"This is an unprecedented supreme honor!"
Colonel Phillips seemed even more excited than Luke himself. His old face beamed with joy, filled with pride and satisfaction.
At the age of twenty, he had entered the ranks of generals!
What an astonishing rate of promotion!
Not only would Luke be recorded in history as a War Hero, he might also bear the title of "the youngest general in American history."
"You've given me, and everyone else, an unexpected surprise!"
Colonel Phillips said with emotion.
Generally speaking, becoming a general at thirty was already considered young and promising, with a boundless future ahead.
Famous American commanders in history, such as Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower, had only reached that position in their forties.
The former was regarded as a legend of his generation.
After retiring, the latter became president and successfully entered the White House.
One could well imagine just how bright the future was for Luke, now a brigadier general!
Many people regarded Luke as a rising military star.
Of course, some believed that the so-called "Superman" was merely a second Captain America, a new military mascot.
"Allied Command actually agreed to it?"
Luke looked equally surprised.
If not for the fact that they were in the midst of war and desperately needed a star figure, and that his accomplishments were beyond dispute, this would absolutely have been considered the greatest scandal in military history!
The Allied Nations had held fierce discussions over the matter, but in the end, they could not overcome the Italian Kingdom Government's firm stance!
After all, this concerned a nation's reputation!
When people spoke of this matter in the future, the first thing they would remember would be how incompetent the Italian army had been, allowing a mere Allied captain to lead a team and capture heavily garrisoned Rome!
To salvage what little reputation it had left, the Italian Kingdom Government had even shamelessly declared that if the Allied Nations did not give the War Hero a reasonable reward, they would unilaterally grant Luke Cahill the rank of Army General!
The two sides continued wrangling and arguing. Faced with Italy's vehement demands and shameless attitude, Allied Command could only grit its teeth and acknowledge Luke's achievements.
They promoted a soldier who was only twenty years old and had enlisted less than two months ago to brigadier general.
The Allied Nations' compromise finally brought this behind-the-scenes storm to an end.
"Actually, the people of Italy still aren't satisfied. Their greed knows no bounds—they even wanted you to sit directly on a marshal's throne. They think that would give them more face."
Colonel Phillips spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a trace of mockery.
To save Italy's face, promoting someone under twenty to five-star general and Army Marshal would have been utterly ridiculous!
They were the side that had surrendered, not the victors!
"It gets lonely at the top, Colonel. Please thank The President for his kindness."
Luke did not say much more. What he had gained this time was already an unexpected delight.
Without a solid foundation or sufficient seniority, sitting in an even higher position would be meaningless.
"I'll hand Mussolini over to Italy. As for the credit for capturing Rome and occupying Sicily, give it to Dwight Eisenhower. I remember he's the highest commander of the Allied forces in Europe. It'll also be a way to build goodwill."
Luke spoke in an orderly manner, clearly not having been carried away by the sudden honor.
Colonel Phillips nodded approvingly. Eisenhower's prestige within the military was currently at its peak.
In particular, he had led one hundred thousand British and American troops, divided them into three forces, and landed in the colonies belonging to France in North Africa.
Under the cover of overwhelming air power, they captured Algiers, Oran, and Casablanca in Morocco.
They then advanced westward, forming an east-west pincer against the German-Italian forces retreating into Tunisia.
Eisenhower's command had left the German and Italian armies trapped in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. In the end, all two hundred and fifty thousand troops surrendered, making it an astonishing victory.
This massive victory eased the setbacks the Allied forces had suffered on the Eastern European battlefield and once again placed the Axis Powers at a disadvantage.
"General Dwight will remember your goodwill. In fact, he admires you as well."
Colonel Phillips could not help admiring Luke's foresight.
What he lacked now was a foundation and support behind him.
And Eisenhower, whose prestige was growing by the day, was undoubtedly an ideal ally.
Luke smiled faintly. He remembered that in the original history, it had been Eisenhower who launched the attack on Sicily.
Not long afterward, the Allied forces awarded him the honorary rank of five-star general!
Later, Eisenhower even ran for president and served two terms. He could truly be called an outstanding military commander and statesman.
After finishing his conversation with Colonel Phillips, Luke went alone to the terrace of Venice Palace.
The cool night breeze swept past. Stars dotted the night sky, while the silver glow of the bright moon spilled across the earth.
"Why are you hiding out here alone?"
Carter, dressed in a red evening gown that accentuated her graceful figure, approached Luke as he stood lost in thought.
"It's a little too noisy inside. I wanted some peace and quiet. Besides, I don't want anyone forcing more drinks on me."
Luke leaned against the terrace railing and smiled.
Under the clamorous night sky, the man and woman began to chat.
"Miss Carter, do you know what Steve is doing now?"
Luke thought of Captain America. At this time, Steve should still have been promoting war bonds onstage and traveling around on performance tours.
"He's making movies and doing shows with Senator. He even has his own comic book now. Rogers is much more popular than you!"
Carter laughed softly.
She seemed to recall Caspian Training Camp, where Luke and Rogers had been the closest.
Later, the two had both become Super Soldiers, but their endings had been completely different.
"In about three days, the Howling Commandos and I will set out for New York. When the time comes, I'll recommend to the military that Steve be transferred to my side."
Luke spoke as though to himself.
He had already gained a certain degree of influence. He was no longer a third-class private anyone could order around.
The committee's politicians were not qualified to command him!
"He'll be very grateful to you."
Carter crossed her arms, then abruptly changed the subject. "Those Italian ladies were looking at you with quite a bit of enthusiasm, as though they wanted to eat you as dessert after dinner."
Luke had been the center of attention at the banquet. She kept hearing women discussing how they could turn the War Hero who had liberated Italy into their personal guest of honor.
"I understand that very well. Earlier, a beautiful young lady stopped me in the corridor and said she wanted to thank me for liberating Italy and defeating the dictator... Then she insisted on inviting me to visit her room."
"Looks like you didn't go to her room. Do you regret it a little?"
Carter's brows drew together, and her attitude turned cold.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not connect the somewhat frivolous young man before her with the legendary hero of the Allied Nations.
"Of course. Any man who turned down that kind of invitation would inevitably feel some regret."
Luke answered frankly.
"Miss Carter, don't look at me with such contempt. Even a War Hero wouldn't dislike a beautiful girl throwing herself into his arms. That's only human nature. You should admire my honesty rather than treat me like some lecher."
"Brigadier General Cahill, you're even better at sophistry than those politicians on the committee."
The female agent in the dazzling red dress said mockingly.
"It's the art of language, Miss Carter. Many friends have suggested that someone as eloquent as me should write a book after the war, titled—'From Third-Class Private to General in Only Two Months.' Note: America's youngest general uses his personal experience to teach you how to reach the pinnacle of life! What do you think?"
Luke acted like an exaggerated playboy, showing none of the steadiness he had displayed during the day, making Carter feel increasingly disgusted.
"All right, chatting time is over. I need to go visit... Miss Isa's room. Have a pleasant evening, Miss Carter."
Seeing the atmosphere grow stiff, Luke smiled faintly.
Holding his glass of champagne, he turned and left.
Behind him, Carter looked furious. A woman's intuition told her that this was not Luke's true face.
But why was he acting like this?
P.S. Thanks to Shiqu-Duwu for the 500-point donation, Huangyue Ershi for the 500-point donation, Wang de Gao'ao A for the 300-point donation, and Chunqiu Lunhui Dushengsi for the 100-point donation. Love you all~
P.S. 2: Dear readers, regular feeding helps the author grow ()
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