NOVEL WEB Chapter 25: Discovery (Part 2)
Lieutenant Arima sent a coded message to the Space Force, detailing what he had learned from Anastasia.
1. The imperial family was executed in July 1918 in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.
2. Only the fourth daughter, Anastasia, was rescued and fled to Nikolayevsk with her servant, Rubanov.
3. Rubanov is severely injured, Anastasia has minor injuries, and both are under the protection of the Army's 7th Division.
4. During her escape, Anastasia witnessed Japanese soldiers massacring civilians.
The message was encrypted using a cipher developed by the Space Force. It was transmitted in Morse code, with short tones ("ton") representing "0" and long tones ("tsu") representing "1." The message was converted into binary code and sent as a long string of 0s and 1s.
Lieutenant Arima initially hesitated to include the part about Japanese soldiers massacring civilians, as there was no concrete evidence. However, he decided it was the headquarters' job to verify the information and included it in the transmission.
"This is urgent! We must report this to His Highness the Regent immediately!"
The details about the execution in the basement of the Ipatiev House in July 1918 matched historical records. In 1920, only those directly involved or high-ranking Red Army officials would know this. Therefore, Anastasia was genuine. History had already begun to change.
Soryu began devising a plan to make the most of Anastasia's survival.
"Your Highness, we've received a message from Lieutenant Arima in Nikolayevsk."
Soryu reported to the Regent, including his own analysis.
"So, the Grand Duchess Anastasia is genuine, and the rest of the family has already been killed? How tragic... And is it true that our Imperial Army has been committing massacres in the region? If so, this cannot be overlooked!"
The Regent's hands trembled as he gripped the report.
Soryu, with his knowledge from a past life, knew about Japan's Siberian Intervention and the massacre of Japanese civilians in Nikolayevsk. However, he was unaware of the details of Japanese soldiers killing local residents.
"Your Highness, there is no concrete evidence of the massacres, but it's possible such incidents occurred under extreme conditions. At this point, we cannot confirm anything. Regardless, the White Army's position in Russia is weakening, and with the recent Red Army attack on Nikolayevsk, I recommend withdrawing our troops and civilians from Siberia."
The Regent summoned the Army Minister to verify the facts.
"Minister, how long do you intend to continue the Siberian Intervention?"
"Your Highness, we must continue until the rights and safety of our civilians in Siberia are secured."
"However, Minister, if Red Army attacks like the one on Nikolayevsk continue, ensuring the safety of our civilians will become increasingly difficult. This time, thanks to your foresight, reinforcements were sent in time to prevent disaster. But we cannot rely on that indefinitely. Shouldn't we consider withdrawing our civilians soon?"
"Your Highness, at this stage, abandoning our civilians' interests would not be advisable."
"I see. By the way, how is the fighting against the Red Army in Siberia? Have we suffered any casualties? And our troops haven't been attacking Russian civilians, have they?"
"Your Highness, our troops are elite and have been avoiding conflict with the Red Army as much as possible. Casualties have been minimal. We only defend when attacked and never initiate attacks. Harming Russian civilians is unthinkable."
In reality, at this point, the Japanese Army had suffered over 300 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries.
"I see. That's good to hear. However, I've heard that the United States and Britain have already withdrawn their troops. Isn't it time for us to do the same?"
"Your Highness, I will consult with the expeditionary forces and do my utmost to align with your wishes."
"What do you think, Takashiro?"
After the Army Minister left, Soryu, who had been listening in secret, emerged.
"Your Highness, I believe the claim that our troops have suffered no casualties is inaccurate. Similarly, the assertion that no Russian civilians have been harmed needs verification. At the very least, some information must have reached the General Staff. It would be wise to confirm."
The Regent then ordered the Army Minister to bring all telegrams exchanged with the Siberian expeditionary forces. It was unprecedented for the Regent to personally review military communications, but his unease compelled him to verify the facts directly.
Telegrams were typically sent using concise language, so the volume of documents wasn't overwhelming.
The Regent, along with Space Force officers, began reviewing the messages.
"Telegram 238 is followed by 241... 239 and 240 are missing."
"Same here. Some are missing. This was done intentionally."
The content of the telegrams mostly concerned supplies, troop rotations, and other routine matters, with nothing particularly incriminating.
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T/N: If you like it please vote with power stone please. More stones equals faster release.
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A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 25!
What really happened during the Siberian Intervention?
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