Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 612 Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
"Mr. President, this is a battle report from General Ridgway."

Truman looked at the good news, but he didn't feel much joy.

He had just watched the hearings about MacArthur, and Truman discovered a problem, a huge problem.

So, why did the US military participate in the Korean War in the first place?

At this point, Truman remembered that the core reason for the United States' intervention in the Korean War was not China, but Soviet Russia.

It was out of concern that the Soviet Union might control East Asia that the US military joined the Korean War almost without any preparation.

When the U.S. military first entered the war, Truman thought that the invincible U.S. military would scare the Union army back to their homeland, and then a ceasefire could be reached.

But the truth is that the US military was routed by the Union army.

In the following year, the situation on the Korean battlefield became increasingly critical, and Truman and the entire US government were busy rescuing American troops, leaving them no time to think.

After Ridgway took office, the situation finally stabilized, and Truman finally had time to start thinking.

Truman couldn't understand why the US military, which was supposed to be fighting the Soviet Union, was getting into a fight with the Chinese army.
Just as Truman was deep in thought, several high-ranking officials filed in.

Looking at the crowd, Truman began, "Gentlemen, you've all seen the hearing. What are your thoughts?"

"Should we continue to escalate the war and bring the flames of conflict into China?"

At the hearing, MacArthur maintained his consistent stance.

That is, the Korean War must be resolved by force.

They wanted to escalate the war, bomb China, and force the Kuomintang army to launch a counterattack on the mainland.

Furthermore, it was emphasized that if other countries do not support it, then the United States will take matters into its own hands.

Upon hearing Truman mention MacArthur's hearings, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Bradley immediately said:
"Attacking China is not a decisive action; it can neither guarantee the end of the Korean War nor force China to submit."

"If we execute this strategy, we will be fighting the wrong war in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and against the wrong enemy."

The US military can't even defeat a Chinese People's Volunteer Army fighting in a foreign land. If they were to go to mainland China, wouldn't they be digging their own grave?
And most importantly, the core issue of the Korean War was not China at all.

Secretary of State Acheson nodded: "Mr. President, our previous decision to insist that the Korean War was a limited war was undoubtedly correct."

"If the war is expanded to China, regardless of the outcome, we will be at a disadvantage in terms of international public opinion."

"This would undoubtedly give Soviet Russia a legitimate excuse to intervene directly."

The US military participated in the Korean War in order to target the Soviet Union and Russia. Fighting China to the end would have been meaningless for the US.

Unlike Acheson and Bradley's more subtle approaches, Defense Secretary Marshall chose to launch a direct attack.

"The government was completely fooled by MacArthur!"

"We shouldn't have crossed that damned 38th parallel, let alone attacked China!"

If MacArthur's Inchon landing hadn't been so dazzling, the US government wouldn't have acted so rashly.

As a result, he went up and got a beating.

If the war is escalated at this point, we will only suffer more blows from the iron fist.

Seeing that everyone disagreed with escalating the war, Truman said, "Since no one wants the war to escalate, then we come to the next question."

Should the Korean War continue? Is there any point in continuing?

Elson shook his head: "In fact, after the Chinese army entered the war, it was no longer possible for us to unify Korea by military means."

"Since military unification is no longer possible, I believe there is only one other possibility: a ceasefire!"

If it had been last year, and Ellison had dared to utter the word "ceasefire," he would have been subjected to a barrage of criticism from across the United States.

But now, the United States has undergone fundamental changes.

When it comes to empty rhetoric, MacArthur's UN forces are invincible.

However, when they actually engaged in real combat with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, they suddenly realized that their previous understanding seemed to be wrong.

After experiencing firsthand the strength of the Central Army, no one in the Washington government dared to mention the Yalu River again.

Conversely, at this time, anyone who would propose expanding the war like MacArthur would only be considered a fool and then marginalized.

“I also agree with the idea of ​​a ceasefire,” Marshall nodded. “And my suggestion is that it should be done as soon as possible!”

As Secretary of Defense, Marshall was well aware that the United States had essentially poured its entire resources into the escalating Korean War.

The entire UN forces in Korea numbered 69, with 1120 tanks, 1700 aircraft, and 270 warships, including 5 aircraft carriers.

To meet the demands of the war, almost all of the U.S. Army's active duty troops have been deployed to the Asian region.

North Korea has eight divisions and one airborne regiment, while Japan has two divisions and one regiment.

Europe, which should have been the strategic core, now only has 4 divisions left.

Meanwhile, the United States only had six divisions that were temporarily recruited and had not yet completed their training.

This is still the result of the US military's massive expansion.

Since the Chinese People's Volunteer Army entered Korea, the total active-duty strength of the U.S. military has doubled in six months, reaching three million, and this expansion has not stopped.

Even so, the US military still could not meet the needs of the Korean War.

Therefore, the U.S. military had to incorporate 2500 South Korean troops into each infantry division to serve as cannon fodder.

According to US intelligence, a large number of Chinese troops are continuously being deployed to North Korea.

Currently, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has 77 troops in Korea, while the North Korean army has increased its strength to 34.

Of course, if it were just a matter of troop strength, Marshall wouldn't be too worried.

After all, the firepower of the Chinese and North Korean forces was incomparable to that of the UN forces.

Given the current situation, it can be said that both China and the United States have put up their entire resources.

The US can't find more people, and China can't provide more equipment.

In this situation, whoever can obtain more help from allies will gain the initiative on the Korean battlefield.

However, the situation is quite different between China and the United States when it comes to military reinforcements.

The Soviet Union, an ally of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, had previously been reluctant to hide behind China and North Korea, but now, with the emergence of the Volunteer Army's strength, it has begun to show off its power.

Large quantities of heavy equipment are being hauled to the Northeast, trainload after trainload.

MiG-15s, T-34 tanks, and all sorts of Soviet and Russian equipment were continuously added to the Korean battlefield.

Putting aside other issues, US reconnaissance aircraft can no longer freely approach the Chinese border.

The fighter jets of both sides also engaged in several dogfights.

The Chinese army was already fighting so well before it had various Soviet and Russian weapons. Now that it has firepower, no one knows in which direction the battle will develop.

Compared to the central army, Marshall was certain that he had no allies to support him.

The phrase "United Nations Command" sounds very powerful, as if the whole world is on their side.

However, apart from the US military and the Confederate army, there were practically no other countries.

Before the war, the US government estimated that at least ten of the participating countries should be able to send more than one division to fight.

But actually?
Apart from two British brigades and one Turkish brigade, other countries had at most one battalion and at least one platoon.

Faced with the United States' subsequent requests for additional troops, these countries not only refused to send more personnel, but also emphasized that they would recall their troops at any time! Of course, there are also those in the world who support the United States.

A certain person who dominates Taiwan claims to have hundreds of thousands of battle-hardened veterans who are ready to fight at any time, provided they are equipped.

However, all the countries in the UN forces rejected this request to join the war.

The South Korean president was the one who voiced the strongest opposition.

In their view, the speed at which the Kuomintang army delivered equipment was faster than that of the American transport teams.

If two battles were to break out, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army would likely push the front line all the way to Tokyo.

Once the ceasefire was confirmed, the U.S. National Security Council convened a systematic meeting just two days later.

The proposal for a ceasefire was passed by a large majority.

However, at this time, the US government discovered another awkward problem.

They have no channel for dialogue with China.

In fact, the US government had already discovered this problem during the third campaign.

Moreover, at that time, the US military's need for a ceasefire was even more urgent than it is now.

At the time, the United States, unable to find a direct channel, could only relay the message through the well-meaning Indian ambassador.

This has created a huge problem.

In diplomacy between major powers, whatever they think in their hearts, what they say will always be firm and unyielding.

Especially when in front of a third party, you have to be firm.

This resulted in the Indian ambassador's message being slightly distorted.

Fortunately, Walker was killed in a crash at a critical moment, and Ridgway took over the battlefield and stabilized the situation.

Otherwise, the US government would hate India, which has only recently gained independence.

Having learned from the previous lesson, the United States dared not do that again this time.

Under Truman's orders, the CIA employed every means at its disposal in an effort to find a channel for dialogue with China.

However, all of the CIA's secret channels eventually disappeared without a trace.

Just when the US government was about to despair, Acheson remembered someone.

George Kennan, U.S. State Department advisor on Soviet and Russian affairs.

In the Secretary of State’s office, Acheson met Kennan.

“Mr. Kennan, I’m afraid only you can do this.”

Kennan shrugged and said, “Mr. Secretary of State, I regret to inform you that I do not know anyone in China and have no channels of communication with China.”

“Of course I know.” Acheson personally served Kennan a cup of coffee.

"I remember you were good friends with Malik, the Soviet ambassador to the United Nations?"

“Yes.” Kennan nodded. That was why he was able to become the advisor on Soviet Russia.

“Very good. All I need is for you to make the request to Mr. Malik from the U.S. government in a friendly manner.”

"All we need is a channel to negotiate with China."

Acheson emphasized, "Any form of communication is acceptable."

The US government has approached Malik; Acheson has communicated with him through various informal channels.

However, as a Soviet citizen, Malik was inherently distrustful of the United States.

He might not even trust official channels, let alone informal ones.

As one of the world's two superpowers, the United States cannot formally and proactively request a ceasefire, otherwise it would be absurd if the other side refused.

Like I said, there are too many people outside.

Upon hearing Acheson's request, Kennan did not refuse again: "I can act as the persuader, but I dare not make any guarantees."

“Of course.” Acheson himself wasn’t sure, so he naturally wouldn’t ask Kennan to make a guarantee.

The United States was in a hurry, so in the afternoon, Kennan met his friend Malik in his office.

Malik trusted Kennen quite a bit.

Therefore, after hearing Kennan's request, Malik nodded: "I can help you deliver this message."

"But this has nothing to do with the US government; it's just a matter of friendship between friends."

Malik's meaning was simple: I helped you this time, so you have to help me in the future if I need anything.

Kennan naturally understood what Malik meant.

"Of course, we're friends, aren't we?"

"This is a telegram from Moscow. The United States wants to negotiate a ceasefire. What are your thoughts?"

"That's good news."

At the meeting, everyone expressed their agreement on peace talks.

For China, if the Korean War continues, there will not be much of a problem militarily, but the economy will be struggling to cope.

If the war drags on for a long time, it will affect the recovery of the national economy and the long-term development of the country.

Moreover, unlike the United States, which got carried away with its wars, China has always been very clear about what it is fighting for.

By October of last year, the North Korean army had been completely defeated.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army entered Korea to fight in order to help the North Korean government and also to prevent the United States from stationing troops along the Yalu River.

Currently, the US military has been withdrawn to the vicinity of the 38th parallel, and the North Army is also trying to recover its strength with the help of China and the Soviet Union.

If the US and China cease hostilities, the Northern Army will no longer be in danger of facing the Southern Army alone.

Moreover, after these months of war, China has demonstrated its strength to the world.

The strategic objectives of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's entry into the Korean War have long been exceeded.

Having calmed down, the United States then proposed peace talks, and China had no reason to refuse.

After discussion, the leader concluded: "Then we agree to peace talks, but we must fight while we talk."

"The Chinese People's Volunteer Army should make full preparations for a protracted war while striving to end the war through peace talks."

For China, talks are possible, but a ceasefire cannot be declared under the guise of talks.
The Chinese People's Volunteer Army will only cease fighting the moment the armistice agreement takes effect.

After both sides confirmed the peace talks, the US government breathed a sigh of relief, and Ridgway immediately issued a statement via radio.

He will negotiate with the Chinese and North Korean forces as the Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command and guarantee the implementation of the armistice agreement.

The following day, the Central Broadcasting Service responded to Ridgway, indicating its agreement to conduct peace talks.

Following contact between the special envoys of both sides and several exchanges of telegrams, the two sides agreed to hold their first negotiations at Sammun-ri, outside Kaesong.

(End of this chapter)