WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 350: A Splendid Invitation (2)

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“Even if we assume only the major allies are accepted with a status roughly equivalent to dependent territory, how much initial funding would that take...? The fiscal balance we barely managed to put together would be shaken all at once... And there’s no guarantee the process would go smoothly... Just look at Canada’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth. The British government has already declared its absolute opposition...”

Senator Brennan kept trailing off, sounding almost as if he were talking to himself while testing Gyeoul’s reaction. Canada, the example he had chosen, was the only country expected to have even a somewhat positive effect if it became part of the United States.

Since Brennan seemed to want him to ask, Gyeoul did.

“Do you think it would be that difficult?”

“Well, I don’t exactly view Canada’s incorporation favorably either. That’s a country that would have to be incorporated as a full state from the start, but then its refugee population becomes a headache. It may have refused to accept refugees from the Pacific side, but not from the Atlantic side. In other words, on the surface it looks like a blue-chip stock, but in reality it contains a massive amount of bad debt. Without American food aid, it would have collapsed already.”

Refusing only refugees from the Pacific did not mean racial discrimination. The chance of infected people entering that way had simply been extremely high. As far as Gyeoul knew, Canada had accepted refugees from the Atlantic side only in the early days as well.

‘And that alone is over four million, which is the problem.’

That was more than a tenth of Canada’s population. Because of that, even American-level systematic management had been impossible, so Canada had reportedly supplied only basic goods and left the rest entirely to self-government. Countries like Britain, France, and Spain had also sent administrative personnel.

The senator pointed to exactly that.

“You know about the Emirate incident that happened there, don’t you?”

“I remember seeing it on the news.”

Its precise name was the Al-Mudathir Emirate incident. Islamic fundamentalist refugees had formed an armed group and declared the establishment of an Emirate.

And yet, they had a strange sense of reality. They were not pursuing independence, but wanted to become an autonomous province under the Canadian government. In other words, they were not opposing Canada’s existing refugee policy. Their claim was relatively moderate: if you’re going to leave us to govern ourselves anyway, recognize us.

Their actual religious tendencies, however, were the complete opposite of that outward moderation.

‘Those who erase or wipe away...’

According to CNN’s commentary on the incident, Al-Mudathir literally meant “the clothed one,” and more freely meant one who erased or wiped away, a pioneer, mediator, guardian of order, conqueror, one who leaps onto a horse and rides, and so on. In English, it corresponded to Purifier in the religious sense.

They forced other refugees to follow Islamic law, sharia. They monopolized relief supplies through plunder. Redistribution backed by force and threats naturally became a tool for proselytizing.

Brennan said cynically, “The Canadian government made such a grand mess of things that the atmosphere there is still a complete disaster. It’s a real shame. There must have been a better way than supporting Christian militia...”

Gyeoul nodded.

“You mean that if Canada is accepted, it will be difficult to apply the current policy as is.”

At that, Brennan laughed heartily.

“For a Lieutenant Colonel, that isn’t someone else’s problem, is it? The place that will struggle immediately is the military government office. It will face a manpower crisis before it faces a budget crisis. There’s no way this side won’t be affected too.”

“Yes...”

“Every other country has its own difficult circumstances as well. Ah, right. There’s something I’m curious about. Lieutenant Colonel, what do you think about Korea?”

Unable to grasp his intent, Gyeoul tilted his head.

“Are you asking for my opinion on Korea’s incorporation into the federal union?”

“Not exactly...”

After a pause, Brennan adjusted his expression and posture.

“I’ll apologize in advance, since this may sound unpleasant. What I mean is, if the Korean government needed you in order to protect its people, would you have even the slightest intention of answering that need?”

Gyeoul looked at him in silence, then chose a safe answer.

“I have already sworn an oath as an American citizen. I am protecting the people I have to protect.”

Then he asked in return.

“May I ask why you asked that?”

“Hmm. Explaining it properly would get very complicated...”

Tap, tap. Brennan drummed on the table, as if searching for the right words.

“Let’s say I was checking in advance for unstable elements in the business.”

“Business?”

“The reason I invited you today, Lieutenant Colonel. Ah, it seems we’ll have to put off the serious conversation for a moment.”

His wife appeared carrying the food and gave an apologetic smile.

“Did I interrupt?”

“No, no. We were waiting for you, actually. I’m so hungry I’m practically skin and bones.”

“You and your exaggerations.”

She gave him a fond sidelong look and set down the jambalaya. From the Cajun-style fried rice, generously filled with bacon and sausage, rose a rich mix of peppery oil, tomato, and chicken aromas. Peeled shrimp had been arranged prettily on top like a garnish. The choice of menu had probably been made out of consideration for Gyeoul.

Alongside it came warm sandwiches stuffed with turkey, clam chowder, and coleslaw dressed with olive oil and vinegar. The drink was dry champagne from California.

Gyeoul greeted her.

“Thank you. It looks really delicious.”

“Hehe. I think it will taste even better than it looks. Shall we toast first?”

After turning off the TV, she raised her wine glass. Under the ivory-tinted indoor lights, the champagne in the glass sparkled like a river at sunset. They clinked their glasses with a clear ring, and Gyeoul took a small sip. It was crisp, with a faint finish. The grape aroma seemed to rinse his palate clean. He thought it would pair well with rich food.

The senator’s wife put on a playful expression.

“Lieutenant Colonel Han. Can you guess the secret of this champagne?”

“...?”

“This was made in Paso Robles.”

“Ah. Really?”

“They say it was found during a supply search last year. It had been stored as a luxury item, and now that there’s no real need to distribute it as rations, it was released... We were lucky. There couldn’t be a more fitting toast for this occasion.”

“That’s true.”

Gyeoul smiled. For Gyeoul, who had operated there, and for the California state senator and his wife, the champagne held its own meaning.

The food was satisfying. For Gyeoul, who had been too troubled to eat properly over the past few days, it tasted especially precious. The jambalaya had been cooked glossy, without the grains clumping together, and blended smoothly with the sweet crunch of the onions. The clam chowder also had an impressive seafood aroma touched with celery. The same menu existed in combat rations, but the gap was so wide it was hard to think of them as the same dish. Mrs. Brennan’s cooking was softer and cleaner.

Overall, it strongly felt like healthy home cooking.

Once the meal had progressed to a certain point, Mrs. Brennan skillfully guided the conversation through various topics. One of the subjects that came up was this.

“I was never really interested in things like coin collecting before, but I find myself wanting a set of the commemorative coins being released this time. Especially the gold coin set.”

“Commemorative coins?”

“Yes. It’s connected to your trip to Washington, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Don’t tell me that’s...”

“You look as though this is the first you’ve heard of it.”

She covered her mouth and laughed.

“You’re guessing correctly. To commemorate the first-stage victory of the quarantine war, they plan to issue dollar coins engraved with Medal of Honor recipients, the Medal of Honor recipients coin program. I heard there will be 433 varieties, engraved with a total of 432 people, including the 55 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, including you, as well as those awarded it posthumously. They say they’ll be minted separately as gold coins and regular coins.”

“Somehow, there’s one more type than the number of people.”

“Of course. One of them is a double recipient.”

“...”

Seeing Gyeoul close his mouth, she smiled again.

“They say each recipient will be given one gold coin with their own face on it. You’ll get two, Lieutenant Colonel. They’ll also give you a set of the regular coins. The rest will be put up for auction. The rich will open their wallets too, in the name of giving back to society. From the federal government’s standpoint, it’s a way to raise funds in its own right.”

“No matter how small the money is, it would be nice if we could do that too.”

Senator Brennan grumbled regretfully as he emptied his second glass.

“Dear, wasn’t that why you invited Lieutenant Colonel Han today?”

“More or less. I suppose it’s time I told him.”

Brennan moved his napkin aside and leaned back against his chair.

“Lieutenant Colonel. You must have heard a few times already that there is a plan to settle refugees in a certain region and establish a territory with a government-designated refugee leader as governor. And that at this point, you are the strongest candidate... no, effectively the only candidate.”

So it was that story. Gyeoul nodded.

“Yes. I’ve had occasion to hear about it.”

“Have you also heard which region is considered the most likely site for that territory?”

“...No. Not that yet.”

Seeing Gyeoul pause, the senator smiled with satisfaction.

“Then let me ask you first. Where do you think it will be, Lieutenant Colonel?”

“With a probability of more than half, I think it will be south of the Mexico border. Somewhere like Tijuana or Ciudad Juarez... Given the current pattern of advance, it may be somewhere a little farther south.”

Even after the mainland had been recovered and frontline troop rotations had taken place, the U.S. military’s southward advance was continuing slowly but steadily. Its pace had only slowed somewhat compared to the time of the Boar Hunt. Naturally so.

‘The farther south they go, the smaller the defensive line becomes.’

A smaller defensive line meant higher troop density.

Of course, the operation was being carried out only within reasonable limits. The full-scale offensive to reclaim all of Mexico was planned to take place with the Marines’ main force landing in Panama, in other words, Operation Continental Divide. For now, this was the preparation stage.

“That’s quite a cautious prediction. In your position, I thought you might be a little more ambitious.”

When Brennan tilted his head, Gyeoul gave his reasoning.

“Assuming the occupation of Central America following Continental Divide proceeds as planned, that vast land can’t simply be left empty. It would be better to have a certain population at least in the places that will serve as intermediate bases. Even a large portion of the Army’s supply work is entrusted to civilian transport companies.”

It would also serve as a buffer zone for citizens on the mainland, but that was not something he needed to mention in front of the senator and his wife. It was not as if they would fail to understand just because he left it unsaid.

In other words, the reason he had named regions relatively close to the U.S. mainland was that the Gyeoul Alliance’s position was relatively favorable.

‘In the best case, it could be somewhere on the U.S. mainland...’

But that was only the best case.

“Hmm. Then, Lieutenant Colonel. What would you say if you could receive part of the San Diego metropolitan area?”

Brennan’s proposal left Gyeoul slightly flustered.

“Not northern Tijuana?”

“No. Of course Tijuana will eventually be absorbed into the metropolitan area, but what I’m talking about now is the existing metropolitan area. Including areas adjacent to the city center.”

What was his intent? After taking a moment, Gyeoul asked again.

“I don’t mean this negatively, but this is difficult to view as your personal proposal, Senator. At what level, and to what extent, has this proposal been discussed?”

Footnotes:

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