Chapter 140 - 136 Land And Sea Disputes.
As the helicopter slowly lifted off, Luke put on his sunglasses and sat in the cockpit, overlooking the shrinking White House.
He would have preferred to fly over, but he chose to abandon it, considering his overly aggressive appearance. He might be mistaken as a hostile attack by the Atlantic fleet and cause unnecessary panic.
Think of it as a rest period after the 500m sprint.
The Major General thought so.
Just now, in the Oval Office, what the President and the Pentagon meant was that they wanted S.H.I.E.L.D to compromise temporarily and suspend the mutant housing program.
This will buy more time for the Pentagon to contact Atlantis.
Luke can see that both the White House and the military were interested in learning about a marine civilization that has existed for thousands of years.
It's like two hunters in a jungle, always studying each other before shooting.
'Atlantis' strength is much stronger than that of the U.S. It was unrealistic to expect them to be treated as indigenous people. '
The corners of Luke's mouth tugged in a sarcastic smile.
When the Pilgrims arrived in the 'new world,' they began with the idea of living in peace with the indigenous people.
But later, when a large number of immigrants arrived in the living space was crammed, and the conflict between the two sides ignited like a barrel of gunpowder, and it exploded instantly.
Today's indigenous people have already lost their land, culture, and religious beliefs.
For the top brass of the federal government, they wanted to repeat history.
Confirm whether Atlantis is hostile, then confirm whether their technological level is backward or advanced.
This is related to the strategy to be adopted later, whether it is war or diplomacy.
The President and Generals didn't want to fight. Not because they are pacifists.
Instead, there was no benefit in opening a war so rashly.
'But, what does this have to do with me?'
Luke doesn't want to look at the big picture; he doesn't have to sacrifice for the White House and the military.
The mutants are good cards to play and can be helpful in the future.
It doesn't make sense that Namor would just give a couple of warnings, then later, would obey orders honestly.
No matter how mighty Atlantis is, can it be compared with the future overlord of the universe, the three Galactic empires?
'It's kind of like two kids fighting over each other's toys. '
Luke smiled to himself when he noticed the slightest hint of displeasure within.
He knew that the Pentagon wasn't calling the White House to get the president to develop a solution.
The real purpose of the guys from the Navy Department was to put pressure on him.
Or, more accurately, to see Superman make a fool of himself.
How does a powerful Major General face a threat and warning of an unknown civilization?
If he were too tough, he would bear the responsibility of provoking a war.
Being too weak means losing the country's dignity, and it will cast a shadow over Superman's dazzling aura.
This was a difficult multiple-choice question.
'Unfortunately, only children make choices …'
Luke smiled, took out a first-generation product promoted by SkyNet, a brick-sized mobile phone, and dialed a number.
This thing hasn't been put on the market for the time being. It is only used as a military product, provided to the various military bases and government agencies. Its civilian use will probably have to be delayed for a while.
However, the promotion work by Stark Industries was already in full swing.
Howard is a fast learner and has absorbed Luke's usual business concepts such as 'speculative hype' and 'market prep.'
Advertisements such as 'the only thing that will change the way of communication in the future,' ''the first choice for families with cars' and 'a must-have for people at the cutting edge of technology,' and so on, continuously bombarded people with marketing slogans.
Completely pack this stupid, big, black, and thick mobile phone as a high-end item that only successful people and elites could afford as if owning it would significantly enhance their status.
He had to say, the hype gimmick and false packaging tactics were very useful in any era.
Luke considers whether or not to make persistent efforts to develop such methods as 'hunger marketing' and 'fake reviews.'
Turning SkyNet's mobile phones as the light of the country and the cutting edge of technology.
'I must have chosen the wrong plotline.'
The Major General shook his head, restrained his thinking, and said to Colonel Philips on the other end of the phone, "I'm going to the Second Atlantic Fleet. Are you familiar with General Ingram?"
"You know? That's great. Tell him that I need the temporary command of the Second Fleet."
"The White House is still in the middle of a meeting, so there's no time to give orders. You call Nimitz and ask him for a favor."
"Although the relationship between the Naval Department and the War Department has always been bad, we are all acquaintances, so there is no need to make things awkward."
"…"
A few minutes later, Luke hung up.
Before searching for Wolverine, MacArthur, who took charge of the Supreme Command of Allied Powers in Japan, gave generous support.
Now it was the time to ask for the temporary command of the Second Fleet, and he wondered if Chester Nimitz would show kindness to him.
The other party is now the Chief of Naval Operations; the Atlantic Fleet participated in the Sicily landing campaign. He and Luke had a chance to meet at that time.
Later, when they returned to New York, they also attended the commendation banquet together.
'It's a pity that … the current president isn't Roosevelt, who was more interested in nuclear weapons. '
Luke thought silently.
Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, the United States is a traditional maritime power.
This is also why the Navy had a special status and could become the number one military branch in the future.
At the end of the 19th century, the United States Naval and Military experts put forward the 'Theory of Sea Power,' which advocated establishing an off-shore naval fleet and the mastery of the sea.
They would build overseas bases and gain world hegemony.
This strategy was widely accepted, and since then, the Navy started to build battleships of over 10,000 tons and entered an unprecedented stage of accelerated development.
In particular, when Roosevelt was in power, he was determined to build a 'first-class naval fleet' and set the fantastic goal of catching up with Britain and becoming the first in the world.
A few years later, the Atlantic Fleet was formally established and went through two world wars.
It had 1.5 million troops, nearly 20,000 ships, and more than 10,000 aircraft at its peak.
'So, it's no wonder that the Army Department's people have been acting all day strangely, and frankly, it's just feeling sour. After all, they aren't as glamorous. '
Luke recalled that every time there was a meeting, many Generals from the two factions of the Pentagon went head-to-head. The scene was no different from the Irish mob fighting over territory.
The former only talks about national interests and military strategy, while the latter is about insurance coverage and street division.
'In fact, I'm now in the Army faction. Nimitz wouldn't necessarily show politeness. '
Luke crossed his fingers, thinking that the plan would have to be slightly changed if the Atlantic fleet didn't cooperate.
At the end of World War II, when Japan surrendered.
President Harry Truman wanted MacArthur, the commander in chief of the United States Army, to officiate at the surrender ceremony and sign as a representative of the Allies.
This proposal immediately aroused the intense dissatisfaction of the Navy's leading officer, Nimitz, who even publicly said that he refused to attend.
The fierce and apparent opposition forced the President to withdraw the proposal and come out to comfort. Later, they placed the signing ceremony on the battleship.
After that time, the dispute over land and sea powers in the United States was basically out in the open.
The top Generals from both sides of the faction saw each other in an unfavorable light.
'S.H.I.E.L.D, which is under the Army's leadership, provoked Atlantis and caused the loss of two Navy carriers. '
Luke mulled it over for a while, estimating that several Navy Department bigwigs would like to see him eat a loss.
'I'm not even a part of it, just an innocent observer. '
S.H.I.E.L.D will be positioned as a large organization responsible for maintaining world peace, contacting and communicating with extraterrestrial civilizations in the future.
It doesn't belong to the naval faction or the army faction at all.
'Idiotic disputes, what does it have to do with my S.H.I.E.L.D.? '
Luke grimaced, thinking that he could take this opportunity to separate S.H.I.E.L.D. from the Pentagon and save himself from being pulled back and forth and forced to side with one.
"General, we have arrived at the Second Fleet."
Hearing the pilot's reminder, Luke looked up. The aircraft carrier of the Second Fleet quietly creeps on the surface of the sea.
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