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“I’m wondering if this is truly the place for a revolution. Is it even possible?”

In truth, Trotsky wasn’t oblivious to why Anastasia had set him free.

No, he actually knew very well.

So well that it would be foolish to deny it. Perhaps Anastasia, that damned princess, hoped to spark a revolution in the Kanto Republic and eliminate even a single aircraft carrier that could threaten Russia.

There’s also the Ezo Republic, but still, the Kanto Republic holds more weight in terms of power.

‘What a sly fox she is.’

While he was being blatantly used, Trotsky was indeed a revolutionary just as Anastasia had said.

His methods might be dirty, but hey, it wouldn’t be bad if he could outsmart those nouveau riche fools in America.

Although this place was a puppet state of the United States, and still suffered from the bombings of imperialists, it was precisely for that reason that the seeds of revolution could be sown.

“This is a hopeless place, but eventually, the sprouts of revolution will emerge.”

There were still insane imperialists lurking around, but in equal measure, communists would be growing beneath the surface.

Communism blooms like a red flag from the ashes when life becomes unbearably hard.

And that was precisely what was happening.

On one side, there were those who still clung to nostalgia for the past and threw themselves into terrorism, while on the other, the people continued to protest daily.

“Why do we have to suffer like this? We have been plundered by the oppressions of the Emperor and the Imperial General Headquarters!”

“We lost our homes without gaining anything in this war!”

“We are also victims!”

“American soldiers, withdraw!”

Amidst this turmoil, Trotsky swiftly gathered the workers of the Kanto Republic.

The communists of the Kanto Republic, who had already been uprooted, left Trotsky with no allies to start from scratch, but fortunately, the U.S. military was supporting him here.

“Crush them all!”

The U.S. military command in Japan notified the puppet government of the Kanto Republic that they would wipe out the communists, then indiscriminately stomped on the protesting Japanese workers.

“Kyaaaaa!”

“The Americans are killing us!”

They even went so far as to drive a tank over them.

Naturally, the more this oppression continued, the more people harbored resentment for America.

After all, who was it that caused their country to face defeat but the Americans?

No matter how easily the Japanese submit to the strong, there would still be grievances.

Trotsky pulled them all under the red flag of the workers as much as he could.

Disguised as an American who had come to Japan, Trotsky, who spoke loudly for the Japanese, became an oasis in the desert for the Kanto people.

His method of rallying public opinion was simple.

“Hey, it’s been years since the war ended, why are you still oppressing us with guns?”

“And who are you?”

“I’m James, who was with the Confederate States during the American Civil War and came to Japan for business. I mean, where’s the use in just whipping us instead of handing us carrots? I see there are those committing acts of terror as well. Shouldn’t we focus more on them?”

Each time the U.S. military oppressed them, Trotsky would show up to defend the Kanto people and speak for them.

Naturally, the Kanto people, who were struggling under the de facto puppet government’s rule and needed someone to lean on, quickly fell under Trotsky’s skilled rhetoric.

“That man is an American but is fighting for us!”

“Let’s all unite under Comrade James!”

Yeah. Just like he had wooed Black people in America. Trotsky created conditions where the Kanto people felt they couldn’t do without him.

Among the soldiers who had been discharged after Japan’s defeat, there were also families of citizens who had been killed by the U.S. military.

Trotsky naturally started gathering even those soldiers who had been disbanded against their will.

Gradually building his power, Trotsky established the Japanese Workers’ Alliance.

However, there was a problem; the US military was no fool.

The larger Trotsky’s Japanese Workers’ Alliance grew, the more attention the U.S. military command would pay to it, making it harder for them to operate.

“How annoying.”

Then, they’d have to use armed struggle as a stepping stone.

Looking at the current state of things, surely, Kanto would someday become a proper nation. When that day would come, he didn’t know, but before that, something big had to happen.

Not long after, once the situation in Vietnam was resolved, the U.S. military command stationed in Kanto decided on a course of action.

To ensure these Kanto folks wouldn’t rise again, they would crush their Workers’ Alliance or whatever it was.

Since there were many who feared the Japanese, they didn’t hesitate to use chemical weapons against the Kanto folks who had dared to resist the Japanese Empire.

Trotsky’s gathered Workers’ Alliance began to take heavy hits.

Of course, the workers and discharged soldiers, fearing they would be tossed out into the streets if they kept submitting, revolted.

They armed themselves with weapons smuggled in from a kindly white Balhae person.

“To think we have to seek help from the communists! How has the Empire come to this!”

“Isn’t it better to join forces for now?”

Trotsky supported the right-wing terrorist groups that were committing terror against the U.S. military, and the scope of the terror activities expanded even further.

And thus, a new wave of conflict began to brew in Eastern Japan.

* * *

As soon as I returned to Europe, I sought out Hitler’s hospital room.

I wanted to hear directly from him what that crazy guy had been up to.

I wasn’t particularly angry.

If I had been angry, I would’ve returned from my tour immediately. Oh no, he was hurt. It wouldn’t have ended well.

But it was the aftermath that was troublesome.

“They’re the ones who killed a Prime Minister!”

“Those freedom zone folks are a bunch of Reds, kill them all!”

A large-scale massacre by the Danube Army was underway.

Naturally, the Black people had no strength to resist against them. The Danube Army wiped them all out as vengeance for the bloodshed.

Of course, they had some common sense, so they weren’t killing indiscriminately like the Japanese did during the Empire, but still, it looked exaggerated enough to think so with how many were being slaughtered.

Yeah. Well, that’s that. But from my position, as part of the same Rome Treaty Organization, I couldn’t exactly criticize them.

After all, the Prime Minister had almost been killed.

Hitler was the second-in-command of the Danube, right after us, among the victorious nations.

We had granted their wish for independence, but considering their piracy and chaos, it was necessary to send in the Treaty Army to restore order.

And the Prime Minister himself went to South Africa to plead for peace.

Then, he was hit by a bombing, and now Hitler was the national treasure of the Danube, as well as my own counterpart from there.

I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

This was bound to lead to a bloody retribution.

“I wonder how many have died?”

“Perhaps hundreds of thousands? They say they even gave up keeping statistics halfway through.”

I clicked my tongue at Maria’s answer. That’s unfortunate indeed.

To kill people like that is unacceptable. It wouldn’t be any different than what was done to the Jews.

Then, the only thing left for me to do was one thing.

“What on earth is this situation?”

Good grief, even that Hitler is wrapped up in bandages.

Compared to putting a bullet hole in his head in the original history, it seems mild.

“At least you’re not dead, so that’s a good thing.”

Hitler replied in a weary voice.

“I could’ve handled this myself.”

This Hitler, though different from his historical self, was still just a single human being.

He wasn’t an invincible being like me.

If he had just pleaded with me to go for him, ‘Tsar, Your Majesty,’ I would have felt as though it was unavoidable and would have gone. It’s truly regrettable.

“The evaluation by future generations will be harsh. This was merely for justification. Whatever the case may be, the guilt of the ensuing genocide cannot be hidden.”

“Mm.”

“This Adolf Hitler has also unified a fragmented nation and brought it to this point. A small blemish is acceptable. However, Your Majesty is already the face of the Rome Treaty. It’s dangerous for you to step forward any further.”

In summary, he was saying that I should just be the face of it and let him take the sacrifice.

Yeah. No matter where you look, I’m the face of the Rome Treaty.

Even now, in Western Japan, people are shouting, ‘I love you, Ana-chan!’

It would be odd for a woman who freed the Black people to turn around and beat them again.

It’s clear that Hitler is creating his justification on his own.

“For the sake of the Rome Treaty, is it?”

“Yes.”

Hitler replied lightly, wearing a wry smile.

I had heard it wouldn’t be lethal, but it seemed he was seriously injured. He was even wrapped in bandages on his face.

“People say it wouldn’t be lethal.”

Isn’t that just a walking idiot? I mean, would he really die like that?

You see that in dramas too. A character who is on the brink of death says, ‘I’m not dying!’ and then actually dies.

Just stir up unnecessary emotions.

There’s an unreasonably large amount of red spots on his bandages that look like blood.

“This is enough to ensure I’ll be alright. After all, the bomb exploded a bit far away, so it resulted in only light burns.”

Just a moment ago he was pretending to be in agony, but now Hitler confidently unwrapped the bandages.

In reality, he seemed to have no serious injuries. So I ended up feeling foolish for worrying about him.

Even if he was really hurt, with his background of attempting suicide with a gun, this much would count as an achievement.

But considering he caused such a ruckus, it seemed he intended to hand it over to Göring.

“Still, using this incident as an excuse to gradually pass it to Göring and spend a peaceful retirement wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

I see. Has he prepared in advance?

He’s more different from the original Hitler than I expected.

This really shows how one’s environment can change a person.

The supposedly great German Empire fell due to the Red Revolution, and Hitler himself learned just how foolish and insect-like the communists were through the civil war.

For such a Hitler, meeting with me would surely be enough to tilt his worldview.

“Well, if that’s how he feels, I won’t stop him.”

“I do pity the Black folks in the Free Zone, but it’s imperative to understand who’s in the superior position for the issues in Africa to be resolved even slightly. If we just leave the Free Zone as is, those Black folks might run rampant as they please.”

Hitler’s expression hardened coldly.

Yes. I had thought about it before. Decolonization in Africa needs to involve some bloodshed at least.

Ethiopia still cannot be deemed a major power, making it hard for one person to control the entire African continent.

As much as possible, the Rome Treaty must lay the groundwork.

“That’s true.”

Even if it’s not colonization, the decolonization process cannot be taken lightly.

Right now, the South African Free Zone has turned into such a mess because those Black people have gathered there.

It would be better to set an example and crush one of them to ensure they behave.

“They’ve been under colonization, but if we want to establish order, don’t we need to spill some blood?”

Yeah. That’s right.

To be honest, are there any decent countries among the future African Black nations? The Congo, which Belgium ruled while collecting trophies, already had a culture of cannibalism and transferred that culture even to the white people governing the land.

Leaving culture aside, there isn’t a single decent leader in Africa. They’re all dictators.

Among them, Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, took Park Chung-hee as his model and dragged Rwanda up by the scruff of the neck, but still, it’s dictatorship.

If so, then first we’ll need to shed some blood to ensure they can follow the Rome Treaty’s decolonization.

Honestly, the task of decolonizing Africa is incredibly difficult.

Not only is it bad to hand over infrastructure to the oppressed Black people we’ve suppressed but we also need to cultivate intellectuals to establish a government.

The Black people collaborating with the colonizing nation aimed to increase the number of intellectuals around the elites and thus plan to establish a government, but if the Black people continue this way, it means they’ll ultimately need to be caught.

We would catch them as an example and implant the white government system into the subdued Black folks.

Of course, if it erupts later, then we’ll have to consider that as true characteristic of their kind, but still, thanks to Hitler, I’ve found some peace of mind.

I plan to give him various gifts for that.

“I’ll speak to you once you retire. Whether it’s Moscow, Sevastopol, or Constantinople, I’ll at least prepare a villa for you wherever you want.”

“Hahaha, I’m looking forward to that.”

This truly is no lie.

That villa is to be built by the Romanov architecture company, which Hitler has praised! This will be properly publicized.

Until now, I have been the sole advertising model, but others should be featured too, don’t you think?

And I’ve also prepared a separate gift for Hitler.

After all, I am partly responsible for this incident. I should at least get a present for him.

I thought it would be right to give something to Hitler.

“I brought something on my way. You should eat something while you’re hurt, right?”

“What is it?”

“It’s the newly launched mint chocolate. I named it after you, so it’s called ‘The Mustache Loves Mint Chocolate.’ Ah, but I couldn’t use the direct name, so I just called it the mustache.”

“Why would you come up with such a terrible name?”

“You seem to like it. Our store has already opened everywhere in the Danube Federation, so you’ll be able to enjoy it wherever you go.”

With this, we’d be making money, and Hitler would be happily snacking as well, right?

Especially since Hitler has been traveling here and there for national unification, it wouldn’t be any different now that he’s at the end of his career.

“Go. Thank you.”

With tears welling in his eyes, Hitler gritted his teeth, but was he that happy?

“Do try the other flavors too. While the main flavor is mint chocolate, we’re developing other tastes as well.”

No matter how much mint chocolate is the main flavor, we cannot ignore variety.

Even if mint chocolate is delicious, pushing only that flavor won’t lead to success.

“That’s a relief.”

“Uh?”

“Nothing.”

Good grief, at my age, I shouldn’t be making such bland comments. But this is all part of my future endeavor to live as a wealthy NEET later on.

“Well then, you should taste it. We need to let the Danube citizens know that you’ve gotten well enough to eat ice cream.”

Hitler wept as he deliciously savored the mint chocolate.

Indeed, Hitler is fundamentally different from Mister Dunkirk in some way.

 

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