NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: Spanish Civil War (3)
The Korean army's attack on Madrid, which began in December 1936, achieved considerable results as the Korean forces completely drove out the Republican soldiers from the Madrid University District, one of the most crucial battlegrounds.
The Republicans suffered devastating losses during the attack.
While the Soviets tried to counterattack by mobilizing T-26 tanks1, but it was futile.
But the Korean Army deployed their ultimate defense against the T-26...Concrete Buildings.
"Stupid Ivan2 bastards. Who even uses tanks in urban warfare without combined arms tactics? They're asking for us to barbecue those ugly tanks."
So, we made a delicious soviet roast with the morons who pushed forward relying only on their armor.
When they passed under buildings, we threw Molotov cocktails or grenades.
Boom-!
When they ignorantly passed in front of our hidden positions, we hit their sides with anti-tank weapons.
Bang-!When they crawled through complex ruins, we damaged their tracks with pre-set piano wires.
That said, a tank is still a tank.
Moreover, unlike the Nazi's Panzer I3 'pseudo-tank', the T-26 was a modern piece with decent defense and offense by 1936 standards.
As a result, we had to sacrifice twice as much infantry in order to capture a few Soviet tank crew members.
"When we return home, I will strongly advocate for tank developments. This time, I've keenly felt how difficult it is for infantry to fight without tanks"
Colonel Park Joon, the Operations Staff Officer grumbled.
Well, I supposed having tanks is better than not having them.
The problem is that even if the Empire mass-produced tanks, we wouldn't be able to compete with the Reds.
Those crazy bastards were churning out tens of thousands of tanks even during the Cold War.
Regardless, the men seemed to have become fans of the tank doctrine after witnessing the Soviet swarm of tanks.
We needed a more definitive countermeasure against enemy tanks.
If casualties keep piling up like this, it won't do any good for my position.
The surest method would be to possess anti-tank weapons that can suppress T-26s from a distance, but such a weapon...
Was that truly the only option...?
I already knew of a weapon that could help us.
Moreover, this weapon also served as an anti-air armament.
Acht-acht.4
The 88mm anti-aircraft gun.
A legendary war machine beloved by the German army.
Colonel Ha Yu Jin, who was our liaison with the Germans informed me that the only models currently deployed in the Wehrmacht were the FlaK 18 and FlaK 36, with the latter being in short supply even for German needs.
So, I requested the Empire to purchase the 88mm.
"I'm not asking for tanks to face the T-26. But shouldn't we have a weapon that can decisively deal with them? Even if it's the FlaK 18, I'd like us to procure the 88mm."
But the Empire's response to my request was lukewarm.
To summarize their reaction in one sentence:
We're already collapsing from lack of funds, and you want to buy expansive foreign weapons? And that thing is not even a certified anti-tank weapon, but an anti-air one?
I had no intention of backing down after one rejection.
Welp...Time to pull out my big guns then...Let's see how those nutjobs handle Lee Sung Joon, the ruthless politician.
Like a veteran tactician, I struck at the unsuspecting Army Ministry's weak point.
I sent an anonymous letter directly to the Daejeonghoe, Korea's largest political party.
A few days later, all hell broke loose back home.
"Our proud soldiers are fighting the Soviet tanks with Molotovs and grenades because they don't have proper weapons! What a shameful situation for the strongest army in the East!"
"W-Well...Our army doesn't have anti-tank weaponry..."
"And what use are weapons that only tickle a tank's armor plates?"
To be honest, it wasn't quite that bad, but this was apparently the atmosphere at the parliamentary hearing.
While it's true that the Korean Empire's parliament often acts as a rubber stamp for the military, they don't always bow their heads to those nutjobs.
As parliament and the cabinet are nominally above the military, there were occasional instances of assemblymen severely reprimanding military generals when they had justification.
After all, we need to advertise that 'We're not a military dictatorship, but a constitutional democracy.'
Wink Wink~
Anyway, when the parliament started to throttle the Military, the effect was immediate.
The Army Ministry coughed up the budget as if nothing had happened.
However, they attached one condition.
The 88mm must 'definitely' destroy tanks.
If not, they said they would hold us 'responsible'.
In late January 1937, our army received 12 German-made 88mm anti-aircraft guns.
Of course, it was difficult to use these weapons immediately.
Proper training was necessary to effectively use the 88mm.
But sometimes we can be pleasantly surprised.
"Our soldiers destroyed a T-26 with the 88mm?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. The soldiers observed a T-36 firing from the same position for days, so they adjusted the 88mm angle and destroyed it."
Colonel Gong Sang Jin reported the 88mm's achievements and recommended decorations for the soldiers who destroyed the tank.
This is an opportunity.
Making full use of the moment, I called the journalist from home to conduct an interview.
I was making a PR move.
"So, as soon as you acquired the weapon you insisted on having, General it already produced results?"
"Indeed."
"Most impressive, General! You are truly a model that any capable officer must strive for."
It pricked my conscience a bit, but an unearned achievement was still an achievement.
I was a quasi-politician living off my image anyway.
There was no harm in a little 'unintended' exaggeration.
With this, the Empire had no choice but to keep quiet.
At least, the home country wouldn't interfere with whatever I did on Spanish soil.
I practically had full reign over the expeditionary force.
I began to charm the officers of the expeditionary force, just as I had done with my previous division.
It started with individual meals.
During these meetings, I indirectly lamented the 'reality of the motherland' and the incompetence of the military then shared my vision for the country's future with those who took the bait.
Of course, I made sure to didn't share too much at once.
As time passed, the atmosphere within the expeditionary force changed subtly.
"His Excellency is truly a wise man and a pioneer who will lead our country towards new heights."
"Do you know how many plans His Excellency has? He was born to lead the great Korean people."
"As expected of His Excellency!"
Young officers somehow obtained and carried around binders filled with clippings of my editorials from the Koryo Ilbo.
Uh, hmm. That's a bit...
Well, as you can see...There was a strong...Devotion to me among the young officers.
But the older and higher-ranking officers were a bit different.
They regarded me as a reasonably competent tactician or commander.
As a result, they were a bit off-put with the 'fervor' directed to me.
This atmosphere became even stronger when I started wearing a monocle and personally toured the battlefield, leading by example.
"Hey, Hey, do you know what His Excellency said while he stood at the front lines?"
"N-No...What did he say?"
"He said, 'The soldiers are my children, so how could I leave them alone and not fear for their safety?'"
Heh...I simply took inspiration from Walter Model's words.
I made a habit of doing these frontline inspections to reap a bit of 'brownie points' with the soldiers.
As the army Idol, it was my duty to supply my fans with plenty of material for devotion.
By planting those 'flags' and triggering those 'events' I was basically appealing to those soldiers and even the folks back home, how great and charming I, Lee Sung Joon was.
Look upon my magnificence!
Behold this intellect!
Bow towards my vision!
Wouldn't they think of me as a superhuman?
That was the image I wanted to spread.
As I continued to build this ridiculous reputation, it reached a point where the Army Ministry couldn't stand it anymore.
They brought me back home while increasing the number of stars on my shoulder.
"Now that you've become a Lieutenant General with two stars on your shoulder, your current position is not appropriate anymore. It's time for you to return home."
The Army Ministry that had sent me to Spain now reluctantly recalled me to the Empire, but it didn't matter.
I went up a rank and thoroughly farmed a lot of goodwill.
You fools!
My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Korean Empire!5
The night before returning home, I had a modest dinner with the expeditionary force officers.
"If you have any difficulties in the future, come find me. You are my people forever."
My words were spoken with the aim of nurturing a private organization, but no one seemed to mind this.
The senior officers thought it was just a well-wishing remark, while the young officers, being my followers, took the words at face value.
But this implicit and indirectly built rapport would be a great help in 'persuading' them when the time comes.
Thus, after bidding the soldiers farewells, I concluded my six-month experience in the Spanish Civil War.
***
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