Ch.220The Saint’s Dream

* * *

“I find this disappointing. Unfortunately, as a saint, I cannot accept the maintenance of the caste system, which is the most barbaric and filthy practice among social hierarchies. I rather pity the Indian people that such individuals call themselves independence activists.”

I shook my head disapprovingly and let out an exaggerated sigh.

Of course, the caste system isn’t a simple issue.

Gandhi’s Hindu supporters want the caste system to remain intact.

Even if Gandhi himself wanted my help to abolish the caste system, his supporters would obviously resist.

“Your Majesty. It is not a simple matter.”

“Later. We will address that issue gradually.”

Gandhi and Chandra Bose adamantly opposed it, insisting now wasn’t the time.

Yes, it’s not a simple matter.

It’s a statement that shakes India’s foundations, and moreover, since it’s connected to religion, it could create friction between Hinduism and other religions.

And that would lead to problems in India’s unification.

In other words, my proposal means that if they want to be recognized as one India without separate independence, they must all identify as Indians, but my proposal to abolish the caste system would cause division.

But honestly, that’s not my problem.

To be blunt, why should I, as a saint, recognize such an evil social system? I shouldn’t.

“Stagnant water rots. In this era, you two might treat the untouchables with love and compassion, but the evil practice of the caste system will continue without the definitive kill shot of abolition. If you truly want India’s independence and have come to ask for my help, I think this is a condition you should accept, don’t you?”

At my words, the two exchanged glances and sighed deeply.

In the end, they had no choice but to accept.

What else could they do? Otherwise, India’s independence would be the least of their concerns.

Of course, separately from this, Britain would have to let go of India anyway, but they don’t know that yet.

Frankly, if Britain insisted on maintaining control of India at all costs, India would become troublesome too.

Now then, later I should meet with the pro-British Nehru and independence hero Ambedkar.

Honestly, I don’t know how Gandhi and Chandra Bose will act later. It would be better to meet the two figures who historically showed interest in abolishing the caste system.

My current choice will surely divide India in the future.

Kiya. Who would have thought I’d become someone who controls the world?

“You look pleased.”

At Maria’s words, I smiled wickedly.

Even more so as I watched Gandhi and Chandra Bose gradually disappearing through the window.

“When I can redraw maps as I please, how could I not be happy?”

Personally, Europe has fewer countries than in the original history.

Hitler reincorporated the Austro-Hungarian constituent states.

To be honest, while Poland maintains its country in name, it’s essentially part of the Eastern Military Union, so it can be considered the same country as Russia.

Then I should divide elsewhere.

It might be fun to later split Britain into Scotland, Wales, and England when Churchill acts up, but Churchill is too pitiful for that, so I’ll expand India instead.

I’ll divide China too, with its huge population.

Even divided, the population will still be large. But at least the balance will be maintained.

And I’ll make Gandhi and Chandra Bose fight again.

“What if I make Nehru the leader of the pro-British India, and Ambedkar the leader of the pro-Russian India?”

At this point, can’t I indulge in a little arrogance?

“And you’ll add Gandhi and Chandra Bose to that mix.”

“Exactly.”

India has strong local autonomy. It will probably be extremely difficult.

Even modern India hasn’t been able to uproot the caste system, so will they have the strength to abolish it right after independence?

Churchill won’t be able to oppose it either.

After being completely annihilated at Dunkirk, Churchill is now in a position where he has to cling to my skirt and beg.

By now he should have come to his senses and realized that he can’t stop India’s independence, and if so, he can’t just withdraw without doing anything. As a hostile nation, he’ll try to promote division within India, just like in the original history.

What if I help establish a separate pro-British government? Britain would like that.

Fortunately, Britain, being somewhat sensible, has focused on ironclad defense.

It’s a shame that the Mediterranean Fleet safely returned to the homeland.

Seeing them even taking the East Asia Fleet, they must be truly gripped by fear.

And I hear America is running shipyards across the country to mass-produce ships.

How desperate must they be to move the Atlantic Fleet, which was once divided between the US Military Government and the United States, to the Pacific?

What’s interesting is that the Atlantic Fleet, which was split in half, had somewhat increased in size and quality under the US Military Government and the United States in preparation for the coming civil war.

What does this mean?

It reflects America’s determination to turn Japan into a literal hell on earth by any means necessary.

Anyway, with this, I’ve brought things that our Duma will appreciate.

Japan should have pushed harder and struck the US West Coast before America could come to the negotiating table, but they’re wasting precious time.

The United States, though its giant awakening might be delayed by civil war, is mobilizing its national power solely to crush Japan.

I’ll intervene in that later. We should start moving our heavy bottoms too.

“Your Majesty. The British Foreign Secretary has come to the Duma.”

Those people are busy too.

The British Foreign Secretary, hmm, I think I know who it is.

“Ah, Anthony Eden, was it?”

“Yes.”

That gentleman has managed to serve as Foreign Secretary during such difficult times.

“He probably knows I met with Gandhi and Chandra Bose, so just pass that information along and the State Duma will handle the rest.”

I’ve already gotten what I wanted.

Britain must now be coming to request our support.

I hear that the Communist German forces are facing off against the Austrian—no, now the Danubian Federation forces in the Sudetenland.

The time is ripening for us to enter the war.

* * *

London, England

As Anastasia had predicted, Eden had gone to Russia to seek help.

Now Communist Germany had given France a taste of red.

All the major third-tier countries are red. They’re riding high on momentum.

Using all sorts of flowery language, they begged Russia to step in.

Fearing a Communist German landing due to the evaporation of their army, they had brought in the Home Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet, and even the second-rate East Asia Fleet (which would have been destroyed by Japan in the original history) to protect their coastline like an iron wall.

They were so desperate that they even requested manpower support from Ireland, promising independence with Northern Ireland as a package deal.

In this situation, support from Russia, which they had so ignored, was like rain in a drought.

But that was one thing.

Churchill didn’t like Russia eyeing India, the jewel in the crown.

“Hmph, now they’re even interfering with India’s independence? With Germany around, they can’t be comfortable either! Just because we made some concessions to Turkey, they’re getting uppity!”

After receiving a direct report from Anthony Eden, Churchill’s temple veins bulged.

Churchill had barely maintained his cabinet by kneeling before the Dunkirk bereaved families every day, bowing his head earnestly.

In the midst of this, his pride was scratched by Turkey, and now he was in a position where he might lose India to the Russians whom he had dismissed.

“It’s just a secondary option. They know we’re having difficulty managing India anyway.”

“A secondary option? You call that an explanation?”

“The Russian side stated they would provide food and supplies to prevent a communist revolution in Britain.”

In response to Britain’s courtship dance, the Russian State Duma replied that they were preparing to enter the war while also expressing their intention to provide maximum material support to prevent a communist revolution in Britain.

The Royal Navy was focused solely on homeland defense, allowing the U-boats, which were already a nuisance in the original history, to run rampant and blockade the British Isles, while America was so fixated on Japan that it paid no attention to Europe.

Russia’s help was like rain in a drought.

To think they now had to worry about food rather than colonies.

Churchill had considered deploying the navy to capture all the U-boats, but that was nearly impossible.

They couldn’t allow even a single German Communist to land in Britain.

If Britain were to be invaded, it would be the first invasion of the British mainland in 900 years.

‘At least William had the pretext of succession to the throne!’

If the homeland were to be occupied by Communist Germany during his cabinet, that would be the end.

Thus, out of fear, he had even recalled the second-rate East Asia Fleet, which would have been utterly destroyed by Japan in the original history.

By this point, Churchill could only laugh as if he had gone mad.

It was absurd that he now had to worry about the homeland before the colonies.

Having changed his title to Mr. Dunkirk, he drank heavily every day while still struggling to protect the homeland.

Leaning his alcohol-soaked body against the chair, he sneered at himself.

“How did our British Empire come to this?”

Was it from ignoring Russia’s warnings and declaring war on Germany?

Was it when those damned frog bastards betrayed us and painted themselves red?

Yes, it was Dunkirk.

They should have at least managed a proper evacuation. Look at the state of things now.

How those Ivan bastards must be looking down on the British Empire.

“But we must survive first, mustn’t we? Fortunately, the navy is defending the homeland. And Russia, though late, says they’ll join the war when they’re ready, so that’s fortunate.”

Yes, that’s somewhat fortunate.

Those Communist Germans will never land on the British Isles.

We have the fleet, and we’ve hastily assembled the Home Guard.

Then he suddenly realized something.

The reason Russia was delaying after the American expedition ended, or rather, long before that, despite having the capacity to fill one front.

There was only one reason Russia was dragging its feet.

Crash!

Churchill threw his glass of cognac.

“Yes, that’s it. These bastards are delaying their entry because they want to take everything for themselves. Now that Britain can no longer do anything, they plan to swallow the fully cooked meal!”

Churchill didn’t hold back his anger.

It was clear. If he were Anastasia, the Russian Empress, he would have done the same.

Now Britain was in a position where it had to beg for support from Russia.

In other words, Russia’s message was:

We’ll handle all of Europe, so don’t worry about when we move.

They would eventually move, but there’s a huge difference between moving at Britain’s request and Russia moving on its own.

Not joining the Allied forces, but treating it as a separate war and taking everything for themselves.

Of course, Churchill had also formed a new alliance within the Anti-Comintern Pact countries, excluding Russia.

Churchill was disgusted.

He needed to put the brakes on Russia’s growth, but now the old lion lacked the strength to do so.

Soon, even the Royal Navy, the pride of the British Empire, would clearly be outmatched by Russia with its battleship technology supported by those Far Eastern monkeys and the generous Kaiser.

“It’s infuriating to be unable to do anything.”

The scenario was now obvious.

Soon, Communist Germany would deal with Poland, and Russia would use that to take Poland back under the pretext of protecting it from Communist Germany through a special military operation.

Then what? Poland would once again become part of Russia and the Eastern Military Union.

After that? Red Germany would target Austria, and Russia would use Austria as a meat shield while entering the war.

The northern bear that had been conserving its strength.

No, it was all from the mind of that Moscow Empress, that damned saint. The Northern Saint would surely want to sweep away the red wave with a white wave in the spirit of anti-communism.

Britain could do nothing and would be powerless.

Just as you need an army to fight a war, you need power to bully Russia.

The Home Guard formed in the homeland was so desperate that they were filling their ranks with old men and boys.

Their combat effectiveness would be far behind the Communist German forces who seemed to have sold their souls to Goebbels.

When homeland defense was already so precarious, how could they dictate to Russia?

Now Britain had no choice but to watch whatever Russia did.

Churchill found this extremely frustrating.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Warsaw, Poland, the Polish Army Commander-in-Chief Edward Rydz-Śmigły was also unable to contain his anger, just like Churchill.

Poland was in a dire situation.

Although their elite forces had been annihilated, island nation Britain could thoroughly protect the British Isles by mobilizing the Royal Navy, the pride of the British Empire.

But Poland was different.

Communist Germany, having resolved the Western Front, had begun to deliver serious blows to Poland.

“Damn it, I should have gone in a little earlier!”

“Sir, the front is collapsing!”

It was collapsing too quickly.

France, Europe’s great army, converting to Communist Germany had a huge impact.

The morale of the soldiers was terrible, while the German People’s Army was united with pride for having trampled the mighty British Empire.

“Damn the British and French. When Russia wasn’t participating, we should have listened to them!”

Now the invaders on the Eastern Front had to face an even larger red taste.

The fortunate thing was that they had diligently purchased weapons, allowing them to hold out a little longer against the Red Army.

But no matter what, there was a limit to their weight class.

The Communist German Army, having essentially finished the Western Front, had brought all their forces to attack Poland.

Moreover, internal affairs weren’t entirely positive either.

As the war continued without notable achievements, anti-war sentiment had risen in Poland.

Of course, this so-called anti-war sentiment was merely German Communist Party members infiltrating and inciting the Polish Communist Party, which had only been hiding underground.

“At this rate, will we have to request support from Russia?”

If Russia were to intervene, it didn’t seem like they would just come in without conditions.

No, would they even come in the first place?