Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

Roosevelt pondered for a moment and turned his gaze to the window. The cold winter wind was howling in Washington, but the storm of the world situation was even more violent.

He said slowly, "If we want to contact the Eighth Route Army, we must be careful and cautious. We must not let Chongqing realize that we are more interested in them than the Nationalist Government."

Roosevelt slowly put down the document, his eyes flashing slightly: "But Hull, I need more direct evidence to show the feasibility of our support for the Eighth Route Army!"

Hull nodded and said in a deep voice, "A few months ago, Colonel Evans Carlson secretly visited Yan'an as an observer.

There he held lengthy conversations with senior Eighth Route Army commanders and personally observed their military training and tactical exercises.”

Roosevelt leaned back in his chair with interest: "What was the result?"

Hull flipped open another report and read: "Colonel Carlson's report shows that although the Eighth Route Army's soldiers are poorly equipped, they are well-trained and disciplined. In particular, their tactics are flexible and varied, and are very characteristic of guerrilla warfare.

He specifically mentioned that the Eighth Route Army's understanding of warfare far surpassed that of ordinary armies. They emphasized protracted warfare, relying on their mass base and terrain advantages to continuously wear down the Japanese army.

Roosevelt nodded and motioned for Hull to continue.

Carlson observed that the Eighth Route Army used small-unit ambush tactics to continuously harass Japanese supply lines and strongholds, preventing the Japanese from fully controlling the battle zone.

Although this tactic would not change the situation of the war immediately, it could greatly deplete the Japanese army in the long run, preventing them from freeing up their hands to launch a larger-scale attack.

At the same time, although Carlson had not visited the 389th Division directly, the battles between the 389th Division and the Japanese army in North China in the past two years showed this.

The Eighth Route Army is gradually forming a field force that can rival the Japanese army.

"

Hull paused, looked up and said, "The most important thing is that he believed that the Eighth Route Army had the ability to trap the Japanese army in North China and make them mired in guerrilla warfare.

Carlson even asserted that within a few years, once the troops of this division under the Eighth Route Army developed further, they could even recapture North China.

"

Roosevelt folded his hands on the table and said thoughtfully: "If all this is true, then we must re-evaluate the value of the China battlefield."

Roosevelt pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Our main strategic consideration at present is how to make Japan continue to consume its resources on the battlefield in China, rather than letting them easily withdraw and turn to Southeast Asia.

After all, the Japanese army has been hesitating. Their resources are limited and they cannot support two large-scale fronts at the same time.

If we can continue to hold them back in China, we'll have more time to strengthen our defenses in the Pacific."

Hull nodded and added, "In addition, intelligence from Tokyo shows that Japan's supply lines on the Chinese battlefield have been stretched too far, especially in Shanxi and North China, where supply is becoming increasingly difficult.

If the Eighth Route Army can continue to destroy their rear, we can make them consume more troops and delay their ambitions in Southeast Asia. "

Roosevelt stared at the world map on the wall and gently pointed his finger at the location in northern China.

"Delay them and let them get deeper into China.

This would give us more time to prepare for the Pacific theater while allowing the Japanese war machine to tire out through prolonged attrition."

Hull mused, “If we want the Eighth Route Army to play a role in this plan, perhaps we should consider some form of assistance.

At the very least, we need to ensure they can continue to fight.”

Roosevelt nodded, but then said cautiously: "This must be done in secret. We cannot let the Nationalist government know that we are more interested in the Eighth Route Army than they are."

Hull smiled slightly. "We can provide some necessary supplies through third-party channels, such as the North, or even through humanitarian aid."

Roosevelt took a deep breath, looked at the world map on the table, and his eyes fell on the Asian battlefield:

"The Japanese are pressing forward, but their appetite is too big and they will eventually get themselves into trouble.

If the Eighth Route Army can really hold them back, then perhaps the balance of this war will slowly tilt."