Chapter 139: Notification, not Negotiation
The East Asian War of the Three Nations was peculiar in many ways.
One of them was the fact that Korea, ranked sixth in global GDP, waged a two-front war against the second and third-ranked countries.
Another was that the war itself ended relatively quickly and did not have much impact on the world economy.
And the most important one was that it shook the foundations of modern warfare.
Korea succeeded in pushing its massive Seventh Army to the outskirts of Beijing, which made the Chinese leadership nervous.
Korea also deployed a small combat walker unit to Japan and carried out sabotage operations, effectively exhausting Japan’s war capabilities.
—It was not uncommon for a minority of special weapons to produce extraordinary results in war history. But Korea broke that precedent.
—More than anything, it revealed how poor each country’s black metal research results were. They all thought they had caught up with Korea, but they were wrong.
—As a result of this war, Korean weapons will gain tremendous popularity in the global weapons market.
—To be honest, this war was not a war of three countries, but a war of Korea against China and Japan.
The post-war negotiations were also quite unusual.
Normally, such negotiations would borrow a third place to save face for the defeated countries.
Southeast Asia was a strong candidate, and Singapore in particular made every effort to use its own hotel as a negotiation venue.
It was because of the cost of hosting the delegations and the publicity effect that was no joke.
But with one word from Yu Ji-ha, Singapore’s efforts went up in smoke.
“The negotiations will be held at the Seoul Government Building on December 7th. The time is 10 am. You don’t need a lot of people, so come in person.”
It meant that the leaders of the three countries would meet and talk.
Wang XianShang and Akagi Kanbanjou had no choice but to comply.
The defeated countries had to do as the victorious country said.
The cumbersome ceremonies were all omitted, and the leaders of both countries visited Korea with only a minimum of bureaucrats and attendants.
At the meeting where bureaucrats from the United States and Russia attended as observers, Yu Ji-ha drew lines on the East Asian map hanging on his wall with a marker.
It looked like a child’s prank, but his words were shocking.
“These are the conditions for China. You will permanently cede Liaoning Province, Jilin Province, and Heilongjiang Province to Korea. You will lease Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Korea for 100 years.”
“Japan will permanently cede all islands below Kyushu to Korea. You will pay 100 trillion won to Korea every year for the next 10 years. That’s all.”
“…”
“Uh…”
Wang XianShang and Akagi Kanbanjou tried to say something, but closed their mouths.
They knew what kind of personality Yu Ji-ha had.
There was one famous statement among his speeches since he ruled Korea.
“I warn you, you better think carefully before you speak. There won’t be a second chance.”
This also applied to this negotiation.
It was because the Korean Seventh Army and the Landing Force were still stationed in Beijing and Tokyo.
If they refused to negotiate and got up, the war would continue.
Yu Ji-ha was a man who could do that.
Usually, UN or US would mediate in such cases, but this time they didn’t even have a chance.
The Russian bureaucrats were literally just observers who faithfully recorded everything.
But then Christina Guerrero, security adviser, raised her hand.
“Can I say something?”
Yu Ji-ha didn’t even look back and said,
“The US is an observer.”
“I know. But I really wanted to say this. Remember the Treaty of Versailles. Harsh reparations only create hatred.”
“That’s none of US’s business.”
Guerrero looked at Yu Ji-ha with curious eyes.
Usually, when making such an agreement, they would at least insert a clause about peace for nominal reasons.
But this man only wanted land and money.
This would make it impossible to stop both countries from trying to rearm themselves after recovering their national power.
‘Does he think he can win again if war breaks out?’
He seemed to want that too.
Anyway, she closed her mouth and Yu Ji-ha continued his speech.
“If you can’t accept these conditions, say it right now.”
“…What will happen then?”
Akagi Kanbanjou asked cautiously and Yu Ji-ha said as if it was obvious,
“The war will start again.”
Akagi Kanbanjou guessed from his blunt expression that there would be no compromise at all.
This was not a negotiation, but a notification.
The sad thing was that Japan had no choice but to accept these conditions.
Even if they started the war again, they would only suffer astronomical losses without any countermeasures against combat walkers and earth fleets.
It was the same for China.
Wang XianShang was imprisoned in a remote place and rescued by an android unit, so he couldn’t say no.
‘If President Yu Ji-ha supports me, I can become the emperor…’
It was half torn apart, but the core was the land of the Han people, not an autonomous region.
The only choice left for him was to betray his country and cling to Yu Ji-ha.
The only thing that bothered him here was the US-Japan forces.
If all the islands below Kyushu were ceded, the issue of the treatment of the US-Japan forces stationed in Okinawa would arise.
They were small in scale, but the US Congress had the authority to withdraw them.
If Korea swallowed Okinawa, it would cause a lot of friction.
The US-Japan forces could also turn into US-Korea forces.
Yu Ji-ha seemed to remember something and said,
“Of course, I believe that the US-Japan forces will withdraw.”
“I don’t have the authority to tell you that as an observer.”
“Then go to the White House and tell them. Tell them to get their troops out before we start the formal administrative procedures.”
“…That’s not as easy as you say. We have to talk to Congress…”
“Well, I don’t care. They’ll have to leave on their own anyway. Do as you please.”
What did he mean by that?
Guerrero tried to guess his intentions, but Yu Ji-ha pushed a document to the two leaders.
“The negotiation will be over once you sign. There might be some additional reviews on the details of the border adjustment and the payment schedule of the compensation, but this is the end in a broad sense.”
How could a post-war negotiation end so quickly?
The two leaders could not hide their stiff expressions as they signed the document.
This marked the end of the war completely.
They expected at least a banquet, if not a feast, but the two leaders had to hurry back to their countries without answering Yu Ji-ha’s question of whether they had anything else to do.
And then, the main contents of the negotiation were revealed in a press conference.
China and Japan had switched places.
***
No one welcomes a negotiation that involves giving up their own land.
Especially if it is a neighboring country that has been in conflict for a long time.
The right-wingers strongly opposed the decision to hand over all the islands below Kyushu to Korea, even if they accepted the compensation.
—Okinawa is included there! How did Akagi mess this up?
—This negotiation was not done by the prime minister, so it is invalid from the source!
But they had to lower their voices enough.
It was because the Korean landing troops were still stationed around Huangge.
It was meaningless to protest in a situation where the military and public security were watching them.
Several TV channels went into analysis of the negotiation, but they could not answer the question of whether they wanted to go to war again.
“How about requesting strong mediation from the UN or the US?”
“President Yu Ji-ha declared that he would not allow any intervention from other places, as it was a war that started and ended in East Asia.”
“I can’t believe that the US abandoned us…”
“What about the US troops in Okinawa?”
That was the biggest problem.
In fact, the opposition of the right-wingers was not a big issue.
It was a matter of rejecting the right-wingers and carrying out reconciliation with Korea as much as possible, with the support of the pro-Korean faction behind them.
The military’s hard-line stance had subsided after losing, and the voice of the business community had gained strength.
—It doesn’t matter if we give up everything. We have to be at least at Germany’s level.
—It’s a pity that we can’t be on par with Russia because we were confrontational from the beginning.
Yu Ji-ha did not score his friendship with each country, but according to him, Russia was classified as tier 1, Germany, India, Australia and others as tier 2 in the world.
The US was initially tier 1, but recently it fell to tier 2, so it had to pay a proper price and negotiate to introduce technology.
They didn’t like that, so they pressured with semiconductors, but it only resulted in their own companies being tied to Yu Ji-ha’s leash.
According to that classification table, EU, China and Japan were out of consideration.
The conflicts were so deep that there was no sign of resolution even if there was an opportunity.
In such a tight situation, Japan got a chance to talk with Korea.
Although it was a negotiation as a defeated country, it was something.
To discuss the payment schedule of compensation, officials from Keidanren visited Korea and met Yu Ji-ha.
“So you’re asking if we can introduce your technology?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“We won’t touch on private matters.”
The eyes of Keidanren officials widened.
“What do you mean?”
“It means that we can discuss introduction if you pay a proper price. It won’t be like Germany, but you have to pay for it.”
It meant that they had to pay money every time they introduced technology.
It was definitely a bad condition, but it was much better than not being able to talk at all before.
In fact, Japan’s business community had high expectations for their own Hyperman and Ether Research Institute.
But all they heard were ominous rumors that they were on the verge of rioting and reports that they didn’t match their budget at all.
From the government’s point of view, it might be necessary to secure ether technology in the long run even if it didn’t match their budget.
But for companies, efficiency was most important.
Even if they made and supplied black metal batteries in Japan, it was only for domestic use.
They couldn’t compete in the global market because of their low quality.
Keidanren officials were impressed by meeting and talking with Yu Ji-ha.
—He’s more friendly than I thought. He doesn’t seem to have much regret about Japanese people themselves.
—I felt that he enjoys sushi and respects and is interested in Japanese culture quite a bit.
—I asked him about his willingness to visit Japan, but he said it was difficult right now because he had too many schedules. He said he wanted to push for it later.
If Yu Ji-ha visited Japan, it would be his second time.
The first time he was left in a warehouse, but the second time would be different.
While the business community was inflated with hope and dreams, the residents of Okinawa, who were the subject of the transfer, were in a ridiculous position.
—The government abandoned us…
—They decided without asking our opinion? Is this okay?
In fact, Okinawa was a place that was different from Japan’s mainland in many ways.
The culture was different and the income level was the lowest, so they were half-jokingly treated as foreigners.
There were also claims for independence that came up every time they forgot, but it was realistically impossible, so it was in a state of being fizzled out.
In the meantime, they became Korean land, so it was natural to worry, but there were also people who secretly expected it.
They were mostly young residents.
—How are we treated?
—-The local governor is in Korea to meet the president. The atmosphere seems better than I thought.
—According to the Korean media reports, there is not much change for now. They will give us autonomy like Jeju Island, and we can use Japanese as it is.
—What about jobs? Can we go to Korea and work?
—I heard it’s not hard. If you have Lucia, you can interpret.
The young residents reacted like this because they recognized Korea as a high-tech country.
They often said that it looked like the 22nd century with all kinds of initial skills introduced, and there were many jobs.
It wasn’t actually that much, but it was certain that it was exotic to see androids on the street.
Yu Ji-ha confirmed the treatment of Okinawa after meeting with the local governor of Okinawa.
“Okinawa will be a special autonomous province. The administration and judiciary will change, but you can use Japanese as it is and the culture will not change.”
It was just becoming a province of Korea.
He treated them like this because Yu Ji-ha didn’t have much interest in Okinawa itself.
What he needed was the sea to supply resources and operate the super-cooled train, not the island.
Still, he needed something to appease the Okinawa residents who suddenly changed their nationality, and the attraction of a nuclear fusion plant and an ion production facility was announced.
“From now on, Okinawa residents do not need to pay for electricity. In addition, you can install ion thrusters on your fishing boats at a low price, and you can also use fuel at a low cost.”
It was natural for the residents to cheer, as one of Okinawa’s main industries was fishing.
When the introduction of the mass driver was announced, public opinion was formed in Okinawa that Korea was not bad.
There were administrative procedures left, and the US-Japan forces did not express their clear intentions, but the residents, who were the biggest obstacle, were generally welcoming.
There were voices of opposition, but even they admitted that Korea was much better than Japan’s poor treatment.
While Japan passed the negotiation fairly well, China burned like hell.
The population of Dongbei 3 provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region easily exceeded 100 million.
They were proud of being Chinese themselves, but now they were Koreans? They rose up and said they could not accept it.
Protests broke out everywhere and soon turned into riots.
The opposition in China’s mainland was also no joke, but Wang XianShang, who had seized military power, crushed them fiercely.
He had to accept Yu Ji-ha’s demands in order to be recognized as the president.
While East Asia was burning with post-war negotiations, the US requested negotiations on the withdrawal of US-Japan forces in Okinawa.
***
President Baldwin came out shamelessly from the beginning, saying it was a requirement of the US Congress.
“If we pull out the US-Japan forces, what can you do for us, President Yu?”
“Is this something I have to do? Isn’t it something you should do anyway?”
“Although the size of the troops has been reduced by 30%, it still exceeds 10,000. A huge amount of resources has been invested in air bases, training grounds and camps. Is it wrong to ask for a proper price in exchange for handing them over?”
“I have no reason to pay. By the way, I put a seal on it.”
There was a seal on every Ion beam.
If you peel it off, a record is left and it is immediately notified to Silla Group’s server.
Yu Ji-ha knew this from the beginning but did not mention it until now.
As expected, President Baldwin came out brazenly.
“Didn’t Korea often tear apart US weapons?”
“And inevitably controlled access. Sometimes Congress even blocked exports. Do you want that?”
“…”
He didn’t expect him to be so picky…
Korea showed a blatant movement to exclude the US from East Asia after winning the war.
President Baldwin partially agreed with that claim, but on the premise that there was a proper price.
“I’m sorry. I can’t back down on this issue.”
“I don’t care. You’ll soon withdraw voluntarily.”
Guerrero aide also said something like that, but what was the source of this confidence?
President Baldwin decided that it would be better to narrow down his specific requirements after meeting with his aides.
“Just tell me one thing. The jewel that is used as a focusing lens for Ion beam.”
“Good. That will solve our air defense network.”
If there was anything that impressed the US in the East Asian War, it was the performance of Ion beam.
Ion thrusters were making progress in domestic research and they succeeded in catching up to 85% of Korea’s railgun performance.
But they couldn’t produce Ion beam at all.
No matter how much power they mobilized, they couldn’t form a laser with a range of more than 10km.
Several university research institutes reported that the focusing lens was very special.
—It seems to be a kind of crystal, but its crystal structure is completely different. It is also very hard and rivals diamonds.
—According to reverse engineering of Ion beam, this focusing lens determines performance. The algorithm is not the problem, this is the core.
Some even said that it didn’t seem like a jewel from Earth.
Anyway, President Baldwin decided to ask for only this one thing.
“If you tell me how to make a focusing lens for Ion beam, I will withdraw US-Japan forces right away. Not only that, but I will also support Korea on various issues in East Asia.”
“I thought you put a seal on it, but you peeled it off?”
He had no shame at all.
“Korea also requested technology from the US and I refused. It’s just a breakdown of negotiations. Why are you angry?”
“It’s because it’s directly related to US security.”
“That’s none of my business.”
“Then I can’t pull out US-Japan forces either.”
The story went back to the beginning.
After the call ended, President Baldwin ordered to report assuming a situation where he had no choice but to pull out US-Japan forces.
There were many scenarios, but none of them were realistic.
The only thing that could be said was that President Putin’s health was not good, but unless he died, it was unlikely that the situation would reverse.
“We can’t pay the burden, but we can handle that much. The important thing is Ion beam.”
If they had that, the US would no longer have to worry about air defense networks.
Not only that, but they could also fully deploy laser weapons.
What if they could mount Ion beam on drones?
Power would be a problem, but he believed that it would be solved someday, seeing that they mounted railguns on tanks.
While the US and Korea were not giving an inch over US-Japan forces in Okinawa, an urgent report came from Russia.
President Putin had died.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om