Bab 296: 296
Episode 296: The End of the Apocalypse (9)
Ribbentrop's tip.
If we make North Korea and Taiwan into superficial independent countries, the President may be moved.
This does not mean giving up Joseon and Taiwan, but making them independent countries in name only like Manchukuo, and both will continue to be under Japanese control.
However, there were also loud voices opposing this, saying that this should never happen.
"That can't happen. "If we give them independence, will inferior servants truly understand the grace of the empire?"
"Rather, they might call for complete independence and try to collide head-on with the empire!"
"The very word of nominal independence could be Germany's plan to take away Joseon, Taiwan, and Manchuria from the post-war empire!"
"Then what do you want to do? If things continue like this, the entire country will be reduced to ruins! "Shouldn't we urgently put out the fire first?"
"Couldn't we throw some suitable bait to quell the dissatisfaction of the Korean people?"
"Please look at reality!"
The supporters, who are sick and tired of the opposition, protest and the opponents repeatedly scream.
Now that the empire may be destroyed, you are shouting unconditional opposition. Are they doing what they think they want? The supporters could not understand the opponents.
And the opponents also could not understand the supporters. No matter how much the war situation is worsening, we can grant independence to Joseon and Taiwan.
What are you going to do if we lay the groundwork for the evil spirits to run wild?
Forgetting the burning inside of Dogo in faraway Berlin, Europe, Japan started wasting time again today in a meaningless manner.
On the other hand, I also had common questions.
Why does the President show such persistent interest in the independence of the Far East?
The answer to these questions ended with a reasonable guess that it was to secure a bridgehead for Germany's advance into the Far East.
In fact, it was true that Hitler had great interest in the Far East.
But he had completely different thoughts from Japan.
***
If you say it's as expected, does it mean it's as expected?
Even as Okinawa was swept away and U.S. airstrikes began across the mainland, Japan was concerned about the formal independence of Joseon and Taiwan.
Look at how they worry about it even though it is not complete independence but only nominal independence.
They really seem like they have no answers.
If recycling is not possible, disposal is the only answer.
While the U.S. military was baking all of Japan with B-29s, the National Defense Forces also accelerated preparations for deployment.
"Marshal Rommel."
"Yes, Mr. President."
"I will appoint you as the head of the Far East Expeditionary Force."
"We will bring Tokyo to your Excellency the President!"
Rommel was chosen as the head of the Far East Expeditionary Force.
Manstein also showed interest, but I declined because he was recuperating after cataract surgery.
Guderian was busy with his work as the Chief of Armor, so he passed, and surprisingly, the other generals were not very interested.
The only person who took the initiative and requested to be sent to the Far East was Erwin Rommel.
I guess I was quite upset about being hospitalized due to an injury during the invasion of England.
Even though he already had everything, including Marshal's Peak, a large mansion worthy of royalty, and various honors, Rommel seemed to be unsatisfied and wanted to use the battlefield in the Far East as his final stage.
I guess it makes sense to send it to someone who wants it so much. Sending an applicant rather than sending someone else is a way to avoid backlash and make everyone happy.
Not to mention the Air Force, the Army had nothing to worry about as it could destroy all the tanks the Japanese army possessed with just the Panzer 4.
Rather, we had to pay more attention to the hand-to-hand attacks of infantrymen who rushed at us with the assumption of self-destruction than to the Japanese tanks or anti-tank guns.
Tanks were thoroughly instructed not to move alone, but to move together with the infantry.
Meanwhile, the United States filled the Reichsbank with dollars as promised. The smile did not leave Schacht's face as he confirmed the American deposit.
"Mr. President."
"Ready to deploy."
"Order to deploy immediately."
Kazakhstan was also notified in advance and the railroad tracks were cleared.
Since Japan was not supposed to know yet, Rommel was not sent separately. He simultaneously gave instructions to the Far Eastern contingent stationed in Free Russia to move to China.
To put an end to a long, long war.
***
June 6, 1944
German Foreign Ministry building in Berlin
While the home country was fighting over whether to grant independence to Joseon and Taiwan, Togo's insides were burning to the ground.
"Is there still no answer today?"
"sorry. Just a little more time... … ."
Ribbentrop got angry and asked what would happen to his face if Japan came out like this after saying this, and every time he did that, Dogo had to keep his head down, sweating profusely.
And every day, he sent a telegram to his home country, as if begging them to come to a conclusion quickly.
-Discussions are still in full swing. Be patient and wait.
"What patience is patience! "Are they playing with words now?"
Dogo became angry at the replies asking for patience every time.
If even discussing formal independence takes this long, how on earth are negotiations with the United States possible?
Even now, at this very moment, the U.S. military's air strikes are likely to increase in intensity!
Tokyo, the heart of Japan, had already been devastated by massive air raids by the U.S. military.
The bombing, which used incendiary bombs generously, turned an area of 40 square kilometers in central Tokyo into a sea of fire and killed about 100,000 civilians.
The damage was even greater because most of the buildings in Tokyo were wooden buildings. More than 250,000 houses were burned down, and 1.8 million Tokyo residents were left homeless.
Anti-aircraft guns installed throughout Tokyo and interceptors that took off in an emergency from a runway on the ground could not prevent the U.S. air raid.
Nevertheless, Japan showed a firm determination to continue the war.
There is also the ambition that all colonies cannot be given up.
Dogo, who had been waiting anxiously for his country's decision, finally received a telegram.
A short statement saying that the independence of North Korea and Taiwan will be discussed step by step.
Dogo felt dizzy after receiving the telegram.
In the end, doesn't this mean that we will not give you independence right away?
Because he did not know what kind of anger he would incur if he conveyed this as is, Togo changed his statement to say that independence would be granted in the near future, that is, once the new order system of Joseon and Taiwan is firmly established, and delivered it to the German Foreign Ministry.
But no reply was received from Ribbentrop.
Was he angry because he thought he had been ignored? Probably so. It's not like we're going to become independent right now, but we're going to think about it.
Dogo waited for Ribbentrop's reply as if he were walking on thin ice. But no matter how much time passed, he could not receive any word from Ribbentrop.
But today, he called Dogo.
When Dogo entered Ribbentrop's office looking nervous, Ribbentrop was sitting with his legs crossed, smoking a cigar.
Dogo took off his hat to greet him, but Ribbentrop held up his hand to indicate that it was not necessary.
"I called the minister to deliver a notice in the name of the German state to the Japanese government."
Ribbentrop invited Dogo to sit down before reading the notice. As Dogo sat down on the chair hesitantly, Ribbentrop took out a document from the dresser.
"Japan invaded Germany's ally China and committed all kinds of atrocities. "Millions of innocent people lost their lives due to war crimes against humanity."
… … What is this?
As Ribbentrop's words of criticism against Japan came out of his mouth, Dogo felt his body stiffen.
Something,
Something is wrong.
Togo's worst assumption was that Germany would reject Japan's request for mediation.
Despite providing a grace period, Japan not only showed no sincerity but also ignored Germany's request. Accordingly, it was judged that the Japanese government's attitude was not sincere... … .
These words should have come out, but now words with a completely different tone are coming out of the mouth of the German Foreign Minister.
What the heck... … .
"-Therefore, in light of the above, the German government declares that it has entered a state of war with Japan."
"… … ."
Even after Ribbentrop finished speaking, Dogo's mouth did not drop.
Germany's declaration of war.
The target of the declaration of war is Japan.
Germany declared war on Japan.
In an empire that is overwhelmed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China alone.
Germany, the most powerful country in Europe, declared war.
When I realized that fact, sweat began to form on my forehead.
"Woah, has the Empire ever done anything worthy of that to Germany…" … ?"
The words that came out with difficulty were a quiet protest. Protests asking what Japan did to Germany that led to war. Ribbentrop responded to Dogo's words.
"Didn't you say it earlier? Japan invaded China, a friend of Germany, and also attacked France, a friend of Germany. When Germany condemned this, it expelled the German ambassador.
In addition, they even supported the Polish government that preemptively attacked Germany. "If this is not a serious provocation against Germany, what is?"
According to what Ribbentrop said, Germany should have declared war three years ago, but Togo did not argue and simply stayed quiet.
No matter what he says now, there is no possibility that Germany will back down or postpone the declaration of war against Japan.
Recognizing that protest was useless and that his only remaining asset was his personal dignity, Dogo said nothing more.
"Still, His Excellency the President guaranteed the safety of all members of the delegation. "You will remain where you are until the war is over."
"… … "Thank you for your consideration."
Dogo staggered to his feet.
When he left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and returned to the embassy, the Waffen SS armed with submachine guns were surrounding the Japanese embassy building.
"Your Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs."
"This, this…" … ."
"… … ."
The members of the delegation must have heard the news, and their faces turned white and they didn't know what to do. Dogo sighed and shook his head.
"This war is lost. The empire is now over... … ."
***
U.S. forces bomb Tokyo
When there was a dispute going on in the cabinet and headquarters over the independence of Joseon and Taiwan,
Rommel's Far East contingent had already entered China.
Before Germany's declaration of war was delivered to Japan, Rommel took action.
This time, we can boldly abandon the obsession with entering a state of war after the declaration of war was delivered, just as Japan did when it attacked Pearl Harbor.
This was what Hitler said to Rommel when appointing him as commander-in-chief of the Far East Expeditionary Force.
As the Fuhrer said, Rommel launched the offensive an hour early, even though he knew that the declaration of war would be sent to Japan at noon today.
-iced coffee. Delivered from headquarters. All-army attack begins.
-Our enemies are insignificant soldiers. Sons of Germany, advance.
"Sieg Heil!"
"Heil Hitler!!"
The target of the Me264 bombers, designed to bomb Siberia, was Xinjing, the capital of Manchuria.
Even as major cities on the Japanese mainland were being reduced to ashes one by one by indiscriminate air raids by the U.S. military, the flames of war did not reach Manchuria.
Therefore, although the Japanese living in Manchukuo sighed at the difficult war situation, they did not think that the flames of war would reach where they lived.
But today that trust was broken.
While the Me264 was bombing Xinjing, the Stuka squadron managed to dive-bomb the tightly packed Japanese defense line.
The National Revolutionary Army attempted to break through several times, but the Sutukas dropped bombs on the defense line, which was repulsed each time, creating a large hole.
Japanese soldiers who saw the Stuka for the first time were stunned by the strange roar of the Stuka. After Jericho's trumpet sound, what followed was the loud explosion of a bomb.
-Quaaang!!!
The SC1000 landed and blew away the Japanese army's field artillery, leaving its operators intact.
Four SC50 shells, smaller than the bombs that exploded moments before, were dropped on the heads of the Japanese soldiers, who were screaming with their torn arms, legs, and internal organs scattered all over the place.
"Shoot, shoot!"
-Ta-ta-ta! Ta ta ta!!
Several 3-year machine guns deployed for anti-aircraft purposes opened fire, but the Stuka pilots only snorted.
It's not even an anti-aircraft gun, it's barely a machine gun. Even the quantity is so small that you can only count it by hand.
To war veterans who had dropped bombs on enemy lines even under more intense anti-aircraft fire, the Japanese army's poor anti-aircraft fire was nothing more than a laughingstock.
"Those guys are coming forward without any fear. "Let's give him one more shot."
Massive heavy tanks swarmed into the defense line that the Stukas had worked hard to break, pulverizing them with their wide tracks and huge main guns.
The blood drained from my face when I saw the heavy tanks charging the Japanese soldiers who had survived the bombing.
"Hey, the tanks are coming!"
"Anti-tank guns! "Ready for the anti-tank gun!!!"
Once a tank appears, it is natural to deal with it with anti-tank guns.
The Type 94 rapid-fire gun spewed fire at the approaching tanks, but it ended up leaving only tiny scratches on the armor surface. The anti-tank artillerymen gritted their teeth as they saw the shells bouncing off with sparks flying.
If the front doesn't work, aim for the side! The anti-tank guns positioned on the sides waited for enemy tanks to pass by with armor-piercing shells in their chambers, and opened fire the moment a tank passed in front of them.
But the result was always a disaster.
The anti-tank artillerymen were dumbfounded. The shell bounced even though it was fired not at the front but at the side!
"How did that guy get away with it!?"
There was no answer to the Japanese officer's despairing cries.
A following Tiger stopped and took aim at the anti-tank gun position on the right.
As the 88mm grenade exploded, the anti-tank gun position exploded into pieces and disappeared in a flash of light.
The 'Hago' and 'Chiha', which were equipped with the Type 98 tank gun, which was a slightly modified version of the Type 94 rapid-fire gun, were also useless in front of German heavy tanks.
When armor-piercing shells were loaded and fired, it was common for the shells to pass through the tank's armor from front to back.
Even if a grenade hit instead of an armor-piercing bullet, the Japanese tank collapsed into a heap of scrap metal.
"Retreat, retreat!"
Even the officers who had a habit of shouting victory or death were so frightened that they saw the tanks charging at them with their shells bouncing at random, so they ordered a retreat.
Those who survived desperately tried to run away, but were often torn to pieces and scattered across the field by the barrage of shells and bullets flying behind them.
The wise men ignored their officers' orders to retreat, remained in the trenches, and surrendered to the pursuing enemy infantry.
"surrender! "I surrender!"
"surrender… … Huh? what?"
The Japanese soldiers hiding in the trenches and surrendering were surprised to learn that their opponents were not of the same yellow race.
Although they wore square and angled helmets like the National Revolutionary Army, their skin color, uniform, and language were all different.
At first, the soldiers thought they were American soldiers. But I don't think I've ever heard that the U.S. military wears the same helmets as the military.
"Seo, no way-"
"Germans!?"
It didn't take long for them to realize that the army that attacked them was German, not American.
The soldiers did not understand why the German army in Europe was in the middle of China and why they had been taken prisoner by them.
"Move quickly. "You bastards."
"Don't put your hands down. "Anyone who puts his hands down will be shot."
The officers of the National Revolutionary Army, who were assigned to German companies and platoons and were in charge of interpretation and guidance, barely held back their laughter as they looked at the Japanese soldiers who were dumbfounded by the sudden appearance of German soldiers.
The rear of the Japanese army must be in chaos right now. The officers of the National Revolutionary Army watched their enemies being disarmed by the German army, imagining what it would be like at the headquarters of the Japanese army, where reports would pour in that an unidentified army of unknown nationality had appeared.
Victory, which seemed so far away, was suddenly just around the corner.
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