Chapter 313
“Looks like they’re trying to project military power into South America.”
“How many people in South America could really stand against the United States?”
Are they seriously thinking about deploying troops against those guys?
What in the world is going through the minds back home? No matter what chaos happens in South America, the real issue at hand is those guys, isn’t it?
Sure, we can always subdue South America, but Japan is a different story.
Ah, but I’m only looking at it from the perspective of whether there are Reds or not.
If we allow the Reds to roam free here, their numbers will increase exponentially, and won’t they try to export revolution again?
No, it’s quite possible that the Reds could retaliate here in the first place.
Getting wiped out by the Reds means we’d be better off getting wiped out by South America, because getting wiped out by the Reds would be the ultimate humiliation.
Of course, the White House wasn’t just sitting idly by.
They were providing some level of support with weapons and such.
The problem is that the White House had been vastly underestimating the Japanese Reds.
The Reds were charging in like mad dogs, as if determined to never again be defeated by the U.S.
Even parasitic creatures dyed in red were killing U.S. soldiers who were spending the night under the stars.
The daily eruptions of terror from the Reds were incredibly bothersome.
Right now, the Japanese contingent of U.S. forces was nowhere near sufficient to take control of all of Eastern Japan.
There simply wasn’t enough manpower to take them all down, and you want us to wipe out all the Reds with this?
Of course, MacArthur wasn’t saying to just crush everything without a plan.
He said to defend if we absolutely couldn’t manage it. I wanted to go smack MacArthur for just sitting there with all this.
“I suppose I’ll have to go see it for myself.”
I plan to go directly to MacArthur to complain.
“That’s not possible. We’re currently preparing to suppress the Sendai Communist Party.”
“Suppress Sendai? We need troops for that, don’t we? What’re we going to do if Tokyo falls while we’re busy with Sendai?”
The Kanto Guard was nothing more than a recently formed quasi-military organization of the Kanto Republic, and their level of capability was pathetic enough that they wouldn’t stand a chance against the Reds.
“Damn it. I wish I was back in Russia.”
Russia was truly peaceful.
Under the Tsar, Russia was indeed a calm place.
Of course, Patton, who yearned for the battlefield, somewhat found it unsatisfactory, but in a situation without proper support, remaining peaceful was the best option.
This is an unavoidable reality.
“I mean, back in the 20s, I stood shoulder to shoulder with the Tsar of Russia, crushing all the Reds!”
How can it make sense that I’m stuck here only able to defend against the Reds?
When I was in Russia, I would charge across the vast lands, taking down the Reds.
I can’t help but miss those times. I seriously considered applying for Russian citizenship.
As Patton lamented, his aide frowned.
“When was that?”
“What did you say?”
“Never mind. Ahem. How about requesting mercenaries from Russia instead?”
The young aide said it playfully, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Bringing in Russian troops.
Once upon a time, Patton had lived and died (mostly just lived) alongside Russian soldiers (Ungern).
It wouldn’t be too bad to have those Russian troops with us.
“That’s a brilliant idea!”
Did I really think there would be such a splendid method?
Patton gave the young aide a hearty pat on the back.
“Huh? Y-you really mean that?”
You seriously think I wouldn’t? Especially since the Reds are about to swarm us!
“Are you really considering it? What’s stopping us? After all, Russia wouldn’t want Communism to spread into Japan either, right?”
Patton demanded the White House request volunteers from Russia if there were no supporting troops.
And MacArthur of the White House was taken aback by Patton’s demands.
Patton was whining now.
He was insisting they send more troops. With the current military, defense was the best option. Of course, Patton did provoke the Reds a bit, but that was only possible because he had a military capable of taking control of Eastern Japan.
However, the original troops had already been diverted, leaving just a handful behind, so how could it be easy?
“Is it really that tough?”
“If it doesn’t improve, I’ll seriously march right into the White House.”
When Eisenhower said that, MacArthur stomped his foot and fell into thought for a moment.
It was incredibly rude, but the situation must have been dire enough for it to come to that.
We’d need to gather some intel.
“Is it true that the number of Reds has increased significantly in Eastern Japan?”
If that were the case, it would be a problem.
Then, does that mean the number of Reds within Eastern Japan is indeed high? The estimates MacArthur had in mind were only minimal.
Just a bunch of Reds who only protested. So few they could even be suppressed just by the Kanto Guard of the Kanto Republic. Thus, MacArthur thought that Patton’s troops were virtually unnecessary.
But now that Patton was sending reports, something didn’t sit right.
“Yes. There seem to be quite a lot.”
“No way, an excess of Reds in all of Eastern Japan? Isn’t that a bit strange?”
MacArthur, unaware of Trotsky’s existence, was left speechless.
Honestly, how much could the Reds really grow? That much!
I’m not lying; Eastern Japan was already in a state of mismanagement where they hastily set up the Kanto Republic with pro-American factions.
I thought the Reds wouldn’t even rally properly. But this means someone is behind them.
Without a leader, the Reds couldn’t possibly gather together like this.
“Who’s their leader?”
“It’s a guy named Tokuda Kyuichi. I heard there’s also a foreigner behind him.”
Tokuda Kyuichi.
That name was definitely unfamiliar.
It’s only natural since all bureaucrats from the Japan Empire era were killed, but how is it that there’s a Communist Party? What a shame.
“Hm. So there was this guy after all.”
I guess I’ll have to rethink this situation.
Ideally, I’d want to stuff the Tsar’s mouth with cash to bring over Russian troops, but…
Bringing in Russian troops as it stands isn’t a good idea.
Afterwards, they’d surely meddle in Eastern Japan too.
I need to rethink my strategy.
“Should I postpone South America for a bit?”
If I’m going to become president, I need to deal with at least one thing.
So perhaps it’s better to hit Japan before South America.
Ezo Republic exists. But if Eastern Japan falls, who knows what will happen to Western Japan.
“Western Japan could start a unification war.”
Yeah, there’s also Western Japan.
In Western Japan, the so-called greatest tactician of Japan, Mutaguchi Renya, is glaring fiercely.
Moreover, the elite Southern Manchurian Army remains intact among the combined forces.
Even if we set training aside, in terms of weapon quality, the latest arms from the Rome Treaty are in Western Japan.
How could we manage against Eastern Japan with just a few U.S. troops?
“Right. That could be a problem. Mutaguchi Renya is still watching closely, so it’s going to be a bit dangerous.”
“Yes. We must take care of Eastern Japan first, if only because of Mutaguchi Renya.”
Regrettably, the presence of Mutaguchi Renya was recognized as a fairly dangerous threat by the U.S.
Japan’s hero, Mutaguchi Renya.
Once the U.S. is expelled from Eastern Japan, his army could begin moving.
“The sentiment of the Japanese towards Mutaguchi Renya is quite significant. It’s best we send troops to Eastern Japan before things escalate further.”
Yeah. That’s probably the best move.
We can handle South America anytime, but Mutaguchi Renya could become a threat if we take our eyes off him.
Especially if the Reds are also around; we certainly can’t overlook that.
For MacArthur’s own approval ratings, if nothing else.
“There’s no other choice. Let’s not hold back on supporting Patton.”
After all, the U.S. is a country that has enough power to manage the situation in Eastern Japan without neglecting South America.
This United States is a nation with vast resources capable of impressing even the Tsar of Russia.
There’s no way we’d let trivial issues like Japan and South America get the better of us.
* * *
Japan’s situation only grew stranger.
Right-wing terrorist organizations were attempting to rise up only to be crushed under Patton’s attacks.
It seemed like the crisis had passed, but this time it was the Communists who revolted, and Patton failed once more to trample them.
More accurately, he couldn’t even make an attempt.
The expeditionary forces intended for Eastern Japan were unable to reach it, unsurprisingly due to South America.
Argentina was joyfully acting like a magnet for trouble.
The problem is, by giving up on sending forces to Eastern Japan and considering South America, we also need to keep military action against South America in mind.
Saying we’d take military action… Isn’t that just saying we’ll step on Argentina before it grows larger?
In that case, could it be that the picture I’ve envisioned might actually come to pass?
“Tokuda Kyuichi, I see they superficially have a Japanese leader set up.”
I nodded as I reviewed the report submitted by Beria.
I had heard this gentleman was the leader of the Japanese Communist Party, but I never expected he’d pop up here.
And supposedly he’s in the second position after Trotsky? Now I’m intrigued.
A battle between Trotsky and Patton would be quite a spectacle.
“Yes. But it’s somewhat different.”
Beria continued to submit his report.
Although Trotsky’s behind him, Tokuda is effectively the action commander, and Trotsky is backing him.
Trotsky would become the unifying figure of the Communist Party.
“So, Trotsky’s behind him. That’s how it is.”
If Trotsky’s behind it, hmmm. Is he aiming to exist as a shadowy figure this time? Nah. That’d be too naive.
Actually, it might just be possible? According to the intel on that Frank character, he originally came to Japan as an American.
It seems he’s been nurturing his power from the shadows, taking care of the Japanese as needed.
How should I look at this now? Is Patton really going to have to fight with almost no troops?
Trotsky’s devilish mouth could rally the Japanese Reds.
Their number would grow steadily, and they’d at least choose to align with the Communist state instead of the invading (?) U.S. Army and the puppet Kanto Republic.
After that, they might prepare for a showdown to expel the U.S. forces.
If America is tied down in South America, it’d be a gamble worth taking.
The Rome Treaty hasn’t been able to approach Eastern Japan either. Huh?
“This could get interesting.”
“Excuse me?”
Think about it. Wouldn’t it be quite amusing if Communist Japan could achieve a revolution all on its own, following in the footsteps of Communist Germany?
And Japan is an island to boot.
“Conveniently, Japan’s an island, nestled in isolation. If the U.S. is tied down in South America, it’ll be tough for them to capture Eastern Japan. They might even choose to only protect the Ezo Republic.”
That’s where it gets entertaining.
If Communist Japan secures a foothold, it would probably radiate that North-South Korean vibe.
Communist Japan could plan a war to initiate a revolution in Western Japan.
And Western Japan might also resort to war to prevent the spread of Communism. If this unfolds, there’s no doubt a war in Japan would erupt.
“Ah, wait a sec.”
North Korea has its big brothers, China and the Soviet Union, backing it, after all.
But what does Communist Japan have? Not a thing.
The U.S. won’t just sit back and let Communist Japan sprout from their territory. If so, it seems highly unlikely for Communist Japan to establish itself.
Logically, an isolated Communist Japan doesn’t have much longevity, and its downfall is all but certain.
North Korea managed to hang in there only while the Soviet Union was stable, but now, with no support from China… it’s bound to collapse.
Oh, that’s not the case. There shouldn’t be any North Korea around here by now.
If Communist Japan can’t establish itself, wouldn’t that allow Mutaguchi Renya to unify everything later on?
Ah, that does sound a bit iffy. An isolated Communist Japan wouldn’t have any revolutionary power to do anything.
“So, doesn’t that mean the U.S. has to intervene against Communist Japan?”
“Yes. That’s essential for maintaining the Kanto Republic.”
To keep the Kanto Republic alive, there can’t be any unification; it all needs to stay stuck like this.
Ugh. If Japan were to unify, it’d all go downhill.
I mean, I do trust the Japanese to some extent, but then again, the human factor comes into play. What trust could I put in someone like that?
I feel like, if they unified, they’d end up creating a mess. It’s just how things tend to go. Even if they unified, it’d be barely on par with Balhae.
“Hm. So, this does seem problematic.”
It’s unfortunate that MacArthur is going after Argentina first. Argentina shouldn’t have inflated its power yet, and I doubt Eva Perón will last long against that.
If she ends up standing tall and shouting “Help me, sister!” for aid before gloriously perishing, that would at least be a silver lining.
“Ugh, what do I do?”
The blood of repulsion is boiling up inside me, and it’s frustrating being unable to intervene.
Europe has a tremendous amount of image cleaning to do now.
And I can’t help but watch as the moment to cause turmoil in Eastern Japan and China slips away.
“Isn’t there really no option for us but to watch?”
Yeah. That’s true. We’ll have to just keep an eye on things.
It’s not that we can’t intervene at all, but if the focus shifts entirely to Eastern Japan, the situation changes drastically.
If America starts paying attention to both fronts, then the narrative shifts again.
“If America focuses on South America, we should just observe. Regardless, we can’t interfere in Eastern Japan.”
But if America settles for just the Ezo Republic and pulls back… No, MacArthur isn’t some fool.