Chapter 2997 Great Minds Think Alike
George Smith Patton Jr.
There are many historical comments about this person, but in Malashenko's previous life, most of them describe this person as "brave and brave", "capable of fighting tough battles", and foul-mouthed and bad-tempered, belonging to the "Zhuo County Butcher Fierce Zhang Fei" type of character in the US military.
But Malashenko still has reservations about whether this is actually the case.
This can only be concluded after consulting with "the person" who has already got off the car and is walking towards him.
Malashenko greeted Patton with a smile and maintained basic etiquette, and Patton, who was walking towards him, also walked over with a seemingly generous smile and a warm attitude.
However, this enthusiasm was not directed at Malashenko, but clearly towards Charles de Gaulle.
"General de Gaulle, nice to see you again! I have brought the best army boys of the United States of America to today's military parade. Their excellence will surely amaze you."
""
Malachenko didn't pay much attention to what de Gaulle said. Anyway, it was just the official and polite words of greeting, which was the same wherever he went.
It was that Patton, the old guy, greeted de Gaulle first, seemingly following the procedure, and completely left himself aside, which made Malachenko smell something different.
This is not to say that our old comrade Ma is petty, caring about such a small matter and details, and being dissatisfied with others for not giving him face.
Rather, Malachenko combined his existing understanding of Patton with the old guy's historical behavior and political inclinations, and this set of words and deeds had a more or less different taste, didn't it?
Moreover, what happened next was indeed as expected as Malachenko thought.
"I'm sorry I don't speak Russian, I can only talk to you in English, General Malashenko."
There was no polite military salute, no smiling greeting, he just came up with this "fair and just" stern face, and told Malashenko about his "inconvenience".
Is it really "inconvenience"?
I'm afraid not.
You didn't even bring a translator, knowing that you can't speak Russian and still "sorry" here, you tell me this is what you should do when you attend an important meeting with foreign troops? So you don't know that there are Red Army soldiers at today's military parade, right? Let's see how many people with brains will believe it.
But it doesn't matter, because just looking at Patton's expression and posture, Malashenko guessed that this guy probably didn't know that he could speak English, thought that he didn't understand what he just said, and was waiting to see the joke.
"It seems that you and Jack don't get along well. He didn't even tell you this basic information. So they are not the same kind of people?"
Malachenko thought to himself that he was right. It was a blessing in disguise, because Patton did not get along with Jack Morrison, who was very popular at the moment.
Of course, the dislike was caused by Patton, not Jack, who had no habit of taking the initiative to cause trouble.
The reason was very simple.
Patton looked down on Jack Morrison from the bottom of his heart. After returning from studying in the Soviet Union, he took advantage of his father-in-law and quickly "rose to prominence" like a rocket.
Why did Jack get the position of the commander of the 4th Armored Division and be promoted to major general with two stars so quickly? Was it just because he went to the Soviet Union for a few classes? Then who were the Russians?
He didn't look down on the Red Army's armored tactics, and thought that the battlefield on the Eastern Front was nothing special. He thought "I can do it, even better than the Russians."
Under such circumstances, it was even more unrealistic to expect Patton to get along with Jack.
Knowing that a certain hot-tempered second master didn't like him, Jack never took the initiative to provoke him except for routine work. The two highest military commanders of the US military stationed in Berlin kept their distance from each other and were like strangers.
Even Jack's visits with Malashenko were more frequent than those with Patton.
At least the master and apprentice had a meal and a banquet, but with Patton, there was nothing else except official meetings, and they didn't even go to the troops together.
As a matter of course, Patton, who didn't like his "student", directly projected his negative emotions onto Malashenko, the "teacher".
On the surface, it seems nothing, but it's only limited to the surface.
In fact, Patton really wanted to see Malashenko, a Russian who thought he was "overrated" and "more boastful than capable", suffer a setback due to his disdain for the Red Army and personal reasons.
So the opening remarks just now were just the first-hand skills at the beginning of the line. Patton, who was happy in his heart, was waiting to see how the Russian would be defeated next.
But like many Westerners who talked to Malashenko for the first time, as soon as Malashenko spoke in authentic English, Patton basically went into the "facial expression pause" state.
"What a coincidence, General Patton. I, Malashenko, have never learned anything and have little knowledge, but I still know a little English. It doesn't matter if you don't know Russian. I can talk to you in basic English. How about it?"
""
Son of the Beach!!!
You call this knowing a little English? You speak more fluently than the 70-year-old old lady next door to my house!
What do you call uneducated and ignorant? What does it mean? I, Barton, am worse than unlearned and ill-informed, so I have to let you, a Russian, downgrade yourself to speak English to me, right?
The understanding may be slightly different based on cultural differences, but that's exactly what it means.
Having established his power but failed, he was tricked by Malashenko. Patton showed displeasure but only for a fleeting moment, but he could still maintain his normalcy and blurted out the words with a twitch of his lips.
"That's really a thank you to you, General Malashenko."
"It's where it should be. After all, you will always use it as you learn it. There will always be times when the knowledge you learn comes in handy."
""
Barton really felt that Malashenko had almost turned "ignorant and unskilled" into a stamp, and he stamped it on the top of his forehead.
The preconceived stereotype of Malashenko that he already looked down on was further deepened.
He had already commented in his heart that "the master and the disciple have the same virtue". He subconsciously did not want to continue to get entangled in this issue that he had started, and was eager to get away. He used his hands to pretend to be mighty and supported Barton, who was holding his own armed belt. Then he suddenly spoke.
"I'm going to inspect my troops, so I'll excuse you, General de Gaulle."
""
Looking at the back of the angry Patton who turned away and gradually disappeared, Malashenko felt secretly happy that this old boy was really "interesting". If you have nothing to do, you can't stand it anymore, you just give up and leave, it's none of my business, it's really the style of the US military in the 21st century.
"It seems that our American friends are not very happy, General Malashenko. To be honest, this is the first time I have seen General Patton like this. I didn't expect that today's eye-opener will be more than just the military parade."
"Ah"
Malashenko smiled to himself, shook his head, and blurted out the words that followed.
"They Americans have always been like this, General de Gaulle. He loves the limelight and is the best in the world. He walks with his nostrils in the air. He recognizes nothing but fists and only knows fists. Once he encounters a situation where he cannot get off the stage, he just abandons his choice and leaves. When nothing happens, it’s as if the whole world’s memory is like a fish’s for only two seconds.”
"But what is the actual situation? It just means that white people understand it, and so do you and me."
"Believe me, there will be more and more such things in the future, and you and I will witness history together."
Many years later, when de Gaulle mentioned this situation today in his memoirs, he still couldn't help but be filled with emotion, and marked the key words of "visionary" in his memoirs.
Otherwise, how can we say that he is "the last real man in France"?
Just the ability to "tell the truth" has become a very rare skill in Europe after a few years.
Walking with de Gaulle on June 17th Street, Malashenko didn't care about what was there or what was not, what airs or face was said.
He took the initiative to give up the C seat in the middle of the group to de Gaulle, and he stayed with de Gaulle, looking like an entourage accompanying the inspection.
What is meant by "face and respect are earned by oneself, not given by others"? Looking at the sharp contrast between de Gaulle's current state and Patton Gang's, it is not difficult to understand thoroughly.
"Although I did not personally experience the Battle of Berlin, the scenes before me, as well as the scenes I saw when I first arrived in Berlin, made me deeply feel how fierce and difficult the war that took place here was. , and how hard-won and outstanding the Red Army’s victory was.”
"I can't help but want to ask, General Malashenko. Was the Battle of Stalingrad that happened in your homeland a while ago the same situation? I heard that you were also a witness to that battle."
"I have been to many places on the Western Front, including Normandy, Bastogne, and Lorraine, but none of these places can compare with what I saw with my own eyes in Berlin. I mean the traces of battle and the tragedy. degree."
"As far as I know, battles like this happened more than once and many times in your motherland and on the road of your Red Army to Berlin. I can't imagine what huge sacrifices the Red Army made to defeat these Nazis. The devil was completely sent to hell.”
“I think no matter what happens to us in the future, the great contribution you and your comrades and your motherland made to the victory of the anti-fascist war should not be forgotten, and even more so. Worth remembering and respecting.”
""
Not to mention that he admired de Gaulle, but Malashenko really felt that his vision and structure were obviously very different from the person just now.
Thinking of this, Malashenko, who has walked with de Gaulle and has reached the Brandenburg Gate, can't help but look back and look at the victory that is still floating on the top of the Capitol today, but it is no longer the original but a backup. Flag, a feeling of "the heroes see the same thing" couldn't help but surge into my heart.
"I always believe in one thing, General de Gaulle. That is that we humans are a species on this planet. Although our civilization process and history have come and gone, sometimes setbacks and even stagnation, I always firmly believe that we humans have a common destiny. Destined, just like this anti-fascist war.”
"Only when we put aside our barriers and work together for the same goal, can the destiny of mankind as a species become more positive and develop in a more promising direction."
"One day, I hope that all of us humans can welcome the future as a common collective. We can look back on history together, remember the past together, and remember the past and lessons we should remember together."
"It may take a long time for this day to come, but we are already on the road, and we will continue on the road and keep going. When we really reach the other side and look back on the past, we will find that all the difficulties and obstacles we have gone through in the past are worth it, because then mankind will be able to truly be great as a species and in the name of the collective, and our journey will be the sea of stars above this sky!"
""
Following Malashenko's line of sight to the sky, he stopped and stared, and the words that had not dissipated for a long time echoed in his ears, and he savored them repeatedly.
After a long time, or perhaps not long, more than ten seconds, Charles de Gaulle, who had his own understanding of Malashenko's words, couldn't help but sigh and speak.
"What a romantic and great ideal, just like some things that happened in my motherland."
"Today I respect your ideals and beliefs, and I believe that I will continue to remember and respect them in the future."
"After going through so much, you can still be so optimistic, so yearning for beauty and positive, General Malashenko, your enthusiasm really inspired me. Just like you, I also firmly believe that my motherland will usher in a better tomorrow. I hope we can all work hard for a better future."
According to the prior communication and consultation of the participating parties, the parade commander who reviews the troops by car should be the highest-ranking person among the representatives of the four countries participating in this joint military parade.
In the existing history, the person who held this position was Zhukov, and the representatives of the United Kingdom, the United States and France who came to participate in the parade were one level lower than Zhukov.
After the timeline changed, the situation also changed.
As the highest-ranking person among the four representatives present, Charles de Gaulle should be the one who reviews the troops by car.
But de Gaulle, who had the right pattern, not only took on the task, but also invited Zhukov to ride with him to review the troops.
According to de Gaulle's own statement on the spot, this was out of due respect for the Red Army's liberation of the city of Berlin, and the people who reviewed the joint forces by car should have representatives of the Red Army present.
Although it was a temporary change without prior communication, Zhukov finally accepted this kind invitation with a smile.
After all, the reasons given by de Gaulle were appropriate and understandable, and even the June 17th Street where the military parade was held was under the jurisdiction of Malashenko's leadership army. Going back to the time when the artillery fire was flying, the IS7 heavy tanks of the leadership division were still running on this street, heading straight for the Reichstag to kill the generals.
Parading on the Red Army's territory and inviting Red Army representatives to review the troops, even if it was based on the military law of "the strong are respected", this was still reasonable.
As for what Patton, who already disliked Malashenko, thinks, let him think whatever he wants. You can't tie his brain and stop him from thinking, right?