Ch.282Indochina High Commissioner’s Office

* * *

The trial seemed too rushed, but what could be done? This is the right of the victor.

And so, Sukarno was sentenced to death by hanging with the tacit approval of both the Dutch East Indies government and the new Indonesian government.

The Indonesian War of Independence ended in a rather anticlimactic way.

If they were upset, they should have won.

With this, the Indonesian War of Independence concluded as a rebellion, and it was time for a government recognized by the Rome Treaty to be established.

It ended before the United States could intervene, and afterward, countries seeking independence were recognized through consultations between the Rome Treaty Organization and the American side.

Thus gained independence: Mohammad Hatta’s Republic of Indonesia, South Maluku State, Free State of East Indonesia, Greater Dayak Autonomous Region, Pasundan Autonomous State, Sultanate of Pontianak, and others.

Of course, there was some dissatisfaction, but when I used my authority to insist this was necessary for maintaining peace, the Indonesians had no choice but to accept.

“Here and now, our Rome Treaty Organization and the Dutch East Indies government officially recognize the independence of all Indonesian states. May God bless these newly independent nations!”

With this official recognition of independence, Indonesia entered a new chapter in its history.

In the original timeline, Sukarno eventually ruled Indonesia after the Netherlands withdrew under American pressure, but that history ended here.

Now that Indonesia was dealt with, the United States would support each country gaining independence and draw them into the American sphere of influence.

Meanwhile, Europe would grow tremendously. If we could keep Asia adequately bound through Russian oil pipelines, wouldn’t that be sweet?

As for Africa, apart from North Africa, we could support Ethiopia to make it the leader of the African continent. Not bad at all.

After finishing with Indonesia, I returned to the Rome Treaty Organization headquarters in Rome.

“Now Indonesia is finished as well.”

“We’ve captured Gandhi and Sukarno who threatened world peace, which is truly fortunate.”

“Hahaha! We have triumphed!”

“How fortunate that the United States has also recognized the newly independent Indonesian states?”

These former imperialist nations. After a thorough spin in the washing machine, they’re now contributing to world peace. It’s absolutely hilarious.

Thankfully, the United States hasn’t said much yet.

According to Okhrana intelligence, the Americans had contacted Sukarno but apparently only intended to mediate.

The US probably doesn’t want trouble with us right now. They haven’t even secured their influence in South America yet. They can’t afford to become our enemy over one madman in Indonesia.

But suddenly, I became curious about something.

“Hmm.”

“What’s troubling you?”

India, Indonesia. I feel like there’s still one more thing left.

I have this feeling that someone will appear before me saying, “There’s still one more punch left.”

Among the Treaty Organization leaders who were smiling about the conclusion of the Indonesian affair, I raised my hand.

“I believe there’s still something concerning us.”

“Huh, surely not another colonial issue?”

Mosley of Britain, who had expended considerable effort in the Indonesian conflict, grimaced.

Yes, that’s exactly it.

This is the most important issue for us right now. After all, every problem so far has erupted in the colonies.

Would Vietnam really be any different? Especially since Vietnam isn’t just Vietnam. France was thoroughly defeated and now only maintains a self-defense force.

In such circumstances, would they really remain quiet? I find this quite suspicious.

“Somehow, Vietnam… Vietnam concerns me.”

At my words, the faces of the Rome Treaty representatives contorted.

“Hasn’t Vietnam already gained independence through France?”

Hitler, who had appointed Göring as his successor and was attending the Treaty Organization meeting, asked this question directly to the French representative, de Gaulle.

It’s probably not completely independent yet.

I believe they’re still in the process of independence.

“We’re still in the process of independence. On the Vietnamese side, they’re organizing the Vietnamese government with Emperor Bao Dai of the Vietnamese Empire as the monarch.”

At de Gaulle’s explanation, I nodded slightly.

Bao Dai. He was certainly the last emperor of Vietnam in French Indochina.

In the original history, his position was not unlike that of Puyi in Manchukuo.

But for a puppet ruler, he at least had some sense.

He spoke up against Japanese atrocities, and later, when faced with demands for abdication, he shook off his figurehead position and voluntarily abdicated.

Yes, that’s fine, but this could potentially become another source of conflict.

I find it very suspicious.

Can Bao Dai really govern all of Vietnam effectively? France claims they’ll help establish an independent government until France can recover, but wasn’t he just a figurehead all this time?

“But what if they try something else?”

“Surely such a thing wouldn’t happen?”

These people still haven’t fully come to their senses. Let’s set aside India, but did anyone expect Indonesia to turn out like this?

Of course, the Vietnamese must be aware of both cases, but still.

“Did anyone expect such things to happen in India and Indonesia?”

“Ah, you have a point.”

There’s Ho Chi Minh to consider. Wasn’t he originally a communist?

He led North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

I wonder how that man has changed in this world?

“But nothing has happened yet, has it?”

Yes, not yet.

But it was during that “not yet” period when we weren’t paying attention that Gandhi and his faction, and then Sukarno, rose up.

“We should still be cautious.”

There’s been no trouble in Vietnam yet, and unless they’re completely insane, they wouldn’t act up after seeing what happened to India and Indonesia.

But you know what? It’s really impossible to be certain.

The United States offered to mediate in Indonesia on the surface, but in the end, Indonesia was finished with Sukarno’s death.

The Vietnamese must be aware of this situation, but what if the United States, just maybe, decides to support Ho Chi Minh to preserve their own pride?

Ho Chi Minh isn’t a communist here. Since the division isn’t ideological, the US might support Ho Chi Minh.

To ensure Vietnam becomes firmly pro-American in the future.

“Haha, surely not. If Your Majesty sees danger, who would dare?”

In response to Mosley’s question, I nodded toward de Gaulle.

“Ho Chi Minh. Do you know about a man called Ho Chi Minh?”

“Ho Chi Minh is currently the leader of Vietnam’s National Party. I understand his party is participating in the organization of the Vietnamese state.”

De Gaulle explained in considerable detail.

I see. So that’s what happened. Ho Chi Minh has secured a position for himself.

Hmm, in this case, should we wait and see how the situation develops? The party name sounds quite familiar. Still, it’s better to be cautious, right?

“Well, be wary of that man. He’s suspicious.”

Of course, if he doesn’t want to prove his brain is made of noodles, Ho Chi Minh will probably keep his head down, but I’m still suspicious.

“We in France will keep a direct eye on him.”

Ho Chi Minh must have seen what happened in Indonesia, so he’s unlikely to act rashly. But there’s still something suspicious.

Vietnam is too quiet for my liking. Who knows? They might be planning to stab us in the back in a different way.

I just hope the handover goes smoothly. If necessary, I’m willing to throw some money their way. And as agreed with the United States regarding decolonization, we need to draw the line somewhere.

“If Ho Chi Minh demands that power be transferred to him, what would the Tsar prefer we do?”

Power transfer.

If Ho Chi Minh, who isn’t a communist, wants power, there’s no reason not to give it to him, depending on how he approaches it.

“We have already decolonized. And we agreed to transfer power. If you believe that man is suitable to lead an independent Vietnam, then transfer it to him.”

Of course, this only applies if Ho Chi Minh complies peacefully.

I’m curious how different he might be from the original history, but let’s not overthink this.

Come to think of it, I’m the only monarch who attends the Rome Treaty Organization headquarters.

I’ll leave the rest to Gastev and return to Moscow to relax.

And then.

“The Moscow Tesla Research Institute has developed the transistor!”

Good news awaited me upon my return to Moscow.

This happened in November 1946, at least a year earlier than in the original timeline.

With this, the United States will have to work quite hard to catch up to us, won’t they?

* * *

High Commission of the Rome Treaty Organization in Indochina

Contrary to Anastasia’s concerns, Ho Chi Minh took a different path from the original history.

Ho Chi Minh had witnessed the collapse of communism and concluded that communism could not defeat imperialism after all, and that it was merely imperialism disguised as communism, an ideology for dictatorship.

This left Ho Chi Minh in deep contemplation.

His country’s independence was approaching, but he felt that the meager peace offered by the imperialists as if they were doing a favor was not good enough. Meanwhile, India and Indonesia had been divided.

The reason was simple. In one case, there was an attempt to forcibly unite those who wanted separate independence, and in the other, Sukarno, who thought just like Ho Chi Minh, had risen up to drive out the imperialists himself but failed.

Of course, both India and Indonesia had factions that wanted separate independence, so that part made sense.

But in the latter case, the imperialist nations, which were expected to mobilize their armies to recolonize, had withdrawn peacefully.

Even though the United States had mediated, considering that America had remained silent until then, Ho Chi Minh dared to assert that the US could not defeat the Rome Treaty Organization.

In truth, Ho Chi Minh had planned to rise up like Sukarno in Indonesia.

More accurately, he had planned to coordinate his uprising with Sukarno’s success.

Unfortunately, Sukarno was brutally executed by the Russian Empress, the leader of imperialism, and the Rome Treaty Organization still possessed enough power to crush any remaining colonies.

No, perhaps they could even wage war against the United States.

Against such a power, one could not start a war of independence just to preserve a small bit of pride.

Even if it was against the crumbling French Indochina Governor-General’s Office.

The deterioration of French Indochina was due to the reduction of military forces because of wars with other great powers.

“Then.”

In any case, the French military was no longer a problem, but if the powerful Rome Treaty Organization behind them deployed troops, it would be over.

It was time for a new approach.

If it was difficult to achieve complete independence through armed struggle, driving out enemies and shedding blood, then perhaps it was better to maintain boundaries, accept the Vietnam developed by France, and eventually move forward into the international community.

After all, if they remained quiet, the others would transfer governmental authority. But the independent Vietnam should not be a monarchy.

The belief in monarchy had been shattered long ago, as in the Balhae Federation.

Therefore, Ho Chi Minh pursued a new approach based on patriotism.

Unlike in the original history, he decided to cooperate directly with the High Commission of the Rome Treaty Organization in Indochina to secure government organization.

Before that, Ho Chi Minh gathered Vietnamese nationalists to form a new party called the Vietnamese National Party.

“But just accepting it like this doesn’t feel right.”

As mentioned earlier, armed struggle was absolutely out of the question.

The head of the Rome Treaty Organization, the Russian Tsar, would make an example of enemies even if they were colonies being granted independence.

Vietnam could not be brought to such a state again.

The approach he chose was one that would appeal to those hypocritical imperialists.

“The High Commission must not establish a monarchy!”

“Just as independence was decided by vote, select leaders through voting!”

“Bao Dai has lost public support long ago!”

He gathered members of the Vietnamese National Party to protest daily in front of the High Commissioner’s office.

Not long after, Ho Chi Minh was directly invited by the High Commissioner, Georges Thierry d’Argenlieu.

This was just the beginning.

Now that he had been summoned, he would negotiate based on the promise of independence to depose the emperor.

It would be difficult, but dignity had to be maintained.

“Protesting, how gentlemanly compared to India and Indonesia. Good. What are you protesting about?”

Meanwhile, d’Argenlieu wanted to applaud this Ho Chi Minh character standing proudly before him.

The Rome Treaty headquarters had ordered him to monitor Ho Chi Minh, and if they had gone insane like Indonesia’s Sukarno and started an armed struggle, France would have had to pay the price for failing to properly monitor Ho Chi Minh.

“An independent Vietnam must never become a monarchy.”

Yes, he doesn’t want a monarchy. The Russian Tsar might be disappointed to hear that, but even the High Commission could see that public sentiment toward monarchy was not favorable here.

Besides, they had been told to transfer governmental authority depending on how this Ho Chi Minh behaved.

“We’re already in the process of forming a government, but may I hear your reasons?”

“First of all, the emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty who is to be installed was once a puppet of your country, France. The future Vietnam must be a fully independent nation. We cannot continue the remnants of the French Indochina period.”

High Commissioner d’Argenlieu was somewhat offended by these words, but at present, he couldn’t really reprimand Ho Chi Minh.

Those protesters could turn to armed struggle and become troublesome.

Come to think of it, they had planned to transfer the Vietnamese government directly to the emperor. This was clearly a negative reaction to that plan.

From the beginning, they intended to wash their hands of this place, so it didn’t really matter. There was no need to argue over details.

They just needed to withdraw.

They had no desire to fight.

“Hmm, if that’s what you want, we’ll step aside, so negotiate directly with the Vietnamese monarch.”

“Pardon?”

Why such a stunned expression, like a pigeon that’s been struck?

It means exactly what it sounds like.

Ho Chi Minh, who had been tense in anticipation of a dispute over the emperor that France was reinstating, was left feeling deflated.