I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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“It’s a bit sudden, but if we acquire the Shanghai Concession, we can expand further into the sea and turn Shanghai into an international city, projecting our influence not just over Russia but across the globe and into Southern China as well.”

“Above all, if we look at Chinese history, the Chinese army will inevitably attempt to reclaim their land. With the Shanghai Concession, we can keep Southern China in check.”

Israel has rooted itself in this Chinese land, meticulously analyzing the habits of the Chinese and the nature of the local governments.

The Chinese regard this Israeli land as nominally their territory.

While the Yanxing Government and the Qing Dynasty are shielding us for now, to be honest, I have doubts about their reliability.

After all, the countries that survived thanks to the Rome Treaty are militarily strong and act as buffers.

Meanwhile, the local Jews, having settled in Central China, have developed a new dream, perhaps influenced by their Han nationalism.

The dream of a mighty Israel that the Chinese cannot dare to disregard, a Greater Israel.

Initiating an advance into Shanghai as the beginning of that dream wasn’t a bad idea.

“And it wouldn’t be bad for us not to claim sovereignty over the Israeli territory separately from the National Government.”

“Indeed, that wouldn’t be bad.”

It was uncertain how much damage could result from our first battle with the Chinese, and though Einstein didn’t want war, it seemed the cabinet had made a decision.

In the end, a unanimous decision was made to dispatch Israeli troops, sending a force of 20,000 soldiers.

As the Israeli cabinet made their decision, the local Okhrana branch in Southern China promptly took action.

Rumors spread that Jewish businessmen who spoke suspiciously good Russian in Chongqing had suffered greatly at the hands of warlords.

“We strongly condemn the arrogant and barbaric actions of the Chinese warlords, and we, the Jews, declare a Crusade against them!”

The Israeli army declared a Crusade, marking the beginning of what would later be known as the First Asian Crusade.

Meanwhile, during this time, the National Government, which was attempting to prevent the warlord coalition, was enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere.

When the war first began, Soong Mei-ling believed we could stop the warlords with our overwhelming national power.

But, alas, she was proven wrong.

“Tang Shengzhi has failed in defending Chongqing.”

“He failed while leading such a large army? We even brought weapons from Korea. Resource shortages shouldn’t have been the problem!”

While they were still lacking, many national troops were armed with weapons procured from Balhae.

It seemed sufficient to hold out.

However, regrettably, Tang Shengzhi failed to defend Chongqing and had to retreat.

“Commander Tang could hold out at first, but it was really the sheer number of warlords that overwhelmed him.”

Regardless, how could someone who killed the Emperor of an enemy nation fall so easily? Does this even make sense?

Tang Shengzhi was certainly a hero among heroes in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

He had the audacity to kill the sovereign of an enemy state.

That was the Emperor of Japan, the strongest country in the East.

Though the Japanese went mad and killed many of our people, he had triumphed, and at the very least, Tang Shengzhi was a symbolic figure of this National Government.

How could someone of his stature lose to mere warlords?

“Well, what are we supposed to do now?”

With this, we must fortify Wuhan as Chongqing has fallen.

“They say we’ll hold the Second Defense Line, but with the failure of the Chongqing Defense Line, sustaining the Second Line will be difficult.”

The Second Defense Line? Is that even reasonable?

The Second Defense Line effectively means surrendering half the National Government’s territory and taking a stand at Wuhan along the Yangtze, Xiang, and Han Rivers.

This area has many places to defend, and perhaps we can hold out.

If we falter here, the next line of defense stretches from Nanjing along the Jiang River, and that provides hardly any real defense.

At this rate, there may not even be enough troops.

We may have to bring forces from the northern border.

“We might have to mobilize soldiers from the Qing Dynasty’s borders.”

“If we don’t guard the Qing border, the Qing army could come over.”

“Wang Jingwei and Mao Zedong are under Russian influence, so they don’t plan to unify China. They won’t come over.”

“But a defense line alone won’t be enough. We lost in the front line, and we need time to reorganize, but will the warlords give us that time?”

“Redirecting the northern forces isn’t too hard. The problem is the Chongqing Defense Line, which was our best-prepared line, has now collapsed.”

Right. That’s the real issue.

Of course, Zhang Jin got caught up in a nuclear explosion, but that doesn’t mean the defense line automatically collapses.

No, to be precise, the remaining defense line must now be seen as more unstable than the area that suffered the nuclear incident.

“Well, asking for support isn’t an option.”

That was the problem.

Eventually, I had to ask for support, but there was no one to trust.

The United States is tied up with Eastern Japan and South America, and requesting support from the Rome Treaty would be foolish.

I could see Soong Mei-ling would be well aware of the demands they would make under the guise of helping us.

One day, Dairi came looking for Soong Mei-ling.

“Acting President. The Israeli army says they will militarily assist our country.”

“Jews? Why?”

What could the Jews be thinking in offering their help?

“A Jewish businessman who came to Chongqing for business was killed by the warlords, and they refuse to apologize for this incident.”

Came to Chongqing for business? I remember hearing that many Jews are wealthy. Did the warlords target them?

“Still, how did Israel become involved all of a sudden?”

There’s a strange smell hanging in the air. But we can’t be picky; we’re in no position to care about hot and cold rice.

We are already at the point of redeploying troops we stationed along the border with Qing.

It’s unlikely, but if those Manchurian guys suddenly decide to unify Central China, we will be overwhelmed with ease.

But for now, stopping the warlords is our priority.

“What are we going to give them in exchange for military support?”

With the justification that Jewish businessmen had been attacked, even if they offer military support, they must be expecting something in return.

“Nothing. Instead, they are asking for a permanent withdrawal of claims to legitimate Israeli territory.”

Hah, calling their territory legitimate in China.

Old Israel is a far-off land, and how dare they claim Chinese lands as theirs?

Although I could excuse Qing and Yanxing Autonomous Region, it was not something easy to approve.

“How much military support can they provide?”

“They claim they can support up to 20,000 troops from the thousands who participated in the Asian Allied Forces.”

Israel? Yeah, I’ve heard Israel has a strong military.

Most of them belonged to Russia and fought in the war. But how much could just 20,000 troops accomplish?

“Twenty thousand? Is that even feasible?”

In a newly founded country’s situation, that might look like a lot, but really, it’s not.

Twenty thousand is far too little to support Central China.

Would they even be able to make an impact in this war?

“From what I’ve seen of the Israeli army’s combat capabilities, they’re no joke. During World War II, their exchange rate with the Japanese army was favorable.”

China endured using human wave tactics, but Israel defeated the Japanese army purely through capability.

Of course, the overwhelming quality of weapons and the morale of the Japanese army played a part. Still…

For now, we had to grab hold of whatever help we could find.

“After all, we desperately need this kind of assistance. For now, let’s accept their proposal.”

While I didn’t say it directly to Soong Mei-ling, Dairi felt that this war was truly dangerous.

We had fled to Hangzhou, but now that the well-prepared Chongqing Defense Line had fallen, it was obvious.

“Essentially, this means we’re recognizing the current Israel. If my husband were alive, he wouldn’t have acknowledged Israel!”

Her husband, Chiang Kai-shek, envisioned a unified Republic of China, considering Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Manchuria as part of their land.

Soong Mei-ling felt the same.

As deeply rooted Han nationalists, they aspired to restore the pride of the fallen China by claiming sovereignty over all that land and reclaiming it in the future.

However, if they give up sovereignty, it would be hard to declare that land as their own internationally.

“Well then, we’ll just treat it as something we can brush off lightly.”

“Just like that?”

“While it may later provide the Israelis with justification to claim they occupy the land legitimately, we can simply retract it later.”

Sure, that would work.

After all, the Israelis are coming in to save their own face, right?

If they say something later, they wouldn’t be able to object much.

After all, they are quite far away. In the distant future, if we joined forces to march north and reclaim the land of Israel, we could never give up our claims to sovereignty.

Regrettably, without even considering the possibility of Israel obtaining the Shanghai Concession, Soong Mei-ling accepted the support.

* * *

After the decision to deploy the Israeli troops was made, I met Alisa Rosenbaum.

It was necessary to meet with someone from the Roman Nationalist Party and show some diligence.

As the Tsar, I needed to at least present a leaderly figure in soothing the Duma members.

In truth, this meeting was likely to be inevitable given Alisa Rosenbaum’s current position.

“Never would I have thought that Alisa Rosenbaum would now stand before me as a full-fledged Duma member.”

Now, she stood before me as a fully mature woman.

With the empowerment of women in Russia, Alisa Rosenbaum had swiftly ascended to become a politician in the Roman Nationalist Party.

“This is all thanks to Your Majesty, isn’t it?”

When we were rebuilding Moscow, she was still a sweet girl, but now she had become a woman over the age of forty.

But I’m still younger than her.

After all, in these cases, isn’t it better to distinguish women by appearance rather than mere age?

Of course, Alisa was slightly younger compared to other women her age.

I’m not sure if it was like that historically, but Alisa Rosenbaum had now become the leader of the Roman Nationalist Party, assisting me after Maria.

Since she represents the Roman Nationalist Party in the Duma, she works at the Kremlin to support me.

On the surface, it may seem odd, but as a puppet emperor, having politicians come to build camaraderie with me shouldn’t be too difficult.

Compared to the days of the Russian Empire, the emperor was playing along while looking after the Duma now.

Honestly, I never expected Alisa Rosenbaum to really dive into this world.

“Well, I really can’t believe she would actually come into the Duma.”

The Duma was filled with members, and while I couldn’t ask many questions, her sparkling eyes gazed at me in a worshipful manner, as if I were some rare beast or a deity, making me feel a bit uneasy.

Even now, she glows with excitement. I find it a little overwhelming.

“Well, it’s only natural to serve Your Majesty if I respect you! You are truly a saint! With your radiant golden hair and the grace of God, you don’t seem to age at all; you are a true saint! God has proven that our Russia is the country destined to rule the earth, and you are the Apostle of God!”

It evokes the feeling of some sycophant. A saint, huh? Yeah, that sounds lovely.

After all, that’s the kind of woman I am.

Hearing those words, I felt elated, unable to suppress a silly grin.

No matter how much I tried to maintain a serious demeanor, being praised like that naturally filled me with joy.

I cleared my throat.

“It’s just that I’ve been lucky.”

I’ve just had good fortune since I was resurrected. That’s all there is to it.

“By your will, China and Japan will be drenched in blood. Only you have the power to control the world, Your Majesty.”

“Anyone hearing this would think I’m truly the Saint of Death. It’s all merely because God protects me and Russia.”

But raising me too high can be toxic.

I firmly stated that all of this is thanks to God.

“So, this means that God respects Your will, doesn’t it? The lives and deaths of those cannot be anything but Your will, which is quite natural.”

In many ways, Alisa Rosenbaum has become terrifying.

If I interpret Alisa Rosenbaum’s words now, it implies that I am the mastermind behind the bloody civil war in China and Japan, and even God respects this.

In other words, it is utterly natural that the world, excluding Russia and Europe, is drenched in blood. Perhaps, since I’ve neither aged nor died, and Alisa gets to see me in person, she’s greatly affected by that in some way.

Hitler, in contrast, has become kinder (?), or rather, a proper “good boy.” In any case, Alisa Rosenbaum seems somewhat tainted now.

If the cause lies with me, I’d be hard-pressed to reconcile that with my conscience.

“Nothing comes from lifting me too high.”

Though I’m smiling, I really do fail at acting my age.

“Ah. I am not asking anything from Your Majesty. I will rise to the position of Prime Minister through my own efforts and visit the Kremlin every day to get Your grades!”

Her eyes are filled with madness?

Should I tell her that she isn’t cut out for the Prime Minister role right now?