Ch. 3: Finding the Truth
Sitting at one of the large, wooden tables inside the library was Lelouch, carefully reading a large encyclopedia in front of him. Lelouch also had the newspaper he picked up earlier right beside the encyclopedia. Trying to understand what world this was, Lelouch flipped through the pages multiple times to make sure he was understanding everything completely.
"This book makes no mention of the founding legend of Eowyn or the Chieftains that came after him. It also seems like Queen Elizabeth I didn't give birth to Henry IX in this world, meaning the Tudor Dynasty died out and the English throne went to King James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England. It also seems England had different succeeding monarchs such as a Charles I, Charles II, James II, etc. It also seems like a civil war broke out in England, ultimately resulting in the monarchy accepting the fact it was not superior to Parliament." thought Lelouch. Lelouch then proceeded to turn a few more pages and analyzed them.
"Interesting. There was no secret deal with Benjamin Franklin, meaning he successfully brought France into Washington's Rebellion, or the American Revolution as they call it here. The former colonies as a result won the Battle of Yorktown and their independence, created a government based on the ideas of the Enlightenment, and elected General George Washington as their first leader."
Lelouch kept flipping pages and listed all the notable differences between the world he knew, and this new world. Such major differences include Napoleon's loss at Trafalgar and Britain not being occupied by France, therefore resulting in Britain retaining its monarchy and major overseas territories, such as Australia and India, after the Napoleonic Wars.
However, Lelouch noticed similarities between the two worlds. Lelouch read about how the USA pursued the idea of Manifest Destiny, expanded all the way to the Pacific, had a Civil War, and decided to acquire overseas territories.
"So the USA started to act like Britannia in the 19th Century. But unlike Britannia, the USA was more constrained when it came to growth. This was probably due to the fact that this USA was democratic and had to appeal to the general public." commented Lelouch.
Lelouch, otherwise, didn't see any other major differences in areas such as Europe and Africa. The only major difference in Asia was the fact that India was still a colonial possession of the British Empire, and not the independent Maratha Empire. Once he was finished reviewing the encyclopedia, Lelouch started to read the newspaper he picked up in hope he could get an understanding of the current affairs of this world.
Printed on the front page of the paper were the words "CHAOS IN RUSSIA: WHITES RESIST REDS! WORLD WATCHES AND DECIDES!". Lelouch proceeded to read the rest of the article.
"White Russian forces continue to fight against the Red Bolshevik forces in Russia. The White forces, along with the anti-Bolshevik Czechoslovak Legions, managed to secure most of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. With almost all of Siberia free of the Bolshevik's Red Army, the Whites have managed to set up a base of power in the city of Samara. Advances being made in the South by the Volunteer Army are also showing similar results. As a result, the governments of the Allied Powers are discussing whether or not to intervene. British Minister of Munitions Winston Churchill has stated that unless there is an intervention, then vital ports and leftover resources from the previous regime might fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks or the Germans. Mr. Churchill, along with his counterparts in France, also hope an intervention will allow the Czech Legions stuck in Siberia to be transferred to the Western front along with reopening the Eastern front. There has been no word official opinion from the United States, but conversations between President Woodrow Wilson and US Secretary of War Newton D. Baker makes the likelihood of US intervention very small."
Lelouch then turned the page and read some more articles. Many of the articles were about war or foreign policy.
"Hmmm. So a great war broke out in this world too. It also looks like the Bolsheviks have gotten power in Russia also. Events are mostly the same with those that occurred in the world I came from. The only noticeable difference is that this United States of America decided to intervene in the European war, unlike Britannia which decided to use Europe's distraction to start a war in South America." thought Lelouch.
Once done reading all the books he had, Lelouch put them back onto the shelves. As he was leaving the library, Lelouch noticed a portrait on the wall. It depicted an old Japanese man with a well defined beard. He was also wearing a Western style suit. It was then Lelouch suddenly realized what he was looking at.
"No, it can't be." said Lelouch nervously.
Lelouch realized the man in the portrait was the one he shot in that mysterious "dream" he had. Lelouch immediately looked for someone in the library to tell him who was in the painting. Fortunately, he found a librarian shelving books nearby.
"Sir, I have a quick question. But who is the man depicted in that picture over there?" said Lelouch as he pointed towards the picture.
"You don't know? That's the late Prince Itō Hirobumi, First Prime Minister of Japan and First Resident-General of Korea. He's practically a household name in Japan." said the librarian.
"Ok, so what happened to this Prince Itō Hirobumi?" Lelouch then asked.
"Have you been living under a rock? Prince Itō Hirobumi was killed in Harbin, China back in 1909. He had just came back from a meeting with Russian officials when that terrorist decided to shoot him. He also injured some bystanders also." answered the librarian.
"Just one more question. Who exactly was this terrorist who shot Prince Itō?" asked Lelouch.
"An Jung-geun was his name. He supposedly killed the Prince because of the Eulsa Treaty of 1905, which made Korea a protectorate of the Japan. He also stated he was an officer in a band of thugs and troublemakers which labeled themselves as the "Korean resistance". With Korea now a colony of the Empire, these armed gangs are now officially attacking Japanese soil." the librarian said.
"Uhm, ok. Thanks for the info." replied Lelouch as he walked towards the exit of the library.
Lelouch left the library and started to walk down the busy streets of Tokyo.
"This is just not possible. The man I killed in that dream of mine was Prince Itō Hirobumi, which means I was seeing An Jung-geun's perspective." thought Lelouch.
Still confused about this new world, Lelouch felt he could find more answers in Harbin, China since that was where his "dream" occurred.
Two hours later...
As he was hiding down an empty alley, Lelouch managed to geass some people passing by to give him things such as money and food.
"I want you to give me your jacket and cap." commanded Lelouch as his geass took effect on the passerby.
The man immediately complied and gave Lelouch his dusty black jacket along with his coal-smudged worker's cap. The man then left the alleyway and resumed with what he was doing.
Lelouch then proceeded to put on the jacket and cap.
"Good. This should allow me to blend in more easily." thought Lelouch.
Hoping to find answers in Harbin, China, Lelouch decided to go to the nearest train station. Using the money he got from the people he geassed, Lelouch bought a train ticket for the Western port city of Shimonoseki. From there, Lelouch planned to take a ferry across to the Korean Peninsula, where he could board a train heading towards Harbin.
Once seated on the train, Lelouch started to think about how he was going to get back to his own world.
"Where do I even begin if I don't know how exactly I got here? I need to get back as soon as possible. Every second I waste here is one lost for the Black Knights. Even more important, what happens to Nunnally?" thought Lelouch as he looked out of the passenger window. "No, I mustn't let these emotions distract me. The task at hand is to find a way back. The only thing I have to go on is a "dream" sequence that supposedly took place at a train station in Harbin."
Suddenly Lelouch's train of thought of broken when a loud, high pitched "TOOOOT!" was heard. Then Lelouch felt the train thrust forward slightly. The train started to accelerate and Lelouch could once again see crowds of people flood the streets of Tokyo as the train passed by. It wasn't long until the large buildings and bustling streets that lined Tokyo started to disappear, only to be replaced by a view of farms and simple houses.
Office of the Governor-General of Chōsen, Keijō, Chōsen
Inside an well-furnished, Western-style office, was a semi-balding, mustached Japanese man in his sixties, sitting at his ornate wooden desk reviewing and writing reports. He wore a dark military uniform, complete with gold epaulettes on both shoulders, a sash, high collar, and many medals.
A "KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!" sound on the door broke the silence in the room.
"Come in!" said the Japanese man sitting at his desk.
The door opened and a younger looking Japanese officer wearing a khaki-coloured military jacket and breeches came into room. He also wore a belt around his waist and an armband labeled "Gendarme" in Japanese. Under his arm were some a collection of papers.
"Field Marshal Count Hasegawa Yoshimichi, Viceroy of Chōsen!" saluted the officer. "I have some info you would like to hear."
The officer then took out the papers he was carrying and placed them on the desk.
The busy Field Marshal/Viceroy looked up at the officer, took the papers that were just placed in front of him, and quickly read through them.
"As indicated in the report, the Kempetai have managed to find and detain 6 more underground intellectual resistance groups. Any dangerous works and books that were found have been confiscated. Meanwhile we have increased censorship and are keeping a close eye on the Korean newspapers. I'm sure His Imperial Majesty the Emperor along with the higher-ups in Tokyo will be quite pleased with the results." reported the Japanese officer.
"Yes they sure will. However, most of the catches we make are on the various nonviolent intellectual movements. What we need is to find the nest of these Korean nationalists." said Hasegawa.
"Of course sir. However, as you know, these resistance movements are not in coordination with one another, meaning it will be more difficult to trace one group to another." replied the officer.
"Still, we need to stop catching minnows and start catching carp. Rumor has it that some of the higher-ups back in Tokyo are showing signs of impatience with me when it comes to suppressing these acts of terror. And if there's going to be one person who snuffs out these flames of terror, it's going to be me." said Hasegawa.
Hasegawa continued reading some of the papers just given to him. The papers mentioned things such as colonial economic affairs, skirmishes with members of the Korean resistance near the Chinese border, and a list of names of the people detained by the Kempetai. One name caught the attention of Hasegawa.
"I see he's at it again." said Hasegawa with pleasure.
"Who?" asked the confused officer.
Hasegawa then pointed to one particular name on the list of people who were detained that day.
"I thought he was either in prison or dead. First we get his friend An and now we have him." said the officer jokingly.
"Well we tried to connect him with the murder of Prince Itō that occurred a few years ago, but that was unsuccessful. Anyway, at least he and his friends are off the streets, unable to pester us or the public." replied Hasegawa.
Author's Note: Once again would like to mention, liberties have been taken for all historical people/events mentioned. Also, in real life, the title of Governor-General of Korea was commonly used, but I'll be using the term Viceroy, which is practically the same thing as a Governor-General in terms of their duties over a colony. Also, Keijō and Chōsen is what the Japanese called Seoul and Korea respectively.
The Kempetai is the Japanese Army Military Police. It's role in Japan was similar to the SS' role in Nazi Germany.
The person Hasegawa and the officer are talking about will be identified in a later chapter. He will play major role in the story.
Hope you guys enjoy it so far.