We Cannot Let Our Guard Down

We cannot let our guard down.

In the Japanese Empire, they had been watching the Russian Civil War with razor-sharp attention. Depending on its outcome, they might be able to stretch their reach all the way into Russia’s Far East and Siberia. Yet against Japan’s wishes, the White Army’s victory had solidified. In the end they were left like a dog that had chased a chicken only to stare helplessly at the roof.

“The princess we dismissed as a hothouse flower has proven to be a true warrior. To think she would willingly step into a battlefield where shells and bullets fell like rain, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers. Does that even make sense?”

“It has been confirmed not only by Major Mutaguchi Renya, but by the diplomats we dispatched and by the military attachés of both Britain and France.”

“Having survived that battlefield, she will undoubtedly become Tsarina. On top of that, she commands several million battle-hardened ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠troops. At this rate, launching another war for Manchuria the way we did in the Russo-Japanese War seems rather inadvisable. What is the Chief of the General Staff’s opinion?”

“Then is the Prime Minister now leaning toward a partition of Manchuria?”

“No matter how powerful the Empire is, extending ourselves into the Far East and Siberia would yield too little profit.”

“Then how does the Prime Minister intend to secure South Manchuria from China?”

From the beginning, South Manchuria was the region where the Chinese warlord Zhang Zuolin was steadily building his power. He had not rebelled against the Republic of China, and Japan had no clear justification for marching in.

“That is the problem. Hmm…”

The military was united in its fierce demand that South Manchuria be taken. Hara Takashi believed that now was not the time for war. Therefore, they needed at least a plausible justification.

Then something occurred to him.

“Wait. Wasn’t the reason the Russian Asiatic Cavalry Division occupied North Manchuria the presence of Russian residents?”

“Yes. They claimed any land where Russians live belongs to Russia.”

It was an absurd justification even to Japanese ears. Of course, they had also used the pretext that the Bogd Khan had offered the title of Great Khan of Mongolia and thereby asserted additional rights over Manchuria. In any case, that justification now seemed useful.

“Many Koreans have crossed into Jiandao and South Manchuria.”

“Yes. A great number of those disobedient Koreans have gone there, as I understand it.”

“And when the Korean Empire was annexed, those Koreans became our imperial subjects. Therefore, is it not perfectly natural that South Manchuria should belong to our Empire? The land where our subjects live is our land.”

“Oh.”

“Didn’t the previous Emperor of the Korean Empire, Gojong, constantly eye Manchuria? From the perspective of the Empire that annexed the Korean Empire, the justification is more than sufficient.”

Before the Russo-Japanese War, Emperor Gojong had raised an army, advanced into Manchuria with the tacit approval of Russia and France, and thrashed the Qing forces. All while his own country was being devoured by the Empire. Of course the Jiandao Convention had rendered the claim meaningless, but the current China was no longer the Qing, and a miraculous logic had been completed.

The Japanese Empire’s Korean Garrison Army crossed the Yalu River and attacked the bandit chief Zhang Zuolin, who had seized legitimate territory of the former Korean Empire.

“Why the hell do these bastards only ever fuck with me!”

Zhang Zuolin, who had been hammered by thousands of soldiers from the Asiatic Cavalry Division until his forces were halved and could no longer regain their former momentum, fled to Shandong after being beaten by the Japanese.

The newborn Russian United States was deep in postwar reconstruction. Alexander Krivoshein had been appointed Prime Minister. In the original timeline he had served as administrative head in South Russia. Previously he had been the Empire’s Minister of Agriculture and a supporter of parliamentary reform. He had been dismissed after opposing Nicholas II’s decision to personally command the army, yet he had rejected the revolution and joined the anti-Bolshevik White forces. He was even the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man who had attempted to rescue the imperial family while they were in Yekaterinburg. Later he had co-led the South Russian government with Wrangel. In short, he was the ideal person for Prime Minister right now.

But wasn’t this man supposed to die originally? After going through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Istanbul and France to Germany, he died in Berlin. Truly, a man’s life is impossible to predict even one step ahead.

From what I could gather of his record, he seemed to have fought the Bolsheviks alongside Anton Denikin in South Russia, leading the White Russians there. He had been monitoring the Makhno faction with the White Army before coming up to Moscow this time.

“So you have been with the White Army in the Crimea until now.”

“It is my shame that I could not save Your Majesty.”

“That is already in the past. There was nothing the Prime Minister could have done. Many imperial officials have already been killed by the Bolsheviks’ Red Terror.”

The Bolsheviks had slaughtered every bureaucrat they viewed as an imperialist who refused to cooperate with the revolution.

“Indeed. They are truly heinous bastards.”

Now the tables had turned. The remaining hardcore Bolsheviks—except for those who had defected under pressure—were being executed by the White Army in what they called White Terror. To them it was terror; to us it was simply the execution of justice. With the Bolsheviks largely wiped out, a parliament composed solely of White officials had been formed. Since he had served under Stolypin, I expected him to do well.

“Since you served under Stolypin, I will be counting on you as Prime Minister from now on.”

“I shall do my utmost.”

Kolchak had taken a seat in the Duma and been appointed admiral of the Black Sea Fleet. The government was gradually taking proper shape. Mikhail Vladimirovich Bernatsky, who had been Minister of Finance in South Russia, became Minister of Finance here. Sergei Sazonov, who in the original history had been sent to Paris as Kolchak’s representative, became Foreign Minister. Grigory Vyacheslavovich, who had likewise served as Minister of Agriculture in South Russia, took the same post. The skeleton of the administration was now in place.

Somehow I had retained the rank of Marshal of the Russian Army while also serving as both Great Khan and Tsarina, but since Wrangel was handling military affairs, this ignorant girl could breathe a little easier.

Around that time, a proposal arrived from Japan.

“Japan is suggesting a partition of Manchuria?”

“Yes. They propose that they take South Manchuria while we Russians take North Manchuria.”

The proposal Semenov had received from Japan had traveled through the military to the Duma and finally reached me. It was a very Japanese idea—unable to restrain their nationalism, they wanted to do something, anything.

“Who is the Japanese Prime Minister right now?”

“Hara Takashi.”

Isn’t that the man who gets assassinated? I’m sure he’s killed by right-wing elements. Well, never mind that.

“What is the Duma’s view on the Manchurian partition?”

Since history had changed, it seemed they too wanted to drive out Zhang Zuolin and devour the territory. Honestly, from the perspective of my Korean soul, I didn’t want to hand it over even if there was no Manchurian Incident. Still…

“The Duma appears to view the partition favorably.”

“I thought they might.”

Japan probably wouldn’t start another war, but if they grew impatient and launched a surprise attack without a declaration of war, it would be troublesome. Since it was a matter for the Duma, I could not simply veto it. Besides, if Manchuria was divided, Japan would have to focus more on China.

“What reason does Japan give for wanting South Manchuria?”

“On the surface they claim it is to operate the South Manchurian Railway Company more effectively, but that is obviously a pretext.”

Of course it was. When those people did something, it was always suspicious. Just say you want the land! Why can’t you be honest?

“Still, it feels suspicious.”

“I hear they also plan to relocate large numbers of Koreans there.”

Koreans to South Manchuria?

“To South Manchuria, you say.”

“Yes. They claim the Koreans are causing too much unrest, so they are sending them to South Manchuria to disperse them.”

Moving populations was not unheard of, but Koreans to South Manchuria as part of a Manchurian partition? Japan was certainly trying something new. So the snowball I rolled is rolling in Japan as well.

“They told you all that?”

“They probably want to reassure us that they have no intention of provoking us in Manchuria, given their past record. I imagine Major Mutaguchi Renya gave them quite the terrifying description of you.”

It seemed the Japanese wanted South Manchuria but did not wish to antagonize us. Still, the Korean migration… On the surface it didn’t sound bad. In any case, the Duma would decide this whether I liked it or not. A proper treaty dividing Manchuria between us might not be a bad idea. Sooner or later those people would run amok and we would clash anyway. We still had to avenge the Russo-Japanese War. And when the time came to grant Korea independence, having Koreans living in South Manchuria would provide a good excuse to attach the region to the new Korean state. That much, at least, would fulfill my duty to my previous life.

The problem was China.

“What about China’s position?”

“They have sent word that if China raises any objection regarding Manchuria, we will respond jointly. This is the map for the partition.”

Looking at the map alone, it was not a bad deal. Heilongjiang Province would fall firmly into Russian hands. Japan would take the South Manchuria below it, perfectly positioned as a bridgehead for advancing into the Chinese heartland. In the end, it seemed Japan had decided they did not want a second Russo-Japanese War and would rather divide the territory. This arrangement would also allow us to solidify our hold on North Manchuria, securing the Daqing oil fields for Russia. Not bad at all.

If Japan honored the treaty, there would be no Manchurian Incident. The Kwantung Army would focus solely on advancing into the Chinese mainland. Japan would refrain from causing trouble for Russia in Manchuria, and when the Empire eventually ran amok, Russia would have the opportunity to strike Japan. At that time, while granting Korea independence, we could attach South Manchuria to the new Korean state on the grounds that many Koreans lived there. In fact, this treaty would be a boon when the time came for Korean independence.

Yes. For now, it was not a bad arrangement. The only question was how long it would remain valid.

“I trust we are not talking about an alliance?”

Leaving aside my Korean heart, I could not form an alliance with these people. It was already miraculous that we were even signing a non-aggression treaty with these black-hearted bastards.

“Aside from a joint response to any attack on Manchuria by China, the treaty is limited to non-aggression.”

“The Japanese are the sort who launch surprise attacks without declarations of war. We must not forget the humiliation of the Russo-Japanese War. If the Duma’s opinion is positive, then proceed.”

Those people could never be trusted. They might still try to swallow all of Manchuria.

“Understood. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The next item on the agenda…”

This time it was the Black Baron, Wrangel.

“What is it?”

I just wanted to be a figurehead now. The kind of role where I only had to sign off on decisions from above. That was why I had accepted both constitutional monarchy and the Duma.

“The ambassadors of Britain and France have requested reinforcements.”

“Reinforcements? The war is over. Ah. You mean the Ottomans.”

At this time Atatürk would be achieving miraculous victories, beating the great powers black and blue. So they were asking us for help? They must have suffered heavier losses than expected. The fact that they were still focusing on Turkey suggested they were determined to tear the Ottoman Empire apart no matter what.

“Yes. They have offered to cede all of Eastern Thrace, including Constantinople, to Russia in exchange for troops.”

That bulldog had confidently told me he would make me master of the Grand Duchy of Rome, yet he could not even defeat the Ottomans. If I had been tempted by those words and gone into exile, I would probably be twiddling my thumbs right now.

“Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Gallipoli. The hero of the Ottoman Empire. It seems he is dissatisfied with the Treaty of Sèvres and is now fighting against the great powers.”

Honestly, from my personal feelings, it was pitiful. Not simply as a Korean who felt close to Turkey, but even as Anastasia. Both of us had experienced the national tragedy of watching our countries collapse. If one thought about it, the Ottomans had entered the Great War only because Britain had been Britain. Considering that, they were rather pitiable. In the original history the Soviets had helped them covertly, but now that White Russia had won, the great powers were calling on us. Greece had failed miserably, so the opportunity had passed to us.

“Has this also been viewed favorably?”

“Yes. The Southern Group Army remains intact. There seems to be considerable discussion in the Duma about sending them.”

After the civil war, the White Army had been reorganized for security and defense into the Western Group Army responsible for Eastern Europe, the Southern Group Army to defend South Russia, the Central Army in Siberia, and the Eastern Group Army in the Far East. Military districts had then been reestablished. The Russian United States was, in essence, the Russian Empire with a new signboard; it had simply inherited the old imperial military districts. Of course districts such as Warsaw and Kiev were outside our sphere of influence and had been abandoned. At present the Southern Group Army was responsible for the Caucasus Military District. Anton Denikin, now a full general, commanded that force.

I was not sure whether I simply did not know enough about Anton Denikin, but from a purely military standpoint he did not seem like the man who could defeat Atatürk. The civil war had only just ended. If we started another war, what would the people say? Would they call me not a saint but a warmonger?

“It is neither civil war nor defense. Would it not be dangerous?”

“It would. Yet having received so much help from them during the civil war, it is difficult to refuse outright.”

Hmm. That was true. We had accepted too much from them to reject the request now. In any case, we could not afford to let our guard down with either side.