiang also had a common language.

As the two chatted, they finally talked about the "Trident" meeting.

"General Stilwell, I don't know how far the negotiations have progressed?" Chen Qiang asked.

Those who came to attend the banquet were insiders of the Trident Conference. Moreover, the world has already known the Trident Conference, and there is no need to keep it too secret. So General Stilwell directly said, "The differences between all parties are quite large. Of course, General Marshall and I hope to launch an attack on Myanmar as soon as possible, but the British did not think so. They hoped that the Allies would attack Italy as soon as possible. We would not give in to the next main attack route."

During the Beiyang government, Marshall served as the acting leader of the Tianjin American Concession, and the acting chief of staff at that time was Stilwell, so Marshall and Stilwell were old partners. Marshall and the US Army behind him were willing to support Stilwell in counterattacking Myanmar. Most of the willingness was because Stilwell and Marshall had a close relationship. Stilwell persuaded Marshall to support him.

Chen Qiang nodded, then said, "I heard that the Japanese army's main corps stationed in Myanmar is not the main force of the Japanese army. If we can block the Bay of Bengal and make the Japanese army isolated and helpless, I believe that we can drive the Japanese army out of Myanmar!"

"I also hope to drive the Japanese army out of Myanmar as soon as possible and restore the smooth flow of the Yunnan-Burma Highway!" Stilwell said firmly.

The first expeditionary force failed that year, and Stilwell's command had to take the blame to a certain extent. As the commander-in-chief of the US military in the China-Myanmar-Indian War Zone, Stilwell finally fled back to China with only more than 100. He was also a defeated general. For Stilwell, counterattacking Myanmar was not only to open up the Yunnan-Burma Highway, allowing the Allies to gain strategic advantages, but also to save face.

Stilwell pointed to another British man not far away, and continued, "That is British field marshal Waiville. The parties to the negotiations were already more inclined to counterattack Myanmar, because of his report that we could not reach a consensus."

"What report?" Chen Qiang asked.

"Myanmar is a British colony, and Weiville once served as the military commander of the British army stationed in Myanmar. He is very familiar with the climate and terrain of Myanmar. The content of the report he put forward can be summarized into three points. First, the jungles in Myanmar have great restrictions on modern weapons; second, the rainfall caused by the local monsoon will limit the attack time; third, because the terrain of Myanmar is too complex, the naval support is very limited. If you attack rashly, you will suffer a lot of casualties. Therefore, the attack on Myanmar should be put in general." General Stilwell explained slowly.

As the British field marshal, Wavell still has two tricks. He has been in Myanmar for many years, and what he said is true.

Myanmar is full of tropical rainforests. Among the large tropical rainforests, the rifles during World War II were not much more powerful than bows and arrows. What's more, the bows and arrows have no sound and will not expose their locations. It is better to fight guerrilla warfare. In this kind of tropical rainforest battlefield, the effect of thermal weapons has been reduced to the minimum. Imagine the future Vietnam War and you will know that the US military armed to the teeth will eventually be unable to defeat Vietnam's guerrilla warfare, and you will know how severe the thermal weapons are weakened in the rainforest environment.

Myanmar has a tropical monsoon climate, with temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius all year round. For military operations, temperature is not the key, the key is rainfall. Myanmar does not have modern transportation facilities. It depends entirely on the legs of soldiers and supplies can only be pulled by livestock. Once rain occurs, traffic will be hindered, offense will be blocked, and logistics supplies will not be transported. You should know that war is a matter of speed, and a few hours apart may turn the situation around. For example, in the Battle of Waterloo, if Marshal Gruch was willing to support Waterloo earlier, Napoleon would not have failed, and the world would have changed at once.

The terrain of Myanmar is also relatively complex. There are mountains in the north, hills in the west, plateaus in the east, and terrain in the middle and south. But the hills in the west are facing the Bay of Bengal. No matter how powerful the navy's artillery shells are, it is impossible to cross the high hills to support the army!

For the squadron at that time, I didn’t know what naval support was. China didn’t have a navy anyway. But for the US military, the US military relied heavily on naval artillery support.

During World War II, the US military had always had artillery clearing the way. Those who could use large caliber naval guns would never need to run on the ground. Those who could use cannons and howitzers would never need to use mortars. Before the war started, they would use cannons to bombard them several times, and then the army would go there. In the future, there is a movie called "Bloody Battle of Hacksaw Ridge", which contains a vivid description. Before the US military attacked Hacksaw Ridge, it would first use naval guns to plow the Hacksaw Ridge, and then the army would go up again. As a result, it was found that there were still a large number of Japanese troops alive, and then retreated and then plowed the Hacksaw Ridge with naval guns. This is the combat mode of the US military. Even in the future, the US military would be similar. First, use missiles to plow the land, then use bombers to plow the land, and finally send the army to the stage. In many cases, the US military did not directly send the army, but only sent a few waves of bombings.

Whether it is rainforest, climate, or complex terrain, it is not a problem for the Chinese Expeditionary Force. The Chinese can overcome these, but for the Americans, advanced weapons cannot play a role, supplies cannot be transported, and without the navy's artillery support, how can we fight this battle? So when British field marshal Waiville submitted the report, he instantly received a lot of support. Some people who originally supported the counterattack of Myanmar began to retreat.

Chen Qiang sighed helplessly, and he said, "General Stilwell, I think you should not look at our Chinese army from the perspective of looking at the US military. We are already accustomed to fighting under harsh conditions. We do not need logistics supplies like chocolate or Coca-Cola, nor do we need the support of naval guns. As long as we have weapons and ammunition, we can fight the invaders!"

"You are right, the fighting will of the Chinese people really surprised me. I have seen many Chinese soldiers, whose weapons and equipment are even worse than those of the American militia, but their courage makes me admire them. Because of this, I hope to reopen the Yunnan-Burma Highway as soon as possible so that more materials can be transported to China. If you rely on the hump route, the transportation volume is too limited and it cannot meet the needs of the squadron at all." Stilwell answered.

"And many excellent pilots have been sacrificed for the flying route of Hump." Chen Qiang sighed with regret.

"Yes, once the Yunnan-Burma Highway is reopened, our pilots and our transport planes will not need to take such a big risk and fly such dangerous routes." Stilwell paused and continued, "After the Yunnan-Burma Highway is reopened, a large number of supplies can be re-shipped to China. I hope that the United States can provide assistance to every Chinese soldier, so that they can go to the battlefield against the Japanese army, especially some troops that are extremely lacking in equipment."

"Since the war has been going on, most Chinese troops will not be equipped very well. They do need to supplement weapons and ammunition," Chen Qiang said.

"It is true, but there are also some well-equipped troops, such as the Central Army. In addition to heavy weapons, the other weapons and equipment of your country are similar to those of the Japanese army. The one with the most scarce weapons and equipment should be your country's 18th Route Army!" Stilwell said.

Chen Qiang was slightly stunned. Of course, he knew which unit was the only "Eighteenth Route Army" mentioned by Stilwell.

Stilwell continued, "I have sent people to investigate various troops in your country, including the 18th Route Army. To be honest, this army shocked me, and I could not imagine how an army without weapons, without ammunition, and even lack of food, fought against the Japanese. I even thought that they were just an ordinary group of ordinary people, but more and more facts told me that they were a group of real soldiers! Many times I felt that their fighting will and their desire for victory were much higher than that in Chongqing!"

"Are the conditions of the 18th Route Army very difficult?" Chen Qiang couldn't help but ask.

"Hardship, very hardship, is simply unimaginable. I can't describe it in simple language. I think I can say it lasts for three days and three nights!" General Stilwell nodded, and then said, "It is precisely because of their hardship that I realize that this is a great force!"

Chen Qiang sighed helplessly. Everyone knows what the origin of the 18th Route Army is. The military expenditure of Chongqing will not fall into the hands of the 18th Group Army. Moreover, Chongqing still has hundreds of thousands of direct troops arranged in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region to watch the 18th Route Army. It is good that Chongqing has not taken action against the 18th Group Army, and it is not expected to get money from Chongqing.

The land in the border area is originally barren and there is no industry. Coupled with the deliberate blockade by Chongqing, the conditions of the 18th Route Army are much worse than those of the troops in other war zones. There are strong enemies invading the outside and brothers stabbing the inside, but even so, they are still fighting bravely and willing to sacrifice for their motherland!

At this moment, Chen Qiang suddenly felt that he should do something for those heroes.

Chen Qiang asked, "General Stilwell, after this meeting is over, you should return to China?"

"Of course, I am the chief of staff of the Chinese theater after all. Although the leader of your country doesn't like me very much, I want to fulfill my duties." General Stilwell nodded.

"When you return to China, can you contact the people of the 18th Route Army?" Chen Qiang asked again.

General Stilwell hesitated for a moment, then said, "Although it will be a little trouble, it's still OK."

"I have a check here and I want to pass it over to them. I hope General Stilwell can help." Chen Qiang said bluntly.

"Check? Are you planning to donate money to the 18th Route Army?" Stilwell asked.

"As you said, the 18th Route Army is the most difficult, so it is also the one that needs help the most! These heroes are sacrificing for the motherland, and I should also contribute to them!" Chen Qiang replied.
Chapter completed!