LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 60
* * *
Sun Yat-sen welcomed Chen Zhongming, who returned with a lot of Russian weapons support, with open arms.
“Hahaha. You’ve done well, Chen Zhongming!”
It was so warm that it felt like he could really hug him tightly.
For the Legalist Government, Russian support was like a timely rain during a drought.
“Tsarina didn’t dare mention Manchuria either. Hahaha!”
Chen Zhongming secretly scoffed, yet outwardly, he boldly proclaimed his stance in front of Tsarina.
“Of course. The imperialist Tsarina has no choice but to acknowledge our Legalist Government.”
Lenin, being the idol of the Bolsheviks, met a fitting ‘explosive ending’ that painted him as a communist dreamer in White Russia, while Sun Yat-sen was truly the dreamer himself.
Unlike the original history, this side had struggled through tough hurdles to finally form the Legalist Government. He was convinced that his government was just and held a righteous cause.
Just like Joseon tried to civilize Japan and the Jurchens with Confucianism, Sun Yat-sen believed he had touched the heart of the imperialist queen in Moscow.
‘Just wait and see.’
With a broad smile plastered on his face, Chen Zhongming quietly sneered at Sun Yat-sen from behind.
With Russian power behind him, Chen Zhongming quickly armed the army, rising as a hero of the Legalist Government.
Chiang Kai-shek felt threatened by Chen Zhongming’s actions.
Isn’t this a bit suspicious?
It seemed intended for Chen Zhongming to strengthen his position within the Legalist Government.
Thus, he personally went to confront Chen Zhongming.
He wanted to confirm whether Chen Zhongming had sold out China to the Tsarina.
After all, the risk existed that he might sell out not just Manchuria but all of China.
From past dealings, Chiang Kai-shek knew that Chen Zhongming was not someone who blindly obeyed Sun Yat-sen. This made it all the more suspicious.
“Did Tsarina really provide all those weapons?”
“Indeed. Is there a problem?”
“She truly said she’d support us regardless of Manchuria?”
“Tsarina said she would support us irrespective of that, so there shouldn’t be any issue.”
Chen Zhongming pretended not to know and brushed it off.
“It’s hard to believe she would give us such support without any strings attached.”
Isn’t that strange?
Tsarina? I’m not quite following.
The fact that Tsarina, who has friction over Manchuria, would offer aid is quite odd, don’t you think?
“Of course, there are leftover issues with Manchuria and Mongolia, but it seems Tsarina does not want Japan to collaborate with Duan Qirui’s Beiyang Government.”
“Huh.”
Chiang Kai-shek found that a bit strange.
What’s Russia doing getting involved in Chinese matters? Given the situation, Russia wouldn’t back Sun Yat-sen’s Legalist Government, which criticized the Russian and Japanese conquest of Mongolia and Manchuria.
Especially since Chiang Kai-shek had never been to Russia himself, but considering what Tsarina experienced during the civil war in Europe, concretely supporting a potentially troublesome Legalist Government in Asia made no sense.
“Hmm.”
“Or do you think I offered up China to Tsarina?”
Look at that sly face.
He had an expression like that because his position was improving.
No, Chiang Kai-shek hadn’t really considered that far.
Why would Tsarina, after winning the civil war and regaining her territories in Europe, have her eyes set on mainland China?
So, it wouldn’t really be necessary to suspect him as a traitor.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Chiang Kai-shek gently shook his head.
There was no need to draw a line with Chen Zhongming, who was acting as a conduit to the Russian Republic.
Am I being overly sensitive?
The current situation in Europe leaves little room for concern over China due to Red Germany, and Russia is the only power that could offer support.
While it’s unclear what Chen Zhongming might have given away, the immediate concern is how to respond.
He might have thrown in a few local interests for leverage.
Should it later come to light that he had engaged in treachery, he’d deal with Chen Zhongming and grant Russia merely Manchuria, and how would it unfold then?
* * *
As the reforms progressed, I nearly wore my face away.
No matter what I did, I was pushed to the forefront.
Especially like Princess Olga, who nursed the imperial army; I was out there doing it myself.
If Tsarina were to ask if it was acceptable for me to act like this, honestly, would it be possible?
I was just doing what I’d been told not to do.
Of course, I wasn’t wandering about thoughtlessly; on the surface, I claimed it was to address the public mood that Tsar Nicholas II had ruined, to stabilize the sentiment that was all over the place post-war.
And then.
“Tsarina herself is coming to the construction site. What is this?”
I never imagined I’d find myself on the site witnessing Hitler firsthand.
As I was off giving towels and water to the workers, the man with the mustache appeared with a startled expression.
Is this guy actually overseeing the site?
I had only instructed them to draw according to the building plan, putting architects beside them; why was he there?
Seeing the young, shocked face of Hitler, I couldn’t link this face to the future Führer of Nazi Germany.
Is it true that people need to start on different lines?
“This much effort is necessary to turn around the public sentiment that my father has dragged down into the abyss. At least it will allow Tsarina to earn a title of working for the United States populace.”
A monarch actively engaging in the 20th century.
I know perfectly well how astonishing that is. If I set that precedent, it’s done.
“Essentially, aren’t you the only hope for Russia, Your Majesty? If any insidious forces were to arise.”
Insidious forces.
There shouldn’t be any left.
There may be some with a grievance against me due to their families being killed, but that’s why I’m coming out here like this.
I’ve brought a few Cossacks to the construction site, so anyone who might target me would meet their end at their hands before they could even try.
Or else, I don’t expect to die by gunfire just yet.
Plus, there’s the Okhrana trailing behind me.
“Those guys all died off long ago. By the way, was Private Adolf inspecting the building here directly?”
“He is discussing with the architects how to proceed with the Moscow city project, but no matter how you look at it, we can’t compromise on aesthetics.”
“Oh, the aesthetics, huh.”
It makes sense to think that way about Hitler.
After all, he was someone who valued aesthetics highly. He’d probably come to some sort of compromise.
“There’s certainly that aspect. If we focus only on practicality, the city’s appearance might be a bit off, don’t you agree?”
“Well, it’s one of the cities that would play a major role as the capital, so that’s fair enough.”
Moscow isn’t exactly up to German standards in architecture.
Since he introduced the architects to consider aesthetics, it seems like Adolf had his own thoughts on it.
It seems fortuitous. It’s about time I helped open up a new path for Hitler.
The reconstruction of Moscow city is ongoing, and now that the outline is somewhat established, Hitler must be realizing the time has come.
“The Czech Legion will soon head to Austria. It’s evident they will become the Kaiser’s elite forces. You too must decide on your destination.”
“Yes. I plan to head to Austria. That’s why I’m checking things before I go back.”
Well, it matches what I’ve heard.
In fact, if Hitler were to say in passing that he would go to Austria and announce that he’d become the Führer of Nazi Germany, it could get quite troublesome.
At that point, I might need to take action through Okhrana covertly.
Then what should I tell our soldier, Private Adolf, heading to Austria?
“Keep in mind, Austria is drowning in red pestilence from all sides. You’ll likely have a tougher time than me. After all, I have a title as a princess, so I can be a unifying figure.”
I’d managed that just fine with my Romanov title.
But can this Hitler, in this world, really succeed in Austria instead of Germany?
Looking at his agreement with Gaida, it seems he wants to leverage Gaida’s military might for something, but I’m curious how he plans to approach that.
“Do you have any plans for that?”
Well, I’m interested to find out what he’s thinking.
“For example, I’ll rally the people under the anti-communist banner by invoking our Russian Civil War. Then, we’ll call for unity against the incoming red waves represented by Hungary and Slovakia, who were members of the Empire.”
If Hitler wants to make a move, that’s his only way.
In order to oppose the Bolsheviks without Germany, he’d need to re-incorporate Hungary and Slovakia into the Empire under an anti-communist sentiment.
He’d also have to temper the sentiments of the Czech populace.
Times are not bad.
Saying Austria will be followed by Hungary and then Slovakia, before announcing the proposal for reorganization of the United States, would pull them together.
If the name Austria doesn’t sit well, then something like the Danube Federation wouldn’t be too bad either.
Ultimately, to get the notoriously difficult to merge factions together, they need a common enemy.
Communist Germany and Italy could serve as excellent catalysts for that.
Even so, it’s likely a higher degree of difficulty than Germany.
“I can just sense it. As a veteran of the Great War, you’ll need to restore Hungary and Slovakia as part of Austria. It’ll be tougher than it was for me.”
I’m just collecting warlords, after all.
I’m equipped with an invincible cheat.
Hitler now has to face off against the weakened Austria in Communist Germany.
The treaty made with Austria likely won’t be easily resolved by the UK and France, given the impact of Communist Germany.
It’s quite possible that having to fight against former enemy volunteers who fought in the Great War changed Hitler’s mindset.
“Still, it must be done.”
Private Adolf clenched his hands, his eyes burning with determination.
There’s one more thing I need to confirm before sending him off.
“I sensed some negative feelings towards Jews. Is that still the case?”
This guy could be a problem after all.
I think about it over and over, and the only thing troubling me is that.
There’s always the chance the later Lebensraum policies executed by Russia, which end up calling them a country of Jews, might lead to invasion.
Though the reasons for invading the Soviets are not simply for Lebensraum, I may not need to worry that much about it.
But if his ideology turns against Russia in the future, that would be an issue.
Whatever he heard from me, our mustached soldier pulled out a book from his breast pocket.
The title was “Towards the Destruction of Communism.”
“I heard ‘Towards the Destruction of Communism’ was written by a Jewish woman called Ayn Rand. I believe she attended Moscow State University.”
“Oh, I know her.”
I found myself nodding unconsciously.
Wait, when did she write that? I heard the education department was publishing anti-communist material, and they might have gotten Alisa Rosenbaum involved.
I never expected Alisa Rosenbaum would write a book called ‘Towards the Destruction of Communism’.
The pseudonym was likely Ayn Rand. It seems likely correct.
“The author deeply grasped the true nature of communism at a very young age, based on her experiences. From that, I realized that not all Jews are Bolsheviks.”
So, it appears that in our mustached soldier’s mind, it evolved from Bolsheviks > Jews.
“What’s the dream you ultimately want to achieve?”
“To obliterate the Bolshevik scum that ruined Great Germany and unify Germany under the leadership of Austria and Vienna.”
Well, that makes sense.
If that happens, and Communist Germany crumbles with the former constituent members regaining independence, unifying Germany would be a positive outcome without loss.
There’s no hint of deceit in his eyes.
It seems all the fury directed at Jews has been misdirected towards the Communist Party.
Wasn’t it the person who instigated the Holocaust by vowing to exterminate Jews in actual history? Now, instead of Jews, all reds in the world would face Hitler’s wrath.
Thinking about it this way, it seems supporting Hitler isn’t too bad.
If executed properly, I could set Hitler up as an anti-communist shield to obliterate all the reds.
I prefer to keep my hands clean and let someone else cook.
If I claim I’ll kill all the reds, wouldn’t it put a damper on my saintly image?
On the other hand, it would work out just fine if Hitler took care of everything.
“Re-establishing a dual empire sounds tough. Quite remarkable. The red waves will surely try to engulf Austria. At that moment, lend your support to my position in Austria.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll make sure to help those from Volga Germany assist you.”
With that, I left the construction site behind.
The real question is whether that will pan out.
Personally, I just hope Hitler manages to make a sturdy bulwark. If he doesn’t, I’d have to bolster him separately.
This side shares a border with China, so Hitler’s Austria must perform well.
Of course, there won’t be worries about China for many decades.
But to ensure there aren’t any worries, I would need to work some schemes against China.
Now then, the next destination is one place.
Honestly, I’m also curious about the book “Towards the Destruction of Communism” written by our dear Adolf.
Yeah.
It’s time to meet Alisa Rosenbaum.