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The Japanese prisoners of war in Central Asia, 1950s. Few hundred thousands of Japanese were not released until 1959, working in fields or mines operated by aristocrats and companies in which imperial officers had very profitable shares. Civilian, private contractors also profited from such activities, bluntly using term 'foreign serfs'.
There's something karmic about this, can't quite place it...
 
Incidentally, is Osman still at war with the Entente? I know in KR4 there's an event to make peace, but don't know if thats the case here.
I'm pretty certain those events exist for both the Princely Federation/Indian Empire and Bayrathiya Commune (or however you spell it)
 
That is what you call a crushing defeat. Too bad the Japanese didnt go the modern route instead of Shogunate 2.0, I want my vidja gamez. :p
 
Part 42: Eurasian Supremacy

"We are all parts of the Empire. When we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out."

- Tsar Peter IV 'The Black' in discussion with historian Randolph Churchill two months before his death

The true reason behind continued conflicts changing the map of world lied, above all, in survival of the Wrangel's imperial state. Build with only one purpose, to unleash a vengeance upon all the enemies and maintained only through conquests, it was hard to imagine what will happen in case of sudden end. The Tsar, who only accepted the title itself to maintain facade of historical succession, had no heir to speak of. Marshals and generals bitterly fought over his attention, creating their very own cabals of loyal officers. This, in case of Wrangel's death, could only lead to devastating civil war, perhaps waged with nuclear weapons and dragging rest of the world into it.

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After the end of conflict in the Europe, imperial propaganda changed focus again, now to building better future in the Greater Eurasia, the term used for the very first time. The ideological reasoning was that Russia now posessed every advantage of both European and Asian civilization and none of their weaknesses: Teutonic efficiency, Slavic love for the homeland, Latin beauty, same as Siberian resilience or Mongolian ferocity. A perfect synthesis. Which is still in danger, surrounded by enemies inside and outside it's borders, which still awaits for righteous wrath.

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The conflict in the Far East didn't end with the fall of Japanese client states. Once they were here, Russian marshals were ordered to be more...thorough.

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For a something which was in it's core a city-state, not unlike the medieval merchant republics in Italy, the resistance from militias, mercenaries and volunteers, including numerous crime syndicates, was fierce, determined and absolutely useless against Russian shock troops and firepower.

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Shanghai after last incendiary bombardment by the artillery, tanks and bombers.

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Not much was left in the burned pile which was once called Shanghai, but anything of worth or use was send back to the Empire.

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Not trusting the Thai monarchy as potentially either too pro-Japanese or pro-Entente one, new monarchy had to be established.

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The Yunnan remnant of the old Sun's experiment called Chinese Republic, was quickly destroyed. Now it was time to re-establish rule of the Qing Dynasty. Such a move wasn't at all certain, and many didn't that coming, but the Tsar was impressed by the defiance of the Xuantong Emperor, who resisted both Germans and Japanese to be their puppet, when he had first opportunity to do something with that. Millions of Chinese sacrificed their lives in glorious last stand of their Empire and their monarch continued to fight abroad as the head of Chinese government-in-exile, gathering funds and organizing resistance. Also helped by immensely corrupt collaborationist regime under Japanese supervision, their Emperor became essentially a popular monarch, a symbol of the nation, which was truly incredible development. Once the foreigners ruling the enslaved masses, now they were all the Chinese, members of one nation. One people, one realm, one emperor.

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After the war in the Far East, however, Russian Empire once again stood on crossroad. To said that Renewalist regime achieved all it's goals, would be to tell lies to oneself. Rebellions, maybe a full civil war can be expected at any time. Annexed territories needed sometimes decades of proper development, be it road building or indoctrination of local children, to grow new generations fiercely loyal to cause of Eurasian civilization efforts.

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Some alterations had to be done, despite everything: last Russian units left the China almost immediately after Emperor's return to the Forbidden City.

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There, clothed no longer as his ancestors in Manchu robes, but in the Chinese Marshal's uniform, proclaimed unification of China. He didn't forget to mention the immense sacrifices of lives and land to make this dream possible and no one from his subjects should have doubts about his resolve to make Chinese nation greater than ever: without any confirmation whether he did or did not acknowledged the new borders.

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In much more surprising move, London and the Dover occupation zones were returned to the British administration, same as Ireland. When the King Edward VIII. privately asked Russian Ambassador what changed (as the Russians rarely tried to explain their moves these days), the aristocrat answered, that they have no use for some radioactive potatoes and he shouldn't see it as anything else as worthless burden handed over to his people. The British themselves had to admit there's some truth to it: aside from obvious attempt to conceal the true reasons.

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It was no secret that Russian shipyards are building new fleets to rival the fleets of the Entente, and that Syndicalist regimes of Central and South America would be an ideal targets to strike with any transatlantic invasion force, which Entente feared now more than anything - more than nuclear war, all too real prospect, with their own bomb in development. The American syndicalists themselves were in better position, than one would have thought.

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The totalist demagogues never had a true hold over American states and fall of the Internationale caused actual liberalization in the red parties, slowly changing more into something closer to prewar Social Democrats rather than imposing Totalist dictatorships. When the Russian war machine crushed their powerful European allies, once just as spread on their own continent, the fear forced many to reconsider the policies domestic and foreign: especially reconcilliation with the Entente, only major world alliance powerful enough to have some chance to resist this new Eurasian hegemony or, as was hoped, consequences of it's dissolution and repeated chaos.

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The major advocate of such u-turn was new leader of Mexico, Vicente Lombardo Toledano, whose greatest concern was to keep northern territories reconquered from United States during their Second Civil War and ever since nervously awaiting the new war. Toledano, and his right hand Lazaro Cardenas, considered it victory itself, that Entente's focus didn't turn here yet. But now, they had to find them a new reason to leave them alone: like prospect of decades long, bitter guerilla war in Mexico, if Americans decided to march against them, with materiel and manpower support from other syndicalist nations, Centroamerica, Venezuela, Brazil etc. as the Mexicans were no longer so helpless, iliterate and backward as they were once. Formal alliance was impossible in this moment, but to prevent each other from being easy target for Russians and their lackies, unofficial truce was reality.

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So, I guess you need the succession to be sorted out fast - before the Tzar dies.
 
Great udpate as always, I had to catch up for the last three updates, and I'm liking it more so far! But I wonder how Japan would look like in this alt 21th century.
 
Great udpate as always, I had to catch up for the last three updates, and I'm liking it more so far! But I wonder how Japan would look like in this alt 21th century.

Most Alt-history regarding Japan seems to revolve around the question if there will still be anime or not.
 
Most Alt-history regarding Japan seems to revolve around the question if there will still be anime or not.
No pun intended, but I really want to believe. I mean, if Russia says so, Japan can start to slip of a bit of their isolation, just to trade and animation can become profitable as a propaganda tool.
 
Wait a second: What if the Chinese want Manchuria back? I mean, it kinda is the Aisin-Gioro clan's homeland after all.
Pu Yi seems to have dialed down the Manchu heritage a lot. He's still young, he'll bid his time.
So, I guess you need the succession to be sorted out fast - before the Tzar dies.
Oh come on where would be the fun in that? Let there be a succession like that when Alexander the great died.
 
So, I guess you need the succession to be sorted out fast - before the Tzar dies.

There is a plan for that, actually. From someone worse than Tsar.

Great udpate as always, I had to catch up for the last three updates, and I'm liking it more so far! But I wonder how Japan would look like in this alt 21th century.
Most Alt-history regarding Japan seems to revolve around the question if there will still be anime or not.
No pun intended, but I really want to believe. I mean, if Russia says so, Japan can start to slip of a bit of their isolation, just to trade and animation can become profitable as a propaganda tool.

Renewed Anglo-Japanese Alliance, most certainly, as Russia is very much like enemy of everyone and everything in this moment.

Wait a second: What if the Chinese want Manchuria back? I mean, it kinda is the Aisin-Gioro clan's homeland after all.
Pu Yi seems to have dialed down the Manchu heritage a lot. He's still young, he'll bid his time.

Oh come on where would be the fun in that? Let there be a succession like that when Alexander the great died.

He still received more from Russians than Russians took from him. Why not be friendly now and patiently wait for any weakness?

Russian Warlord Era is terrifying to everyone, though. Because there would be massive use of non-conventional weapons of ALL kinds, in the world torn apart by two decades of brutal warfare. This could be really war ending all the wars.