Ch.19Germanic Pride

* * *

Soviet Moscow

Around this time, leftists were staging protests in Moscow, Soviet Union.

Not only did the Soviets prohibit private property and force farmers into collective farms, they also treated people oppressively and exercised authoritarianism. The people could no longer tolerate the Bolsheviks.

This was completely different from the Grand Duchess who was implementing various reforms.

The Soviets demanded obedience from farmers, oppressed them with violence, and ruled through terror.

It might have been different if the White Army had been as hopeless as they were in actual history.

Surprisingly, the Soviet people now had another option besides the Bolsheviks—the White Russia led by the Grand Duchess.

Even if that weren’t the case.

Left-wing workers went on strike and protested because the Bolsheviks they had trusted and followed were worse than the Grand Duchess.

“What are the Bolsheviks doing!”

“Things were better under the Tsar!”

“Prohibiting private property? Who do you think you are?”

“Stop the wars already!”

Strikes followed by protests.

The Soviet people felt that the current situation was worse than during the Tsarist era.

No, rather, Russia under the Grand Duchess, who appeared to be continuing the Tsarist legacy, was treating workers much better than the Soviet Union.

This only added to their sense of betrayal.

Perhaps the Bolsheviks really had just incited the workers to gain power, just as White Russia had rumored.

The protests were intensifying, and amid this continuing vicious cycle, the Soviet Union had to make a decision.

The problem was that Trotsky was in the position to make that decision.

“Comrade Trotsky. The scale of strikes and protests has been growing recently.”

“Beat them all down! Make an example of them! What is the Cheka doing?”

Trotsky had become increasingly radical over time.

Beat them all down and make an example of them.

Wasn’t this just the return of Bloody Sunday?

Even the Tsar wouldn’t have gone this far.

Trotsky’s inner circle thought the same.

Of course, Trotsky had his excuses.

If they left things as they were, reactionaries might intervene from behind. At worst, the people might start a new revolution, just as Lenin and Trotsky had done.

That revolution would have been influenced by the Grand Duchess, and Russia might return to those damned imperialist times.

“Isn’t that too extreme?”

“Don’t you understand yet? If we don’t overcome this crisis, we’ll end up like the Tsar! That woman they call Catherine III is shaking us from within!”

Trotsky was desperate.

Once people had tasted revolution, would they really stay quiet?

So there was only one answer.

“I feel like revolting.”

“Then die!”

Naturally, the Bolsheviks took up arms to prevent a revolution.

They needed to rule through terror, even if it meant bloodshed.

Once the workers submitted, they would implement the reforms they had planned, bring down the Grand Duchess who was only causing chaos, and establish a true workers’ nation.

That was the answer.

“Comrade Trotsky seems too hasty.”

“What can we do? The Grand Duchess knows our weaknesses too well.”

The Grand Duchess knew the weaknesses of the Soviets all too well—a regime that began by enticing people with sweet words.

She personally explained and implemented policies that the Soviets might have enacted themselves.

Of course, how much reform could a nation in civil war actually accomplish?

It was uncertain whether these reforms would reach every corner of vast Russia.

Stalin, who had been carefully observing Russia’s situation, knew well.

‘A frightening woman.’

While her reforms might be aimed at turning public sentiment toward the imperial family, the Grand Duchess’s reforms were also targeting the Soviets.

The Soviets had already promised reforms to the people several times, trying to refine and implement them.

But the Grand Duchess seemed to take the Soviets’ plans, make them more appealing, and implement them first.

Unlike the Soviets who earned resentment by prohibiting private property, the Grand Duchess recognized it and based her reforms on it.

It was as if she were saying: What can you do if I do this first?

Now, whatever the Soviets did, they couldn’t shake off the label of following the Grand Duchess. This was shaking the very foundation of the Soviet Union.

This was a bad omen for Stalin, who had once aimed to become the leader of the Soviet Union.

He needed to somehow capture the Grand Duchess before that.

He needed to sweep away those reactionaries and make the people follow the Soviets.

Of course, there was still a long way to go, and for now, he needed to understand Lenin’s intentions.

“Does Comrade Lenin share Trotsky’s views?”

“For now, he’s thinking of recapturing Ukraine.”

“Ukraine?”

“We need to redirect internal discontent outward, don’t we?”

So that’s how it is.

Comrade Lenin was crumbling too.

He was desperate to maintain power right now.

Well, that’s understandable.

The very existence of the Soviet Union had become difficult.

It was obvious that if they lost power here, not just Lenin but all members of the Communist Party would face the people’s judgment.

In other words, losing power now meant death for the Soviet Union.

They could suffer the same fate as the Tsar.

Still, Stalin considered it fortunate.

If Lenin and Trotsky properly served as meat shields, taking all the complaints and grievances of the people…

The Grand Duchess was actually helping him.

‘My opportunity is coming.’

The Grand Duchess’s pressure was, conversely, an opportunity for Stalin.

That opportunity seemed to be coming faster than expected.

First, he needed to make the party officials his allies.

“Stalin. Don’t you think Comrade Lenin has become too hasty as well?”

Voroshilov spoke to Stalin as he was leaving after assessing Lenin and Trotsky’s movements.

Yes, they must have seen it too.

Lenin and Trotsky had become too radical.

Stalin needed to set the stage here.

He needed to gather those suitable to work with him and clearly identify those who would need to be purged later.

He needed to prepare from now on.

“Hmm. It’s extreme, but recapturing Ukraine is something we need to do.”

“So you agree?”

“I don’t know. Now might be the right time to recapture it, and if we want to redirect the people’s discontent away from the party, we should strike elsewhere now. But wouldn’t that just make the people bleed? So I don’t know.”

“Comrade Lenin should have kept you by his side instead of Trotsky.”

Party officials, including Voroshilov, felt bitter at Stalin’s lament.

This wasn’t why they had made the revolution.

They said it was necessary to protect the Bolshevik regime, but this wasn’t the revolution the party officials had wanted.

How was this any different from the Tsar?

“I thought we could do anything under the red flag.”

“What can we do? We must trust Comrade Lenin.”

Stalin secretly smirked.

For now, he would continue to pretend to follow along amiably.

And when Lenin and Trotsky finished their tasks and were about to collapse like sandcastles under the unbearable resentment of the people…

That’s when he would step forward.

He would oust Lenin and Trotsky with a new revolution.

* * *

The Soviet Union is suffering.

According to information gathered by the Okhrana (Russian Imperial Security and Order Preservation Bureau) that had joined our side, Trotsky’s military reforms were being hindered by Stalin as expected.

Originally, while the White Army was struggling for leadership, the Red Army would have completed its reconstruction and pushed back the White Army with a massive force of 5 million.

Now that was being blocked.

Stalin might have judged that we wouldn’t attack them because we were building our own strength, but in any case, he was opposing Trotsky’s plans.

He would have had sufficient justification.

The failure to capture Yekaterinburg, the joining of South Russia with the Provisional Government in Yekaterinburg, small and medium-sized cities joining the White Army one after another, tired of the oppression of the incompetent Communist Party that was slow with reforms while only increasing the size of the army.

Stalin’s faction apparently wanted to implement reforms first and then build up the army.

It seems like we might be able to take a bit more time.

Unlike actual history, the White Army here had been unified except for the Baltic and Finland fronts, and White Russia was growing robustly under the support of the great powers.

Pyotr Wrangel was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the “Liberation Army,” integrating the armies of Southern Russia, the Cossacks, and some Siberian White Army forces, and slowly began moving westward.

Of course, despite repeated warnings, they didn’t engage in battle.

Cities that wanted to be liberated from Bolshevik oppression welcomed Wrangel’s army, and since there were no significant battles, Trotsky only became more frustrated.

Meanwhile, the White Army under Pyotr Wrangel was growing in number due to cities joining White Russia every day.

And Anton Denikin’s army wasn’t moving right now.

They needed to defend that area because of Ukraine.

Germany’s support, having become Britain’s second battalion, was remarkable.

They seemed to have forgotten their Germanic pride, providing us with massive support as directed by Britain, France, and America.

Plus technical personnel support.

Thanks to that, if the reality I’m facing now were a typical Grand Duchess domain story, it would be like using cheat codes.

Honestly, it’s extremely suspicious.

Germany being so generous to a former enemy, not even an ally?

It’s strange by common sense.

They should be begging Britain to let them handle the Reds instead.

What are they thinking?

“A new railway network is being built centered around Yekaterinburg.”

Kolchak, who had recently become a representative in the Duma, reported.

Yes, Yekaterinburg is now functioning as the capital.

Even those who “hate the Bolsheviks but hate you too!” and were terrorizing White Russia have disappeared.

In actual history, the White Army wasn’t properly unified, couldn’t recapture Tsaritsyn even at their peak, and was troubled by terrorists—whether Bolsheviks or non-Bolshevik leftists—attacking them from behind.

Either they like what I’m doing, or White Russia has grown enough to cure their anger management issues that led to terrorism, or maybe it’s because I beat up the Reds in the Far East when they were acting mindlessly.

“The railway network is like blood vessels that circulate blood in the vast territory of Russia. The center would be the heart. This Yekaterinburg must become that heart.”

It can’t be helped because of the civil war.

Isn’t it about time for some impressive figures to emerge?

It’s really hard for me alone to pull up a torn Russia by the collar.

The nobles who are implementing reforms and the representatives of Yekaterinburg citizens are all holding ministerial positions now.

Once the provisional government properly establishes itself, we should promote some talented individuals. I hope they won’t all be dead by then.

“But too many German weapons and goods are coming in.”

“Isn’t that good for us?”

What is the German Empire trying to get from us?

They’ve even set up factories all over Yekaterinburg, Southern Russia, and Central Asia.

And they’re munitions factories at that.

Were the Germans always this generous?

Did they say they’d reduce reparations for this?

Even with Germanic pride, giving away so much doesn’t make sense. Especially as the defeated party, why would they?

“Grand Duchess. Germany says they’ll help with tank production on site.”

This time, Mikhail Drozdovsky spoke excitedly.

This man has been obsessed with tanks for a long time—

What? They’ll help with tank production?

“Pardon?”

They’ll help with tanks?

No, wait, the Germans wouldn’t be this purely generous, would they?

Why would they help with tank production?

They couldn’t produce many tanks and were defeated, weren’t they?

“Do you know why they’re helping?”

“The reason is that ‘the Kaiser’ says the Grand Duchess reminds him of Grand Duchess Louise, so he wants to support you generously, but since the eyes of Britain and France are watching, he’ll help secretly.”

No, that’s clearly suspicious.