Ch.11Anastasia’s Little Ball (2)

# The Provisional Government Building in Yekaterinburg

For a while, the Bolsheviks didn’t launch any attacks, likely shocked by their defeat in Yekaterinburg.

And I was able to hear news about the progress of World War I.

From a special envoy sent by Germany, which was facing defeat with its head hanging low.

“What is this? World War I ends so anticlimactically?”

Of course, someone had to take responsibility, and notably the Austria-Hungary Empire had now simply become the Austrian Empire.

But the situation was better than in the original history.

They lost South Tyrol to Italy and Bosnia to Serbia, and Hungary became independent, but they maintained the Czech industrial region and the monarchy remained intact.

How did it turn out this way?

In the original history, the great powers eventually learned about the fate of the Tsar’s family, albeit belatedly, but could things change this much just because they found out a bit earlier?

“Our Kaiser has sent the Grand Duchess Louise’s uniform for you to wear while fighting valiantly.”

The German envoy who delivered the European news handed me a neatly folded uniform that had belonged to the German Grand Duchess.

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak.

I stared at the neatly folded German Grand Duchess’s uniform before me.

From the feeling I’m getting, Wilhelm II must have been pulling some strings behind the scenes.

I didn’t have a proper uniform anyway. I had just been wearing a hastily adjusted Russian Imperial Army uniform.

“What happened with the war in Europe? It shouldn’t have ended so easily.”

“Our Kaiser declared that the Bolshevik threat endangers world peace and made peace with England to support the Grand Duchess.”

“You mean…”

“The Kaiser specifically instructed us to defeat the Bolsheviks at all costs.”

I see. Now I understand.

The Bolsheviks’ notorious reputation among European powers was worse than in the original history.

They were branded as barbarians and devils who, despite all their grand principles, brutally executed the Tsar’s family and even violated the Empress and Grand Duchesses.

Even among socialists and communists who wanted to overthrow monarchs and create their own countries, there were mixed opinions, but as the Soviet Union’s grand plans became known, communism gained more power.

Wilhelm II must have belatedly considered what might happen if he became the emperor of a defeated nation.

That even his beloved daughter Louise might suffer the same fate.

Yes. Despite being called a diplomatic idiot, he was said to have managed domestic affairs reasonably well. Such news would have made his eyes roll back in his head.

Especially since Nicholas II, his own relative, had died.

Could this have created a snowball effect?

If the Entente powers had prevailed, they would have shackled Germany and probably forced it to give up its colonies.

Having botched the war from the start, Germany wouldn’t have had the capacity to maintain its colonies anyway.

“So Germany is supporting us?”

“Yes. This has already been discussed with other powers, so please let us know if you need any assistance. We will look into it.”

So Germany has taken the lead in supporting us.

Fine. If that’s the case, I’ll do as they wish.

“Currently, Russia’s situation is dire, causing problems with local weapons production. Also, we plan to build a new railway network centered around Yekaterinburg.”

Weapons production is important, but so is the railway network.

The vast Russian territory absolutely requires railways for supplies.

Even during the German-Soviet war, railways allowed them to bring troops and supplies from the east to fight Germany.

When German forces advanced, the Soviets would load new recruits onto trains, again and again.

Even the German army was amazed by the Soviet forces.

That’s how important the railway network is in vast Russia.

“Yes. Regarding that, I will contact my country and ensure it’s reviewed positively. The Kaiser will support local production capabilities. We will also look into the railway matter.”

Good. But then something else occurred to me.

“Would tanks also be possible?”

Germany started losing the war partly due to the presence or absence of tanks. Just in case, I decided to make the request.

The German envoy’s eyes flickered momentarily.

These guys. They were clearly thinking about tanks too.

France might end up taking a hit from Germany at this rate.

“Regarding tanks, I’m not sure. But I will report that to my country as well.”

If history had proceeded as originally, the Hundred Days Offensive would have happened, followed by the naval mutiny when sailors were ordered to launch a suicide mission, accelerating the German Empire’s downfall.

Then the November Revolution would have toppled the empire.

But now things were different.

It seems the monarchy has survived as the war ended with a “peace treaty” rather than surrender.

Additionally, the Don Republic decided to join Yekaterinburg.

Considering Germany’s backing of the Don Republic, this was likely also arranged with German involvement.

Anton Denikin was still in southern Russia but had sent word that he was ready to coordinate with us.

The Soviet Union’s situation was now worse than in the original history.

They now faced a massive wall of opposition, and what could they do about it?

They were truly treated like cockroaches, like Satan, with European powers sending all their remaining war resources our way.

In the Black Sea region, we were even receiving old warships, rebuilding our fleet.

While a fleet wasn’t necessary to fight the Red Army, it would be needed to rebuild the Imperial Fleet.

“Britain and France have sent tanks.”

After the German envoy left, Kolchak and Gajda of the Czech Legion entered with their report.

British MK series tanks, along with Renault FTs.

There were German tanks too, but they looked genuinely clunky.

“They must be quite desperate.”

Tanks, and even officers from their countries to train tank crews.

This was quite serious indeed.

They want to protect His Majesty, the King of the mighty British Empire. That must be it.

Certainly, if we could get tanks, we might gain the upper hand in the Civil War.

However, this raised concerns about what would happen after the civil war.

France and Britain wouldn’t provide all this support for free.

They would probably demand something in return after the civil war, like some concessions.

While that’s possible, the great powers are all exhausted right now.

Even if they wanted to extract something from us, they wouldn’t have the means to pressure us.

America, being the wealthy upstart nation it is, might support us just to stop communism.

This is all speculative, of course.

But it doesn’t seem like France or Britain are providing unconditional support.

I need to look into this further.

Unlike the original history, I didn’t receive foreign military support during the Civil War.

I only received material support.

Of course, there were “volunteers,” but not enough to cause public outcry.

Originally, the Soviet Union was criticized as a traitor for making a separate peace with Germany, but public opinion shifted in their favor when they saw the White Army receiving foreign military support.

But what about the current situation? The White Army doesn’t look so bad. That’s important.

Anyway, this means I’m doing my job as best I can right now.

“Grand Duchess, how long do you plan to remain on the defensive?”

“Shouldn’t we attack those Bolsheviks soon? They may have numbers, but they’re a disorganized rabble. We can certainly subdue them.”

General Gajda of the Czech Legion and Kolchak seemed rather impatient.

Isn’t that how they lost in the original history?

It’s important that the Czech Legion is completely on my side now.

Even though it seems like we have the upper hand right now, it’s just that we look intact on the surface.

The White Army in the original history eventually collapsed as a coalition of warlords.

While I’d like to avoid dragging out the civil war if possible…

“I plan to prolong this civil war a bit longer.”

“This war?”

“We can’t be certain of victory by moving hastily now. Even if we win, distrust of the imperial family will remain among those who were under the Bolsheviks. Above all, if we end this civil war quickly, who knows what those European powers will try to take from us.”

Many variables remain.

So it’s difficult to aim for anything specific.

Even though the great powers are exhausted and might find it difficult to make demands of us, we can’t drive out the Soviets by force right now.

“Then…”

“Of course, I don’t intend to let things stagnate completely. Japan is in the Far East too. At the very least, we must secure southern Russia completely.”

I stared at the map hanging on the wall.

A new map of Russia centered around Yekaterinburg.

I focused on one place name on that map.

“Then we must join forces with Anton Denikin and Pyotr Wrangel.”

“Yes. Once we reorganize our army, we must recapture Tsaritsyn.”

The Soviet Union is now moving more extremely as their situation has worsened compared to the original history.

They’re conscripting people everywhere to win this war, this civil war against us, before losing the system competition.

They seem to be doing it more harshly than in the original history.

But even that doesn’t seem easy for them.

If we just leave things as they are, the Soviet Union’s image as bastards will be cemented.

People will see hope in us as we implement reforms centered in Yekaterinburg and prepare a new Russia.

Right now, we can’t win, nor can we assume that crushing them by force will end the red plague.

The red plague must collapse against the vaccine of the new Russia I’m creating.

“A horse with two heads can never move forward. We must unify the army under the White generals who have joined us here. I intend to transform this White Army into the regular army of the new Russia. Therefore, we need to focus on this place.”

I pointed to a spot on the map.

Tsaritsyn.

In the original history, Stalin grabbed it by the collar and defended against the White Army’s attack, cutting off the connection between the White forces in southern Russia and Siberia.

Later, Tsaritsyn was called Stalingrad and played a crucial role in the German-Soviet war.

“As soon as our army is ready, we must attack Tsaritsyn together with Anton Denikin from southern Russia. Until then, we must prevent the Bolsheviks from gaining ground.”

“Understood.”

The problem lies ahead.

This is ultimately a race against time.

Lenin, the Bolshevik idol who has become desperate, will inevitably resort to extreme measures.

He’ll throw all the Red Army forces gathered under the red flag at us.

Before that happens, we need to secure our sphere of influence.

The current number of White Army troops hasn’t been properly tallied yet, but it’s estimated to be several hundred thousand.

That’s far fewer than the number of Imperial Russian Army troops who participated in the Great War.

This indicates how much the army has been divided by the civil war.

Therefore, to increase our troop numbers, we must secure Tsaritsyn.

“Also, I will lead from the front.”

“Again? Defense and offense are different situations. Please reconsider.”

Gajda opposed my direct involvement in the trenches too.

But I hunkered down in the trenches and pulled the trigger against the Bolsheviks.

If I did that just for defense, now I’m directly participating in the attack.

He must be worried that my body might be torn apart by shells.

To elevate the White Army above the Red Army, I need to take the lead.

This is unavoidable.

How fortunate that I’m not from a peaceful generation.

“Although our situation has improved somewhat, I am still a Romanov. I am the daughter of the Tsar who oppressed his subjects. For a while, I intend to step forward for the sake of public opinion, to pull us up by the collar.”

“Then, if it becomes too dangerous, you must retreat. As the White Army’s only hope now, you must preserve yourself.”

“I understand.”

It’s not like I want to die.

I don’t know how long this body will remain invincible, but even if I have to retreat eventually, I should finish what I started.

I must lead from the front for the White Army’s victory.

As it happens, Krasnov of the Don Republic is currently besieging Tsaritsyn.

And the Red Army commander defending Tsaritsyn is…

The famous Georgian human butcher, Stalin.

I wonder what would happen to Lenin’s succession plan if I were to take Stalin’s head now.

Or perhaps there’s another way…