Ch.110Anastasia Precautions

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Navy Department will review that as well.”

Here in the 1930s, Russia with its pumped-up national power just needs to focus on producing ground weapons.

In short, whether Japan tries something underhanded or not, it won’t be bad for us Russians.

“But if the Japanese navy dominates Asia, our Far East could be threatened. The Russo-Japanese War itself was fought without any declaration of war from those bastards. As Your Majesty said, if they succeed in Asia, they might eventually target our United States.”

Targeting the United States.

Yes. When those bastards have nowhere else to strike, they might target Russia.

What if they turn China into a unified puppet state? What if they somehow settle things with France in the Southern Operation and take Indochina, and the Philippines from America?

Since they’ve beaten Russia once, they might target us again.

But I doubt that insane Imperial General Headquarters would adopt peaceful methods different from the original history.

“Then God will help us.”

“Pardon?”

I shook my head.

“Ah, I’m just saying. Nothing in human affairs is predetermined. Since we’re already anticipating a war with Japan, let’s just strengthen our Far Eastern Army on the pretext of preparing for China, rather than the Navy.”

Well, it’s just my speculation, but if Japan really becomes emboldened, they might attack the Philippines to gain Asia.

Anyway, they’d feel less burdened being on the same side as Britain, and they could quickly take the Philippines and make a proposal to negotiate with the United States.

For example, they might say they’ll do anything if the US recognizes Japan’s interests in the Philippines and the Pacific.

The Imperial Japan of that era deployed the miraculous logic that America would agree to negotiations after being slapped with the Pearl Harbor attack, so this scenario isn’t impossible.

Of course, this is just my speculation.

I don’t know how things will actually turn out.

But by then, nuclear weapons should be developed too.

For instance, if Japan targets Russia instead of the Philippines, we might need to hold defensive lines, gain air superiority, and then drop nukes.

“Indeed, I understand.”

“Pardon?”

“I will follow Your Majesty’s will.”

The military is simply following my words directly.

What strange people.

According to my speculation, Japan is destined to fall, and British colonies won’t last long either.

Especially if Communist Germany starts causing trouble now, Britain might later grant independence on the condition of establishing pro-British regimes rather than communist ones.

Whatever happens, now that Communist Germany has sown the red seeds, the aging British lion will find it difficult to maintain its colonies.

Germany is likely trying to drain Britain and France’s power as much as possible.

It would be a masterstroke for Communist Germany, rather than Nazi Germany, to target British and French colonies first.

So I’m curious about something.

“Has anything unusual happened in Britain and France?”

Aren’t they struggling because of Britain right now?

Russia doesn’t have much else. Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other Red Army forces have all been eliminated and incorporated into the United States.

We’re watching the fire from across the river, but it’s problematic if Britain and France are too weakened by their colonies.

Britain has its fleet, but its army is weak and needed help from Commonwealth countries.

If such a Britain concentrates its troops in the colonies, it won’t be able to defend the French front when France is in crisis.

And if the supposedly strong French army is tied up in the colonies, the outcome is obvious.

“France probably won’t hold out long in the Ruhr.”

“Why is that?”

Given the original history, I didn’t think it would last long anyway.

Looking at the current process, I wonder if there’s some different thinking. That’s what it seems like.

Maybe they have no choice but to withdraw from Germany.

For example, perhaps colonial issues have erupted to the point where they can’t maintain the Ruhr.

The German side could use this to blackmail them.

“There are reports that Britain and France are protesting to Germany about the spread of communism in their colonies.”

They wouldn’t normally protest unless it was serious.

The fact that they protested means it must be quite troublesome.

“That won’t be easy.”

The communists will just deny everything and that’s the end of it. Communist Germany will never admit it.

I honestly doubt they have the capacity to support colonial resistance movements. But if they did, they must have done something.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes, General Ungern. Please speak.”

“After hearing Your Majesty’s radio broadcast, I, Ungern, was truly impressed.”

That man has been fidgeting for a while, so that’s what it was.

He’s been thinking about the radio broadcast all this time.

Come to think of it, before the world ended, my neighbor got completely absorbed in VTuber streamers.

Surely it’s not like that.

“I did that once at the Black Baron’s suggestion.”

“In the Roman National Party, every member bought a radio.”

Seriously, that’s like an idol fan club.

I should check how that National Party operates sometime.

“Um, what are you trying to say that’s so embarrassing?”

“If the communists are injecting their red ideology into British and French colonies, wouldn’t it be effective to spread Your Majesty’s voice to them?”

Why on earth would we do that?

Why is this development happening?

“Oh, that’s a good method. That way, the colonized people would think capitalism is better than communism.”

“But wouldn’t the colonized people be more attracted to communist ideology that promises their liberation?”

“Wasn’t it Your Majesty who brought down communism? Your Majesty’s ideology is called Tsarina-ism among the United States subjects, or dare I say, Anastasia-ism.”

What? What terrible ideology is this?

Anastasia-ism, what nonsense is this?

It reminds me of Stalinism and Trotskyism.

And in nearby Communist Germany, there’s Rosa Luxemburgism and Karl Liebknechtism.

But regardless, what’s most appealing for colonies to rise up is communist ideology, not the leader of a modified capitalist state allied with colonial empires.

Communist ideology from Communist Germany, which has no colonies and was established through revolution against an imperialist state. It’s obvious which would be more attractive.

Ideologically speaking, communism appeals more to colonized people.

Even if those colonized people praise modified capitalism instead of communism, it’s far from the word “independence.”

So it’s meaningless anyway.

“Even if we spread that, they’ll think it’s meaningless if they can’t gain independence.”

“Your Majesty, it’s not a bad method. If communism continues to spread like this, Britain and France will eventually have to reach a conclusion. They’ll try to establish pro-British and pro-French governments in their former colonies.”

Krivoshein is speaking with interest.

As expected of a Prime Minister, he knows things.

Pro-British, pro-French government establishment.

Considering how Britain has been antagonizing Indians since World War I by mobilizing them, the answer seems obvious.

“I suppose so?”

“But if they seriously try to create governments friendly to their home countries, the colonized people who are already red-tinted will end up fighting against Britain and France, and the seeds of communism will spread again from the colonies.”

“Then we should spread it at that time.”

It sounds like a perfect plan if it works.

If it works, that is.

Unfortunately, I can’t dismiss it as just a convenient development.

“Yes. At the right time, when Britain inevitably reaches the stage where they must grant independence, that’s when we spread it. Then at least they won’t be tainted by communism when they become independent.”

One side spreads communism, the other spreads modified liberalism.

What madness is this?

If this backfires, wouldn’t it be problematic?

Britain and France might protest to us.

Of course, it’s not a bad method, but it’s not clearly a good one either.

The benefits we could gain aren’t that significant.

Even if modified capitalism spreads, how would that benefit Russia?

Communism might spread more.

I spread modified capitalism to colonized people through radio.

Are you crazy? I gain nothing from doing that.

I’d probably just earn curses from the colonized people.

“The important thing is that I haven’t decided yet.”

“Ahem. I apologize.”

“I understand why you’re all like this, but the important thing is that I haven’t decided yet. That’s just a possibility. There’s a risk of unnecessarily provoking Britain and France. Of course, the approach of stopping communism is good, but Britain and France managing their colonies should know what to do. Britain might even claim that Russia is trying to meddle in India under the pretext of Communist Germany.”

Even during the Great Game, Britain was very wary of Russia.

Of course, they might mess things up.

But at least it’s better than Russia telling them what to do from the sidelines.

“But it’s not a completely bad method. For example, we could suggest to Britain and France that they should relinquish their colonies.”

“Would they listen?”

“Normally they wouldn’t. But if they’re having problems in their colonies due to Communist Germany’s expansion, wouldn’t they at least consider our suggestion conditionally? Let’s use this right when the topic of colonial independence is about to emerge. Instead of spreading modified liberalism through radio.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

“They have too much pride to just give up, but if another anti-communist country suggests they should gradually let go… they might reluctantly do so. At least it’s better than losing colonies disgracefully through communist revolutions.”

It’s good to lay the groundwork from now.

Like suggesting to Britain and France that communist ideology might be spreading too much.

Naturally, Russia would appear to be working for colonial liberation. Later, the colonized people would praise Russia.

“Hmm, that’s unfortunate. Even the colonized people should hear Your Majesty’s anti-communist voice to become civilized.”

“Well, that’s not urgent, so let’s observe for a while.”

Above all, if we spread modified capitalism to colonies, we might unnecessarily provoke Japan.

Since I’ve become the symbol of this modified capitalism.

It’s absurd to claim that modified capitalism is the ideal ideology for countries seeking independence from colonies!

While we officially respect the House of Yi and have formally annexed the Korean Empire, Korea is still Japan’s colony.

I plan to liberate it eventually, but it’s awkward if Koreans start believing that Russia will help them if they just believe in modified capitalism.

We’re not yet in a position to eagerly play the role of an ideological leader.

Of course, by the time Germany starts a war, Russia will be much more prepared.

This is something to keep an eye on.

* * *

Berlin, Germany, 1925

The French ambassador knocked on the door of the Foreign Ministry of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany with now-familiar steps.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve planted communists in our Algerian colony!”

The French ambassador was furious with Rosa Luxemburg, the Foreign Minister of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.

He was getting sick of hearing the same thing over and over.

It wasn’t the first time he had knocked on the door of the Communist German Foreign Ministry with news of German communists being discovered in Algeria.

It was becoming pathological.

“We know nothing about this.”

Yes, because of these hypocritical red bastards who consistently deny everything.

“So I suppose the communist caught in Algeria was sent by the Kaiser of East Prussia?”

“Communist? You can’t call people who ‘voluntarily’ enter colonies out of concern for colonized people living under imperial rule and call for worker liberation by such names.”

“Now you’ve revealed yourself! Aren’t you the culprits?”

They’re not even trying to hide it anymore.

The Kaiser’s Germany was easier to deal with.

These people have no faith between nations, literally without principles.

This is why they’re becoming isolated in the world.

At first, he felt some sympathy for them, having lost West Prussia and Danzig to Poland and being separated from East Prussia, but not anymore.

“I tell you, we know nothing about it. We are not involved.”

Yet they stubbornly deny it.

The French ambassador felt that if this were a battlefield, he would have struck that woman’s head with a rifle butt to see what was inside.

Probably hundreds of snakes.

“The communist party members caught in Poland as the masterminds behind the Tsarina terror also brazenly denied everything!”

“Can your colonial empires control each and every one of your citizens? We cannot control every communist who jumps in to liberate colonized people suffering in pain. Justly.”

What nonsense.

She certainly knows how to talk.

Did the Kaiser lose his country to such insane people?