Time Slip Reiwa Japan

030 - Siberian War of Independence - 3

In response to the turmoil in Siberia, Japan increased the number of special forces *1 it had dispatched to various parts of Siberia, as well as the accumulation of supplies to protect Japanese and American companies. American companies were also defending themselves by hiring their own mercenaries, but as they were operating under the control of Japan – using the mining rights of Siberian resources obtained by Japan under the ceasefire treaty of the Soviet-Japanese War *2 – they were obligated to protect them.

The Japanese government also declared its neutrality to the Soviet government and the independence movement, except for humanitarian measures. The Soviet side also received this decision favorably. The Soviet Union and Japan underestimated the significance of having an abundance of food and daily commodities in a place where they were being depleted.

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Primorsky Krai Humanitarian Incident

Even in sporadic battles, troops consume resources when they move. In particular, the consumption of food is something that cannot be stopped. For this reason, the Red Army continued to consume food and daily commodities when stationed in villages that had participated in the rebellion. One village was so upset with the situation that they asked the Red Cross medical staff, who were visiting the village as a humanitarian activity, for food for their children, no matter what they had to offer.

The Red Cross staff responded in kind. They went to a nearby mine that was being mined by an American company and asked for food. Seeing the emaciated Russian children, the American company showed its humanity and generously offered what food and daily necessities it had left in its stockpile. Volunteers also offered their own personal goods as donations. So far, this is a story of goodwill and virtue.

The problem was that the Soviet troops stationed in the village were assholes. When the Soviet troops returned to the village, they inspected the Red Cross staff and villagers at gunpoint to see if they were in any way connected to the Siberian independence movement. That's when they discovered it.

Among the supplies offered by the good-natured Americans, there was alcohol. The Soviet officers commandeered the alcohol, claiming that it was a potentially dangerous substance. The amount of alcohol that was requisitioned was not very large, so it was shared only among the officers. It was the NCOs and soldiers who were not satisfied. They were frustrated with the lack of food in the cold village, and the officers monopolized the small amount of alcohol that was available. There was nothing but dissatisfaction.

That's why the Soviet NCOs had a plan. Since they knew where it was, they decided to requisition it. A well-behaved officer, who was carried along by the NCO, led a squad of infantry to visit an American company. The subject of the visit was to audit the company to see if it was harboring Siberian rebels. The American company complied. Once inside the American company's facilities, the Soviet troops searched for alcohol at random.

This caused the Americans to lose their temper, who accused the Soviets of insolence and of having no legal basis for their actions. The Japanese government officials who were there as auditors supported them. They told them that the end of the war agreement of the Soviet-Japanese War did not require them to accept any demands for requisitions or other measures if they operated in Soviet territory. It declared that no alcohol, subsistence, or food would be offered.

The officer lost his temper. To put it bluntly, he lashed out at the officer for trying to take back the alcohol in front of him. He pulled out his pistol and threatened the officer, "If you don't give us the alcohol, we will dispose of you as anti-revolutionaries." The Americans laughed at them and dared them to say that they were not Soviets and had nothing to do with the Communist Party.