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“Russia has recognized it? Oh dear, what should we do? They’re planning to elevate it to a Governor-General’s Office.”

“Of course, with the great earthquake and the situation in Korea, they might not have the luxury to care about anything besides establishing the Manchurian Railway in Southern Manchuria.”

“Still, Japan will surely try to hold onto Southern Manchuria.”

“Looking at their ambitions for conquest in China through the Anti-Aircraft Agreement, it’s quite certain.”

“This is a Governor-General’s Office, but having an entity that’s essentially just a company directly beneath it feels a bit off, doesn’t it?”

“Ah, indeed. It doesn’t quite match up. It’s only natural. There’s the Russian-controlled Northern Manchuria as a friendly state of the Empire, and if this place is just a company, it feels too unseemly.”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“Northern Manchuria has a Russian Governor-General’s Office established, while Japan’s Southern Manchuria is merely a company.”

“There’s enough justification for it.”

“By the way, Europe right now has Britain and France bound up with Germany. Even if Southern Manchuria is referred to as Japan’s Governor-General’s Office, they wouldn’t dare to provoke it.”

“Although America, which has interests in Manchuria, does play a role.”

“Given the circumstances, Japan seems to acknowledge America’s interests in Manchuria. The real question is whether Southern Manchuria is truly stable.”

“If Southern Manchuria is to serve as a bridgehead for entry into China, it must be stable.”

“Are there no issues in Southern Manchuria?”

“Yes! Among the Manchurians remaining in Southern Manchuria, there were some discontented with the Empire, but as they saw the chaos unfold, they had no choice but to follow.”

“Indeed. The Manchus now are no longer the powerful Manchus from the Qing Dynasty; the current Manchus couldn’t just flee to the divided lands of China.”

“It was a good thing to occupy Northern Manchuria before they implemented regional self-governance.”

“At least when we conquered it back then, there was still a mainland for the Manchus and Han people to escape to, but not now.”

“If the conquest of Manchuria had been delayed, the proportion of Han people in Northern Manchuria would surely have increased significantly.”

“Is the Manchurian Railway a colony?”

“That can’t be! It’s Southern Manchuria where Koreans, who are subjects of the Greater Japanese Empire, live. It’s only natural for the Empire to provide protection. It’s more accurate to see it as a protectorate.”

“Is that a wordplay or serious?”

“Either way, it’s definitely peculiar.”

“This Mutaguchi Renya guy really excels at wordplay.”

“That’s why he was able to annihilate the Japanese army.”

“A statement like ‘the supplies captured from the enemy are what can be used in medieval times’ really hit me hard.”

“I was very impressed by that statement.”

“He’s a figure who exterminated the Japanese army even with a body ill-suited for the times.”

“For the sake of promoting such a person, the Tsar even wrote a personal letter.”

“Very well. Then I’ll send a small opinion in a personal letter to the home government.”

“Thank you! Your Majesty!”

Mutaguchi Renya stood up from his dogeza and deeply bowed again before me.

“Yes, that’s good.”

“I really like those bright, shining eyes of his.”

“Not to mention, he’s the righteous apostle who was released by the Allies due to insufficient evidence even after instigating a war.”

“Now, let’s enjoy the party organized by our Governor on this fine day. I should also start preparing to return.”

“Yes! It’s an honor to meet you, Tsar!”

“Such courtesy, indeed.”

“Yes. If he just follows my directions and does his job well, I could possibly let Mutaguchi take charge of Japan next.”

—

Japan Empire

News that Tsarina Anastasia openly sent a letter supporting Mutaguchi Renya directly to the Japanese government was quite an interesting matter for the Japanese government as well.

Since it could be seen as internal interference, they added that it could be treated as a personal letter from the Tsar, so it could be ignored if needed.

The problem regarding the Southern Manchuria Governor-General’s Office wasn’t bad news for the Japanese government, which had been struggling with the issues in Korea.

“I heard that the Tsar visited Northern Manchuria and met with our Manchurian Army Commander, Mutaguchi Renya.”

“I’ve heard that news, but what’s going on?”

“The Tsar sent a personal letter to our homeland through the Korean Governor-General’s Office. This Mutaguchi Renya guy appears to be on equal footing with their Northern Manchurian Governor, so he suggested why not make him the Governor of the Southern Manchuria Governor-General’s Office instead of just a military commander.”

“Hmm. Indeed, it’s too large to leave Southern Manchuria merely as a company. Recent profits coming from that direction are quite substantial as well.”

“So far, the profits from the Manchurian Railway have climbed to be one of the solid income sources for the Empire, but it still remains a company in itself.”

“After all, the Japanese government initially planned to turn Southern Manchuria into a Japanese version of the East India Company, so it hasn’t necessarily been a failure.”

“The problem is that we have nothing from China right now. The Emperor of the Forbidden City is just a rich kid without any real capabilities.”

“Then we should establish a Governor-General’s Office to enhance the Empire’s prestige. We don’t really need to worry about anything now since it’s supported by the great powers.”

“Not to mention, recently Russia, which has been doing well, has recognized this. Britain and France are so caught up with the Communist Germany’s propaganda activities that they can’t get their wits about them. This has definitely solidified our justification.”

“However, it’s not something that needs to be hurriedly decided.”

“Whether it’s the Manchurian Railway or the Governor-General’s Office, it’s the same thing anyway.”

“That’s a matter worth pondering.”

“The establishment of the Southern Manchuria Governor-General’s Office may need to be dealt with sooner rather than later. There’s a pressing issue that follows this.”

“What exactly is that issue?”

“It’s the Korean matter.”

Currently, the urgent issue for Japan’s Katō Takakaki cabinet was the Korean question.

Unlike in the original history, there was only a formal Governor-General’s Office in place, and in reality, the Japanese mainland was handling the Korean issue, which was causing nothing but headaches daily in the Korea-related departments.

“What exactly is happening in Korea?”

“It seems that the former royal family has been demoted, and they no longer plan to unite around the former royal family. However, an absurd amount of military expenditure has been used. And now that they are suggesting to advance into China, barely addressing the aftermath of the earthquake. Ugh.”

“Ridiculously exorbitant military expenditure.”

“Korea is importing rice, but the able-bodied men who should be working domestically are all tied up in Korea, so the losses incurred here are substantial.”

“No way, how could the Korean Governor-General’s Office have cooperated so poorly and run into such a deficit? Didn’t we sell fire extinguishers to China?”

“Due to the repression policies of the Governor-General’s Office, the Korean people’s sentiments have been wrecked. Additionally, there were various sabotages against the Japanese troops stationed in Korea. They’re just spending without any return. Thankfully, we still have the Manchurian Railway.”

Finance Minister Wamaguchi Takeyuki expressed pent-up dissatisfaction over costs incurred from Korea.

“The Koreans must be thoroughly crushed again, just like during the Great Southern Suppression, so they can never rise up again!”

In contrast to the army, the strong stance taken by Ugaki Katsunari was due to precisely this situation.

Katō Takakaki sighed deeply.

“To take on the prime minister’s role during such difficult times…”

“That’s why things have turned out this way. First, we have to stabilize Korea. Whether we like it or not, we can’t have issues arise in Korea when we’re trying to advance into China.”

“Trying to forcefully suppress them might cause the Koreans to rise against us even more in the future if a war was not planned.”

“If there’s no war on the horizon, we can completely stomp on Koreans, but the military already has plans to advance into China, and most officials are thinking of how to solve the problems caused by the earthquake and the Korean issue through a Chinese incursion and not just dealing with the loss in Southern Manchuria.”

Thus, stabilizing Korea was an imminent reality.

“Rather, we should encourage the Koreans’ migration to Southern Manchuria and take control of the Governor-General’s Office. We cannot afford to spend more military expenditures on Korea. By doing this, we won’t need to mobilize forces and can keep our main forces from being tied up in the Korean issue. Also, relocating mainland people to Korea wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Since they couldn’t use the former royal family as a reason to rise up anymore due to their demotion.

Yet the military has been left with no choice but to keep troops stationed due to the dissatisfaction of the Koreans, whom they suspect could be the cause of the problem.

“So, does that mean you want to officially annex Korea into mainland Japan? The Imperial subjects are bound to revolt.”

During this time of upheaval on the Korean Peninsula, Japan blatantly showed its ambitions unlike in actual history and was aiming toward China, and for that very reason, stabilizing Southern Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula was necessary.

Thus, Japan raised their “Japan and Korea as one” slogan to assimilate Korea into the mainland, yet it only served to justify their colonial rule.

While Korean sentiments rallied around the former royal family, smothering that former royal family, and the military presence in the Korean Peninsula resulted in significant military expenditures, government officials were increasingly inclined to treat Koreans more gently to turn them into true subjects of the Empire.

By doing so, they could stabilize the rear when the incursion into China came and further bolster their troops.

However…

“Why are we on the same level as the Koreans?”

“What? You mean to promote intermarriage with the Koreans? Are you out of your mind?”

“Mom, that kid said he married a Korean man!”

The lenient policies toward Koreans merely provoked backlash from the subjects, who were also fiercely resistant to losing their unique culture and ethnicity.

“Why the hell should we learn your language?”

“Shrines and worship? What a stupid idea!”

“Do you think we’ll just submit to threats? Japanese troops, get lost!”

And that led us right back to the issue of upgrading Southern Manchuria to a Governor-General’s Office.

We would let the Manchurian Railway only handle business operations as before, while creating a Governor-General’s Office to share responsibilities with the Korean Governor-General’s Office.

“In that case, will it be Southern Manchuria?”

“After all, one of the justifications for taking Southern Manchuria is that there are Koreans, who are subjects of the Empire, residing there, and they need protection.”

That’s right. The initial justification for the surprise occupation of Southern Manchuria was the need to protect the Korean subjects of the Empire. In light of that, it made sense to establish a Governor-General’s Office, rather than just a company, and for the Korean Governor-General’s Office to cooperate with Southern Manchuria.

“Let’s upgrade it to a Governor-General’s Office this time and formally link Southern Manchuria and Korea together. We should grant rights to resolve the Governor-General’s Office issues in Southern Manchuria.”

“The Tsar, who predicted the Great Earthquake, pinpointed Mutaguchi Renya, the Manchurian Army Commander, so there must be a reason behind it.”

Given that the Tsar recommended him, he must possess exceptional capabilities.

Indeed, unlike the Korean Governor-General’s Office, Southern Manchuria was stable.

Of course, the proportion of Koreans was relatively low in Southern Manchuria, but some had crossed over from the mainland, and the Manchus and Han people were also present, so the potential for unrest was considerable.

Behind the scenes, due to the dire situation in China, sending the Han and Manchu people left in Southern Manchuria and the rebellious Koreans to Northern Manchuria while allowing only the compliant Koreans to remain was practically statistical manipulation. However, from the government’s perspective, trusting Mutaguchi Renya became easier, as he had been recognized by the Tsar, who shared a border with Russia.

Above all, domestic conditions in Japan also played a significant role.

As they had their eyes set on China for future ambitions, it was a reality that caused considerable deficits to increase military spending.

“Now, do we really need to attribute meaning to this? We need to put out this fire first. Before withdrawing the stationed troops in Korea, we should move the Governor-General’s Office troops to Southern Manchuria.”

“Wouldn’t China protest?”

“That bunch wouldn’t dare object, ha ha ha.”

“Fine then. I hereby approve the elevation of Southern Manchuria to a Governor-General’s Office.”

The elevation of the Manchurian Railway to the Southern Manchuria Governor-General’s Office meant officially integrating Southern Manchuria, which had been operating under the name of the Manchurian Railway, into Japan’s overseas territories.

Naturally, though various warlords in China protested, they could only protest; they had never dared to touch Japan, which had managed Southern Manchuria since the days of the Manchurian Railway.

—

After meeting with Japan’s legendary general, the Allied forces’ spy, and the underground independence warrior, Mojeonggu, I returned to Moscow.

As soon as I returned, I had a ton of grading to do.

In the end, my role was minimal; our late-blooming students handled it well, so I merely signed off on their work.

However, regarding my personal letters, the Japanese side had not reached out separately.

In the first place, I had almost sent my opinions privately.

After all, the sender was the Tsar. It would have undoubtedly appeared to meddle in state affairs.

“Just mentioning the closeness of North Manchuria’s governor and hoping that it would be nice if they were of equal rank as the governor of Southern Manchuria…”

But…

In the Duma, after a while, I heard some joyful news.

“Did Japan heed my words?”

“Well, there are trivial backgrounds to this. Your Majesty’s influence isn’t absent, but it turns out there are some issues in Japan as well.”

That was the comment from Foreign Minister Vasily Kharlamov.

“A complicated issue, it seems.”

Well, if they followed my words, I might have sent a letter asking if they were considering quietly granting independence to Korea next.

Of course, they wouldn’t be that kind of nation.

Despite suffering losses in Korea, they wouldn’t casually give up their colonies, acting all imperialistic.

“What issues are we facing?”

“It seems Japan has been pushing various assimilation projects under the slogan of promoting internal unity. It has apparently sparked strong backlash in both Japan and Korea.”

“They are making Koreans learn various Japanese cultures, including adopting Japanese names and various assimilation plans. Hmm.”

“That makes sense.”

“People in Japan would loathe to see colonized individuals becoming their equals, and those Koreans would feel it as an erasure of their ethnicity.”

It’s no wonder there would be backlash.

 

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