When Marshall's special plane arrived over New York under the protection of eight p-47s, the sun had risen high, illuminating everything on the ground very clearly.

"The enemy planes seemed to have retreated over New York..." The pilot turned his head and reminded Marshall that he was trembling at the beginning of this operation, but General Marshall insisted on coming, and he could not refuse. Fortunately, the Japanese or Germans still knew the degree to retreat so quickly.

"Lower the height so that I can see clearly." Marshall's voice was hoarse, so tired that he was almost no longer like an adult.

The adjutant kindly advised him: "Sir, the scene is a bit ugly. You have to hold on. The United States and the army cannot be without you now!"

Although he was mentally prepared enough, when Marshall looked at the city he once knew very well from the sky, he stood up from his position in shock, slapped the plane's porthole in disguise, and was in pain that he could not suppress himself:

The towering Empire State Building collapsed;

The Chrysler Building, which survived the disaster, was shaking, and balls of black smoke were rising up;

Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, Times Square and other most prosperous areas in New York are rubble and devastated, as if the scene after an earthquake;

The symbol of the American spirit, the Statue of Liberty, was broken into several pieces and scattered on the ground;

Even the bridges on the East River in New York can only see the residual reinforced concrete and empty piers as if reminding people that there were two bridges here called the miracle of world engineering;

Long Island, the port is full of chaos...

Is this still New York? Is this still the economic center that Americans are proud of?

He closed his eyes in pain, with tears on his face, but he couldn't say a word.

When the plane landed at the airport, only some intermediate officials of the municipal government came to welcome him. The city defense commander and the mayor did not come. Everyone at the scene was panic and almost shed tears. The city defense commander suddenly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was rescued in the hospital. The New York mayor went to the front line to direct the rescue. Seeing Marshall appear, everyone seemed to have a backbone.

But soon, a big figure with enough weight appeared. The current governor of New York State. Republican Thomas Dewey arrived at the scene in silence. After seeing Marshall, his face was very gloomy: "Hiss Chief of Staff, I have just arrived from the disaster area and have a brief understanding of the attacked areas. I need an explanation. More than 80,000 people in New York need an explanation..."

"After witnessing the current situation in New York, any defense and explanation are pale, I feel very sad..." Marshall thought about the words and thought about how to deal with the other party's problems.

Everyone knows that Dewey is President Roosevelt's largest and most powerful competitor in politics. The news of his election as the next US president has been released. After receiving the news of an attack in New York City, he rushed from Albany, the New York State government, faster than Marshall who came from Washington. Before Marshall landed, he had already learned about the overall attack.

Marshall is not a politician, but his political mind is not bad. He knows clearly that now is the time for New Yorkers to be the most excited, and he must not add fuel to the fire, but he cannot take on the responsibility issue. The former is not good for winning the public opinion of New York, and the latter is not good for maintaining President Roosevelt's reputation. After Dewey arrived, a large group of reporters came to hear the news, and any imprudent answers would be magnified without restrictions.

In the surrounding area, the reporter saw that Marshall was also on the scene and immediately launched a series of gunfire to ask questions:

"Mr. Dewey, what are the current casualties? What do you think of this attack?"

"General Marshall, have we made a plan of retaliation and have we set out to eliminate these invaders?"

Dewey was obviously angry, but he still maintained enough restraint. He turned to the reporters and said, "The state government and the municipal government are currently investing all their energy in the rescue. We promise to do our best to rescue any personnel without giving up any possibility. I hope you can report more on the brutality of the enemy, the bravery of the National Guard and the New York police, report on our efforts to overcome the difficulties caused by the attack, and call on all sectors of society to provide sufficient assistance to the attacked people. As for the specific losses of the personnel and property losses, there will be a special press conference to be announced later today."

"I heard that the 6th Army plane has launched an attack on the invading enemy. Can you find the enemy and sink it?" After a reporter asked, everyone turned their attention to Marshall, hoping to get his affirmative answer.

These news should not be known to reporters. If this question was asked in the past, he would definitely reject it with "military secrets". But Marshall knew that if there was no explanation yet, he was afraid that the media would not be able to pass the hindrance. However, he could not guarantee that he could find an opponent and give him enough strike. The commander-in-chief of the former 6 Airlines, Arnold, has hinted that it was insufficient troops and it was very difficult to counterattack. I hope he would not have too high expectations.

He thought about it and used a clever word to make it go: "We have mobilized the most available troops at present, and subsequent planes will continue to come."

Dewey frowned. He was a politician. Of course, he could hear what this sentence meant? However, he did not intend to expose Marshall's tricks. He knew clearly that if he wanted to succeed in the election, it would be better not to have a rigging relationship with military seniors like Marshall, which would not be beneficial to him. But not offending Marshall does not mean that he could not offend Roosevelt. If he wanted to win the trust of the media and establish his own image, he had to show a different philosophy from the present government. Today is a very ideal occasion.

"After this incident, what considerations and arrangements have Washington made for homeland security?" Dewey said slowly. "New York is just the beginning. Today the enemy can bomb New York, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, it can bomb Washington, Boston, Philadelphia... The United States has a long coastline. We cannot let the people live in fear. We must establish a full and powerful defense system."

Of course, Marshall could hear his subtext and nodded subconsciously: "Of course."

"I have to regret to point out that the current war policy adopted by President Roosevelt is completely wrong." As soon as this sentence came out, all the reporters were excited. This was the first politician who publicly criticized the president. They were afraid that the world would not be in chaos and immediately pricked up their ears and listened.

Marshall frowned and felt something was wrong. He unknowingly fell into mutual attacks by politicians and opposition between the two parties.

"He sent a large amount of supplies to Britain and Russia, but ignored the protection of the people of his country. In terms of dealing with the enemy, our biggest enemy was Japan first, followed by Germany and Japan's combined fleet attacked us at Pearl Harbor. They took away the Philippines, they destroyed our 6th army in the Indian Ocean, and they destroyed the canal in Panama not long ago. Although the Germans had a huge 6th army and occupied most of Europe, they actually did not have a great threat to the United States. In such a severe moment, we should first strengthen our defense system, rather than sending the anti-aircraft guns, warships, and aircraft that we worked hard to produce to Britain for vain. In a word, the policy of first Europe and then Asia is a huge mistake."

Marshall couldn't listen anymore, and he immediately retorted: "If we don't support Britain, Great Britain will be finished soon."

"The British have supported them for many years. The Germans have no possibility of sending troops to the 6 Great Britain. Maybe they will suffer great difficulties, but we will be done first... Have you considered the profound impact of this matter on the United States? Have you considered the impact on the economy, morale, and society?" Dewey emphasized without hesitation, "I believe that the vast majority of people sympathize with and support Britain, but the army must first ensure the safety of their own people. They are the Welfare of the United States, not the mercenaries of Great Britain."

All the reporters present nodded, and even the municipal government officials nodded secretly, but Marshall could not continue. He did not believe that Dewey could not see, and could not understand the necessity and significance of supporting Britain. However, what politicians could understand, ordinary people may not understand, or if they could understand, they might not understand that they could pay more taxes and produce more materials for the UK. However, most Americans are not so noble yet.

To cater to this part of the concept, Dewey must empathize with their opinions from their "standard". After all, this is all about the damn politics caused by the vote! He sighed, hoping that this was just the remarks made by Dewey for the sake of the election, not his true thoughts, otherwise the war in the United States will really have big trouble.

However, Dewey did not pursue Marshall relentlessly. After fully expressing his views, he stopped criticizing it at the right time. Instead, he talked about the strategies of rescue and follow-up defense in an orderly manner. Finally, he said: "...The president has issued an order just now to declare a state of emergency in the country. I hope the media will not add fuel to the fire when reporting. It is necessary to guide the public, enterprises, and businessmen to understand and recognize the impact of this attack. We will definitely overcome all kinds of difficulties."

After saying this, he pulled Marshall to the conference room, and while walking, he whispered to the latter in a heart-warming manner: "In fact, New York infrastructure and casualties are second, and I am more worried about the impact of the attack on the national economy. Let alone other things, the securities market and the insurance market will have disaster first!"

Marshall suddenly realized that today is Saturday and tomorrow is Sunday. All securities markets were closed in the past two days (the United States implemented the 4O-hour weekly work bill since 194o. Although working hours have been adjusted after the war began, the securities market still implemented the weekend market closure regulations). However, when the securities market opened on Monday, May 3, there will be panic selling, and it may repeat the stock market crash in 1929. Whether it is a temporary market closure or an administrative order, it will not change the power of capital. The later the market is opened, the greater the power of the backlog. (To be continued.)8

...
Chapter completed!