Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 227



Only Krnovel

Episode 227 – hold and build

I toured the OSS Northern Army barracks with Lieutenant Cha Min-soo. It was amazing how neatly organized everything was.

“Commander, didn’t the soldiers suffer too much just because I came?”

“No. The Marshal has always said that, so I didn’t give any support. I thought the soldiers would panic if I told them in advance, so I only informed them of the Marshal’s visit yesterday.”

“Oh~ So this is your usual appearance?”

“That’s right. It looks like you’ve been cleaning since I told you yesterday that the enemy was coming.”

“It’s amazing. Just by looking at the barracks, you can feel that the military discipline is strict and the morale is high.”

“That’s right. Thanks to the Marshal’s grace and great leadership, the soldiers’ pride is incomparably higher than when they were in the Republic.”

“I appreciate it. It must be thanks to your efforts, Commander. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Have you ever done joint training with our 1st Armored Division?”

“Yes. It was truly amazing. Thanks to you, the morale of our Northern Army has also been boosted.”

“is it so?”

“I felt really relieved when the sturdy armored forces stood in front of me! What else could an infantryman welcome more than friendly tanks and fighter planes on the battlefield?”

“…”

“But I couldn’t express in words the joy I felt when I was assigned to the most advanced armored force here in Hainan Province.”

“Thank goodness. Here in Hainan Province, we can only trust in CEO Cha Min-soo.”

“Thank you for trusting me. I will be loyal to you.”

…

After finishing the schedule in Hainan Province, we headed to Yunnan Province. It was the last trip around the South China Sea. The ARK headed to Haiphong, Vietnam.

He surfaced the submarine near Haiphong, Vietnam, and transferred to an MV-280 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, then headed to the Wonsan Air Base in Yunnan Province with an escort squadron.

Wonsan Air Base was originally a civilian airport, but after the occupation of Yunnan Province, it also served as an OSS air base.

Upon landing at Wonsan Air Base and disembarking from the MV-280, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Yuanmin was there to greet us, and domestic and foreign media outlets were also on hand to cover the scene.

Although he originally disliked being interviewed by the press, he allowed them to do so in order to give political significance to the visit of the head of the OSS to occupied mainland China.

There was also an official review ceremony of the OSS Yunnan Army and Yunnan Federal Army.

Although it was an event intended to show off, there was also a great desire to comfort those serving in the military who were suffering from the pain of their country being torn apart.

After the inspection, it was announced that all soldiers of the OSS Yunnan and Federal forces would be granted special bonuses and special leave.

In fact, there were many opinions opposing giving additional vacation to all soldiers. However, judging that if not now, there would be no other opportunity, it was decided to give vacations sequentially.

I wanted to give them a realistic belief in ourselves rather than the vain idea of ​​a homeland.

…

Chief Lee of the Information Department contacted me to say that the intelligence report was ready.

“Sir, I would like to ask you to report on the United States first.”

“Okay. First, I will report on the situation in the United States and the Middle East.”

“Yes. It’s strangely quiet.”

“Yes. The US is in a situation where it has no choice but to be quiet. The US and Iran are in a strategically tense situation where they cannot launch a preemptive strike against each other.”

“…”

“The United States, too, seems cautious about hastily entering deep into Iranian territory now that it has control of the Strait of Hormuz. It may even have given up.”

“So, can we say that strategically, the United States has achieved half success?”

“Half seems like too generous an assessment. The US did take control of the Strait of Hormuz, but…”

“Is that all?”

“Yes. You can see that it is a virtual failure to subdue Iran or to recover Israeli territory. In the process, America’s influence over Israel has also diminished.”

“Well… in that case, would the borders of Palestine be solidified as they are now?”

“It looks like that. I think it is correct to say that the current positions of Israel and Palestine have been reversed.”

“hmm ···.”

“While the US was dithering, a pro-Iran Palestinian state was fully established. Egypt was also ultimately forced to support the Palestinian state…”

“…”

“Israel and Palestine appear to be engaged in mutual terrorism in a ceasefire that is not a ceasefire.”

“Oh my~ There seems to be no way to do anything about that neighborhood.”

“I think it was a good thing we didn’t intervene.” “That’s right. I want to help Palestine, but… the circumstances make it difficult to support either side.”

“I think this is the karma that the United States has always resorted to stopgap measures.”

“That’s big… I see. By the way, what about Russia?”

“Ah! It looks like Russia will start an operation to repair the Crimean Bridge in three or four days. Then they are preparing to advance into the Crimean Peninsula.”

“Well, is it true that Russia intends to occupy Crimea before southern Ukraine?”

“That is not accurate. I think it could be a deception tactic.”

It was not surprising that Russia’s intention to take Crimea could be a deception.

“Hmm~ So the Russian intention is to restore the Dnieper River defense line for hold and build?”

* Hold and build: A strategy to increase power while protecting secured front lines.

“That could be possible. If Ukrainian forces move to Crimea, there is a possibility that they will launch a major offensive southward as soon as Rasputitsa is over.”

“Since the south is still a mudflat and cannot be moved anyway, they chose the Crimean Peninsula as a strategic option.”

“Has this information been conveyed to our Eurasian forces?”

“I have already sent a security specialist. But Commander Iduman has requested information on Krasnodar and Volgograd. Are you… planning to advance to mainland Russia?”

“We will have to wait and see how the situation develops, but for now we are planning to land on the Russian Black Sea coast.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to at least warn Russia in advance?”

“Well… for now, I think it would be better to let Russia provoke us.”

“…?”

“Since they took over Crimea and declared that they would regard the attacks on the Black Sea and Crimea as provocations against the OSS, there seems to be sufficient justification for escalating the war.”

“Yes, I understand. And we are in contact with the remnants of the former Georgian rebels.”

“Really? Are there still any forces left?”

“Where did the people go? The rebels that had collapsed at that time were just quietly buried.”

“Then, when we land, their blood will boil too…”

“Yes. We are continuously increasing our contact points at the request of Commander Lee Du-man. Since it is along the Black Sea coast, it may be possible for the Eurasian Forces to provide direct support depending on the situation.”

“great.”

It was necessary to deliver an undeniable and decisive blow to Russia.

I thought that the only way to end the war was to convince the Germans that if they failed to negotiate, not only Stalingrad but also Moscow would be in danger.

Even if it wasn’t over, I had to create a situation that would make people believe it was over.

…

Commander Zhang Yuanmin summoned the heads of each autonomous state of Yunnan Federation to Kunming City. This coincided with my visit to Yunnan Province.

I tried to stop them, saying, “Is it really necessary?” but they said that this was also an opportunity to understand the sincerity and intentions of each local government, so I gave permission.

I had dinner with representatives of the autonomous government of Yunnan Province, and then I met with each representative in the presence of Commander Zhang. Their common request was this.

I asked for support for Yunnan Province, which was economically backward due to the Chinese Communist Party’s eastern-first policy. My answer to that request was simple.

The more people from the autonomous prefecture volunteered to join the Yunnan Federal Army, the better the economic situation in the autonomous prefecture would be.

The Federal Army’s pay was more than ten times that of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and the OSS was subsidizing it. In addition, it was said that a policy of granting subsidies would be implemented according to the ratio of the population of each autonomous state to the Federal Army’s support.

The autonomous regions of the Yunnan Federation were to receive proportional economic benefits from the recruitment activities of the federal army. And it was also decided that the amount of support would be determined in proportion to each autonomous region’s political reform and human rights improvement.

And while the Yunnan provincial government called for reforms to a democratic political system, the Yunnan federal government also made it clear that it would maintain the OSS military dictatorship unless there was an alternative.

After finishing the miscellaneous political schedule, I had a private meeting with Zhang Yuanmin.

“Thank you for your hard work, my lord.”

“It’s much faster to deal with it face to face.”

“I don’t think they could have imagined that the enemy would come in person to direct traffic.”

“Commander Jang. I have something to ask of you.”

“Yes. I am waiting to hear from you.”

“The Yunnan Federation will also have to achieve true independence someday.”

“Without your leadership and the OSS, there would be no Yunnan Federation. Please reconsider.”

“I am not saying that we will grant independence right away. I am saying that we will maintain the military dictatorship until Yunnan has the capacity to lead a democratic republic on its own.”

“I understand your high intentions, Marshal. But it is a distant matter for those who have experienced the long-term communist dictatorship.”

“Yes, I know. So Commander Jang’s role is important.”

“…”

“Commander Jang, please create an environment where a sound political force can grow with a long-term perspective.”

“Ah… I will follow your noble intentions.”

…

After finishing all the schedules in Yunnan Province, I returned to Haiphong, Vietnam. I rode the ARK and headed out to the deep blue sea again.

This time we decided to go around the ocean and head to Ukraine.

To maintain security, they planned a route that would bypass the Suez Canal, go around the southern tip of Africa, and cross the Atlantic Ocean.

There was also the purpose of encouraging the Eurasian Front and Ukraine, but it was also because I wanted to see Casablanca, where Hyein had fond memories, and Ancona, Italy, where I first received Sognatore.

When I told him about that decision, Hyein also jumped up and down in joy.

“Hehehe, good. Oppa!”

“It’ll be boring because we have to go around the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.”

“I’m okay because I’m with you.”

“Haha. That’s fortunate.”

“Oh, come to think of it. We’re going to travel around the world for our honeymoon.”

“That’s right. If you set off from Kiribati, you’ll have traveled two-thirds of the way around the globe by reaching the Mediterranean Sea.”