Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 332



Only Krnovel

#332. War was coming

When the Third Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation was announced, not only South Korea but the entire world was turned upside down.

It was surprising news that the two countries that had fought so madly would form the Chinese Federation and take the first step toward peaceful unification, but the truth was something else.

This is because there was a clause stating that the two countries would cooperate militarily to recover the actual territory of the Chinese people, and this clause defined the actual territory as land lost after the Qing Dynasty.

If this happens, there will be no country that borders both the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China that is not affected.

The East Turkic Republic in Xinjiang, the Republic of Tibet, the Baiyue Republic in Guangxi, the Dali Republic in Yunnan, and of course, Burma and Vietnam, which expanded their territory to the north thanks to South Korea, and even Britain, thanks to the expansion of Hong Kong.

Above all, this includes South Korea, which reigns as the loser in Asia.

If so, it seemed obvious to anyone that this third joint operation was aimed at South Korea.

It would be even stranger if the world didn’t turn upside down.

Immediately, the media and public opinion in South Korea exploded.

―South China and North China, the third Kuomintang-Communist cooperation formed!

―The goal of the third joint military operation is our Republic of Korea!

―The Chinese people have virtually declared war on the Republic of Korea!

“No, what? Are you trying to have a game with us?”

“Are these guys crazy? No, even if the Communists are like that, why are the Kuomintang going crazy?”

“Is that so? Didn’t you save us when we were all on the verge of death?”

“Anyway, those damn bastards, whether they’re communists or Kuomintang, they’re all the same, right?”

“These kids have been acting up lately. Do you think they have an ulterior motive?”

Even as public opinion was in uproar, there was no hoarding of long-term storage foods such as rice, ramen, and noodles, and no citizens were gripped by fear or worried about evacuation.

The people of the Republic of Korea knew and believed.

I knew how strong the ROK military was, and I believed that the ROK government would be able to resolve any national crisis that arose.

This is because the ROK military has always been a victorious force, and the ROK government led by President Lee Kang-cheol is, no matter what anyone says, the most trustworthy government in the history of the Korean people.

6:00 p.m., May 10, 1966.

At the government complex, Prime Minister Koh Seok-man delivered a speech to the nation.

“Dear citizens of the Republic of Korea! Regarding the so-called third Kuomintang-Communist cooperation announced by the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China at approximately 2:00 p.m. today, our government has decided as follows:”

First, as the government that peacefully brought an end to the Chinese Civil War, South Korea cannot help but feel a deep sense of betrayal at this declaration of actual restoration of territorial integrity by North and South China.

In particular, the Republic of China was a party that fought poorly in the Second Chinese Civil War and was virtually on the verge of defeat, barely surviving through the mediation of the Republic of Korea and the United States. This cannot be anything other than a shameless act of repaying kindness with enmity.

Also, the People’s Republic of China also escaped a large-scale food aid crisis from our Republic of Korea just a few years ago, when tens of millions of its citizens were on the verge of starvation due to the side effects of the Great Leap Forward.

Are you saying that the Chinese people are a people who, regardless of ideology, repay kindness with enmity?

Second, this declaration of actual recovery by North and South China is an act that threatens the peace of not only our Republic of Korea but also our allies, the East Turkistan Republic, the Tibetan Republic, the Baiyue Republic, the Dali Republic, Burma, Vietnam, and British Hong Kong, and is effectively a declaration of war.

Accordingly, our Republic of Korea will resolutely respond to the threats from North and South China that threaten peace in East Asia, and will build active cooperative relationships with our allies.

Third, as a first response to the threat from both North and South China, our Republic of Korea will implement economic sanctions against both North and South China.

From this time onwards, any trade, including exports and imports, with North and South China is prohibited.

And these economic sanctions will continue to be expanded in consultation with our allies, and will apply to third countries that intend to trade with North and South China from this month onwards.

Any violation of this will be considered hostility towards the Republic of Korea and third countries will also be subject to sanctions.

In fact, we have begun to enter the pre-war phase.

May 10th at 8pm.

An emergency meeting of the National Security Council was held at the Blue House, chaired by Lee Kang-cheol.

“So this is what they end up doing.”

“It’s the order, the order.”

“So, what is the public’s reaction?”

“It’s no different from usual. There was no hoarding as we had feared.”

“Whether in the South or the North, there are many people who are indignant that the Chinese have stabbed them in the back of the head, but it seems that few people feel threatened.”

“Some of the people living near the northern border are a bit anxious, but there is no major unrest because they are quite far from the border.”

In the area bordering northern China in western Manchuria, citizens of the Republic of Korea are not permitted to reside within 50km of the border.

This is because the government had already relocated existing residents in preparation for the situation and prevented new residents from moving in.

It’s just to prepare for situations like this.

“And speaking of allies… … . Ah! I told you to bring Mr. Usa? Minister Park?”

“I was looking for you urgently, but you happened to be on a fishing trip to Namhae Island with a friend. I sent a helicopter, so you should arrive soon.”

At that moment, the conference room door opened and Kim Kyu-sik came in wearing fishing gear.

“Haha! You came at just the right time.”

“Welcome, teacher!”

“welcome!”

“Hehehe! Did you have a good rest for a while?”

Despite the enthusiastic welcome, Kim Kyu-sik sat next to Minister Park Jae-seung with his mouth tightly shut.

and.

“Hey, why did you call me again?”

“Haha! Why are you so angry?”

“I was just about to catch a moonfish when the sound and vibration of the helicopter caused all the fish to run away.”

“ha ha ha!”

“ha ha ha!”

Lee Kang-cheol also laughed and opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry, teacher. But I think you’ll have to do some work this time.”

“Whew! I heard the story on the way here.”

“Yes, the time has finally come. They have essentially declared war.”

“So, what should I do?”

“As you know, there was a council of allies surrounding China, but this is an opportunity to create a military alliance organization.”

“I thought that all I had to do was put up a sign?”

“Haha! That’s right. But I think you’ll have to put in some effort before we can really get started.”

“Ugh! Have you decided on a name?”

“Yes, it has been decided. It is the East Asia Treaty Organization, or in English, EAST ASIA TREATY ORGANIZATION.”

“Then it becomes EATO?”

“Haha! That’s right. I hope you will take the initiative in launching EATO. You are friendly with all the member countries, right?”

“Is that okay?”

“There’s also a guest speaker there… … .”

“… … .”

Kim Kyu-sik frowned slightly and said.

“One year! I’ll take care of you for exactly one year.”

“Hahaha! That’s enough. Anyway, you can hear the details from Minister Park after the meeting.”

“All right.”

“So this has been resolved, what about our citizens in the Republic of China?”

“There are about 10,000 Korean residents, including those stationed at diplomatic missions and those stationed at business establishments.”

“There are still quite a lot?”

“Yes, most of them have returned after being encouraged to return home following the West Sea disaster on March 10, but some still remain because the scale of trade with the Republic of China is not small.”

“Minister Park.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Give the order to return home. Tell everyone to come in. No one will be exempted.”

“All right.”

“And warn the Kuomintang. Make sure they don’t interfere with your return.”

“Yes, then what should the Chinese people in our country do?”

“How much does it cost?”

“Including overseas Chinese, there are over 100,000 people. Over 50,000 are overseas Chinese, and the rest are students or citizens of the Republic of China who have been granted temporary residence for business or personal reasons.”

“Chinese? Are there still that many Chinese?”

Lee Kang-cheol asked back as if he was surprised.

As the territory of Manchuria and southern China was acquired and a large number of Chinese nationals emerged, the Chinese who had previously resided there were strongly encouraged to naturalize or were told to leave.

“Yes, among the Chinese who have lived in our country since the late Joseon Dynasty, there are quite a few cases where the elderly refuse to naturalize.”

“Damn, you don’t want to live here and become a citizen of the Republic of Korea? I don’t need you to, so tell me to choose one of the two. Either leave or become a naturalized citizen.”

“All right.”

“And tell all the international students and business people to leave. We’re on the brink of war, and we can’t just leave them like that.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“And when do you plan to sever diplomatic ties?”

“We don’t plan on doing it until they do it first.”

“why?”

“It would be better to have at least a hotline. And we don’t have to be the first to provide an excuse.”

“I see. Okay. I understand. Minister Park will discuss it with Prime Minister Goh and decide on it.”

“Whew! And Director Cho Tae-hyun.”

Lee Kang-cheol, who took a deep breath, called in National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-hyun this time.

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“When will they do something?”

“We are thinking of it as around the end of June, as originally expected.”

“Really? Prime Minister Goh, then should we also slowly enter a wartime state?”

“I think that would be a good idea. Now you don’t have to worry about what other people think.”

“yes?”

“Yes. Today’s declaration of actual recovery by the bastards is in fact a declaration of war. We cannot remain silent after hearing such words. I think it would be a good idea to first issue an order to mobilize the first stage of reserve forces.”

“Stage 1 is less than 5 years?”

“Yes, in the first stage, we plan to mobilize about 1 million people in their 5th year or less to fully form a reserve division.”

“Okay, let’s do that. I’ll come down tomorrow.”

“All right.”

“Minister of Defense.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Now it’s really just the beginning. Keep a close watch and do ground training to avoid any confusion during the actual operation.”

“All right.”

“The same goes for everyone else. From now on, we should think of this as an exhibition. I ask all departments to prepare thoroughly.”

“All right.”

The next day at 9 am.

Phone calls began to ring at the homes of those targeted for mobilization.

Ring ring!

“hello?”

―This is an automatic call from the Reserve Forces Mobilization Headquarters. Private First Class Lim Chun-gil of the Republic of Korea Army Reserve Forces has been re-called to active duty in accordance with Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Reserve Forces Act. As soon as you receive this call… … .

“ha…….”

What was meant to happen has come.

Lim Chun-gil quietly went into his room, changed into his military uniform, and began packing his gear.

and.

“Mother, Father. I’ll be back.”

“Oh my! My baby! You must never get hurt.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely return safely.”

A sea of ​​tears erupted in every home.

This is how war was coming.