Chapter 68: Guiding the Dragon's Path

The pragmatic nature of the Japanese alliance meant Adav had to constantly monitor Japan's imperial ambitions. The Codex's [Geopolitical Analysis] module provided chilling forecasts of Japan's future expansion, particularly towards Southeast Asia and China. Adav recognized that unchecked Japanese aggression too close to India's borders could pose a future threat.

Through covert intelligence and economic incentives, Adav subtly attempted to guide Japan's expansion away from India's immediate neighbors. Through high-level, clandestine meetings between Indian intelligence and Japanese military planners, Adav's agents provided seemingly innocuous, yet strategically significant, intelligence regarding resource deposits or logistical weaknesses in British colonial holdings further to the East (Malaya, Singapore, Dutch East Indies). He also ensured Bharat Corporation's trade deals with Japan prioritized resources that incentivized expansion in those directions rather than towards India's direct vicinity or into the Tibetan buffer zone.

This was a dangerous game. Adav was essentially encouraging Japanese expansion, but directing it away from his own sphere of influence. He reinforced the idea that India and Japan shared a common interest in dismantling Western colonial power in Asia, subtly suggesting targets that served India's long-term strategic goals. He provided economic incentives for Japan to focus its industrial output on naval and air power, aligning with India's need for advanced designs. This delicate dance of pragmatic cooperation and subtle manipulation ensured that the Japanese axis remained beneficial to India, rather than becoming a future threat.