Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 49



Only Krnovel

#49. You’re here! My babies!

October 24, 1944, 7:48 p.m.

Expeditionary Force Headquarters Command and Control Room.

– Admiral Kim! Thanks to this, we not only won a great victory, but our children suffered almost no damage. When we meet, I will buy you a big drink! Haha!

– Me too. Thanks to your brilliant tactics, the Japanese Navy was put to rest. Please take good care of our ground forces in the future as well. ha ha ha!

Halsey and Kincaid fought to get ahead, abandoning their previous criticism of him for being rude and greeting Kim Jong-woo while praising him.

“I won’t handle the ground forces, but General Go will help. Well then, thank you for your hard work.”

“Whoa! “It’s finally over now…”

Admiral Kim Jong-woo took off his headset and stood up with a relaxed expression.

“Good job, President Kim!”

“He says all kinds of things. “On the contrary, I am grateful.”

“hmm?”

I wondered why this special species was so humble.

“What are you talking about?”

“Whoa! It was like commanding the world’s largest naval battle with my own hands. “It was truly the best moment since I joined the Navy.”

“But what’s the problem?”

“I can never experience something like this again. “There will never be a naval battle of this scale again.”

“ah···.”

Lee Kang-cheol understood that Kim Jong-woo’s shoulders were sagging.

When will I experience something like this again?

Even from the side, it was so thrilling that it made my stomach tingle, but I wonder if I was appalled.

“let’s go. Today I will give you a special drink. “You can drink whatever you want.”

“Really?”

“The entire command prohibits drinking except on special occasions, but if you don’t drink it in times like this, when can you drink it? ruler! let’s go!”

“Hehehe! great.”

It was Kim Jong-woo, whose face was turning bright again.

9 a.m. on October 25, 1944.

– Spend money, spend money, spend money…

It’s been a while since I received a call from Washington.

– From Washington FDR, to Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea.

We would like to express our infinite gratitude to the Republic of Korea for their active help.

We, the United States, are now in a crucible of enthusiasm with this victory.

In particular, I am so thankful that our soldiers sacrificed very little.

In the Philippines, we, the United States, have found a true ally.

Please help us in future ground battles as well.

“Oh oh! “It looks like old man Roosevelt is in a really good mood?”

“Of course. You virtually destroyed the Japanese Navy, right? Moreover, there were almost no American sacrifices.”

“yes?”

“sure. Plus, the presidential election is right around the corner. No matter how much of an advantage Roosevelt has, Americans are also exhausted from the long war. “In reality, it wasn’t an overwhelming result.”

“But now the results will be overwhelming.”

“So it has to feel good.”

“Anyway, you have to get what you get, right?”

“Hehehe! Of course. “We’ve clearly proven our capabilities, right?”

– From Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea, to Washington FDR.

I am truly happy that we, the Republic of Korea, helped achieve this victory.

We will actively assist in the ground war in the Philippines.

By the way, when will the supplies we requested leave?

– From Washington FDR, to Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea.

ha ha ha! The waiting convoy departed today.

Additionally, the second fleet is scheduled to depart in 10 days, so please do not worry as the transport fleet will continue to go in the future.

And Dr. Yu, requested separately by General Lee, is now heading to Hawaii.

We have included you in our exploration group, so you will arrive home in a few days.

“ah! “Dr. Ilhan is coming!”

“You were included in the tour group that came to see Daegu Airport.”

“Now that I think about it, Roosevelt’s personality seems to be very impatient.”

“ha ha ha! Anyway, should I ask you to come to Daegu?”

“That’s not it. First, tell them to come to Gyeongseong. “We have to see it, but we can’t go down to Daegu if we have respect, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Besides, Dr. Ilhan also has to come to Gyeongseong anyway.”

“All right. Then, I will guide you to Yeouido.”

“Okay. By the way, how long will it take for the first transport fleet to arrive?”

“Most of them will be Liberty ships, so it will probably take almost two months to cross the Pacific Ocean. “That ship is so damn slow, isn’t it?”

“Ha, damn it. 11What are notes? 11 knots?”

“…”

8 a.m. on October 30, 1944.

Lee Kang-cheol was at Yeouido Airfield early along with Go Seok-man and other staff.

This is because the U.S. Army and Navy Air Corps Exploration Team and Dr. Ilhan Ilhan were scheduled to depart from Saipan, undergo air traffic control through Albatross, and arrive soon after completing a night flight.

Of course, there was no need for Lee Kang-cheol to meet the American aviation expedition team, and it was not appropriate, but the only doctor whom Lee Kang-cheol respected came with him, so he worked diligently from the morning.

Wooooow!

Soon, three B-29s, showing off their silver aircraft, arrived at Yeouido Airfield, and in the first aircraft, an Asian man in his 50s was spotted getting off among the American soldiers.

Lee Kang-cheol walked forward, passed the American soldiers, and stood in front of the Asian man.

“Doctor Yuil Han?”

“oh! Oh my god! It was true! Taegeukgi… “Te self-denial..”

“…”

Dr. Ilhan Ilhan was unable to continue speaking as he looked at the Taegeukgi waving at the flagpole rather than Lee Kang-cheol speaking to him.

I can’t tell you how surprised I was when an agent whom I knew while working as an advisor in charge of Korea for OSS suddenly came to me and told me that my country had escaped Japanese rule.

No, at first I thought OSS was pulling some kind of trick.

And even after persuasion from the U.S. government, I was skeptical, but I never thought the Taegeukgi would really be flying.

How proudly did you want to see the Taegeukgi fluttering so proudly?

“Hehehe!”

Hot tears flowed from Dr. Ilhan Ilhan’s eyes, and Kang-cheol Lee watched in silence for a moment until Dr. Yu got his emotions together.

“What happened? And who are you?”

“It’s the same as you saw. “The land you are standing on is Korea.”

“What kind of English language is this…? “Then what about you?”

“I am Lee Kang-cheol, the Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the President representing the Republic of Korea.”

“Commander-in-chief? annotation? No, then…”

“Yes, in the United States, you can think of him as having a similar position to the president.”

“Huh! “Why would such a person like me…”

“A person like me? Our Republic of Korea government and military have always been grateful to Dr. Lee for his dedication to his country. “In particular, I personally have always respected him.”

“…”

Dr. Ilhan could only look at Lee Kang-cheol, who was smiling brightly, in bewilderment.

Late that evening, Go Seok-man came to see Lee Kang-cheol.

“Why don’t you have some tea?”

“Really? Today was a very busy day, so I couldn’t even drink tea properly. “The American soldiers went into the dormitory, right?”

“Yes, I went in with a feeling that the dinner was more satisfying than I expected.”

“Hehe! “It’s not like we don’t know American tastes.”

“That’s right. “By the way, brother.”

“why?”

“Why are you treating Dr. Yu like that? Oh, of course, he is someone we respect, and even though he is someone we need right now due to restrictions, it seems like he is being treated particularly specially.”

“Is that what you were curious about?”

“Hehehe! yes”

“Like you said, it’s needed right now, but it’s not that desperate. It’s not like we don’t have pharmaceutical experts.”

“That’s why I’m asking.”

“That’s right, I have the greatest respect for people like Dr. Ilhan Ilhan. Of course, I respect other independence activists, but those like Dr. Ilhan Ilhan risked everything to fight for independence even though they could enjoy wealth and fame. That’s why I especially respect Professor Lee Hoe-young and his brothers. And I want those people to be treated better. “Only then will our country be able to stand on its feet from the beginning.”

“okay.”

“That’s it.”

“All right.”

The U.S. military exploration team stayed for a week and confirmed that the Korean Peninsula was completely under the control of the expeditionary force, and also inspected Dongchon Airfield in Daegu, acknowledging that it was the best place to station U.S. bombers and even fighter jets.

“This place is really great. As the distance was close, we confirmed that they had completely taken over the air defense network, no matter what tricks they used. At this level, our U.S. troops can be stationed here with peace of mind. ha ha ha!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, if we sortie from here, we can load up a lot more bombs and hit Japan. In addition, if you deploy not only bombers but also long-range fighters such as the F6F Hellcat or P-51 Mustang, you will be able to literally dominate the air superiority over the entire Japanese mainland. Then there would be almost no bomber losses.”

“ha ha ha! “That is correct.”

Lee Kang-cheol could not hide his joy.

This is because the more desperately the U.S. military wants Daegu Airfield, the greater the price they have to pay for it.

“Then I will come back soon.”

“Okay, I hope you have a safe flight.”

“yes”

Lee Kang-cheol’s prediction was correct.

A few days later, as the report was posted, Roosevelt desperately wanted Daegu Airfield and was able to obtain much more than he had previously promised.

For the United States, it was much more beneficial for the United States to be able to use Daegu Airfield, as the efficiency of its bombing of Japan would greatly increase.

November 14, 1944.

About 40 F6F Hellcat squadrons of the US Navy’s 3rd Fleet arrived at Daegu Airfield first, and came first to escort them because transport ships bound for Saipan or Guam were scheduled to return to Busan Port.

Of course, the fuel and 12.7mm ammunition they would use were temporarily lent by the South Korean Armed Forces.

And on November 21st.

Transport ships escorted by the 3rd Fleet via Saipan arrived at the Port of Busan, disgorging a huge amount of ammunition, equipment, and personnel to be used at Daegu Airfield.

They moved straight to Daegu Airfield and began renovating the airfield to suit their tastes and building infrastructure.

December 4, 1944.

About 100 deployed B-29 bombers took off from Daegu Airfield and launched their first air strike.

Naturally, it took off with an incomparable amount of bomb load compared to taking off from the Mariana Islands, so it rained a huge amount of bombs on Japan, and was escorted by P-51 Mustangs and F6F Hellcats, so there were almost no losses.

From this point on, it was virtually as if hell had opened in Japan.

December 13, 1944.

Lee Kang-cheol arrived at Busan Port and was amazed when he saw the numerous transport ships and escort fleets floating in front of the port.

“Oooh! “It’s amazing!”

“It’s really huge! ha ha ha!”

“ha ha ha!”

The size of the first transport fleet that arrived at Lee Kang-cheol’s request was over 110 ships, including 80 Liberty ships and 30 Victory-class transport ships.

And the escort fleet had an unusually high proportion of destroyers, and there was a reason for this.

“You’re here! “My babies!”

Admiral Kim Jong-woo shouted in excitement.

This is because, among the destroyers that came as escorts, six Fletcher-class ships and four Allen M. Sumner-class ships were to be delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy.

It was a historic moment when the Navy finally had a proper ship.