Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Champion's Return (1)
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Italy's rash provocation immediately sparked a war crisis.
Even Berlin was taken aback by how events were unfolding.
"No, what the hell makes you think you can pick a fight with Britain right now?"
Yeah, we're charging ahead because we trust you guys.
Britain wasn't about to sit idly by in the face of Italy's hardline stance.
"The Mediterranean is the lifeline of the British Empire. Declaring that you won't guarantee safety in these waters is as good as challenging us to a fight. Does Rome want to throw down with London?"
"Then stop sending supplies to Turkey!"
Italy responded to Britain's brinkmanship with brinkmanship of its own.
"Go ahead, try it. Just lay a finger on one of our ships."
There were things worth conceding and things that weren't.
Germany grew anxious watching this game of chicken.
"We can't just let the pasta-eaters run wild. If we do, they'll drag us into another war with Britain."
"Then America will get involved too."
Even Hitler thought that was a line they couldn't cross.
"Get in touch with Rome. We'll mediate, so tell them not to go too extreme on the Turkey issue."
Hitler's outreach backfired spectacularly.
"See? I told you the Germans can't abandon us."
Duce boasted confidently to his cabinet ministers.
Why would Italy back down if Germany had their back?
His words carried weight.
Even if Germany was struggling against the Soviets, they were still Europe's top dog.
With that kind of backup, what was there to fear from Britain?
"If we push hard enough, Britain will back off in the end!"
Mussolini mixed bravado with efforts to instill confidence in his grand gamble.
*If Germany really sticks with us to the end, Britain will have no choice but to retreat.*
That assessment was dead wrong.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Churchill seized the pretext Italy had handed him and sank his teeth in.
"The Fascists swore they would honor the peace treaty, but they broke that promise. The dark shadow of Fascism still lingers over Western Europe. Our past concessions have left only a bitter taste. Now Mussolini is marching his jackboots into the seas of the British Empire, demanding we stand down once more. Must we yield to the Fascists again today?"
It didn't matter that the spark had been Lend-Lease aid to Turkey.
Italy was the one who'd dared to mess with the Dardanelles-Bosporus straits, an area of utmost interest to Britain.
"Chamberlain's 'peace in our time' doomed Europe's free nations. This latest deceptive peace will doom us all. Free citizens, do not let the Fascists rampage unchecked. As the rightful sovereign of this world, the British Empire has a duty to defend freedom. Isn't it time we faced the fact that we must fight for ourselves and the world?"
Churchill's speech was little short of a declaration of war—a fiery broadside.
It was a challenge.
With Britain openly gearing up for battle, Mussolini found himself cornered.
*Don't those bastards fear Germany at all?*
The Fascist Grand Council erupted in chaos.
"Duce, are we really going to war with Britain?"
"Is Germany's guarantee ironclad?"
Amid the uproar, the German government issued a statement.
"Britain should remember the mercy we Germans showed in the last war and refrain from dangerous gambles. If London's hawks misjudge the situation anyway, we warn them they'll only relive the memories of 1940."
In the end, Germany couldn't bring itself to abandon Italy.
If Italy cowered before Britain here, Duce's already crumbling power base—riddled with defections—might collapse entirely.
Germany had calculated as much, leaving them no choice but to issue threats against Britain.
"See? The Germans can't cut us loose!"
Germany's war threats rescued Mussolini from the brink.
But Berlin's meddling only poured fuel on the fire.
Britain's public opinion, already simmering under hardliners against Germany, swung toward active interventionism.
"Honestly, there's nothing stopping us from taking on Germany, right?"
"Let's settle the score for what they did to us in 1940 while we're at it!"
Unlike lesser nations, great powers placed immense value on honor—their prestige.
That was why the major powers viewed kneeling to threats from peers as utterly humiliating.
The British Empire, having been number one, had never bowed to another great power—and they were fiercely proud of it.
Even in the last war, they'd retreated while preserving face through a "honorable armistice."
Tell a nation like that to back down under threat of war?
Yielding would mean it was no longer the British Empire.
With Germany leaving them no room to retreat, London had no options left.
And this fight wasn't even unfavorable to Britain.
On the continent, they had their massive ally, the Soviet Union, battling the Nazis.
America had pledged support too, hadn't it?
Prime Minister Anthony Eden expressed unyielding resolve.
"If you want a fight, the British Empire will not shrink from the challenge."
It was a de facto declaration of war against the Axis.
The moment Britain, who had stepped out of the fray under the armistice treaty, jumped back into the ring.
*
"London time, 3 PM on August 19th—Britain has declared war on Italy. Berlin is expected to respond within two hours."
I pondered as I listened to the Foreign Ministry's routine briefing.
Britain was back in the war.
What did that mean?
*Germany's death sentence.*
Britain's role in World War II was often overlooked, but they played a crucial part.
From start to finish, they'd blockaded Germany's U-boats and choked off Nazi trade.
They'd struck German factories and served as a base for anti-German guerrillas.
They'd even backed Germany's anti-Nazi factions and influenced their coup attempts.
A nightmare foe whose mere existence thwarted German hegemony.
Yet a prince of the seas impossible to subdue by force.
That fearsome enemy now stood against Germany once more.
While locked in combat with the Soviet behemoth on land, adding this foe meant the Nazis had no chance.
The best realistic exit for the Nazis now was an armistice through peace negotiations.
But neither the Soviets nor the British would want that.
The Nazis were finished.
The only question was how many would die in the process—the picture of their doom remained unchanged.
Which meant it was time for us to start maneuvering toward our own endgame.
We could advance the Soviet alliance based on the battlefield situation.
*Time to dispatch the fleet to Europe.*
Britain, now facing the Nazi-Italian navies at once, would be short on every ship. Helping now would rack up major contribution points.
Before I could even instruct the Navy Ministry to plan a Mediterranean deployment, the British ambassador, Sir Robert Craigie, requested an audience.
Britain had asked before their declaration if we could send our fleet—we'd given a positive reply.
This visit seemed to confirm that promise still held.
"Come in, Ambassador."
As I offered Sir Craigie a seat, I reaffirmed Korea's intent to join the anti-Axis war effort.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. On behalf of His Majesty's Government, I express profound gratitude for Korea's generosity."
"But in exchange, I need a few firm commitments."
From my seat, I laid out demands for the British government.
1. No objections to Korea's postwar deployments in China and Indochina.
2. No interference in treaties between Korea and China.
3. Low-interest financial aid for Korea's economy.
1 and 2 were already pre-discussed.
The new one was 3.
Korea's finances were in rough shape after running the wartime economy so long.
To fix that, we needed massive low-interest loans.
America would be ideal, but New York had no reason to oblige—so London it was.
"I'll consult with the home office."
The ambassador responded positively.
With war against Germany and Italy imminent, a bit of money wasn't worth quibbling over.
We discussed cooperation a bit more, then shook hands.
"We're not formally allied, but we're friends with a common enemy now, aren't we?"
"Indeed, Your Excellency. Our Prime Minister will be thrilled to gain such a staunch ally."
Yeah, he should be.
Anyway, those Italian pasta-munchers were toast.
The world's #2 (behind America) and #3 navies teaming up to gang up on #5 right after war's declared.
What chance did they have?
Still, Italy had complicated the math a bit.
The Soviets had spilled less blood than expected, and now the Nazis were getting hammered on two fronts again.
Was this setup really ideal?
Weren't the reds on track to ascend too far?
That could be problematic in its own way.
Or was it?
The more threatening the Soviets were to the West, the more conciliatory the West would have to be toward us.
Trading Soviet menace for Western goodwill—but everything had pros and cons.
*Guess I need to rethink this.*
I decided to run the numbers from square one again.