Manchu Empire TNO

The life of Puyi, once a son of Heaven, was a long descent into hell. Chosen by Empress Dowager Cixi herself the day before her death, he became little more than an ineffective child emperor in the dying days of the Qing dynasty. Forced to abdicate by Empress Dowager Longyu under pressure from the leaders of the Xinhai Revolution, Puyi grew up in the Forbidden City, temporarily ceded to him by the newly formed Republic of China. There, he married Wanrong of the Guobuluo clan and became close friends with her younger brother, Rongqi. In 1924, the court was expelled from the Forbidden City, and he was forced to take refuge in the Japanese concession of Tianjin, choosing a decidedly pro-Japanese course in his life.

After six years in Tianjin, in 1931, Puyi was visited by Kenji Doihara, head of the Kwantung Army's espionage department, who offered him the position of head of a new Manchurian state. After some hesitation, Puyi accepted and traveled to Changchun with his court. In 1932, he became "Chief Administrator" of Manchukuo, and in 1934, he was restored to the throne. Despite this, Puyi soon discovered that he was nothing more than a glorified prisoner of the Japanese, held in a gilded cage. This was acutely felt by those around him: Wanrong, who had never liked Japan, became increasingly distant and addicted to opium; his brothers were no longer as close to him as they once were; and even Runqi became concerned about the Japanese control over Puyi. However, Puyi abandoned any hope of challenging the Kwantung Army, especially after Japan's victory in the war. Now, nearly 30 years after his coronation, he has achieved little and is despised by many, even those dear to him. This knowledge increasingly gnaws at Puyi as his own health begins to fail. His only legacy is a solitary life and an empire in chains.

As the sole military force in the Northeast after the adoption of the Security Ordinances, the Kwantung Army is ostensibly a single army group within the IJA. In reality, such assessments are based on a superficial view of the situation. The fact is, there is a high level of integration between Japanese administrators and the Manchurian government. For example, Japanese bureaucrats became vice-ministers of all Manchurian ministries, blocking the passage of any initiative that might affect their ability to extort concessions from the state.

The Kwantung Army is plagued by internal divisions: a Manchu faction and an orthodox faction. The former includes members of the Manchu Imperial Army, as well as members of the more moderate units of the IJA. The latter, however, is composed of personnel reminiscent of the era of national corporatism and mobilization, reinforced by the 1955 Military Cooperation Act, which provided "assistance" to the Imperial Army under its command.

Manchukuo's triumph in the wars of the 20th century exposed the rural communities of the northeast to the excesses of the modern era. Opium, once a prohibited substance looked down upon in the rest of the civilized world, plagued urban centers. Prostitution flourished, especially among poor minorities. The Japanese bureaucracy, a vital component of the state, harmed the people of Manchuria by spreading these excesses.

Such is life for the average person in Manchuria: the low wages they can squeeze out of corporations are then spent on these vices, perpetuating a vicious cycle. Solving these problems will require the Japanese bureaucracy to abdicate its role, which is impossible unless Manchuria somehow asserts its sovereignty.

The Japanese bureaucracy, a vital organ of the state, controls the economy. Corporations overseas establish themselves in Asia's third-largest industrial nation. Corporations dominated by Mangyo are rarely benevolent: they pervert Manchurian laws for profit.

Manchukuo Harmony Society Officially, the Manchukuo Xiehehui, or the Manchukuo Harmony Society, is an "unformed constitutional institution" serving as a "government matrix," uniting the nation under a common vision of ideology, civilization, and politics. Of course, it failed to live up to its own propaganda expectations—the organization was dominated by Japanese bureaucrats under the "internal leadership" of the Kwantung Army.

The Great Compromise of the 1950s allowed some members of the Society to choose their own position in relations between Manchuria and Japan. As a result, sovereigntists, led by the Imperial Court, emerged as a rival to the Japanophiles. Both factions have their own plans for governing this state, and they are seeking a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Since establishing its status as a state, the Manchu government has always relied on Japanese means to achieve its goals. The Kwantung Army guards the borders in the north against the Russians and in the east against the Northeast Asian Joint Forces. However, this cooperation is rarely carried out in good faith. The Kwantung Army and Manshu Somucho play a dominant role in Manchuria's political life, and the State Council is virtually powerless without Somucho's "favor." Currently, the state is in a state of equilibrium. For anything to change, something must give. The Manchukuo government was reluctant to annex Outer Manchuria, considering it too densely populated by Russians and thus creating even more problems for the country. However, the Japanese government, tired of incursions by Russian, Chinese, and Korean partisans, ordered the formal annexation of the former Primorye region to Manchuria. Now, the partisans are no longer a Japanese problem—they are a problem for the Manchurian authorities. Lacking formal military forces outside the Kwantung Army, the Manchu government relies on generals stationed in Ryojun to provide assistance and protection from invasion.

However, the Kwantung Army itself, being the largest military group in the JNA, cannot completely suppress the resistance in these areas. Reforms or an increase in the size of military groups should eventually dissipate and eliminate this threat, but will this be the case? The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army has waged the struggle for decades and has extensive intelligence connections throughout the region, not to mention its support for any Russian unifier that emerges in the Far East.

The Manchu Empire, born from Japan's land seizure in 1932, firmly holds its place as the crown jewel of Japan's Co-Prosperity Sphere. The Siberian War, which distracted the USSR, allowed the Kwantung Army to occupy the Amur River coast in 1956 and incorporate it into the country. Despite the official annexation, the Amur territories remain largely intact. The largest city, Vladivostok, was annexed by Japan as an ice-free port, leaving the rest of Outer Manchuria to Manchukuo.

Manchukuo is currently the most industrialized country in the region, home to Manchus, Mongols, Han Chinese, Russians, Koreans, and Japanese, all working within a single alliance. Cities are decorated in a distinctly Japanese style, and storefronts sell Japanese goods for the Japanese, Manchus, and Han Chinese. Outside the urban centers, life is not so good for Japanese settlers. Despite numerous attempts by the Japanese government to pacify the countryside, Japanese farmers periodically face harassment from rebellious Han Chinese and Mongol rebels.