Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 323



Only Krnovel

#323. I feel strong because of you.

February 9, 1965.

Office of the President of the Republic of China.

“How many troops do we have now?”

“As of the end of last year, it is slightly over 2.2 million. By military composition, the Army has 1.7 million, the Navy has 300,000 including the Marine Corps, and the Air Force has 200,000.”

To Chiang Kai-shek’s question, his son Chiang Ching-kuo calmly answered.

“Well, originally we had a promise with the North that we would prepare 2.5 million by this year, right?”

“That’s right. The North decided to increase it to 10 million.”

“How is it possible to increase it to 2.5 million by this year?”

“Whew! That’s not easy. You know very well that 2.2 million is too much right now, right? Originally, 2 million was the limit we could conscript.”

“Damn it! If we had taken over Hong Kong and Guangxi, we wouldn’t be going through all this trouble… … .”

As time went by, Chiang Kai-shek began to regret the loss of Hong Kong and Guangxi Province to Britain.

Well, let’s say it’s Hong Kong.

It got a little bigger, but overall, it was the same.

But that vast expanse of Gwangseong was truly a waste.

If only we had secured more of that, securing military resources would have been much easier.

As of 1965, the population of the Republic of China in South China was approximately 135 million.

It was a crazy effort to increase the number from about 100 million at the end of the war to this number, but there was a limit to increasing the number of troops because a high percentage of children and adolescents were still under conscription age.

Still, the troops had to be increased somehow.

This is because, in order to fight South Korea, which is clearly superior in terms of quality of weapons and equipment, we will ultimately have to supplement it with quantity.

And this part had to be kept even more because it was something that had been promised to each other while working together with the North and the Third Kuomintang-Communist Joint Operation.

Because I didn’t want to get nitpicked over something like this.

“What did they say about the North?”

“They are much better than us. It got a little better when Liu Shaoqi came to power, but it’s still communist there. They lowered the conscription age to 17, and the number is almost 10 million.”

“Wow! Even after killing and killing like that, it was still possible.”

“Because there is no backlash there. No, there could be no backlash in the first place.”

“… … .”

Chiang Kai-shek was truly envious of the People’s Republic of China in the north.

Because they occupied most of the continent, they killed millions and tens of millions of people during the Great Leap Forward, but the population has already exceeded 500 million.

Since it was still an authoritarian communist dictatorship, you had to do whatever you were told.

So there could be no opposition.

“This won’t work. We’ll have to push ourselves a bit.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Are you saying more than that?”

“Yes, since we are making a big move that will determine the fate of our country, there is no need to be picky. We also conscript from the age of 17.”

“Father! That’s really impossible! Lowering the age from 19 to 18 was implemented despite great opposition, so lowering it to 17 is really difficult!”

“Do as I say. In return, high school students will be exempt from conscription until they graduate!”

“… … .”

This was a time when the high school advancement rate was not yet 40%.

So this would allow us to extract a significant amount of additional resources.

“And we will also eliminate all systems that allow students to defer military service once they enter college. Deferrals will only be available up to high school.”

“Are you talking about engineering school?”

“There are no exceptions here. Once you start picking on this guy and that guy, there’s no end to it.”

“But please make an exception for the engineering department. It is the future of our Republic of China.”

“no!”

“ha…….”

Although Chiang Ching-kuo tried to exclude at least the engineering students, Chiang Kai-shek did not even blink.

“There will be a huge backlash.”

“Leave them alone. Once the war breaks out, there will be no more resistance. And arrest and lock up all those who resist strongly.”

“All right.”

“Jingguoya.”

“Yes, father.”

“We must win this war unconditionally. If we lose here, not only will our wealth be lost, but so will the future of the Republic of China. Right now, we don’t have the luxury of looking any further.”

“I know what you mean.”

“By the way, how are the development of hydrogen bombs and rockets progressing?”

“We are still encouraging it, but they say it will take at least three years to develop a hydrogen bomb.”

“Damn it! Why is it so slow? Can’t you pull it a little harder?”

“… … .”

Chiang Ching-kuo could understand his father’s constant urgency.

Chiang Kai-shek was born in 1987 and is already in his late 70s this year.

Fortunately, I am in relatively good health for my age, but I am also at an age where it would not be surprising at all if I didn’t wake up coughing tomorrow morning.

As a result, Chiang Kai-shek started to act unusually hastily, and this made Chiang Ching-kuo very anxious.

The same is true when considering the supply and demand of military resources.

The early 1950s, after the end of the war, was a time when the Republic of China also experienced a baby boom due to the rapid decline in infant and child mortality rates and improvements in health and sanitation conditions worldwide.

So, even if we delayed things by just a few years, we could still produce enough troops to prepare for war without too much trouble.

But, unable to endure those few years, he is now ordering such a reckless conscription.

Well, let’s say it’s conscription.

The development of hydrogen bombs and rockets is not something that can be rushed, but I kept getting impatient.

“Father, the hydrogen bomb was pulled too quickly. No matter what we do, it will be difficult.”

“Damn it! What about the rocket? Can’t we at least pull the rocket?”

“No! Have you forgotten? Just a while ago, in a hurry, they ignored all the risk rules and conducted a test, and about 60 people died in an accident?”

“… … .”

“I fully understand why you are in a hurry, Father. But this is too much. But where is the atomic bomb? At least we can do this while ensuring the survival of our country.”

“Oh, I see. I was in too much of a hurry. Sorry.”

“No, Father.”

“Jingguo.”

“Yes, father.”

“Still, I feel secure because you’re here. Thank you.”

“You say all sorts of things.”

Chiang Ching-kuo realized that his father was really old.

You’re not the kind of person to say something like that.

* * *

February 25, 1965.

The Blue House.

From the morning, generals in military uniforms began to enter the Blue House.

Because it is the day when Lee Kang-cheol personally presides over the meeting of key military officers.

The generals attending the meeting that day were at least corps commanders or higher, but even so, there were as many stars as there were stars in the sky.

This is because the size of the military has grown, and most of the generals are from the Army, which is bound to be the largest in size.

“Oh my? Why are there so many stars? They’re so big they’ll trip me up.”

“… … .”

Navy Chief of Staff Kim Jong-woo made a fuss as he entered the conference room, but no Army general could be found objecting to his remarks.

That’s because Kim Jong-woo’s status was so great.

Of course, I also knew very well that if I counterattacked clumsily, I wouldn’t be able to recover my initial investment.

Eventually, Minister of National Defense Nam Byung-woo, who could no longer stand by and watch, stepped in.

“Hey, President Kim. Don’t make any weird noises and sit down.”

“Does our minister feel good about having so many stars?”

“Yeah, good. Are you jealous? Do you want to sit here?”

“Okay, I don’t like that stuffy place even if you give it to me.”

“Hahaha! And what nonsense are you talking about?”

Kim Jong-woo’s wish was to lead the fleet until he died.

So, a position like the Minister of Defense that requires me to take care of all sorts of things is out of my reach.

“The President is entering!”

When Lee Kang-cheol entered the room with Ko Seok-man and Jo Tae-hyeon, all meeting attendees stood up.

“Salute to the President!”

“Loyalty!”

“Loyalty. Everyone, sit comfortably.”

“yes.”

As everyone sat down, Lee Kang-cheol opened his mouth.

“Everyone, you’ve all worked hard.”

“no.”

“Yes, the reason I called you here today is because I have a few things to say about the combat readiness posture that I personally inspected throughout February, and I also have something else to say.”

“… … .”

“Overall, our military’s preparedness seemed quite good. They had certainly prepared a lot. They did a very good job. However, it is true that there were some parts that were a bit glaring. So I’ll say a few words about that first.”

“… … .”

Let’s say there was something that bothered the President, and tension flowed in the conference room.

Then Lee Kang-cheol said with a sly smile.

“You guys! I’m not going to point out any particular unit, so relax! Are you that insecure? I’m just going to point out a few things that need to be improved systematically.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“First of all, first. The field medical system among the military medical systems still seems inadequate. Especially the emergency evacuation system. Minister.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Why are there still quite a few units that are still evacuating in unarmored vehicles? It’s been quite some time since I ordered that all emergency evacuation vehicles in the field be replaced with armored vehicles?”

“I’m sorry, but we are assessing the risk level and deploying the forward units first, but since they are being deployed sequentially, the middle and rear units have not been deployed yet. We will replace them all by the end of this year.”

“Yes, you need to pay attention to it. We’re facing a great enemy. Shouldn’t we save at least one of our children?”

“Yes, I will hurry.”

“And I think there’s a shortage of Medvac medical evacuation helicopters. Please supplement those as well. Don’t worry about the budget.”

“All right.”

Lee Kang-cheol is a person who was very upset about the backward military medical system in the modern military.

That is why the advancement of the military medical system was particularly emphasized.

“Second, the commander of the military.”

“Captain Yoo Seong-jin!”

“Don’t reveal your rank or name.”

“yes.”

“Why is there still a palette system? I think this is something I pointed out quite a while ago.”

“We will have everything converted by October.”

“I said by October. I’ll check again then?”

“all right.”

“And on the communications side… … .”

Lee Kang-cheol went over each of the points that he thought were inadequate.

and.

“Finally, President Kim.”

“Huh? Are you talking about me?”

“Yeah, you.”

“Our navy must have been perfect?”

“Yeah, he was pretty good at it.”

“Hahaha!”

“By the way, why on earth do all the Marines have their heads shaved like that?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“They all have weird haircuts. What on earth is going on with them?”

“Oh, that? I didn’t order that. The kids did it of their own volition?”

“Is it true?”

“It’s true. I never forced you.”

“Okay. I’ll check it out myself. Just make sure it’s not true.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Anyway, I made it clear that if any weird shit is found within the Marine Corps, they will all be transferred to the Army.”

“Anyway, you only hate us.”

“What, Inma?”

“Kekekekeke!”

“Keu-keu!”

The other generals had to hold back their laughter because of Kim Jong-woo who stood out without fail.

“Anyway, you all know that this year is a very important time for our military. We are facing an enemy. It will probably be the biggest and last large-scale war since the founding of our country. So even if it is difficult, let’s pay a little more attention. Got it?”

“Yes, Mr. President!”

“And this is a little different, but as our military grows in size, we have more and more generals. Well, it can’t be helped that the size of our military has grown so much, but as it has grown, there have been too many cases where generals have to command generals. So this time, we have decided to promote a few to the rank of field marshal.”

“Oh!”

“The ones to be promoted are Army Nam Byeong-woo, Air Force Jeong Ji-woon, and lastly Navy Kim Jong-woo. The promotion ceremony will be held in early March. That’s all!”

“Hey! Congratulations!”

“Hahaha! Congratulations!”

When Lee Kang-cheol left, congratulations came from all sides.

“Well, there’s no need to do that… … .”

It was Kim Jong-woo who was smiling secretly, yet indifferently.