I Will Stage A Coup D’état

"Your Excellency. It seems Germany will win the war in less than 3 weeks at this rate.”

Uh, um this is most troubling.

A somewhat perplexing situation unfolded before our eyes.

If the entire British Expeditionary Force becomes prisoners of war, how will this situation unfold going forward?

Surely, they won't make peace with Germany or anything like that, right after such a humiliation?

Unexpectedly, the fundamental strategy of cutting off Germany was shaken to its core.

No, I must not falter. Cutting off the Nazis is the right thing to do for Korea and the world.

Even if they signed an armistice with Britain, the Nazis, who were focused on reviving their economy, couldn't last forever without conflict.

Those guys, they're like a modern-day Mongol Empire rampaging across the steppes.

I reiterated to the agitated generals that I had no intention of siding with Germany under any circumstances.

"But if we join hands with Germany, couldn't we take over the Western colonies for ourselves?"

Huh? So that was these muscleheads' goal…

It's not that I'm not tempted by the vast resources of the European colonies ripe for plunder.

If we could just get our hands on Malaya, Borneo, and Vietnam, we could self-supply most of the raw materials needed by the Empire without relying on trade.

However, that would be foolish in the extreme.

If our military advances southward, the United States will not sit idly by and let it happen.

There's no need to confirm with our own bodies the lesson that the original Japan showed firsthand in the Original History.

"I’ll say it again. There will be no alliance with Hitler. What we need right now is a strong friend to join hands against him.”

Of course, now that the situation has come to this, we need to change our short-term strategy a bit to adapt.

We might have to be mindful of Berlin's eyes for a while to avoid drawing suspicion.

On June 5, 1940, the Allied forces trapped in the encirclement surrendered to the German forces en masse.

Simultaneously with the annihilation of the Expeditionary Force, Churchill, who led the anti-German resistance with an iron will, was ousted from power.

A Britain without Churchill at the helm.

I couldn't estimate how the future would unfold now.

The next day, news arrived that Edward Wood, Viscount Halifax¹ a pro-German faction leader, had taken office as Prime Minister in Churchill's place.

For a while at least, it has become a situation where Hitler can taste victory and dominance.

If the British Empire reconciles with Hitler, the Nazis will have no reason to suffer from a lack of supplies or threats.

Wait a minute. If this happens, what will the situation be like on the continent?

If Hitler, who can now use his full strength without worrying about Britain as an enemy in the rear, can focus his efforts on the Eastern Front, can the Soviet Union hold out alone?

Of course, now that things have come to this, the 'rational' Stalin would also be aware of the fact that the possibility of Hitler actually attacking him has increased dramatically.

With heightened vigilance, he won't fall for a perfect surprise attack like the original Operation Barbarossa².

Still, I couldn't deny the fact that the situation had taken an unexpected turn for the worse.

"We need to manipulate public opinion in the United States a bit in our favor."

I felt the need to fully mobilize the CIC³, which had been operating for domestic political purposes until now.

The CIC, or the Central Intelligence Committee, had been operating without much presence until now in the shadows.

Since most of the work was handled by the DSC, the CIC had been functioning like a subordinate agency of the DSC.

It was due to the peculiarity of the military regime, where the Army Minister or the Chief of Staff served as the head of the government until now.

However, now it needed to change a bit to meet new challenges.

To carry out the inherent tasks of an intelligence agency, such as external operations abroad, it was necessary to loosen the reins on the CIC and grant them more autonomy.

"Connect me to the CIC Director's office immediately."

I decided to have a conversation with the CIC Director, Lee Kyung-ho, whom I had not paid attention to until now regrettably.

"This is Lee Kyung-ho, the CIC Director speaking."

Lee Kyung-ho was a civilian official selected from the DSC, with about 30 years of public service experience and a keen mind.

"Director Lee. It's me, the Chief of Staff Lee Sung Joon."

"Yes, Your Excellency how may I serve you?"

"I have a task for the CIC of utmost importance. Investigate pro-German groups in the United States extensively. If there aren't any already active, prepare them, even if you have to create them from scratch. From now on, report directly to me alone. Understood?"

After giving instructions to the CIC and setting up their new mission, I picked up the phone and called the Foreign Ministry, hoping that the situation might improve somehow with more information.

"Foreign Ministry I need your assistance. This is Lee Sung Joon. I have a favor to ask. Yes please go ahead. Please look into the mood of the British government closely. This must be your top priority."

In fact, although I asked the Foreign Ministry to look into the mood of the British government, I didn't have much expectation of positive news.

It seemed unlikely that Viscount Halifax, a pro-German faction appeaser, would show the determination to fight to the end against Hitler.

During this dire situation, the phone rang again.

"This is Lee Sung Joon go ahead. Yes? I understand thank you for the report."

A jackal that had been watching the situation took off from the starting line to feast on the spoils.

It was a phone call saying that Italy, which had been ignoring Hitler's request to join the war until now, had declared war on the Allies and joined the war opportunistically.

It was clear that they were trying to sit at the victory table with just a spoon in hand, now that Germany was winning decisively.

It was the same thing they did in the original history I knew all too well.

The only difference was that the date of their participation was a bit earlier this time around.

Anyway, there was a very high possibility that the Western Front would end with Germany's victory in short order.

In early June 1940, Germany had 142 divisions at their command, while France had only 60 divisions remaining.

Despite the overwhelming difference in military strength, Weygang⁴ was fighting hard to resist, but France was being pushed back relentlessly by the Nazi onslaught.

Ahn Chang-ho⁵, the Korean ambassador to Paris, relayed the grim mood in France to me directly.

"The French government has declared Paris an undefended city in despair. German troops are expected to enter Paris soon in triumph."

Now, the fate of the French nation was as good as sealed over.

Reports also came in from Britain painting a bleak picture.

"There are rumors all over the government that Viscount Halifax has started peace negotiations with Berlin. It seems that Britain intends to conclude an honorable peace and abandon the fight."

It became clear that the Nazis would win dominance over Europe in the short term at least.

I wonder if this disastrous situation will have an impact on us other than the Soviet Union directly.

I pondered deeply the implications and dangers that lay ahead for Korea in this new world order.

The first thing that came to mind was the suddenly vulnerable colonies.

I could imagine the militarists in the country raising their voices to devour the colonies of the Allies that had become vacant due to Germany's victory like vultures circling a carcass.

This, I could control with a firm hand.

In case the independence movement intensifies in the colonies and stirs up trouble.

Should this happen, there was a possibility that ideologically crazed people like the Asianists⁶

would run wild and cause chaos.

This was a part that I had difficulty controlling fully.

Because I didn't know where these guys would jump to or what mischief they might cause.

I hope there won't be any problems, if possible but I must prepare for the worst.

For now, I decided to put suspicious groups on the DSC's surveillance list and watch them closely.

On June 25, 1940, France surrendered after a humiliating defeat.

The war really ended in just 6 weeks.

The military was not shaken by this situation, but the civilians were extremely stimulated and agitated.

Immediately, this kind of talk circulated among the bureaucrats like a virus.

"Even Italy is trying to take a big bite out of Germany's victory, so, why can’t we join in too? We should also receive colonies and influence befitting our national power and prestige."

Voices rose like wildfire that Korea should also participate on Germany's side and take care of its national interests by force if necessary.

"Think about it rationally. Right now, the mainland of the European powers has either fallen into Germany's hands or is being threatened gravely. That rich Southeast Asia is waiting for us with open arms begging to be seized."

I wrote an editorial myself to counter these voices of reckless expansionism.

[The Korean Empire's national interest lies not in colonies, but in trade and development. Let us remember the words of Bismarck, who made old Germany the number one power in Europe through strategy, not conquest. Trade instead of colonies he declared! The Korean Empire must also shout the same words to survive and thrive. Trade instead of colonies!]

I made it clear to the militarists that 'this country must never expand beyond its means'.

Hundreds of letters poured in every day demanding action, but I would not be swayed.

If the Korean Empire walked into Southeast Asia, it was obvious that it would cause extreme friction with the United States, which had the Philippines in its hands as a prized possession.

And Britain was not dead yet despite its wounds.

If we didn't want to turn all the great powers into enemies arrayed against us, it was right not to even look at Southeast Asia covetously.

Nevertheless, the domestic militarists did not lower their voices or their ambitions.

I think I underestimated the essence of the Korean Empire as an imperialist nation hungering for glory.

They boldly shouted even the claims that had been taboo until then in their fervor.

"The Korean Empire's ally is Germany, the new master of Europe!"

"The government should immediately dispatch troops to Southeast Asia and seize our destiny! Vast resources and Asian compatriots await us for our guiding hand."

Of course, I firmly rejected this request as madness.

"DSC heed my command. I have a task for you of utmost importance."

I decided to create a few terrifying incidents to divert the eyes of the people who were obsessed with territorial expansion elsewhere.

It was to change public opinion through fear and misdirection.

At the same time, I mobilized the DSC and the military police to crack down on militaristic organizations and small newspapers that advocated dispatching troops mercilessly.

How dare they write articles that go against my mood in a military regime I controlled?

There were enough reasons to be crushed under my boot.

I also mobilized newspaper commentators as mouthpieces.

Every day, through radio and newspapers, I subtly planted negative views on how advancing into Southeast Asia would make the empire precarious and overextended.

It was a desperate measure, scraping the bottom of my non-existent political power to stave off disaster.

If I kept doing this kind of thing, the credibility of the regime was bound to be shaken.

What a headache…Not only do I have to keep an eye out for foreign affairs, but these madmen are now trying to make a mess in my backyard.

If the Nazis grew bigger here and tried to swallow up the Soviet Union, it was obvious what kind of reaction would come out from our hotheads.

No doubt they would clamor to jointly attack and divide the Soviet Union in the Far East like jackals fighting over scraps.

Before things got so tangled up that they couldn't be resolved, it seemed necessary to turn the balance back in our favor somehow.

I'll have to talk to the gentleman in the Reds soon.

I had a letter prepared to send to Stalin post haste.

1. Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, TD, PC, known as the Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and the Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a senior British Conservative politician of the 1930s.2. (German invasion of USSR)3. Central Intelligence Committee4. Maxime Weygand was a French military commander in World War I and World War II, as well as a high ranking member of the Vichy regime. Born in Belgium, Weygand was raised in France and educated at the Saint-Cyr military academy in Paris.5. Ahn Chang Ho, sometimes An Chang-ho, was a prominent Korean politician, Korean independence activist, and an early leader of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is also commonly referred to by his art name Dosan.6. Pan-Asianism (also known as Asianism or Greater Asianism) is an ideology aimed at creating a political and economic unity among Asian peoples.