Chapter 413: Big crash (3)

William McKinley stood on the lawn and smiled as his two daughters were playing with pet dogs. His wife prepared lunch under a parasol not far away. For the first time in the month after dinner with family.
He is not a workaholic, but the country is now in a state of war, and he must run back and forth between the Red House and the newly established Supreme Command.
Even now, looking at the two lovely daughters at the age of twelve and fourteen, a zhāngjūn incident map still appears in his mind from time to time, and a battle meeting to be held next.
This was the first shot they took home, and it was also the first big thing he had done since taking office.
It’s a pity that Heavenly Father doesn’t make beauty. When a dignified clerk came out of the Red Palace and said a few words to his ears, William McKinley’s face turned into pig liver, and the corners of his eyes were not even controlled. Twitched.
"Dear?"
His wife, who had been with him for twenty years, came over and she could see that her husband was in a bad mood, and then handed over a sandwich.
"Eat on the road."
"Sorry."
After embracing an empathetic wife, William McKinley went to the car that he had prepared and ate the sandwich with a gulp.
It took him twenty minutes to reach the highest command post at the foot of the Republican Mountain. This is a newly established body composed of a joint meeting of chiefs of staff at the Ministry of Defense and the Presidential Palace in order to be able to respond to the situation of a possible overall war. .
"salute!"
When a president in uniform was walking into the conference hall, all the officers present stood neatly.
"Relax, sit down."
Taking off his hat and throwing it on the table, William McKinley glared and scanned the people who attended the meeting, and finally fixed it on the Army Chief of Staff.
"Please tell me, Mr. Maxwell, what happened? Where is our legion!"
The Army Chief of Staff swallowed his throat, stood up, and picked up the report on the table and said:
"An emergency telegram in the western theater. On the 16th, the Gray Mountain fell. On the 17th, the Second Army was trapped in the main force by the enemy. On the 18th, the third and fifth troops went south to support the Second Army. They were blocked on the front line of the Gray Mountain. On the 21st. In the evening, the city of Vader fell and the Second Army... was killed in full."
"I don't need you to tell me what I already know!"
President William growled and hammered the table with a strong hammer, and everyone shivered subconsciously.
"I want to know how this happened! Why was the Second Army trapped there! Why is it missing for the Sixth Army! Why the other two troops couldn't get a Grey Mountain!"
"According to Admiral Craig, the enemy knows our army's deployment and marching route very well and suspects that there has been a serious leak of intelligence."
"I am asking to speak."
The Minister of National Defense also stood up, and then the military attache opened the curtain on the wall, revealing a huge and detailed map of the battlefield.
"The enemy has a clear goal from the beginning, that is, the second army with the most prominent position of annihilation."
He tapped the location of Vader City with a wooden stick, and then pointed to Grey Mountain.
"According to what I know, before the Siege of the Wid, the enemy thought of cutting off the passage of the Second Army's northward withdrawal. They sent at least 50,000 troops to attack Gray Mountain, and Lieutenant General Liar of the Sixth Army In order to ensure the safety of the Orange Town Ferry, there is no way to invest more troops, and you can only choose to retreat, which is justifiable."
He paused for a moment, then turned his eyes to the chief of the navy chief of staff who was sitting dangerously.
"But what puzzles me the most is that a few days before the attack by Ok, the Second Army had the opportunity to build several pontoons on the Duro River or request the reinforcement of the inland fleet, but none of this happened. De Silly waited a few days, which was very unusual."
William also set his sights on the chief of the naval staff. At this time, the other party could not sit still. Although the inland fleet was part of the western theater, it was also under the command of the naval headquarters. Generally speaking, if Greck had to issue an order, he must also Send a request to the Navy.
"Cough, I say a few words."
The chief of the navy staff stood up and explained unhurriedly.
"First of all, I don’t know the issue of the pontoon, but when it comes to support, we have advised Admiral Craig more than once before the start of the thunderstorm to postpone the launch of the operation, because the Duro River is now in a dry season and the channel is narrow. The number of civilian ships is not enough to support such a large-scale operation, but Admiral Greg sticks to his ideas, and we also express our willingness to cooperate, but the problem lies after the operation is launched."
The Chief of Staff of the Navy turned his head to look at President William and said heavily:
"There are many places on the Duro River where serious shipwrecks have been blocked. These were not found in previous hydrological surveys, which means that these shipwrecks appeared during the period before and after the operation was initiated. Because of the shipwreck, the inland fleet cannot reach In the upstream city of Vader, support is not enough."
"Wreck..."
William realized that the problem had become less simple.
"Someone undermined?"
"It should be, otherwise time is not so coincident."
"Who is it, is there intelligence in the theater?"
William inquired that it was Donovan who was sitting at the end, and he also put on a military uniform with the rank of colonel.
"According to the information at hand, and combining the opinions of the Tribunal of the Kaimon Church, we tend to believe that the destroyer should be some cultist, but the composition is more complicated, including the resurgent Wendigo church, and the blood worship, and Black Dawn and other ten cult organizations have participated."
"Why do they help Ok?"
William is no stranger to these cults. In fact, the New California Republic should be regarded as one of the most rampant cults in the world of human civilization. This is also related to the relatively open religious concepts of the early colonists. Article is religion.
As long as it is not particularly excessive and touches the law, it is generally regarded as a heretical religious organization by the Kaimon Church, and it can legally exist in New California, which also gives soil for many cults to survive.
They changed their face, wrapped themselves with hypocrisy, and hid illegal religious activities underground, making it very difficult to detect.
"It's still uncertain, maybe there is a deal. I suggest to deepen the cooperation with the Tribunal of Kaimon Church. We need them now."
"This matter will be discussed in the evening meeting."
William interrupted Donovan's words, then looked at the Secretary of Defense.
"So, let's talk about the latest situation."
"Yes, Your Excellency, I do have the latest report from the Western Theater. On yesterday morning, the Third and Fifth Army defeated Ash Mountain, the troops suffered heavy casualties, and Ok’s advance team arrived, so I decided Give up the attack and return to Klein City."
With that, he pointed at the location of Klein City on the map with a wooden stick.
"However, along the way, Ok was biting very tightly, and the two troops had to leave the rear troops to ensure the evacuation of the whole army. One hour before the telegram was sent, the main force of the two troops had safely retreated to Klein City. The army successfully converged, but the rear corps of the two regiments were besieged in Citrus Town. The current situation is unknown."
"Okay, what a thunderstorm."
William smiled angrily, his right index finger tapping the table.
"One army was annihilated, and the other two were beaten with helmets and armor removed. Craig's good idea!"
"Your Excellency President~EbookFREE.me~ Admiral Craig did not seem to intend to give up on this. He sent a secret message saying that the Seventh Army has already drawn to the battlefield, and we will still have the powerful mobility of the four armies by then. The force can still make a final decisive battle with Oke in Klein City."
"Let him give up the so-called heavy thunderstorm! Withdraw the troops."
"Your Excellency, give up at this time..."
The Minister of Defense hesitated for a while, and finally said:
"...How to explain to the people? What about the destruction of the Second Army? The price has already been paid. If there is no victory, someone will seize this failure point and attack you and the army violently."
William also calmed down quickly. He knew that the Defense Minister was right. Failure was not the most important thing at this time. The most important thing was victory. As long as there were a few big victories, even the ugly defeat could cover up the past.
He has just assumed office and must not give any opposition to opposition parties and political opponents.
"Okay, I hope he can keep his head awake this time."