I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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* * *

Northern Manchuria

As the Red-White Civil War broke out and Russians sought refuge in Northern Manchuria, occasionally showing military presence, Zhang Zuolin, the warlord based in the three northeastern provinces, stationed his troops at the border with Russia in Northern Manchuria.

The troops in Shenyang had recently been encountering the Russian army almost daily.

Well, it was only natural since the White Army, which was receiving support through Manchuria, was expected to arrive sooner or later, but lately, it felt like they were really scouting this area.

“Isn’t the Russian army visible more often these days?”

“They’re getting supplies from the Americans. That must be why.”

“Hehe. Then we can get a little something from them too. As tolls, that is.”

“That sounds good.”

As the Shenyang troops, with their background as bandits, were scheming again, an army on horseback was galloping in from afar.

“But what are those guys? A cavalry division?”

“Which faction do they belong to? Wait, why aren’t they stopping?”

This time, the Russian army was strange.

There were white people speaking a language they didn’t understand but also yellow-skinned individuals using Chinese or Manchu, just like them.

“Crush the Chinese bandit groups and protect the Russians in Northern Manchuria!”

A diverse army with languages unheard of in China. The flags indicated it was indeed Russian troops, but the soldiers in Shenyang couldn’t imagine that the Russian army would advance southward.

Moreover, it was questionable whether Ungern’s army could even be regarded as the regular army of the Russian White Army. The one entering Northern Manchuria was the Asian Cavalry Division he had trained.

“We… we must send a message to the warlord.”

“First, hold the line!”

“These bastards! Daring to rebel against the great Russia that succeeded the Mongol Empire! Manchuria is the territory of Mongolia and rightfully Russian!”

“What nonsense-”

At this time, although Zhang Zuolin’s Shenyang troops were involved in the legal warfare and making a name for themselves in Manchuria, their limits were clear.

They only had experience in small-scale skirmishes or banditry in the northeastern region and lacked true combat strength.

Ungern’s cavalry division might not have a massive scale, but it was composed of Poles, Russians, Buryats, Tatars, Bashkirs, Mongolians, some Chinese, Manchus, and various other ethnicities, all under Ungern’s command, showcasing exceptional horse-riding skills and swiftly beating down the Shenyang troops.

The Shenyang troops stationed at the Russo-Chinese border were thoroughly stripped like a pickpocket being robbed.

Not that they weren’t stationed there due to confronting other warlords, but tens of thousands of soldiers suffered horrible defeats against Ungern’s few thousand troops.

Ungern viewed this purely as a conflict.

Even though Northern Manchuria fell into Ungern’s hands like this, Warlord Zhang Zuolin could not retake the area.

“Bastards!”

Ungern’s army might be far fewer in number compared to the Shenyang troops, but the disparity in combat power left Zhang Zuolin hesitant, thinking about the troops that would be expended in a battle against Ungern.

If he defeated Ungern, the Russian White Army, which was gaining the upper hand in the civil war, might take it as justification to advance into Manchuria.

Above all, behind Russia were the Great Powers.

Zhang Zuolin even contacted Japan for support, but Japan, which was planning a division of Manchuria rather than military intervention, had no intention of helping the Shenyang warlords in Northern Manchuria, which the Great Powers had tacitly approved.

In actual history, Zhang Zuolin would have been plotting to oust General Meng Yuanwai of Jilin, but this incident dashed those ambitions.

To Zhang Zuolin, who was based in Shenyang, the lands taken by Ungern’s surprise attack were practically his front yard.

At this time, Zhang Zuolin hadn’t yet fully established his power in the three northeastern provinces before ousting General Meng Yuanwai.

Ungern’s advance dealt a significant blow to Zhang Zuolin, who had been riding high during the legal warfare.

“Zhang Zuolin, you’re in a tight spot!”

Meanwhile, the Jilin General Meng Yuanwai, who had been degenerating under Zhang Zuolin’s restraint, was highly impressed by the Russian White Army and, unlike the actual history where he was ousted, was now aligned with the Russian White Army.

* * *

Northern Manchuria has slipped through their fingers.

“Why did this happen? How is this possible?”

According to Ungern, he crushed Zhang Zuolin’s bandit groups and planted the imperial tricolor flag in Northern Manchuria.

They say he is currently catching Reds in Harbin.

Zhang Zuolin has retreated to Southern Manchuria to regain his strength, but there was also good news.

General Meng Yuanwai of Jilin expressed his desire to align himself with them.

By a twist of fate, he had managed to extend his influence into Jilin Province.

And thus, a new year came along.

With the pretext of rebuilding the Russian economy, for our idol of revolution, Lenin, I introduced a planned economy, subtly mixing in a taste of socialism.

Of course, calling it a planned economy was just a fancy name, primarily reinforcing government intervention in a market economy into a controlled economic policy.

The various policies I pressed forward, even before the civil war ended, allowed for a hint of socialism, but the crucial point was that they were attempted before the Soviet Union did.

Originally, the Soviet Union would take the blame for these becoming perceived as standard policies of the Reds, but they were reborn from Anastasia’s hands.

With these actions, I might minimize the damage during the Great Depression.

What might Lenin be able to do?

In the end, he’d have to find something new that wouldn’t overlap with me. Regardless, such policies would surely stem from their ideology against private property.

At present, the Soviet Union was entirely incapable of doing anything.

What remained for them was wiping out the White Russians.

Merely increasing military strength would only arouse resentment from the Soviet people.

Ultimately, down the line, people might just end up saying, “The Tsarist days were better!” or more would come over here.

They’d repeat that vicious cycle.

Of course, we weren’t in perfect shape either during the civil war, so I can’t say that policies were successfully implemented.

However, isn’t it better than not doing anything at all and at least attempting something?

The reaction from the Russians among the White Army forces, both in the Commonwealth and elsewhere, wasn’t bad either.

“Doesn’t this feel a bit red?”

“Oh, what policy could possibly be red when our princess is behind it! The Reds are only copying our princess’ policies; they just follow along.”

“That’s true.”

“Then it’s good! What use are those incompetent Bolsheviks?”

The Bolsheviks are a group of Satan and utterly incompetent.

Bolsheviks are dirty cockroaches who only know how to incite with sweet talk.

The infamous reputation they’ve recently acquired is clear.

Bolsheviks are purely evil. They are dirty bugs that should not be dealt with.

The only thing they know how to do is conscript soldiers. Just about that much.

Trapped by the class-stricken army Trotsky has gathered millions of soldiers, but here they must heed the public’s sentiment.

They do nothing yet just draft soldiers and take them away.

Wouldn’t that just lead them to eventually say that the Tsarist days were better?

The Bolsheviks in a state of brain death.

The princess, who alone survived, is struggling to change the hearts of the subjects by running around.

Of course, given the context we are in, not all reforms were effectively implemented either. But it was clear that as the civil war had unmistakably divided the factions, there were no opposing vested interests.

Though slow, my Russia began to reap the benefits of reform.

In time, this would naturally lead to the White Russians of which I, the last princess of the Tsar, am a part.

In this Red-White civil war, it doesn’t seem like the White Army will lose.

No matter what they do, they will fall behind me.

Otherwise, they might just collapse on their own.

Well then, that’s settled.

I gazed intently at the Huns in front of me.

The bulldog from Britain named Winston Churchill, who was sulking since I had merely been reading the report and ignoring him.

This was the man colloquially known as Mr. Gallipoli, for having sacrificed countless Commonwealth men there.

He had come here as a special envoy after the reclaiming of Southern Russia.

“So what will you do about Northern Manchuria?”

“I must ask first, Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Are you truly not considering exile elsewhere? If you wish to maintain your status, I could tear apart the Ottomans and establish Constantinople as your dominion. The Roman Grand Duchy, the Duchy of Constantinople. What do you say?”

Isn’t it that the great war ended in a stalemate?

Ah, is the Ottoman the offering then?

Austria also paid for its responsibility and has become “the once dual empire,” but the core part, Germany, is quite solid.

Among the nations that participated in the negotiation side, France must have had the biggest tantrum.

The British probably fawned over the Kaiser, handing over their colonies without a care.

But it’s not like those went completely into France’s hands. So even if they tore the Ottomans apart, they could proclaim, “We won!” by showing off, right?

How much do they really want to tear into the Ottomans?

That’s not just disintegration level, is it?

And as for Constantinople? Does that mean I should be made the ruler of the Duchy of Constantinople, formerly known as Constantinople of the Ottomans?

Given that Anastasia holds the title of grand duchess, it would fit, but is it okay if I even have a piece of that?

I never intended to go there in the first place.

Of course, from the standpoint of Russia, which labels itself as the Third Rome, it’s a land that should rightfully be taken.

But this could merely be a simple bait.

Some lip service must be paid, right?

“If you gain the territory of Constantinople, your late Tsar would surely rejoice, claiming the glory of the Eastern Roman Empire has been restored.”

What am I supposed to do with just gaining Constantinople after losing the entirety of the Russian mainland?

Is that even possible?

If they just toss it like that, how can it be treated as a grand duchy? Wouldn’t it just be pitifully maintained like Luxembourg?

This is essentially a begging situation.

This cursed Gallipoli bastard.

Is he seriously saying I wouldn’t know anything when he’s already balding since his youth?

“Are you trying to beg?”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you saying you can’t even tolerate Northern Manchuria? Is that your stance? Your dog, Japan, has sunk the entire Russian fleet. Yet you’re worried we might advance into the Pacific? Or do you ignore us just because of our current state?”

This Gallipoli guy.

He should be grateful that I don’t call him Mr. Gallipoli to his face. And yet, he speaks so provocatively.

Upon hearing my words, the bald bulldog finally waved his hands in fluster.

“I did not intend to convey that at all. Please do not misunderstand. It appears I misspoke and upset you, Your Highness. Northern Manchuria is not difficult at all. It’s just that the Roman Grand Duchy was a strategic plan only in the event of a true emergency.”

“And?”

“After the civil war, if you could guarantee the independence of countries such as Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic States, Belarus, and Finland, I can assure you that the Caucasus, Mongolia, and Northern Manchuria will all become your jewels, Your Highness.”

The Caucasus? Oh, that place too?

Originally, after Germany’s collapse, British troops were stationed in that region, but has this changed in history too?

Even the British would find it difficult to station troops in lands that Germany has lost completely. They wouldn’t be able to settle in the Caucasus.

Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan.

These guys are trying to make a show of offering up their land.

In the first place, what should be offered has to be given.

To safely defeat the Reds, we must gather whatever strength we can.

The same goes for the Caucasus.

“Hmm, is that so.”

With how they’ve taken all the juicy lands from Germany.

Poland, the Baltic States, Belarus, Ukraine.

Out of these, Ukraine is the land responsible for Russian food, but afterwards, we need to increase free trade or Russia’s own production yields.

But among the White Army, there are those who resist losing Ukraine.

Take Pyotr Wrangel, who’s present here, for instance; he’s visibly displeased.

Getting Ukraine is something I truly wish for, but in reality, it’s quite impossible.

These guys themselves don’t have the capacity to manage it directly, which means they’re thinking of establishing a pro-British government there to extract independence guarantees from Russia.

Well, that’s fine.

Since I don’t know how long I’ll be here and am in dire need of support right now, if I’m stubborn about refusing to accept these terms and end up angering the British Huns to stop their assistance, it’d cause some inconvenience.

Alright then, it can’t be helped.

“I’m pleased that we are moving quickly. So the great powers must also recognize the legitimate Russian government as our White Russia.”

“Of course. How can we recognize such Satanic beings as a government? The Reds must be crushed. Even our King of the British Empire has permitted this.”

Seeing how smoothly this is progressing, it seems these concerning Huns are quite frightened of the red plague.