Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Soviet Troop Dispatch (1)
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Stalin, the Soviet dictator, wasn't particularly disappointed by the failed Romanian coup.
He hadn't expected such a half-baked attempt to succeed in the first place.
'Pushing through the Balkans was always going to be a stretch.'
It was the kind of thought only someone ignorant of the original history could have.
Instead of the Balkans, the General Secretary turned his gaze elsewhere.
What caught Stalin's eye was Finland, that pesky little neighbor whose very existence grated on the federation's nerves.
"This is our chance to wipe Finland off the map."
The General Secretary decided to throw over a million troops at Finland.
With a single command from the Man of Steel, Finland faced an immediate threat to its very survival.
"The Soviets are launching an offensive our way?"
"Our defensive lines are a total mess right now. They're hell-bent on turning our positions to ash."
The Finnish army was stunned by the overwhelming Soviet firepower concentrated on them.
Field guns packed more than 200 per kilometer, along with dominating airpower and tank forces, rendered Finnish resistance futile.
"The VT Line's already collapsed?"
In just six days, the Soviets breached the VT defensive line that the Finns had poured their hearts into building and captured the major city of Viipuri.
"We need to negotiate now. If this keeps up, those Ivans will swallow us whole. Didn't we learn anything from the Winter War?"
With things turning out like this, the Finnish government grew desperate.
The situation was worlds apart from when they'd halted talks to rebuff the Soviets' excessive demands.
At this rate, Finland risked being annexed outright.
The government had no choice but to agonize over it.
"If we keep fighting like this, we're done for. Please, let's start talks with Moscow!"
The Finns seriously considered peace, but they couldn't approach Moscow cap-in-hand without risking even harsher demands.
"We get that, but if we go begging now, the Soviets won't let us off easy. They'll use our weakness to carve off a third of our territory."
"So what do we do?"
Field Marshal Mannerheim presented a plan to the wavering government.
"If they breach the third defensive line, the VKT Line, it's over. Before that happens, let's get aid from Germany first."
"As the Marshal says, let's request support from Germany for now."
Finnish President Risto Ryti reached out to Berlin for help right away.
"If you're committed to holding your remaining lines, we'll help. But there are conditions."
German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop made it clear: Finland would have to form a mutual defense pact with Germany for any weapons.
It might seem odd not to be allied already while fighting the same war, but Finland had always been extremely reluctant to ally with Germany.
They had to consider relations with the West.
Faced with Germany's firm demands, Ryti gave this reply:
"I'll cooperate with you for the remainder of my term."
It wasn't an outrageous response, so Germany could accept it.
Had he pledged to stand with Berlin through thick and thin, the Germans might have grown suspicious instead.
But just because Finland had Santa didn't mean they were honest folk.
Finland slipped a cunning loophole into the mutual defense treaty between the two nations.
In truth, the treaty was a personal promise from President Ryti that didn't require ratification by the Finnish parliament.
"Check every single word and phrase in the contract. Do it twice. Don't let those idiot Germans cut off their own noses."
Finland pulled off the fraudulent deal and secured weapons from Germany.
Yet they couldn't fully halt the Red Army's tidal wave advance.
"Our Soviet Union will conquer the world like the mighty bear of the East!"
"Hey, that's not our anthem—it's a song those American skiers made up."
"S-Sorry."
At least slowing the Soviet advance gave them an opening to sit at the negotiating table with Moscow.
The Finnish government hurriedly faced off against the Soviet delegation at a table set up in Stockholm.
"Let's negotiate. We'll seriously consider your demands."
The Soviets, seeing the Finns holding out better than expected, shifted their stance too.
Throwing a million troops at a tiny country like Finland was a loss for the Soviets from the start.
"Negotiate for now, Comrade Molotov."
With the General Secretary's approval, talks proceeded smoothly.
The Soviets wanted to redirect forces for the race into Eastern Europe; Finland was willing to concede some points to survive.
With interests aligning somewhat, the negotiations progressed rapidly.
Germany caught on a bit late.
"What? You're making peace on your own and bailing?"
The Germans knew Finland was showing signs of withdrawing from the front.
But they never imagined such a lightning betrayal.
Hitler flew into a rage, but Finland was already prepared to jump off the German train.
"Thanks for the ride so far."
"We'll bill you for the fare later."
Germany rushed to Finland to protest.
"You signed a mutual defense pact and now you're making a separate peace? This is betrayal!"
"Betrayal? Let's review the terms."
The Finns produced the contract.
Germany pointed sharply at the part they'd trusted.
"It's signed by President Ryti!"
"Is it? Mr. President, time to resign?"
"For the sake of the homeland."
With President Ryti's resignation, the Finland-Germany mutual defense pact was effortlessly nullified.
Germany learned the hard way what it meant to be duped with eyes wide open, spitting blood in fury.
"Th-Those swindlers."
The nation of con artists, who had bluffed their way from the Rhineland to Czechoslovakia fooling the Anglo-French into one victory after another, had itself been conned.
The world roared with laughter at this unprecedented fiasco.
"What the hell? Those morons just handed over weapons and got cuckolded by Finland?"
"Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes."
Hitler became a global laughingstock.
After sealing peace with the Soviets, Finland boldly demanded of the German government:
"Time to clear out of our house? We're not allies anymore, no common enemy either."
Germany was pissed at the sheer audacity.
As the Wehrmacht withdrew from Finland, they trashed the place.
"Burn it all! Loot everything! Take back whatever was originally ours."
Finland was outraged by the German rampage.
"Have the Germans lost their minds?"
The brief alliance dissolved into mutual gunfire.
*
'Finland bails before we even launch Operation Bagration (Note: The Soviet offensive on June 22, 1944). I have no idea how this is playing out.'
This raised the odds that the Soviet Eastern Front offensive at month's end would hit with unimaginable ferocity.
I sent a telegram to Moscow congratulating Stalin on his victory.
"To General Secretary Stalin: Congratulations on your triumph."
While subtly probing Stalin's intentions.
On how he'd dispose of Finland.
They'd agreed on paper to let Finland live, but whether he honored it was up to the General Secretary.
There was no zero chance Stalin would rip up the treaty and strike Finland preemptively.
Unlike the original history, Stalin had plenty of manpower to spare.
The General Secretary responded leisurely.
"To Prime Minister Yi Seong-jun: Thank you for your congratulations. The Soviet Union intends to honor the treaty."
As expected.
Stalin was the type to value stability over risky gambles.
Crushing a fallen-out Finland wouldn't be hard, but it'd only earn Western distrust and enmity.
'But aren't the communist and free blocs destined to clash anyway?'
That line of thinking bred doubt.
I couldn't fathom the General Secretary's logic until half a day later, when the full peace treaty landed on my desk.
"Reparations of 6—6 billion dollars?"
That's 25% of Finland's dirt-poor GDP right now.
Demanding that much was tantamount to telling them to drop dead.
Taking territory on top of such reparations made Stalin's promise to "honor" the treaty crystal clear.
'If they can't pay, he'll send enforcers for forced seizure.'
The Man of Steel was a monster, as always.
I hadn't squeezed China that hard.
Five hundred million in North China Railway reparations, plus grabbing all of southern China—that was it.
Compared to Stalin, how conscientious was I?
Am I the worse guy?
No way.
The world works on relative terms, not absolutes.
Look at the weight classes: China I stepped on versus Finland the Soviets crushed.
China could survive as a mid-tier nation even after that.
Finland would be a pseudo-state for years paying that off.
So Stalin's the real villain.
Anyway, with the Soviets poised for gains on the Eastern Front, we needed to get in line quick.
Plunder or whatever, you need the right setup first.
"Head to Russia and lead the expeditionary force properly."
I decided to send Yi Jeong-yun, who'd been holding down Security Command, to the Soviets.
"M-Me, sir?"
Yi Jeong-yun had been away from the field too long; he wasn't really commander material.
But that didn't matter to me.
In a military dictatorship, the ones who rise are those you trust—not heroes.
I didn't want tactical geniuses; I wanted generals who wouldn't challenge my position.
Unless I was turning this into the Roman Empire, I needed to balance the top brass carefully.
"What do you think?"
I asked Kim Seong-ju, and he nodded.
"I agree with Your Excellency. Let General Yi handle it."
With me and the Army Minister aligned, Yi Jeong-yun bowed his head.
"If that's Your Excellency's will, I obey."
I approved ten more divisions for the twenty already dispatched to Russia under Yi Jeong-yun.
That made thirty divisions.
Around a million troops.
Stalin couldn't ignore that scale.
"Get it together properly."
"I'll live up to Your Excellency's expectations."
I clapped Yi Jeong-yun on the shoulder.
"I'm counting on you. Oh, and remember this: Doing well on the Eastern Front is great, but don't push too far. Balance with the Western Front is key. Don't forget—that's the most important thing."
Helping the Soviets is one thing; securing our share is another.
What nation in this world helps others purely altruistically?
"Understood."
That settled the Soviet expeditionary force.
Now, who to put in as the next Security Commander?
I started flipping through personnel files to tackle the next headache.