Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Champion's Return (2)
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Because of the major issue of Britain's entry into the war, we held meetings late into the night.
Not only the key intelligence agencies like the Central Intelligence Department and the Counterintelligence Command, but also personnel from the Army, Navy, and Foreign Ministry stayed up without sleep, analyzing the situation and discussing strategies for response.
I repeatedly dozed off on the sofa only to wake up again.
Honestly, I was so sleepy it was agonizing—I couldn't sleep properly.
Should I have some coffee?
After downing a cup of bitter Americano brought by my female secretary, I finally felt a bit more alert.
The people showed no signs of fatigue; they were still chattering away while staring at the map.
"Can't you all get a little shut-eye?"
"No, Your Excellency. We're still fine."
Had these people gotten younger in reverse? Their eyes were full of vigor.
They might just drop dead from exhaustion at this rate.
I settled my rear into the chair.
"How's the plan for disposing of the Axis powers after the war coming along?"
Even if we discussed it later with the Allies, it was important to first organize our own position.
Central Intelligence Director Lee Kyung-ho explained.
"Yes. Regarding the division of Germany, we've concluded that it would be best for us to govern southern Germany under military administration, Britain to take northwest Germany, and the Soviet Union to control everything east of the Elbe River."
Similar to the original history.
It would look even more like it once America joined.
Would it?
"Why make the Elbe River the boundary with the Soviets?"
"To check Soviet influence. Our conclusion is that if the Soviets take the prosperous western German regions, their national power would rise to an unbearable level."
Well, from the current perspective, that conclusion might seem right.
In the Stalin-era Soviet Union, economic growth rates were beyond imagination; given even a foothold, they had the momentum to catch right up to America's heels.
But my view, informed by knowledge of the future, was different.
"The Elbe is too far east. It's too cheap a price compared to the Soviet contribution."
If we couldn't avoid checks from the West, one way was to plant a solid anchor right in the heart of Europe.
Of course, letting the Soviets monopolize central and eastern Europe was bad too, so some coordination was needed.
I pointed to the Weser River, west of the Elbe.
"Make the Weser River the Soviet western boundary."
The people were greatly shocked by my words.
If the Soviets advanced to the Weser, they would swallow half of German territory.
It wasn't unreasonable for them to be stunned.
"Your Excellency, it seems like you're conceding too much to the reds."
Of course, even if I offered Germany up to the Weser to the Soviets, Stalin wouldn't take that much.
But to the extent we bolstered Moscow's share, the Soviets were bound to take more German territory.
"Instead, make Czechoslovakia the West's share."
In exchange for the Soviets protruding far west, the West would protrude east.
By widening the area where their teeth ground against each other, it would give even more space for the numerically superior Soviet Army to exert its power.
That much would force the West to suffer under the Soviet threat.
"If we swap Czechoslovakia and the Weser..."
The people pored over the map again with the topic I'd thrown out.
"Is Your Excellency's intention to deepen the confrontation between the Soviets and the West?"
"Those two are fated to clash anyway. The more intense their confrontation, the who ends up smiling?"
Everyone knew the answer.
Daehan.
In exchange for giving the Soviets industrial power similar to the original history, we stoke even fiercer friction.
This was how I planned to coordinate the postwar settlement.
"Were there no particular opinions on Italy?"
"Many opinions favored leaving Italy as is."
I agreed with that too.
Not because Italy was pretty, but because dividing them would harm the postwar balance.
The only way to split Italy was north-south, and slicing the peninsula that way would hand the valuable north to the communists.
Such dynamics wouldn't benefit Europe's power balance.
Right there in my seat, I also heard opinions on disposing of Axis members like Hungary.
Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria seemed fitting for the Soviet sphere, so I nodded.
The problem was Greece; we decided to hand them over to Britain.
After the Axis came the collaborator states that aided them.
The prime example was France.
"Everyone agrees France shouldn't become a victor nation."
The reason was simple.
Recognizing France's place would dilute our share accordingly.
And we weren't close enough to Paris to push for it at our own expense.
If anything, relations had soured over Indochina.
"I agree with your thinking. Handle the France issue that way."
After the Axis issue came how much contribution we would rack up on the European front.
To secure our target share, committing ground forces was essential.
"The military branches have concluded that committing up to ten divisions to the western front would be best."
"Will that be enough to secure our share sufficiently?"
Honestly, it was insufficient.
We needed at least thirty divisions to grab a solid share.
"We plan to make up the shortfall by committing to the eastern front."
Right.
There was the option of directly deploying ground forces to the Soviets.
"Finally, the 'Plunder Plan.'"
Assuming Germany's defeat, we planned to slyly extract technology, talent, and industrial facilities from Europe.
Realistically, if not now, there'd be no chance to catch up to Europe's technological prowess.
'Germany suffered 100 billion dollars in losses from Britain and America's talent and tech plunder, right?'
We couldn't swallow the whole 100 billion, but even 5% would secure Daehan's future solidly.
The Counterintelligence Command and Central Intelligence had spent the night devising how to plunder people, technology, and factories in that process.
For those who couldn't be persuaded, straight-up kidnap them.
Radical, but a solid method.
Hadn't the reds done exactly that with uncooperative intellectuals?
"Excellent."
Applause came naturally.
After hearing everything, with plans for the postwar era all laid out, my heart felt secure.
With our position roughly sorted, we decided to send a message to the British side.
"To Prime Minister Anthony Eden. Deputy Prime Minister Lee Sung-jun of Daehan sends greetings to Your Excellency. Daehan considers it an honor to stand as a staunch ally of the British Empire in this war..."
After the lengthy formalities, the main point was this.
"How about we capitalist nations align our positions in advance?"
It was about syncing mouths before sitting at the table with the Soviets.
The British Prime Minister replied immediately.
"We cannot allow a picture where the communists gain excessive power."
Of course, agreed.
"The Mediterranean is the British Empire's sphere of interests. We'd appreciate having this core interest respected."
"Then, hear out our side too."
We warmly exchanged concerns and shared views on how to raise our voices against the Soviets.
Anthony Eden.
What a fine fellow.
We just clicked so well.
After reading the full message from the British Prime Minister, I picked up the phone.
"Foreign Ministry, please. I'd like to send a message to Secretary-General Stalin."
Unfortunately, I was the type who liked playing both sides.
If I could grow by trusting the West, I wouldn't do this.
But that's not the reality.
Japan, raised as a model student under America's democratic indoctrination, became a threat once it grew in stature, and the West beat it like a dog.
Let alone Daehan, a threatening Asian power untouched by Western influence, let alone democratic education.
Would they look kindly just because we listened?
No way.
The international community doesn't run on such naive calculations.
Even with all my twisting and turning so far, I hadn't escaped checks like economic warfare.
So, I had no choice but to plot my paths to survival in advance.
"To Secretary-General Stalin. With the war's end in sight, I propose our two nations—Han-Soviet—coordinate in advance."
Stalin was reasonable too.
The issue with reds was you never knew when their words might flip, but he could talk logically and accept reason.
"You'll accommodate us taking a larger share of Germany?"
"The nation with the maximum share in the Great German War is the Soviet Union, so it's only right you get the corresponding dividends."
In exchange, no dice on Czechoslovakia or such.
They weren't even Axis, after all.
Oh, what about Poland, which hasn't come up yet?
Well, I didn't even know such a country existed.
The preliminary discussions with the 'Allies' were largely formal.
But it was enough to glimpse the underlying visions each held for the postwar world.
Daehan showed its vision.
Not long after, we sent our Foreign Ministers to Moscow for a tripartite meeting.
A new Moscow Conference, absent from original history.
The conference outcome was this joint position.
"No separate peace with the Axis under any circumstances."
"Demand unconditional surrender from the Axis only."
"The Allies cooperate from mutually equal positions."
There, we resolved the Axis's doom.
It was the moment when authoritarian military dictatorship, liberal democracy, and communist dictatorship formed a bizarre trinity, raising high the sword of justice for the world.