"Why?! How can such a constitution even be accepted? This is practically a republic!"
Aisin-Gioro Puyi shouted in fury as he read the draft constitution of the Qing Empire brought by Kawashima Yoshiko. Puyi had always assumed the Qing Empire would naturally be an absolute monarchy. However, the constitution severely limited the emperor's powers, reducing him to merely approving decisions made by the cabinet. Even public statements were restricted to those pre-approved by the cabinet.
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is essentially a republic. Do you have a problem with that?"
Kawashima Yoshiko looked at Aisin-Gioro Puyi with eyes that seemed to say, "Are you seriously this stupid?"
"Xianshi! Whose side are you on? You said your loyalty was to me, did you not?!"
"Of course. But that loyalty is to you as a symbolic figurehead unifying the Manchu people. If you insist on ruling directly—on personally governing the nation—that changes things. Please understand: constitutional monarchy is the only way royalty can survive into the 20th century."
※ In reality too, Aisin-Gioro Puyi clung stubbornly to imperial rule. This aligned with the Kwantung Army's interests, and so Manchukuo ended up adopting a system close to autocratic monarchy.
"What use is an emperor under a constitutional monarchy? Are you telling me I should just be a figurehead? I will not be emperor of such a country!"
Yoshiko sighed in exasperation.
"I see. That's unfortunate. Then we shall proceed accordingly. We'll install someone else as emperor. Or perhaps a double, a lookalike. Either way, once a figurehead becomes useless, it gets discarded."
Yoshiko let out a clear, unmistakable aura of killing intent as she glared at Puyi.
"W-wait, Xianshi! A-are you mad? Someone! Someone arrest this traitor!"
Puyi screamed, but of course, no one came.
Yoshiko stepped forward and grabbed Puyi by the collar.
"Let me tell you something. Your raison d'être —your very reason for existing—is to be a symbol. Be glad of it. At least it means you still have value as a symbol . Symbols don't speak. Symbols don't think. Focus solely on beautifying the nation for its people."
Faced with Yoshiko's overwhelming killing intent, there was no way Puyi could resist. He trembled pathetically and involuntarily urinated.
"And also, you'll divorce Wan Rong (Puyi's empress ) and Wen Xiu (his second consort ). Wan Rong is addicted to opium, and Wen Xiu is unworthy of being an empress. Japan will take them both in, and they'll live quietly from now on. Understand? This is your true last chance."
And so, Puyi accepted the new constitution.
In real history, Wan Rong died in agony due to severe opium addiction, her body covered in filth and excrement in a solitary cell. Wen Xiu also died alone and unnoticed, having starved to death. Takashiro Soryu could not bear to watch these two women be swallowed by the tides of history, left unloved by Puyi and meeting tragic ends.
Thus, on February 1, 1928, the Qing Empire was officially established. Its first emperor was Aisin-Gioro Puyi.
※ Since the Qing State had already been succeeded by the Republic of China, the Qing Empire was declared a newly independent nation.
On the same day, the constitution was promulgated and enacted, making it the third constitutional monarchy in the Far East.
Next began the process of determining citizenship within the Qing Empire. Naturally, the Manchu people received Qing nationality automatically. For other ethnic groups, however, they were given a choice: obtain Qing nationality and forfeit their original nationality, or retain their original nationality while receiving "permanent residency," granting nearly equal rights as citizens.
Permanent residents were denied the right to participate in national elections, but could vote in local elections. They were guaranteed equal treatment in social welfare, administrative matters, and economic activities. However, those convicted of serious crimes such as robbery, murder, arson, or rape would be deported after serving their sentences.
At the time, Manchuria was home to approximately four million Manchus and about 23 million Han Chinese—making the Han majority overwhelmingly large.
Many Han Chinese living in Manchuria chose to retain their Republic of China citizenship while opting for permanent residency in the Qing Empire. This allowed them to return to China if needed and gave them advantages in conducting business across both nations.
For now, voting rights were limited to those aged 25 or older who had completed secondary education. Literacy rates in Manchuria at the time were less than ten percent, and most people had never received any formal education.
Meanwhile, local warlords were disarmed, and their leaders became county magistrates—a policy modeled after Japan's Haihan Chiken reform (abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures ). Since laws were still being drafted, these former warlords retained local administrative authority, policing powers, and tax collection rights until new systems were fully implemented.
March 20, 1928
The first general election for the National Assembly was held.
Most of the elected representatives were Banner Men —the warrior class among the Manchus. One law after another was then passed.
Japanese and Russian legal advisors were dispatched in large numbers to assist in drafting legislation. The foundation of Qing law was based heavily on Japanese legal frameworks. Since Japanese law at the time was written entirely in Classical Chinese prose, translation was relatively smooth.
Simultaneously with the implementation of new laws, anti-corruption investigations proceeded aggressively. Many of the former warlord leaders, now county magistrates, continued accepting bribes and engaging in corruption as they always had. Naturally, they saw no reason to stop even after new laws were introduced.
One by one, they were exposed through Kawashima Yoshiko's investigations.
However, there was no effective way to communicate these prosecutions clearly to the public—most of whom were illiterate. To solve this, Yoshiko organized a theater troupe designed to explain the justice system to the masses in an accessible way.
It was called the Manchu Opera Troupe .
Modeled after Japan's Takarazuka Revue, it was an all-female performance group.
Free performances were staged primarily in cities where corrupt mayors had been arrested. These plays dramatized how investigations uncovered corruption, rescued the people, and punished the guilty. And in every play, it was emphasized that the emperor himself secretly directed these operations behind the scenes. The public responded with thunderous applause for Emperor Aisin-Gioro Puyi.
Thus, control over public sentiment steadily shifted in favor of the new regime.
At around this time, a single army staff officer visited the headquarters of the Space Force.
It was Ishiwara Kanji.
Thank you for reading Chapter 57.
Now comes one of Manchuria's key figures!
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