Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 112



Only Krnovel

#112. War clouds have begun to hover over Korea again.

Aleksandr Vasilevsky is a truly capable general.

In the early stages of the war against Germany, Stalin was involved in operations from time to time, and only after repeated spade after shovel did he withdraw from front-line operations.

And from then on, Vasilevsky was always present in successful operations.

Some historians evaluated Vasilevsky as a more masterful general than Zhukov, and he was so capable that it was said that if the United States had General George Marshall, the Soviet Union had Vasilevsky.

But as Zhukov said, he was always second-in-command.

I don’t know if it’s because he wasn’t as outgoing as Zhukov and didn’t have showmanship, but some said that although he was strong in individual battles, he lacked the perspective to see the overall game.

Crucially, he was weak in ‘versus’.

If Zhukov had the courage to carry out his will even in the face of Stalin, Vasilevsky lacked that.

The conclusion is that he was a typical staff general, and that was why he served as chief of staff to Zhukov, who was a year younger than him.

But Zhukov, who dared to criticize him so openly, was also a truly funny person.

Of course, Vasilevsky didn’t experience it for just one or two days.

“Whoa! “You’re still the same.”

“ha ha ha! “I am Zhukov.”

“Anyway, what do you mean by saying that my vision is narrow?”

“Hey, Alexandre. Objectively speaking, you are right. Korea, which has only been independent for 5 years? “No matter how much support we receive from the United States, we will be able to easily defeat it even if we mobilize only 1 million people, not 1.5 million.”

“So?”

“But will Korea fall so easily?”

“We don’t have enough information about them, but we are superior in all power. In the number of troops, tanks and fighters, and above all in the quality of the troops. Most of our army is comprised of troops who fought tirelessly in the war against Germany, but these guys are not like that. This means that the main force is recruits from new countries.”

“So your vision is narrow.”

“yes?”

“Are they really the analysis you are good at and like?”

“… … .”

“Besides, you said it yourself, right? You don’t have enough information about them? “No matter how weak Korea was, how did it so easily defeat the Kwantung Army, once called the invincible Kwantung Army?”

“Whoa! The only information I have found is that the artillery is strong. According to our people who were there when Harbin fell, they never even saw the Koreans. “They said there was just shelling and shelling.”

“I heard that too.”

“No matter how strong their artillery is, our army’s artillery is also strong. “We cannot forcefully deploy troops simply based on such uncertain information.”

Vasilevsky’s words were certainly reasonable.

No, even the operational plan to mobilize 1.5 million people is being said to be too excessive.

So, even he, who usually accepts his superiors’ opinions, protested like this.

“If there is insufficient information, shouldn’t we look at other situations?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think the United States is so cheap on Korea? “After the war, the Allied Powers were treated almost as well as Britain in their academic affairs?”

“… … .”

Vasilevsky also had nothing to say about that.

Although its contribution to breaking out at the end of the war, becoming independent, and defeating the Kwantung Army cannot be said to be small, the United States’ treatment of Korea was clearly excessive, even when viewed from the side.

“Is it because Roosevelt just likes Korea?”

“Is that possible?”

“Yes, that’s right. That damned old man, Roosevelt, is not that type of person. “If so, wouldn’t it be correct to say that Korea played a role worthy of its treatment?”

“Ha, that makes sense, but what is it?”

“I don’t know that either. However, according to information coming from England, it is said that he played a big role in the Pacific theater.”

“I heard that Korea barely had a navy?”

“That’s right. That’s why I feel more anxious. “There is an ‘oriental medicine’ in Korea that even Roosevelt acknowledged, but we are completely unaware of it.”

“… … .”

To be honest, this is something that even Vasilevsky feels uncomfortable about.

So, I tried to put in so much power that I thought it was a bit excessive, but Zhukov said that even that wasn’t enough.

“Besides, you know that if this war fails, even you won’t be safe, right?”

“I know.”

Vasilevsky survived the post-war purges because he had an amiable personality and did not make enemies easily.

However, if Operation Bakration and this Operation in Manchuria failed, at best they would be on a train to the Gulag, and at worse they would be executed.

“And now that I am the Minister of Defense, I am no exception to that responsibility. Do you understand? “How much is at stake in this Manchurian war?”

“All right. “You’re saying we want to eliminate even the 1% chance of failure.”

“Yes, winning isn’t just about winning. “We must win overwhelmingly.”

“I fully understand what Comrade Zhukov said. But where are you going to get the replacement troops? To add more troops here, we need to remove the troops guarding the western border. Would the Chief Secretary approve that?”

“ha ha ha! “We are not the only ones responsible for this war.”

“yes?”

“In World War II, the vacuum to the west was blocked and the war ended. For us, it was literally a business where we suffered all the damage and had nothing left. However, if the Manchurian War ends here without any gains, Comrade Secretary General’s position will also be shaken.”

“ah… … .”

“So Comrade Secretary General has no choice but to risk everything in this war. “Did they reinstate me for no reason?”

“okay.”

“Besides, unfortunately for us, the western border has now been decided. Neither America nor Britain can wage that damn war again. But that doesn’t mean we can invade.”

“Then how much more power do you plan to put in?”

“At least 500,000 more will need to be invested. “We will have to bring in more tanks and fighter jets.”

“2 million… … .”

It was an enormous amount of power.

At this level, Korea will definitely win no matter what variables there are.

Even the remaining 1% of variables were said to be eliminated, so Vasilevsky had no reason to refuse.

“All right. “We will revise the operation to deploy more than 2 million troops.”

“If there is anything you think is lacking, just ask for it. “I will send it to you as a top priority.”

“Yes, Comrade Zhukov.”

The scale of the war grew bigger and bigger.

* * *

October 5, 1948.

Ministry of National Defense Building in Yongsan, Seoul.

A meeting of major military commanders was being held, chaired by Lee Kang-cheol.

“The movement of Soviet troops and supplies is increasing.”

“To what extent?”

“Even though we are already almost at 1.5 million, there is no stopping the movement of troops.”

“Are they crazy?”

“Some of the major Western Front troops also appear to be preparing to move. Ultimately, more than 2 million will likely be deployed to the Far East.”

“Huh… … .”

At the end of the war, the number of Soviet troops was approximately 10 million.

However, even the Soviet Union could not maintain its troops as is after the end of the war.

If that were the case, we wouldn’t have to even dream of post-war recovery.

So, even though it was reduced and reduced, the current Soviet military force was estimated at about 5 million, and one-third of that force would be mobilized to attack the Republic of Korea.

No matter what anyone says, the Soviet Union’s most important front is the West.

This is because the capital, Moscow, population, economy, and industry are all concentrated there.

But you’re giving 2 million troops to the Far East Army?

This is no different from making up your mind to attack the Republic of Korea almost like an all-out war.

“Whoa! “2 million?”

“It’s amazing, it’s amazing. Are these guys the originators of this humane tactic?”

“shit! “If you put just one bullet in the head, that’s 2 million bullets, right?”

As expected, there were murmurs here and there due to the overwhelming strength of the Soviet army.

“How big is the population of the Soviet Union now?”

“The entire Soviet Union is about 150 million. “It was originally supposed to be around 160 million, but they gave it to us because we couldn’t move forward.”

“More than 5 million out of 150 million… … .”

Although it is nothing compared to the 10 million immediately after the end of World War II, it is an extremely unreasonable use of troops.

A simple comparison shows that it is difficult to maintain 500,000 of the 50 million people in modern Korea.

Of course, it was because there were no young people due to the rapidly low birth rate, but no matter how you look at it, 5 million out of 150 million is the same as pulling out almost 1.7 million troops from Korea.

To put it bluntly, almost all adult men in their late teens to early 30s are in the military.

“The Soviet Union maintained that level of military strength throughout the Cold War. “The reserve force numbered over 10 million.”

“Assholes, that’s what the country was like.”

“yes?”

“no. Anyway, killing all 2 million people would be a huge blow to the Soviet Union, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

What if 2 million young men melted?

Of course, the country’s future is obvious.

Because future growth engines will be completely lost.

This would be even worse if the Soviet Union had already lost over 20 million people in World War II, and the seed of young men would dry up.

But killing 2 million people?

The Soviet Union’s plan to invade with 2 million troops was absurd, but Lee Kang-cheol, who first thought about how much damage it would cause to the Soviet Union if he killed those troops, also deviated from common sense.

“What’s wrong with you? Isn’t that what you said last time too? They mobilized 1.5 million troops when they came to destroy the shabby Kwantung Army? “Isn’t it natural for us?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“And wasn’t one of our main purposes when we came over here to crush Russia? Of course, they can’t kill all 2 million people, but even if they kill 1 million people, the Soviets will lose their future. “I think it’s actually better.”

“That’s right, Mr. President.”

“Then let’s get ready for war. Minister Go Seok-man, aren’t we now almost 700,000?”

“It will be 700,000 in the next month or so.”

“Of these, how many troops can be mobilized in the war against the Soviet Union?”

“We absolutely exclude 200,000. Because we have to protect the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, we must block the Soviet Union with 8 field corps and 500,000 men.”

“Then do you have enough troops? By simple calculation, each person only needs to kill 4 people, right?”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Lee Kang-cheol kept saying scary things, but since his words weren’t that wrong, everyone stayed quiet.

I also knew why he spoke that way.

Lee Kang-cheol was telling people not to be intimidated by the number of people.

“now! The time for their invasion is March. The Ministry of Information’s judgment is that it will actually be difficult before that, and that’s my opinion too. “Do you all agree?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then the time given to us is now 4 months! During the remaining time, prepare as much as possible to welcome them. Is there a saying like this? A war is supposed to end in the process of preparation? “For the remaining four months, we will think of it as a wartime period and increase our power to the best of our ability!”

“All right!”

War clouds began to hover over Korea again.