Conversation with the Soviet Union
— America —
"Your Majesty has agreed."
"That's wonderful news!"
Allan smiled at the report the maid delivered upon her return. The combatant nation he had wanted from the start had come rolling in of its own accord.
That smile vanished in an instant.
"However."
The single word, spoken in a heavy tone, carried a blade-sharp edge of killing intent.
"If you fail to honor your promise once the war against Germany is over, we will not sit idly by."
The murderous aura that stabbed through his entire body made Allan's face stiffen awkwardly. He had known she was a superhuman, but she was far stronger than he had anticipated.
"P-please, calm yourself. I have no intention of breaking any promises."
Allan raised both hands, pleading his innocence — outwardly, at least.
This is troublesome. If we try to claw the land back, they might actually go to war over it.
He had assumed that pressure from the Soviet Union and America — the two powers now holding world hegemony — could force Korea to spit the territory out without a fight. That no longer seemed possible.
Korea's will to fight is higher than expected. If we end up fighting them after the war against Germany, would we even come out intact?
The public wouldn't accept it either.
...Adding Japan on top of Manchuria might be fine. Korea would probably be satisfied with that much.
Allan ran the numbers hard. He still had no intention of leaving them everything, but he decided on a slight concession.
From Korea's perspective it would simply be getting scammed — but wasn't that how the world worked?
"Additionally, given that official approval of the territorial annexation is being delayed, we have a further request."
Allan's face stiffened slightly. They want a lot, don't they. Then again, for a promise without so much as an official document, such a reaction was only natural.
After all, the whole arrangement rested on trust alone. If they had simply accepted everything as-is, that would have been more suspicious.
"If, during our war with China, they attempt a large-scale naval blockade, we would like you to issue a mild warning."
Allan laughed heartily. He had been bracing for some difficult favor — and it was only that?
Certainly, such a thing would be quite helpful in a war.
"Of course! That's a simple matter. We'll give China a thorough warning."
It really was nothing. Just rattle China's cage a bit and be done with it. There were companies that would be in real trouble if trade with Korea got blocked, after all.
"That will be sufficient. I was somewhat rude just now. Please forgive me."
The maid who had been radiating a terrifying aura was, in the next moment, an ordinary young lady — lightly lifting the hem of her skirt and bowing her head.
"No, no, it's fine. These things happen sometimes in diplomacy. Well then — the formation of the American-Soviet-Korean Allied Nations. Hahaha! Germany's downfall seems right around the corner. How delightful."
Allan waved it off with a laugh. Britain had been left out, but nobody cared.
On this Earth-3, Britain was simply an American foothold in the shape of a nation. It also doubled as a meat shield.
Even receiving such treatment, Britain could do nothing. Germany, which had already devoured Europe, sat right in front of them.
What say did a country that would collapse the moment American support dried up have?
The American-Soviet-British Alliance?
That had only ever been a name used to pad the numbers.
— Soviet Union —
"Hmm. Comrade, I've heard Korea's proposal. Doesn't sound half bad to me."
Stalin puffed on his cigarette and smiled, studying the maid before him with a peculiar look.
A superhuman in a maid uniform. Truly a strange country.
Or was this normal? ...My head hurts. Enough of these useless thoughts. Focus on reality.
"But tell me — can you lot actually beat China?"
"A simple matter."
The instant, brazen boast made Stalin's mustache twitch.
He had expected Korea to win, but the confidence in that answer was startling.
I'm really feeling the intelligence gap here.
Stalin's eyes cooled to a chill.
Reds sprang up naturally everywhere else in the world — but never in Korea. Planting spies was impossible.
For one thing, they looked completely different.
People with animal ears or tails. People who looked like small children. People with elongated ears. Near-superhumans who appeared to be ordinary beauties until fire or water erupted from their hands.
No matter how carefully you costumed a foreigner, they were spotted immediately.
On top of that, Koreans were completely immune to recruitment. Money did nothing. Seduction by attractive members of the opposite sex did nothing. Nothing of any kind produced a reaction.
America, which deals with them openly, probably knows more than the Soviet Union — but even they won't know the full picture of Korea.
Stalin was right. America, which knew a little more, rated Korea higher than the Soviets did — but still had no real grasp of Korea's actual military power.
"Heh heh. I'll take the word of a comrade who lives in Korea, then."
Stalin smiled across his rough-hewn face, but the maid's brow tightened slightly.
"...I don't believe the word 'comrade' is quite appropriate."
Korea was not a nation of reds.
"Even if you're not a socialist country, we're going to fight together. Doesn't that make us comrades?"
The small irritation the maid had felt at Stalin's words faded at once.
"Does that mean you accept our proposal?"
"It does. The more fighting power, the better. China and Japan, eh — a bit startling, but if you're not going to demand land from the war against Germany, fine by me."
Stalin wore a good-natured smile, but inwardly his stomach ached a little.
They're going to swallow that entire enormous China. If we weren't sharing a border with Germany, we'd have occupied China ourselves long ago.
Because of Germany, the Soviet Union could do nothing. Every scrap of military power had to be concentrated on the German frontier.
Even cooperation with red nations that had spontaneously seized power on their own was difficult.
One clearing of Germany's throat, and the red states that had been sidling up to the Soviet Union would take the hint and quietly back away.
Every time Stalin watched that spectacle, he renewed a deep and abiding hatred.
"Hah. Germany. Once Germany is gone, the world will be beautiful, don't you think?"
"Yes. They are an extremely threatening and immoral nation."
The maid nodded with genuine seriousness, and Stalin's anger eased a fraction.
"If you wish, I'll publicly declare approval of the territorial annexation the moment your war with China ends. Same for Japan."
At Stalin's generous offer, the maid's face brightened.
"Thank you. However, America requested that the matter be postponed until after the war's end — so Soviet approval afterward is fine as well."
Stalin's face crumpled slightly. Those American bastards don't even bother to pass along something like that. What are they playing at?
Coming to the Soviet Union second after America also rubs me the wrong way. We actually share a border, for heaven's sake.
"Well, if that's how you want it, so be it."
Stalin nodded readily — and in his mind, placed Korea on the list of potential hostile nations.
Which was why the words that followed shattered his composure.
"This is a proposal for the Soviet Union alone. Once the war against Germany ends, shouldn't the world be reorganized anew?"
"...Interesting thing to say."
Catching the scent of conspiracy, Stalin's face bloomed into a deep smile. A proposal made here, to the Soviet Union alone — what else could that mean?
It was clearly an invitation to eliminate America.
"Comrade. Are you serious?"
"May I speak a little more directly?"
The maid swept her gaze across every corner of the General Secretary's office as she spoke. She was not actually worried about wiretaps. It was pure theater, designed to heighten wariness.
The performance worked well enough — it sharpened Stalin's concentration.
"It's secure. Speak freely."
"His Majesty anticipates that once Germany falls, America will not remain idle. He said that delaying approval of the territorial annexation until afterward is itself evidence of that intent."
Stalin agreed. Even a glance showed how suspicious the condition was. Of all times — after Germany's destruction.
They could have approved it right after Korea joined the war against Germany.
...So that's it. Korea intends to secure an ally and strike first, before they get stabbed in the back.
An easy reason to accept.
Calculations spun through Stalin's mind.
The odds of winning a war against America were not particularly high — but if Korea joined on the Soviet side, that changed everything.
He had already been expecting to gradually lose ground to America in the competition that would follow the war against Germany. The proposal tugged hard at his appetite.
"And how are we supposed to trust that?"
Stalin was already halfway convinced, but he wanted hard proof.
"What if each of you keeps one copy of a document bearing both His Majesty's and the General Secretary's seals?"
At that, Stalin understood that Korea was serious.
They're willing to take on the risk themselves.
Having fretted over America from the start, the General Secretary's decision came quickly.
"How much do you want, and of what?"
When Stalin brought out a map, the maid marked all of America, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and India.
In effect, she was claiming more than half the world.
"Greedy. I understand opening high on a first offer, but keep it reasonable."
When Stalin clicked his tongue, the maid casually erased half of India from the map.
"I still think that's too much."
"Isn't this a balanced partition?"
Stalin stared at the maid as she shrugged, looking thoroughly exasperated.
"Nonsense. Even if we take India, I figure it at about half — and frankly, the Soviet Union ought to take the larger share."
Stalin's hand moved across the map, and all of India plus Singapore and Malaysia shifted to the Soviet side.
"Isn't that going a bit far?"
"I consider it the Soviet Union's rightful portion."
A brief silence fell as their gazes locked over the map.
Sharp words flew back and forth. Hands moved several more times. A rough outline took shape.
"It will be adjusted according to performance in the war to come, but roughly speaking — this is it."
Stalin looked with satisfaction at the map, now layered with revisions. The maid, by contrast, wore an expression of mild dissatisfaction tempered by resignation.
For Stalin, it was an extraordinarily generous cut of land. The reason for such goodwill was simple: he had no intention of keeping the promise in the first place.
What they had produced was a map painted red and blue that included even neutral nations and each other's friendly states. Neither country hesitated to fill in the colors.
What could those petty little countries possibly do? Once America fell, the Soviet Union and Korea — holding world hegemony between them — would step forward.
The Soviet Union and Korea agreed to divide the world.