Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 220



Only Krnovel

Episode 220 – Two Finger Salute

One of the new pieces of information I got from President Han Kyu-dong was about a Russian land bordering the same sea as Poland.

It was about Poland’s military policy toward Kaliningrad, a remote enclave bordering the Baltic Sea and Lithuania and Poland, but separated from mainland Russia.

After World War II, the city was filled with Russian immigrants after the Soviet Union expelled the Germans, and it was a secret city and a warm-water port held by Russia.

He said the military threat there prompted Poland to acquire South Korean submarines.

“Mr. Han, can we allow Poland to send troops beyond its own territory?”

“Well… Poland is actively working to strengthen its national defense capabilities, but given the current situation and military policy, I think it will be difficult.”

“What is the biggest reason why you think so?”

“Poland was once a great power in the Middle Ages, but as you know, it has had many ups and downs, including being occupied by Germany and Russia in modern times.”

“Yes. Russia twice…”

“Each time, Western countries claimed to be allies, but when they judged that the danger in Europe had passed, they often turned their backs on Poland.”

“I can’t believe it.”

A reinforcement of ground forces was desperately needed to bring an early end to the war in Ukraine.

Poland was the most powerful country both geographically and militarily, but it did not seem like it would be easy either.

“Poland will not move easily unless there is a direct threat, such as a complete occupation by Russia of a bordering country like Ukraine or Lithuania.”

“I guess so···.”

“If you look at the various defense weapons they have imported and their deployment status, you can say that they are quite defensive.”

“The US and NATO are increasingly pulling out of Ukraine. In the end, Poland will have to shoulder the burden, and that’s just…”

“It’s not that Polish political and military officials aren’t aware of that either.”

“But why?”

“The Polish national sentiment is that ‘we are busy just trying to survive.’”

“I understand, but… we need to look to the future and convince the people….”

“Don’t you know, Mr. Representative? Political attributes… No matter how high the future value is, if it doesn’t match the votes, it will be discarded.”

“Well, it’s the same in our country too… We can’t blame Poland.”

“Sir! Do you know the Polish two-finger salute?”

“I know, it comes from a soldier who lost three fingers after being hit by cannon shrapnel and fought until the end, and saluted with the two fingers he had left.”

“Yes, if you look behind the scenes at that battle, you’ll understand the sentiment a little better.”

“…?”

“At the end of the 18th century, three countries—Russia, Austria, and Prussia, that is, Germany—carved up Polish territory.”

“But then in the 20th century, Germany and the Soviet Union invaded, and in the 21st century, Russia invaded…”

“Yes. The Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, one of the battles of independence that began in 1830 as a result of the Warsaw Uprising, is the battle where the two-finger salute began.”

“In the end, what you’re saying is that the sentiment that no country can be trusted is stronger than you can imagine.”

“Yes. If you want to persuade Poland, you have to create public opinion in Poland that the Ukrainian front is a direct threat to their country. Then the government will be able to choose to send troops.”

“Thank you. Now that I think about it, it seems like CEO Han is also very knowledgeable about warriors and world history.”

“If you want to sell submarines and warships overseas, you can’t have a conversation without understanding that country’s war history and sentiments. Haha.”

“What the CEO said was a great help. I think I can get some sense of things.”

“Since I met you, sir, I have been working with pride to help maintain world order. Whatever you ask, I will help you wholeheartedly.”

“When you say that, I feel much more at ease about bringing up the next story.”

“Huh? Haha. What are you going to surprise me with this time…?”

And then I brought up the story I had told Director Kim Wan-jun about the floating city and offshore fortress that was over 3.5 km long.

“The reason the representative asked about the block method last time was because of this···.”

“Yes. The only person I can rely on is CEO Han. Haha.”

“I thought the CEO hadn’t surprised me in a while…”

President Han Gyu-dong couldn’t hide his surprise when he heard my story about building a sea fortress where large aircraft could land without any assistance.

“Sir! This is a project that really looks like something out of a science fiction movie.”

“It’s not technically impossible, is it?”

“Um… I think it would be good to use this analogy.”

“???”

“It is technically possible to scoop out all the water in a swimming pool with a bucket. The Great Wall of China was also built with a handful of dirt, a single mud brick. It is just hard, difficult, and tiring.”

“Then, if several people divide the buckets into several buckets, it will work, right? The Great Wall of China was made by humans, so how could they make a ship that is only a few kilometers long?”

“Well, that’s true.”

President Han Gyu-dong looked at me again with wide eyes.

“Oh, you are the CEO. How can you talk about such outrageous things so naturally?”

“The first time you do something, you have to take it lightly in order to endure it. Haha.”

“Ah, thinking back, the tension of the CEO has always been the same, from when he first came to me to say he would build a submarine to now.”

“…”

“But strangely enough, the representative’s attitude can help others relax and gain confidence.”

“You mean you can do it, Mr. Han?”

“Yes, yes. I don’t know about other people, but if it’s the CEO’s decision, then I can do it.”

“Okay. Then let’s get into the specifics. First, my thoughts are….”

“…?”

“We will build two or three power hulls first, commission them, then build the deck hulls and assemble them one by one at sea.”

“Yes. That is the only alternative at the moment. It is not something that can be built on a scale that can wait until it is built. I think it will probably be a form of building a ship on a ship.”

“Oh! ‘Building a boat on a boat.’ That’s great.”

“First, we build the power hull and then launch it. Then, we build the deck hull, which is like a hollow, empty barge.”

“…”

“If we can come up with a way to connect each hull on the sea, we can continue to work on the hull interior while operating it, and have the deck hull for expansion built at the shipyard and towed over.”

“Oh my, that’s a great idea.”

“No matter how much I think about it, it seems like this is the only way.”

“So, is there any way to make the process faster?”

“I think it would be possible to speed up the construction by first completing a high-quality design, finalizing the hull specifications, and then placing separate orders to shipyards around the world to manufacture the ship.”

“Then, if it takes time to make one or two ships, I can at least take a look.”

“Haha. It’ll take longer than that. It’ll take months just to build the standard hull and tow it over.”

“…”

“And, except for the power hull, it is only large in size and has no technical difficulties, so it can be completed quickly in proportion to the resources and capital supplied.”

“How many shipyards would do that kind of work?”

President Han Kyu-dong was listing shipyards that could place orders for block hulls for the maritime fortress, one by one.

“The first places that come to mind are Okpo Shipyard, Kiribati Shipyard, Samsung Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries… China is difficult, but Norway, the Netherlands, etc. There are more than you might think. But….”

“however?”

“A huge amount of steel will be required, but securing the materials will likely be a problem. The recent war has made it difficult to secure steel.”

I showed President Han Kyu-dong a photo of OP3 Island taken from the sky of Kiribati.

“What is this?”

“This is a photo of OP3 where the Kiribati steel mill is located.”

“Then this entire black mountain is ··· ?”

“Yes. It’s all iron ore. The iron ore produced in Ukraine is exclusively imported by OSL, and we have also decided to bring in all the goods that were going from Australia to China.”

“Haa~ So the CEO had planned it all out in advance.”

“It’s something I’ve been imagining since the time I built the submarine. I didn’t reveal it because I didn’t have the ability back then.”

“Really···.”

“?”

“I feel fortunate that there are people like you with good intentions.”

“I am not a good person. I just choose values ​​that will be maintained over a long period of time logically.”

“ah ······.”

“And I don’t know if this is possible. After the hull is somewhat completed. Could you build a nuclear power plant on the ship?”

“Of course, the power source must be nuclear propulsion.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying it’s possible to build a normal nuclear power plant on a ship.”

“Why would you go that far when you have nuclear reactor technology?”

“I wonder if it would be possible to enrich nuclear materials right on the ship.”

“It is possible, but it seems quite inefficient. And if it is a nuclear power plant rather than a nuclear reactor, this space may not be enough.”

“Okay, let’s think about this slowly.”

“Yes. Then let’s start with the design first. Once the draft is ready, I’ll send it to you and get your confirmation. Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“I want to make a ship that can last for 100 or 200 years. I want it to have a structure and facilities that can be overhauled while in operation.”

“Yes, I understand. Just imagining it makes my heart swell. This is a challenge worthy of being recorded in world history. A moving city…”

“First of all, I hope that a regular airplane can be built quickly enough to land on this plane.”

“Yes. We will start designing right away.”

The conversation with President Han Gyu-dong was coming to an end. I didn’t even know that Director Kim Jun-myeong was present.

Director Kim Jun-myeong was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Director Kim!”

“Oh, oh, yes.”

“Sir, where is our next destination?”

“You must go to Kaesong for the ESSO defense industry consultation.”

As soon as Director Kim Jun-myeong finished speaking, President Han Gyu-dong continued speaking while gesturing to me as if to grab me.

“Excuse me, sir!”

…