Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 146 The power of publicity (Third update, please subscribe)
  Bastogne is still holding on!
  On December 12, almost overnight, Bastogne, a small Belgian town, suddenly made headlines in American newspapers.

From the New York Times to the Washington Post to the Boston Herald, almost every major newspaper from the East Coast to the West Coast reported the Battle of Bastogne on the front page.

The battle was also being told on radio stations.

Not the Battle of the Ardennes!

But "The Battle of Bastogne!"

This is an epic battle!

The German Armored Corps with five divisions is entering Bastogne, and there are only a few thousand "American troops" there. They only have rifles and mortars in their hands, while the Germans have an entire armored corps.

At this time, in the streets and alleys of almost all cities in the United States, everyone is talking about this battle and the heroic "American troops" in this battle.

6000VS70000!

Light Infantry VS Armored Soldiers!
  Just thinking about it is fucking exciting.

No, as soon as you think about it, you know the result. This is destined to be a tragedy, and what awaits them is destined to be death and failure.

But these infantrymen armed with rifles not only did not fail, they also successfully defended the city!
  In fact, at the beginning, there was no news about Bastogne at all in American newspapers. Even the German counterattack only appeared in the corner of the newspaper.

But, most of the time, money is everything.

Money can solve many problems. For example, newspapers including the Washington Post and the New York Times can publish the Battle of Bastogne on their front pages.

The same money can also allow those who have won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism to describe the Battle of Bastogne with passionate words.

The most hard-working of these people was Salisbury, an Associated Press reporter who had just returned from Moscow and had been to Leningrad for interviews. Compared to others, he had a more intuitive understanding of the siege. Because news clues were limited, in order to be worthy of the US$5000 publishing fee, he grafted many of the clues obtained during the interview in Leningrad to Bastogne.

In his writing, Bastogne is a place full of heroes. In order to make the text more exciting, he even exaggerated the strength of the German army - the 47th Armored Corps, which became a fully manned and dauntingly large number of equipment. The King Tiger and Panther tanks. Even its soldiers are battle-hardened elites transferred from the Eastern Front.

He used all the words he could use to shape the 47th Panzer Corps into the most powerful army in Germany, and Bastogne was the place that the most dangerous and powerful enemy was determined to capture.

In his description, the German 47th Armored Corps was simply the spokesperson of Satan in the world. At the beginning of the war, they served as the vanguard of the invasion of Russia, heading all the way to Moscow. Although the German army failed again and again, the 47th Armored Corps The commander-in-chief is capable of turning the tide and can always repel the Russian army and escape. This armored army is simply the "immortal army" on the Eastern Front. It is the elite German army that will make Zhukov, Chuikov and other Russian marshals fearful at any time. .

As the vice president of the Writers Guild of America, he gave full play to his literary attainments. He used all his gorgeous words and all his sensationalism to try to make people believe that the "U.S. Army" in Bastogne "What a powerful enemy we encountered - such a powerful and evil enemy that has never been seen before in history.

Salisbury finally succeeded in making everyone believe his words. He once again wrote a wonderful piece of writing to show his return to the American press.

In his epic news report, he showed how powerful the German army was and how weak the American troops in Bastogne were. He used gorgeous words to describe what it is like to use a mantis' arm as a chariot, and what it is to use an egg to hit a rock.

And all the gorgeous words ultimately serve one purpose, to highlight the bravery of the Bastogne defenders. In his description, the Bastogne heroes used their flesh and blood to block the German tanks. Fighting with elite German troops in the snow.

In his description, the Battle of Bastogne became an epic poem.

6000VS70000!

Humans VS Tanks!

Will VS Steel!

This itself is full of legend. Overnight, Bastogne became the center of American public opinion. Of course, American journalists were happy to describe their heroes. So, from newspapers to radio, people heard about Bastogne. Togne, talking about Bastogne.

But what they never expected was that the "Allied Command Task Force" in Bastogne was just a group of Chinese wearing American military uniforms. But after the news spread, a natural effect appeared.

Every day, American newspapers and radio broadcasts insert "Day X of the Battle of Bastogne" on their front pages to remind Americans that the heroes of Bastogne are still holding on, and they are still fighting with their own flesh and blood. The body fought against German tanks, aircraft and heavy artillery. Eventually, the pressure of public opinion was passed to the Pentagon and, of course, the White House.

What is a dumb person eating Coptis chinensis?
  That's what the Pentagon is like now.

"We can't even explain to the outside world that the defenders of Bastogne are just a group of Chinese wearing American military uniforms..."

In the Oval Office, Marshall, a five-star general who barely retained his position as chief of staff after a scandal a few months ago, sounded helpless. He was really melancholy.

"explain?"

Roosevelt asked rhetorically.

"If you explain it like that, does it tell the outside world that because we are Chinese, we don't need to do our best to break the German siege and rescue them?"

Looking through the information in his hand, Roosevelt continued.

"Almost every day now journalists ask when we will be able to break the German siege of Bastogne and when those heroes will be rescued."

"Yes, Mr. President, almost everyone in the United States is paying attention to Bastogne, so I have ordered Ike to break the German siege of Bastogne as soon as possible."

Hearing Marshall mention Ike, Roosevelt sighed.

"Ike doesn't know at all that he fell into the trap of the guy. That guy is a businessman. If you want to get something from him, you have to pay a price..."

Although he had not had many interactions with Li Yi'an, the politician's keen intuition made Roosevelt realize that this matter was not as simple as it seemed. If there was no one behind the scenes, how could there be so many newspapers and radio stations reporting on the Battle of Bastogne?

Who is behind all this?
  It must be that guy Li Yian!

"Now the whole United States is paying attention to Bastogne. Even I, as president, have to call them to encourage them. Ike used them to defend Bastogne, but Lee, that guy turned Bastogne into a Symbol, just like the Alamo, the problem now is actually no longer the problem of rescuing Bastogne, but..."

Roosevelt frowned as he thought of the possible consequences after the battle.

"We have to explain to Britain where the Borneo Guard came from. This is really a troublesome thing. That guy Churchill will definitely make a fuss."

Marshall was more concerned about military issues than the president worried about the political consequences.

"Mr. President, I think the problem will be solved perfectly in the end. After all, Mr. Churchill knows what is most important now. The most important thing right now is to break the siege of Bastogne! This is what the people care about most. question."

"That's something Ike has considered, but Ike... he doesn't know how much trouble he's getting himself into."

Faced with the president's accusation, Marshall hurriedly explained to his confidants.

"Mr. President, Ike must consider the entire war situation. If he does not use this force, we are likely to lose this war. This is what Ike cares about most."

Of course, Roosevelt knew this very well. He almost never interfered with the decisions of frontline generals, but as a politician, he had to consider the political consequences of the decisions made by those generals.

This time, the decision made by Ike may be in line with military needs, but politically the consequences are unpredictable.

It may even affect the relationship between the United States and Britain, which is something Roosevelt has always tried to avoid.

but now. Roosevelt was also helpless.

After all, the decision Ike made was the best choice in line with the development of the war situation.

　It needs to be explained that Bastogne was meant to pave the way for the next step, which was to return to Borneo. The core of everything is to go back better
  　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)