The Wicked Alliance #5
Up until now, the pro-German faction in America had to keep their mouths shut. Germany's U-boats sinking civilian merchant ships had made American citizens casualties too. Who'd look anything but tone-deaf yelling "Britain started the blockade first" or "I'm against intervention anyway" when entire families were in mourning?
Instead, they tried desperately to stay quiet—really quiet, barely breathing—to avoid fanning the flames for intervention. But then opportunity knocked. France declared war on Italy, threatening to send troops to Algeria.
To the ignorant masses of Americans, Algeria across the ocean was rightfully a French colony. Of course it was—theirs by right. But France had gone and declared war, claiming Italy had illegally stationed troops there. And this, right in the middle of America intervening to defend France and dismantle its colonial empire!
To the pro-Germans, it didn't matter if Italy was there to protect missionaries or if France had sent theirs for "civilizing" purposes. The only thing that mattered was: "France is sending troops to its colony in the middle of all this!"
With French troops diverted, it was obvious American boys would die fighting Germany. Even the dim-witted American public could grasp that logic.
They blew their trumpets loud. In their eyes, with America involved, Germany's defeat was a done deal. They wanted their second homeland, Germany, to do well.
Immigrants from Britain or France had usually fled persecution, but later German immigrants to America were mostly just chasing a better life. And those trumpets drowned out the anguished sobs of Atlantic widows.
"Sure, the deaths are tragic, but they weren't intentional. Now the US government is intentionally shoving our kids—yours and mine—into the meat grinder. Is this right?"
The moment grand ideals like dismantling colonialism and self-determination faded, it was just America shoving its youth into the trenches for hegemony. And honestly, that's exactly what it was.
Wilson, who had rallied the masses with pro-war speeches, secretly opposed the war himself. He just judged that if this was the path to dismantling the British Empire with the least blood—and establishing America's new order—then he had no choice but to take it.
"If Britain and France win big without American intervention, imperialism lives on."
Conversely, if America intervened and won, imperialism would end with Britain's fall. American involvement was essential.
Some might call him a hypocritical warmonger after years of pacifism, but Wilson felt no shame. He wasn't siding with Germany, so how was he a warmonger? If he truly wanted gains from war, he'd have backed Germany instead.
Siding with Britain and France proved America sought only the dismantling of those two empires from the war. They might not buy it easily, but Wilson was confident he could force the point.
But France declaring war on Italy—over protecting its colony Algeria, no less!
"Could Britain have orchestrated this?"
Britain was just the type. Trying to drag America into the filthy muck. Then America would have no choice but to defend its own order.
Of course, Wilson disagreed. Colony or not, America was destined for the world's pinnacle. No need to manage colonies. No reason to swallow that filth.
"But we can't withdraw now that we've committed."
He'd have to gloss over it somewhat. Say he'd tolerate the France-Italy front as minor African scuffles. France would probably accept. What else could they do? Withdrawal wasn't an option.
Thanks to this intervention, America had forced Britain's signature on the London Naval Treaty, ending the Anglo-Korean alliance. The British Empire's provisional dismantling now had America at the forefront.
Above all, Wilson felt a gnawing anxiety. The Kaiser's telegrams ranting about the Yellow Peril. Europe devouring itself in fratricide, letting the yellow races ascend.
"Come to think of it, Britain chose Korea as its ally."
After long isolation, was Britain's chosen alliance ordinary? Just anti-Russia? Anti-America?
Korea's actions so far suggested yes. It had publicly abandoned naval expansion, signaling no hegemonic ambitions. When Wilson urged it, hadn't it promptly "liberated" Japan? Even sharing its tonnage with Japan as a sovereign state.
Such generosity to a rival? No hegemon would do that.
Wilson's reason said Korea was neither foe nor rival. Harmlessly contractionist, almost mechanically so. Its thinking even aligned with his: Korea had demanded no-reparations, no-annexations armistice before Wilson preached it.
Its colonies—Indonesia, the Middle East, Russia—maximized local autonomy. Unlike Britain and Japan, no loans; just joint investments. No colonial ambitions apparent.
If America won flawlessly, Wilson planned to join hands with Korea for harsher demands on those empires. Korea seemed likely to agree readily.
The problem was Wilson's instincts. "Feels like they're seizing the initiative."
Separate from Korea's harmlessness, its growth bred impatience in Wilson, in America. Pushing a victorless war, dragging a new era's agenda.
The world's agenda belonged to white men, naturally. Korea instilled that impatience in America.
The white hood badge pinned to Wilson's chest gleamed.
As France's hysterical declaration turned into a fake war, shifting to a North African front—world war poised to expand once more—Korea grappled not with war, but something worse.
France's outburst was done; no room for Korean intervention in that spat. But this? "The Spanish flu is worse than expected."
Korea already had robust epidemic prevention. Communist-style rigorous daily hygiene quarantines. Water was boiled by default; only treated water for drinking. Traumatized by India, hyper-vigilant against endemic diseases.
The issue: borders too open. Vast territory meant single checkpoints aplenty. Officially, borders held by citizens' will, not wire. Honestly, control abandoned. Who could police it all? Uncharted wilds everywhere. Even now, Manchu summer saw Kodori and Kosuni hauling timber through swamps and jungles. Winters, back to warm Korea.
Borders needed defining before control. But flu ignored Korea's hygiene fanaticism. Borders wide open.
Endemics minimized, sure—but flu? No cure.
"Tariffs on it? Maybe?"
No-policy was policy. Best: masks.
But global flu reports showed this wasn't ordinary. Deaths inevitable, but government inaction bred distrust. "What the hell is the government doing?"
Sadly, my long pondering confirmed: nothing to do. True no-policy.
My headache wasn't flu response. Feed well, rest well, safety nets—that's it.
My issue: open borders. Old days, grand ritual sufficed. Now hygiene science spread; implies plagues controllable.
"Can't seal origin, can't cope—and it breeds political distrust."
Double bind.
"I wanted an open world; plagues are constant there."
While Britain, France, America debated Italy, Korea fought pestilence's pale rider.
Westerners, co-sleeping with livestock forever, immune to zoonotics. Easterners, pens for animals since antiquity, no match.
"At least enforce masks properly."
Or "Like Islam's hijab, West's hats and canes—Korea too?"
Nationwide sincere masking solves much hygiene. Failure's the norm.
Forcing it? Violence.
"Hats and canes shield from filthy rain."
Korea must share a world with plague-ridden West; masks as uniform?
Korea had demanded uniforms only from military, officials. Daewongun banned wide black horsehair hats, dobos as luxury. I loosened it later, but stigma stuck—no return.
Reform now? Black hats symbolized class—irrelevant. Universalizing them signals class end, valuing lives.
Sell to Chinese: self-subjugation bonus.
Korea had money now. Allow public luxury clothes in reform—no discord.
Masks too. I knew Chinese, Japanese, Koreans had low mask aversion. Unlike West seeing as hero prop, they'd wear if needed.
"Wide-brim luxurious black hats, masks, pristine white gloves—Korea's new uniform."
Style slays, hygiene secured.