Chapter 1781
Chapter 1781 - 1777: The Nation of Archipelago
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"The world has changed. I fear that after this Plane War ends, the global configuration will be completely different from another world line..."
Some countries have fallen; others have endured. The Earth Government nominally remains in the process of being formed, but its actual functionality is still a distant hope... Lu Ping’an has always been convinced that even if it is formally established, it would likely serve no better than the United Nations from another world line—or worse, devolve into a puppet manipulated by a handful of major powers.
Lu Ping’an does not doubt that Earth will eventually face unification. Once development reaches a certain stage and external threats make collective defense necessary, unity becomes a question of "when," not "if."
But he is equally certain that he might never see that day in his lifetime. After all, nations and ethnic groups remain as the prevailing mainstream, and for those to completely dissolve, no one knows how many centuries or millennia it might take.
"Those Sakura Islanders—they see things rather clearly. Is this the result of disaster preparedness? It seems they have had contingency plans ready for a while..."
World wars serve as opportunities to redraw borders and as a stage for ambitious figures to lead their ethnic groups in territorial expansions.
The scale of this world war is far more terrifying. Many countries are now desolate wastelands, and most governments operating under the pretense of being "states" have been outright erased.
Destroying nations is easy; reviving them is far harder—not just because of issues related to population, resources, or military strength, but mostly because of the international landscape itself.
To say nothing of distant lands, let’s look at the Sakura Islanders aboard Lu Ping’an’s ship; within their own group, they are actually part of the "Deserter" faction.
"Your Excellency, we don’t believe the Sakura Kingdom could possibly succeed in its revival..."
The client made this remark to Lu Ping’an, who simply responded with a smile.
"Don’t talk nonsense. I think your side’s war results seem promising—maybe in a few months, you’ll reclaim the territory."
"Please don’t joke. Let’s not even discuss whether the land could really be reclaimed—after all, that’s currently the largest East Sea gathering place for Foreign Domain outsiders. Even if it’s recaptured, what connection does it still have to the Sakura Kingdom?"
"Heh, that’s for you to say—I don’t understand politics." Lu Ping’an chuckled. If the other side insisted on obsessing over the concept of revival, then this task would have been doomed from the start.
The reality is harsh: Policies like "land rewards for battle merit" may seem beneficial to the revival of the Sakura Kingdom, even sparking a frenzy of revivalist fervor in New Tokyo, but in truth, they have rendered some nations inherently irrecoverable.
On the surface, it appears the ownership of "Foreign Domain lands" is given to civilians, leaving refugees to reclaim territories through their own efforts—as if with enough determination and sacrifice, reclaiming all the land could be achieved... Back then, many genuinely believed this and acted with fervor.
But after prolonged execution, it became clear: This notion was as fleeting as a reflection in water—while seemingly within grasp, it ultimately shattered at the touch.
The reality turned out to be the opposite of expectations; in essence, the policy itself made "revival" an unattainable goal.
"Since the policy has already distributed the land to those with merit, the Eastern Country’s Officials can hardly reverse course, forcibly confiscate land from those meritorious individuals, and hand it over to the entire Reconstruction Faction... In practice, it didn’t take long before some of us figured it out, but amidst the mass frenzy, it was utterly meaningless."
This has, in effect, blocked the Eastern Country from officially facilitating the revival effort. While it may seem like no obstacles were placed, the fundamental possibility of such assistance has been severed... "Once the land has been assigned, it belongs to others now—how could it ever be reclaimed?"
On the surface, the policy transfers the prospect of revival to the Sakura Islanders themselves... but the Sakura Islanders are far from monolithic in unity.
In reality, staunch revivalists are a rare minority; after three years of annihilation, the pragmatic realists who have accepted the grim realities of the future are the overwhelming majority. Many are simply focused on surviving.
Those who fought tooth and nail to accrue battle merit naturally expect ample rewards—why would they offer it all up as "sacrifice?"
Furthermore, those Strongmen who earned battle merits with rewards of land typically became independent powerhouses themselves. Want to buy land back from them? Sure—but the price won’t be cheap.
Most crucially, in the process of reclaiming land—or rather, driving out the Exotic Realm invaders—participants were not exclusively Sakura Islanders. Forces from the Leduc Peninsula, Red Star, the Eastern Country, and countless other Strongmen from all corners were involved.
The allure of these rewards applied to them as well: Who wouldn’t want to establish their own overseas "free zone?"
As a result, the islands of the East Sea and the Leduc Peninsula will ultimately be fragmented into countless splinters, divided among numerous Strongmen, regardless of whose battle merit claims prevail.
And their "ownership" is guaranteed by the Eastern Country. Once acknowledged, it is untouchable within the human domain.
At this moment, the true malevolence of the policy-makers’ intentions becomes clear.
Could some nations achieve revival? Perhaps—but only a small fraction of their former territories, surrounded by swirling microstates, and essentially re-enacting the so-called Warring States Era.
Forced military consolidation? Impossible. Purchasing back territory? These top-tier Strongmen lack neither funds nor alternative resources—and many of them have specialized roles, having been sent here with specific missions.
Perhaps one day, some countries might successfully revive—say, Liuqiu. From what Lu Ping’an knows, quite a few Eastern Country Strongmen have been tasked with this endeavor.
"At the end of the day, we’re too close to the Eastern Country, which has already emerged as the planet’s inevitable dominant force..."
The client stated this frankly, leaving Lu Ping’an somewhat speechless.
"Uh, that’s your conclusion—not something I’m involved in."
A complete revival across the East Sea is highly unlikely; it may, in the end, fracture into a patchwork of microstates. Fundamentally, this stems from the Eastern Country’s substantial vested interests in the region. Even the foreign technical refugees residing within the Eastern Country—it has no intention of releasing them.
"Our most practical goal is to establish a small kingdom over in Southeast Asia..."
A substantial number of Eastern Country-appointed lords will obtain land rights in the East Sea archipelago, solidifying it as the Eastern Country’s internal sea. As for Southeast Asia... the Eastern Country has little interest in the area.
Sending troublesome groups like the Sakura Islanders and Peninsula People there—even assisting them in founding an overseas state—would be entirely acceptable.
In some sense, this might even be a "good" outcome for that hell-on-earth region.
While the Eastern Country shows disinterest in Southeast Asia, certain other forces have different ideas...
"...No, to be exact, the Mountainous Kingdom itself aims to dominate Southeast Asia, intending to turn the entire region into its internal sea, and naturally harbors hostility toward anyone, including us, who might interfere there."
Lu Ping’an realized that this mission might prove far trickier than anticipated. Their former allies have already morphed into their largest obstacle.
— End of Chapter 1781 —