Ch.68Japan and England

* * *

Even I can’t be generous to a country that tried to kill me. They should be grateful there’s no war.

They need to understand I’m being very lenient right now.

Even now, if nothing is said, I can’t intervene if they take Lithuania. But it seems they’ll be displeased.

I’ve just left it at this for now.

Honestly, even now they’re this agitated, and if Russia tolerates them building up their strength, Poland might harbor other ideas.

A few more things will be added to this.

Absolutely no Russian troops can enter Polish territory without a request from the Polish government. This means military passage rights require prior consultation.

“Then, you’ll definitely provide us with weapons, right?”

“As long as Poland doesn’t betray us, yes. And one more thing.”

Unlike Austria, with whom we have a mutual defense treaty, Poland is a country we’ll support but still can’t help being wary of.

This time, because of the assassination attempt, we were able to take the lead in the agreement.

“What else?”

“Since we’ve had prior consultation, let’s set a date for the agreement and you can come to Moscow.”

This much should satisfy the Russian people, right?

“To Russia?”

“Austria eventually lost territory to Serbia, but Russia will be different.”

“!!”

“If you don’t come to Russia personally, I don’t have such a tight grip on the military, so I won’t be able to appease them after their anger over this incident. Do you object?”

I said with a confident smile.

Even I can’t stop the military when they’re excited.

For example, Anton Denikin’s Special Military Operation.

“…I understand.”

Good. You have to accept everything.

That’s right. That’s how you’ll live longer.

With this, Poland will be officially recognized as aligned with Russia.

Communist Germany will definitely have to target Poland to reach Russia.

“Hah, it still doesn’t feel right to be this lenient. There’s no guarantee those bastards won’t bare their teeth at us.”

On the way back, Ungern seems unable to shake off his anger.

As a monarchist, he must be displeased that the Tsar nearly died at the hands of a Pole.

“That’s right. It’s only because Józef Piłsudski is there now that there’s some control. Even he orchestrated this despicable assassination attempt behind our backs.”

Whether Poland trolls us later or keeps its promises to Russia, either way, it doesn’t matter.

If they honor the Anti-Comintern Pact, they won’t be swallowed up by anyone.

If they don’t honor the agreement?

They won’t receive any sympathy in this history.

“Does that mean something will happen during his successor’s time?”

“Yes, probably.”

Even now an assassination attempt has occurred, so what about his successor?

If Józef Piłsudski chooses his successor well, maybe… but I’m not sure if the next leader can control Poland when it’s already this heated.

Countries entering the Anti-Comintern Pact include Poland, German Empire (East Prussia), Austria, Hungary, Romania, Western Ukraine, and so on. Should I openly include Lithuania?

Britain and France should also join.

“Your Majesty is truly remarkable.”

Deputy Minister Sazonov, who had been quietly listening, applauded.

“Deputy Minister Sazonov, what do you mean?”

“Didn’t Your Majesty actually plan all of this? Didn’t you even predict that Polish nationalists would cause trouble? Didn’t you put shackles on Poland by risking your own body?”

Uh, why is it turning out like that?

I may have anticipated it, but I didn’t aim for it.

The way Deputy Foreign Minister Sazonov looks at me is like he’s gazing at something sacred.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Indeed, since we couldn’t handle Poland through war, you’ve made them Russia’s lapdog this way.”

Ungern, why do you understand it like that?

I hope no more strange misunderstandings pile up.

Since we’re already in Poland, should we go to East Prussia?

The German ambassador has approached our side.

Asking us to stop by East Prussia.

I briefly considered it, but Ungern blocked this idea.

“Absolutely not. The road to East Prussia is dangerous, and German Reds might have infiltrated East Prussia.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

Didn’t they say German Reds were behind this assassination attempt? Then we don’t know where else I might be targeted.

“Your Majesty needs to preserve your health. This time is absolutely out of the question. You were lucky this time, but we don’t know what physical issues you might have. You must return home.”

With Vera Gedroits also blocking me, even I can’t argue.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough.”

My ears are getting tired of the nagging.

Well, there’s no choice, especially since there was an actual assassination attempt. The Kaiser of East Prussia can’t complain about me returning home due to assassination risks.

Conversely, if I invite him to Moscow, the Kaiser’s side would probably accept.

At least they’ll know we’re thinking about the German Empire.

I don’t know how many troops will come from that region, but we have Adolf’s army from Austria, so we’ll manage somehow.

“I wonder about Japan.”

They’re supporting the Beiyang Government.

With the damage from the Great Earthquake, they seem to be trying to gain Chinese concessions through the obedient Beiyang Government.

On the other hand, we’re selling weapons to the Zhili Government.

I’ve already sent word to them in case they react negatively.

“Hahaha! Why worry about those who can’t even properly manage their own colonies?”

“Major General, what do you mean?”

“Your Majesty’s heroic image has spread to Korea, and there’s a movement centered around the royal family to restore national sovereignty. So it seems quite a few troops have been deployed to Korea.”

So the snowball is rolling in Korea too.

Only when World War II breaks out will there be a legitimate way to beat Japan and help Korea.

But this way, Japan is losing money in various ways.

They’ve experienced the Great Earthquake, they’ll have to station troops in Korea for the time being, and it seems there are cases of Koreans and Manchus rebelling against Japan in the South Manchuria Railway.

Well, it’s good for us if they suffer.

They won’t think about attacking Russia again with these unnecessary concerns.

* * *

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan supported Duan Qirui’s Beiyang Government, which recognized the South Manchuria Railway Company.

Sun Yat-sen’s Zhili Government, which rose to overthrow Duan Qirui, irritated Japan by sending people to demand occupation of Manchuria or compensation for Chinese people who died in the Great Earthquake. It was obvious that if they took control of China, Japan’s interests from China would be endangered.

But recently, Russia has been supporting a man named Chen Jiongming, who belongs to the Zhili Government, with military advisors and weapons.

This was somewhat displeasing.

Hara Takashi, who survived the assassination in actual history and remained Prime Minister, Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo, and Foreign Minister Uchida Kōsai had to solve the China problem thrown by Anastasia.

“Is it true that the United States of Greater Russia has been supporting the Zhili Government recently?”

“According to the Russian ambassador, they have to help because the Tsarina has legitimacy.”

“Hmm. But this is a bit…”

“The Russian side said they want this civil war to grow larger. They said Chinese people fighting and bleeding among themselves would prevent them from becoming a threat to Russia and Japan.”

The Russian ambassador, following the Tsarina’s orders, gave a suitable excuse to the Japanese side.

That it would be beneficial for both countries if the Chinese fought and bled among themselves.

“Hmm. There’s some logic to that. But we’ll have to wait and see for now.”

They didn’t know what the Russian Tsarina was thinking, but Russia was currently an ally of the Imperial nation.

“More importantly, isn’t the House of Yi the problem? The Changdeok Palace Yi Wang.”

Changdeok Palace Yi Wang Sunjong Yi Cheok.

Although he was treated as royalty, with the heroic stories of Anastasia spreading to the Korean peninsula, Koreans were showing movements to restore national sovereignty centered around the House of Yi.

Japan responded to this with ruthless military suppression, as if telling them to eat shit. They eagerly placed Sunjong under house arrest under the pretext of protecting him from rioters.

Unlike actual history, a significant number of Japanese troops entered the Korean peninsula to prevent independence movements by “unruly Koreans.”

Money was already being lost on Korean development, and now there were additional stationing costs.

However, one problem occurred during the confusion after the Great Earthquake.

Prince Uichin Yi Kang of the Korean Imperial Family had gone missing.

The last place he was spotted was Andong, near the border between the South Manchuria Railway and the Korean peninsula.

In actual history, Prince Uichin’s exile incident in 1919 was canceled due to increased Japanese surveillance of the House of Yi, but it changed after the Great Earthquake.

Prince Uichin Yi Kang was a person recently watched closely within Japan.

Unlike his corrupt father, he steadily followed an elite course and was knowledgeable about international relations.

“I think it’s better to treat the House of Yi well while simultaneously degrading them. About their history, I mean.”

“How so?”

“There are records that the ancestor of Joseon’s founder Yi Seong-gye surrendered to the Mongols when they invaded Goryeo, became a Mongol official, and then when the Mongols fell during Yi Jachun’s time, he attached himself to Goryeo.”

“Oh. And his son stabbed Goryeo in the back and founded Joseon. Wait, then we can say the House of Yi is a family of traitors who sold their country when the time came.”

In short, they would continue to treat them as royalty, but behind the scenes, they would thoroughly degrade them so they couldn’t become a rallying point for Koreans. That was the meaning.

“It seems good to instruct the Korean Government-General accordingly. Mobilizing Korean nobles directly could also be one method.”

To think they had to solve a problem here that the Korean Government-General should handle.

Recently, the Korean Government-General itself had become virtually nominal, with the mainland directly governing Korea.

If you think about it, this was ultimately caused by the Tsarina who gave hope to Koreans, but they couldn’t blame her for this.

* * *

The Tsarina bombing incident in Poland quickly spread from Europe to the world.

This was natural.

The Tsarina’s visit to Poland was unexpectedly a matter of great interest worldwide.

It was historic that the Empress of Russia, bearing numerous titles, extended her hand to Poland, which was once a Russian-occupied territory.

Some newspapers had already portrayed Anastasia as a symbol of peace.

Naturally, the bombing incident was enough to attract attention.

In Britain, they suspected that Poland, unable to distinguish right from wrong, might occupy Lithuania after this incident.

“To throw a bomb at the Tsarina who bravely attempted to improve relations with Poland. They just gained independence and now they’ve gone mad, trusting us.”

“It’s fortunate nothing serious happened. But won’t Poland target Lithuania next?”

“Surely they wouldn’t touch Lithuania, which is in our sphere of influence?”

“Would people who understand such things try to kill the Tsarina?”

“I’m doubtful whether Poland will play its role in encircling Germany. If they demand Lithuania…”

“First, we need to find out what conversations took place through the Tsarina. They wouldn’t have thrown a bomb without any thought.”

No matter how much they dislike Russia, they tried to kill the monarch of a nation spanning East and West.

This means that if the British Empire shows even a slight sign of weakness, who knows what those bastards might do.

So Britain decided to pay attention to the Baltic, and Józef Piłsudski’s dream of rebuilding the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was buried at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.