Ch.271I Want to Abdicate the Throne

# Constantinople Treaty Organization

The war was over, but this guy’s popularity wasn’t fading.

First, I had to announce the details of my negotiations with MacArthur at the Constantinople Treaty Organization.

Defining our respective territories, ceding lands, establishing neutral zones, and even the Greenland sale—everything point by point.

“Hmm, from Latin America to the Pacific, and even former colonial nations. Haven’t we given up too much?”

“We’ve already conquered all of Eurasia to the Middle East. There’s no need to be more greedy.”

“Well, giving up colonies does feel somewhat uncomfortable.”

“If America is determined to target colonies, we can’t stop them. It’s better to cede them this way.”

That’s right. Europe now needs to focus on post-war reconstruction.

Of course, we can’t neglect our military, but still—after claiming we would decolonize, maintaining influence over former colonies seems rather contradictory.

It’s enough that we’ve gained Northern China, the Korean Peninsula, Western Japan, and Taiwan.

“Certainly, since America has recognized our Pacific defense line in Asia, and we’ve secured the Marshall Plan for European reconstruction, this should be sufficient.”

Churchill of Britain wore a very satisfied expression.

The Pacific defense line in Asia largely depends on New Zealand, Australia, and other Commonwealth nations.

He must be feeling good now, after the nightmare of Dunkirk.

“Is this Greenland sale from Denmark correct?”

“MacArthur probably just threw it out there for Your Majesty. It’s ambiguous.”

“Officially, they’re saying Greenland will be made independent. But they probably want Greenland because of Canada and Alaska.”

Surprisingly, the Greenland sale rights were viewed positively.

If we’re going to divide the world and be competitors anyway, we should throw what needs to be thrown and maximize our benefits.

With Canada—a British multi—above America, Greenland wasn’t a bad concession.

It’s not like they’re asking for Canada. Just Greenland.

“If the price is right, we Danes are not unwilling to sell.”

“Well then, let’s negotiate that properly.”

Now, it’s finally time to settle the colonial issue.

From behind Gastev, I asked Pétain:

“Now that we’ve driven out the Japanese forces from French Indochina, we need to proceed with independence. How is it progressing?”

“We’re conducting votes among the colonized people. Independence is a foregone conclusion, so they’re deciding whether to become a monarchy or a republic.”

The Empire of Vietnam or the Republic of Vietnam?

Either way, this will be interesting.

“We already have American troops stationed in the Dutch East Indies. They say they’ll help with colonial independence, so negotiations are underway with the local military government.”

It seems they’ve already handed over authority regarding decolonization to America.

The Dutch representative seems disappointed, but the Netherlands alone couldn’t reclaim the East Indies anyway. The Constantinople Treaty declared decolonization, and unless America belatedly claims “these colonies are ours,” we don’t need to intervene.

“We also need to address the issue of the new United Nations. The UN should be established soon, and all newly independent former colonies should be admitted as members of the international community.”

“In Okinawa, which was Japanese territory, they also want independence. They’re asking for independence and our support. Let’s grant Okinawa independence and admit it to the United Nations.”

“What about Taiwan?”

“Taiwan should be independent, but since we might return Hong Kong to China in the future, it might be good to make Taiwan the Asian branch of the Constantinople Treaty Organization.”

Since Taiwan won’t experience the exile of the Kuomintang, we decided to make it the Asian base of the Constantinople Treaty Organization.

Rather, if there’s any sign of conflict in South China or if one side is about to collapse, we’ll intervene and resolve it.

“If anything unexpected happens in South China, we’ll need to intervene, so that’s not a bad idea.”

“The independence issue in India also needs to proceed well. We shouldn’t give America any leverage.”

“Yes, Tsar. We’re planning to grant independence based on religion—Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and so on.”

Churchill, who joined this meeting wondering what would happen to the Commonwealth, smiled slyly.

The bulldog of the British Empire. A fitting expression for the leader of those pirates.

Truly, even as an aging lion, Britain is still Britain.

“As expected of Britain,” “Indeed, they don’t let go easily,” “Truly remarkable.”

Representatives from various Constantinople Treaty nations couldn’t hide their admiration.

Honestly, it’s true. We can’t just give everything away. They’re saying, “We’ll divide it!”

Of course, I was the one who proposed it first, but still. They probably didn’t expect Britain to actually do this.

Since I was the one who directly negotiated with MacArthur, I planned to make my voice heard at this Constantinople Treaty Organization meeting.

“We must immediately recognize newly formed Israel and the soon-to-be independent Korean Peninsula as nations. Israel will be our foothold for intervention in China, and the Korean Peninsula, with its significant population within the Pacific defense line, would make a good ally if they develop their navy. Western Japan will also need reconstruction support, but since they share a border with Eastern Japan, they’ll likely focus on building their army.”

“But what if these non-Constantinople Treaty nations break away from us in the future?”

“How about recognizing them as Asian partner nations of the Constantinople Treaty Organization and establishing a separate economic organization connecting them with Russia?”

It’s essentially making them economically dependent on the Constantinople Treaty Organization by offering cheap natural gas and helping them develop.

They might develop even more than Korea did in the original history.

“After reconstruction, we also need to address the issue of a unified European currency. This should be unified with the euro…”

“In discussions with Huey Long of America, the idea of introducing a new currency for international use was raised.”

“Then, let’s decide on the international currency issue after the decolonization process is complete.”

The topic of international currency has been brought up.

In the original history, John Maynard Keynes’ proposal to introduce a new international currency called Bancor disappeared into the annals of history when the Bretton Woods system was established, making the US dollar the reserve currency under the gold standard.

Well, that Bretton Woods system eventually collapsed when the US engaged in money-wasting games like the Vietnam War and the space race with the Soviet Union, leading to doubts about America’s ability to exchange gold.

In this history, it seems Russia has also risen rapidly and officially proposed the ruble as a reserve currency candidate, but Bancor might not be a bad idea either.

That’s something to resolve later.

Bancor has its own issues too.

After seeing that the Constantinople Treaty Organization would handle things well from now on, I returned to Moscow.

# # #

“Well, perhaps I should start preparing now.”

Maybe I’ve stayed in this position—the Tsar’s position—for too long.

It might be good to hand it over to Vladimir and enjoy myself in my own way.

After returning to Moscow and awarding medals to the Far Eastern Expeditionary Force, I pondered for quite some time.

The war is over, and the rest should be handled by the Duma or the Constantinople Treaty Organization.

Thinking that a superhuman should step aside at this point, I decided to casually drop the hint about abdicating in favor of Vladimir at the State Duma.

“Today I have something to announce to the State Duma members.”

“Please speak.”

Everyone fell silent at my words.

Yes, yes. It’s so nice that everyone is being considerate. If it’s like this, they’ll probably accept my announcement.

So I wanted to proudly declare:

“I’ve been in this position for over 20 years now, so I’d like to abdicate in favor of our Vladimir.”

A moment of silence. A silence so profound that I might have thought I was alone with corpses.

After a brief moment, as everyone began to understand, Vladimir rushed forward and fell to his knees before me.

“That absolutely cannot happen, Your Majesty!”

“Absolutely not! It’s only been a little over 20 years!”

“That’s right. It absolutely cannot be!”

Following Vladimir, even the elderly members of the Duma embarrassingly began to cry before me.

Is this really such a dramatic issue?

This is no different from what you’d see in Korea, where ministers would chirp about withdrawing an abdication.

I was momentarily taken aback.

No, I’ve been here for a long time. Twenty years is quite a long time. And Vladimir has grown up properly and can be trusted, right?

“Well, Vladimir has grown well, and I…”

“Queen Victoria of England was on the throne for over 60 years. How can Your Majesty say such things? The war has just ended!”

Wow, I feel like I’ve become King Seonjo.

That Seonjo who kept putting on abdication shows.

I didn’t intend that, but is this really something to foam at the mouth about?

Well, if I were to be precise, I’m not even 50 yet, and considering that the monarchy was adopted in the United States, my reign has lasted just over 20 years, so I could still be considered active.

Maybe they want me to stay longer as a figurehead.

Thinking about it, there could be chaos after abdication.

“I’ve aged quite a bit too.”

I unconsciously pouted and muttered in protest.

Everyone gave me a look that said, “Is that something you should say with that face?” so I quickly turned my head away.

“If Your Majesty says such things, we might as well get into our coffins.”

Ah, I’m sorry.

But appearance is appearance, and age is age. I just had the thought that I wanted to enjoy myself a bit.

Perhaps I’ve been too active for a figurehead emperor.

I sincerely intended to abdicate, but I ended up putting on an unintended abdication show.

Anyway, I could only return to the Kremlin Palace after comforting the crying and wailing old men and canceling my abdication.

Honestly, I still have thoughts about abdicating.

The biggest shock was that Vladimir didn’t follow my wishes.

“Vladimir, you should be on my side! You’re already receiving support from the White Army faction, aren’t you?”

He should be receiving plenty of support from the White Army faction, right?

He even has the significant achievement of saving the Danube Federation Army in the Sudetenland.

Does this guy want to ascend to the throne when he’s old?

Look at Elizabeth II. She could have enjoyed her later years in seclusion, but she remained queen for such a long time that Charles III became king when he was over 70.

Of course, compared to Elizabeth, I’ve spent much less time on the throne. But isn’t this just the right amount?

“Well, that’s true, but still…”

“But still?”

At my question, Vladimir hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

“When I think about being compared to Your Majesty, it feels quite daunting, and I think Your Majesty should remain on the throne for a while longer. I also can’t imagine the United States without Your Majesty.”

That’s… probably true.

Honestly, I’ve done quite a lot during my time.

“It’s not that I won’t be here; I’ll still be in Russia. I might go on a tour to the Far East for a while, but I’ll be lounging around in the Kremlin Palace.”

“That’s not what I mean. Everyone is calling out for the Mother Tsar. I feel the same way, and I can’t ignore Your Majesty’s symbolism. Besides, you haven’t even been on the throne for 30 years yet, so I think abdication is premature. I’m not even married yet.”

Oh my goodness. I’m truly screwed without having done anything wrong.

Am I going to be unable to step down from the throne for my entire life?

What if even after I die… Wait, can I even die? Anyway.

This only shows a very dangerous future ahead. Is this going to be a Hwang Hui ending? Of course, if the State Duma has any conscience, they won’t exploit me.

“Alright. I’ll hold the position for a while longer, but get married and produce an heir.”

He’s still not married.

He needs to produce an heir so I can have some peace of mind.

It’s not just Vladimir who’s causing a commotion.

“The Mother Tsar abdicating? Absolutely not!”

“Please don’t abandon us!”

“No parent abandons their child, Your Majesty!”

I don’t know how it spread, but there’s tremendous, enormous opposition.

Ah, this is truly a disaster.

In the end, after people started fainting in front of the Kremlin Palace, I had no choice but to officially withdraw my abdication.

Is this really right?

I don’t think even a Korean king would be treated this way. And this isn’t all.

Now, letters have arrived from Wilhelm II, Hitler, Karl I, Edward VIII, Churchill, Kemal, Rivera, and other European leaders and monarchs who are on their deathbeds. Even the Pope sent one.

Is my abdication news something to be gossiped about everywhere?

I see that Yi U and Puyi have also sent letters. Even Mao Zedong.

They’ve come from all over the place.

This is so embarrassing. It’s truly sad.

“Considering Your Majesty’s popularity, it can’t be helped. Besides, you can just maintain your position and stay in the Kremlin Palace, right?”

Maria said this while massaging my shoulders.

No, I’m really serious about this.