Celestial Empire Proclaimed: Broadcast Launch, Multi-Party Dawn, and Real Estate Sell-Off Storm
Surprisingly, the world was quiet. Or rather, it was gritting its teeth, trying to stay quiet. Bang! The dead don't speak.
Britain's hasty attempt to establish a Greater Poland had plunged into national crisis from the very start. For one thing, Poland had vanished from history long ago. Trying to resurrect it meant no meaningful support beyond the Poles themselves. All those declarations of support were just empty words—spiritual gestures at best. Even the British were saying, "Let's just send our prayers."
"Aren't you guys the ones who need Poland?"
"So, send in the troops? Since when have we been that close?"
France, meanwhile, had washed its hands of Algeria and everything else, going all-in on economic reconstruction. Britain floundering in Poland was actually a boon for them. Partly by choice, partly by force, they'd returned the monarchy. But with fresh vitality coursing through its veins—thanks to whom, exactly?—Britain couldn't let go of Poland. The British public might say, "Just bail already," but for the government, Poland was a must-have. If the economy had totally collapsed, they might've cut losses, but with some wiggle room left, Britain kept shoving Poland back into European history. How much Polish or German blood spilled in the process? Irrelevant to them. Only the agreement mattered.
Britain. London. In the heart of what could have been the United Nations' home, two imperialists met for talks.
I cut straight through his roundabout words.
"So, you want France not to block Britain's fool's errand?"
I offered the guest from France some French fries—no, Belgian fries. Shame there were no fish to go with them.
"France's military seems pretty freewheeling, what with Algeria and now Corsica?"
"Hmph. Not quite as free as Korea's Supreme Leader, it seems."
I finally pulled out the champagne for the lanky envoy from French Army Marshal Pétain. He'd been eyeing it the whole time.
"The Poland matter has some influence from our military. It's a grand strategic level, after all."
"So conversely, letting Britain thrash around in Poland is France's grand strategy?"
"A two-front war against Germany, or whatever the Soviets do—we're counting on this country's moves."
No great hopes for Poland itself, but expectations for Korea's actions, which might move the Soviets. Fair enough. To France, steeped in nationalism, this so-called German-Polish dual empire named "Poland" must look on the verge of collapse. No real faith there.
"More importantly, Korea's declaration of Celestial Empire status and democratization—both quite impressive. Especially seeing the man himself here in London."
As if coming from you. I eyed de Gaulle skeptically. In all modern history I knew, he was France's most anti-democratic politician.
"One-party dictatorship is just a phase toward our goals, not the goal itself. Korea's now stepping out of that dictatorial phase."
"I approve."
Approve what?
"That seat belongs to Korea, not me. The star there is Korea, not I. If I stood there, that would be presumptuous."
To solve the Great Depression not from above but from below, we needed to open channels, broker compromises across classes. Democratization? Essential, obviously. Why would people hustle for some foreign nation over their own? The Great Depression cleaved the world into before and after. It dramatically heightened the need for nation-states. Only unified nation-states could stand against it. Fascism didn't arise for nothing.
And in my view, charging ahead with five-year plans from the top to "beat" the Depression? For Korea, which had flawlessly executed them non-stop, it'd likely backfire. If I stopped tossing work to enterprises tomorrow, some cooperatives would face repayment issues. They'd bulked up on wartime boom, but peacetime made even maintaining that size a struggle. Right now, we were doling out jobs while splintering those co-ops regionally to downsize to market fit.
But that wasn't purely my will. With the economy grown so large, I hated meddling in markets unless absolutely necessary. Government intervention should lead innovation, promote automation, and support exports/imports—that's plenty. Those are what enterprises struggle with alone. Without it, productivity lags, prices soar. Firms or co-ops can't hire talent better than themselves; if labor's cheap, they stuff in bodies over automating; they chase domestic profits over global markets.
Government had to break that cycle. Only then do living standards rise—disposable income up, prices stable. Why lure foreign investment and build trading companies? To focus aid there, meddle less elsewhere.
Problem was, it wasn't fully working in Korea. Why? Not a democracy! Sparse feedback meant no clue if I was on track. Even if I launched reforms, they'd just applaud. Korea's democratization was vital above all for its people's lives and prosperity. The Depression was just one hurdle.
And here I was in London, facing perhaps the modern democratic world's most anti-democratic politician.
"Gulp. This is the real deal."
"Champagne from Champagne is rare these days. Regrettable."
"France will reclaim its former glory soon enough."
Words unfit for a mere envoy from Pétain? Or precisely because he was just an envoy?
Last time, Tito came as Lenin's envoy, asking me to slot him as general secretary for Hungary's Balkan region. No idea why me, but I wrote the recommendation. I got it. Why this ambitious Frenchman had come in person.
So it's not just about screwing over Britain.
He wanted a push for himself. True, de Gaulle was the ultimate outsider, popularity aside. Pétain, Churchill, Roosevelt—all patrons he'd spectacularly betrayed. And now here he was, asking me to be his patron.
"The military wants the Algeria issue resolved."
As his achievement.
"Yes, precisely."
He nodded over his sip.
"Frankly, I doubt there's a real solution."
"Just agree to League of Nations peacekeeping. In return, we'll back Korea's standardized shipping specs and international sea lanes, bailout funds, and adding beavers to the marine mammal protection pact. As a founding member."
"Korea isn't a founding member yet, but we can agree to peacekeeping."
"Thank you."
"One—or two—things in return. Religious freedom. And missionary freedom too."
Post-France Algeria faced power vacuum fallout. Italy and France had soul-crushingly clashed there, but post-Germany war, the League mediated their African pullback. Natives left behind would hate France and Italy, right? Surprisingly, reports said otherwise.
During Japanese occupation, weren't there plenty of collaborators—traitors? Did they all sympathize with Japan? No, it was about rice bowl jobs. Survival. In Korea, it didn't pay; in Japan, it did. That's why Korea fell—its people turned away.
Pre-occupation rice export bans prove Japan bought Korean rice, didn't plunder. Expensive preemptive buys. Meaning Koreans sold to Japan willingly, at high prices. Suddenly paying more for the same rice? Outrage. Future Koreans called it economic invasion—skipping that they sold it.
Treaties and inequality aside, the ban proves sovereignty secondary. Real issue: Koreans chose to sell to Japanese over fellow Koreans. Landlords held most rice and trade routes—unfair? Tough luck. Blaming foreigners for turning your country into a rice-colony landlord hellhole? Don't come crying to me.
So Algeria's purged "pro-French collaborators" had willingly supplied France. War-torn Algeria ran on eat-or-die pragmatism. No French trade? Someone starves. Sadly, like other African states, it's not just survival. Blame games too.
Algerian independence fighters framed it all as France's fault, purging collaborators regardless of public opinion. Leave them, France returns. Fair fear—look at this guy. But economics is the core issue; purges won't fix it. They worsen chaos.
And I suspected that's what they wanted. Purge pro-French, crash economy, seize power, provoke French hardline response, stoke anti-French sentiment, secure sovereignty. Perfect if power and independence are sole goals. Problem: Nearly every African nation did this. Result? Economic ruin, irrecoverable time lost.
Foment chaos to grab throne? Can't hold it without more chaos. Like slum looters—feels good short-term, no substance. Loot a store once, you'll loot forever. Chop hands, exile, or forced labor: only fixes. I wouldn't choose it, but couldn't deny it worked. Reality per scientific method.
Fixing people is arrogant hubris.
Marry to "fix" a spouse? Unhappy end. Nations trying the same? Ditto. Like scratching lottery tickets—seedlings show the worth. That's why mass elementary education: most humans just need to manage their lives. Sad truth grows clearer with more education. Korea's talent shortage persists despite budgets—proof.
Korea needed internal reform over external meddling. No more this way. Beyond basic education and jobs, public service needed dream teams. How long could armband-wearing comrades run things? No one knows.
Algeria? Even if France swallows the republic, missionary protection under religious freedom secures lives. Economics would sort itself.
Crawl in now or later? Latter's more humiliating, right?
Algeria or Korea—which urgent? Korea. Algeria's problem? Theirs to solve.