I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 78



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (78)

“Your Majesty, how are you feeling?”

“Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.”

This is the White House in the United States,

President MacArthur brushed aside the concerns of his aides.

He once showed off his cool by wearing sunglasses and smoking a pipe in front of reporters, but now he’s just a sick old man.

What does the saying ‘Old soldiers never die, they just fade away’ mean?

What do generals do when nameless soldiers die on the battlefield?

MacArthur ruminates on the years that have passed, as he enjoys his long life in the safe rear and retires when the time comes.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve managed to survive until now.’

The Philippine War, which I can’t forget even when I think about it now.

MacArthur retired in 1937 and lived a quiet life, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, he returned to the battlefield at the request of President Franklin Roosevelt.

Next is the problem,

Will the Japanese, who attacked the American mainland, just leave the Philippines alone?

As expected, the Japanese army invaded the Philippines, and MacArthur was unable to defend the area and retreated.

What was even more humiliating was that while the soldiers fought and the Americans fought, MacArthur was holed up in a bunker with Philippine government officials.

The soldiers mocked such a general by calling him Dugout Doug.

He ridiculed MacArthur for hiding in a safe place like baseball players who stay in the dugout during a game.

By surviving and later recapturing the Philippines and repelling the Japanese, wasn’t the humiliation of being called a dugout duck somewhat offset?

But MacArthur never forgot what happened that day.

How long are you going to shamelessly play the role of an American hero when I’m the only one who survived while everyone else died?

As the man who would have disappeared as a retired general had the good fortune to become president, MacArthur scribbled down a few things on a piece of paper that were on his mind.

[My comrade in Korea, I am worried about you. I am an old man who will die soon, but you will have a long time to fight.

The Korean peninsula is divided, and the enemy known as the Soviet Union still exists.

The situation in China is also chaotic, and I am the one who created this situation. I started a war in China under the pretext of defeating communism, and I got Korea involved, so I am also a person with many sins.

But even after shedding so much blood, communism was not overthrown.

I am old now, I no longer have the strength to carry on this war, and soon I will be gone, what will you do then?

America is now so weak that it is unwilling to fight communism,

Can you fight communism even then?

I believe you have the ability to bring down communism and bring victory to the liberal democratic camp, but there will be countless sacrifices to be made until the day the liberal democratic camp wins.

Can you be confident in front of so many corpses?

I wasn’t confident.

I had to flee the Philippines, leaving behind the bodies of countless American soldiers, and then I pushed innocent young men into battle.

What about you? Can you be proud in front of 6,000 Korean soldiers who died in Shanghai? Will you fight against communism to the end even as soldiers die?

MacArthur couldn’t write down what he said next.

Isn’t it true that the old soldier who will soon disappear is talking too much to his comrades who remain behind?

Korea has been fighting a thorough fight against communism together with the United States, but the United States has not been able to fight against Korea to the end.

Like it or not, arms reduction is inevitable. Can Korea fight against communism in such a situation?

In the worst case scenario, if the US withdraws from China, South Korea will be isolated in Shanghai.

Will Korea then fight with China over its claims to Shanghai and Taiwan?

It is not an easy decision, and if we are prepared to go to war, we may be forced to sacrifice tens of thousands of young people.

In the midst of the storm of East Asia’s political situation where one cannot see even an inch ahead, will the Korean president fight against communism?

MacArthur wasn’t convinced.

***

“What is public opinion in the United States right now?”

“It seems that they are looking for other ways to suppress the Soviet Union rather than using nuclear weapons.”

“Another way?”

“Yes, for example, diplomacy or strategic pressure.”

“Hey~ You’re always saying nice things.”

Today, as the routine continues, I discussed future measures with the State Council members.

President MacArthur was now in his 80s and had little time left before he retired.

It is true that Korea was able to come this far because of President MacArthur. If he had not shouldered the gun, would Korea have been able to raise its flag in Shanghai?

The war was possible because there were strong comrades.

But there are rumors going around that the comrade is suffering from old age.

So, will Korea be able to fight alongside the United States in the future?

It is true that Korea has been roasting US congressmen, but we should not be mistaken in thinking that the US will continue to fight alongside Korea.

American public opinion is in favor of arms reductions anyway, and politicians who have to sell votes cannot help but be swept up in that trend.

The problem is that in the meantime, the Soviet Union is pouring 30% of its GDP into defense spending.

It is a typical communist tactic to outwardly call for peace while secretly preparing for war.

In fact, the gap between the nuclear weapons of the United States and the Soviet Union, which had been 18,000 to 1,000, has now narrowed to 17,000 to 4,200.

In this situation, should we give up the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union and try to solve the problem through conventional weapons or diplomacy?

It’s like saying you’ll implement welfare policies without raising taxes.

Even Curtis LeMay, a hard-liner in the U.S. Republican Party, dismissed the idea of ​​reducing arms to check the Soviet Union as nonsense.

“To put pressure on the Soviet Union, we need to increase our defense budget by 15% from what it is now. If the U.S. loses power, South Korea and other allies will also lose power.”

Very accurate judgment, but even if Korea says this, American public opinion will not agree.

Americans, who were upset that President MacArthur gave Korea 500 million dollars in aid, are increasing their defense budget by 15%?

This is something that can’t be solved even through lobbying.

Recognizing the human rights of Korean Americans and increasing defense spending by 15% are completely different issues.

No matter how much Korea lobbies, it is impossible to increase the US defense budget by 15%. If that is the case, then another method must be found.

What other country can fight against Korea?

The minister who had been observing the situation opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, how about rearming Japan?”

“But rearming Japan is no easy task. There will be domestic opposition… and we don’t know what public opinion in the United States will be like.”

I nodded.

Just 15 years ago, the United States and Japan were fighting to the death.

The United States crippled Japan’s industrial base and even legally forbade it from maintaining an army to ensure that it could never get back on its feet again.

Rearming a country like that again in 15 years?

How will American public opinion react, and above all, how will Korea, which has a history of being invaded by Japan, accept this?

The leaders believe that Japan needs to rearm, but the civilians do not.

Yesterday, we might be more wary of Japan behind us than of the communist threat right in front of us.

But this can be explained and made more convincing.

‘It’s okay now. We may not be able to defend ourselves, but we have the power to check Japan.’

When Korea became a Japanese colony, it had no power to resist foreign powers.

But now, it possesses the strongest military power in East Asia and is not in a position to tremble at the threat of Japan.

Above all, if the United States reduces its military spending, Japan will not be able to remain silent.

No, Japan will have no choice but to fight the Soviet Union together with Korea in the future.

“If you establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, you won’t return Okinawa.”

“Okay, then please give Okinawa back.”

“I’ll return it after I see what you guys do. There’s no return until then.”

Is it not possible that Japan will join hands with the Soviet Union and attack the United States?

The United States considered the worst case scenario in which Japan, defeated in the Pacific War, would harbor resentment toward the United States and form an alliance with the Soviet Union.

After much deliberation, each island in Japan was taken hostage.

The Soviet Union also took the Japanese islands hostage, and now they are openly tempting Japan.

“If you cooperate with the Soviet Union, we can give you back that land?”

“But if we do that, we won’t be able to get Okinawa back….”

“Think carefully. Is there any guarantee that the United States will return Okinawa? But we, the Soviet Union, are willing to return the land to you. What are you going to do?”

This is not a delusion, this is actually happening,

While the United States was leisurely talking about defense reductions, the Soviet Union was already working behind the scenes in Japan.

But Japan is in a position where it can never betray the United States.

The moment we betray the United States, we must part ways with Okinawa and give up the economic benefits we have enjoyed from the United States and Korea.

Anyone can see that from Japan’s perspective, choosing the Soviet Union would be much more disadvantageous, so the attitude that Korea should take is clear.

The best course of action would be to rearm Japan and lobby the US to return Okinawa to Japan. From the US perspective, there is nothing to lose if Japan takes on the burden of military spending and maintains order in East Asia.

So what does Japan think?

Before lobbying the U.S. Congress, we first sought the opinion of the Japanese Diet.

“We intend to have the United States return the Okinawa Islands to Japan as a condition for Japan’s rearmament.”

“Are you really going to help me like that?”

“Yes, we know many American congressmen, so if Japan wants it, we will push for it right away.”

“I would really appreciate it if you could do that.”

Japan immediately gave the OK sign.

Anyone can see that Korea made a proposal that Japan would find difficult to refuse, and the U.S. Congress passed the issue in a flash.

Since Korea, which has a history of being invaded by Japan, requested Japan’s rearmament, the United States has secured a justification.

As Korea began lobbying, the United States also began to play the Japanese rearmament card.

An incident that turned East Asia upside down, the Soviet Union rushed in, foaming at the mouth.

“If you guys keep acting like this, I will never return the island in the north!!”

“Do whatever you want. It’s better to join hands with Korea than to get a few islands back.”

“South Korea convinced the United States to return Okinawa to Japan, and that alone is reason enough for Japan to join hands with South Korea.”

The People’s Republic of China was also taken aback by Japan’s attitude.

The path to unification of China will open only when the Soviet Union threatens Japan and disrupts Korea from the rear.

However, if Korea forgives Japan and secures it as its own side, the communist bloc will not be able to shake Korea from the rear.

In addition, Korea has secured the strategically important location of Taiwan, and there is no room for communism to infiltrate anywhere.

This was an incident where Korea’s diplomatic strategy shone, and American public opinion praised the Korean government for forgiving Japan for a greater cause.

In fact, they are just grateful that their work has been reduced, but since Korea and Japan have joined hands, won’t the burden on the US be reduced to that extent in the future?

This was possible because the interests of Korea, the United States, and Japan aligned, and in any case, this incident gave Korea a breather.

But Korea must not stop here.

I couldn’t let my guard down because I didn’t know what would happen and when.