Time Slip Reiwa Japan

131 - The Stirrings of World War - 4

When the Soviet Navy offered to rent the Zheng He, the Republic of China readily agreed. With their budget strained by the aftermath of war, maintaining large vessels was a daunting task. They weren't particularly pressed by exorbitant war reparations from the United States, but the severe impact of the war, especially the merciless strategic bombings, had taken a toll on the ROC's economy. Tax revenues had plummeted drastically. Implementing tax hikes under such circumstances risked sparking revolutionary movements. Even though the Chinese-style governance primarily relied on authoritarian measures against the populace, they had to prioritize pacifying public sentiment.

The military bore the brunt of these repercussions, particularly the navy. Apart from the rental fees, the Republic of China demanded assistance and training for the Zheng He's completion *1 from the Soviet Union. The Soviets readily agreed, and the charter agreement was sealed. Operating under Soviet command, she would be registered as the armored ship Vostok and fly the Soviet naval ensign. While the crew of the Zheng He felt humiliated by not being able to hoist the flag of the Republic of China, they ultimately accepted it in exchange for the ample supply of food and luxury items.

. . .

Soviet Union

The report of the discovery of a large warship from the Soviet Navy delighted Stalin. He appreciated the efforts to maintain face in the North Sea (Hot Area) with minimal labor and time. The Soviet leadership applauded in unison with Stalin's praise for the navy, except for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which felt slighted for not being involved in negotiations with the Republic of China, and the NKVD, which felt offended as the opportunity to purge the navy (to take credit of its achievements) slipped away.

In any case, the Soviet Navy had averted a crisis. Now, the task was to select and train ships to accompany the Vostok (Zheng He). Stalin had a significant task in mind for their first mission: convoy escort duty. This involved safely delivering a fleet of nearly 50.000 troops, tasked with maintaining order in the Congo, a territory under Soviet control, to their destination.

The Soviet Union had few large passenger or cargo ships due to limited shipbuilding capacity, with the majority being medium-sized vessels. Nonetheless, to transport such a large number of personnel and equipment, a considerable fleet was required. Escort duty in the North Sea was already a significant task for the Soviet Navy, let alone the escort itself, which posed a major challenge.

Negotiations even went as far as reducing the number of personnel to be transported in a single voyage to alleviate the burden on the inexperienced Soviet Navy and prevent the loss of outdated small transport ships due to the high likelihood of accidents. However, these negotiations bore no fruit.

Transporting 50.000 troops was Stalin's initiative to quickly pacify the Congo and showcase the Soviet Union's national prestige to the international community. The NKVD, having failed in their own tasks, saw the Congo as an opportunity to redeem themselves, which influenced Stalin's decision-making. There was no way for the Soviet Union to stop a deal that Stalin was willing to make and the NKVD was willing to do.

The Soviet Navy was therefore forced to think hard. The light cruiser Maxim Gorky, a large Soviet-built ship with no money to spare, and the Tashkent, *2 a large destroyer, were chosen for deployment. However, this was the best the Soviet naval surface warfare forces could do.

In the Soviet Union, where economic growth had been hampered by the independence of Siberia and the subsequent military confrontation, the top priority was placed on the army and air force, and the cruisers, destroyers aside, had not been adequately developed. Moreover, under Stalin's strict orders, the construction of large vessels had once been given top priority. It can be said that this is the result of politics taking precedence over military requirements and rationality. Therefore, this current situation was inevitable.