The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 948: Chapter 707: Clash of Thoughts

The war has developed to this point, and the American Government could barely be considered as having gone all out.

Just the scale of the army controlled by the federal government has already broken through 500,000, and the cumulative military force involved in the war has even surpassed 600,000.

Of these 500,000 troops, over 300,000 were distributed in the northeastern All States to resist the main offensive of the Allied Army.

The remaining 200,000 soldiers were divided into two groups, one to prevent the Frenchmen from moving north to threaten the eastern states, and another to stop the Australasians from moving east.

For now, put aside the deadlocked front line; at present, not just the entire United States but the whole world is paying attention to the progression of the Australasians and the French.

This could be considered America’s last chance. If the United States can successfully defend against these two countries, the remaining states might temporarily put off the idea of holding independence referendums.

But if the United States can’t stop either of them, it’s very likely to face an even more severe crisis.

Not to mention others, the states already facing the threat of war in the Central region certainly do not wish to continue.

After all, the American army was all fighting in the East; the defensive forces in the Central region were very weak, relying solely on the states in the Central region to resist was simply impossible.

Once America’s Central region fell, what would be left of the country would really only be the original thirteen Colony regions and the Industrial Area around the Great Lakes, relying solely on these areas to resist the Allied Army would be impossible.

If they can’t seize this last straw, perhaps what America will face is the states becoming independent one after another, then being dismantled into several countries.

General Pan Xing naturally also understood the dire situation the United States was facing, and the army he led had not rashly advanced; they were steadily moving closer to the front line.

The good news is that they had not encountered the enemy on their way, and the army’s operations went without any surprises.

But the bad news was that by the time General Pan Xing and his troops reached North and South Dakota, the Australasia Army had already advanced to the Missouri River banks.

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, running north to south through both Dakotas.

When General Pan Xing arrived on the eastern bank of the Missouri River, it was already November 3, 1928.

The rapid advance of the Australasia Army clearly exceeded General Pan Xing’s expectations, but there was no time for him to be caught off guard at this point.

After stationing in a small town named after the German Iron Chancellor Bismarck on the east bank, General Pan Xing immediately began to deploy defenses relying on the Missouri River from south to north.

The good news is, the Missouri River runs from south to north through both Dakotas, which is advantageous for General Pan Xing’s defense.

With just a defensive position stretched from Williston to Bismarck then down to Yankton and some defenses on both the Northern and Southern regions, an excellent defensive line could be constructed.

But the biggest problem General Pan Xing currently faced was that there were too few soldiers under his command; a mere 100,000 troops were simply not enough to cover this extensive defensive line.

You see, this defensive line spans three states with a total length of over 600 kilometers.

100,000 troops deployed along a 600-kilometer line meant there were on average only 166 soldiers per kilometer.

Adding to that the troops deployed on the flanks in the Northern and Southern directions and some reserve forces, the number of soldiers on the actual frontline would be even less.

This meant that General Pan Xing had to choose several key areas for defense; in other areas, he could only implement a patrolling system and pray that the Australasia Army wouldn’t attack from there.

The sheer insufficiency of the army’s personnel is an issue the American Government simply can’t solve. If it weren’t for the promises of large sums of money, it would have been difficult for the army to muster these 500,000 troops.

Although General Pan Xing had specifically requested before departing that the Army Department must provide an additional 100,000 troops within two months’ time,

General Pan Xing knew that this was a task the Army Department simply could not complete. Even if the Army Department filled the quota, the additional 100,000 would undoubtedly be new recruits with no real training, of little use on the battlefield, merely increasing the casualties.

Although defending does not require overly elite soldiers, they at least need to know how to fire a gun; after all, you can’t use the rifle as a fire poker.

Especially since defense also requires constant trench repair, a soldier who knows nothing would just get in the way.

Fortunately, General Pan Xing had a rather able Assistant, young George Smith Patton, so the deployment of the defensive line went smoothly, at least without any chaos.

However, due to the low number of soldiers, General Pan Xing divided the total 100,000 troops into three parts.

The first part consisted of roughly 65,000 men, around the size of four divisions. These four divisions were divided into combat units based on Infantry Regiments, deployed in key defense zones along the entire line.

The remaining two parts were each a bit larger than one division. Their tasks were respectively to defend the northern and southern flanks and to serve as reserve forces, ready to be committed to the war at any moment.

After the defensive spikes were fully deployed, the primary task of the American army was to rapidly dig trenches and deploy related defensive facilities.

It was only then that General Panxing found the time to chat with his Assistant and casually ask his Assistant for his opinion on the war.

“George, do you think we still have a chance of winning this war?” Inside the Headquarters of the Northwest Army, the Supreme Commander of this military force looked tiredly at his trusted Assistant George, inquiring with a weary face.

Little George Smith Barton was silent for a long time before he finally turned his gaze towards Panxing: “Your Excellency the General, do you want to hear the truth or some comforting lies?”

“Of course, the truth. You, what’s with the formality? Have you become so courteous after not seeing each other for a few years?” General Panxing said with a smile.

Before General Panxing retired, George had been his Assistant. George, with his unique thoughts, had always been highly valued by General Panxing, which resulted in a good relationship between the two, despite their age gap of several decades.

“I believe we stand no chance, Your Excellency the General,” replied little George Smith Barton straightforwardly, without any reservation, after hearing that General Panxing wanted him to speak the truth.

Although General Panxing had already suspected as much, he still didn’t want to accept this outcome and persisted, asking: “Why would you think that? As long as we win this defensive battle, I believe we still have a chance.”

“Hasn’t everything already ended, Your Excellency the General?” Little George Smith Barton looked helplessly at Panxing and said: “When California State declared the independence referendum, the demise of America had already begun its countdown.

We might have had a chance before, but after that moment, any state could hold an independence referendum, which means that the federal government has already lost control over All States.

We might be able to delay for a while, but this is not a good thing for America and all American People because such stubborn resistance will only lead to more casualties.”

General Panxing fell silent, as he had no argument or words to refute his Assistant.

Indeed, California’s independence referendum was like opening Pandora’s box, presenting All States in America with a new choice—to hold independence referenda and avoid war.

The current situation had already proven this point, and if it weren’t for the ongoing negotiations with the Allied Army over terms, likely, most of the states in America would choose an independence referendum to avoid this war that only increased casualties.

What would it matter even if they could withstand the advance of the Australasia Army?

Australasia had already occupied several states in the West, and the division of America had become an established reality.

Delaying the inevitable might not exhaust the enemy, and the American people in the war zones were destined to bear a burden they could not handle.

Moreover, the casualties on the American side of the war were not insignificant, with the number already surpassing 100,000.

Especially since most soldiers entering the battlefield for America were new recruits, the American side suffered the most casualties.

Continuing this way, the American Government might be able to cling to life, but for the American people, it’s yet another blow akin to an economic crisis.

What were they doing this for, after all? Just to let the American Government last a little longer?

But if they didn’t stand their ground, wouldn’t that mean letting their own country be invaded by the enemy? For General Panxing, proud of his identity as a soldier, this was a disgrace, and absolutely unacceptable.

“Enough, George,” General Panxing interrupted George’s attempt to continue speaking and decisively ended the conversation: “As a soldier, I cannot accept the invasion of my country by the enemy. No matter the outcome of the war, I cannot betray the honor of being a soldier.”

Little George Smith Barton was momentarily stunned but seeing the resolve in General Panxing’s expression, he simply nodded, refraining from saying more.

Little George Smith Barton deeply understood General Panxing’s character. To this traditional and stubborn General, if one wore the uniform of the United States of America, one naturally had to give everything, including one’s life, for that uniform.

This obstinacy meant that naturally, nobody could persuade him otherwise, not even Barton, who was highly esteemed by General Panxing.

It’s worth mentioning that General Panxing and Barton’s relationship almost turned into kinship.

Before World War I broke out, General Panxing and Barton’s sister, Nita, were deeply in love and were even on the brink of engagement.

They agreed to become engaged after the war ended. Although the war came and went swiftly, the two, having not seen each other for half a year, ultimately did not end up together, instead becoming just friends.

This made Barton miss out on the chance to become General Panxing’s brother-in-law, and Nita remained single until today.

However, for the open-minded American people, such matters are not a concern, and their current relationship remained that of a General and his subordinate.

Although General Panxing was determined, his thoughts were still influenced by little George Smith Barton.

After ending the conversation, General Panxing furrowed his brows deeply. He could no longer see the future of America; could America continue to persevere?