Shadow of the Old Continent (7)
Honestly, I never even imagined it.
Weren't you and Adolf Hitler basically in the same "mustache club" or something? That bastard didn't even mention Korea once, so why the hell—?!
But… saying that out loud didn't feel right either. This mustached man killed people like it was nothing, yet at the same time he was, in name at least, the leader and patron of communists worldwide. And the Soviet Union was a superpower spanning both Europe and Asia.
"This is a bit unexpected. I may have Korean blood, but I was born in America and received an American education—a perfect American, really. I've never even set foot on Korean soil. How could someone like me possibly discuss their future?"
"It's a bit awkward to hear that from someone who effectively controls the Korean Provisional Government."
Ah. I'm getting dizzy. My head's spinning. Can't you just let this slide?
No wonder they say the boss of the reds has top-tier intelligence. I always thought it was suspicious how Santa somehow knew who was naughty and nice. So that was their NKVD spy network, huh? Should've realized it the moment I saw the red outfit.
This damn mustache didn't care about my situation at all—cold, relentless, pushing forward without a hint of mercy.
"I've always had a personal interest in minority issues. So—are you ready to sit at the table, head of the Korean government-in-exile?"
"I do provide them with some financial support, but I wouldn't go so far as to call myself their head."
"Hmm. A figure praised and admired by the masses, mediating between politicians and bureaucrats or making the final call, someone whose defiance brings dire consequences… We used to have someone like that in Russia. We called him the 'Tsar.' Let's stop with the modesty there, shall we—Tsar of Korea."
"…I'd appreciate it if you'd just call me a representative of the provisional government."
"Hah hah hah! A wise decision. Now we can have a proper conversation."
If you call me a Tsar, the Red Army and NKVD might storm in and turn me into a human beehive. And wasn't that description just about you?
Once the groundwork was laid, Joseph Stalin leaned back leisurely in his chair. Then the Foreign Minister, Maxim Litvinov, who had been acting as interpreter, began the real discussion.
"First, allow me to extend our deepest sympathies to the Korean people suffering under the oppression and exploitation of Japanese imperialists."
"Yes. Thank you."
"Following the teachings of Comrade Lenin, the Soviet Union has long extended a helping hand to oppressed peoples around the world. Comrade Stalin shares that same conviction."
When both Litvinov and I looked toward Stalin, he simply gave a slight nod.
"However, the reason we hesitated for so long was because we suspected that Comrade Kim's influence over the Korean provisional government might, in fact, reflect the will of the United States."
"Hmm."
"But—"
"Do you really think a country like the United States, where governments and parties change constantly, could secretly carry out a decades-long foreign policy like that? Supporting a minor ethnic group, not even Japan or China? That's why we arranged this meeting today."
Look at this iron-willed marshal charging straight ahead without hesitation.
It's funny—those two mustached lunatics at opposite extremes of right and left ideology both share the same contempt for democracy. That part alone is irritating as hell.
But I have no desire to end up in a body bag, so I'd better play along here. I might be good at mouthing off to assholes, but not to crazy ones. That's how you get stabbed for real.
Instead of responding, I stayed silent. The one who grew nervous was the weak middleman bureaucrat—Litvinov.
"Ahem. Please don't take the General Secretary's words too deeply. If the United States were investing in a Far Eastern ethnic group at a national level, it would be quite threatening for us."
"I understand. Heh."
"At first, we believed Lieutenant Colonel Kim was preparing a Korean uprising with American backing. But it didn't seem like any state was actually supporting you—and we even saw you cooperating with the Japanese at times."
You've done your homework. But your communist lackeys made a mess too, didn't they? Policies changing depending on the situation—that's something you guys do as well, so why only criticize me?
"So we would like to understand your intentions. If the Soviet Union were to provide large-scale support to the Korean people, we believe it could bring peace to the Far East…"
"Support, you say?"
"Indeed. Supplies, money—or perhaps… the vast lands of the Maritime Province. We are prepared to stand together for the complete liberation of the Korean people!"
"..."
"If you wish, right now—you could join hands with the Soviet Union and stand tall as the true representative of the Korean people. What do you say?"
Hmm. Maybe it's because I'm in a den of reds, but my brain isn't working properly. Let's break this down.
"Join the Soviets and become the representative of the Koreans"—so basically… a recruitment offer? Quit being a ragged U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and enlist in the glorious Red Army? Marshal of the Red Army and Supreme Leader of the Korean People's Republic—damn, that sounds stylish as hell. Stylish enough to explode into a full-on fantasy.
And "support," huh.
No matter how much money I pour in, if an entire country decides to back them, my influence drops to nothing. And they're offering Primorsky Krai on top of that? That's unbeatable. They could swallow the entire provisional government whole.
Interpretation complete.
So what they're really saying is:
"Thanks for setting the table. Now we'd like to eat, so move aside."
This old comrade needs a taste of the people's iron fist.
Litvinov wore a gentle smile like some kind of KFC grandpa, but I felt like grabbing him and throwing him straight into the East Sea.
"If you're testing my loyalty to the United States, I must say, I'm a bit taken aback."
"Oh, not at all. Of course we respect Lieutenant Colonel Kim's will. But… isn't it a bit improper to live comfortably while leaving an oppressed people behind?"
"Hmm. I doubt the high officials of the Union called me here just to pick a fight. How about we stop the pointless provocation there?"
At some point, the steam in my head completely dissipated.
You've got to bait people in moderation. If this is all you have to say after inviting me all the way here, even I—just a soldier—am going to feel something's off.
At my words, the ever-smiling Litvinov's lips twisted slightly.
"I'm disappointed you see this as provocation. Revolution is not achieved merely by providing funds. Abandon this imperialist notion of manipulating a government-in-exile while not fighting alongside the people."
"Oh, I see. Then are you guaranteeing that within a year, the Red Army will march on Gyeongseong for the suffering Korean people?"
"That's quite a leap in logic."
"Is it? Surely the Soviet Union, which stands for workers and peasants, isn't just trying to swallow a provisional government and toss us a worthless piece of land in the Maritime Province. Naturally, you must be preparing a grand war to drive the Japanese imperialists into the Pacific, right?"
Answer me, you bastard.
An imperialist manipulating a provisional government is asking you.
Joseph Stalin, after hearing our petty exchange through the interpreter, clapped his hands as if satisfied.
"Let's end it here."
You're the one who set this up, aren't you?!
"Of course, we desire the liberation of the Korean people. But you must also understand—it would be quite troubling for us if a newly independent Korea were to side with the United States."
Well… that's fair. This is exactly why the Korean Peninsula has always been everyone's punching bag.
"Therefore, our greatest concern is what exactly motivates Lieutenant Colonel Kim to support the provisional government."
Whatever I say here… this man's paranoid anyway.
Even if I took off my uniform and joined the Soviet Army, his suspicion wouldn't stop. If it did, would something like the Great Purge ever have happened?
But I can't just blow everything up here either. That's terrifying in its own way. It's not like Roosevelt expects me to flip Stalin off to his face.
"If I answer honestly, will you be willing to help the Korean people?"
"Of course. The Soviet Union is the patron of all the oppressed. I cannot abandon them."
"Good."
If you're going to say that much, then I might as well be honest.
"The reason I support them is, of course, for my own personal gain."
Look at their stunned faces.
Before Maxim Litvinov could say anything, I cut him off and continued.
"Can a yellow monkey trust America? Or Japan? I've always been an outsider, living with the anxiety that I could be excluded from society at any moment."
"In that case, the Soviet Union is precisely—"
"My dear Mr. Litvinov. You called me here because I hold a large stake in the provisional government, didn't you? As long as I control it, I won't be discarded."
Looks like they never imagined reasoning like mine.
Think about it simply. Japan, China, the United States, the Soviet Union—none of them can shape the Far East without factoring in me.
As long as I hold the provisional government tightly, replacing me is impossible. You idiots.
"Of course, if you want to exclude me, go ahead. But then you'll have to give up Korean support. Either leave them as slaves to another nation, or pay a high price and buy me out."
"Ha. Hahaha. Hahahahaha!! Brilliant! A capitalist to the bone! Absolutely brilliant!"
Naturally, I didn't bother spelling out that if they tried to push me out clumsily, I'd go completely berserk and fight them with everything I had. Threats start looking cheap the moment you say them outright.
"So, you won't sell to us, then?"
"That's right."
"And if the Koreans ally with Japan and disrupt our rear lines? Why should I take that risk?"
"You planning to kill them all or send them into exile?"
"If necessary, I will!"
As expected of the iron-mustached man. Saying things most people wouldn't even dare to think.
"How could you even say that? What crime have the Koreans in the Maritime Province committed?"
"For the security of the Union, I can do anything. The sacrifice of the few for the greater good is tragic but unavoidable. If we send them all to Siberia, we can eliminate the Far Eastern problem entirely."
"..."
"However, if the Korean provisional government is established in the Maritime Province and we guarantee a certain level of communist participation, our 'concerns' will be greatly reduced. In return, they will be protected by the Soviet Union, grow in strength, and one day raise the banner of national liberation. Would you refuse even that?"
Stalin smiled.
Why does it send chills down my spine to see that butcher smile?
And I smiled too.
"Seems like you've finally made up your mind. Then—"
"Send them."
"What?"
"Send the Koreans in the Maritime Province—all of them—to Siberia."
I clapped enthusiastically, grinning.
"'Stalin Deports the Koreans!' Hmm, that headline has a nice ring to it. The tears of Koreans abandoned even by the leader of the reds will drench the peninsula. And anyone called a communist will be beaten wherever they go, right?"
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
"Then the Koreans will realize—
'In the end, only our own people can be trusted. The only one truly reliable is General Kim Yujin!'
If sending a few Koreans in the Maritime Province to Siberia can unite all Koreans, isn't that a profitable trade? Go ahead. Please—make it so that even if I abandon the Koreans, they can never abandon me."
I've heard plenty about the reputation of Russian-style diplomacy. Intimidation, persuasion, threats, blackmail—it's their bread and butter.
But when it comes to blackmail… I've got plenty of experience too.
"Hehehehe! So when are you planning to send them? Should I chip in some dollars?"
"…Comrade, do you truly have no love for your people?"
"For the safety of Korea, I can do anything. The sacrifice of the few for the greater good is tragic but unavoidable."
Stalin stared at me like I was something smeared on a wall.
But what could he do?
After all—he's the one who started the threats.
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