I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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Sun Yat-sen pondered for a moment.

Recently, there had been an offer from the British side to sell weapons.

Thinking about it, there was a possibility after all.

“Then should we accept it?”

“That would be fine, since the condition is that Duan Qirui of the Beiyang government completely steps down. It’s not a complete downfall, but he said he would return to the Anhui warlords and would not seek a presidency again.”

“That’s true, but…”

It felt uncomfortable to end things like this.

They had finally gained some momentum.

“We don’t know how long Russia’s support will continue. At least, this war has allowed us to push Duan Qirui out, so isn’t that good?”

Indeed, Russia had provided support so far without cost.

A colonial power providing free support? That wouldn’t last long.

The Russian Republic would likely try to extract something from it as time goes on. They might even threaten military intervention if their proposal is rejected.

If things went this way, they could manage to push Duan Qirui out somehow, yet it had to be left in the hands of a foreign power.

Perhaps Russia and Japan didn’t want other great powers intervening either.

However, if they refused here, Russia and Japan would likely intervene militarily.

At that point, instead of pushing Duan Qirui out at gunpoint, Russia and Japan could just stamp a document that splits Duan Qirui and China.

Moreover, Sun Yat-sen was aware that he didn’t have long to live.

In that case, it was better to conclude things here and prepare for the next step.

His health had deteriorated recently, so he had to prepare for the future anyway.

“Ugh! Hoo. It can’t be helped. I guess we have to accept it.”

Ultimately, after some minor resistance, Sun Yat-sen accepted.

“Just as the Tsarina said.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Mao Zedong, who had practically become a confidant of Chen Zhongming, emerged from Sun Yat-sen’s office, puzzled by Chen Zhongming’s words.

“Would Sun Yat-sen have accepted this if he was in a normal state? Isn’t there someone who immediately goes to Japan? Even Russia is just there for support. It was all nonsensical. That man is swayed by ideals and emotions, not reality. He wouldn’t have accepted it.”

Right now, Sun Yat-sen’s health was failing.

In fact, at today’s meeting, his wife, Song Qingling, had been assisting him.

The day the Tsarina mentioned was approaching.

Once Duan Qirui stepped down, and Sun Yat-sen passed away, it would be the full commencement of the era of local autonomy.

“Now that I think about it, his health seemed different from before.”

Right. Honestly, even Chen Zhongming had been hoping.

But who would have thought it would turn out like this?

Originally, they had prepared for the worst-case scenario in case the proposal was not accepted.

Either assassinating Sun Yat-sen or forcing him to accept the proposal.

Of course, the Russian side had made it clear that they were willing to intervene seriously if Sun Yat-sen refused, so there was no way for him to decline.

“Now my death must be near. The Communist Party must be prepared, right?”

“Yes. The Communist Party is ready.”

“It’s about time for preparations.”

In anticipation of that day, Chen Zhongming and Mao Zedong were making preparations behind the scenes.

Eventually, once Duan Qirui of the Beiyang government stepped down, that would be the starting point.

Sun Yat-sen would soon be on his last legs. When that time came, Chen Zhongming would lead the local autonomy.

Thus, with Russia and Japan directly intervening, the conflict between the Legalist Government and Duan Qirui was concluded.

Unlike real history, Duan Qirui could hold real power, but that was as far as it went.

Duan Qirui himself recognized his limitations and agreed to step down from the governorship of the Beiyang government, becoming the commander of the Anhui warlords, essentially returning to being a warlord.

And now.

At the time when a new government was to be welcomed.

Sun Yat-sen reached the end more quickly than in actual history.

“Huff! Hoo!”

“Darling! Darling!”

Maybe it was because of the hardships from the Legalist War. Or perhaps because he had been overly concerned with the warlord coalition.

Sun Yat-sen’s health weakened faster than in actual history.

Before he died, a flash of thought crossed his mind.

The Tsar of Russia who intervened in China. And the United States. Chen Zhongming, the advocate of local autonomy. Ambiguously ending up as one unified nation on the surface, yet still divided by warlords.

His brain was spinning rapidly.

‘Wait, could it be!’

I’m not exactly sure what it is, but just before he died, everything seemed related to the Russian Tsarina.

That Chen Zhongming was going to betray and split China for the favor of the Russian Tsarina.

Of course, it’s uncertain whether the Tsarina in faraway Moscow would actually do that.

But one thing seems clear.

After his death, China would not be unified.

No matter what. Somehow, somehow he had to rise up. He at least needed to inform Chiang Kai-shek of this fact.

Sun Yat-sen tried to squeeze out his thoughts about his posthumous affairs to his wife, Song Qingling before dying.

“Darling. Darling. Please say that again. What are you saying?”

Already finding it hard to speak, Sun Yat-sen took one last look at his wife’s tear-streaked face before he passed away.

With news of Sun Yat-sen’s passing, many in the Legalist Government mourned.

However, taking this as an opportunity, Chen Zhongming summoned Mao Zedong.

The day had finally arrived.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Chen Zhongming and Mao Zedong had been waiting for this day.

To establish local autonomy, it was necessary to undermine the deceased Sun Yat-sen as much as possible.

In short, while everyone mourned Sun Yat-sen’s death, it was time for them to pour cold water on his memorial and point fingers.

Under Chen Zhongming’s order, Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party claimed in the shadows that Sun Yat-sen had actively accepted the proposal, drawing foreign intervention.

“Sun Yat-sen was aware that his days were numbered. He accepted the proposal, appearing normal, to self-aggrandize as much as possible!”

“No way! Teacher Sun Yat-sen?”

“Are you saying he would do something so obvious?”

“Inside the Legalist Government, there are many who have been disappointed in Sun Yat-sen because of this!”

“Indeed, it did seem strange for Russia and Japan to suddenly present a proposal and have it accepted.”

The mainland boiled over with conflicting truths regarding Sun Yat-sen.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely incorrect.

Sun Yat-sen hadn’t been able to judge properly before he died.

While a faction still respected Sun Yat-sen in Central China, it was enough to cause unrest among the warlords.

Since they had come together due to Sun Yat-sen’s influence,

their relationship was like walking on thin ice.

Anyone could rise and challenge for the hegemony of the Republic of China at any moment.

Then, coincidentally, Chen Zhongming, the warlord commander from Guangdong, summoned the warlords.

Though Chen Zhongming’s summoning wasn’t very pleasant, he had been one of the last to offer advice to Sun Yat-sen, so the warlords couldn’t ignore his call.

Most importantly, Chen Zhongming’s army was elite, nurtured directly by the Russian White Army advisory corps.

Not answering the summons was like openly challenging him, so they came to see how Chen Zhongming would act this time.

So gathered at the summons were notable figures like Wang Jingwei, Chiang Kai-shek, Tang Shaoyi, Tang Jiyao, Xu Shuzhong, Qu Tongfeng, Chao Kun, Wu Peifu, Feng Yuxiang, among others, all of whom were warlords who had clashed against each other.

Among them, Chiang Kai-shek, who considered himself Sun Yat-sen’s successor, wore a face filled with discontent but planned to endure until Chen Zhongming began to rattle on.

Thus, with a face filled with frustration, he decided to take the initiative to speak first.

“Hey, what now, Commander of Guangdong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Now that the provisional president has died, isn’t it time for you, who has the support of Russia, to take hold of China?”

Sure. That would be one good way.

Honestly, for a moment, Chen Zhongming felt such ambition rise within him.

However, that wasn’t a good thought.

Frankly, the Anhui warlord Duan Qirui had not been completely subdued, nor had he truly become a warlord at this point.

If I were to declare that I would seize the power of the Beiyang government here.

If I tried to fight for the position of the president, considered the emperor’s seat of this age.

Then the warlords would probably storm out of this place.

They would likely form a coalition against me, and I would end up in the same fate as Duan Qirui.

If Russia intervened beyond necessity, I would certainly hear the accusations of being a traitor.

No, that wouldn’t do.

Originally, Chen Zhongming had no desire for such power.

Just the land of Guangdong was large enough to be considered a good-sized nation in its own right.

Now, he hoped to develop Guangdong peacefully so that all Han people in Central China would carry the name of the Guangdong warlord Chen Zhongming in their hearts.

The Russian Tsarina would back him not just out of goodwill for local autonomy but also to counter Japan.

So now he should persuade the warlords with a friendly demeanor.

“Well, let me say this now, the last proposal was arbitrarily decided by the provisional president. I didn’t agree to it. And as you can see, the result is an imperfect end to the war, an incomplete Central China.”

“You’re suddenly changing the subject. Why is the Guangdong commander connected to Russia talking about that?”

Chiang Kai-shek bluntly questioned Chen Zhongming, who was discrediting the man he respected, Sun Yat-sen, while blaming him entirely.

In response, Chen Zhongming sneered slightly and continued speaking without a hint of change in expression.

“The Chinese mainland is vast and populated. The very existence of so many warlords serves as proof. Due to population density, each one of you here possesses enough power to establish an entire nation elsewhere. Now, let me be straightforward with you. Don’t you all wish to preserve the power you currently hold?”

Everyone coughed lightly at Chen Zhongming’s words.

He wasn’t wrong.

If Sun Yat-sen was still alive, they would have come together around him, whether they liked it or not. But with his death, these warlords had wielded their regional power to battle against Duan Qirui of the Beiyang government during the Legalist War.

Currently, the strongest faction was Chen Zhongming’s Guangdong warlord group, but they didn’t want to relinquish the powers they’d held as kings over their respective regions.

Thus, when Chen Zhongming, backed by great powers, said as much, they grew intrigued.

“Then what?”

“Currently, China doesn’t possess the means for true unification. It would be better for the warlords here to develop their respective territories, and then when they’ve gained the capacity to be unchallenged by the great powers, we can form a unified government and decide who becomes the president.”

“Are you suggesting we divide the country?”

In essence, it was akin to reverting back to the chaos of the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms, or the Warring States period.

However, it sounded plausible.

Anyway, if they forcibly created a united government under the current circumstances, proper unification wouldn’t happen, and there was no guarantee that the regions the warlords cherished would modernize correctly.

No, to put it frankly.

They just needed an excuse.

An excuse to rule like kings over their regions, as warlords.

“If Sun Yat-sen were alive, we would have had to rally around him, but if we stay like this, won’t we just fight among ourselves? If that happens, great powers will inevitably intervene. Sun Yat-sen made a foolish choice in his later years with this proposal, but they might ask for compensation next time. So, let’s formally elevate Puyi as the emperor of the Republic of China and practice local autonomy.”

“That doesn’t sound bad.”

The warlords agreed with the notion.

Except for one, Chiang Kai-shek.

“Are you saying you won’t unify?”

“I’m not saying we won’t unify; I’m just saying that everyone here would be dissatisfied with this situation.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Later on, we could see which region has developed the most and then decide through elections. As I mentioned, we could have an emperor; would that count as division?”

There was essentially no division. In any case, all warlords would formally acknowledge the Qing Dynasty emperor once more.

Wouldn’t this easily solve the issue?

While there were smaller republics in the Russian Republic, in China, warlords operated in their own way.

At least that was Chen Zhongming’s judgment.

“Sounds good.”

With unanimous agreement from the warlords, Puyi, the former master of the Forbidden City, was once again seated on the ceremonial throne.

And with the warlords taking charge of their regions, local autonomy was seemingly beginning.

“Indeed, this is how China should be.”

Of course, in the eyes of Anastasia, who received the report, it was merely a return to the Warring States period, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms.