The Federalist and the Tsarina
The advocates of Federal Provincial Autonomy were not without their converts—Soviet-born men who had defected to the Russian United States and pledged their lives to the new nation. Many of them had grown bitterly disillusioned with Lenin and surrendered. As for Stalin, I doubted he had any intention of showing his face, and I had even less desire to drag him out. I briefly considered suggesting he become a castrated priest somewhere and spend his days saying Mass, but I let the thought pass.
Thanks to my modern knowledge, I knew these figures well enough by my own standards. I understood that Stalin had turned the Soviet Union into a superpower. But from the perspective of “Anastasia” in this era, he was nothing more than a Bolshevik officer who had murdered her parents and siblings. Even though he had followed Lenin, this was still before he had made any real name for himself in the original timeline. Openly mocking him as “Tibeg” would probably just look strange.
“Hmm.”
I kept turning the problem over in my mind. Among the bastards currently holed up in Siberia, which notable names were there? Having been Korean in my previous life, not many came to mind. Honestly, even if you stuck another Russian into Anastasia, I doubt they would know much more. I had buried myself in the library and studied world history, but it was still someone else’s country’s past. I didn’t know everything.
Not that many names on the execution list had been familiar to me anyway. Well, did it even matter? To put it plainly, they were only notable within the Soviet system. With the current crop of White Army figures, we could probably hold out at least until the Cold War era. Take Drozdovsky, for instance—he had somehow managed to create an armored force. The officials from the former South Russian state who had been forced to flee abroad in the original timeline were now guiding the United States quite competently.
So yes. The smart move was probably to make use of the Siberian crowd. If they just ate our food and contributed nothing, I could always wipe them out later. After all, the Red Army had been completely routed in the Civil War. They wouldn’t become famous the way they had in history. They simply hadn’t been mentioned. The Reds had disintegrated in midair and been driven back on every front. In the process, most of those who would have become future notables had probably died.
Come to think of it, Hitler’s recent behavior had grown rather radical. The Ohrana reported that he had approached Radola Gajda, who was torn between heading to Austria or waiting until Czechoslovakia gained independence later, and had convinced him to go to Austria. Gajda and Hitler together. I wondered what kind of snowball that combination would roll.
In the original history, Radola Gajda had participated in founding the fascist party in Czechoslovakia. Would an Austrian fascist party emerge now? Looking at it this way, Hitler’s life this time around would be considerably more difficult. He had never been sane to begin with—starting the Second World War proved that—but if he set his sights on the Austrian regime, he would probably try to revive the Austro-Hungarian Empire to increase his weight class. He would have to devote his life to federalization as well. And then there was the fight against communist Germany. In many ways, Hitler’s position right now was rather delicate.
Even so, he was diligently carrying out the tasks I had assigned him. He wasn’t slacking off while building the new Moscow city. I heard that a former conscripted Red Army soldier named Nikita Khrushchev was working well beside him in the construction department. The only problem was that the new Moscow somehow looked suspiciously similar to Germania. I had the Ohrana make appropriate modifications to fit current Russian conditions.
At this point, perhaps I no longer needed to monitor everything through the Ohrana. Maybe I could finally let go and just enjoy myself? It wouldn’t be so bad to relax, eat, drink, and play around a little. As long as I didn’t indulge in excessive luxury, it should be fine, right?
“Your Majesty.”
The Black Baron appeared, as he always did when I had almost forgotten about him.
“What is it?”
“This matter seems like something that ought to be discussed with Your Majesty, the Saint. I thought it best to bring it to your attention.”
“Is it something that requires my permission?”
“Yes. It concerns the military, so the high command has decided it must be discussed with Your Majesty.”
Wasn’t that something the military could handle on its own? It wasn’t as if they were baby birds begging their mother for food. Anyone listening would think I had raised a bunch of mama’s boys. Was my influence really that overwhelming? Well, I suppose it was better than every department constantly coming to me with “Your Majesty, how should we handle this?” If they had, my head might have already exploded.
I kept my expression calm—extremely gentle—and spoke.
“What exactly is the matter?”
“The Chinese Protection Government has sent an envoy.”
The Chinese Protection Government? Did those people even exist at this time? It was 1923. Wasn’t this something the foreign ministry should handle? The fact that the Black Baron had stepped forward suggested the envoy had come to discuss military matters.
“What is his name? Wang Jingwei? Or Chiang Kai-shek?”
I had heard that Chiang Kai-shek had visited the Soviet Union once. Had history changed enough that he was the one coming?
“No. It is a man named Chen Jiongming. He is a Guangdong warlord and is said to be in a cooperative relationship with a man named Sun Yat-sen within the Chinese Protection Government.”
Chen Jiongming. Chen Jiongming. I searched my memory. Wasn’t he the one who had clashed with Sun Yat-sen over the idea of Federal Provincial Autonomy? So why had this man come as an envoy from the Chinese Protection Government while cooperating with Sun Yat-sen? Did they want to see the Russian United States and then establish a Chinese United States or something?
“What does he want?”
“He has requested support to suppress Duan Qirui.”
So this was the Northern Expedition of the Protection Government.
“In other words, this Chen Jiongming has come asking for help with the Northern Expedition?”
“Yes.”
Was the Protection Government’s Northern Expedition happening around this time? I hadn’t studied Chinese history in the library. I wasn’t completely ignorant thanks to historical games, but I only knew the big picture. I had no idea whether the Protection Government even existed at this point, what it was doing, or how my own snowball had altered events. Still, the fact that it existed meant they intended to overthrow the Beiyang Government just like in history.
What was Japan doing right now? In this situation, wouldn’t they be salivating? No—perhaps they were too preoccupied with the Great Kanto Earthquake to pay attention. They would probably try to maintain good relations with the Beiyang Government. From their perspective, with the country devastated by the earthquake, the easier-to-handle Duan Qirui would be preferable. They would at least make an effort to stay on friendly terms.
Europe was in no position to worry about China either. If Britain or France wasted attention on China while communist Germany loomed over them, they would be insane. Wasn’t this actually good for us? Advancing into China. It didn’t sound bad at all. This might be the perfect opportunity to put shackles on China.
“But why do I need to get involved?”
“Although I am in charge of the military, are you not responsible for the army, navy, and air force of this nation, Your Majesty?”
There was clearly some enormous misunderstanding at work here. Never mind. It was fine.
“Hmm. Very well. Then I shall meet this Chen Jiongming myself.”
“You personally, Your Majesty?”
“One can judge ten by seeing one. I am curious whether the man sent by Sun Yat-sen truly possesses the ability to set China right, just as I rebuilt Russia.”
Let me repeat: I was completely ignorant about Chinese history at this period. I only knew that Sun Yat-sen would die later, that Chiang Kai-shek would form the First United Front, support the Shanghai Provisional Government, and so on. Everything else was superficial. In other words, depending on my judgment, China could diverge significantly from its original history. Meaning I could split it apart into warlord factions.
Right. Let’s hear what he has to say.
Chen Jiongming had arrived in Yekaterinburg only to learn that the Empress was staying in Moscow, so he took the train there once again. Just as he was unpacking his luggage at his lodgings, an uninvited guest appeared.
“Are you the one called Chen Jiongming?”
“Who are you people?”
“We are the Ohrana, the Public Security and Order Protection Bureau of the Romanov Imperial House. Her Majesty the Tsarina wishes to see you. Come quietly.”
The shadow of the Tsarina—the Ohrana. That was how Chen Jiongming knew them. The reason he was even slightly familiar with Russian affairs was because the miserable state of the Chinese Protection Government left them no choice but to seek external help. Rather than Japan, which openly displayed its ambitions toward China, he had chosen Russia as an ally and had therefore studied Russian conditions as thoroughly as possible.
The fact that the Ohrana had come meant that the Tsarina—the Saint of Russia—had taken notice of him. They led him, without anyone else knowing, to the Kremlin Palace where the Tsarina resided. Soon he was granted an audience with an Empress who looked far younger than he had imagined.
“Chen Jiongming, is it?”
A soft, delicate voice. The owner of that voice was the person who had ended the civil war, seized Russia by the collar, and dragged it up from the pit of hell. Chen Jiongming immediately displayed every courtesy he possessed.
“It is the greatest honor to be granted an audience with the Saint of All Russia, Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire.”
“You are the commander of the Guangdong government?”
“No, that is not correct. I am the governor of Guangdong Province and Minister of the Army, but the commander is—”
“Federal Provincial Autonomy.”
“!!”
“You came here to request support for the Northern Expedition, but to be honest, you have no real desire for it, do you?”
“H-how could you know that?”
The Ohrana could not possibly have uncovered that much. Unlike the original history, although Chen Jiongming had proposed Federal Provincial Autonomy, he had only floated the idea lightly. The Tsar’s shadow could not have infiltrated the Chinese Protection Government. On the Japanese side there were already rumors calling her the Saint who had predicted the Great Earthquake and a friend of the Empire, but could she truly know even this? Or rather, even if she was not a real saint, did that mean the Ohrana had already extended its influence into the Protection Government? Simply knowing the internal situation of the Protection Government was enough to make him submit.
“Right now you want to focus on regional development in Guangdong and build up strength first, but Sun Yat-sen is desperately trying to drain Guangdong’s finances for his Northern Expedition. On top of that, he wants to pull away your troops. Yet if you refuse to cooperate with Sun Yat-sen, Duan Qirui becomes a problem.”
“You… you know all of that?”
Before his astonishment could fully register, the Tsarina raised her slender hand and cut him off.
“Yes. First, I wish to hear Sun Yat-sen’s intentions.”
“The Provisional President stated that he cannot tolerate Russia’s occupation of North Manchuria. However, for the sake of the greater cause, and to prevent Japan’s influence from growing too strong in China, he said he could assist in suppressing Duan Qirui, who seeks cooperation with Japan. That is the argument I made when I came to Russia.”
“If that pleased Sun Yat-sen, then he is a shameless man. He is no different from Lenin. Very well. Now, Chen Jiongming, I grant you the right to speak. Not the will of the Protection Government, but what does Chen Jiongming the individual desire? As a foreigner, I cannot stop Sun Yat-sen’s Northern Expedition.”
Yes. This was exactly the moment he had been waiting for. The Tsarina was testing him. He had to impress her no matter what.
“Indeed. The Northern Expedition cannot be stopped.”
“Then are you asking me to help minimize the damage to Guangdong?”
“I am ashamed to say it, but yes. And—”
“Military personnel would be difficult, but supplying war materials is possible. I will send military advisors to Guangdong—men who distinguished themselves in the Great War and the Civil War.”
“In that case—”
“In the future I see, you can certainly become the commander of the Guangdong government. If you move hastily, you could achieve it even faster—but that would only last three days.”
I know you will attack Sun Yat-sen. And I know it won’t last long.
“You know that I will strike at Sun Yat-sen?”
“Such a future appeared to me.”
Future? A saint who can foresee the future? Then the prophecy about the earthquake was also true? In the saint’s future, I become the commander of the Guangdong government?
Chen Jiongming’s imagination soared. Establishing his own Guangdong government. Becoming the leader of the Chinese Republic. A nation of Federal Provincial Autonomy that he—not Sun Yat-sen—would champion. China! A Chinese United States!
The young woman before him suddenly appeared to Chen Jiongming as the guide who would help him realize his dream. If so, he had to hold on to her. Not like Sun Yat-sen, who couldn’t grasp reality.
“Then please show me the path I must take.”
“I have heard there is an Eastern saying called ‘lying on brushwood and tasting gall.’ I will lend you strength. For the Northern Expedition, Chen Jiongming, you must take the lead, build up your power, and drive out Chiang Kai-shek.”
Whether Chen Jiongming’s abilities were enough to remove Chiang Kai-shek remained to be seen, but at the very least he could push him aside and seize control of part of China. That was Anastasia’s judgment. Sun Yat-sen would die of liver cancer in two years anyway. Given how much harder things had been for him in this timeline, he might die even sooner. Chen Jiongming, unaware of this, looked puzzled.
“Sun Yat-sen—”
“Sun Yat-sen has little time left even if you do nothing. Prepare for that day.”
Sun Yat-sen didn’t have long?
“Does that mean the President will not last much longer?”
“Even if he lasts, he has about two years remaining.”
Two years. It would be good if he died before the Northern Expedition. That wouldn’t be so bad either. If it was true, there was no reason not to simply wait. If the man was going to die on his own, there was no need to overexert oneself.
“If Russia supports you, you must lead the Northern Expedition. And you must monopolize the channel connecting to our Russia.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yes. That was good. That was how it had to be. To borrow Russia’s power, he had to monopolize it. He needed to be the only channel connected to Russia.
“Remember well why I am elevating you and calling you by name.”
Indeed. Although an interpreter stood beside them, the Tsar—or rather, this Tsarina—had personally summoned a mere warlord like himself through the Ohrana and was treating him with respect. It meant she regarded him as a national leader. Then he had to live up to those expectations. Chen Jiongming resolved that he would definitely lead the Northern Expedition.