Both Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower were graduates of West Point, but MacArthur graduated in 1903 while Eisenhower graduated in 1915. By the time MacArthur became the superintendent of West Point in 1919, Eisenhower had already been gone for years, so the two had no personal connection from their academy days.

As Eisenhower and MacArthur took their seats in the Oval Office, Roosevelt noticed they sat at opposite ends of the sofa, with a distinct distance between them. Roosevelt was aware of the friction between the two, and this observation confirmed it once again.

"How likely is it that China will launch a direct offensive against the American West Coast?" Roosevelt asked.

MacArthur immediately replied, "It is entirely possible that China will conduct a feint in California to draw away our forces..."

As a military man, MacArthur viewed the problem from a purely tactical perspective. If China's main direction of attack was Canada, they would need to tie down American forces elsewhere even more. MacArthur even believed China might use an invasion of Canada as a ruse to draw the main American forces toward the Northwest, thereby making a direct strike on the American mainland easier.

These judgments were reasonable. Although MacArthur could only analyze using his military intuition and couldn't be entirely certain, the Chinese General Staff had, in fact, simulated all the operational plans MacArthur mentioned. Specifically, the plan to strike the Western United States after diverting the U.S. military was one of the three main scenarios for this campaign.

Roosevelt listened quietly, feeling a sense of deep regret. This was the bitter fruit of insufficient naval power; the Chinese Navy could come and go as it pleased, choosing any location favorable for a landing operation.

The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, had clearly stated his intention to lead the U.S. Navy in a decisive battle against the Chinese Navy off the West Coast. Roosevelt did not relax because of such a passionate view; he separately consulted Chester W. Nimitz and other senior naval officers. These admirals all believed that if the U.S. Navy were to sortie now, it would inevitably pay a horrific price.

After MacArthur finished speaking, Roosevelt asked Eisenhower for his view. Eisenhower replied, "Mr. President, I believe China will still commit its main forces to Canada. British defenses in that region are weak, and at this stage, China's primary desire is to strike our Navy."

Roosevelt found himself agreeing with this view. Nimitz and other naval officers held the same opinion. The U.S. military had absorbed the lessons of the Pacific War and had conducted extensive training and preparations in sea-air coordination. The Chinese military could not possibly be unaware of this.

Therefore, fighting in the Canadian region was most advantageous for the Chinese military. First, the United States had no repair facilities in the Northwest; ship maintenance could only be performed in California ports.

Currently, the Chinese submarine force held underwater superiority. The U.S. Navy would have to break through layers of Chinese submarine-controlled zones to reach Canada. If a ship were damaged, it would have to return from the Northwest to California for repairs. This back-and-forth would be extremely detrimental to the United States.

If China attacked California first and succeeded, they could naturally cut off the U.S. Navy's opportunity to sail north and assist Canada. However, this would force the Chinese Navy to "gnaw on a hard bone." If they couldn't break it, their plan to invade Canada would have to be delayed.

While Roosevelt internally favored the view of Eisenhower—the Army Chief of Operations and the Operations Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—he still looked toward MacArthur.

MacArthur was not persuaded by Eisenhower at all. He explained decisively, "Mr. President, if China prioritizes attacking our territory, they can similarly draw our Navy into a decisive battle. If they attack Canada first, they can indeed use submarines to intercept part of our fleet, but a significant number of our ships could still reach Canada to engage them. This would not be advantageous for China."

Roosevelt then asked, "But you previously believed China would make Canada their main direction."

Seeing Roosevelt bring this up, MacArthur felt disappointed. Using the little patience he had left, he explained to Roosevelt: "Heavily damaging our Navy so that it cannot appear off the West Coast is China's highest priority."

At this point, Roosevelt realized that MacArthur and Eisenhower's views were actually consistent; the only difference was *how* China intended to deal that heavy blow to the U.S. Navy. Although Roosevelt still leaned toward Eisenhower's view, MacArthur was the Army Chief of Staff. Since Roosevelt had no intention of removing MacArthur, he simply ordered the Army to begin preparations.

At 11:12 AM Panama time on May 10th, a U.S. convoy that had just passed through the Panama Canal was less than 20 nautical miles away when a nervous observer shouted into his microphone, "Torpedoes!"

Beneath the surface of the sea, three gray objects were seen moving rapidly toward the ships. When they reached a position about 200 meters away, the three objects suddenly leaped out of the water, sending up sprays of foam. The observer breathed a sigh of relief; they were three playful dolphins, not torpedoes.

"Report to base: three dolphins, not torpedoes," the observer quickly corrected his report to the bridge.

In the bridge, there had been a moment of panic. The "attack" had come so suddenly that there was no way to evade. Just as the captain and others fell into despair, they heard it was only dolphins. Amidst the relief, someone began cursing profanely. The captain steadied himself, walked to the weapons locker, took out a key, unlocked it, and pulled out a rifle.

The first mate and others were startled. Someone immediately blocked the door, fearing the enraged captain would go out and kill the observer.

The captain pushed the mate aside and barked, "I'm going to shoot those dolphins. As long as they're around, we'll eventually be scared to death."

Hearing he intended to kill the dolphins, the mate felt some pity. Dolphins were smart and often liked to lead or accompany ships. Sailors generally didn't like to harm such beautiful animals. But on second thought, the mate stepped away from the door.

Dolphins were indeed intelligent; as long as someone on a ship attacked them, they would never approach that vessel again. The captain was right—if dolphins kept approaching like that, who knew when they would be scared to death by those things.

The captain walked to the bow and began scanning the water. He couldn't see them on the port side, so he ran to the starboard. Sure enough, three dolphins were ahead and to the right, diving and leaping, swimming happily.

As a man of the sea, the captain stood firm on the slightly swaying deck. He raised the rifle, aimed for a moment, then lowered it to bolt a round into the chamber. As he aimed again, the dolphins seemed to sense danger; they dove deep and vanished from sight.

The captain kept aiming, fearing the playful creatures were up to some trick. Under the blowing sea breeze, the skin on the back of the captain's neck felt a series of chills. Amidst the sound of the wind, there were strange noises that grew louder and louder. The captain lowered his rifle and looked up to see black dots in the distance rapidly expanding. It was a speed he had never seen in anti-aircraft drills—it was far too fast.

The Chinese J-12 fighter was a carrier-based jet, its appearance very similar to the American F-4 Phantom. He Rui was a man who respected science and was also quite lazy. Since the United States had eventually chosen the Phantom as its carrier-based aircraft, it must have undergone various tests and balanced choices. He Rui simply borrowed the design.

The J-12s, each carrying two 250kg bombs, lunged at the American convoy at subsonic speeds. Their speed was so great that the radar observer on the escorting U.S. destroyer let out a piercing scream.

Hearing the chubby technician scream like a woman, the radar officer glared at him in disgust. He looked at the screen himself and saw light dots moving at an unprecedented high speed. The officer, possessing more "manly" composure, cursed "Fuck!" and rushed out of the command room, wanting to see the enemy aircraft with his own eyes.

Although the American fire-control radars had a high rotation speed, the radar targets were moving too fast for them to keep up. The radar officer simply gave up the useless effort, wanting only to see what was happening with his naked eyes.

However, the sky outside was already marked by the trails of bullets. Not all anti-aircraft fire commanders were so rational; seeing the Chinese fighters lunging at them at such incredible speeds, most anti-aircraft commanders ordered their men to open fire.

Amidst the rising smoke, a massive flame erupted from a 10,000-ton American freighter with a thunderous boom. Another explosion followed as another freighter was hit.

The radar officer had to run back to the command room. This time, he saw on the radar screen that those green dots continued to move rapidly, showing no intention of stopping.

In less than ten minutes, five 10,000-ton freighters in the convoy had been sunk, and four more were damaged. The Chinese Air Force fighters were completely unharmed and quickly left the battlefield after completing their objective.

Although this attack caused losses to the U.S. military, the damage was not catastrophic. Because the United States had a railroad network of over 200,000 kilometers, rail transport could still guarantee basic supplies for the front. With American shipyards working at full capacity, the loss of over 50,000 tons of shipping was nothing compared to the losses suffered earlier in the Pacific War.

But this was the first time China had begun attacking U.S. ships near Panama. Out of necessity, the U.S. military had to send a fleet south to provide more escort.

It was over 4,000 kilometers from San Francisco to Panama. The U.S. military had always expected Chinese submarine attacks but hadn't expected China to use fighters this time. Judging by the flight speed, they were jet fighters.

This matter caused an uproar in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. MacArthur, with a dark expression, asked Admiral Kimmel, "Do you have a contingency plan?"

Although his face was grim, MacArthur did not explode in anger. He knew this matter was no longer the Navy's responsibility. Since developing jet fighters, the United States had been trying every means to develop carrier-based jet engines. The R&D departments had done their best, and the Navy had been pushing them.

Since under the American system, R&D was a matter for corporations and research institutes, the Chief of Naval Operations could not be held responsible for this.

Admiral Kimmel, though surprised, did not panic. The Navy had already discussed this possibility and reached a basic judgment: once China possessed carrier-based jet fighters, the U.S. Navy would have no way to counter them. The speed of jet fighters far exceeded that of propeller-driven aircraft; a battle between the two was not in the same league. Forcing propeller planes to fight jets was like a lightweight boxer challenging a heavyweight.

Looking at MacArthur's expression, Admiral Kimmel felt a surge of satisfaction. He spoke his mind bluntly: "It seems China wants to engage our forces in the Panama region."

MacArthur did not pay attention to Kimmel's tone; he was considering the odds of victory in the war. If the U.S. Navy came to the Panama region for a massive carrier battle with the Chinese Navy, it would mean the advantage of American land-based aviation would vanish. The U.S. Navy might suffer a catastrophic defeat.

If the U.S. Navy did not fight a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy in Panama, the Chinese Navy could cut off traffic through the Panama Canal, isolating the U.S. fleet that had already reached the West Coast. America's main shipbuilding centers were on the East Coast in the Atlantic; the U.S. fleet on the West Coast would be unable to receive proper maintenance.

In other words, the U.S. military seemingly had no choice but to accept China's invitation to battle.

Admiral Kimmel looked at MacArthur's contemplative state and couldn't help but say in as calm a tone as possible, "Our airfields in Panama are not sufficient to support the war. If we don't fight, China can completely block the Panama Canal temporarily. General MacArthur, must we enter Mexico and force the Mexicans to join the war?"

Even though Kimmel's words contained a fair amount of mockery, MacArthur didn't get angry. Kimmel was right—if the United States wanted to fully utilize Mexican airbases, it would have to get Mexico to join the Allies and declare war on China. At the same time, it would have to invite the U.S. Air Force to move into Mexico.

Given the relationship between Mexico and the United States, MacArthur didn't believe Mexico would join a war against China for America's sake. As long as China guaranteed it wouldn't invade Mexico, the most likely choice for the Mexicans was to watch the show.

If soft tactics didn't work, the U.S. would have to use force. But Mexico was a large country; even if the U.S. attacked with full force, it would take several months to conquer it. With the Chinese already striking at the edge of North America, the U.S. certainly couldn't afford such a war.

Even if the U.S. really used force and actively invaded Mexico, the Mexicans, with nowhere else to turn, would likely invite China to enter Mexico to fight the U.S. military. They might even join the Chinese camp directly.

In that case, the Chinese military could directly attack the Southern United States. The U.S. would fall into a completely disadvantageous position.

After sorting through the various possibilities, MacArthur confirmed once again that the U.S. military might only have the option of a decisive battle with China in the waters west of Panama to thoroughly crush the Chinese Navy. But if they did so, China could successfully land in Canada; the "luring the tiger from the mountain" tactic would still be achieved.

MacArthur finally spoke, discussing the possibility of a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy. The U.S. Navy General Staff had already formulated plans in this area, so Admiral Kimmel replied: "We have plans for engaging Chinese propeller aircraft, but we have no plans for engaging jet fighters..."

On the night of May 10th, Roosevelt heard the report from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Oval Office. Seeing the pain on the faces of the cabinet members present, his resolve finally wavered. Just as Admiral Kimmel introduced the plan for a decisive battle, Secretary of State Hull pushed open the door. He walked quickly to Roosevelt's side and whispered, "Mr. President, the Chinese have sent a message through our previous channels. They hope to conduct effective negotiations."

Roosevelt's arm jerked, knocking over his teacup. The tea immediately spilled out, and for a moment, the Oval Office was filled with the aroma of tea.

Casting a glance at the somewhat excited Hull, Roosevelt suppressed his impulse. He had Hull sit down nearby and continued listening to Kimmel's presentation.

The U.S. Navy's plan was not complex: it was a decisive battle with the Chinese carrier task force in the waters west of Panama. Currently, the number of American aircraft carriers had recovered to 27, all imitating the design of Chinese carriers with through-decks and angled flight decks. Their displacement was between 36,000 and 40,000 tons, capable of carrying 90 aircraft of various types.

In terms of numbers alone, the U.S. carrier force was fully capable of fighting a battle to the death with the Chinese carrier task force. Furthermore, the U.S. had the advantage of being close to its own bases; Panama, now under complete U.S. control, was also an excellent supply point. American troops could also rotate to Panama for rest. Once in the Caribbean, they could quickly reach Florida, which was an even better place for refitting.

Despite the generational gap in fighters, Roosevelt still felt they might be able to hold their own against China. However, the subsequent statement by the Air Force Chief of Staff put Roosevelt under great pressure. "Mr. President, based on extensive simulations, the Air Force has determined that as long as the number of propeller fighters in an air battle does not exceed the number of jet fighters by at least four to one, the chances of victory for propeller plane formations will drop significantly. Especially without the cover of anti-aircraft fire, losses will be exceptionally high..."

If a decisive battle between jets and propeller planes were to take place, both sides would fly 200 kilometers, during which there could be no anti-aircraft support. Roosevelt still possessed this basic knowledge.

After the briefing, Roosevelt ordered the U.S. military to prepare for battle. After the others left, he asked Secretary Hull, "What are the Chinese requirements?"

Roosevelt did not believe He Rui was so weak that he would truly negotiate with the United States. Since they proposed negotiations, they must be demanding massive concessions from the U.S.

Sure enough, Hull replied, "Mr. President, the Chinese require the negotiations to be completed within seven days."

Roosevelt, who already felt this was a threat, asked, "Where is the location for the negotiations?"

"...In Panama," Hull replied.

This location showed some sincerity, but Roosevelt thought for a long time before finally answering, "Refuse them!"

Hull did not voice opposition, but his expression grew somber. In his view, this was the closest opportunity they had had to resolve the Sino-American war. Of course, to reach an agreement, the United States would inevitably have to pay a massive price. At the very least, the Roosevelt administration would completely collapse.

"Very well, Mr. President," Hull finally replied.

Roosevelt said nothing more. He knew he had rejected peace, but he had no other choice. Because even if he had agreed, Congress would never pass it. Since either path would lead to ruin, Roosevelt could only consider seeking opportunities through changes in the war.

If China suffered a catastrophic defeat, Roosevelt would surely seize the opportunity to negotiate.