George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 313

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“What a mess.”

“A mess, indeed.”

The Chief of Staff spoke, and Bush agreed.

“There’s a war in the Middle East, and China is on the verge of splitting apart. Probably within a week….”

In the Middle East, a war was raging, its details widely known. Iran was attempting to downplay the conflict as a civil war, clearly trying to minimize its international impact. More than anything, Iran seemed confident in its ability to control the situation.

And there was some truth to that. It was difficult to find a military organization as robust as the Iranian army in the Middle East. However, they had lost a significant number of tanks within hours of the war’s commencement. The destruction of 17 tanks by Iranian air force air-to-ground missiles while advancing on a main road was a particularly devastating blow to the Kurdish independence army.

Regarding China, Bush had opted for a classic divide-and-conquer strategy. Whether supporting factions already inclined towards betrayal, essentially turning their armies into private or independent forces, truly qualified as divide-and-conquer was debatable, but that’s how it would be classified.

China was already teetering on the brink of division, with the chairman and the party struggling to maintain unity. Now that the chairman and the party had lost the power to hold things together, it was only natural for these divisions to resurface.

‘Annoying. Why do I have to clean this up?’

Of course, Bush had orchestrated these events himself, but that was separate from the present annoyance, wasn’t it? It was undeniably stressful. However, Bush wasn’t the type to be deterred by stress.

‘Good grief. It’s not even a matter of feeling chosen, but it’s truly ironic that I’m practically the only one who can fix this. Well, the one who made the mess should clean it up; passing it on to someone else is a sin.’

Having reached that conclusion, Bush decided to slowly implement the rest of his plan.

“Chief of Staff.”

“Yes.”

“Tell those guys to start moving.”

***

The Pentagon. The heart of the U.S. military and a symbol of American defense. Despite being directly hit during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it had been fully restored after repairs and renovations. Today, it was the scene of intense debate.

“I’m on vacation starting now. Don’t bother me. I’ve made up my mind.”

“General, but….”

“Ignore all calls! Is that such a difficult order to understand?”

The general dismissed his adjutant, clutching a bottle of brandy and a brandy glass. Pouring the strong liquor into the glass brought him a sense of relief.

“That guy must be having a hard time.”

The colonel, summoned for duty, wore a bitter expression, seemingly reminded of past experiences. He then turned his attention to the Middle East plan on the desk.

“I think this every time, but isn’t this overkill?”

Not just one carrier strike group, but three. It was clearly an excessive display of force. It would be enough to take on the entire Middle East. Did the President really think this was necessary?

“Our President prefers overwhelming force and guaranteed victories over nuanced policies. The President is in a constant battle with congressional idiots trying to slash the budget, so it’s best for us to meet the President’s expectations.”

“When I think about what could be accomplished with the resources spent on each of those missiles, I can’t help but feel uneasy. For example, improving public education or healthcare.”

He swallowed the cheap brandy, feeling frustrated. A glass of brandy was a common sight during work hours. Of course, others wouldn’t approve, but as long as no one saw, it was acceptable, right?

“Are you saying that after serving in the Pentagon and achieving the rank of colonel? I don’t want to hinder your promotion, so keep those thoughts to yourself unless you want to.”

“I know. If I were the type to worry about all that, I wouldn’t be here. And I definitely wouldn’t have these wings on my shoulders.”

“Huh, a true soldier. As you know, one more successful operation, and you’ll be promoted soon. The same goes for me. So, have a drink and keep quiet.”

“Yes, yes. As you wish.”

The general took a swig of brandy, then stood up as if he had remembered something.

“Or do you want to join a defense industry company? If you’re interested, I can arrange it.”

“You just called me a true soldier, and now you’re suggesting I work for a company?”

“What’s wrong with that? Isn’t weapons development a significant contribution to the country?”

“I remember you cursing when they said it was impossible to lighten the M1 Abrams [American main battle tank] while maintaining its current armor.”

“That’s because those guys are idiots! What’s so unreasonable about that request? They load it with heavy equipment like the TUSK kit [Tank Urban Survival Kit], so they should lighten the armor to allow for mobile warfare! I understand increasing the armor, but that’s a technical issue. Soldiers are dying in the field because of that technical issue!”

“If I go to General Motors, I’ll be the one hearing that anger.”

While the colonel and the general were engaged in their friendly banter, the adjutant approached and spoke.

“General.”

“What?”

“You have a call.”

“Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“It’s… the President.”

Making the U.S. military’s biggest supporter, the head of state, and the commander-in-chief wait! It was a terrifying prospect that could induce panic, and it was something that should never happen.

“Shit! Why are you telling me now!”

He lowered his voice and pressured the adjutant.

-Sounds like you’re busy, General.

“Well, that’s….”

-Don’t worry. Sounds like you want to retire. I’ll make it happen.

“Haha, your jokes are too much.”

-Does this sound like a joke, General? This is your last warning. And to be a bit more convincing, put down that brandy in your hand before you speak.

The general looked down at his hand without realizing it. Sure enough, the half-drunk brandy was held proudly in his left hand. Did this guy not trust his own staff and install hidden cameras in every general’s office? What is this, Big Brother?

“No, that’s. I’m sorry, sir.”

-What? You really had it? You son of a bitch! Drinking brandy during work hours?

‘This fucking…! Was he testing me?’

-You son of a bitch! If you don’t listen to what I say from now on, I’ll show you what a dishonorable discharge is!

“Yes, Mr. President.”

-The Secretary of Defense said you’re the right man for the job. Do you want to hear how hard he fought to keep me from giving this job to the Marines, General?

“No, sir. If you give me any task, I will produce the results you want.”

-Your answer is perfect. To be honest, I don’t know you well. So, the image you show me from now on will be who you are. And what I’m about to entrust to you is China.

“China?”

-Yes, General! China! It’s being handled in top secret, but China will soon be torn to pieces. And our U.S. military will be in charge of that role! And you are the vanguard. Congratulations, General!

“Are we going to war with China?”

-No, we won’t be moving troops directly. However, some of our military supplies and equipment may be leaked to some military districts or ethnic minorities who dream of independence. For example, Taiwan or Vietnam.

“Isn’t Taiwan the Navy’s area?”

-The Army will be stationed in Taiwan.

Hearing that, the general wore a bewildered expression. Taiwan? Taiwan! Stationed in Taiwan! What is this?

If it weren’t for the colonel, who was wearing the same bewildered expression as the general, the general would have thought he was drunk and hearing things.

“Mr. President? Are you serious? Taiwan accepted that?”

-They haven’t accepted it yet, but they’ll handle it on their own when we approach them. It’s harder to find a reason not to accept this proposal when China is falling apart. And Taiwan is bound to accept it because of the elections.

“I see.”

-So, this field is not your area. What you need to do is get rid of that damn brandy and create a U.S. garrison in Taiwan. Stick to your job.

As soon as the President finished speaking, the adjutant approached and snatched the brandy from his hand. The general glared at the adjutant belatedly, but the adjutant just looked away.

“I’ve already gotten rid of it.”

-Good. You’re improving little by little. Now, you just need to sober up.

Hearing that, the general awkwardly wiped his face a few times. But the drunkenness had long since flown away. China, Taiwan. If he does this job well, he might get another star on his shoulder.

“Is there anything else besides Taiwan?”

-No, the garrison is only in Taiwan. If the warlords in the military districts want to be stationed there in the future, it doesn’t matter, but they don’t seem to want a garrison. And our policy is one thing: prevent nuclear weapons.

“Nuclear weapons? Are those guys going to have a nuclear war with each other?”

-Even if they don’t openly shoot nukes at each other, nukes will probably leak. If they can’t shoot them, they can just sell them.

“Iran will probably have their eyes on it.”

-You know well.

“And isn’t South Korea the same?”

-That’s right.

Iran and South Korea have traditionally had governments obsessed with nuclear weapons. In particular, Iran was notorious for openly pursuing nuclear weapons development, and South Korea was problematic because it was surrounded by potential adversaries, making it extremely insecure without nuclear weapons.

They are under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, but that’s just a euphemism for saying that if they get hit with a nuclear strike, the U.S. will retaliate with nukes, right? If the nuclear umbrella was a sophisticated nuclear missile interception system, they wouldn’t be so obsessed.

Anyway, there were plenty of other countries besides Iran and South Korea that would be obsessed with this. Nuclear weapons were literally weapons with magical power.

“The situation is more serious than I thought.”

-If you don’t want to leave a stain on our generation, take care of it.

“I understand, Mr. President.”

That was it. Only before putting the receiver back on the phone, a small grumbling was heard from the receiver.

-Brandy! Damn it! I drink protein shakes. Brandy! Bran…!

Click.

Hearing that, the general suddenly remembered that the current president was quite the drinker before he took office.

“The President is having a hard time too. A colonel meeting is needed. The President has appointed me as the head of this Taiwan garrison formation. I can’t disappoint him, even for the budget.”