Infiltrating the Superhuman Training Girls’ School of the Republic of China!

After lunch, in front of the campus building. Seeing a battalion-sized group of Chinese soldiers armed with rifles standing in formation, I could once again understand why this school was built on a scale comparable to an imperial palace.

Huangpu is an important school in itself. Because the difference in combat power between men and women is not particularly significant for superhumans, the importance of this school in Guangzhou, which was rebuilt from a former military academy, and the Hero School in Beiping, which is classified as a boys’ school, can be considered equal.

In fact, I heard that the main building in Guangzhou is even larger than the one in Beiping in terms of scale. This is because while the entrance ceremony for the Beiping school is held at Zhonghuamen, the entrance ceremony for Huangpu is held in the square in front of the main building. In Chinese common sense, it’s unthinkable to make the venue for an event attended annually by China’s absolute dignity inferior to the emperor’s detached palace.

Seeing the majestic double line of the elite guard, said to be protecting the President of the Republic of China, I found the hypocrisy of Chinese people claiming this country to be a republic, that is, a country of the people, laughable.

There have hardly been any dictators in human history who wielded such authority. Even the First Emperor of Qin, for that matter. As if noticing that I was harboring discontent rather than being overwhelmed by China’s military parade, Soviet Colonel Tikhonov approached me and spoke.

“There’s only one thing that keeps this country from being an empire.”

“Colonel Tikhonov.”

“The lack of a proper heir with a continued bloodline. Chiang Ching-kuo is already dead, and rumors are rampant that Chiang Wei-kuo is not Chiang Kai-shek’s biological son.”

Chiang Ching-kuo, who would have been the most likely successor if Chiang Kai-shek had attempted a father-to-son inheritance, didn’t die due to any particular accident. It’s just that Chiang Kai-shek lived too long. If the Chiang family were to attempt to inherit the position of Generalissimo, Chiang Ching-kuo’s sons and Chiang Wei-kuo, or even his female siblings might intervene…

Honestly, the possibility of Chiang Kai-shek’s descendants succeeding to the position of Generalissimo after his death seems almost non-existent. Not only is there no awakened superhuman among them, but Chiang Kai-shek himself is very negative about passing on the throne to his own flesh and blood.

Is that the only difference from Yuan Shikai, who tried to ascend to emperor himself and pass the imperial throne to his child?

“If it’s not an empire, does that make it a republic?”

I asked Tikhonov.

“The Soviet Union doesn’t particularly pass down the position of General Secretary to children either. Do you think your homeland is a democratic country?”

“In Russia, just uttering that question would be reason enough to be dragged to the Gulag.”

“Hmm.”

“Our country is no longer the land of the Tsars, but it’s absolutely not a democratic country. That’s the story. Did you want to hear excuses from me that the Soviet Union is not a dictatorship?”

“Are you a person who fears nothing in this world?”

I asked sincerely. Tikhonov leaned her head towards me and said:

“Want to know something interesting?”

“…What is it, Colonel?”

I swallowed hard. Barbara Tikhonov said something to me that was unbelievable for a Red Army colonel to say.

“Marxism is over. This country has miraculously endured for 60 years, but it won’t survive the next 10 years. Because the more superhumans increase, the weaker the ideology of communism becomes. Production machines can be confiscated and monopolized by the state, but how will they confiscate and monopolize superpowers?”

“…What did you say?”

“Two paths remain. Either we completely overhaul the ideologies that form the foundation of our world, or we continue towards destruction. That’s the story. Either we perish, or we perish.”

“I don’t quite understand why you’re telling me this…”

“Because I thought you would understand well. Lieutenant Duey seemed to understand my words sufficiently too.”

At that moment, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. Briar Churchill was glaring at Barbara Tikhonov with fierce eyes while holding onto me.

“Let’s go, roommate. It seems the President from Nanjing has already arrived in front of the school. We need to prepare to receive the military sword while standing in the square.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll go right away. Is our place in the second row over there?”

“Yes. Right behind the Chinese new students.”

Students were gathered in several rows in the square. Compared to the battalion-sized review unit, the number of enrolled students gathered was not that large. It’s almost shabby compared to the size of the building. In fact, the number of eunuchs guarding such an imperial palace in ancient times might have been greater than the number of students in this school now.

The first row is Chinese new students. The second row is us, foreign new students.

And behind that, current students, both foreign and domestic, were mixed together. The total number wasn’t that large, only about 80 people, but considering that each of them is a superhuman…

The power of the force gathered here would be no weaker than a hydrogen bomb base.

I quickly scanned with my eyes for my ‘contact target’ as I passed by the local students. In the middle of the current student group, I saw the face of ‘Chen Yayuan’, a second-year student who reportedly contacted the United States.

For now, it seems she is actually a student enrolled in this school. It’s difficult to approach her directly given the current situation, but I should keep an eye on her or try to hear her story when an appropriate opportunity arises later.

“Why, do you know someone here?”

Churchill asked me as she saw me glancing at the current students. I shook my head and answered.

“No, I was just… wondering if there might be any Koreans among them.”

“I heard there aren’t any among the current students. Korea’s relationship with China is a bit delicate these days, right? I heard the class that graduated last year had the most recent Korean graduates.”

“Where did you hear that…”

“I quickly investigated after hearing my roommate’s nationality. Do you think this Briar Churchill is to be taken lightly?”

Well, for a noble of her status, it probably wouldn’t be difficult to gather such information through various methods. For a moment, I thought about asking her about Chen Yayuan, but I gave up. It would be awkward to specifically ask about a Chinese student with no connection. It might raise suspicion from someone.

“Korea being delicate with China… Well, that could be one way to look at it. But honestly, I think what Korea can do is limited.”

“I think so too. Unless there’s a major incident, a leashed dog is a leashed dog.”

The reason why Korea can’t help but be leashed by China is deeply related to the liberation of 1928. Even after the Japan-Korea annexation of 1910, there were still some forces in Korea claiming independence. However, until then, the collapse of the Empire of Japan was difficult to imagine, and independence movement activities, which were essentially not unified, were barely continuing, divided into armed independence factions supported by the Soviet Union and provisional government factions operating in places like the Shanghai Concession.

The situation of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was serious. It hadn’t been long since the dissolution of the provisional government was brought up due to debates between the creation faction and the reformation faction, and it hadn’t been long since Syngman Rhee, who had been the president of the provisional government while in the United States, was impeached and Kim Gu took over the leadership of the provisional government.

The authority of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was weak. Our country’s independence activists were not prepared to accept sudden liberation, nor were they prepared to lead the Republic of Korea after liberation. Chiang Kai-shek seems to have seen this as a good opportunity.

Chiang Kai-shek, the Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Army who succeeded in driving out the influence of the great powers from the Shanghai Concession along with the Northern Expedition and taking control of Shanghai, proposed recognition of the Republic of Korea government to Kim Gu of the provisional government and sent him back to Korea.

Thanks to the dramatic negotiation settlement between the Soviet Union and China, Chiang Kai-shek, who received Korea instead of giving up Japan, ordered all communist-affiliated independence activists to be expelled to the Soviet Union or purged, and Kim Gu, who became the first President of the Republic of Korea along with an organization so weak it could hardly be called a government, could not express dissatisfaction to Chiang Kai-shek at that time.

The Republic of Korea was a country that started out being dominated by the Republic of China from its very beginning. It is said that Kim Gu lamented that while the Republic of Korea had achieved liberation from Japan in establishing the country, it would be leashed to China again for the next 100 years.

That 100 years has not yet come. Korea’s leash is still held by China. However, the situation is not always the same as before…

“But at least Korea is a democratic country. Take comfort in that.”

Churchill said. I nodded with a grim face.

“Yes, well, for now… I suppose so.”

If compared to China, certainly.

Kim Gu, who believed that Korea should not be subordinated to China after liberation, made constant efforts to prevent Korea from being dominated by Chiang Kai-shek, even if only a little. He agreed to purge the communists, but he used his own power to save Yeo Un-hyung, who was considered center-left, and tried to expand the ideological spectrum within the Korean government by joining hands with him.

Unlike China with its one-party Kuomintang system, he tried to realize a multi-party system where change of government was possible, and he eventually succeeded in achieving that goal to some extent by failing in his attempt for a third term and losing the election.

It is said that Kim Gu looked somewhat peaceful even when he learned that he had lost the presidential election. Of course, this is just a story that’s been passed down, so it can’t be fully trusted.

Anyway, for a country surrounded by China and Japan, Korea’s level of democratic maturity is quite high.

Although extreme left-wing groups continue to commit acts of terrorism and political instability is considerable… It seems there’s also a relative effect of appearing docile since the countries on both sides are an anti-communist dictatorship and a communist country…

It was while I was having this pointless political conversation with Churchill. Suddenly, from the direction of the school’s main gate, a grand trumpet sound was heard along with a loud voice.

“His Excellency Chiang Kai-shek, President of the Republic of China, is now entering!”