Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chinese Intervention (2)
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The Chinese ambassador to Korea, Yang Yunju, was thoroughly pissed off after being summoned to the Korean Foreign Ministry two days in a row.
*What the hell do these Koreans think China is? Do they seriously believe the Republic of China is some vassal state taking orders from them?*
It was laughable.
Just four hundred years ago, Joseon had been nothing more than a mere tributary state receiving investiture and seals from the Son of Heaven of China.
Even though China was currently being outmaneuvered by Korea, Yang Yunju hadn't forgotten the pride of the Zhonghua.
Looking back, in five thousand years of Chinese history, there had been countless times when the barbaric nomads had pushed them back.
Western Rong, Xiongnu, Jie, Xianbei, Qiang, Di, Xianbei, Rouran, Turkic, Uyghur, Khitan, Jurchen, Mongol, Japanese.
Even adding up just the years they'd been trampled underfoot would easily total a millennium.
But China had endured the barbarians' dominance and ultimately triumphed.
From the long view of China's vast history, the Koreans' current ascendancy was just a fleeting moment.
Yang Yunju lived with that pride of China in his heart, so he didn't envy Korea, nor did he fear it.
"The Premier is arriving."
At the official's announcement of the Premier's arrival, Yang Yunju rose from the sofa and straightened his robes.
Korean Premier Ju Si-gyeong sat down without acknowledging Yang Yunju's greeting.
Yang Yunju's brow furrowed slightly at the rudeness.
Ju Si-gyeong cut straight to the chase.
"I will convey the position of the Korean government. Listen carefully. Our government views the Republic of China's accession to the air defense pact as an act that disrupts the East Asian order, and we hereby lodge a stern protest. Accordingly, we warn that military action may be taken until the Chinese government withdraws from the air defense pact."
What? What did he say?
Yang Yunju's mouth fell open in shock at the Korean Foreign Ministry's outrageous declaration.
*Is this how diplomacy works between normal modern nations?*
Even if the Great Korean Empire was a reckless militarist state, it had at least maintained the formalities, hadn't it?
Yang Yunju barely regained his composure and protested to Ju Si-gyeong.
"No, Your Excellency, this makes no sense. Our government's accession to the air defense pact is a legitimate exercise of sovereignty. Didn't Korea itself join the air defense pact in the past?"
"We withdrew from the air defense pact as soon as we confirmed Germany was the problem. So please don't use Pyongyang as an excuse. We've conveyed our intentions sufficiently, so kindly see yourself out."
Ju Si-gyeong finished saying what he had to say and abruptly stood up.
It was a dismissal.
Yang Yunju returned to the embassy in a daze.
"Prepare to send a cable to the home country."
An hour later, in Nanjing, Foreign Minister Guo Taiqi was startled by the cable that had flown in from Pyongyang.
*Did signing the air defense pact in Berlin piss off Korea that much?*
What was scary was that Korea was the type to follow through on its threats.
*I knew this would happen.*
Even without Korea joining the Axis, they were already growling.
One more step forward, and Pyongyang might turn it into a war.
Guo Taiqi reported this shocking news to the Chairman.
"Your Excellency, it might be best to shelve this issue for the time being."
"No way. Do we have to let the Koreans meddle in our diplomatic affairs too?"
Chiang Kai-shek vented his frustration.
But now that Korea had bared its fangs, they needed to tread carefully.
"Your Excellency, if this blows up, the challenges against you within the party will intensify."
Chiang Kai-shek was well aware of that.
Traitors like Li Zongren had been scheming to steal his chair for ages.
"Understood for now. Leave me."
Chiang Kai-shek paced his office, agonizing over it for a long while.
He had stubbornly pushed forward with Axis accession, but backing down at the very start would be a loss of face.
On the other hand, staying put might invite who-knows-what retaliation from Korea.
Chiang Kai-shek spent a full six hours pacing and thinking.
Whether a ship sailing the seas or a nation formed by vast collectives, any massive entity follows the law of inertia and can't easily change course.
That was why even if Chiang Kai-shek wanted to immediately yield to Korea's threats, he couldn't.
*How can I buy some time?*
To stall, Chiang Kai-shek figured he'd toss Korea a few soothing candies first.
*I should hear what Dai Li thinks.*
Just as he reached for the phone, Defense Minister He Yingqin burst into the Chairman's office, his face pale as a ghost.
He Yingqin, usually stern-faced and the picture of a bureaucrat, looked like a terrified rabbit right then.
"Y-Your Excellency."
"Minister, what's wrong? Why has your face gone so white?"
He Yingqin panted heavily before finally spitting out a few words.
"K-Korea has blockaded the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal."
"What?"
Chiang Kai-shek felt his words catch in his throat.
Korea's first military action was to choke off China's lifeline.
While Chiang Kai-shek reeled in shock in Nanjing, the diplomatic envoys in China were endorsing Korea's military move.
"Better to crush them with force than let Chiang Kai-shek delude himself into thinking he's siding with Germany."
"Prime Minister Yi Seong-jun made the right call."
It wasn't war, just a show of force.
That much was tolerable.
China had received Korea's strong warning now, so they'd think twice.
They dismissed the desperate pleas from the Republic of China government with such calculations.
"You're just going to sit back and watch the Koreans blockade the Yangtze?"
"Why beg us here instead of that fancy air defense pact of yours?"
Unfortunately for China, the great powers with influence in Asia weren't on good terms with the air defense pact signatories.
"What about Germany? Germany?"
The Chinese government clung desperately to the coattails of Germany, their one hope.
"If Germany doesn't step in, we'll have no choice but to bow to Korea."
Chinese Ambassador to Germany Chen Jie pleaded for intervention to German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, his face on the verge of tears.
Ribbentrop had no choice but to explain the measures the German government would take.
"Our government will issue a strong condemnation statement to the Korean government."
"And?"
"We will expedite the promised military supplies."
"Th-Then?"
"Come on, what more do you expect from us on the other side of the world? Gaining influence in China takes time, you know."
Only then did Chen Jie realize.
That no matter how mighty a great power Germany was, it couldn't compare to the nearby fist that was Korea.
*We never should have crossed Korea in the first place.*
It was too late.
If they really wanted to line up with Germany, they should have moved after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Chen Jie reported back home that Germany couldn't do much.
In fact, the German government's condemnation statement was casually ignored by Korea.
"What? Stop the illegal intervention in China? Damn sausage-munching bastards. You stop intervening with your neighbors first."
The Koreans didn't even bother scoffing; Germany's condemnation became a laughingstock.
The great powers with interests in China either stayed silent or quietly supported Korea, making it clear they wouldn't block the action.
Buoyed by the great powers' backing, Korea's Yangtze blockade continued.
In this situation, the Republic of China couldn't keep marching toward the Axis alliance.
"The government of the Republic of China hereby declares that it will reconsider its accession to the air defense pact."
China "canceled" its accession to the air defense pact, yielding to Korea's pressure.
This sparked outrage among many Chinese people.
"Filthy gao-li bangzi bastards. What business is it of theirs if China allies with someone or not?"
If Korea had been allied with the Soviets, it might have made some sense.
But they weren't even that.
For such a country to obstruct China's Axis entry was utterly baffling.
In any case, this aborted path to the Axis brought massive backlash to China's political circles.
Chiang Kai-shek suffered a major political wound.
"I take responsibility for this incident and will resign from the position of Administrative Yuan President."
Chiang Kai-shek gave up the nominal head-of-government post of Administrative Yuan President to shoulder blame for the Axis failure.
Of course, he kept a tight grip on the real power base, the Military Affairs Commission chairmanship.
"Look at that Chiang bastard, just pretending to take responsibility."
At any rate, China thought this resolved everything.
But some in the Korean military saw it differently.
"Your Excellency hasn't made a final decision yet. Why not escalate things?"
"Escalate? You mean that operation plan?"
"Yes. The conditions are perfect. With the riverine fleet already out for the show of force, it's ideal for blowing it up."
The Army Operations Division's 3rd Section waved their eagerly crafted plan for a Korean-Chinese war.
"But if we act without confirming His Excellency's intentions and he gets furious, what then?"
"We just pin it on China. Like with Park Han-jin last time—no evidence, clean getaway."
They meant staging something like the Tianjin gunboat incident.
Of course, they didn't need to sink a gunboat this time.
Just a provocation from the Chinese military would do.
"That's too risky. If it gets exposed, His Excellency won't forgive us."
"But when else will we get a chance to teach China a lesson? This is for the fatherland and the nation. Us soldiers have always put the country above self-preservation. History will vindicate our loyalty."
The staff officers of Operations 3rd Section looked to their section chief with resolute expressions.
For these sidelined officers in the backwater 3rd Section, facing imminent retirement, this was their last chance to serve the nation.
Who knows, if it went well, they might even get promotions.
Under the officers' intense gazes, the section chief let out a heavy sigh.
"I'll go see the Operations Division Chief. If the higher-ups approve, we proceed. Otherwise, we drop it."
"We await your orders."
In the shadow of Yi Seong-jun's planned show of force, the seeds of war were sown.