Ch.139The Order of Russia

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It seems that only our forces know about Makhno’s suicide. If that’s the case, we could fabricate this.

“Even such a man might gain followers in the future. Let’s keep Makhno’s suicide secret and select criminals who resemble Makhno from those already condemned to death. We’ll disguise them as Makhno, send them to trial, and execute them along with Makhno’s other associates. To avoid suspicion, I, as Tsar, will add the reason that I can’t stand to look at these Reds.”

“Oh, that’s an excellent method.”

“We shall proceed with that.”

But you know what? Makhno is truly despicable.

Think about this carefully.

Why did he commit suicide in his own office?

Wasn’t he trying to frame it as if he died without achieving his grand ambitions because of Russian invaders?

Let me say again, there are variables here.

In reality, if he had properly established a committee system and followed it with collective farm policies—though difficult due to peasant resistance—there could have been some achievements. It might be evaluated somewhat positively.

Historical figures are often reevaluated anyway.

While it might be a stretch to call Makhno a great man, the Reds will still glorify him.

Not in the future, but now.

There’s Communist Germany to promote communism, and anarchists worldwide.

Even Benito Mussolini, whose end was at a gas station, is now being glorified by Italian right-wingers.

In the future, depending on Ukraine’s circumstances, Makhno might be glorified again. It’s possible.

We need to prevent that preemptively.

So we need to think differently about this.

What if we dress Makhno in women’s underwear?

Let’s say the discovered Makhno was wearing women’s clothes and underwear.

We can have the Cheka agents testify to this.

I raised my hand and said:

“Just to be safe, let’s dress the fake Makhno in women’s underwear. Let’s say when he was discovered in his office, he was embracing women and wearing underwear on his head.”

“What?”

The Duma representatives are all stirring.

That’s right. They didn’t expect talk of women’s underwear to suddenly come up.

But if they listen to the end of what I have to say, it will be interesting.

“Regardless of future generations, there are anarchists besides Makhno now, and there’s Communist Germany. Let’s brand him as a pervert so they can’t spout nonsense.”

That way, neither Communist Germany nor anarchists will be able to make much of Makhno.

Wearing women’s underwear, with photos taken as evidence.

If that gets captured in photographs, would Karl Liebknecht or Mussolini dare say anything?

Anarchists will also point fingers at the dead Makhno.

“That way, Makhno will simply be remembered as a pervert in the future, without any chance of reevaluation.”

A pervert who wears women’s underwear couldn’t possibly have done his job properly.

If he’s branded as just a pervert without any chance of reevaluation, that should do it.

“That sounds amusing.”

“Then neither Communist Germany nor Italy will be able to defend Makhno or claim he was a martyr.”

“Even communists who respect neither parents nor hierarchy wouldn’t defend a pervert obsessed with women.”

In the end, no one will take his side even in this reality.

I don’t know how it compares to the original history, but here he’ll be cursed even after death.

“Are the Ukrainians alright? Is there anyone calling us invaders?”

“None except Makhno’s close associates.”

Even among Makhno’s associates, only those facing death would resist.

If they’re going to die anyway, they’d rather resist and die.

“For the time being, give the Ukrainians tax reductions and benefits under the pretext of rebuilding eastern Ukraine. We need to clearly show that we’re different from Makhno.”

“Yes, understood.”

“How are neighboring countries reacting?”

I asked the Foreign Minister.

The reactions of neighbors are important in such matters.

Look at Russia. It was cursed from all sides after attacking Ukraine.

Only the shady thug nations of the Red team supported Russia.

In this world, the Ukraine we’ve taken was ruled by anarchists, so isn’t that acceptable?

“Britain sent Austin Chamberlain to express slight concern, but we plan to respond by citing Communist Germany as justification.”

“That makes sense.”

From Britain’s perspective, they could complain to us since Western Ukraine is involved, but that’s all.

From the beginning, Britain essentially acquiesced to Makhno’s Free Territory as Russian land.

Britain isn’t stupid, and one can guess why they tolerated an ‘anarchist state.’

They’ve already questioned us about Western Ukraine before, so they won’t say anything even if they have complaints.

“Communist Germany has protested fiercely, issuing an anti-Russian statement claiming that the imperialist Tsar has finally crushed the seeds of Ukrainian communism.”

“Hmm.”

Well, that was expected.

Let the Reds play among themselves.

Now we’re annexing half of Ukraine, even if it’s just half.

Gaining even a portion of their population and industrial power wouldn’t be bad.

Come to think of it, what Russia is doing now would be good for winning over Ukrainian farmers who were angered by collective farms.

Setting aside existing benefits for now.

What if we return the landowners’ rights that Makhno’s Supreme Labor Committee took away?

Next is the Minister of Land Management.

“Have all lands been returned to the landowners?”

“Yes. By returning everything the Supreme Labor Committee took, the number of independent farmers has increased significantly.”

“Then, let’s establish the Russian Ukrainian Autonomous Republic and set up zemstvos there to recognize the rights of landowners.”

The zemstvo (local council) allows landowners, peasant communities, and urban classes to elect representatives for three-year terms.

In other words, this is practically the opposite policy of Makhno, who had been oppressing the farmers.

Collective farms were just a pretext for the tyrant Makhno to arbitrarily strip away farmers’ rights.

In this process, the farmers’ morale plummeted, and I’m essentially liberating them.

They’ll accept the rule of the United States of Greater Russia.

Moreover, the zemstvos in the United States now are different from the traditional ones—they’re established in almost all regions where needed in the United States, and they can even be involved in national affairs.

The shackles that the zemstvos had due to the resistance of nobles and the limitations of the imperial era have been removed.

“Yes, Your Majesty. We’ve already prepared the governor and regional ministers to be dispatched there.”

“They’re not nobles, are they?”

The Ukrainian Free Territory has just been incorporated into our country.

As the zemstvos have been reformed more broadly, city dumas have been created in the republics within the United States, and if nobles enter these, they’ll obviously restrict those from provincial origins.

“No, Your Majesty.”

“As a counterpart, they’ll likely welcome Russian rule, so even if we don’t aim for Western Ukraine, we should promote this properly.”

Even if we don’t aim for Western Ukraine, we need to show that Russia governs well.

This needs to be demonstrated.

Then, even Ukrainians in the British puppet state of Western Ukraine might sympathize with us. Later, Western Ukrainians might come to support Russia.

“Your Majesty. There’s some noise from the Baltic states.”

Prime Minister Krivoshein opened his mouth with a worried expression.

The Baltic states would be Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, right?

“Is there a problem with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania?”

“While Belarus was swallowed by the Bolsheviks and we simply took it back, Ukraine was territory taken by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that we’ve reclaimed. The Baltic states seem to fear that Russia might invade them next.”

“Is that so?”

Come to think of it, that makes sense.

While we were beating up the Free Territory, how would the Baltic states, which once belonged to Russia, view this?

It’s like finally having a peaceful school life because the local bully got sick, but then seeing that bully beat up another lackey and grow stronger again.

“The British Foreign Minister also expressed concern about this point.”

Do we really need to worry about that?

Even if they’re anxious, we have no such intentions.

Considering the caliber of the Baltic states, it’s understandable that they’re anxious. But Russia truly has no intentions.

Because we have no thoughts about it at all.

Of course, the Baltic coastline is somewhat regrettable, but the Baltic states aren’t essential for forming the United States of Greater Russia.

Territorially, it would be nice to have them, but it’s just at the level of “that’s a shame.”

Honestly, if Bermont had done well, we might have fully controlled the Baltics. But unless we’re in a position to negotiate over the Baltics, it’s a bit difficult now.

Wouldn’t Pontic Greece or Constantinople, which we wrested from Turkey, be much more beneficial?

After all, even all the Pontic Greeks have joined Russia.

“Hmm, we’ve already restored the Eastern Roman territory, so is there any reason to expand into the Baltics?”

“Yes, if there’s no reason to clash with Britain, there’s no reason to go to the Baltics.”

Then there’s no need to worry about it.

Rather than giving a definitive answer that “We will absolutely not go to the Baltics!” it’s better to just stay quiet.

No news is good news, as they say.

We have no interest in the Baltics.

“Let’s just respond moderately that it’s not the case.”

“Moderately, you say?”

“No matter how much we try to reassure them, what can we do? We need to show it through actions. From the beginning, Eastern Ukraine was an anarchist zone, not a British line, so we took it—just saying this much should be enough. Besides, isn’t Bermont’s Western Russian White Army, which caused conflicts in the Baltics, in East Prussia?”

There aren’t many troops stationed at the Baltic border.

Anyway, they’re pro-British line countries. Touching the Baltics would be tantamount to saying we want to fight Britain.

But if the Baltics have any sense, they should know that Britain is acting strangely right now.

The newspapers reported in big headlines that Britain yielded to Germany, which had been defeated not long ago.

So the Baltic states must be afraid.

They fear that Russia might ignore Britain and target them.

“Yes, Your Majesty. If they’re still anxious, what should we do?”

Having consumed Ukraine, even Britain, as a party involved, would feel uncomfortable.

Let’s be honest, if we boldly sent troops to the Baltics now, claiming “We need to eat the Baltics to stop Communist Germany’s expansion!” how would Britain react?

If we push hard, we might be able to take them, but that would fracture the Anti-Comintern Pact, and only our Red Germany would be dancing with joy.

Mussolini of Communist Italy, our spiritual partner, having donned the mask of communism, will sail in the same boat as Germany for a while.

“If they won’t believe whatever we say, we can show it through actions, so it’s best to ignore or deflect. Yes, let’s just say that our priority is the restoration of Eastern Rome, not the Baltics.”

The White Russian victory in the Civil War, the recovery of Constantinople, and subsequently, Russians who rose from the scars of civil war united with pride as descendants of Rome.

-Hence, the United States of Greater Russia is also called the Third Roman Empire.

That is, just as Goryeo set northward advancement as its national policy to recover Goguryeo’s ancient territory, it’s called the Third Empire with the reason of recovering Roman territory.

We can use this as our reason.

“Indeed, having recovered Constantinople, Britain would be reassured, but…”

That’s what I’m saying.

We’re not going to directly lead our army to the Baltics.

Losing the Baltics is regrettable, but it’s not worth antagonizing Britain or making it seem like Russia is pursuing expansionism again.

We’ve already recovered Constantinople and some of Anatolia, the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire.

As the successor to the Eastern Roman Empire, we show interest in Mediterranean countries, not the Baltics.

“Your Majesty, then do you plan to target Turkey or Greece later? Moreover, Britain’s Mediterranean fleet could check us.”

Ah, so that’s where this is leading.

That’s not it.

“Greece is more likely to be beaten by Turkey, Bulgaria, and others than targeted by us. And it’s difficult for us to take Turkey. There’s no reason to recover the Eastern Roman territory by force in the first place.”

The Ottomans have ruled Anatolia for hundreds of years.

How long would it take for Russia to occupy all of Anatolia and completely assimilate it?

It’s better to maintain the same sphere of influence peacefully.

“Then in what way—”

“War with Germany will change the landscape of Europe. If we lead the effort to bring down Germany, won’t the Anti-Comintern Pact countries that are part of the Eastern Roman territory follow us? Then we can create a new force. The Roman Treaty Organization. Isn’t that good? That way, we integrate the economies.”

This could be called the new Rome.

A Roman order led by Russia, you might say.