Chapter 481: Buildup(1)
Chapter 481: Buildup(1)
[Bourgeois V of Machina. Decision made to take ownership of Eins’s Mana Engine. The Mana Engine is expected to impact not only Machina but the entire world...]
[Eins’s decision is a monumental one. He is setting an example as a technician dedicated to the state...]
[The Mana Locomotive invented by Eins and his colleagues is expected to be unveiled in two months. Those participating in the trial run are...]
While I was busy lost in my writing, some quite interesting news had cropped up. The news that Eins’s invention, the Mana Engine, was being nationalized.
Technically, it was more of a transfer of ownership, so calling it "nationalization" was a bit vague, but the situation was practically the same.
Back on Earth, the world changed overnight because of a single steam engine, and countless corporations sprouted up like mushrooms after a rain.
Furthermore, Machina was, chronologically speaking, right on the cusp of an industrial revolution. In terms of daily life, it was already in the thick of it.
‘They called them "Public Artisans," not "workers," right?’
While people who work in factories are usually called workers, Dwarves are referred to as Gasin—"Public Artisans." It literally meant a master craftsman of the public.
Dwarves were a race naturally gifted at making things. Moreover, in an era where the Industrial Revolution hadn't fully ignited yet, the importance of Dwarves was immense.
Since most manufacturing had to be done by hand, their influence was bound to be massive. It was an unavoidable reality, and a feat possible only because they were Dwarves.
However, the side effects were quite significant as well. Dwarves were the number one race people hated to sign contracts with—that said it all.
Although I hadn't visited Machina myself and didn't know the details, I’d heard plenty. When it came to money, they were notorious for sucking people dry.
Greedy, yet annoyingly good at their jobs—that was the Dwarven race. Furthermore, humans tended to be heavily dependent on them.
In a situation where even weapons had to be hammered out by hand, the structure made dependency inevitable.
Things might change once gunpowder weapons, including guns, were further developed, but that was a story for the distant future.
Even then, while dependency might decrease, the presence of Dwarves remained vital in fields like metallurgy and smelting.
‘Minerals are one thing, but their ability to utilize them was exceptional, wasn't it?’
The Minerva Empire had vast lands and hidden resources, but it lacked the capability to extract them.
On the other hand, the Dwarves? Thanks to their innate physique, they could squeeze into the smallest spaces, and they were masters of metallurgy.
Listing it out like this, humans really were weak compared to other races. It made me deeply curious about how the humans of Earth managed to achieve such development.
‘But what was Eins thinking, handing over the ownership to the state?’
If nothing else, the fact that Eins gave up the rights to the Mana Engine was the biggest mystery.
To someone who didn't know him, the article might make it look like a patriot sacrificing for his country, but I had met the man.
He was somewhat rude, blunt, and the perpetrator of the world’s first drunk driving incident. At the same time, he was a Dwarf with immense pride in his work.
Most importantly, contrary to the prejudice that Dwarves were greedy, he didn't have much of an obsession with money. He was simply satisfied with his own invention.
For such a man to hand over the ownership of his invention to the state? The math just didn't add up.
‘If there was a problem, he would have contacted me.’
As the saying goes about getting your nose cut off while your eyes are wide open, the state might have seized the rights using some ridiculous pretext.
But knowing Eins’s personality, he would never stand for that and would have tried everything in his power to resist.
Since he wouldn't be able to play the media against the state, he likely would have come to me. Yet, it had been days since the news broke, and there was total silence.
‘Maybe I should have researched Machina more.’
Even in the Xenon Biography, the role of Dwarves was relatively small compared to other races. Even though they invented the steam locomotive, it was portrayed more as a triumph of human will.
Of course, there were descriptions here and there about how they could stand against demons thanks to the overwhelming production capacity of the Dwarves.
They were portrayed more as financiers than warriors fighting on the front lines. It wasn't that I didn't know the importance of logistics, but it just wasn't highlighted as much.
‘The Industrial Revolution isn't far off.’
Now, "workers" would be born instead of "artisans," and "blacksmithies" would transform into "factories."
I didn't know how long it would take to reach that point, but since Dwarves were a race of craftsmen, it would probably happen quickly.
Other nations, including the Minerva Empire, would surely want to get their hands on the technology of the Mana Engine by any means necessary.
After all, the only thing humans had in abundance was an enormous population, and they were a race with a very high learning ability.
If I could live past a hundred with the help of Divine Power, I might be able to see the progress of humanity with my own eyes.
‘I also need to properly explain Communism.’
The Communists depicted so far were just people shouting for revolution while trying to seize power for themselves.
For this reason, readers were beginning to think of Communism as a not-so-great ideology. It felt a bit like a cult.
Even in actual history, the view of Communism was far from positive.
In my home country, it was bad because we were torn apart by North Korea, which was supported by the Soviet Union during the Korean War, but the decisive factor was that the United States was the winner of the Cold War.
If the Soviet Union had won the Cold War, the perspective on democracy might have been different. Coincidentally, Nazism serves as a good example.
Germany was originally a democracy before it turned into Nazism following Hitler's Enabling Act, plunging the entire world into destruction.
‘Though that will never happen.’
Communism gave birth to the Soviet Union, but ironically, it was the very system that destroyed it.
This happened even when the United States had botched the Vietnam War and was lagging behind the Soviet Union in the Space Race. The limitations of Communism as a political system were clear.
I intended to correct the misunderstandings about Communism here. Oh, and just to be clear, I don't support Communism either.
‘Communism must remain an ideology. It should never evolve into a political system.’
The catalyst for the birth of Communism was the workers. There’s a reason the Communist Manifesto contains the phrase, "Workers of the world, unite!"
Above all, Marxism is divided into various branches. I would have to explain this well to account for the birth of the Soviet Union.
‘The violation of workers' rights caused by the Industrial Revolution. And the arrogance of the Russian Empire.’
If Volume 7 showed Hitler's seizure of power after the Enabling Act, the persecution of the Jews, and finally the history and potential of the United States, then Volume 8 would cover the remilitarization of Germany and the history of the Soviet Union.
Many people would be familiar with the famous Remilitarization of the Rhineland.
If France had obtained slightly better intelligence, if Italy hadn't occupied Ethiopia, or if the Great Depression hadn't occurred, the Remilitarization of the Rhineland would have failed.
It was literally a high-risk, high-reward gamble. Hitler hit the jackpot in that gamble, solidifying his dictatorship.
Even those who didn't support the Nazis and Hitler began to praise him as the Führer. That was how powerful the impact of "remilitarization" was.
‘Thinking back, Hitler was incredibly lucky.’
He picked only the most dangerous things to do, yet every single one of them yielded results beyond imagination. Moreover, he had the speech and agitation skills to move people's hearts.
Even his talent pool was formidable compared to the small landmass. Rommel, Manstein, Model, Guderian, and so on.
But paradoxically, as these gambles succeeded one after another, the sin that one must never possess, "Pride," began to grow slowly.
What truly nurtured that pride was the occupation of France. Cases of leaders who soared only to plummet to the bottom are more than common—they're everywhere.
‘Was it around this time that he decided on Lebensraum?’
I planned to write this part in an interesting way. It would be a cliché you'd find in any fantasy: an "awakening."
Hitler, receiving the fervent support of the people after the success of the Rhineland remilitarization. Afterward, he goes to his room.
As always, Hitler stands before the mirror to practice the speeches he will deliver to the people. But unlike other times, Hitler sees himself differently.
‘He’ll feel like a god.’
When everyone around you is practically deifying you, how could you not? Naturally, he’d be confused.
Realizing this, Hitler undergoes a true "awakening" and awakens to make "Lebensraum" a reality.
From the perspective of the people watching this, they’d be like, "Ooh, Hitler. Ooh." This sentiment would likely remain until the invasion of France.
I was quite excited at the thought of hitting them with a massive betrayal through the Holocaust. It was a bit cruel, but what could I do? It was actual history.
‘Compared to Germany, the Soviet Union at the time was...’
While Germany was remilitarizing, the Soviet Union was in a period of grinding people down. Because Stalin, upon hearing the news of Hitler's "Night of the Long Knives," committed the "Great Purge."
He killed so many people that they barely managed to defeat even Finland during the Winter War. It was literally a Pyrrhic victory.
Afterward, the side effects of the Great Purge were painfully revealed during the German-Soviet War. It was a good thing Stalin eventually came to his senses, or they would have been doomed.
‘By the way, should I write the Communist Manifesto too?’
I’ll explain the Great Purge separately later; I’ll start with the history of the Soviet Union. The Communist Manifesto can't be left out of that.
It’s the motto of the Soviet Union and the symbol of Communism, so it’s absolutely essential. Also, "Lenin," the revolutionary who changed world history.
Since he’s a figure from the past, he’ll leave a short but powerful impact. The man who brought down the Russian Empire and laid the foundation for the Soviet Union.
As a revolutionary, his quotes are all top-tier, and you can tell he truly cared for the Soviet Union.
The problem was just that the General Secretary who succeeded Lenin was a human butcher. Lenin had even left a warning in his will to be wary of Stalin.
‘Since Lenin is a figure from World War I anyway, I should leave him as a MacGuffin.’
Unless I write a sequel about World War I, he’ll remain a MacGuffin only mentioned in Blood and Iron.
There are many other things left as MacGuffins. It’s impossible to explain every single one.
Therefore, I would show a proper understanding of Communism and the oppression the workers faced. From the fall of the Russian Empire to the birth of the Soviet Union.
Once that’s over, the Second Sino-Japanese War...
"..."
As soon as I thought of the Second Sino-Japanese War, I had to stop my typewriter dead. The Second Sino-Japanese War was a conflict that played a much larger role in World War II than one might think.
While many people consider the German invasion of Poland as the start of World War II, some scholars argue that the Second Sino-Japanese War should be the starting point.
It’s just that Germany’s presence was so much more overwhelming than the other Axis powers, but technically speaking, they have a point.
However, a major problem arises here.
‘Will they believe me if I say the war broke out because a single soldier went to take a shit without a word?’
Of course, there are only records that a single soldier went missing without a word. But most people speculate that he went to relieve himself.
To explain that awkward, 20-minute gap, there was no other answer but a bathroom break.
Furthermore, the war broke out because the legendary "independence fighter," Mutaguchi Renya, gave reckless orders.
It was absurd, to say the least, but from Japan's perspective, they had planned to invade China all along. A suitable pretext just happened to present itself.
‘...Well, there are all sorts of bizarre incidents anyway.’
Occasionally, when looking into World War II, there are many stories that make you think, How could something that stupid happen?
For example, a captured German officer being released on the condition that he introduce his sister, and the two later becoming brothers-in-law.
Or a French soldier in a trench slipping on German shit and cracking his head open.
Or German soldiers wearing Soviet uniforms to avoid detection, only to find that the Soviet soldiers had the same idea; they spotted each other but passed by, thinking they were on the same side.
Or an American general openly telling nurses that they were going to rape women.
Or a Japanese submarine being sunk by potatoes, and so on. All sorts of bizarre stories pop up, but they’re all historically accurate.
‘...I wonder if the military here is the same?’
People are the same everywhere. Still, just in case, I needed to ask someone around me.
And there was only one person around me who had directly experienced war: my father.
Grandfather Clark was someone who had experienced adventure and combat, not war, and he wasn't a soldier.
[Dear Father. Everything I am about to say is the truth...]
With that, I inquired about the incident that triggered the Second Sino-Japanese War, the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident." By letter, of course.
And the reply came back exactly three hours later.
[What kind of moronic country is that?]
"..."
What should I do? It’s historically accurate.
[It would be more believable to say he slipped on enemy shit and got knocked out. Because that happened to me.]
...I guess the military is the same everywhere.