Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Dangerous Changes (2)
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“Here's the current situation in Europe as we've assessed it.”
Hearing the report from Central Intelligence made everything go dark before my eyes.
“Good work.”
The European situation was worse than I'd anticipated before the war's end.
The fascists taking power in France was unexpected from the start.
Originally, the Communists were supposed to become the number one party.
The British Empire had veered off my predictions in the same way.
Who could have imagined Mosley joining hands with Churchill to aim for power?
Even at the war's end, it had been unimaginable.
Would these changes benefit Korea?
In the short term, yes.
Europe's crisis was so acute that neither the US nor the Soviets could focus on Korea.
But the instability created unpredictable scenarios, and that was the problem.
For now, I decided to gauge Stalin's thinking.
If he harbored any misguided notions, I'd need to head them off.
“Secretary-General Stalin, Your Excellency. Europe's situation is changing rapidly. These are the most dangerous times. Even considering potential clashes, wouldn't it be best to minimize sources of conflict? Both the Soviet Union and the West would only end up wounded without gaining anything from a collision.”
Let's avoid steering toward another world war.
I could understand Japan's feelings when it cried for peace while handing money to China and the Soviets.
“Prime Minister Lee Seong-jun, Your Excellency. I fully agree with your advice and assure you we will maintain a cautious stance. Our federation has no intention of tolerating any mischief in Europe.”
Our Secretary-General was good at lying.
How did he pull off such bluffs without batting an eye?
In truth, our Iron Secretary-General was engaging in mischief in Italy, contrary to the lies he'd just told me.
The massive arms shipments to northern Italy were proof.
Stalin himself insisted it was for peace and stability on the Italian peninsula, but as far as I could see, well.
Hadn't China done the same for North Korea during the Korean War, creating a war on the brink?
At any rate, his official response suggested he had no plans to ignite a world war outright.
If he did start something, it'd likely be a limited conflict to test the West's resolve.
That much, I could tolerate.
It was mischief in Europe, not Asia, after all.
As long as it wasn't a world war.
Still, warnings were in order.
“Central Intelligence Director Lee, strengthen surveillance on northern Italy, France, and Britain beyond current levels. Understood?”
For starters, I needed to keep tabs on how Europe's situation unfolded.
With changes happening daily, I honestly felt some fear.
“This is the report from the German Occupation Supreme Council. The Soviets have begun bolstering police forces in the ‘East German’ region in preparation for negotiation breakdown.”
“Armed police?”
“Yes. The Supreme Council views them as de facto paramilitary forces.”
That had happened in the original timeline too.
Back then, East Germany had built up 150,000 police and aimed to communize West Germany.
That's why the Allies rearmed West Germany.
A similar response here wouldn't faze me.
Rearming Germany wasn't hard.
Open the arsenals, launder ex-Wehrmacht men into federal troops, and done.
The Germans would jump at the chance for uniforms.
It had worked in the original timeline.
“Start bolstering our own police forces in preparation for negotiation breakdown.”
Negotiations dragged on in Austria and Italy too, with the Allied Supreme Councils facing repeated deadlocks.
I'd expected as much.
As talks stalled, the US sent me a message first.
“Let's talk real ‘Allies’ without the Soviets.”
I agreed to sideline the unresponsive Reds.
Progress was impossible with Stalin involved.
We held marathon talks.
The urgent German issue topped the table.
“Everyone agrees that imposing excessive punishments on Germany is unrealistic, correct?”
“Korea agrees.”
We'd already taken everything worth taking.
What was the point of shaking down an empty shell?
“Britain agrees.”
The British cared more about their colonies than Germany anyway.
“France agrees.”
The surprise was France.
France opted to extend a hand to Germany readily.
I asked the reason later, and the French replied:
“Europe is one big family, and nations are small families. If long-feuding family members don't unite, how can we stand against giants like America and the Soviets?”
Even as a fascist state, France pursued a peculiar pan-European union.
Hearing that made their whole concept hard to grasp.
Even La Rocque, the godfather of the current French fascist regime, had that ambiguous tint.
Thanks to France's ready agreement, easing reparations from West Germany passed smoothly.
France also consented to joint occupation policies, laws, and currency in the occupied zones.
I worried the fascists would push hard, but that eased my concerns.
Up to here, things progressed swimmingly.
Italy was where problems began.
The US, Britain, and Korea wanted to maintain the status quo,
but
“We cannot accept communists holding out in northern Italy. The free world must support the southern kingdom in some way to recover the north.”
France, attending as an observer on the Italian issue, dug in its heels.
That said, France lacked the capacity to aid Italy alone.
With Algeria and Indochina wars, France had its own nose to the grindstone.
Yet it stuck its nose into northern Italy too—enough to question if this was peak fascist belligerence.
No, you're just observers.
To sum up France's argument:
If Reds take northern Italy, Soviet influence reaches the western Mediterranean.
How could the free world stand by?
I agreed with the point, but you have no say.
Shouting here changes nothing—we won't agree.
I flatly opposed.
Korea's basic stance was managing Europe's tension at appropriate levels.
Tensions already seemed high; threatening the northern republic risked overstimulating the Reds.
I decided against intervening in the northern Italian issue France raised.
After lengthy debate, Britain and the US agreed to heed the observer France.
The reason Britain and the US sided with France was Paris's position.
“The French will surely withhold security cooperation if we don't help. Before Paris sulks and drops out of the anti-Soviet front, let's give them some face.”
With the German issue already pitting us against the Soviets, French cooperation was essential.
Thus, the Anglo-French-American trio resolved to aid southern Italy, heightening war risks.
‘Looking at this, it seems primed for a showdown in Italy.’
An Italian War as a Korean War substitute.
We needed to hurry managing our own backyard.
I turned to Japan first.
“How's the Japanese imperial family issue?”
“We've fed them enough dirt; support has dropped below half. A bit more stirring, and abolition sentiment should overtake it.”
Even after smearing them with pachinko and yakuza ties, they held on.
I couldn't help but praise the imperial family's resilience.
“Not bad. And the Japanese Communist Party?”
“We're suppressing them in cooperation with the Occupation Command. But their numbers surged post-cultural governance, so cleanup will take time.”
I wondered if cultural governance had been a mistake.
But brute force on Japan would only spark backlash like before.
It had been unavoidable then.
“Handle it quietly through Central Intelligence. No noise.”
“Understood.”
“And China?”
“Post-Wang Jingwei, the succeeding Chen Gongbo regime maintains the same stability as before. Barring changes, it'll continue the current trend. The issue is the Communists.”
Lee Kyung-ho warned of Mao Zedong's CCP's ominous growth.
“As we pulled out of North China, Mao's side expanded liberated areas along the middle and lower Yellow River. North China warlords feel threatened. Appropriate measures are needed.”
“With nationalists in hand too, what do North China warlords matter? Supply them decent secondhand weapons.”
We had mountains of surplus arms from army reductions anyway.
“We'll proceed as instructed, sir.”
Suppressing the Chinese Communists seemed enough to manage our backyard.
The real issues lay next door, in the European colonial empires' colonies.
With French Indochina starting independence war, surrounding areas fell under independence storm's sway.
India, the British colonies' big brother, was stirring too, making colonial wars inevitable.
Was it wishful thinking that this unavoidable storm wouldn't shake Europe again?
Ideally, things wouldn't worsen beyond now, but assuming the worst was wiser.
If European markets shook, we'd need to cut government spending.
The easy target was the military.
I resolved to draw the knife on defense budgets.