NOVPUB
Chapter 56: Support for the Soviet Union (1)
Contrary to the expectations of each country, the German-Soviet War was going well for the Soviet Union.
Although there was the effect of not being caught off guard, the mobilization order issued early, and the spring monsoon that came on time, considering the military power of Germany that had unified Europe, everyone could not help but be surprised by the potential of the Soviet Union.
As expected, even if they were not well-fed, they were the second-ranked superpower among the great powers.
Then, it’s time to start betting.
I invited Konstantin Smetanin, the Soviet Ambassador to Korea, to the embassy.
Ambassador Smetanin was a Korean expert who had been working in Pyongyang since 1937, serving as a counselor at the Embassy of the Soviet Union in Korea.
Since he was a familiar face, I offered him a seat with a friendly attitude.
“On behalf of the Soviet Union, I am very pleased to receive Your Excellency’s invitation. I sincerely thank you, Prime Minister, Your Excellency.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Is the General Secretary, in good health? I heard it’s difficult to manage one’s health when work suddenly increases.”
“Thank you for your concern. The General Secretary is in excellent health. He still personally handles all the documents himself.”
We exchanged light conversation before getting to the main point.
When I thought the atmosphere was getting comfortable, I brought up the main topic.
“Actually, the reason I invited the Ambassador to the embassy this time is to finalize the plan to supply military goods to the Union.”
“Really? Thank you very much. The Union is greatly indebted to Your Excellency, no, to Korea.”
Ambassador Smetanin bowed his head several times to express his gratitude.
It was not unreasonable for the Ambassador to be moved, as his homeland was currently fighting a war that hung in the balance of life and death.
I presented the list of military supplies to be provided to the Soviet Union.
First, the tanks coming from the T-34 line, which was in collaboration, were to be sent to the Soviet Army first.
This was about 100 units per month for now.
They said it would increase to 300 units by the end of the year, so the supply would increase, not decrease.
Next was Korea’s new anti-tank assault gun, the Hyunmoo.
The Hyunmoo was a makeshift product designed considering the poor performance of the existing main battle tank, the Gojong 3, from 1939. It was a pure anti-tank vehicle that sacrificed armor and turret.
The main gun was the 88mm Koryo 40, derived from the 88mm Flak 36, which was theoretically equivalent to the main gun of the Tiger I.
Of course, if you asked if the actual performance was really on par with the 88mm KwK 36 of the Tiger, it was difficult to answer yes.
Nevertheless, the Hyunmoo had the power to destroy most of the existing tanks in a single blow.
200 units of this Hyunmoo were being produced per month, and half of them were also to be sent.
And.
The Korean Army also decided to send the SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle, military uniforms, military boots, broad-gauge locomotives, trucks, fighter planes, etc. that they were producing under license.
In return, it was decided to first receive the gold held by the Soviet Union as payment.
Since the 700 tons of gold that the Reds had stolen from the Spanish Republic would be transferred intact to the Korean treasury, it was not a bad deal.
Of course, since more was being given, the Reds would not be able to pay the full amount in gold or resources.
That could be received in the form of post-war spoils and influence over the Reds.
In a way, it might seem like a business transaction, but it was indeed a favor for a country that was not even an ally to sell goods to the Soviet Union on friendly terms when they were in danger.
Ah, if that bothers you, you should think about the atrocities Moscow committed in the Spanish Republic.
Swindling, inflating the amount due.
Didn’t they commit all sorts of atrocities that even Britain wouldn’t do, using the fact that they were the boss?
But now I am going to make the Reds call me Daddy. Yessir.
It’s only right to make them hand over the gold they plundered.
“Once again, I thank Your Excellency and Korea for the kindness you have shown. The Union will never forget Your Excellency’s kindness.”
Didn’t they completely forget the favor bestowed by America in less than three years?
The Reds are really first-class when it comes to lying. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Still, I answered with a smiling face.
“Please convey our goodwill to the General Secretary.”
As soon as the Red Ambassador left, I picked up the phone.
“Yes, I’ll only trust you. Start loading the trains.”
It was the moment when Korea’s large and small material support began.
Hundreds of trains immediately departed for the Soviet border.
The reason this is not Lend-Lease is because even if the price is low, the payment is received in cash or in kind.
Ah, how much money did the Americans give to the Soviets through Lend-Lease and get ripped off?
Even if it could be repaid with intangible resources like political power or influence, it was advantageous for the nation to receive tangible goods or cash as much as possible.
Ring ring
“Your Excellency. There is a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The German side has noticed our movements. The Ambassador wants an audience, what would you like to do?”
Well, now that we’ve come this far, what difference would it make to see the face of the German Ambassador?
“Tell them no. What could we possibly talk about if I see that guy now?”
I refused the German Ambassador’s request for an audience.
If you’re going to ride the Red train, you have to ride it properly.
The next day, Germany showed an immediate reaction.
“The German government says they are confiscating our government’s assets. The reason is that the Korean government has shown hostile actions towards Germany.”
Ha. The ones who couldn’t even make a peep when America was giving weapons to Britain and France during World War I are now making a big fuss when Korea does it.
As expected, a nation needs to have national power and be worth considering.
If we were even close to Britain’s level, would Germany act like this?
Spiteful bastards.
I picked up the phone.
If Germany acts like this, we have no choice but to respond based on reciprocity.
We have our pride as a great power.
“Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is Lee Sung Joon. Confiscate all German assets in the country. All of them, without distinguishing between private and government.”
Now that things have come to this, it’s as if Germany and we have started walking a path that cannot be reconciled.
I hope the Ching-chongs aren’t influenced by this.
The regrettable fact was that China would act contrary to our expectations.
If it were our Chiang Kai-shek, he would have eagerly taken the bait thrown by Germany.
It seemed necessary to start working on China as well.
Just in case Nanjing got any delusions, we needed to look into their situation to take immediate action.
“Central Intelligence Agency.”
“This is Director Lee Kyung-ho of the Central Intelligence Agency.”
“It’s me.”
“Yes, Prime Minister.”
“We need to prepare for wiretapping in Nanjing too. Prepare so that even the sound of Chiang Kai-shek pissing can reach my desk.”
“I will obey your command.”
Since we were preparing anyway, I decided to thoroughly prepare for an information war.
If by any chance China had delusions with Germany’s support, we had no intention of staying still either.
Considering the aggro of the great powers, they won’t wage war, but I’ll wield every knife I can behind their backs.
On the afternoon of the same day, there was a call from Britain.
Seeing that things had gone sour between Germany and us, they seemed to have gained confidence.
Sir Robert Craigie, the British Ambassador to Korea, conveyed a message from Washington and London.
“We are willing to supply materials to the Soviet Union.”
Have the two countries already coordinated their thoughts?
The reaction was faster than expected.
Indeed, the ones who ruled the world were different, no matter what.
“Are you perhaps asking us to arrange a meeting with the Soviet side?”
“The content we would like to request now is that.”
Now it is?
So there are more things to request.
For now, there was no reason to refuse the British Ambassador’s message.
To defeat the great evil called the Nazis, it was necessary to gather the strength of the whole world.
Didn’t they do the same in the original history to defeat that mustachioed demon king, Hitler?
“It won’t be difficult. We will connect you.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
“And if you are thinking of using our ports for aid to the Soviets, we will fully cooperate.”
“I will keep Your Excellency’s proposal in mind.”
While conversing, I slightly tested the waters, and it seemed that Britain and America were quite sincere.
They said they would create the Lend-Lease Act within August and push materials into the Soviet Union, which was not much slower than the aid to the Soviets compared to the original history.
The effort was not in vain.
If we had not eliminated the Nazis in America, Roosevelt would not have been able to move this quickly.
Of course, I couldn’t go around boasting about this achievement.
If I blabbed about interfering in America’s internal affairs, I would only incur Washington’s wrath.
Around evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed me that a telegram had arrived.
“It’s a telegram sent by General Secretary Stalin. It expresses gratitude for the friendly measures shown by our side.”
Hmm.
A telegram, not a letter.
Should I send a reply?
After some deliberation, I had them write a telegram.
“To General Secretary Stalin. The Korean government and people hold a sorrowful heart regarding the situation where the Union and people led by Your Excellency are fighting an unprecedented war. We pay our respects to the efforts of the Soviet people who are dedicating their blood and sweat for the sacred value of defending the motherland even at this moment.”
I think this is the right way to start.
“Nevertheless. We are convinced that the Soviet Union will ultimately be victorious. The reason we have such conviction is because we believe in the steel-like leadership of Your Excellency, the General Secretary leading the Union, and the potential of the Union that has firmly united in a single array. Just as Napoleon, who dominated Europe, Hitler will also taste defeat on Soviet soil. That is the inevitability of history.”
Mixing in appropriate flattery,
“The Union will surely enter Berlin and make Fascist Germany pay the price for its arrogance. Wishing for Your Excellency’s victory, Lee Sung Joon sends this letter from Pyongyang.”
I don’t know if Stalin will read all of this, but I included everything I wanted to convey.
Our Korean Empire is convinced of your victory, so we placed our bet on you.
In fact, the answer to whether this bet will succeed has not yet been revealed.
The potential of the German army was still strong, and there was plenty of time left to aim for Moscow.
Judging the war situation would have to wait until at least 1942.
Until then, we’ll have to spend anxious times while keeping an eye on the war situation.
Still, with the potential of the Soviet Union, which became one of the two axes of the Cold War despite suffering 29 million casualties in World War II, I have no doubt they will overcome the hardships.
The capabilities shown by the Reds in the Cold War were enough to make even America break out in a cold sweat.
So, win. Communist Party.
You are the future number two in the world.
Footnotes
1. Became an advisor to the Soviet embassy in Japan in 1937. He was a member of Communist Party. Until 1937 he was a director of All-Russian Research Institute of Fishery and Oceanography and between 1937 and 1938 he was a counselor of the embassy of Soviet Union in Tokyo, Japan while between 1938 and 1939 he was charge d'affaires in the same embassy. From 21 September 1939 to 28 May 1942 he was a plenipotentiary representative of the Soviet Union in Japan, replacing Mikhail Slavutsky.2. Hyunmoo is a series of South Korean ballistic and cruise missiles developed by the Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hanwha and LIG Nex1.3. The Tiger I was a German heavy tank of World War II that began operational duty in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent heavy tank battalions. It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted the 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun. 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 19444. The SVT-40 is a Soviet semi-automatic battle rifle that saw widespread service during and after World War II.
