The Sudetend issue reached its peak in September.
On September 13th, there was an uprising by Germans in Sudetend that was suppressed within a day.
There was even martialw, I heard.
While inspecting an army clothing factory, I received this report and thought, ''The inevitable hase.''
<em>The Munich Conference<sup>1</sup> will begin in a few days.</em>
And the world will once again learn.
How untrustworthy the international arbiters, Britain and France, truly are.
Perhaps I should try to dy the outbreak of the World War while I''m at it.
After much deliberation, I requested a visit from the Polish Ambassador to Korea, Tadeusz Romer<sup>2</sup>.
The Polish Ambassador, knowing I was the de facto ruler of this country, did not refuse my request."Thank you for epting my invitation, Ambassador."
I took a very friendly stance in weing the Polish Ambassador.
Not because Pnd is the biggest customer of 21st-century South Korea''s defense industry, but because this country deserves respect for its caliber.
Pnd was a quasi-great power, ranking in the top 10 in terms of national power by this world''s standards.
That''s why they seizednd from the Soviet Union and Lithuania right after independence, and even stood up to Germany.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Excellency."
After offering the Ambassador a seat, I got to the point.
There was no need to beat around the bush since this wasn''t an official meeting anyway.
"Ambassador. I''ll speak frankly given the nature of this meeting."
"Please do, Your Excellency. I''m all ears."
"Czechoslovakia will soon face the risk of national dissolution."
At those words, the Polish Ambassador''s expression turned intrigued.
The misfortune of their nemesis Czechoslovakia is Pnd''s happiness.
Perhaps that''s what he was thinking.
"Warsaw will see their crisis and think about recovering the Cieszyn region. However, you should know that Pnd will be next."
Of course, the Poles aren''t fools, so they probably already have what I''m saying in mind.
The West Prussia, Posen, and half of Silesia they upied were ancestralnds that Germans yearned to recover.
In fact, these werends they desired even more strongly than the Sudetend, which the German Empire had never actually possessed.
The Ambassador also expressed agreement.
"Warsaw is also thinking that we might be targeted after Czechoslovakia."
"That''s why you should side with Czechoslovakia during this crisis. That''s the path to your country''s security."
Of course, even as I said this, I thought there was no hope.
Pnd was a country with territorial ambitions as strong as Germany''s.
Even knowing they needed to join forces with neighbors to stand against Germany and the Soviet Union, they didn''t hesitate to seize opportunities to carve up neighboringnds.
Such friends probably wouldn''t take my advice seriously.
Nevertheless, hoping to dy the war even by a day, I continued this futile conversation.
"Your Excellency. The situation for Pnd and Czechoslovakia is different. If France abandons Czechoslovakia, only Warsaw remains in Eastern Europe. In that case, they absolutely cannot abandon us."
So that was the situational awareness that allowed them to abandon Czechoslovakia.
"So Germany can''t touch us. If they do, Berlin would have to fight on two fronts like in thest World War."
Right.
That''s what they''re thinking.
That''s why they would have partitioned Czechoslovakia.
"Ambassador. You''re forgetting one fact."
"What do you mean?"
"Doesn''t Pnd also have an enemy to the east?"
Reminding him of the Soviet Union''s existence, the Ambassador flinched.
Themunist empire in the east and the Polish Republic had fought arge-scale total war as soon as they were established in 1919.
Pnd won that fight by decision and carved away significant portions of Ukraine and Brus, so it wouldn''t be strange for the Soviet Union to harbor revenge.
"But the Nazis have made antimunism their national policy. Cooperation between them and the Soviets..."
The Ambassador seemed to realize something as he looked at me, stopping mid-sentence.
That''s right.
A country that made antimunism its national policy and joined the Anti-Comintern Pact had signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviets and gained their cooperation in dealing with China.
If such an absurd thing could happen, whatw says Germany and the Soviets couldn''t join hands to beat up Pnd, with whom they both had "grudges"?
The Polish Ambassador finally seemed to properly grasp the situation.
He was at a loss for words for a moment.
Well, since he seems to understand, there''s no need to wear out my mouth talking more.
I offered a handshake to the Ambassador.
"Ambassador, you must convey my advice to Warsaw."
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I''ve received valuable counsel."
Of course, the Ambassador being convinced doesn''t mean Warsaw will be persuaded.
Regrettably, Warsaw''s regime is also a military government that lives and dies by face.
Would those fellows easily pass up a "chance to recover ancestralnds" that could boost their poprity?
<em>I sincerely hope they make a wise choice.</em>
It was a genuine thought.
On September 15, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chambein<sup>3</sup> visited Munich.
Word was that Hitler demanded the cession of all German-popted areas.
As expected, Hitler was a madman.
The problem was that Britain was viewing such an insane demand positively.
By September 18, the partition of Czechoslovakia began to surface.
Britain pressured Czechoslovakia to ept the cession of German areas.
On September 21, Czechoslovakia chose to surrender, and the cession of Sudetend became a fait apli.
The result of the first game refereed by international arbiter Britain was disastrous.
Czechoslovakia lost the Sudetend, its core industrial and fortress region, while France and the Soviet Union, who had finally mustered the will to stand up to Germany, had to watch their ally perish before their eyes.
Germany may have started the World War, but it was Britain who provided the firewood for them to light.
This was as good as the end for Czechoslovakia.
Britain and France guaranteed the independence of the remaining regions, but what use was that?
It was nonsensical to tell a turtle to resist Germany after handing over its shell to hide in and its military industry.
At least Hitler wasn''t satisfied with the concessions he got from the conference.
<em>Really, that bastard is too much.</em>
On September 22, he demanded immediate upation of the ceded areas and territorial concessions to Pnd and Hungary as well.
Even the dear international arbiters Britain and France couldn''t stand it anymore.
[Dere mobilization of our forces.]
When Czechoslovakia issued mobilization orders, Germany once again started whining to us for support.
"Your Excellency! Now is truly the time to show the Capital''s support. If the Korean Empire raises its voice from the East, Germany can easily achieve victory!"
Ah? Why you’re annoying me? Ain’t your friend Mussolini<sup>4</sup>closer?
How about going to see that fascist clown?
I turned this line of argument into a 30-line-long message using diplomatic and polite rhetoric.
After somehow sending the German Ambassador away, the British and French Ambassadors came to visit.
"You wouldn''t happen to be supporting Germany''s position, would you?"
Ah, these fellows came to check the bill.
"Of course not. The Empire will not interfere in European matters. You need not worry."
I gave them a firm answer.
Being harassed by European ambassadors like this, I couldn''t help but wish the Czech crisis would end quickly, regardless of how it was resolved.
<em>Come to think of it, isn''t this how those European bastards thought too, which is why they handled things like shit?</em>
On the 24th, France dered mobilization, and on the 26th, Hitler started talking about war, giving the impression to the whole world that World War II was about to break out right now.
<em>Someone, someone please try to clean up this mess.</em>
Just as the whole world was about to scream, a savior(?) appeared.
"I''vee to end this war."
Benito Mussolini stepped up to the conference.
And the conference ended with Hitler''s victory.
Germany received the Sudetend, Pnd got Tě?ín, and Hungary acquired southern Slovakia.
Pnd ignored my advice.
Those fucking idiots.
Thanks to Pnd also brandishing its sword, Czechoslovakia instantly fell from a middle power ranked in the world''s top 10 to a weak nation on the brink of death.
There was only one lesson to be learned here:
Security isn''t something guaranteed by others.
Moreover, the Korean Empire didn''t even have countries guaranteeing its independence or forming alliances with it.<sup>5</sup>
<em>If we can only rely on our own strength, then the "porcupine strategy" is our only option.</em>
This was the national grand strategy employed by my beloved homnd, the Republic of Korea, in the 21st century.
Facing overwhelmingly superior opponents in China, Japan, and Russia, the homnd secured war deterrence by amassing an enormous amount of firepower.
<em>Ah You wanna mess with me? Square up then, I may die, but I’ll take an arm and leg with me Bastard! What? You’re a great power? So what? Try me bitch.</em>
The reason China couldn''t bully Korea''s territory while bullying others halfway across the globe was that Korea''s military power was too burdensome.
We too needed to follow the strategy of the homnd, the Republic of Korea.
<em>I thought they were useless, but it seems we''ll need to mass-produce tanks and self-propelled artillery.</em>
We''d need at least enough armored forces to overwhelm the Soviet Far Eastern Army.
I ordered the Army''s Military Affairs Bureau to establish a five-year n for the development of armored units.<ol>1. The Munich Agreement/pact was an agreement reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Republic, and Fascist Italy.2. Polish diplomat who served as ambassador to Japan during WWII3. British PM known for his policy of "appeasement" towards Nazi Germany4. Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy 5. Author''s Note - Germany was a quasi-ally, Japan a protectorate.</ol>