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* * *

In effect, from the Treaty Army’s perspective, they’ve captured the main forces of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, freed the Yansheng government, Qing Dynasty, and the Korean Peninsula, completing the liberation of all of China.

The remaining Japanese forces in the south, caught between two sides, fought valiantly against the Chinese army but ultimately perished gloriously.

With the Northern China and Central China Expeditionary Forces collapsing and considering that Yasuzaki was one of the last to surrender, it’s safe to say that most of the Chinese Expeditionary Forces are no more.

“The warlord leaders are all self-serving individuals. Of course, they claim to be working hard, but in the end, they don’t want to abandon their own regions to join the National Government devoid of Chiang Kai-shek.”

Drozdovsky said this while sipping the black tea served by the Forbidden City attendant.

That makes sense. They wouldn’t want to follow Chiang Kai-shek’s wife.

Each has too much ambition when they lack the power to unify themselves.

Thus, they can only be torn apart further by the Treaty Army.

“They have no capacity to unify, yet they are full of greed.”

Right in front of them are those trying to carve out their own benefits.

If they try to blatantly secure their interests in front of such people, what can one expect?

“Just like the French Commune moved objects to a museum, isn’t it true that they too are ‘Chinese’ dreaming of a unified China?”

“That could be the case.”

Indeed, they are all Chinese.

Because they are Chinese, when a great figure aiming to unify China dies, they will inevitably return to power struggles against each other.

In the absence of a tiger, the foxes rule.

They too probably want to unify China in their own way.

Of course, we will never leave them be.

Soong Mei-ling will probably try to deal with those warlords in some way and re-subjugate them under their National Government.

“Soong Mei-ling is a figure referred to as ‘Her Majesty’ in China.”

Is she the Anastasia of China?

“That’s quite unpleasant.”

Has she fought on the battlefield like I have? Has she avoided aging, the greatest foe of women, like I have?

While she’s competent, she shouldn’t dare compare herself to me if she’s never fought directly on the battlefield.

In this era, where else could there be female leaders who fought on the battlefield besides me?

“Hmm, can’t we divide them?”

“Unfortunately, it seems Soong Mei-ling has moved first.”

Soong Mei-ling has moved first; she’s certainly quite quick on her feet.

“This is becoming difficult.”

She will likely gamble on subjugating the warlords before I can act.

She might stir up the warlords, claiming that I intend to divide China and thus lead them to resubjugation.

If that happens, I might have to resort to force.

“Shouldn’t we prepare a justification for war in advance?”

“Umm. Let’s think about it. Soong Mei-ling is certainly trying to form a unified government somehow, right?”

If she succeeded Chiang Kai-shek, that’s likely.

She must maintain the National Government at all costs.

Just like Mao Zedong enjoys his power through local autonomy, Soong Mei-ling must also have aspirations comparable to maintain the National Government.

“Yes. She insists that we must never be divided, as per her husband’s wishes.”

Then, what other option is there but war?

Given the current position of the National Government, it would be difficult to even repel the Qing Army. Hmm, should we strike?

No, if we proceed in the same manner too much, it might become problematic.

“Who’s beside Soong Mei-ling?”

“It seems Dairi is her second-in-command.”

Dairi, huh. That guy is becoming a nuisance too.

Though Chiang Kai-shek is gone, due to Soong Mei-ling and Dairi, something might just go wrong.

Though, he probably won’t be as troublesome as Chiang Kai-shek. That guy knows his place.

But as long as he’s around, it won’t be easy to take action in Southern China.

“That guy Dairi is the problem.”

“Should we take care of him?”

Beria, who had been waiting for orders nearby, grinned. Sure, while Beria has a point.

Killing Dairi when we can is one approach. But what will happen if we eliminate him now?

We’ll surely be suspected.

“If he notices that we are planning to assassinate him, he’ll see it coming.”

He’s part of the intelligence department. If he intends to die, he’ll probably prepare something behind the scenes.

He might sacrifice himself to screw us over while at least obtaining assurances of independence.

In that case, there’s no reason to cross a risky river.

It’s better to find an easier method.

Wasn’t it a stroke of luck that we managed to kill Chiang Kai-shek in the first place?

If things got too difficult, the Okhrana, which killed Chiang Kai-shek, would have needed to commit suicide on the spot.

We can’t recklessly pursue such difficult tasks.

If we assassinate him right now, it will certainly complicate things, so let’s take the easy route.

There was definitely aid going to the National Government, right?

I believe they were providing quite a bit of supplies to capture the Japanese forces. However, now there’s no reason to continue supplying them.

They’ve been holding out thanks to us until now.

If the supply had stopped sooner, it’s likely the National Government wouldn’t have been able to hold out against Japan.

So we should cut that off.

Although the National Government planned to receive aid for post-war reconstruction, that doesn’t mean they deserve to continue being the National Government.

Let’s clarify who holds the advantageous position. Being a Saint doesn’t mean providing free services.

“Now that all of China is complete, let’s terminate the supply to the National Government.”

“You’re talking about ending support?”

Now that we’ve beaten Japan, there’s no obligation to continue helping.

“It’s meaningless anyway. We can use the excuse that we can no longer support the war-torn North China due to Japan.”

That will likely be a policy of the National Duma, so arguing with me will be futile.

If they act so insolently, we have our own measures ready. Like this.

Who do you think has helped the Chinese citizens withstand the hardships of the National Government? Exactly, the Rome Treaty Organization.

Just previously, they were thanks to support from Britain and France.

Now that those two are essentially the Rome Treaty Organization, what can we do?

Soong Mei-ling or whatever mushroom she is, she has her limitations.

Seeing this, who knows how much she might act against us once she builds up her strength later on?

Even the United States, having lost Alaska and witnessed Russia’s prowess, might start supporting China.

That would certainly complicate matters.

We must take action while America is distracted by Japan.

To do so, we need to cut off supplies altogether. We definitely won’t give them breathing room to maintain China’s current instability.

“That sounds like a good plan.”

“More than that, I’m a symbolic figure. The essence of the United States lies in the National Duma. As long as it’s for national interests, they can’t argue with me regarding China.”

Although they know I’m behind the National Duma, ultimately, that’s all it will be.

What could they possibly do?

“If they’re the ‘legitimate government’ of China, they will manage that by themselves. They can’t expect support while just posturing. And due to the large-scale uprising from Koreans in the Korean Peninsula, they seem to be suffering quite a bit as well. We can use this as an excuse to say we have no capacity to support them anyway.”

Korea gained independence, but for the Balhae Republic government to really be established in the Korean Peninsula, we certainly must assist.

Fortunately, it seems the Balhae Army absorbed what the Japanese left behind.

For example, the bases like factories in Northern Korea.

Though this may spark debates about colonial modernization later, the Japanese government capable of arguing that will vanish.

It won’t be the Japan that inherited the Japanese Empire, but the Japan of the pro-Russian Mutaguchi Renya; what could that problem be?

First of all, we must turn Mutaguchi Renya’s Japan into a friendly government towards Korea.

“But if there’s Mutaguchi Renya’s Japan, do we really need to support Korea?”

“Mutaguchi Renya’s Japan can only build an army. With half of Japan’s strength, they can’t develop both the army and navy simultaneously. And since Japan’s division into two is now assured, a pro-American puppet state Japan will remain, forcing them to squabble, leaving them only the army.”

This is the perfectly envisioned scenario I’m picturing.

A divided Japan, with pro-Russian and pro-American factions, will inevitably have to confront each other.

It means that the proxy war between Russia and America will transpire in Japan.

It doesn’t matter if they’re kin or not. Once invasion begins, whether perpetrator or victim, hatred will blossom, and they will become enemies.

When that happens, just like in modern times with South and North Korea, they will stubbornly maintain their positions, making reunification difficult.

With Japan being split, they will no longer be able to engage in imperialism.

Then Korea will inevitably play a larger role.

“It’s clear that Korea holds the answer.”

“And Northern Manchuria is also a territory developed by Koreans. Aren’t you curious how far they could elevate their homeland they colonized?”

“Indeed.”

Realistically, even if I were not a reincarnated Korean but Anastasia, I would’ve done at least this much.

Now, Mutaguchi Renya’s Western Japan will inevitably have to invest in the army to fight Eastern Japan. Korea will inherently be safer than the world, so they won’t have to awkwardly draft disabled people under the guise of conscription. They should be able to invest accordingly into the navy.

“And there’s still more left. If we support Korea, won’t the National Government feel humiliated that they’re treated worse than their former colony?”

“Indeed. That certainly sounds amusing.”

Soong Mei-ling, just how grotesque will her face become?

If only they had cooperated willingly, accepting even a part of China we offered while listening to us, it would have been much better. What a pity.

Even this kindness we show them could be seen as them being spoiled.

If they push a bit harder, we might trample on Soong Mei-ling’s China and recreate it anew.

People should live according to their station.

If Soong Mei-ling is tamed this time, there might be room for her to be accepted as part of local autonomy, but if she continues to resist, what can we do then?

Of course, I’m leaning toward the latter.

Because if Soong Mei-ling gives up her husband’s legacy, it would go against the grand ideals of the National Government.

Just as Goebbels had no choice but to carry out a revolutionary war, Soong Mei-ling will inevitably have to turn against us.

Unless she chooses to submit, of course.

This serves as a sort of test I’m giving her.

* * *

The Japanese Combined Fleet collapsed, and the Japanese forces stationed in French Indochina, the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, and British Malaya were isolated and defeated by the Treaty Army, primarily composed of French and Dutch troops.

And Britain’s Louis Mountbatten took charge of supply logistics for the National Government as all of Europe concluded and China opened anew.

Louis Mountbatten notified the National Government of the termination of supply according to the directives of the Rome Treaty Command.

“What do you mean by stopping the supply of goods?”

Soong Mei-ling was astonished by Mountbatten’s words.

It drove her mad to hear such news shortly after the National Government had politely protested the Tsar’s words.

After all, with the National Government’s land becoming the battlefield, more than half of its territory had been devastated, and the streets were littered with corpses.

Even now, remnants of the Japanese army are still fighting in Nanjing.

“As I’ve said, our Treaty Army has driven out the last of the Japanese forces in China, and the remaining Japanese remnants have surrendered, which means the war is over. Therefore, there’s no need for further supplies.”

“But, there are still remnants remaining, and we are allies!”

“No matter how far behind the Chinese forces are compared to Europe, I believe they can handle the remaining Japanese remnants. The National Government is an ally, but that’s all. It’s only in terms of war, and supporting the warlord coalition that is the National Government poses a significant risk for us.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Even though the Rome Treaty Organization is remarkable, just not long ago, it waged massive wars in Europe. We’re barely managing the post-war reconstruction. We simply don’t have the capacity to continue providing aid to certain parts of China after the war.”

It’s nothing but an excuse.

The Rome Treaty Organization has received substantial financial support from the U.S. through Show Me The Money; thus, recovering from the war was not a bad situation at all.

They could supply without a shortage of food and could rather offload outdated weapons that might end up as contraband stored in warehouses, but this was a measure to tame the National Government.

“If we’re talking about part, then who are you supporting?”

“The Chinese autonomous government, the Qing Dynasty, and the Balhae Republic.”

So, the pro-Japanese puppet state Qing Dynasty, with Wang Jingwei, the archenemy of Mao Zedong, who ruined China, and even the minor state of the Korean Peninsula which used to be a colony!

“They are not the legitimate government. The Mao Zedong from the autonomous government is responsible for decimating the main Chinese forces and creating the hell we see now. And while the Qing Dynasty helped at the end, they are ultimately nothing but a pro-Japanese puppet state, and Balhae is practically a colony, isn’t it? It would surely be better to support us in the activities of the Rome Treaty Organization in the Far East!”

“The Chinese autonomous government reported the barbaric acts of Japan to the Tsar, providing sufficient justification for the Rome Treaty Organization to punish Japan, and the Qing Dynasty fought valiantly so that our forces could strike at the Japanese rear. Without these two governments, do you think the National Government could have won this war?”

“Right. I understand up to that. But Balhae. So, that Korea is hardly anything at all. What can they really contribute?”

“They regained their homeland through their own power by building an army in Russia, even without a nation. Thanks to regaining places like Northern Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula, Japan has lost a vital rear supply base and foothold on the continent. Balhae has sufficiently played its role in this war and is deemed worthy of sovereignty. They intend to assist in the reconstruction of their nation as part of the Rome Treaty Organization’s Eastern alliances.”

“Then, please ensure they receive compensations from Japan.”

“That too is a challenging request.”

Regrettably, even if I wanted to, I cannot fulfill it.

With Louis Mountbatten’s resolute and unwavering response, Soong Mei-ling was engulfed in rage.

Neither this nor that is going to work.

Then what on earth do these people think they’re aiming for!

 

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