Ch.206The Prelude to World War II (3)

* * *

“Right. Well, a symbolic emperor should follow the Duma’s opinion, shouldn’t he?”

“Hmm. What’s the consensus of the Duma?”

“Leaving the Kaiser alone might be the best approach.”

“The Kaiser?”

If that fellow messes things up, my plans for dividing Germany will be ruined.

Will there be anything left for the Kaiser?

“I assume Your Majesty isn’t mobilizing the army because you believe Goebbels’ Germany can withstand this war?”

Why are they asking me about moving the army—ah, right, the White Army is directly under the Tsar’s command. Ahem.

The Duma used to order me around like this and that.

Well, hmm. I don’t plan to mobilize the army. That’s probably right? It’s a gamble, but I want to back that side.

But I shouldn’t trust them too much.

The Goebbels of this world is strangely… very strange. He probably hasn’t been possessed like me, but I need to understand what gives him such confidence.

Surely he’s not planning to fight with spiritual power like Japan.

Unable to guess, I shook my head.

“I don’t know this time either. But if it becomes a tedious trench warfare situation… Germany has tanks this time, so they might be able to hold out. Whatever it is, Germany is hiding something here.”

The most likely possibility is what I’ve mentioned several times—the communist takeover of France.

In this world, France didn’t build the Maginot Line.

Perhaps they underestimated communist Germany too much. A weak communist Germany with a trembling Kaiser and subsequent communist revolution.

They invested the money that would have gone into the Maginot Line into their army instead.

If such a France turns communist, it’s obvious what will happen.

“Yes. That’s why we’re letting Germany move freely.”

“Deliberately, you mean?”

Just letting the Kaiser run wild seems a bit… Or what is the Duma thinking?

I know Churchill prepared meticulously for war. But letting the Kaiser run wild is a bit…

“Yes, Your Majesty. If the Kaiser acts recklessly and is defeated, won’t he eventually turn to Russia for help? We’ll be able to control the Kaiser according to our will in the future.”

Hmm? That actually sounds quite plausible now that I hear it.

“Oh. That’s not a bad approach.”

Wait, that’s actually good. A Kaiser who has failed once will come to his senses and ultimately have no choice but to follow our will.

No, he already failed with the revolution, so this would be his second failure.

If he fails this time, the Kaiser’s army will be significantly reduced, making him more dependent on us.

But wait, that only works if my predictions come true.

What if communist Germany shows off and then collapses pathetically?

No, that’s not right. Communist Germany won’t collapse easily, and again, it all comes down to nuclear weapons.

“We should at least conduct Trinity—I mean, nuclear tests within 2-3 years.”

Let’s create nuclear weapons so that no one can defy us.

“At this rate, it should be possible.”

We need to secure at least enough to drop on Berlin or communist France immediately.

America’s first nuclear test was called the Trinity test.

Now we need to claim that “first” title. We need to demonstrate that we’ve created something with overwhelming destructive power, capable of erasing an entire city.

“Your Majesty, Poland has notified us that they will join England and France in the war.”

“They’ve certainly grown a lot.”

I did tell them to cross the Rhine, but I didn’t expect them to turn this aggressive.

Well, Poland will probably only come to its senses after being split in half for not listening. Then let’s finish things with America.

Currently, Trotsky is being pushed back by Patton and our armored units in America.

Let’s capture Trotsky first and end it quickly. We can recruit Huey Long as our supporting force.

“Let’s finish America. Even if we capture Trotsky now, we’ll be tied up dealing with remnants for a while, so we need to catch him quickly.”

Even if we capture Trotsky now, America won’t join the Second World War until much later.

With the remaining communist remnants to eliminate and Huey Long’s situation, we should help as America’s ally.

“So the time has finally come.”

Yes, that time has indeed come.

We need to use Beria, who’s stationed in Asia, to kill Trotsky for certain.

That man does his job well. I should have him capture Trotsky with the local members in Kentucky.

“Your Majesty, are you planning to send Beria again this time?”

“He does his job well. I heard he sent something from Southern Manchuria recently.”

With the Okhrana getting busier lately, Beria’s reports have been routed through Savinkov.

And what I received from Savinkov from Southern Manchuria was quite shocking.

Yes, I’m talking about those Maruta.

“Yes. A Japanese man named Ishii Shiro, the commander of the Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department, is conducting epidemic prevention experiments on captured Chinese prisoners.”

So that happened according to original history. Only the location changed, but it still happened.

The infamous Unit 731, Maruta. The victims used in experiments were also called “logs.”

That fellow eventually survived by handing over the department’s data, didn’t he?

“Using Chinese people as experimental subjects. What about Russians or Koreans who will be our future allies in the Far East?”

“I understand that this Ishii Shiro is only using Chinese for experiments to avoid the eyes of the Southern Manchuria Governor-General.”

That’s fortunate. In the original history, independence activists were also victims, though fewer than Chinese.

However, here, independence movements aren’t actively happening as they’re preparing for something bigger. Even if there’s some resistance in Korea, rather than dealing with Korean resistance in the rear, they’d use only Chinese for the sake of avenging the Emperor.

“It’s probably human experimentation. How much does Renya Mutaguchi know about this?”

“He seems to only know it as epidemic prevention experiments.”

“Let’s use this to put a collar around Renya Mutaguchi’s neck later.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then, let’s execute Operation Chicken Hunt. After that, we can defeat Huey Long with the expeditionary force we sent to America.”

Minimizing casualties is key.

The Japanese side has already completely flipped, hasn’t it? A rampaging Japan and China’s human wave tactics.

There will probably be many atrocities even worse than the Nanjing Massacre.

So now we need to change our strategy. It’s uncertain whether Japan, obsessed with China, will expand the front to America.

If that’s the case, we should at least quickly unify America and make it pro-Russian, lowering our goal to just having Japan checked in the Pacific.

To conclude:

‘Quickly end this, unify the American continent, and use America to check Japan.’

That’s what we must do.

Or else create a situation where Japan has no choice but to attack America.

* * *

American Communist United States, Kentucky

Beria, who received the Tsar’s secret orders, immediately flew to America.

So that chicken restaurant owner was indeed Trotsky.

The fact that Trotsky had deceived his eyes and lived well until now made Beria decide to vent his anger on Trotsky.

Beria had been eagerly awaiting this day.

He would capture Trotsky and completely end the specter of Bolshevism.

Upon arriving in Kentucky, Beria joined with local agents.

“I am Beria, known as the Tsar’s shadow and also the director of the Asian branch. Pleased to meet you all.”

Beria shook hands with the local agents, clearly establishing the hierarchy and declaring that the Tsar stood behind him.

“Ah, aren’t you the one called the Tsar’s shadow?”

“Ahem. I am indeed that person.”

“Impressive. To receive such favor from His Majesty. Truly remarkable.”

Beria inwardly sneered at the Okhrana agents’ praise.

Of course. He was someone who received direct secret orders from the Tsar himself.

Look. How many former Bolsheviks are living properly now?

They’re either barely surviving in Siberian camps or rumored to be used in some experiments.

Even those who defected early to the White Army cannot dare to reach high positions, at most being assigned to penal battalions in the military.

But he had risen to the position of Okhrana Asian Branch Director.

Being tasked with capturing Trotsky in America in such a position essentially meant the Tsar intended to make him the Director-General of Okhrana in the future.

“Enough flattery, let’s get to the operation plan.”

“Yes. We can strike Trotsky anytime.”

Good. They’ve prepared in advance. Well, they’ve been in Kentucky for a long time—they can’t disappoint the Tsar.

“What do you think will happen to the American Communist United States after we capture Trotsky?”

“It might collapse. Most of the core members of KFC who worked with Trotsky are Black.”

“Hmm, so there’s discontent among the white party members who joined later or in regions under KFC.”

Weren’t Black people freed from slavery centuries ago?

They’re still treated like slaves and there’s discontent. But looking at it differently, this isn’t bad.

“Yes. It seems things have been maintained under Trotsky, but there appears to be some racial tension building underneath.”

“We should exploit that point.”

Anyway, Americans who joined KFC during its expansion were probably just swept along.

They’ll quickly come over if courted by either the US Military Government or the Allied Nations, which have already presented solutions to the Great Depression.

Well, we should capture Trotsky first and see what happens after.

“Then let’s begin the Chicken Execution. Since I’m from far away and don’t know local affairs, let me ask: is it possible to capture him alive rather than kill him?”

“Yes. I am one of the close associates of that man obsessed with chicken communism. Capture is possible. I can approach him anytime.”

Good. That’s fortunate.

It makes the job much easier.

“If it’s not feasible, we’ll have to kill him, but let’s aim for capture if possible. That way we can use him to bring down communism.”

“Oh, is that possible?”

What have these guys been doing in Kentucky? They should have thought of that immediately.

“Trotsky is one of the two pillars of world communism along with Goebbels. If we use Trotsky in various ways, bringing down communism won’t be difficult.”

Beria wasn’t simply thinking of capturing Trotsky.

Even if they kill him eventually, shouldn’t they use him first?

When the Tsar orders one thing, shouldn’t a true servant deliver ten?

Only by doing so could one prove to be a true loyal servant of the Tsar and demonstrate that one is not a Bolshevik.

With that in mind, Beria planned to use Trotsky to completely end communism in America.

To exterminate that communism which the Tsar so despises.

To annihilate those hateful communists who executed the Tsar’s family without trial.

“Understood.”

Meanwhile, Trotsky was contemplating whether he should personally step in to salvage the collapsing defensive lines.

The biggest weakness of Trotsky’s army was the lack of armored units, but they weren’t completely without tanks, so defense wasn’t impossible if they tried.

But the biggest problem was racial issues.

The conflict between Black people, who were the main force in early KFC, and newly joined white people.

Black people tried to assert their superiority in KFC, while white people’s inherent racial prejudice against Black people resurfaced, causing internal strife.

The army was no different.

With hands and feet not working together, there was no way they could stop the enemy.

‘I miss being in Russia.’

For a brief moment, he missed those days. The revolutionary days with Comrade Lenin, Stalin, and other close comrades.

Of course, what ruined those glorious revolutionary memories was that witch from Moscow.

Perhaps the execution of the Tsar’s family was a mistake after all. Regret was useless now.

Now he just needed to gather strength to stop MacArthur’s forces and restart the offensive he had begun initially.

Somehow he needed to push back MacArthur.

He must push back MacArthur’s US Military Government, defeat the Spanish forces, and then subdue Huey Long’s United States.

It’s not entirely impossible.

Because Russia—that witch cannot intervene in America for long.

Why? Because a major war has broken out in Europe.

England and France, two colonial empires wishing for the downfall of communism, finally declared war on Germany.

Honestly, while those Germans and Italians with their strange ideologies were vexing despite being fellow communists, he still felt sympathy for them being invaded by imperialist powers as communist nations.

Of course, that sympathy wasn’t enough for Trotsky to help them when he himself was in danger.

“Then I must go myself.”

Having made a decision, Trotsky stood up with a grave expression.

Since he couldn’t just sit still, he immediately summoned Kulik, who was serving as chief of staff at the front.

“The General Secretary himself?”

“Both the witch of Moscow and that African emperor took to the field personally.”

Then shouldn’t he do the same?

He would not collapse at the end like Comrade Lenin.

Even if he were to go, he would go proudly, leaving an impression on all communists’ hearts as a revolutionary until the very end.

The war wasn’t over yet anyway.

“But I heard the Japanese Emperor became a piece of charred meat.”

“Well, the fate of such an imperialist was predictable. He deserved to die.”

“Then shouldn’t the witch of Moscow have died too?”

Why so many retorts today?

This isn’t the time for such discussions. He needs to personally resolve the racial conflicts and comfort the soldiers.

Then he will naturally defeat MacArthur.

“Enough. Anyway, I’m going personally. Let’s head to the front immediately!”