I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 91



Only Krnovel

EP.91 Broken Faith (2)

Germany was defeated at Stalingrad as history would have it.

I thought for a moment about how to exploit the German defeat.

‘If you think about it, most of the German soldiers who surrendered died of illness or starvation.’

It was a shame to let him die like that.

We should bring them here and use them wisely as labor.

I immediately telegraphed it to Stalin.

“Dear Secretary Stalin, On behalf of the people of the Empire, I congratulate you on your remarkable victory.”

While gently sucking Stalin up, I gently suggested that he hand over Axis prisoners of war as payment for the goods he was to pay us.

It felt a bit like buying and selling people like in the Atlantic slave trade, but I was sure that it would be better for the Germans who were being sold.

Of course, forced labor is better than death.

Stalin responded very favorably to my proposal.

“Let’s do that.”

Anyway, even if the Soviet Union kept the Axis prisoners, they would only be able to starve them to death.

My nose is blocked right now, what can I do?

I was able to receive by courier the German prisoners that Stalin had kindly loaded onto the train.

Of course, 150,000 prisoners did not come in at once.

The first to arrive were high-ranking German officers.

Normally, these high-ranking officers would have been put to good use by the communists while they were interrogating them, but when they added that they wanted to keep them in case the Korean army went to war, they handed them over without a word.

Of course, Paulus and the senior generals in his entourage were out of the question.

I personally visited and interviewed the German officers who had come over.

There was no problem in communication thanks to the interpreter who was of Jewish German descent.

“Everyone has worked hard, so let’s make sure they get enough nutrition and then let them work.”

“I will take action accordingly.”

Of course, the officers had no intention of being assigned to simple labor.

These guys had some work to do.

“owner.”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

“Squeeze the German officers and extract everything you can from German tactics and strategy.”

“I will do that.”

“The Security Command is in charge of information analysis. We also need to have basic data when we invade Europe.”

“Yes. I will prepare thoroughly.”

I carefully sorted out the gifts Stalin had given me and prepared them for use.

Oh. Now that I think about it, I forgot this.

“And among the German officers, we should pick out those who have strong antipathy toward Hitler and let them broadcast on the radio.”

“I will accept it.”

A few days later, we started a makeshift radio broadcast.

If Japan used the Japanese-American ‘Tokyo Rose’ to broadcast to lower the morale of the American troops, we used pure Germans to broadcast propaganda.

In Berlin, Germans who appeared on our show were called ‘Pyongyang Hans’.

A total of 12 Pyongyang Hans broadcasted on the radio, and the content was similar.

Hitler’s balls were torn off with an exciting music broadcast.

“Hitler had one testicle. Goering had two, but they were very small.”

When they played a broadcast criticizing Hitler with upbeat music, there was an immediate response from Berlin.

“There are traitors who have joined the vile beasts in human form. They are no longer the great Germanic people! They are mongrel!”

Of course, Berlin’s rebuttal had little meaning.

The more they refuted, the more Berlin’s position became weaker.

That’s understandable, since the German government had broadcast this about the ‘slaughter’ in Stalingrad.

“Generals, officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers all fought together until the bullets ran out. The sacrifice of the 6th Army was not in vain. Because of their deaths, we can live today!”

All German soldiers fought bravely until the end.

Stalingrad is Germany’s Thermopylae (Note: The battle where King Leonidas of Sparta died fighting against Persia).

The German government had been crying out so loudly that the mere presence of a ‘traitor’ was tantamount to spitting on its own propaganda.

Wait a minute. Isn’t this supposed to be propaganda material to provoke German prisoners of war?

I made them listen to the home broadcasts disparaging German prisoners.

Then the heroes who survived hell exploded in anger.

“How did we fight there!”

Some of the German soldiers shouted that if they were given guns they would go and shoot Hitler.

I liked this atmosphere.

I called Lee Gyeong-ho of Jungjeong.

“owner.”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

“Select those German prisoners of war who have particularly strong antipathy toward Hitler, and see if we can use them as agents on our side. Of course, we must thoroughly ‘educate them in ideology.’”

Ideological education refers to the ‘Lee Seong-jun series education.’

Although the revolutionary camps were discontinued, their legacy still remained in Korea.

“I will accept it.”

I’ve decided to let go of the prisoner issue at this point.

But then an unexpected proposal arrived from the Soviet Union.

“Regarding the prisoner issue, could you help convert General Paulus from Korea?”

Huh? Convert Paulus?

The Soviet authorities were impressed by our program to convert German prisoners of war, and they wanted to hand Paulus over to us.

Well, I guess I can’t refuse it.

Paulus is a big shot.

As the story progressed, Paulus was flown to Korea by rocket ship.

It’s not the Soviet Union, it’s Sofang.

I spoke with General Paulus, who was sent to me by Sofangman.

As we talked, I learned that, contrary to popular belief, Paulus was a man with a very strong loyalty to Germany.

“Although I have surrendered, I have not forgotten that Friedrich Paulus was a field marshal of the German army. I hope Your Majesty will understand that I cannot betray my men and comrades.”

That’s what a patriot says.

There was something I really wanted to say to that patriot.

“Let’s leave that aside and talk about the war. Do you think Germany will win this war?”

Paulus did not answer.

“I think that the longer the war drags on, the more suffering Germany will experience. What was the price Germany paid for its war efforts in World War I? As much damage was inflicted, astronomical reparations and territorial cessions followed. The longer Germany endures, the greater the burden the German people will have to bear.”

I repeatedly pointed out that the longer the war was dragged out, the less it would benefit the Germans.

Finally, Paulus, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“What do you want from me, Your Majesty, that makes you say such things?”

“Convert. Cooperate with the Soviet Union.”

Paulus wiggled his eyebrows at those words.

“I said I would not betray you.”

“Then, Marshal, will you abandon your duty to protect the German people? What is the most important task of the German Wehrmacht? Isn’t it to protect the people?”

“I am a field marshal of the German army.”

“That is not important now, Marshal. Look not at the rank on your shoulder, but at your duty.”

Paulus was not easily persuaded.

If he were that kind of person, he would have fallen for the communists’ threats.

But it was clear that things were starting to shake.

The keyword for winning over patriots has always been patriotism.

I gave Paulus time.

Two days later, Paulus asked me to talk.

Unlike the day before, Paulus was clean-shaven and dressed like a human being.

He seemed like a real enemy, not just a common straggler.

“I listened to Your Majesty’s words and thought deeply about them. The more I thought about it, the more I realized Your Majesty’s words were right. What I had to protect was not my petty pride, but the future of the people of the empire.”

also.

When Paulus of the Far East heard the news of the failure of Operation Valkyrie, he felt something and began to cooperate with the Soviet Union.

I thought it was a sense of crisis.

A sense of crisis that no one will be able to save the country.

That must have been the force that moved Paulus.

I guessed that fact, so I pricked Paulus’ sense of duty.

“The enemy’s decision will be highly regarded by future German people.”

“You are too kind. So what can this sergeant do for the Allies?”

“Please take charge of the Military Committee for the Salvation of Germany.”

“National Salvation Military Committee?”

The enemy tilted his head for a moment.

It was an intentional naming.

If I were Korean, I would have understood it right away, but it was a bit disappointing.

It was only after the interpreter added a few words that Paulus understood what I meant.

“Can I take on such an important task?”

Paulus’ popularity within the German army was not great.

But popularity is something that can be created.

“The enemy’s determination saved 150,000 Axis soldiers from starvation, disease, and Soviet bullets. Who in the world could save so many people?”

If you package it well, even junk coins can be turned into gold.

Moreover, Paulus was not some kind of miscellaneous coin, but a proper commander.

Paulus hesitated for a while, but then accepted my offer.

This news was also relayed to Stalin.

“National Salvation Military Committee. It’s a bit of a strange name, but I guess it doesn’t matter.”

Stalin was pleased with the idea of ​​a Military Salvation Committee.

If it were up to me, he would have had no reason to oppose my plan, since he was the one who created the Free German National Committee and used Paulus as its signboard.

Stalin created the Military Committee for the Salvation of Germany and appointed Paulus as its chairman.

It was a frontal rise of anti-Hitler forces, more than a year ahead of historical time.

With this, the myth and belief in the unity of the German people centered around Hitler was completely destroyed.

What took the place of the broken faith was only mixed views on defeat.