Ch.25Towards Moscow

# The Ambitious Plan Fails

Trotsky’s ambitious plan had failed again.

Ah, what an idiot.

While I’ve been pushing the Soviet Union to extremes, this level of incompetence is a real intelligence issue.

It’s just like fighting over power when your country is on the brink of collapse.

But that works in our favor.

Of course, Belarus seems to have fallen to the Red Army, but that’s similar to actual history.

It’s rather strange that there was no Polish-Soviet War. History seems to have changed significantly due to British intervention.

This way, after we capture the Soviet Union, we can naturally take it for ourselves.

Stalin will be busy trying to secure Trotsky’s position.

I just received news from the Black Baron that he has recaptured Nizhny Novgorod.

Ukraine should be stabilizing now.

Of course, negotiations with Makhno and the British remain, but Britain must know they can’t hold Ukraine for long.

And news has arrived from the Baltic region, which gained independence after being the Baltic United Duchy under Germany.

From Finland, Nikolai Yudenich is planning to lead the Northwestern Army, formed with British support, toward Petrograd.

But first…

I looked with satisfaction at Ungern standing before me.

“I heard Baron von Ungern-Sternberg made great contributions in the Battle of Kyiv.”

“I couldn’t stand the itch. My only regret is not capturing Yegorov, that damned traitor who once belonged to the Imperial Army.”

“Wasn’t it a battle fought without any operational planning? There will be other opportunities. The important thing is that the Asiatic Cavalry Division has proven its considerable fighting power.”

If it hadn’t been for that surprise attack, we would have had a bloody battle during the day.

We were really lucky in this battle.

Who would have thought Ungern’s 5,000-strong cavalry division could pull it off?

The Red Army pressing on Kyiv reportedly numbered in the hundreds of thousands. And they pierced right through them in one go.

Then Anton Denikin’s White Army swept through the confused Red Army.

Of course, about half of them surrendered.

Not everyone else died either.

Many fled during the night raid. Not that many people died, they say.

The surrendered Reds even killed or handed over their political officers to survive.

The funny thing is…

Suspiciously, Patton’s Russian troops and Walter Model’s Russian troops who couldn’t speak Russian—

Damn. Even Walter Model is here.

Is this guy even qualified to be here?

Fortunately, Charles de Gaulle reportedly focused only on defense.

What is this civil war, really? It’s not a miniature world war—it’s just a one-sided beating of the Reds.

Anyway, the Russian troops who couldn’t speak Russian were quite effective.

A 5,000-strong cavalry division piercing through at night.

Russian troops who couldn’t speak Russian attacking and firing from all directions, insisting they couldn’t lose.

Though few in number, being attacked at night would be quite devastating.

Moreover, this battle has confirmed Ungern’s abilities.

He’s not the madman portrayed in historical rumors.

He’s just a man who masterfully utilizes cavalry tactics. They said Mongolians revered him, and that was apparently true.

“If Major General Ungern is this capable, I can’t imagine how outstanding Grigory Semyonov, the Mongolian Deputy Governor who gave me the position of Great Khan of Mongolia, must be.”

Formally, he’s below me.

“Ah, that man is a bit…”

“Not good?”

“He’s the type who believes the Russian Empire is the successor to the Mongol Empire and wants to proudly establish a Russian-Scythian Empire.”

“How remarkable.”

Isn’t that completely baseless?

I understand connecting Mongolia and Scythia, but still. Claiming the Russian Empire succeeded the Mongol Empire?

That’s no different from saying Goryeo succeeded the Tang Dynasty.

He seems like the crazy one.

Well, he’s not doing anything at the moment, so we need to keep an eye on him.

“Your Highness, why have you summoned us today?”

Mikhail Drozdovsky, Chief of Staff of the White Army, opened the conversation.

Yes, yes. This is what you’ve been waiting for.

What you who should have died in the original history have been waiting for.

The chance to achieve what you couldn’t accomplish, having died at the hands of the Reds. What you’ve all been longing for.

If they knew the original history, they should be kneeling and bowing to me.

“Yes, it’s what you’ve all been eagerly awaiting.”

“I see.”

Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived.

Now, the Red Army in Ukraine has been annihilated.

What this means is that we can now pressure Moscow from the south.

Pyotr Wrangel’s army has also advanced to Nizhny Novgorod, close to Moscow.

Additionally, Nikolai Yudenich’s Northwestern Army, which retreated toward Finland, is planning to advance on Petrograd (Saint Petersburg), later known as Leningrad.

Then the time has come.

“Right now, the Reds are fighting among themselves for power in Moscow, and Nikolai Yudenich’s Northwestern Army is planning to pressure Petrograd.”

Of course, the timing might not align perfectly in this coordination process.

But even if it doesn’t, the Red Army is in such disarray that coordination shouldn’t be difficult.

Well then, everything is ready.

It’s time to march on Moscow.

I won’t even give Stalin time to seize power.

I know about Stalin, but Stalin doesn’t know about me. He probably doesn’t know how I’ll act.

We’ll attack from the south and east.

In situations like this, you need to strike quickly when the opportunity arises.

“Pyotr Wrangel, the Black Baron’s White Army has recaptured Nizhny Novgorod and gained more troops.”

The audience is completely silent.

Everyone has been waiting for this moment. They’re just waiting for my words, the words of the Grand Duchess who might become Tsarina.

Even in actual history, Moscow was under threat.

They were simply repelled by the Red Army due to lack of strength.

In this timeline, the White Army is stronger than ever before.

Trotsky’s ambitious Red Army attack on Ukraine has suffered near-total defeat.

They probably would have swept through Ukraine, Belarus, and even pushed into Poland, but they completely botched it from the start.

“Anton Denikin’s Southern Russian White Army has also begun advancing north. The Bolsheviks’ army, which had been boasting about its invincibility everywhere, has been annihilated. The great powers are supporting us, and Jewish capitalists are supporting us as well.”

The White Army offered all kinds of benefits to Jews to fight against the Red Army.

They promised to no longer maintain anti-Jewish sentiment. Those who fight for the Russian White Army—whether on the frontlines or in factories—would be granted citizenship in the new Russia.

This was guaranteed in the name of the Romanovs.

As a result, Jewish capitalists greatly increased their support.

Considering that Jews sided with Japan during the Russo-Japanese War, this is an enormous development.

Later, I might consider giving them a large piece of land in Asia to establish Israel, to prevent future conflicts. I could promise this and extract even more support.

Everyone knows what I’m about to say.

So the core members of White Russia present here swallow hard and wait for my words.

“Everyone is helping us, and the Bolsheviks are isolated. Their army can no longer venture outside.”

They’re probably busy just trying to defend themselves.

“So finally…”

“Yes, the road to Moscow is open. We must lead all White Army forces, except for Anton Denikin’s Southern Russian Army, Nikolai Yudenich’s Northwestern Army, and the Black Baron’s Cossack White Army, to Moscow.”

“Yes.”

In this meeting with Mikhail Drozdovsky, Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, Vasily Boldyrev, Anatoly Pepelyayev, Alexander Kolchak, and other Duma members present (excluding generals at the front), I took out a dagger and stabbed it into Moscow on the Russian map.

And then…

I finally declared:

“Let us recapture Moscow, the Third Rome, and end the Red plague.”

The time has come.

To recapture Moscow and eliminate all those damned figures like Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky.

The total forces of the White Army began to mobilize.

New rifles produced in factories in Yekaterinburg, Central Asia, and Southern Russia are now in the hands of White Army soldiers ready to capture the Reds, complete with matching uniforms.

A situation that would make the White Army of actual history envious.

The Russian White Army Air Force, which hasn’t been active until now, has been newly organized, unlike the former Russian Imperial Air Force.

Those Reds will probably try to block Moscow.

Though inferior in weapon quality and training, they’ll try to hold out with sheer numbers. The dreamers still imagining a workers’ paradise will try to maintain the Soviet by pushing people to their deaths.

How hypocritical.

Do they realize that each of their actions destroys the legitimacy of their revolution?

This is the reality of communism.

Now, communists worldwide will be greatly shaken by this alone.

Realizing that this is what communism really is.

Of course, hardcore Reds will ignore this and continue shouting “Communism!” even with their heads bashed in.

But at least many sympathizers will disappear.

The Chinese Communist Party might not even emerge.

Then would Chiang Kai-shek’s Republic of China unify China?

Considering China’s potential, we should intervene and tear it apart into a Warring States period. It would be best to prevent unification during the Warlord Era.

“Why am I counting my chickens before they hatch?”

China is a problem for later.

We’ll eventually clash over Mongolia and Manchuria issues.

After all, our occupation of Chinese Manchuria is essentially the current situation.

We can think about that when the time comes.

First, we need to recapture Moscow and establish a new Russia.

As I was about to join Pyotr Wrangel to march on Moscow and mounted my horse, I noticed some Asian officials.

They’re probably not Chinese coming to demand Manchuria. They wouldn’t be dressed so neatly, and there shouldn’t be independence activists here, so they must be Japanese.

Among them, I saw a man in military uniform.

His appearance in that uniform was strangely familiar.

“Who are they?”

“They appear to be officers sent by the Japs. They’ve come as military attachés and wish to pay their respects to the Grand Duchess.”

It’s probably not just paying respects. They want to test the waters.

At a point where Japan couldn’t intervene in Siberia, they had to watch Northern Manchuria fall to Russia.

So they’re probably trying to see if Russia will be an enemy or ally. Because of the Russo-Japanese War too. That must be it.

In actual history, Japan didn’t have the ability to control Siberia and suffered at the hands of Red guerrillas.

What about Japan, which doesn’t know that suffering?

Depending on how the White Army appears, might they not target Siberia?

Then I certainly can’t appear weak.

Looking at those Japanese diplomats, they’re at least people I don’t recognize.

Of course, there might be figures I don’t know because I’m not familiar with Japanese history.

But that man in military uniform looks familiar.

Sensing my interest as I approached them, the Japanese officials greeted me.

They introduced themselves as the Japanese ambassador to White Russia.

And that soldier who came with them. He still looks familiar.

I can’t help it in this situation.

I approached the man.

A figure who seems very familiar. Even though I kept thinking “surely not,” that Japanese person is here.

The only person with Japanese Empire citizenship that I like and respect.

I approached the man who might be that person.

“Who are you, sir?”

In response to my question, the man, presumed to be a figure respected by Koreans, stood at attention and carefully spoke:

“I am Captain Renya Mutaguchi of the Imperial Japanese Army, dispatched from the Empire of Japan to the Russian Empire! I pay my respects to Grand Duchess Anastasia, the saint of All Russia!”

As I thought.

Renya Mutaguchi. Yes, that was his name.