Ch.26Towards Moscow (2)

# Allied Spy. Dark Korean Independence Army. The figure who inflicted the greatest damage on Japanese imperialism among independence fighters and contributed to the Allied victory.

A teacher who left behind many famous quotes and earned great respect from 21st century Koreans – Teacher Mo Jeon-gu.

He clearly participated in the Siberian Expedition initially, but since that history disappeared, did he come directly as a military attaché instead?

Looking at how other powers are sending their notable figures without proper foundations, they must be taking this civil war quite seriously – though that doesn’t explain Mutaguchi, who wasn’t really of that caliber at this time.

Honestly, if it weren’t for Operation Imphal, he wouldn’t have been that famous.

Except for Renya Mutaguchi, all the Japanese officials appear to be naive diplomatic types, but one shouldn’t take that at face value.

Japan is definitely dangerous.

If the White Army is like a large egg, those bastards might try to eye Siberia.

That’s the kind of people they are. If Russia looks even slightly appetizing, the military might go berserk.

So I need to be thorough about this.

“You’re not a military attaché, are you?”

Even the Japanese diplomats accompanying him seem uncomfortable with the situation.

You guys shouldn’t be acting like this.

“Well, about that…”

I haven’t heard anything about Japanese military support arriving.

They can’t send troops, but perhaps they followed the American forces to observe the White Army’s situation.

Come to think of it, later when he was a Lieutenant Colonel, he infiltrated the Kamchatka Peninsula alone for reconnaissance.

Could it be happening here?

He couldn’t have infiltrated all the way here only to be caught by me.

No, this is Mo Jeon-gu.

Japanese people aren’t the type to just observe – he’s probably here to boldly examine the White Army’s situation in detail. Isn’t that right?

Either way, this person doesn’t seem like an enemy.

I patted Renya on the shoulder.

“Renya Mutaguchi. Your eyes show the face of someone who will accomplish great things. Work hard.”

“Thank you!”

Renya Mutaguchi bowed politely at the waist.

Our Renya Mutaguchi needs to work hard.

I don’t know if the same events will unfold in this world, but judging by his achievements, he’s someone who will make a big impact even in this altered history.

Well, it’s time to go.

“Chief of Staff. How many troops has the White Army gathered?”

“We have over 1.8 million troops ready to march on Moscow at any time.”

Considering the White Army’s situation in actual history, this is an enormous number, especially since they didn’t conscript like the Soviets.

I wonder how the Soviet Union is doing.

“Let’s go then.”

Several years have already passed since I began living in this body.

I need to end this damned civil war quickly.

And then

I need to control the market for internal stability while steering away from the damage of the Great Depression.

* * *

Soviet Moscow.

Each time the White Army’s boots stepped into Soviet territory to purify the red plague, these satanic hordes could only scream in terror.

The red revolution had been so close. But because of the existence of one damned Grand Duchess, the nearly complete revolution was crumbling.

Already there were whispers: “The recent reforms are similar to the Grand Duchess’s – what’s the point of having the Soviet Union? All you do is conscript soldiers.”

And at this moment, the White Army didn’t miss the opportunity to exploit this weakness.

Suddenly, these reactionaries were swarming from the south and east.

Even Yudenich, who had been so thoroughly defeated by the Red Army, was now targeting Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) from Finland with Finnish forces.

“Reactionaries are coming from all directions.”

“Comrade Lenin. We might be able to defend against Yudenich’s army, but we cannot stop the advance of Anton Denikin’s Southern Russian forces and the Black Baron’s army marching toward Moscow.”

“Damn it.”

Lenin gritted his teeth.

He chewed his lower lip and pulled at what little hair he had left.

Trotsky was no different.

Always aggressive, Trotsky ground his teeth as he surveyed the panicked party members.

He still didn’t seem to acknowledge his own mistakes.

Stalin, on the other hand, was calm.

He simply maintained a gentle expression, as if he had given up on everything.

Everything had gone wrong starting with the execution of the Tsar’s family.

They had lost every major battle they needed to win.

The Battle of Yekaterinburg, the Battle of Tsaritsyn, the Battle of Kyiv in Ukraine. The Red Army suffered consecutive defeats against White forces, and could only bully the Baltic states in the Western offensive.

He sighed deeply.

‘Damn it. Are we even out of time?’

Stalin chewed his lower lip.

This is all Trotsky’s fault.

No, the Grand Duchess’s movements were much faster than expected.

She was moving quickly, as if determined not to give Stalin himself time to seize power.

Stalin’s original plan had been:

Expel Trotsky, who had nearly died several times.

Then, in Lenin’s name, surrender more concessions to the great powers to gain support or mediation for a ceasefire.

Afterward, brand Lenin as a traitor who sold his soul to imperialists, overthrow him with a new revolution, and establish his own Soviet.

That was the original plan.

Although it meant losing much of Russia, the human butcher from Georgia wanted that position even if obtained through such means.

After all, when those colonial empires eventually collapsed, he could gather strength and take everything back. That’s why he recruited the most prominent figures in the Red Army to his side and didn’t spare any carrots to win over officers from the imperial era.

But.

The Grand Duchess moved too quickly.

Now there was only one option.

Defend Moscow to the end, break the momentum of the White Army, and negotiate a ceasefire.

Without foreign support, the Soviet Union still had a better foundation.

They could grow based on that.

‘Looking at this mess, even that might be uncertain.’

It was a gamble anyway.

Stalin hadn’t been entirely positive that the revolution would come this far in the first place.

With so many incompetent people making it difficult even to discuss countermeasures, he wasn’t sure if even that gamble was possible.

But yes, they had to defend.

What did the Soviet Union have left?

They needed to use that.

Although Southern Russia had fallen to the Grand Duchess, the Soviet Union still held the center of Russia – the center of European Russia.

That meant they had a larger population to mobilize.

This was no time to sit idle.

If the Grand Duchess was coming this quickly,

They needed to mobilize as many people as possible.

There was no time for debate.

“Comrade Lenin. This is not the time for discussion.”

“What do you mean?”

“A vengeful Grand Duchess is leading reactionaries in a march toward Moscow. Shouldn’t we stop her rage?”

“But Comrade Stalin, we lack weapons.”

True. They lacked weapons.

The factories were producing weapons as best they could, but it was difficult.

Even in actual history, Russia had sometimes produced weapons through other countries due to poor conditions during wartime.

The current Red Army, the Soviet Union, was in worse shape than in actual history, with no help from anywhere and a severe shortage of weapons.

They had made tanks before, but it was uncertain how many they could operate.

They had absorbed some aircraft from the Imperial Air Force, but their air force was embarrassingly inadequate.

The lack of commanders was also serious.

They had recruited many officers from the imperial era, but that was all.

Generals with extensive war experience either remained neutral or fled to the White Army, unable to endure Bolshevik oppression.

Yes.

The situation wasn’t good, but they had one advantage: numbers.

As the White Army’s occupied territories expanded, their forces were also growing, but Bolsheviks were still everywhere.

This meant the White Army had to divide their forces to maintain order.

Meanwhile, if the Soviets concentrated their forces on Moscow alone?

With Bolsheviks conducting sabotage from behind, it could work perfectly.

“Instead, we have an abundance of people. Comrade Lenin, if the workers throw away their lives like straw until the enemy runs out of bullets and shells, we have a chance.”

“Indeed.”

Bang!

Lenin slammed his fist on the round table and jumped to his feet.

His face was extremely red.

Much redder than when he had first stepped forward to address the masses to gather Bolsheviks for the revolution.

Filled with anger, he glared at Stalin with bloodshot eyes.

“Are you suggesting we throw the people as bait for them?”

“We’ve already suppressed strikes with the Red Army and thrown thousands into the river. With those corpses still bloated on the riverbanks, what’s the problem?”

The Soviets had bloodily suppressed strikes by leftist workers.

Recreating Bloody Sunday, they were thoroughly killed under gunfire, by the Soviet that was supposed to be for workers, and dumped in the river.

Even in actual history, not this one where Anastasia lived, records of such massacres remained.

“The strikes had to be suppressed!”

“Comrade Lenin, you must be honest. To achieve revolution, you must sacrifice the small to gain the large.”

Stalin whispered to Lenin.

For the Soviet to establish itself, some bloodshed was inevitable.

The blood of those who opposed the Soviet was clearly necessary in that process.

The same applied now.

To defeat the White Army, they had to sacrifice the small.

They just needed to push people forward until the enemy ran out of bullets.

That was their only hope.

Moreover, this would be quite an effective strategy against the Grand Duchess.

Their opponent was the last Romanov Grand Duchess, who might restore the empire.

There were collateral branches, but at least for now, legitimacy rested solely with Anastasia.

And if Anastasia killed her own subjects…

This could be politically exploited by the Soviet Union.

Stalin pointed this out.

“If the Grand Duchess is at the forefront, wouldn’t she essentially be killing her own subjects?”

The Grand Duchess would certainly appear to boost the White Army’s morale.

That’s how Stalin viewed Grand Duchess Anastasia.

Although she hadn’t appeared on the Ukrainian front, she would definitely appear in the Battle of Moscow.

“So we’re fighting to the death against the Grand Duchess.”

“Stalin, there’s a limit to what numbers can do. We’ll eventually be pushed back.”

Trotsky jabbed into the good atmosphere.

True, he wasn’t wrong.

They would eventually be pushed back. Even though they had more people, the advantage wasn’t overwhelming.

But Stalin still had a plan.

It was obvious that the Grand Duchess would personally move for this Battle of Moscow.

“Don’t I know that? Comrade Lenin, the Grand Duchess’s arrival isn’t just about raising their morale – it’s important for us too.”

“Stalin, what do you mean?”

“When their forces push into Moscow, if our Red Army cavalry moves behind and captures the Grand Duchess?”

Yes, it was a gamble.

She had evaded assassination attempts well so far, but if they could succeed in capturing the Grand Duchess, they could destroy the White Army’s focal point.

This was essentially Stalin’s final plan for a Soviet comeback.

“Yes, there’s a possibility.”

“We could turn the tide.”

The success of the Red Army cavalry formed for this occasion would be crucial.

Especially this cavalry unit composed only of those with grudges against the Romanovs – Stalin hoped they would do their job properly.

“Budyonny, the success of your Red Cavalry is crucial.”

“This time, I will capture the Grand Duchess even if it costs me my life.”

Budyonny hadn’t forgotten the humiliation in Ukraine.

The humiliation suffered at the hands of Ungern’s Asiatic Cavalry Division.

Therefore, he had formed the strongest cavalry in the Red Army, determined to win.

His cavalry unit, which had lived alongside the Cossacks, would never lose to any other army.

“Then Comrade Mikhail Frunze will command the Moscow defense forces.”

“Yes, comrade.”

Mikhail Frunze, who had gathered Alexander Yegorov’s defeated troops and repelled the pursuing White Army, was given command of Moscow’s defense.

Thus, the curtain was rising on the Battle of Moscow.