I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

---

In the Empire of Japan, Mutaguchi Renya, who was progressing smoothly, was assigned to the South Manchuria Railway Company. In other words, he became the commander of the army known as the Manchurian Army.

To be precise, it was the army pushing for Renya Mutaguchi, who had built a separate friendship with Russia for the expansion into China.

However, there was one problem.

“The Irregulars are a problem. Hmmm.”

The Irregulars who had fled to Southern Manchuria were conducting various terrorist acts against the Japanese army in the region.

What on earth do those Irregulars, these disobedient Koreans, have to complain about while living as subjects of the Empire?

Actually, Renya Mutaguchi didn’t care whether the Koreans had complaints against the Japanese government or if they sincerely lived as loyal subjects.

Even if the Koreans who pledged their loyalty to the Emperor right in front of him were to die from a plague, as long as it wasn’t the red plague, he wouldn’t mind at all.

He simply hoped the Koreans wouldn’t cause any strange trouble here.

“Well, what should I do about these Koreans?”

He didn’t mind hunting down the Koreans, but Renya Mutaguchi believed he was one of the most outstanding elite officers and soldiers in Japan, a samurai.

It wasn’t fitting for someone in such a position to go hunting down the Irregulars who occasionally terrorized the railways.

Moreover, even if he did hunt them down, it would be a problem.

After all, it would mean he was suppressing the Koreans who engaged in terrorism.

As one responsible for maintaining order in Southern Manchuria, to hunt down these Koreans would imply a failure of law and order in Southern Manchuria, which would become known in the interior.

This would create significant issues for his elite career path.

Besides, the Koreans who had come from the interior to Southern Manchuria were not making much money, so there were some who subtly sympathized with the Irregulars.

While he was sulking at such thoughts,

!!

Renya Mutaguchi’s mind raced quickly.

The planned Japanese hero recognized by the Saint of All Russia, the Great Khan of Mongolia, the Tsarina of All Russia, and the Emperor of Eastern Rome, Anastasia, had a brilliant idea.

“Aren’t there some Koreans in the Asian Cavalry Division?”

I am sure there were quite a few Koreans in the Asian Cavalry Division.

It seemed that the yokels had gained some combat power fighting with bandits in Manchuria, making their way into Russia’s Asian Division.

How about transferring them all over there instead?

They could help fill the lacking Far East troops of our ally Russia, while also secretly sending away the Irregulars without informing the interior.

Isn’t that perfect?

Of course, if it became known back home, they would be furious, demanding to capture all the Irregulars, but Mutaguchi Renya decided on this plan, considering Russia as an ally.

Thus, Renya Mutaguchi contacted the Asian Cavalry Division stationed in Northern Manchuria separately.

But lo and behold, the Korean he had seen before appeared.

“Hey. Didn’t we meet somewhere?”

Yeah. That Korean, what was his name again?

Mutaguchi Renya lamented that neither Ungern nor Semenov, generals of the same great powers, were present here.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of Hong Bum-do noticing or because he was intimidated.

Renya Mutaguchi decided to deceive Hong Bum-do with his elite-level acting.

“Oh my! What are you talking about? I, Mutaguchi Renya, a Colonel of the Manchurian Army of the Empire of Japan, know nothing of Koreans!”

“Or not. Are you angry or something? But why do you want to hand over Koreans?”

For Hong Bum-do, there was nothing bad about it.

After all, being in the Asian Cavalry Division was fundamentally about growing his strength to build an army.

Naturally, if Koreans came over during that process, it was a good thing.

But, was this an attempt by the Japanese army to pass off Koreans?

Could it be a ploy to infiltrate and spy on Russia from within the Asian Cavalry Division?

“Literally, there are many Koreans causing disturbances in Southern Manchuria, so I want to hand them over to our ally, Russia.”

So, this statement didn’t make sense.

Even if they were allies, would they really just hand over colonized people like that?

“No, no. Is it normal to just hand them over like that?”

“Just get it in one go. Only understand when I say it nicely. This is why Koreans are tsk tsk.”

Mutaguchi Renya clicked his tongue at the situation not going as planned.

Why were Koreans always so suspicious?

And it was at that moment Hong Bum-do began to understand.

“I see. This guy. He’s saying that if the Koreans keep causing trouble in Southern Manchuria and it gets discovered by the interior, he’s in trouble.”

In other words, he was saying that he was reluctant to face punishment.

Sure, for now, it would be great if they could hand over the Koreans like that. But nothing could be tried unless his superior, Ungern, returned.

Originally, Hong Bum-do had entered the Asian Cavalry Division to earn money and build strength for the future as it had become impossible to wage war against Japan due to a shortage of supplies.

Little did he know things would work out so well.

“Wait a minute. If played right…”

Could this fool armed with such a ridiculous rationale be taken advantage of?

“Sure. But could I ask one thing? Then I can bring the Koreans causing disturbances in Southern Manchuria by keeping my mouth shut.”

“Hmmm?”

“Actually, the Russian Far East army is only equipped with older weapons. The Russian homeland is too focused on the European army right now, so I think it’ll be ages before supplies come in. Until then, we’ll probably take heavy losses in battles with Chinese bandits.”

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

To Hong Bum-do, the Asian Cavalry Division was the strongest.

Thousands of troops were beating down the tens of thousands of troops of the Chinese warlord Zhang Zuolin like they were dogs and hadn’t they claimed Northern Manchuria as Russian territory?

However, the Asian Cavalry Division’s main force had gone to Europe to deal with the Bolsheviks.

Naturally, the number of cavalry troops of European descent was small, and mostly only poorly armed Asian troops were left.

So, it made some sense.

“Oh ho. You want new weapons of the Empire? That’s fine. After all, you seem to have entered Russia not as an Irregular, so I don’t mind that much.”

Is this guy really that stupid?

I asked carefully, but I didn’t expect this kind of answer.

If that’s the case, then it’s perfect.

If we receive Japanese weapons while the stockpile of the Far East army is low, we can easily arm ourselves.

Thus, Hong Bum-do received a lot of Japanese weapons from Mutaguchi Renya.

* * *

The Legalist Government of the Republic of China.

The Republic of China found itself caught up in the snowball thrown by Anastasia as the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

Right. The Legalist Government opposing Duan Qirui’s dictatorship of the Beiyang government found itself in a difficult situation.

In actual history, they would have actively contacted the Soviet Union to reform the Chinese Nationalist Party and received Soviet support for the Northern Expedition. However, in this altered history, it became difficult to build up forces significantly.

The Chinese Communist Party was established, but of course, due to the absence of the Soviet Union and the Comintern, the influence of the Communist Party within the Nationalist Party was very weak.

However, it was merely a matter of time before their timeline was delayed slightly.

Other than the lack of Soviet support and the weakening of the Communist Party, things flowed quite similarly to actual history.

Around this time, Sun Yat-sen fiercely fought against warlords who advocated for democratization like Chen Zhongming.

Sure, Japan and Russia occupied Manchuria and expelled Zhang Zuolin, and initially, they sought unity. However, during this time, Sun Yat-sen, who advocated for the Northern Expedition and Three Principles of the People, was not regarded favorably by the warlords.

Sun Yat-sen’s position was weak as he struggled for survival alongside the Nationalist Party, who had barely managed to cooperate with the warlords amidst much hardship, and the Communist Party, which supported him, consisted only of a ragtag army.

Above all, unlike actual history, the enemies mentioned in this Northern Expedition were not just the Beiyang government but possibly Japan and Russia as well.

The warlords did not want to share in Sun Yat-sen’s empty talk of Three Principles of the People.

However,

Sun Yat-sen was the president of the Legalist Government of the Republic of China.

Under him, the future of China had to be discussed.

“Japan and Russia have stationed themselves in Manchuria. What should our Nationalist Party do now?”

“That foolish Zhang Zuolin has finally given in to Manchuria. We should have captured that guy long ago. Duan Qirui seems to have made a deal with Japan; he hasn’t said much.”

“Is the alliance between Japan and Russia confirmed?”

“Not an alliance, but judging from the atmosphere in Manchuria, they seem to be cooperating at least in that region.”

As always, the meeting was chaotic.

Now it had become a part of daily life.

The Legalist Government was lost in its path.

Recently, they had sent Wang Jingwei to Japan to demand an apology and reparations, provoking Japan even further.

Then they needed to create at least one ally.

At that moment, it was Zhang Jieshi, who had escorted Sun Yat-sen through rough times even more treacherous than in actual history, who stepped forward.

“I will go to the Russian Republic.”

“You?”

“Yes. I’ll go and seek support from the Russian Tsarina.”

If only they could get support from Russia, the Northern Expedition could become possible.

Of course, they would need to offer some carrots in that process, but now that relations with Japan had soured, they needed to have the military power of Russia as an ally.

Even though they were close with Japan, Japan’s relations with Russia during the Russo-Japanese War were not very good.

“However, we won’t be able to regain the Manchurian territory we’ve lost. Besides, as for saints and the Republic, the packaging sounds great, but in the end, the Tsarina of Russia is nothing more than an imperialist. If we prefer to be weak, she won’t send us support.”

Sun Yat-sen shook his head, revealing his discomfort.

“If we ask for support on the condition of tolerating Northern Manchuria, wouldn’t they at least support us rather than Duan Qirui?”

“Although it’s called a power return, that itself contradicts our principles. What does it matter if we compromise and overthrow the current Beiyang government?”

In the end, the conclusion was no acknowledgment of anything.

Only with the current strength of the Nationalist Party could they complete the Northern Expedition and oust Duan Qirui.

That was the thought of Sun Yat-sen,

An act almost no different from that of an empty dreamer.

He couldn’t see reality at all, which only left Zhang Jieshi frustrated.

And then, the suspicious current was sensed by Chen Zhongming, who had other ideas.

‘Wait a minute. If things go well…?’

If things went well, perhaps they could stop the Northern Expedition.

Or rather, they could always band with those of the same mind to oust Sun Yat-sen at any time. But what if he made peace with Russia, which he had rejected?

Once they gained support from Russia, how about advocating for self-government?

I heard that Duan Qirui had already improved relations with Japan.

If he also gains Russia as an ally, where would that leave Chen Zhongming?

Chen Zhongming decided to go directly to Yekaterinburg before severing ties with Sun Yat-sen.

But first, he would need to persuade the temporary president in office.

He had to persuade him in a different sense.

“Mr. President, I will go.”

“You? To Northern Manchuria—”

No way.

He didn’t plan to go in the same manner as Zhang Jieshi.

“No, I mean, I won’t bring up the Manchuria issue right away; I will only request support. The Tsarina of Russia is a hero who overturned the Bolsheviks with her dictatorship and authority. Just beneath her, China is groaning under Duan Qirui; wouldn’t she want to help? More importantly, this would be a good opportunity for a humbled Russia, as a great power, to regain influence over China.”

Words that a dreamer would love to hear.

Sun Yat-sen found some validity in it when he listened.

It was absolutely unacceptable for them to occupy Manchuria as they pleased.

However, if they could gain something while not acknowledging that, wouldn’t it work?

Although it was mere wordplay, it was a hugely important issue for Sun Yat-sen.

A way to extract something without selling out the land of China.

An excellent opportunity to borrow the strength of Russia to eliminate the enemy without directly attacking him, solely through support of weapons.

“Indeed. That does make sense. You plan to go yourself?”

“Then we would shed less blood in the Northern Expedition, wouldn’t we?”

“Alright. I trust you with it.”

Although there had been some friction due to the self-government theory, it seemed Sunshine was pleased since he had adjusted to it recently.

This alone was enough.

Sun Yat-sen was being complacent.

If things went well, they could really establish self-government, and thus Chen Zhongming’s journey to Russia was decided.