I Became Stalin?!

Chapter 85

The Chinese front was flowing more brutally than the actual history.

The United States, already prioritizing Europe over Asia and the Pacific, had postponed the war in those regions. Japan, on the other hand, had achieved consecutive victories in Pearl Harbor, Indochina, and Malaya, and continued its unstoppable advance.

The meager support that should have come through the Burma route across the Himalayas had disappeared as British India signaled that it was difficult to cooperate with China for its own defense.

On top of that, the Soviet Union monopolized the lend-lease materials from the United States under the pretext of “not provoking Japan”.

“If we allow lend-lease materials to flow into China through us, the Japanese Empire will use their fleet to cut off all the lend-lease materials coming to the Soviet Union. This is unacceptable for the security of the Soviet Union…”

“What is this…!”

“Think carefully, President Chiang. We cannot afford a two-front war. We are still preparing for a war with Japan after the end of the war with Germany, despite having deployed more than 30 divisions in the Far East. We just want to have a ‘friendly’ relationship with them for now. Wasn’t it you who rejected the support of the Soviet Union ten years ago?”

Chiang Kai-shek had nothing to say.

No matter how he thought about it, Japan was a worm crawling on his skin, and the Communists were a deadly disease infiltrating his heart. 

That’s why he used all means to purge the red elements of the Communist Party. Even giving up the support of the Soviet Union.

But Germany, whom he thought would always be an ally, sided with Japan and stabbed China in the back.

And thanks to the stupid warlord Zhang Xueliang and the sinister rat Mao Zedong, he was now stuck in a war with Japan.

Now the Soviet Union was acting as if they had sabotaged him from within the Nationalist Party, and still holding hands with Japan and giggling. 

And they had the audacity to say that it was China who refused their support.

The only reliable ally, the United States, was tied up in a war with Germany and Japan, and poured all its support to its partner in the war against Germany, the Soviet Union. 

And the Soviets gobbled it up like pigs and grew stronger, while China was almost dying of starvation.

‘Damn those red bastards…’

They were probably throwing some things to their puppets in the Chinese Communist Party and manipulating them to check both the Nationalists and Japan at the same time. 

The Russians had always been like that. Coveting the lands of the Far East and reaching out their hands with yellow nails…

***

Molotov sneered at Chiang Kai-shek’s troubled expression in his heart.

‘How can he be the leader of China’s largest faction when he can’t even control his own subordinates?’

The regional factions under Chiang Kai-shek competed for loyalty in front of the Soviet’s carrot, trying to get more support from them. 

The Chinese Communist Party was one of them too.

The corrupt politicians of the Nationalist government sold their most intimate secrets to those who paid enough in gold, dollars, beauties, and materials. 

That information spread around and contributed to the defeat of the Nationalists.

They had somehow won a few battles, but their elite divisions had also melted away.

The secretary-general’s intention was simple. China must not be united. 

The territory claimed by China was larger than the vast Soviet territory excluding Siberia, and its population was more than twice as large.

If this huge landmass was taken by a single government, it would pose a huge threat to the security of the Soviet Union.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a communist government that takes over China!”

China must be torn apart as much as possible. 

The secretary-general strongly argued. 

He didn’t like China, but he liked it better when there were more of them. Manchuria, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Tibet. They must all be ripped apart.

“However, our Soviet government plans to support your government for materials that cannot be identified by nationality.”

“Thank you.”

“Here is a list and quantity of materials… When will you discuss payment?”

Japan would soon fall after provoking America, and until then neither Nationalists nor Communists should win. But to manipulate the situation behind-the-scenes they had to keep ties with both sides.

And to do that they had to throw some carrots at them and starve them for support.

They could make some profit by selling materials but it wasn’t enough to cover costs for maintaining factions within both Nationalists and Communists.

But they could make collaborators with materials they could print out endlessly and earn some gold to send to America for lend-lease, so why not?

‘Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, or the Japanese Empire…’

They were all puppets dancing on the palm of the secretary-general.

He came to match Chiang Kai-shek’s level, and the Far Eastern Army commander Chuikov, who had been transferred to the Far East, and Konstantin Smetanin, who had been dispatched to Japan, were greasing them up.

Chiang Kai-shek, who sighed at the list of materials, probably had some doubts.

Were the Soviets cooperating with the Communists and sabotaging them? But he wouldn’t think that even the high-ranking officials of the Nationalist government were involved. 

He wouldn’t think that they were selling information to Japan either.

The Chinese government was leaking information and money like a leaky pot. But in the end, according to the secretary-general’s intention, they had to keep half of South China and hold Mao Zedong’s Communist Party in check in North China, so they had to give them some support for now.

***

The Chinese Communist Party followed the logic of power in front of the given carrot and obediently obeyed. 

They avoided confrontation with the Japanese army and built up their strength.

Chairman Mao Zedong and General Zhu De, who had seized power by purging the Bolshevik advisers sent by the Comintern, humbly accepted the support from the Soviet Union. 

Chuikov didn’t like them very much.

“Comrade Colonel Chuikov, here is our operational plan. We ask for your approval.”

The Soviet army only provided materials and equipment for operations when they liked their operational plans.

Even if they failed, they didn’t scold or demand self-criticism much. 

They just asked for a detailed report and gave them more materials.

The Communist Party worked hard to write reports to get support.

They didn’t know that it was all going to Japan. Chuikov thought so.

The secretary-general ordered him to inform the Japanese army of their operations so that they could win against both Nationalists and Communists.

He couldn’t understand how the Japanese army sometimes lost even though he told them everything about their operational plans, but anyway they had an overall advantage over the Chinese army.

“Hmm, good. The necessary materials will depart from the Far Eastern Military District. I wish you victory.”

“Thank you, Comrade Chuikov.”

They also obediently accepted the demand to make Manchuria an independent Soviet republic after the end of the war if they wanted support.

Manchuria was still under the control of the puppet state of Manchukuo by Japan, and the Communist Party was only a semi-independent force under the Nationalist Party with a base in the liberated area of Shaanxi. 

They had no choice but to agree.

It was ridiculous to see them rubbing their hands and asking for support by promising something they didn’t even have yet.

‘How did this cowardly man win against Chiang Kai-shek, who leads millions of troops?’

Japan was indeed intimidating, but they were struggling in the vast Chinese territory. 

The reports from the ambassador to Japan, Smetanin, showed the miserable situation of the Japanese army.

Japan had made an obvious enemy of America in this situation, and it was clear that Chiang Kai-shek would be the final winner… The Communists would win?

He admitted their strength in escaping inland by circling half of China from the southeast, but that was all. Did he have to help this man divide China in half?

“If you need anything, contact us through our liaison officers. We are always ready to help our brothers from the Comintern.”

“Yes, yes, of course, comrade commander.”

He deliberately emphasized ‘Comintern’, and the Communist officers nodded without knowing or understanding.

He chuckled inwardly. 

The corrupt Nationalists or the cowardly and sinister Communists.

Chuikov didn’t like the Chinese. 

He also hated the Japanese, who were small and fierce, but only cruel and savage. 

They conducted live experiments on prisoners! 

Were they sane?

He couldn’t understand why the secretary-general favored the Koreans so much, but now he thought he could somewhat accept it.

He hadn’t met the troops who were active in the Eastern Front, but the newspapers were reporting their bravery and excellent tactics every day.

Even if it was a lie, they would be better than these disgusting ones at least.

Chuikov liked bold and courageous people, and he didn’t like cowards. 

He preferred the dignified Koreans over the groveling Chinese.

***

After meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo, Ambassador Smetanin headed to his embassy.

The Japanese seemed to have a complex and incomprehensible emotion toward the Soviet Union. 

Emotion? Delusion? 

Anyway, whatever.

“I don’t know what they’re thinking…”

Were they afraid of the Soviet Union? Or did they despise it?

Did they want to bring them into an alliance? Or did they want to conquer them later?

The Japanese seemed to think that the Soviet Union was afraid of them because they were acting humble.

They could think so. 

If Japan cut off the materials coming from America, the war in Europe would be quite difficult.

But according to the information he gathered, the Japanese army was not that strong.

The ‘elite’ Kwantung Army of one million was constantly consumed by the war on the Chinese mainland. 

They also withdrew their core divisions to attack Southeast Asia, and their mechanization rate was very low.

The only thing they could match or surpass the Soviet army was their pilots’ skills.

The secretary-general secretly increased the strength of the Far Eastern Military District as the war in Europe was coming to an end, in order to liberate Japan and its colonies with his own hands.

He had 30 divisions stationed in the Far East to prevent attacks from behind, but he increased them to 50 divisions and secretly changed their equipment and organization for those who had second-rate equipment and training.

Japan seemed unaware of this movement and naively suggested dividing China after ending the war with America.

“Are they lying or really ignorant…? I wish I knew.”

The transcript of his conversation with Togo would soon be typed and sent to Moscow, Kremlin.

The secretary-general was very sensitive about dividing interests in the Far East. 

He had to incorporate Manchuria, which was Japan’s colony, into Soviet’s sphere of influence, and make Korea a friendly independent country that could check Japanese imperialists as an outpost.

Japan seemed to have no idea of Soviet’s intention right now.

“You may have to host peace negotiations with America at some point. Hahaha!”

Japanese Foreign Minister Togo laughed as he said that, but Soviet had no intention of doing so. Smetanin felt annoyed as he recalled his sinister laugh.

No, he didn’t even think America would lose in the first place. 

It was only a matter of time.

Japan had made a fatal blow against America, but America’s industrial capacity was not something Japan could ignore with its inferior production power compared to Soviet.

The People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs who handled feeding and clothing people with lend-lease materials from that rich continent knew it very well.

The secretary-general’s goal was to crush Germany first and then liberate Japan and its colonial territories with Soviet’s hands.

“We only need two field armies to crush them!”

“Colonel Chuikov is exaggerating. Honestly, one field army is enough! Hahaha!”

Chuikov, the commander of the Far Eastern Military District, boasted that he could crush the Kwantung Army with only two field armies.

Zhukov, who had fought the Japanese army at Khalkhin Gol, also said that one field army was enough and laughed at his bluff. Of course, the secretary-general who always wanted to deploy enough troops to quickly and surely annihilate the enemy poured 500,000 troops into four field armies in the Far Eastern Military District.

The war was still far away, and Berlin was a thousand kilometers away.

They had to spill thousands of lives for every kilometer they advanced.

But the Soviet leadership was confident of victory.