Sovereign

“Toldoi Palace in fire! A squadron of mutinous GRAF (Gallian Royal Air Force) pilots who turned around after an ‘unacceptable mission’ from Queen Alois launched a string of air strikes into the Gallian capital. The Toldoi Palace was struck by three guided bombs, alongside the headquarters of the Toldoi City Police (TCP), the Royal Bank of Gallia, and the Lecour Chateau, alongside multiple rockets falling into the Toldoi Arcane University. A three-hour manhunt in the skies of Gallia ensued, with the GRAF attempting to shoot down the mutinous squadron. Seven of the squadron's twelve strong aircraft were shot down, with the rest escaping to Asturia, their fate still unknown. But the damage was done. The current state of Queen Alois is still yet to be verified, but members of the Gallian Court already spoke that ‘she was on vacation’ during the attacks.”

- Geopol News

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The pleasantries were…well, pleasant, Amelie mused. The Princess of the Hebeian Empire, much like her, wasn’t quite fond of anything but business. The two met in a remote manor outside of Eutstadt, owned by House Wittfield. Countess Wittfield, ever the kind old lady, already prepared the manor in advance, knowing that both Amelie and Princess Xue wanted a more “private” talk away from the attention they might have gathered in Eutstadt.

Still, Amelie received a few gifts from the Princess, and she gave hers as well. The few boxes of Hebeian Green Tea were something she happily sent back to the November Palace. She surely would indulge in those later.

“So.” Amelie started, as the two finally found their peace, away from the staff and the people that awaited outside of their meeting room. Only Nia and the Princess’ close friend were with them. Specifically, Marquise Feng Lin. Amelie didn’t really mind, as the Princess’ companion seemed to keep to herself…mostly. “How was the trip?”

Princess Xue Li sagged in her seat, her silver hair almost falling as well. She indeed seemed exhausted.

“Travelling by air wasn’t fun.” Princess Xue said. “I guess I’m still a bit jet-lagged.”

“Ah, well, more sleep would do you well.” Amelie said, smiling, “If you want to stay around here a bit longer.”

“Well, I’m afraid I won’t be able to indulge in being in Orland for a while, if at all.” Princess Xue looked down. “There’s still much to do in my home country. And I believe the same is true for you.”

“Indeed.” Amelie fished out a few of the papers she prepared for this. “So, on our agenda today…”

“Right,” Princess Xue straightened herself. “Weapon’s shipments. Alongside food and other necessities. I believe my diplomatic envoys already relayed it, and I believe you’ve heard it already, but I swear, we’ll pay it eventually. One day.”

“Yes, I know you will.” Amelie frowned a bit. “But, as Adelaide already said, Orland won’t be able to provide everything you ask for. This…is simply a scale of supplies we wouldn’t be able to divert realistically to Hebei. At least until mid-year 2025.”

The Princess didn’t seem to be elated by that news. She looked down. “Six months into 2025, and South Hebei’s food supply would be stretched thin. The Republic bombed a lot of farms into crisps with their air campaigns during the early days of the insurrection.”

“How devious,” Amelie said. “Why would they do that? Was there any military value in doing that?”

“Unlike your war, we started out as rebels.” Princess Xue said. “After the coup d’etat, the Junta was in control of Hebei. Completely. We had to start out slowly, gathering supplies, men and women, arming rebels, and destroying their logistical lines in the south by irregular warfare.”

“And then you attacked the cities.”

“Yes. But before that, for a few weeks, we were confined outside of the cities and major population centers. So the Junta enacted a scorched earth policy on many rural areas of South Hebei where they suspected our presence. Counter-insurgency policy, that was what they called it. It was only after we fought them in the fields properly that they ended it, but the damage was done.”

So that’s why they became even more dependent on foreign imports. Amelie looked back at those attacks, that crippled international shipping. Those rebel Orlish Captains alone left tens of millions, possibly hundreds of millions, at risk of starvation by the mere bombing against the facilities of the Levantine Strait. Already, she felt pity. Princess Xue Li surely had a massive problem on her hands.

“I…” Amelie gulped. “I heard you signed an armistice with the Junta…I mean, the Republic, right?”

“Yes, I did.” The Princess said. “But they do not respect it. They said they would work for peace, but the frontlines experience constant skirmishes and ceasefire violations. Just last week, their operatives managed to sabotage and detonate bombs in a major wand factory near Ginzhu. The Republic is divided and factionalized. They have genuine revolutionaries working for reform and democracy, but many of the members of the previous Junta are still in power. The lull in the fighting is just a result of their power struggle. If the pro-Junta members of the Republic win, they will send the entire revolutionary army down south.”

“But if the moderates win?”

“It doesn’t change anything. They would be more receptive to a temporary peace, but we are rebels, first and foremost. Legally, my mother ‘abdicated’ the throne, and the government they established is the legitimate government.” Even Marquise Feng Lin nodded at the Princess’ statement.

“Indeed, Your Majesty.” The older woman said. “Not even most nobles are fighting with us. Many already joined the Republican government in the north, switching alliances. You should have seen those traitorous hags speak. I remember many of them cracked down on reforms that would help men, now they are singing praises for every radical move taken by the revolutionaries.”

“It’s comical.” Princess Xue Li said. “But I understand some of them. The Junta was brutal when it was established. Everything connected to magic was confiscated, repressed, and burned down. They had to choose the Republic’s side if they were on the wrong side of the frontlines, or else…you know. And to be frank, we are just the product of women’s response to those emergency policies. The resistance.”

“Well, I suppose it’s a bit of a reverse compared to my position.” Amelie absentmindedly thought out loud. But instead of backing out on it, she elaborated on it further. “See, the situation in Orland is different. The Putsch never succeeded at removing my government at Halia. They failed to break through during the early days. For Orland, my government is the legitimate government, the loyalists. And they are the rebels.”

“You’re quite fortunate, Your Majesty.” Princess Xue said. “But, I attribute that to your decisions before Orland’s descend to chaos.”

“I am in agreement,” Nia said, nodding to herself. “I think if you hadn’t done that ‘Unity and Hope’ thing, more people would have risen up.”

“Indeed. Your Majesty, you tried to fix the broken system, and managed to rally enough support for yourself and your regime to prevent a complete collapse.” The Princess smiled bitterly. “Unfortunately, for me, I wasn’t in power yet. And my mother was stubborn to listen and follow change. She adamantly refused even to recognize the struggles men faced in Hebei. The sheer…deplorable condition of their lives. It shames me to say this, but she wasn’t on the right side of history. Nor was the old regime. It fell apart violently because it was the only way left.”

“Yet, the actions of the Junta…” Amelie trailed off.

“Who really is on the right side of history then?” The Princess asked. “Even in Orland, the ‘Provisional Government’, or, as they changed their name now, the ‘Federal Republic’, committed indiscriminate bombings against women-majority cities and population centers. They burned Thein to the ground, and Halia, and much like Ginzhu, the world watched. We all saw what they did. Does being slighted for centuries give you the justification to commit atrocities?”

“Princess Li, why are you asking this? I have no answer for that. The question of who really is on the right side of history is hard precisely because everything has been blurred for both sides.”

“Because my insurrection was based on that question, and so is the new government I established in South Hebei. Your Majesty, it’s the same for you too, no? If the extremist revolutionaries and the old regimes of old women are on the wrong side of history, for the crimes they committed, shouldn’t we, the new ones fighting under the banner of change through sanity try to be on the right side of history?” The Princess leaned forward. “And in that case, shouldn’t we cooperate with each other…to bring about our visions? To end this cycle, we have to push back. We cannot rise above all these…cynicism, doom, and revenge if we lose.”

“I…I admit, only your government seemed good for my taste.” Amelie said. “The rest of the Ivory Alliance, the Queens of Lorathia and Gaul, the other smaller Kingdoms…they all…they’re all clamping down on the rights of men. They’re cracking down on the possibility of revolution, much like how these revolutionary republics are cracking down on the possibility of a women’s counter-revolution, through violent means.”

“I detest that.” The Princess said. “Don’t you too?”

“Absolutely. I would never strike down on protesting civilians out of cold blood. It’s…distasteful.” Amelie shook her head. “Deplorable even. But…my so-called allies in Lorathia arrested and banned all men’s organizations ever since the Redcastle Attacks.”

“And soon, I bet the Queen of Gallia will crackdown even harder on men’s rights after the bombings in Toldoi.” The Princess said. “But you, even after the start of the civil war, the Heiss Government is still officially a coalition between the ORP and UOP. It’s…unique. Not even the reformist remnants in Imperial Larissa can compare.”

“And you do the same, no?”

“Yes. The restored Imperial Government allows pro-male parties to enter the government and the Hebei Imperial Diet.” The Princess smiled. “And, while imperfect, it works. Almost half of the Reformed Imperial Army are defectors from the previous Junta and the now Republic up north. Men. They’re fighting for me, just like they do for you. Kindness, respect, and fairness. It goes a long way to make people think that your side is worthy to fight for.”

Amelie almost felt as if she was looking at a mirror of herself. This…Princess Xue Li. She would be the perfect international ally, her mind immediately thought. Not like the member states of the Ivory Alliance. No…this…this was the kind of a leader she would happily stand side by side with. Sure, she wouldn’t forgo her alliances, as practically half of the surviving pro-women order was dependent on the Ivory Alliance holding the line for the rest of the MN’s member states…but.

They are planning to turn the Mandate of Nations into a martial alliance after all. While no talks had begun, as all of the MN’s member states were paralyzed or deep in the fighting against revolutionaries, insurrections, civil wars, or invasions from the hyper-aggressive Confederation of Larissa, the idea was there. If Amelie’s reformist Kingdom of Orland, and Princess Xue Li’s equally reformist Empire of Hebei joined forces to propose it first, they would be the new model for a political solution against the ongoing violent revolution from me.

And there was no escaping it. Even if Amelie won the war in Orland, the war would not end there. Her greatest nightmare back when Marie first mentioned the “global” reach of the extreme men’s rights movement, a global revolution, had already arrived on their doorstep. She would have to face this war as not just an Orlish domestic affair but as an international struggle.

And thus, I should…no, we should build the stepping stones to that international response now.

“So, can you help me out?” The Princess asked. “If you cannot give me the supplies now, I will hold on. But I need your diplomatic support. I need Orland to recognize us. And I need Orland to be with me when I speak in the Mandate of Nations.”

“Well…” Amelie looked at Nia, who nodded enthusiastically at the proposal. “Well…to have a sister on board to a better world is a prospect I cannot pass by. I’ll arrange the aid to Hebei, as best as I can. But, more importantly, Orland will support you in your diplomatic efforts in the MN. I’ll notify Adelaide about that. You’re right…if we would band together in an alliance against this crisis, we should start by banding with our fellow reformists. The situation in Hebei is in Orland’s interest from now on.”

The Princess smiled. “Just like the situation in Orland will be our problem too.” She lent out her hand. “Then is it a deal?”

And Amelie took it.

“Well, an alliance it is. Deal.”

The Princess grinned. “I’m glad to have our sisters on board with this plan.”

“The sentiments are shared. Princess Xue Li, let’s do our best to help each other build this coalition for a better world.”