Dear Comrade

＜ Chapter 24. Baghdad Race (1) ＞

Chapter 24. Baghdad Race (1)

“…Oh, that’s right. The United States is a country that respects diverse opinions, so I will accept it.”

Schwarzkopf sighed inwardly with a ‘so so’ expression, but of course he didn’t express it outwardly.

Schwarzkopf was a seasoned, stubborn and experienced soldier, and he had to fight on the same front as an ill-conceived ally on countless occasions.

In this case, the difficulty is a bit high, but since this is a realm of politics, not his authority, there was no other way.

“I am a soldier, so it is not my responsibility to make political decisions. A soldier is a person who acts, not a person who judges. Do you agree?”

“No way. It seems that, at last, Comrade Schwarzkopf and I have finally found something in common. cancer. Whether you are a military officer or a general, you have to show it with your actions. haha.”

Baek Seung-cheol smiled wildly like that, but he had a desperate situation.

It was just a few weeks ago when I was choosing a commander to lead an expeditionary force in North Korea and fight shoulder to shoulder with the Americans.

“Send me, General Secretary! I will show the Yankees the spirit of a Republic boy with the spirit of a gun bomb!”

“…comrade Lieutenant General Baek and high-ranking generals are the true gun-bombing spirits to lead from the rear. I thought you would find out by the time the lieutenant general’s comrade, didn’t you?”

Junghwan frowned as he said that and put his hand on his forehead.

I didn’t expect Baek Seung-cheol to come out like this, but when he did, his head hurt.

Similar to Jeonghwan, Hong Gye-seong was also looking at Baek Seung-cheol with a shaky face, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping him.

‘Hey, something like that happened a while ago.

Here, ‘what happened a while ago’ were two major incidents that took place in South Korea just a few days ago, and they were also on the front page of the South Korean newspaper on the desk of the secretary’s office where they are sitting now.

– South Korea-Soviet foreign ministers announced joint statement, formalized establishment of diplomatic relations at ambassador level… The process of opening embassies between the two countries will begin soon.

– East and West German Prime Ministers declare reunification. Personnel from both sides of the East-West government were equally incorporated into the unified government. The Cold War ends in Europe.

‘Anyway, this guy is strangely stupid, but he’s not an idiot by any means. Now that I have no place to lean on, will you be 100% loyal to me?’

Jeonghwan snorted coldly at Baek Seung-cheol’s ‘Lifestyle’, where he could see clearly.

Just a few days ago, when the Soviet Union and the Republic of Korea formalized diplomatic relations, the realization that they were completely separated from each other may be the main cause of Baek Seung-cheol’s sudden ‘valor’.

East Germany was also absorbed into West Germany, and now, looking everywhere, as Jung-hwan speculated, seeing the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of the United States as the only superpower, Baek Seung-cheol from the Soviet Union and his gang must have seemed to burn.

And the conclusion they came to after much thought was that they would prove their ‘necessity’ in this dispatch… but, in reality, General Secretary Jeong Hwan was very upset.

“I am very grateful for the bravery of the lieutenant-general as a supreme leader, but the lieutenant-general comrade is too high a rank for such a dispatch. It is appropriate for such a dispatch to be commanded by a major general.”

“If you send a commander of too low a rank, the Yankees may be overwhelmed and unable to perform the task entrusted to you. I dare say that sending at least a lieutenant-general is the right thing to do in order to protect the self-esteem of the Republican soldiers belonging to the reconnaissance brigade among the US imperialist aggressors and improve their criminal record!”

‘Hmm, well, even if you go and find a body and die, it’s worth using in its own way.’

Jeonghwan tapped the desk with his finger as he saw Baek Seung-cheol asking him to let him go with an almost desperate expression.

From his point of view, knowing the development process and outcome of the Gulf War, he did not expect that the People’s Army would achieve remarkable results in this dispatch, and in fact, it was not necessary at all.

This participation in the war is purely a gesture that North Korea will stand on the side of the United States in the future, nothing more and nothing less.

But when I think about it again, if Baek Seung-cheol joins the war and becomes a warrior, that’s a good thing.

‘First of all, as he said, he is a high-ranking general in terms of rank. In order to save the captured civilian hostage, a lieutenant-general enters the war and fights with the Americans and becomes a fierce warrior…. It’s a perfect picture for President Bush.’

I’m almost going to finish taking over the military anyway, and the use of checking Honggyeseong just in case is also slowly passing the expiration date, but if you let the Iraqi forces kill you, you have something to say to the US side in the postwar US-North Korea summit planned.

It’s over there anyway, you wouldn’t even know about the history and power game that involved him, Baek Seung-cheol, Hong Gye-seong, etc. It’s a country where respect and respect for the dead are deeply rooted in society.

However, despite this thought, there was something that made Jeong-hwan reluctant to appoint Baek Seung-cheol as the commander of the dispatched army.

As for what it is…

“Trust me, Comrade Supreme Leader! Isn’t it impossible to entrust the lives of the people of our republic to the US imperialists or the puppet forces of South Korea? You must have taken all of the technicians and made them to Pyongyang with no injuries!”

‘Too much motivation can lead to anger. In particular, a dispatched commander of this nature must be good at political judgment.’

Of course, it is important to send a moderately enthusiastic commander as the supreme leader will lose face if the technicians who are the cause of participation in the war die or get seriously injured even though Jung-hwan does extensive propaganda.

In an emergency situation, there is a good chance that the U.S. military command will put the lives of civilians in North Korea, which was an enemy country until recently, as ‘collateral damage’ and prioritize achievement of its operational goals.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, the problem was that Baek Seung-cheol was blinded by resonance, and the possibility of causing unnecessary riots was very high.

‘Worst case, you’d be a beggar if you went on a rampage and had to be taken hostage by the Iraqi forces and need to be rescued. You don’t owe America a debt, you owe it. Alright then…’

After making a decision, Jeong-hwan opened the desk drawer of the secretary’s office, took out a wooden box containing a heavy metal object, and put it down in front of Baek Seung-cheol and Hong Kye-sung.

Baek Seung-cheol and Hong Gye-seong, who had their eyes wide open at the completely unexpected action, hardened slightly.

The piece of iron was a gold-plated pistol used for ceremonial purposes when Jeonghwan received the title of Marshal of the Korean People’s Army.

“Comrade General Secretary…why are you giving this to me…”

“We all know very well that Lieutenant General Baek and I had an unpleasant past. But now that we are working together for the glory of the Republic, we are giving it in the sense of forgetting the past.”

Jung-hwan handed Baek Seung-cheol a box containing a pistol from Mt. Baekdu, surrounded by a splendid gold frame, and asked him.

“According to your order, I will appoint Lieutenant General Baek Seung-cheol as the commander of this detachment. Be sure to work well with the US military to rescue our tech comrades and bring them back. Think of this Baekdu-mountain pistol as an example of appointing a comrade as a general of the People’s Army as the commander of the dispatched army.”

“Tea, how glorious it is! Comrade general secretary! With the same grace as General Secretary Ha Hae, this Baek Seung-cheol is simply sacking…”

“But, let’s make this one thing clear.”

Baek Seung-cheol, who seemed to be fighting right away as he got up from his seat at Jeong-hwan’s unexpected words, showed a ‘?’

“Although Comrade Lieutenant General Paik actively requests and grants permission, as long as we carry the name of the Korean People’s Army on our shoulders, we will not be able to achieve our goals in the field, or if we are captured by the enemy, it will hurt the honor of our republic and the military. In that case, I believe you will know how to behave as a general.”

“………… That, those words…!!”

“If you are in a position comparable to a companion, you will know what I am talking about without having to put it into words. This pistol serves that purpose. It’s just the right size to fit in your mouth, isn’t it? haha.”

“…………”

To Baek Seung-cheol, who stared blankly at Jeong-hwan with a hardened face, Jeong-hwan even smiled and kindly confirmed and killed him.

“Ah, by the way, live ammunition is already loaded, so there is no need to reload it. And even if such an unfortunate situation arises, I will take good care of your family, so don’t worry about your back and make a decision with a gun-bomb spirit.”

“Go, thank you…”

“Comrade Lieutenant General Baek Seung-cheol! The general secretary even gives you a gift directly telling you to fight and win now, so what’s the reaction? Previously, the power seemed to hit the sky, but now, what are you complaining about?”

“No! It is an honor to remain in the family! I’m sure I’ll come back victorious!”

“Your posture is very good. Then let’s go If you want to lead the People’s Support Brigade, you’ll have to start preparing quickly from now on.”

Hong Gye-seong, who was watching from the side, struggled to erase his tears and forced himself to raise his voice, and as Baek Seung-cheol left the secretariat, Jeong-hwan stuck out his tongue.

‘It’s nice to be here in North Korea at times like this. In this age of the 21st century, it is a very pre-modern order, but since it is so blatantly blatant, I will not do anything outrageous. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to know that it’s impossible to scour the whole of Kuwait with a few infantry brigades without the cooperation of the US military.’

Jeonghwan muttered to himself that if he had been such an idiot without an answer, he would have purged him sooner, but Hong Gye-seong, who was watching all this from the side, still had a somewhat uneasy expression on his face.

“Hmmmm… Comrade General Secretary. Is it really right to send Baek Seung-cheol to fight with the US military? I wonder if it’s just that I’m messing around with the U.S. military general…”

“Why does Comrade Hong Cha-su want Lieutenant-General Paik to fail this task and not come back from Kuwait?”

“It’s not that, but…”

“Anyway, at this point in time, most of the generals and military officers of the Korean People’s Army have a similar feeling of rejection to the U.S. military. Even though he is of the rank of Comrade Lieutenant General Baek, even if such an order is given, Lieutenant General Baek Seung-cheol is the only one who has to fight with his courage a hundredfold, and besides…”

As Jeonghwan smirked as he spoke behind his back, Hong Gye-seong, who did not know his intentions, tilted his head.

Is there any other intention in this unstable Inseon?

“It’s a story of just how well it goes, it’s a gamble that I don’t know for sure whether I will succeed, but it can be a good medicine for Comrade Lieutenant General Baek.”

“Did you say medicine? I’m sorry, but I…”

“It’s like a red pill that wakes you up from a fantasy. Anyway, seeing and feeling it with your own eyes will give you the best experience.”

Do you still understand the word red pill in this day and age? I thought about it, but Junghwan thought it probably didn’t matter.

In the upcoming war, the Gulf War, what Baek Seung-cheol and the officers of the support brigade he leads will see is a shocking sight that will completely change the view of war that has been occupied during the World War II-Cold War era.

Of course, it is risky to predict that different individuals will experience the same experience and feel the same, but if it goes well, he will probably wake up from the egg that encased his world.

And for the sake of the possibility of how the soldiers who returned from such experiences would change the Korean People’s Army in the future, Jeong Hwan was willing to put up with minor disputes with US generals.

“The military is an organization that needs to change from the top. Comrade Lieutenant General Baek is still young, and he is the one who will lead this People’s Army in the future. So, at this point, you can think of studying abroad one more time. Perhaps seeing and feeling there for a few months will be a much more valuable experience than what I learned for years in Frunze.”

“…if the general secretary was willing to do so, I followed.”

Of course, Hong Gye-seong, who didn’t know what would happen in the future, shook his head, but he agreed anyway.

And about two months after going through these twists and turns, a mixed unit composed of troops from the People’s Army Army reconnaissance brigade, maritime sniper brigade, and air and land brigade, even from the mechanized corps, gathered in Saudi Arabia.

Due to the limitations of transportation and supply, the only armored vehicle was the BTR 80, which was urgently purchased through the Soviet Union and Ukraine, but not to mention the commander Baek Seung-cheol, even a low-ranking military officer was never full of morale.

Baek Seung-cheol, it was natural that his life was at stake, and in the case of low-ranking officers and fighters who have been called from here and there, the ‘war allowance’ (which was paid in US dollars), which was generously promised by the general secretary, has never been received. The clothes were great.

So, it was not surprising that the KPA officers felt ignored when they learned that the role entrusted to the People’s Army in the upcoming great offensive during the operation meeting was not to stand in the front, but to search and destroy from the rear.

“Is it our main task to search for and strike the small group of enemy groups scattered under the offensive of the Zhu Gong and disrupt the re-assembly? Is that all?”

“That’s right, Lieutenant General Baek.”

“…Our goal is to save the innocent people of our Republic who were kidnapped by that Hussein Ghanna! Most of those comrades are probably being held captive in Baghdad right now, but isn’t it underestimating the operational capabilities of our Republic’s warriors to entrust us with this kind of work?”

The interpreter was delivered in the best possible way, but there was no general who did not know that Baek Seung-cheol was very upset at the table in the operation meeting room facing each other anyway.

And most of the British and French generals, who were mostly white, laughed and taunted each other in whispers.

That is, the generals of the Arab state were not much different, they just looked at their warfare as if they were disrespectful across the river.

As the atmosphere in the conference room was just starting to get gloomy, General Schwarzkopf skillfully cut the heat up.

“Of course not, so I hope Lieutenant-General Baek calms down for a moment and listens to me.”

“…I listened, but if it is judged that our people are trying to keep our hands and feet tied up even when our people’s lives are at risk…”

“ha ha ha. Seeing how the North Korean military spares the lives of its own people, it seems that I have been very wrong about the country, North Korea. But let’s be honest, Lieutenant General Baek, what about the equipment your returning troops have brought to this Middle East?”

At Schwarzkopf’s point, most generals in other countries nodded their heads with an expression of ‘I knew you were going to say that’, and Baek Seung-cheol was speechless for an instant.

“…The dispatch was decided so hastily that we couldn’t bring in that many. But the morale and bravery of our people’s soldiers is more than anyone else…”

“Of course, I have no doubts about that. But at most, a unit composed of a Soviet-made BTR wheelbarrow and UAZ jeep cannot participate in the main task of the British Panzer Division and the US 7th Corps, right? I don’t know if it’s about street fighting, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do a division-scale joint training here right now…”

“……”

“I’m not underestimating that each of the North Korean light infantry brigades is elite, I’m just trying to say that they’ve never trained with us to be the main characters. I’d appreciate it if you could understand that.”

To be honest, Schwarzkopf did not want to entrust even the mission of search and destruction to the People’s Army, whose capabilities were not verified.

However, he believed that it would be a compromise between the two of them to give him a mission that would not cause much damage even if he failed rather than leave it behind like a borrowed sack of barley and nurture dissatisfaction.

Of course, even that mission would be much better performed by the Delta Force, or the elite rangers or marine reconnaissance units, which would go on to destroy the Iraqi military’s anti-aircraft network, but it had to be done because there was a request from President Bush in his home country.

War is also an extension of politics.

Moreover, Schwarzkopf was saving the last card to appease Baek Seung-cheol, who was still not completely dissatisfied with his expression.

“Besides, crucially, the returning workers are not currently in Baghdad. I just got an espionage.”

“what? Is that really it? General comrade?”

“exactly. After being detained in Baghdad for a while, the Iraqi army, who learned that they were heavy and chemical engineers, escorted them back to the oil field.”

“What the hell did you do that for?”

“Based on aerial reconnaissance and testimony from local collaborators, it is likely that Hussein is preparing a devastating operation just in case. Even when retreating, the intention is to destroy all the oil fields, which are resources of the enemy, and the returning workers must have been mobilized to prepare for the destruction of the oil fields.”

‘It’s a wise thing to do as that case will soon become a reality, but if you were really wise in the first place, you wouldn’t have done this.’

Leaving Schwarzkopf inwardly muttering like that, Baek Seung-cheol made a thrilled expression for the first time and nodded vigorously.

“I guess there was such a conscience. I wasn’t expecting it at all. As lieutenant-general of the People’s Army, I would like to express my gratitude to comrade General Schwarzkopf.”

“Well, it’s not that difficult. And if you want to thank me, let our air reconnaissance team do it, not me. They will play a very important role in future operations.”

“ha ha ha. In the end, it is the general commander who makes the final decision and leads the army to victory.

To Baek Seung-cheol, who bursts out laughing as he relaxes, Schwarzkopf mixes half a meaningful smile and half a bitter laugh.

“Thank you for listening, Lieutenant General Baek. As someone who used to be an army general, to be honest, while setting up this ‘Desert Storm’ operation, it was a car that I was a little skeptical about whether the air force would end up fighting and our army would become unemployed.”

Of course, Seungcheol Baek did not yet understand the meaning of Schwarzkopf’s words.

At least until the soon dawning New Year, on January 17, 1991, cruise missiles dropped by the B52 aircraft dropped on the air defense bases of the Iraqi army, which had finally ignored the recommendation to withdraw troops, signaling the start of the war.

– Huh, the Americans in the US military are very talented. In the meantime, did they even build an airfield near here that could fly such a large wing frame up to here? Indeed, if the general secretary is dispatched here, there will be many things to see and learn, so it would be better for the Korean People’s Army to reflect the US imperialist’s ability to supply military supplies and prepare accordingly. What do you think?

– Hey, comrade lieutenant general. It is said that the bomber flew here from the mainland United States across the sea.

And the look of astonishment that appeared on Baek Seung-cheol’s face when he heard those words was never forgotten by all of the dispatched troops for the rest of their lives.

Thus, on the night of January 17th, the bombing of the Iraqi military’s anti-aircraft network, communication bases, headquarters and power plants began .