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* * *

Since I’m here, this place is almost finished anyway. Of course, pouring too much resources is a bit unfortunate. On the flip side, I have to prepare for the enemy’s guerrilla warfare as well.

And then, I met the army of Ratu Adil, responsible for that guerrilla warfare.

“This is Ratu Adil’s army, which has conducted guerrilla warfare against the Sukarno rebels.”

“It is truly an honor for His Majesty the Roman Emperor to visit us.”

The commander of Ratu Adil’s army, Bestherling, saluted me.

And behind him, the Indonesians followed Bestherling in an orderly manner.

“Are these the guys from Ratu Adil’s army?”

“Yes. Everyone has aligned with the pro-Netherlands faction, and after completing Western-style training, they have defeated Sukarno’s ragtag army multiple times.”

Well, considering Sukarno’s army composition, the militia trained by Dutch officers seems stronger.

Historically, had the U.S. not intervened, the Netherlands would have reconquered the Indies.

Looking at what’s happened in Indonesia since then, these guys also seem hopeless.

Ah, an interesting thought just came to me.

“Hmm. I have an interesting idea.”

“What is it?”

“There was a time when we used Kali’s army in India. How about we publicize it as Ratu Adil coming to catch the rebels?”

It’s just a pun, but it seems like a suitable justification.

It’s about making it look like we’re not pursuing imperialism but rather justice.

“Oh, that sounds pretty good.”

It’s just a pun, but that’s the confidence of a victor.

As a victor, I deserve to play such tricks.

Besides, if it works well, it might even make suppressing the rebellion easier.

“But won’t those guys, even if they are uncivilized, fail to understand?”

“Humans tend to believe something when they are afraid. If the reason the enemy is powerful is that they are a legendary lord, that makes sense.”

That’s human nature.

If they are truly irreconcilable enemies, they should fight to the end. But what if the enemy isn’t a foe but a legendary lord from Indonesia?

“Oh, I see.”

“In this case, it also works as a suitable reason for surrender. To them, surrendering to the Rome Treaty Organization would look like succumbing to an imperialist state, but on the contrary, surrendering to a legendary lord is quite different, isn’t it?”

No matter what they do, they can’t defeat us.

They’re just stalling for time. Even if the U.S. military supports them with weapons, American weapons are still inferior to ours.

So, we keep pounding them and pressuring them to surrender. Ratu Adil has his army and a perfect justification.

After all, it was stated we would peacefully support power transitions and the independence of desired countries, and with the uprising happening now, it doesn’t look good.

“Ratu Adil has come to this land to bring peace! Rebels, surrender! If you do not, Ratu Adil will not forgive you!”

The Rome Treaty Army headquarters continued to propagate this to Sukarno’s forces.

They’re the ones who are cornered now anyway.

No matter what we do, they can’t stop it.

“What a laugh! How could Ratu Adil come to quell those of us who have risen for the sake of Indonesia!”

Of course, since their mouths are still working, they naturally countered here.

“You broke the peace of independence and rose against your own interests and power! To chant one Indonesia while oppressing nations seeking independence from every corner! Just like Gandhi of India!”

Well, that’s quite true. Their actions are just like Gandhi himself.

Though, unlike Gandhi, we can’t even send peacekeeping forces, and there’s a risk of U.S. intervention, but still.

They really misjudged us by a long shot.

“We cannot just stand and watch as you exploit us and steal from us, pretending to divide nations as if doing us a favor!”

“You guys also manipulate and threaten surrounding nations to establish your own country, yet you criticize others? Who are you to talk!”

In reality, Sukarno isn’t a good guy either.

Moreover, with Sukarno and Suharto together? They’re practically trash.

“Your Majesty, as expected, they have no intention of surrendering.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

It really is unfortunate. I’ve certainly given them a chance, yet they act as rebels against Ratu Adil.

It’s somewhat understandable.

They likely see this as an opportunity to expel the Indies and immediately establish their own nation.

Sukarno is probably thinking, ‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.’ It’s not that we’re pulling back due to our colonial management being too challenging, but we’re withdrawing for the sake of a decolonization we want to grant.

From the perspective of the Rome Treaty, I can personally applaud Sukarno’s courage.

Of course, whether the courage is great or not, it’s a fact that he harbored unnecessary greed.

So, what should we do? We need to beat them mercilessly, making those under Sukarno desire to surrender.

We must create a situation where surrender is inevitable.

“They are far too arrogant. There’s no reason for His Majesty to show mercy to them.”

I nodded at Vlasov’s words.

There’s not the slightest need to show mercy.

“Then let loose everything.”

They will be isolated, and we are overflowing with resources.

This is a perfect opportunity to use the new weapons; they will serve as excellent test subjects. They seem to be holding strong, but they won’t last long.

Can the tools of the Japanese Imperial Army dare to compare to ours? No way.

Whatever they have left, their tanks are just mediocre compared to ours, being barely efficient against China.

Eventually, our army unleashed all manners of weapons upon the stronghold of those from Java.

Kwaquang Peung Peburubung!

Various missiles bombarded their fortress and cities.

Our advancing troops pummeled Sukarno’s forces, spreading out in all directions.

“Capture the rebels!”

“Stop them! Let’s block the imperialists and surely liberate Indonesia!”

Then our tank battalions and soldiers pushed in.

It seemed like we would easily crush them, but— how strange.

“They’re holding up quite well.”

Well, it’s not so much holding up; they are just entirely falling apart. For some reason, the push seems to be dragging on too slowly.

It clearly seemed like we were pushing smoothly. But still, this is a bit off. We could definitely win if we keep pushing, but I must also consider the possibility of U.S. intervention.

I promised coexistence with MacArthur regarding the U.S., but conversely, isn’t MacArthur also someone committed to pursuing national interest?

He might just be watching and step in for a mediation at some point.

Of course, accepting a mediation offer wouldn’t be bad, but since the Tsar is here in person, it won’t look good.

Apart from that, if I end up losing in this war with the help of the U.S., that won’t look good either. Sukarno will survive for sure.

What on earth is Sukarno doing to keep holding on?

“Sukarno is using civilians as shields.”

Ah, civilians. That’s the problem.

“If we kill civilians here, it could cause U.S. intervention issues.”

Without a doubt, every officer present here wouldn’t care how many Indonesian civilians die right in front of them.

The problem arises here.

“After all, being in a decolonization position, we have no choice but to avoid killing civilians.”

Yeah, decolonization. Renouncing imperialism.

If the army of the saintess is killing civilians during this time, that would be rather problematic. It’s unfortunate that I happen to be the saintess.

Should I just push in without thinking? As if those are not civilians.

I could maneuver this any way I like, but simply packaging it is not enough.

It has to be done more perfectly. Somehow, we must redefine those civilians as rebel militants so we can capture them at will.

Or else, we should lure them into collapsing more easily.

We must choose one of those two paths.

And I should know that method better than anyone else.

No, if this were a novel, the readers would know exactly what I should do to deal with them easily.

Right. It’s me. I am a very good way out of this predicament.

“Well, there’s no choice now.”

To finish this quicker than in India, this is the answer.

At least this place was already planning to announce the independence of autonomous regions after declaring decolonization, so it’s less challenging than in India.

“Yes?”

“Since Sukarno is an hostage anyway. We didn’t take hostages. The soldiers of the Rome Treaty Organization are prioritized over everything, so I’ll step up myself. With the Tsar’s name on the line, alongside the soldiers, civilians will appear to be rebels pretending to be civilians. It will also look good for Ratu Adil.”

“Your Majesty will lead? That’s dangerous. Standing in a battlefield filled with those barbaric folks is a bit.”

“If I, a saintess, vouch for it, they will cease to appear as civilians. I must take on this risk.”

If worse comes to worst, I could just label them as communists.

Just like we referred to Kali’s army, I can utter nonsensical claims like Ratu Adil’s army too.

In the future, historians will have plenty to say about me.

The Tsar, the death saintess, kills civilians and commits war crimes. Otherwise, the saintess devoted to peace.

I would be treated as one of those two.

Of course, I will ensure nothing goes awry in Indonesia to avoid ending up as the former, but it’s certainly clear that I must take direct action to resolve this.

Thus, I directly stepped up.

“Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous! You should stay at the headquarters!”

Even though the staff tried hard to stop me, no way. Tanghulu is invincible!

“Isn’t this how the justification for Ratu Adil is justified? Above all, I am not Hirohito.”

I love justifications. And this justification is just right for Ratu Adil.

The woman referred to as Ratu Adil steps out to fight at the front.

Isn’t that quite the bait? An unbeatable body, stepping onto the battlefield where meat becomes minced in the 20th century without hesitation.

A view of the emperor of Europe valuing his life less. Just seeing this would already deem me Ratu Adil.

I’ve learned something from India. In the end, if I trust my cheat key and step in myself, I can resolve nearly everything.

What if a mythic legendary occurrence starts taking place in reality? If I have a cheat key, I will use it freely.

So far, being someone with a cheat key, isn’t it only natural that I get high evaluation just from using future knowledge?

Conversely, that old man might wonder why I’ve only now begun to utilize the cheat he so generously provided. But you know, when the cheat effect kicks in by chance, it’s not something to be brushed off.

How painful it is. Though it hurts, I only need to endure through this battle.

“Is this the first time in a while that I’m fighting in combat myself since the Red-White Civil War?”

It’s not nearly as dangerous as it was back then.

If I had to compare, it would be the battle of Tsaritsyn, with Donau tanks trampling forward as though to escort me.

The problem is that every time like this, the enemy steps civilians to the front. It feels like a new method of suicide.

During the confrontations with the Bolsheviks, we at least didn’t face this nonsense. Truly, humans are such hypocrites.

Killing civilians still qualifies as war crimes. And yet, on the other hand, it’s thrilling.

Just how much power will I, in this scenario, unleash in the midst of such a challenging battlefield?

And. Regrettably for me, it’s been so long since I faced this.

Since my previous life and during the Red-White Civil War as well, it’s been long since I’ve been truly fearless.

I thought about grabbing an AK myself, but strangely, a semi-automatic pistol felt more fitting, so I only held this.

This Walther PPK semi-automatic pistol.

It’s just right for one-handed usage. This is the kind of thing suitable for Ratu Adil, don’t you think?

“Die!”

First, a younger guy charged at me.

Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be around my age.

Of course, I might be over 40 at this point, but let’s skip that—I’m looking like someone my age nonetheless.

He looked quite frail, likely from not eating well.

Seeing him wielding an unfamiliar, crummy Japanese gun, he probably scavenged it from somewhere. Watching his desperate expressions really makes me feel sorry for him.

This is all Sukarno’s fault. Ah, how tragic.

If I weren’t the Tsar, I wouldn’t even have had blood on my hands here.

Bang!

Regrettably, my shot was faster.

Did they deploy untrained individuals against us as they tried to resist?

“Cough!”

The rebel clutched his chest and fell over.

“Ugh. It’s not exactly a pleasant feeling.”

Indeed, the feeling of killing someone is usually unpleasant. I feel dirty doing this.

Here’s the Roman Emperor’s direct army fighting under the leadership of the Roman Emperor himself—how magnificent is that?

Of course, since I stepped up, Vlasov and the other officers who were behind me also had to directly join in, but I’m fine; aren’t they meant to be the ones who will die?

I scrunched my eyes up in annoyance and brushed off my hands.

“Commoners should just die, so stay back.”

“What?”

The dying commoners have no right to fight alongside me! It’s just like that!

 

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