---

* * *

“Anyway, abolish the caste system. Immediately.”

Here, they are just making threats. The Peacekeeping Forces are already stationed throughout Bharat, having suppressed the existing colonial troops as well.

“Just wait a little, just a little longer.”

“That’s right. What do you expect us to do when you pressure us like this all of a sudden?”

There are quite a lot of complaints.

But why? This is exactly the time to deal with such issues.

“If you do not abolish it, we will not stay quiet. Do you know why we are called Peacekeeping Forces? We will strive to eliminate that barbaric caste system for the sake of peace.”

“Understood. I will take care of it right away.”

Chandra Bose reluctantly pretended to submit to us. He may seem like this, but realistically, he knows he has to listen to what I say.

Since a communist has caused this mess, he must be hoping to lean on our strength.

“Hmm, now that I see it, most of the current ministers have ties with the Communists. They too must be punished.”

The Peacekeeping Forces Headquarters will do whatever it takes for anti-communism!

As I subtly nudged, Patton and Zhukov took the lead in capturing the ministers for their connection to the Communists.

“Are you speaking sense? Why would we conspire with Communists?”

“There is no reason to maintain the evil practice of the caste system unless you have some ulterior motive, is there?”

Another fallacy.

But it served as a valid justification, and the majority of Bharat’s notable figures were imprisoned.

Ultimately, it’s absurd, but in this way, the government must be managed.

So, it makes sense to fill that government, right? I’ve already divided them thoroughly.

There will be lingering grudges among them.

At this point, I’ll subtly insert Anastasia’s supporters into Bharat too.

Wherever it is, whether Russia or Europe, I’ll have India’s intellectuals put into Bharat to establish a new government.

With this, a pro-Western government will be established, and the caste system will also be abolished.

But that will only be a temporary suppression. Ultimately, the remaining caste system will continue to clash with the Anastasia supporters.

The Bharat Republic, which can be considered the legitimate government of India, will thus fall into chaos for a while.

Of course, this could potentially lead to reunification with other regions.

But given the deepening rifts, isn’t it easy to absorb one side? I don’t think so.

From now on, the nations of India will live divided like Japan.

That is what feels right. I returned to Moscow with a feeling of lightness.

“By the way, Your Majesty, isn’t it a bit too much to divide it like this? Treating India like China is rather… it’s a bit pitiable.”

The Prime Minister seemed to have some pity.

It’s true, it is pitiable. But pity is one thing, and national interests must take precedence.

I pursue national interests.

If Russia and the United States pull back from India, who knows how big India might grow in the future.

We have to cut down its potential in advance.

“We are not making them a colony again, are we? Britain apologized to the Indians and is still supporting them. Gandhi brought this upon himself. Of course, India does hold the potential to rise as a great power later on.”

“Ha, India being such a bunch of people.”

“It’s the truth. India has a large population and vast territory. A country with a large population possesses abundant potential. So we need to tear them apart in advance.”

No single place can be allowed to become the new great power.

Just enough to maintain a competitive relationship with the United States will suffice.

Of course, in India’s case, the caste system ultimately hinders it, making it a bit of a complicated situation even though it has potential in the original world.

If we really think about it, leaving the caste system in place might be better. But how can a Saint just stand by and watch?

Such a barbaric evil custom must not remain.

In fact, in this history, it has been completely discarded, meaning that it may even be easier to reach a developed state than in the original history.

Instead, we’ve created divisions, so this is how it turned out.

As the Bharat Republic was founded, it got caught in a crossfire, and the existing vested interests were washed away.

“India’s situation is quite something.”

It’s filthy.

I taught it, yet seeing it like this, it’s way too dirty. If we’re talking filth, we could mention Africa, but that’s a bit too much, so we just lightly color Ethiopia on the map as the main.

Still, with this level, there should be no major issues in the future.

Even if Europe, which was a colonial empire, is far ahead of these former colonies in the distant future, that still feels a bit irksome, but then, is it my concern?

If Russia gets rid of its gangster image and Korea does well, then everything else does not concern me.

What remains after that is whether to unify world currencies or not.

“Your Majesty, the atmosphere in the Dutch East Indies in Indonesia is quite unsettling.”

“In Indonesia? What’s going on?”

Wasn’t it supposed to be close to gaining independence soon?

“The Dutch East Indies army and the independence activist Sukarno are leading the troops.”

Like in original history, did the Dutch try to invade the East Indies again?

Still, that shouldn’t be likely, right? The U.S. will be behind Indonesia.

Then, is the U.S. behind it?

“Actually, the Dutch East Indies side was supposed to let independence fighter Mohammad Hatta organize the government and transfer all powers of the colonial government, but with Sukarno and Suharto’s independence troops rebelling, the situation took a strange turn.”

“Why is that?”

What the heck is happening here?

I think it’s best to keep an eye on the situation a bit more. Just as one problem gets resolved, another one erupts; what is going on?

* * *

Dutch East Indies

Unlike in original history, the Netherlands could not choose to aim for colonial rule again.

No, at first Japan had barged in saying it would help, as there might be communists in the Netherlands. So, it was hardly the case that the Japanese established military rule, and on the surface, the Dutch East Indies were maintained.

Anyway, after the declaration of decolonization from the Rome Treaty Organization, even Britain had to relinquish its colonies, so the Netherlands couldn’t hold on as well.

When the majority of Indonesians expressed their desire for independence through voting, the Netherlands decided to organize the Indonesian state.

“Can our Maluku also gain independence?”

“Yes. We will grant independence as you wish, and our Dutch East Indies colonial government will now peacefully transfer power and withdraw.”

This was proclaimed nationwide.

Thus, ideally, the Dutch East Indies would transfer power to the Indonesian Republic organized by Indonesian scholars like Mohammad Hatta and make their exit.

Of course, not just Mohammad Hatta but also the previously mentioned Maluku’s independence, the Free State of East Indonesia (the autonomous region in original history), the Daendak autonomous territory, the Pasundan autonomous state, the Pontianak Sultanate, and so forth were to gain independence.

In this process, the American troops who assisted after the war also withdrew.

Originally, it should have been the American troops that took over the authority of the Dutch East Indies government instead, but there were complicated circumstances.

According to an agreement between MacArthur and Anastasia, even if the colonies were to gain independence, they would still remain under American influence; however, at this point, they couldn’t just swoop in like that.

The problem lay in the fact that there were those who objected.

“Even if we are liberated from colonial rule, if the government is filled with Dutch-educated personnel, this country would just be a puppet state of the Netherlands!”

“Moreover, to demand separation and independence! Claiming to grant independence to the Maluku Islands is clearly the imperialists’ way of trying to control us like India!”

Regrettably, watching India break apart like a land of strife because it had never tasted rain led to the Indonesian independence leaders Sukarno and Suharto rising in rebellion.

Of course, Sukarno and Suharto didn’t embark on this without calculation.

It seemed that the Dutch East Indies government was caught off guard.

They had said they would peacefully grant independence, only to be met with accusations of being a puppet state. They declared armed independence while shouting that there’s only one Indonesia, and that there could be no independence for South Maluku.

In fact, the arms depot of the East Indies government had already been plundered, and the independence troops armed with leftover weapons from the Japanese army were attacking the Dutch East Indies forces.

Yet, this was something Sukarno committed to out of seeing possibilities.

Europe, the center of the Rome Treaty, is far from Southeast Asia.

Even with Australia and New Zealand nearby, they wouldn’t contribute much, and moreover, Sukarno was in contact with the United States.

The Emperor of Rome isn’t touching the U.S. because it’s calculating that the U.S. is that strong; hence, Sukarno designed to expel the Dutch East Indies and, with U.S. support, aimed to obtain complete independence for Indonesia.

Of course, this was something he could do because he was unaware of the covert discussions between MacArthur and Anastasia.

Conversely, this situation was also something neither Anastasia nor MacArthur desired.

“What on earth do we do about this?”

The Rome Treaty has got to be going nuts over this.

They had planned to back down and even leave infrastructure, but that lunatic Sukarno suddenly attacked.

If it were just a simple protest, it might be manageable, but this has become a serious problem even within the Rome Treaty.

“Initially, decolonization is a trend of our times, but the first to propose this is His Majesty the Tsar.”

“Are you shifting the responsibility onto our Tsar?”

“That’s not it. This could tarnish the honor of His Majesty the Tsar. Europe has already unified under the Rome Treaty. It’s as if we are being disregarded. We must mobilize military power.”

“There’s no choice. We have to mobilize the Treaty Army to suppress Sukarno first. Please inform His Majesty the Tsar in your country.”

In the end, there weren’t many methods available.

In principle, the United States, which had been making clandestine approaches towards Sukarno, was also in a tough spot.

With Thomas Dewey elected president, while busy with domestic fluff left behind by the Huey Long government and aiding European recovery, MacArthur was paying attention to Indonesia.

And.

This Sukarno guy was truly incomprehensible.

“What is this Sukarno doing?! Why isn’t he following the colonial government’s guidelines to peacefully transfer power!”

Originally, the plan was to assist in forming the Indonesian government and generally keep it under U.S. influence.

Why on earth does this crazy guy want to cause a scene!

“It seems the fact that the government is filled with Dutch-educated people doesn’t sit well with him.”

“No, no. I know what kind of person he is. Ultimately it’s lust for power.”

It certainly is lust for power.

Even if the justification sounds plausible, the very act of initiating armed independence amid this situation says otherwise.

“What do we do?”

“What about the Rome Treaty Organization?”

“Apparently, there’s a lot of talk over there, but it seems they can’t easily extricate themselves.”

“That’s true. It wasn’t them that attacked first and they’ve taken a hit.”

The Rome Treaty Organization can’t just sit back and let this happen.

Then what should be done? Is it right to support Sukarno, or should we let it be?

MacArthur had a great deal of worry.

“What do you think?”

“For now, we have no reason to disrupt our relationship with the Rome Treaty, so I think mediation is the way to go.”

“Mediation, you say.”

Mediation implies dividing Indonesia.

As the Rome Treaty still has some pride, they will not ignore Mohammad Hatta, whom they initially planned to support.

“No, hold on.”

Is this instead an opportunity?

Yes. Mediating to divide Indonesia will ultimately make it easier for the U.S. to exert influence over Indonesia in the future.

A divided Indonesia would be easier to control.

* * *

Upon hearing the news that the Dutch East Indies army was attacked in Indonesia, I looked into it more closely.

In conclusion, as previously heard, the Indonesian independence army struck the Dutch East Indies government from behind.

I found it hard to believe and double-checked it two or three times.

Are these really insane bastards? Upon receiving the report from Litvinov, I was quite shocked.

Everything else was progressing as I wanted, but this incident was going haywire.

“How could this happen?”

How dare they, being a colony!

I feel the blood of an imperialist boiling within me.

It’s not just anywhere; it’s Indonesia.

The ones about to fall under U.S. influence don’t have the thoughts to peacefully accept power, instead attacking the colonial government from behind.

What do these guys believe? Isn’t this just the Dutch’s failure to fix their habits and trying to eat back Indonesia again, leading to this situation?

Logically, it’s hard to believe they could do this—Wait, no, considering the opponents are Sukarno and Suharto, it seems viable.

Both are notorious dictators. With that, it makes sense why they’d act this way.

The issue is that, no matter how much they are embedded in Indonesia, they wouldn’t be ignorant of the Rome Treaty. It seems they believe in the U.S.

Or perhaps, they reckon that the ongoing wars have left the Rome Treaty too worn out to intervene. Maybe that’s how they see it. If this is the case, decolonization is indeed a talkative affair. Hmm.

Why do such insane people exist even when attempting to just let it go? Does this mean that the Indonesian independence movement will erupt somehow?

Even so, the U.S. wouldn’t just sit back.

While there is the Peacekeeping Forces, this was still initiated by Sukarno’s attack.

Defining it now…

For now, Indonesia is still before gaining independence and has not joined the United Nations.

We can hit them anytime. That’s what it means.

 

---