---

“Your Majesty. That is a misunderstanding. It was merely company policy, not directly related to our family.”

Misunderstanding or not, it isn’t really true that the Rothschilds didn’t provide support.

Behind Royal Dutch Shell, there will certainly be involvement from the Rothschilds.

“It’s a clear fact that your support allowed the Bolsheviks to resist the White Army even more, isn’t it?”

“That’s an exaggerated assumption.”

It may sound like a play on words, but let’s think about it carefully.

If the Rothschilds hadn’t supported the revolutionary forces, wouldn’t Mikhail Frunze have surrendered a day sooner?

Would Trotsky not have had time to flee to Petrograd?

“With Lenin and the Bolshevik leader Trotsky, there might have been time to escape to Petrograd. Moreover, that guy escaped without even being captured. You could say this is also your fault for supporting the Bolsheviks.”

What I’m saying is this: “I don’t care! Ultimately, it’s your fault for backing the Bolsheviks!” This drives home the point that, from Russia’s perspective, you are not welcome.

Surgut is already leaning toward Branobel.

The fact that the Rothschilds showed interest means they might face some interference.

Furthermore, now that Russia is experiencing a volunteer army led by Britain, it’s likely that Britain’s Rothschilds would try to flex their influence over Surgut.

“Does it make any sense that as a major shareholder in Royal Dutch Shell, the Rothschilds aren’t involved?”

“No, that’s a bit much.”

“Think about it. Was it really without any possibility? What’s certain is that the British government supported the White Army, but you all were looking to eliminate Branobel, hence you coordinated with the Bolsheviks, and in that process, the Bolsheviks you supported ended up shooting one more White soldier.”

Even if that’s not the case, you still have to extort money. Somehow, you have to frame them as honorable Reds.

“Ugh.”

“Perhaps the most ideal scenario for the Rothschilds or Standard Oil would be to have the White Army control Asia centered around the Ural Mountains while the Bolsheviks control Europe, and then capture Branobel.”

It’s not entirely impossible, is it?

I don’t think my speculation is completely absurd.

To oust Branobel, you need to turn the sea of Russia, where the fish known as Branobel swims, red.

“You have quite an imagination. We didn’t consider it that way. If Branobel falls, then fine, but if not, then that’s that.”

That’s right.

After all, it’s just an attempt. Royal Dutch Shell can continue to keep an eye on Branobel alongside Standard Oil.

But still.

How would Baron Rothschild feel about this personally?

Looking at the rising anti-Semitic sentiments in Britain right now, it might be amusing to connect Jews and the Rothschilds to the oil game.

“I heard that there is an increasing anti-Semitic sentiment in Britain recently. After all, it’s often said that the belly is bigger than the belly button. If you are behind Royal Dutch Shell, connecting the dots shouldn’t be that hard.”

“Are you planning to threaten us with that? The Rothschild family isn’t so fragile as to crumble under that.”

Tearing down the Rothschilds?

What kind of nonsense is that?

I don’t see how I, in Moscow, could affect the Rothschilds.

But I could certainly be a nuisance.

“But you could be an annoyance, couldn’t you? What would happen if the emperor of an anti-communist nation with pro-Jewish policies openly criticized the Rothschilds in a big, bold headline in a newspaper?”

Communist Germany and Communist Italy are embracing communism, raising suspicions of Jew-Bolshevism.

And behind that is Royal Dutch Shell, which supported the Bolsheviks.

Isn’t that the perfect completion of Jew-Bolshevism?

I tapped my fingers on the table, waiting for Walter Rothschild’s response.

“Hmm, if that was your thinking, you would have acted on it by now. Seeing you speak this way, do you have some desires?”

Yes. Now we are speaking the same language.

I opened my mouth, smiling brightly, unlike before.

“Surgut’s oil will be in collaboration with Branobel. I hope you refrain from any interference. Also, do not touch Branobel’s Baku oil fields.”

I need to secure this much assurance.

Standard Oil doesn’t seem to have interests in this side of the matter.

“My assets in Russia were resolved through becoming a major shareholder of Royal Dutch Shell, but the company cannot be maneuvered at my whim.”

“Still, you should at least have some influence, right? Isn’t it true that the Rothschilds, with branches across Europe, shouldn’t lack that capacity?”

Of course, I don’t know their situation.

Whether the company is independent or not doesn’t matter.

Even if the company currently has no ties to Rothschilds, they should wield some influence nonetheless.

They should know how to handle that.

“Ugh. You are quite troublesome. Very well.”

Walter Rothschild wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and responded briefly.

Here, I’ll just throw in a suitable carrot.

“But there’s still land to be dug up. Northern Manchuria.”

“Northern Manchuria, is that the place where Russians and Jews are settling recently?”

“Yes, that’s the one. There are many areas we’re developing, and thus the expenses are high. We’re even using our Romanov family’s gold reserves. It’s enough to make the Romanov financial advisor worried.”

“So, ultimately, you’re suggesting we invest in that area. Then, would you also grant us shares?”

Why would I even bring that up?

Of course, I’m doing this because I could grant shares.

Even if it’s me, I won’t just extract funds from the Rothschilds without anything in return.

If I mess up this negotiation, it would be the Duma who has to pick up the pieces.

“Those who do not work should not eat. That’s a saying. It also means eat as much as you work. So, the Rothschilds should work hard for oil drilling in Northern Manchuria.”

“Ugh.”

What’s this groaning about again?

When Tsarina gives you an opportunity like this, shouldn’t you make the most of it?

“I’m considering that there are more Jews than expected, so we might think about setting up a Jewish autonomous zone or a Jewish nation in China. But for that to happen, Russia needs to gather as much as it can.”

I have to make as much money as possible.

This is all for the Jews. That’s how I should push it.

Isn’t this enough for Rothschilds to find it interesting?

“Are you saying you’re going to establish a Jewish state?”

Look, they actually seem to be interested.

What does this imply?

“Poland has been persecuting Jews, resulting in many coming to Russia. Also, some from Germany and Austria have crossed over. For us, it’s burdensome to accept all of them, so it would be better to secure a separate settlement area.”

In fact, such plans have been discussed in the Duma recently.

It’s not entirely impossible.

“I see. A Jewish state in the east, hmm.”

“Aren’t the Rothschilds also of Jewish descent? So, you have to support this.”

It’s just an excuse to extract money.

I am firmly on the side of pro-Jewish actions. If you’re not a piece of evidence for the Jew-Bolshevism that supports communist Reds right now, then it makes sense to support the current White Russia instead.

That’s what I’m saying.

“We also have the Floeshysti oil region, but honestly, if oil doesn’t pan out, I came here just to study animals.”

“Speak reasonably. It doesn’t make sense to come to Russia just to study animals, does it?”

Can I really be assured that this guy wouldn’t look into the situation in Russia to reign in Branobel?

Of course, I don’t know if Baron Rothschild has the time to get involved directly, but at the very least, he’d want to find out something while in Russia.

“Hmm. That’s true. But the will of Your Majesty is easy to understand. To summarize, don’t touch Branobel since it’s within the Romanov’s domain. You will get shares, and you’ll conduct oil exploration in Northern Manchuria, and also support the Jews, right?”

In the end, he replied with an uneasy expression but did it well.

Things are going surprisingly smoothly.

Was Walter Rothschild really such an agreeable person?

Or is he just playing along with my “accept it or I’ll call you Reds!” act?

Anyway, he won’t go back on his word.

“I’m glad to hear you understand.”

Having gained what I wanted, I clapped my hands and shook hands with Baron Walter Rothschild.

However, after the handshake, he seemed to have more to say and returned to that businessman-like gaze.

“Regarding what you mentioned earlier about establishing a Jewish state in the East, is that really true?”

He’s actually more interested than I thought?

If I play my cards right, I might squeeze out more.

“As I said, since the number of Jews who have migrated to our territory is large, it’s being considered as one of the potential possibilities. The land of China is indeed rich and flowing with milk and honey.”

So, it’s no wonder China has maintained dominance for so long, with outsiders eyeing Central China.

Of course, this could all change depending on China’s situation, but if it doesn’t work out, I’m considering at least establishing a Jewish autonomous region in Northern Manchuria.

However, where I stand, China will not become unified, nor will it simply remain at the level of Southern and Northern Dynasties, but rather, it’s likely to devolve into warlord factions. So, having a Jewish state in the East is not entirely out of the question.

“Ugh.”

“Isn’t that better than the many candidates in Africa or Palestine?”

Moreover, it’s not entirely impossible.

Why? Because the Japanese Empire had attempted a “Fugu Plan” to relocate Jews to Manchuria. Their goal was to utilize Jews for developing Manchuria, but what they were hoping for was wealthy Jews, and instead, it ended up being impoverished Russian Jews who migrated, leading to failure.

Honestly, that situation isn’t all that different.

If Jews settle in Northern Manchuria, where the Daqing oil field is located, wouldn’t that create a plausible scenario? And if Rothschilds lend support, that would be even better?

Though Japan’s Fugu operation failed, I think this has a chance.

As Walter Rothschild, a representative of Jewish interests in Britain, wouldn’t he find this appealing?

“If you were to consider it, what area are you looking at?”

“If we were to establish a Jewish autonomous region, it would likely be in Northern Manchuria, becoming part of the Russian Republic. If we were seriously thinking about building a Jewish nation, it might be in the Rehe Province or Hebei Province.”

Originally, this relates to the incident where the Japanese Empire initiated the “Rehe Incident,” using the Kwantung Army and the Manchurian Army to claim Rehe Province.

This event eventually led to the downfall of Zhang Zuolin’s son, Zhang Xueliang, and the Fengtian warlords.

“I understand that Japan is deeply involved in that area through the Manchurian Railway.”

Oh dear, does he still not know about that?

No, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t. It may not even be relevant. The major powers, excluding the U.S., began criticizing Japan when they started eyeing Indochina.

“What do you think is the reason Japan is interested there? It’s clearly to invade the continent. We’ve hinted at that from the Japanese side. The South Manchurian Railway Company is nothing more than a military base for their continental invasion.”

Historically, Japan had also invaded the continent, and isn’t it likely that they would do the same here?

Rather, with Manchuria divided between Russia and Japan, the oil issue will undoubtedly come to play, making them target China.

The incident that triggered the Sino-Japanese War, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, was indeed started by Mutaguchi Renya. However, in the end, Japan engaged in the Sino-Japanese War because of oil, expanding its front even into Southeast Asia.

“Certainly, the nation of Japan is capable of that. But how does that lead to a Jewish state? It seems there won’t be any land for the Jews regardless of which side wins.”

That’s probably true.

It depends entirely on when the two countries are fighting.

If Japan wins, they’ll seize the territories and all rights within China, and if China wins, they could reclaim their territories, including the Manchurian Railway.

But.

This only holds if the Sino-Japanese War unfolds as traditionally expected.

I twirled my finger in the air as I spoke.

“But what if the Sino-Japanese War flows unusually?”

“Are you suggesting that Russia might intervene?”

That’s uncertain.

That’s only something I could ponder while whimsically considering whether or not to establish a country for the Jews.

“Currently, relations with Japan are fine, but the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War continues to be a stain on Russia’s honor. But that remains to be seen. Well, with the Balfour Declaration in place, it’s just a matter for the baron to simply provide some support for the Jews to live comfortably. It’s not a situation that warrants discussing the founding of a nation just yet.”

I just tossed in bait like that.

As a businessman, he should understand.

Even if it was once the land of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, it is now Palestinian territory and can be a seed for conflict.

If that were to happen, squeezing between the less modernized Chinese who are fighting over and receiving support from Russia to establish Israel could certainly be a possibility, right?

Isn’t that worth a bit of hope?

 

---