Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 52



Only Krnovel

#52. There will be no Yalta conference.

“Jeju Island has been restored. “I felt really bad about leaving it behind, but it turned out really well.”

“haha! “It went really well.”

“you’re right. “We weren’t refreshed either.”

Everyone celebrated the restoration of Jeju Island with happy expressions.

“Then the time has come to start thinking about Manchuria in earnest. Looking at the situation on the European front, it is time for us to hurry. Chief of Staff!”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Let me explain the situation.”

“Yes, the current European front is very different from the history we knew. First is the Eastern Front. “Please look at everyone’s screen.”

A map of the Eastern Front appeared on the large screen.

“First of all, it is the Soviet Union’s Operation Bakration. As you know, Operation Bakration was a great summer offensive in which the Soviet Union destroyed Germany’s Central Army Group in late June 1944 and engulfed not only Belarus and the Baltic countries, but all of Eastern Europe. But because of someone, this is completely distorted from the original history.”

“Well, it’s because of me…”

“ha ha ha! you’re right. The Commander drugged Roosevelt. And the medicine worked great. This is because Operation Bakration itself was initially premised on massive aid, including vehicles leased from the United States. This was actually agreed upon at the Tehran conference. Almost at the same time, the Anglo-American Allied forces announced that they would open a second front in France and that the Soviet Union would attack from the east…”

“In the end, Roosevelt broke his promise?”

“yes. Because they couldn’t listen to us and raise the Soviet brown bear cub. Well, I heard that Stalin was in trouble, but our commander visited Washington and put the nail in the mouth. The already reduced rent lease was further reduced. The result? “Let’s see here?”

Only Goseok pointed to a point on the map with a laser pointer.

“The number of troops that the Soviet Union mobilized later than originally was about 1.3 million, which is much lower than the 2.5 to 1.7 million troops originally estimated. Moreover, due to lack of means of transportation, we were unable to demonstrate proper mobility.”

“…”

There was silence in the conference room, which was because they were fed up with the scale of the Soviet Union’s troop mobilization.

2.5 million? 1.7 million?

It was absurd.

Currently, the Republic of Korea’s Armed Forces are struggling to fill the 200,000-strong force.

Of course, this is because there is not enough time to recruit.

“The conclusion is that, rather than the Baltic countries and Belarus, which were the minimum targets of this operation, we were pushed back by the German Central Army Group and gave up part of Ukraine again. Right here, 200 kilometers west of Kiev.”

“Oh oh!”

“From here to Chernivtsi in the south, we have formed a front line and are engaged in a series of offensives and retreats with the German Central Army Group. “The U.S. military says that even though they continue to replenish their troops, they have already lost about 1 million.”

“Then what about the Germans?”

“They say they lost about 200,000 to 250,000 people. But the German Army Group Center is still alive and well. “Compared to the original loss of 400,000 people, we did very well.”

“Well, hundreds of thousands of people come and go…”

“Did you understand? “What kind of guy are we ultimately going to deal with now?”

Lee Kang-cheol asked his subordinates who were fed up.

“I knew it to some extent, but the units are wrong. However, if given time, I don’t think we will at least lose.”

“No, that kind of thinking is troubling. Not losing to us is just like losing. Those guys will get another chance if they don’t lose, but we won’t have that chance. You must win no matter what. “No matter who you stick with.”

“All right.”

“Okay, Chief of Staff, please continue explaining.”

Go Seok-man opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, the Eastern Front is the best outcome for us at the moment. This is because our goal is to weaken Germany’s power by continuing to bite the Soviet Union. Anyway, the Eastern Front is like this, and the Western Front is different. The Allied forces, and indeed President Roosevelt, listened to our commander’s warning and did nothing from fall to winter. “We just put pressure on ourselves little by little, strengthening our supply lines and building up our stamina.”

“So there was no Battle of the Bulge?”

“There was no Market Garden, no Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, and no Battle of Aachen. In short, we refrained from large-scale offensives as much as possible and endured an unusually harsh winter. Thanks to this, there was no Battle of the Bulge, where Hitler defeated the opposition of his generals, pulled out troops from the Eastern Front, and launched a major offensive in the Ardennes.”

“Hey? “Then the backlash from citizens in the UK and the US must have been no joke?”

“It was natural for Britain to backlash, but what are we going to do now that we are at war thanks to the United States?”

“…”

“Furthermore, there was no backlash from American citizens. Thanks to us, we are achieving great victories day after day in the Pacific theater. And that’s with almost no sacrifice from the soldiers. “In fact, they say that Roosevelt’s approval rating is increasing day by day.”

“Isn’t this going to lead to a 5th term?”

“ha ha ha!”

“Hey, that’s not it…”

Considering Roosevelt’s currently high approval rating, there was nothing impossible about it, but there was little chance of that happening.

The reason Roosevelt himself ran for a fourth term was because he knew full well that it was possible because we were at war.

“So what happens next?”

“I heard from the Commander in a communication with Roosevelt a few days ago that the Allied forces will launch a major offensive in March. “They say it will probably be the largest ground offensive in history.”

“Huh…”

“If that happens, Germany will never be able to survive. In the original history, Hitler killed himself with a pistol at the Fürerbunker on April 30, and Nazi Germany surrendered on May 8. But this time, even though it took a winter break, we estimate it will be at least faster than that. That’s why a major offensive by the U.S. military, which had stockpiled its strength without any significant losses over the past winter, would be scary…”

“…”

“…”

The end of the war was approaching.

It was a fact that Japan was on the verge of destruction without any question, and it was obvious even if you asked a person passing by.

If Japan weren’t an island, it probably wouldn’t have survived last winter.

“ruler! “The Chief of Staff explained the current situation well, but from now on I will speak.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“It may not be as it originally was in history, but the end of the war has come. Whether it’s a European war or a Pacific war. Honestly, I feel a bit disappointed. “It would be good if both the Soviet Union and China relaxed their power a little more…”

“…”

“This is what we are saying between ourselves, but if it were possible, I would like to hold onto old man Roosevelt by the legs of his pants. If only by doing so we could delay the Allied Forces’ major offensive on the Western Front by three months, or even two months. Of course, that is not possible, and to do so would be a pity for the people of other countries suffering from war…”

Lee Kang-cheol seems to have been quite disappointed.

Although we knew that the war would not last long, it was because the German army was in the midst of preying on the Soviet army.

“Anyway, as I’ve said repeatedly, we don’t have much time. Regardless of whether it is the European Front or the Pacific War, it is certain that the war will end sooner than it originally did. In Europe, it will be around the end of April at most, and for the Japanese military, it will be earlier than August 15th. If so, we must draw a picture that is as favorable to us as possible before doing so. “You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Chief of Staff!”

“Yes, please speak.”

“We are going to Manchuria before the first week of March is over! “Consult with your staff to select the optimal date and report!”

“Yes, Commander!”

“…”

Everyone was silent, but there was no one who was not reminded.

They said that they were advancing into Manchuria because it was absolutely necessary, not a sentimental approach like Goto and all that, but the word Manchuria was not a word that could be overlooked so easily.

It was no different from nostalgia for modern Koreans who lived with the narrow Korean peninsula split in two and falling apart.

A hometown that can never be returned, a utopia…

That is Manchuria.

However, through an unexpected accident, they came to 1944 through a wormhole and recovered the Korean Peninsula.

And now, we are going to restore the old land that was lost more than 1,000 years ago, only in history books.

My heart was pounding and my fever rose.

“And in the meantime, I’ll be away for a while, so you know.”

“yes? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see old man Roosevelt. “They contacted me two days ago and said they would meet again.”

“Seo, no way! Another flight to Washington…”

Hong Jin-taek’s face turned pale as it was obvious that he would follow him with his bag again.

That damn airplane experience was something I never wanted to repeat.

“hey! Hong Jin-taek! don’t worry. “Washington doesn’t want me dead.”

“Whew, then where are you planning to meet?”

“Hawaii!”

“oh! Hawaii!”

Hawaii was nothing compared to Washington.

In one word, shit.

“We won’t even fly the B-29 this time. Let’s just go to our C-27 transport plane. “Let’s live comfortably now.”

“That makes perfect sense!”

“ha ha ha! President Jeong!”

“Yes, Commander.”

“We’ll be leaving at night in two days, so let’s get ready.”

“Yes, we will make sure there are no problems. Hey, by the way…”

Air Force Chief Jeong Ji-woon seemed to have something to say.

“I’m asking out of curiosity, so what happens to the Yalta Conference? “As far as I know, the British, American, and Soviet leaders should be meeting in Yalta by now, right?”

“Ah, Yalta. Oh, I didn’t say that. “There will be no Yalta conference.”

“yes? then···.”

“Perhaps what President Chung thinks is right. In fact, this meeting between me and Roosevelt is a half-replacement for the Yalta Conference. Of course, I will meet with Britain and the Soviet Union separately after my meeting, but there is nothing to regret about the Soviet Union anymore, so at least there is no reason for old man Roosevelt to go overboard and fly all the way to Yalta in the Crimea.”

“Well, those words…”

“It means that Roosevelt recognizes us as true partners. In fact, it takes precedence over Britain. Tehran talks? Roosevelt told me that. The Tehran talks have already broken down…”

“Oooh!”

“This is awesome!”

“ha ha ha!”

In human relations and international relations, one had to be competent to be treated well.

To the extent that they pushed back Britain, which had the same roots and had fought and shed blood with them throughout World War II.

Of course, the matters to be discussed with Lee Kang-cheol would be limited to the Northeast Asian region and responding to the Soviet Union and China, but even this was a great task.

And two days later, on the night of February 7, 1945.

The C-27 J Spartan transport plane carrying Lee Kang-cheol and his group took off under heavy escort by a U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat.

Even though they said it was okay, they decided to escort it until it passed over Japan.

So, Lee Kang-cheol passed through Saipan, refueled at Midway, and headed to Hawaii.