Ch.261China Division Project (2)

* * *

Despite becoming a republic, they seem to keep their own imperial title as the head of the imperial family. Grigory Semyonov doesn’t need to recommend that position to me.

For Israel, we can give them a border with Korea and Southern Manchuria, establish them in Rehe Province with some of the original Inner Mongolia territory, and secure them some coastline.

And for East Asia, we can connect everything by establishing another economic organization.

In the original history, the reason Korea could receive massive support from the United States was partly because North Korea remained, so it was also for anti-communism.

Here, there won’t be any division, but to help with national reconstruction, we should do at least this much.

With the image of a saint, I’ll help a nation that has just escaped from colonization. That should be enough.

“It would be good to have the Treaty Forces occupy various parts of China. The pretext of helping with China’s future federalism and security maintenance will be sufficient. Chief of General Staff, please prepare for this.”

With Mao Zedong’s request for support and the National Government’s warlords starting to cling to us, stationing troops shouldn’t be too difficult.

Of course, they’re called Treaty Forces, but anyone with a bit of sense—except the warlords—would see that after the New Treaty, China has fallen to Western barbarians just like during the Qing Dynasty.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“We must keep them constantly tearing at each other.”

To prepare for that time, the Treaty Organization needs to be able to intervene in China, so we must make many interventions in this war.

For example, first we tear them apart, and later when they try to unify through civil war, as soon as one side shows signs of collapse, the Treaty Forces will immediately intervene.

Just that much would ensure China could never reunify again.

Moreover, the armies used for this intervention will be Korean and Israeli. That’s why we need a new international organization.

We can’t include countries that aren’t part of the Roman sphere in the Roman Treaty Organization. We can keep them as partner nations, but we need to create a new international organization for Israel, Korea, and Mutaguchi’s Japan.

Of course, we’ll have to establish relations with the Treaty Organization. That way, we can rest easy no matter what happens in the future.

The member states of the Roman Treaty Organization won’t oppose it either.

If we maintain influence over China, we can suppress China’s growth.

Eventually, the divided parts of China will no longer see each other as targets for unification.

“What about world unification? It seems possible now. Then there would be no more wars.”

Semyonov is again spouting nonsense about world unification.

America is in a position to buy nuclear weapons from us, so world unification might not be bad at this point. But I’m not sure what the future of a unified world would look like.

Humans develop when they have competitors.

Human civilization develops further when there are national-level competitors.

If we must unify the world, it wouldn’t be bad to do so when human civilization reaches its peak.

Of course, I’ll be dead by then, and who knows who will unify it or if anyone will even want to.

Honestly, I’m not without the temptation to try it now that we’ve become a superpower.

As I’ve said before, I’m not without ambition.

If we truly want to prevent nuclear war, unification is the answer, though quite a bit of blood might be spilled in the process.

Especially if we try to occupy the entire United States, that will definitely happen.

But even I’m slightly tempted right now, so what’s to stop a world-unifying me from becoming corrupt?

Even if that doesn’t happen, I’ll eventually die anyway.

Human scientific civilization hasn’t developed enough to handle the entire world yet.

If anything, Russia, which would have to sustain the world, might collapse from within.

Europe would all break away, and it would decline even faster than Rome did.

That’s not the future I want.

“World unification is indeed unrealistic. Without some system capable of governing the entire world. We need something other than humans to manage everything equally.”

Actually, I’ve already spoken to Tesla about this.

Since that gentleman seems likely to live longer than in the original history, I should make the most of him until his final days.

Russia has already entered the wireless revolution, so if Tesla works a bit harder, the path of scientific development will accelerate.

For example, I’ve passed on information about transistors, and I think he’ll handle it well.

Later, we should also implement the OGAS Project.

To make it more realistic than the OGAS Project in the original history.

If a true electronic government is created through a complete OGAS Project in the future, the world could be truly united.

I might as well lay that foundation.

“We probably won’t see it in our time.”

“Perhaps not. Anyway, we need to finalize the division of China. Support Mao Zedong and the Qing, but prevent unification.”

The world becomes more comfortable when both China and India are divided.

With Turkey handling the Middle East, America will have less influence than in the original history, so Middle Eastern issues won’t be as significant.

As I was excitedly thinking about how to divide China…

“Your Majesty. Soong Mei-ling of the National Government has sent you a letter.”

“Churchill, Wilhelm, and now this woman—do they all enjoy sending letters?”

Soong Mei-ling is quite a notable figure.

Befitting the wife of Chiang Kai-shek, who had the capacity to unify the country. After the Pearl Harbor attack, she gave a speech to the U.S. Congress, earning praise for raising awareness about China in America.

She also appealed for expanded American support. She even participated in the Cairo Conference as her husband Chiang Kai-shek’s interpreter.

She provided financial support to the Korean Patriotic Corps, the Korean Liberation Army, and their families. In the original history, she was even awarded the Order of the Republic of Korea.

I’ve heard she was so charming that people from both East and West fell for her appeal.

The Soviet advisor Mikhail Borodin was smitten with Soong Mei-ling, and even American generals and military attachés at the U.S. embassy acknowledged her charm.

Even Churchill called her an attractive woman.

But no matter how many photos I look at, I don’t see what’s so attractive about her.

Wasn’t she three years older than me? Unfortunately, while I haven’t aged, she must be in her late 40s, which is rather… Well, among female historical figures, wouldn’t I be the most beautiful?

Anyway, looking at her letter, it’s basically thanking us for our support.

[On behalf of hundreds of millions of Chinese people, I express gratitude to the Russian Emperor. We—]

She’s quite verbose with many unnecessary details, but essentially she’s asking us to recognize them as China’s legitimate government after the war and help with national reconstruction.

But why should I care about that?

Asking to be recognized as China’s only legitimate government is essentially declaring that China belongs to them and that they are the unified government.

If Russia, as a superpower, recognizes them, the Roman Treaty Organization would follow suit, and essentially all the other fragmented warlords would have no choice but to submit to Soong Mei-ling’s government.

But I have no reason to agree to this.

With all the warlords breaking away, she’s all talk. How pitiful that she’s begging the woman who killed her husband.

It’s commendable that she helped Korea, but honestly, she helped Koreans as anti-Japanese forces on the Japanese front to use them, not out of pure goodwill.

This is different from Emperor Wanli, who provided unlimited support to Joseon even though his mainland wasn’t invaded. So I, now a Russian, have no reason to accept this.

There’s no need to seriously interpret and respond to this. I should just look at the surface and send an innocently clueless reply.

‘With the help of Mao Zedong, successor to Russia’s friend Chen Jiongming, and the Qing who defeated Japan, we’ve reached this point, so there’s no need for thanks. I just hope you’ll cooperate well with Mao and the Qing in the future.’

That should do it.

It’s obvious that I won’t recognize them as the only government.

This will make it clear that the National Government’s unification efforts are essentially over.

But if Soong Mei-ling acts more aggressively than expected, it could become troublesome. Should I deal with her too?

Soong Mei-ling and Dai Li. These two are dangerous right now.

But assassination is not the answer.

Having already killed Chiang Kai-shek, the China Expeditionary Army has collapsed, and they’re barely holding out against the National Government’s army.

In this situation, how many would believe Japan would carry out an assassination?

* * *

The situation of China’s National Government was not good.

It improved somewhat after the Japanese army suddenly collapsed against the Treaty Forces, but they were still struggling just to deal with the Japanese forces in the south.

Moreover, unlike in the past, the warlords were now separated from each other, making things even more difficult.

“To end up like this right after my husband’s death. Dai Li, isn’t there some way?”

“Unfortunately, unless the Generalissimo had properly organized things after the war, it’s difficult now. The war damage is too extensive.”

While things ran smoothly under Chiang Kai-shek’s leadership during his lifetime, after suffering heavy damage from the Japanese army and then losing Chiang, they fragmented too easily.

In this situation, recognition from a major power was necessary.

“Has the Russian Tsar responded?”

“He has, but that…”

Dai Li deliberately trailed off.

Realizing it wasn’t good news, she checked the Tsar’s reply.

The content was all too predictable.

Cooperate with the Qing, Japan’s puppet state, and that Mao Zedong who had squandered an army of 2 million? This was absurd.

“Cooperate with the Qing and the federal government? Ridiculous!”

The Qing especially included the traitor Wang Jingwei.

Being told to cooperate with them was nonsense.

It was an outrage that could never be accepted.

“According to our intelligence, the Treaty Forces have recognized the federal government of Qing and Shanxi. We know that the Okhrana, known as the Tsar’s shadow, has established branches in the federal government and Qing.”

Dai Li, known as Chiang Kai-shek’s Himmler and the most dangerous man in China, was highly capable.

In the original history, he conducted operations against the Chinese Nationalist Party’s enemies and greatly contributed to winning the war, before dying in a plane crash in ’46.

In this timeline, he helped Soong Mei-ling become acting president after Chiang was assassinated by Xian Yue, and essentially served as her second-in-command.

“What about America? Surely America would recognize us to counter Russia?”

Unlike in the original history, Soong Mei-ling couldn’t go to America to give a speech.

The situation in China was too urgent, and she didn’t know what might happen to her on the way to America.

Above all, she didn’t believe America’s division would be quickly resolved.

Even now, if she strengthened relations with America, it would be difficult for even the Roman Treaty to ignore them.

However, Dai Li didn’t see this positively.

“America is focused only on capturing Japan, and they won’t intervene to avoid conflict with European nations.”

After all, America is also a white nation.

That country wouldn’t risk damaging relations with European countries to recognize unification led by the National Government.

Hearing this answer, Soong Mei-ling gritted her teeth.

“Damn it. This was our last hope.”

“It seems the Roman Treaty intends to divide us and make us independent.”

Division? They had just barely unified after cleaning up the mess Mao Zedong had made.

They couldn’t possibly divide again now.

“Is there no way?”

“Given the situation, we must salvage what remains. Since the Japanese army has essentially been defeated by the Treaty Forces, you must take control of the warlords before Russia makes a move.”

There were still some remaining warlords.

Yan Xishan of Shanxi, who had lost most of his territory but still had remnant forces; Li Zongren of Guangxi; Long Yun of Yunnan; Ma Bufang of the Northwest, and others.

If they could control the Northwest, they would at least occupy part of the north.

Even if they couldn’t do anything about the federal government and Qing’s positions, they needed to capture the remaining warlords.

Only then could they build strength and recover the mainland in the future. But the key question was whether they had the power to unify now.

“Is that the answer? Is it possible with our capabilities?”

“Let’s bring in Long Yun, Li Zongren, Ma Bufang, and Yan Xishan. After capturing them all, we must send troops to each warlord territory to subdue them.”

“How do we bring them in?”

Would they come just because they were called?

Wouldn’t it look suspicious? They might think we’re trying to kill them.

But Dai Li confidently shook his head.

After all, hadn’t the Tsar given them a good gift to bring these people in?

“Use the Tsar’s reply. Tell them we need to work together again because China is being divided. Wouldn’t that give us some leverage?”

Although they had broken away into warlords again, they were still Chinese.

Would they sit idle when outsiders were trying to divide them?

If so, they would respond to Soong Mei-ling’s call.

“But we don’t have that many troops.”

“These regions were maintained as warlord territories anyway. If we bring in the key figures and send our troops to show determination, we can regain control.”

Once they captured the warlord leaders, they could absorb each region.

After that, even Russia couldn’t do anything, so they would need to negotiate or take some action.

If Treaty Forces were already swarming through central China, they needed to move quickly too.

“Yes. Let’s handle this quickly before the Treaty Forces move.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Yes. That Tsar is a woman too, isn’t she?

They say that empress who rose during chaotic times reunified divided Russia and brought it to its current position.

If she could do it, why couldn’t I?

Anachang-con Progress