Chapter 97 – The Sino-Soviet Conflict

In mid-July, Shizu, along with several other maids, servants, and guards, departed for America by ship ahead of me.
They were to meet me at my destination when I arrived by air.

According to the plan, Shizu and the others would arrive one week before I did, join up with Tokita and the others who had gone ahead, and begin preparations to receive me.
If anything were to happen at that point, the entire trip could be cancelled or postponed.

Meanwhile, the political situation on the continent was shifting.
The “Sino-Soviet Conflict” had escalated into full-blown military confrontation.

Instead of Zhang Xueliang’s Beiyang warlord army, it was the military of the Republic of China—already stationed in Manchuria—that began expelling Soviet forces from the Chinese Eastern Railway (also known as the North China Railway) in early July.

In response, on July 13th, the Soviet government issued an ultimatum to the Republic of China, demanding that things be restored to the previous state—or else they would resort to military force.

However, Zhang Zuolin refused. As a countermeasure, the Soviet side declared a severance of diplomatic relations, ordered its diplomats, business personnel, and railway workers to return home—clear signs of preparing for war. Naturally, they also began amassing a large military force along the border.

By late July, both Chinese and Soviet forces were locked in a tense standoff, with the situation on the brink of erupting at any moment. Still, neither side fired the first shot; instead, both engaged in military demonstrations to intimidate the other.

Meanwhile, within the Republic of China, anti-Soviet rallies, protests, and boycotts were being carried out by citizens.

During that time, Zhang Zuolin continued to seek support from the major powers.
Britain and the United States, without openly stating it was to oppose the Soviet Union, provided financial assistance and sold certain weapons. They also made anti-communist political statements and carried out diplomatic activities, mainly aimed at the Comintern.

However, Japan—being nearby and the strongest supporter of Zhang Zuolin—feared that the flames of war would spread to its own interests and chose to remain neutral and uninvolved.
This was because Japan had most accurately perceived that the Soviet Union was serious.

It is said that behind the scenes, secret negotiations were held between Japan and the Soviet Union, in which the Soviets promised that if Japan remained inactive, they would never touch Japanese interests in Manchuria.

The outbreak of war came in September, shortly after I had departed for America.
Officially, the Soviet military fielded about 80,000 troops from its army, navy, and air force combined. In contrast, the elite forces of the Beiyang Army under Zhang Xueliang, dispatched to northern Manchuria, numbered about 100,000.

Zhang Zuolin was said to command 400,000 troops, including accompanying family members. However, since he had to maintain control from Beijing to Nanjing, the forces he could actually mobilize were limited to what had been handed over to Zhang Xueliang.

Worse still, the quality of the troops was no match at all.
While the Soviet army deployed numerous field heavy artillery pieces with long range and powerful destructive force, a large number of aircraft, and even a small number of tanks, Zhang’s side possessed only weak artillery and a handful of outdated aircraft.

The Soviet army launched a blitzkrieg-style advance from three directions: the Lake Baikal front, the Vladivostok front, and the Khabarovsk front.
In some areas, Zhang Xueliang’s forces put up a good fight, but overall, they suffered crushing defeats on all fronts.
With an army that was barely more than slightly organized bandits or brigands, the outcome was only natural. In the worst areas, it was said they scattered and fled before even catching sight of the Soviet troops.

On the other hand, there were units that fought well—and that led to tragedy.
The unit that fought well was the main force, directly commanded by Zhang Xueliang himself. Zhang Xueliang apparently had some unexpected military talent.
However, that only served to make the Soviet army take things more seriously.

In response to the fierce resistance of Zhang Xueliang’s army, the Soviets lined up their main field artillery units and launched a one-sided artillery bombardment.
On top of that, they also carried out air raids and bombings at various locations using their air force.

Such full-scale combat had likely not been seen since World War I.
And Zhang Xueliang must never have imagined he would be faced with warfare on this level.

Whether from artillery fire or bombing is unknown, but Zhang Xueliang, along with his command center, was destroyed while directing his troops, and he subsequently went missing.
He wasn’t officially declared killed in action because his body was never found.

I learned of Zhang Xueliang’s de facto death only after I had already arrived in America.

Having just heard the latest news from sources like Ootori Trading, I couldn’t help but gape in shock.
Thankfully, the only ones who saw my dumbfounded face were Shizu and the other maids.

“Is something the matter, milady?”

Shizu looked at me, slightly puzzled.
Yes—only I, who knows the history from my previous life, would be this surprised by the news.
But the shock was so great that the words slipped out of my mouth.

“Looks like Zhang Xueliang died.”

“Yes, the situation on the continent is being reported that way.”

“Yeah. But in my dreams, he’s not supposed to die.”

“Zhang Xueliang, you mean?”

“Yeah. What should I do? I changed someone’s fate again…”

“There is no need to worry about that.”

As always, Shizu remained calm and spoke in her usual composed tone.
But I couldn’t stop myself from continuing.

“But… someone died.”

“People die someday. Also, if I may be so bold—milady, you have saved countless people instead.”

“That was Kouryuu-sensei who saved them.”

At the time, we were in a hotel room during our stay. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Kouryuu-sensei wasn’t around. Nor was anyone else.
Only Shizu and one other maid, who was there just to assist me and not for protection, were present.
I was truly relieved that the only ones who saw my shameful reaction were those close to me.

The two others in the room both shook their heads in unison.
Then, as usual, it was Shizu who spoke.

“If you had not been here—if you were not the Dreaming Miko—Lord Kouryuu would not have been able to do anything. It was you who showed the way, milady. And had you not already resolved yourself that many things would change as a result of showing that path?”

“Y-Yes… You’re right. Thank you, Shizu.”

“Not at all. I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me.”

As I looked at her politely bowing her head, as always, I regained a bit of my composure.
At the same time, I reminded myself: this isn’t something to be shaken by anymore.

It’s not just Zhang Xueliang.
The situation on the continent has already been shifting drastically for years, and countless lives and destinies have changed. Even Chiang Kai-shek has lost his grip on power and had his marriage delayed.

With that, I quickly returned to a calm state of mind.
But of course, there were others who couldn’t do the same.

The one most shaken by it all was Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Xueliang’s father.

The death of his eldest son came as a tremendous shock, and in his fury, he ordered a full-scale resistance.
Thus, with no way to back down after Zhang Xueliang’s death, the fighting on both sides intensified.

Normally, when it comes to warlords, they tend to scatter and flee at the slightest sign of disadvantage.
But in this conflict, it’s said they fought with surprising ferocity.

However, having lost their field commander, and not being a proper army to begin with—lacking heavy equipment—the Republic of China forces stood no chance.
Zhang Zuolin’s Fengtian clique, which had entered Manchuria, suffered a devastating blow and retreated in defeat to Beijing.
The Soviet army, reportedly using Cossack troops who had submitted to Soviet control, even carried out siege operations in some areas.

Thus, by October, the conflict ended in a one-sided Soviet victory.
Incidentally, Zhang Zuolin’s forces did not retreat to their original base in Fengtian because the Kwantung Army, fearing the spread of war, refused to let them enter the South Manchuria Railway zone.

As a result, those who couldn’t escape to Beijing scattered across various parts of southern Manchuria, and the Fengtian clique’s control over southern Manchuria was effectively shattered.

As a result of the conflict, Zhang Zuolin’s power within the Republic of China collapsed.
Having lost Zhang Xueliang, a highly promising heir in his eyes, Zhang Zuolin was deeply discouraged.

Even so, he clung to his position as head of state and the accompanying international prestige.
Because of that, he became consumed with maintaining control over Beijing and Nanjing, even to the point of neglecting his own power base in southern Manchuria.

For Japan, this was more or less a desirable outcome.
Later, in November, the Republic of China and the Soviet Union signed the Khabarovsk Protocol.
However, during negotiations, the Nationalist government employed its usual evasive “China-rule diplomacy,” and politically, nothing was truly resolved.

Meanwhile, within the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin ceased actively participating in central politics, allowing Chiang Kai-shek to regain ground with Nanjing as his base.

However, Zhang Zuolin had not been completely ousted, and the major powers continued to recognize him as the head of state of the Republic of China. Since support from those powers also continued, Zhang retained both his military strength and his financial resources, preventing Chiang Kai-shek from seizing full control of the country.

The Tanaka Giichi Cabinet in Japan also considered provoking the Soviet Union a blunder, but did not go so far as to abandon Zhang Zuolin.

As long as Zhang remained head of state of the Republic of China and did not make any suspicious moves, it was decided to continue propping him up as a symbolic figure—a “portable shrine,” so to speak.
This was deemed, at least for the time being, to be in Japan’s national interest.

At the same time, while Zhang Zuolin’s power had significantly declined, the fractured state of the Chinese region remained relatively fixed, with Zhang still holding a degree of comparative advantage.
Because of this, the “Strike-First Against China” argument—which had begun to emerge among certain mid-level army officers in Japan known as the “Control Faction”—temporarily subsided.

Instead, the army unified its stance on strengthening preparations for war against the Soviet Union.

This was the result of a judgment that there was no need to strike China at this point.

Moreover, even if they were only dealing with a warlord, the Soviet show of force had made it clear that, for the Japanese Army, preparing for and responding to the Soviet threat took precedence over the continent.

On the other hand, since Zhang Zuolin—who nominally controlled the Republic of China—was too weak for any real strategy to work, Japan began providing military aid to the Zhang faction while also dispatching numerous military advisors.

The goal was to help them build a modern army while making it easier for Japan to exert control.
And since strengthening the Republic of China was also seen as a way to counter the Soviet Union, the major powers temporarily supported Japan’s actions.

From my perspective, it was a somewhat strange situation, but the continental situation began to see a semblance of stabilization.
That was how events on the continent concluded within the year 1929.

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Control Faction
One of the factions within the Imperial Japanese Army. At first, it even included the Koudou Faction, making it surprisingly chaotic.
As time went on, it leaned toward a state of “High National Defense,” resembling national socialism.
It eventually collapsed after its central figure, Nagata Tetsuzan, was assassinated in the Aizawa Incident.

Strike-First Against China Theory
In the 1920s, this policy was somewhat moderate.
It conflicted with the opposing policy of “Preparing for War Against the Soviet Union.”
This ideological split between “Southern Advance (into China)” and “Northern Advance (against the Soviets)” led to the fallout between Nagata Tetsuzan and Obata Toshishirou.