Lelouch nodded. "Unlike the great empire of Britannia, this land here remains divided into three with this particular nation considered as a player on the global stage. The United States of America… quite the irony for myself to hear it. Despite its pro-democratic stance, its influence on the continent to its south, one of its direct neighbours, and many on the E.U. mainland is vast. Particularly the first one where it has kept the states there fragmented, weakening them through economic dependence. Though its people decries authoritarian rule, they economically bind the developing nations under their capitalistic thumb."
"An empire in all but name, is it?" the implication earned Nobunaga's scoff. Had the Washington Rebellion taken off and succeeded, this would indeed be of that reality's branch. But more one of its many boorish alternatives for having inherited Britannia's imperial tendencies while hiding behind egalitarian hypocrisy. So that it was even the great daimyo saw it fit to scowl on its place on the map. "Hmph. I take it this is the country that forced my honour-bound successors out of isolation?"
"Indeed. According to my research, the history between the two could be compared to colonial trade partners before devolving into economic and naval rivals. In recent decades following a second world war, one where they didn't annex Japan as they did in my world, they're now considered allies. But only because of their 'ideological foe' just across the sea."
Moving back to Japan, he brought her attention to the continent on the left. Not only was it marked, he practically filled in the outline of a nation very familiar to him, if only for the arduous task it took to conquer it.
"The place I'd once known as the Chinese Federation… Right now, a different China stands in its place. One far richer, far more militant and powerful… yet just as corrupt, more controlling of its citizens, and even less respective of human rights. Or the borders of others." Marking a few spots around said country with encircled exclamation points, he placed emphasis on their proclaimed dominion. Many lines clearly overlapped the borders of other independent nations. "Fractured, greedy, xenophobic. I see that no matter what they style themselves, be it an oligarchy with a puppet princess or a single party dedicated to the masses, the vast continent of the Orient is still ruled by power-mongering fools. Even those ethnically related to them refuse to acknowledge the government's hegemony."
"You mean these small pipsqueaks over here and here?" Nobu said, tapping an island not too far from Okinawa and a few strips of lands bordering the Himalayas.
"Pipsqueaks, they may be, but smart ones, they are. Unlike the Federation I had to break apart and take out one by one, this country opted to consolidate their power internally. And they've managed to stabilize themselves, at the price of expansion and foreign public opinion that is." Taking a pen, he marked the great stretch of land north of China. "Due to the dissolution of the former ideological leader, the Soviet Union, the second largest communist state inherited their antagonistic role against the democratic powers. I need not get into the finer details, but the important thing we need to be aware of is that neither power wishes to openly fight one another. They refer to this state as a 'cold war'. Or, to better put it, 'conflict under the guise of peace and cooperation'. A battle of subterfuge, not bloodshed."
"But why resort to dallying about? If they're public enemies, why wait? Why stand idly by while their foes grow in strength?"
An amused snarl curled in the corner of Lelouch's lips. "Because they've developed weapons far too powerful for their own good. Weapons even I have reservations about using unless I've been backed into a corner."
Sharing a look was all it took. It spoke volumes of her love with just how earnestly she wanted to understand his thought process. The mere mention of such had her drawing from his memories. "Weapons like a FLEIJA, huh."
"In this world, they're referred to as nuclear weapons." Lelouch drew a small mark, a commonly-used symbol to indicate the location for the armaments. "Firepower devastating enough to destroy entire cities in a flash. Yet, unlike Britannia which had the monopoly, several countries apart from the key players also have the means and capacity to develop and launch multiples of these bombs. What's more, they're far easier to manufacture and even more difficult to counter than the sakuradite-based FLEIJAs."
"Without the technology of your world?"
"Shooting them out of the sky would be easy. But say they use it in the same manner as a minefield, even we Heroic Spirits could be caught off-guard. Not even if I had the tech either as a Knightmare wouldn't have the reaction time to diffuse or reverse the split-second destruction of an atom." His tone conveyed the ridiculousness of the notion. "Nukes in and of themselves are a menace and this world knows that well. Yet they're resolved to keep up the deterrent tactic."
"Tch, such a drag!" the daimyo who preferred conventional warfare clicked her tongue in disdain. "If the world wanted to destroy itself, it could do with something less boring than that!"
"So you say. But it's not a stretch to say that the world has already been teetering on mutual annihilation even before the Grail called to us. You could say it hasn't been all that boring for the denizens of this world. Well, for those who live with paranoia, anyways."
Such was the fragility of the state of this world. And this was not mentioning the pointless call for the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction. The major powers have consistently played the waiting game. A couple even openly ignored bilateral nuclear proliferation. The former Soviet Union now the Russian Federation and this world's successor to the Britannian Empire are a couple of them.
Quite the delicate balance. And still, the very existence of magic that could yet destabilize things further remained a well-kept secret. Alaya must've been busy keeping the peace.
"So?" Taking up her glass, Nobunaga emptied it with a contemplative sigh. "What does the geopolitics of these plebeians have to do with our army?"
"Everything, my dear." Taking up a bottle, Lelouch refilled her glass for her. "The powers that believe that war should not be fought on their lands nor paid for with their own blood. Instead, they've decided that raising hell in other less prosperous countries through subtle ploys and political pressure as a means to garner ideological support. It is a viable means of diplomacy, but as a result, many nations have been ravaged by unrest and civil war. Dictators and corrupt proletarian representatives selfishly wield their power and bend to the whims of their sponsors, many of whom benefit from war-profiteering from behind the scenes."
"You mean to commandeer their people," a glean of realization sparked in Nobu's crimson eyes. "Using their corruption, the very core issue to their oppression, you would do as you have in the Black Rebellions once more?"
"But of course." Lelouch filled his own cup and took a light sip of alcohol. "To conquer the world, one must raise the appropriate banner. What better theme than 'true liberation' in this theatre of hypocritic peace? It matters little which countries accede or resist. So long as the cause we represent is something many yearn for, many would die for, the pool of manpower we could recruit from is virtually limitless."
The masses themselves wielded power in the form of public opinion. Sway it to one's narrative and you can have them differentiate an enemy from bystanders, dictate good from evil. All according to one's designs.
'For the sake of justice and peace, I raised a flag of rebellion. The only reason why it worked was because of the oppression and inequality that existed beforehand. In a world such as this, where peace is a well disguised illusion and justice is but a mask of the upper classes, there are already kindles set alight without my input.'
All he needs now is to be the guiding wind that directs the inferno.
"Hm. Flaunting your expertise, are you? All the while stopping my entering the limelight…" she teased. "Quite the attention seeking actor, aren't you, darling."
"One does not simply use a trump card in the opening stages of a match." Lelouch teased back. "And besides, the opinion of Nobunaga the tactician is of equal if not greater importance in this compared to the battle prowess of Nobunaga the warrior."
"Guess this means I can't slack off." Setting her glass down, Nobunaga turned her attention to the map once more. A sharp narrowed gaze pierced the paper, scrutinizing metaphorical pieces and opportunities even before they were brought to question. "We're in need of resources. Weapons and money both. And if we're to kickstart a global rebellion, we'd need to decide on our first client. Unless your take-over covers that already—"
She spared him an expectant glance. Knowing her darling, she was certain he'd already had a plan before consulting her. It was in his nature to be just that prepared. However, she didn't expect a somewhat pensive glare directed at the map.
"What's the matter?"
"… Before anything, we'd best leave this country." It took a solid half-minute before Lelouch responded. He started by setting his empty wine glass over the city named London. "While I don't believe they'd pick up on our trail so soon, there's little point in leaving things to chance."
Scrutinizing his wary expression, Nobu did something he wouldn't do for any other. She embraced him from behind, attempting to convey all the warmth she could. "What worries you so?"
"A lot of things do, Nobu." He accepted her embrace by leaning into it. "But primarily of them all is how limited our options are in the country."
"You imply Japan isn't suitable for our plans?"
"Too peaceful for my taste." He sighed as if he was reminiscing about a different Japan. "While beautiful in its own regard, the only relevance these islands have for me right now is the upcoming war. That and your legacy."
Nobunaga might've smiled at the added mention, but it didn't matter as much as she expected it should. "You're worried about the Clock Tower, aren't you?"
"Instigating revolution is one thing, but if we don't act cautiously, we might open a second front with the moonlit world."
Gaia's conditions still stood. He could do as he wished, so long as he didn't destroy humanity. But having been made aware of how those of the magi community do things, it wouldn't be hard to assert his being a Servant would draw attention.
That he was a living, breathing, not to mention, immortal Heroic Spirit traversing the mortal plane, it was sure to attract many troublesome mages. Their thirst for knowledge could and would designate himself as well as Nobu as precious samples. It may even instigate the Church to investigate. And after losing two of their own in the war, they could very well turn hostile on sight.
"Don't tell me you're scared of a few pitiful worms, my love! With my power and your intellect, it'd be child's play to be rid of them."
"Of that, I have no doubt." Lelouch turned to the map once more. "However, causing too much of a stir this early in the game isn't going to do us any good. More so when I plan to recruit any magi that would prove useful."
Nobu's surprised gawk was expected. Though he'd proclaimed conquering the world, he'd neglected to inform her of the how. The global powers aside, the underlying supernatural world remained a threat. With London's magecraft community hoarding all the magical resources, from materials to information, it was going to be difficult to invest in his own organized magi community, let alone utilize his understanding of magecraft.
He was also well-aware of the likes of Kayneth who wouldn't simply bow down to a Heroic Spirit. Considering how more than a couple of Masters used their Servants as tools, it's pretty clear how the rest would treat him and Nobunaga even before they started their campaign.
"Best to beat them to the punch and consolidate our own side of the moonlit world," he said, encircling a large portion of Asia and drawing a line to separate it from the Americas and European Union. "To completely take this world over, even those of the shadows who would choose to defy us must be eradicated. Both, what lies beneath the surface and above it, will either bend to our whims or be destroyed."