Ch.364Tsarina is Watching

# Rome Treaty Headquarters was dumbfounded by Greece’s demands.

“Twenty thousand? Compensation for twenty thousand casualties?”

“Do you have any idea how many anti-communist coalition troops died protecting Greece?”

Do they know how much blood Turkish forces and Balkan nations’ armies shed to repel the infamous ‘Red Roman’ army?

Of course, the Red Roman forces weren’t particularly strong, but the Italian army was still massive compared to Middle Eastern forces, and Turkey and several other countries suffered at least twice the casualties that Greece experienced in the Middle East.

Certainly, twenty thousand casualties is painful for a country of Greece’s size, but it’s not like the Tsar threatened them with a sword and forced them to climb the Panjshir. In fact, because of East Japan, they had even considered abandoning Afghanistan in the worst-case scenario.

“Well, our situation is quite dire. Honestly, we’re part of the Rome Treaty, while they’re just a resource pipeline, aren’t we?”

“We? Your country Greece was part of Roman territory and is treated this way because you allied with us during the Great War. What are you trying to do?”

“Our Tsar never ordered your country to attack Afghanistan in the first place. The Tsar even bowed his head after you recklessly stirred up anti-Roman sentiment in the three Middle Eastern countries.”

“T-that’s…”

“If you don’t properly deal with this Golden Hellenism Party or whatever it is, we’ll have no choice but to take measures. Your Greece isn’t the only heir to Rome.”

Other countries had significant stakes in the Great War, making them suitable candidates for joining the Rome Treaty, but Greece was different.

Hadn’t the Anti-Comintern forces come to their aid only after they were suddenly attacked by Italy?

The reason Greece could join the Rome Treaty was because it occupied one of the central territories of the Eastern Roman Empire.

For this reason, they had been treating Greece with some importance out of consideration for Anastasia, who had strongly advocated for Rome’s reconstruction. But if they kept acting like this, there was no solution.

“Our people are acting like they’ve been struck by lightning.”

“Then we should withdraw from the Rome Treaty!”

“If we withdraw, won’t we end up like ‘Serbia’?”

“That’s a bit…”

“This is all because of that fox-like Tsar! He used us as a scapegoat!”

When neither option seemed viable and their anger management issues fluctuated, the Greeks began cursing Anastasia viciously.

They couldn’t counter the Rome Treaty with the Greek military, and they faced the immediate risk of isolation and starvation.

“You dare insult the One True God? I won’t let this stand.”

Unfortunately for them, the world wouldn’t tolerate Greece insulting Anastasia either.

“Let’s die together.”

“What’s an Arab doing here?!”

“Allahu Akbar!”

An Iraqi who had once attempted to assassinate the Tsar but then recognized the true One God and became a fanatic was traveling in Greece. Enraged by the insults against the One True God, he carried out a bombing at a national convention where the Golden Hellenism Party was promoting nationalism and insulting Anastasia.

The terrorist and all members of the Golden Hellenism Party present were killed in the explosion.

“If you insult the Tsar, some hidden Muslim will kill you.”

“Is it just the Tsar? I heard these people specialize in terrorism against us Greeks.”

“We should confront the Tsar—”

“You’ll die before that happens! Everyone keep your mouths shut!”

Now Greeks had to keep their heads down for fear of unpredictable bomb attacks.

Greek fascism died out naturally this way.

For the record, Anastasia hadn’t done anything at all.

* * *

While I was eating popcorn and watching Israel’s Greater Israel Plan to build a holy land in the East…

I heard that the Golden Hellenism Party had been attacked.

The perpetrator was reportedly an Iraqi who was a fanatical Tsar monotheist.

“They say the Golden Hellenism Party has been disbanded.”

I muttered while reading the report in front of Maria II and Beria.

Just reading the content was somewhat satisfying, but originally I had wanted to send bombers.

“More precisely, they self-destructed on their own.”

Yes. It’s accurate to call this self-destruction.

No matter how I look at it, I can’t understand what these Greek bastards are trying to do.

“Well, that’s essentially the same thing. But it’s surprising they didn’t try to argue more.”

I had expected those who annoyed me with the Golden Hellenism Party to cause more trouble.

Unfortunately, they didn’t.

They clearly knew their place.

“Perhaps they realized they don’t have the standing to argue?”

Yes. Maria is right.

They lost twenty thousand people, were on a winning streak for a while, and made a fuss about being the successors to the Macedonian Empire.

They got nothing in return, so they temporarily lost their minds and acted out, but then an anti-Greek Tsar fanatic carried out a bombing that wiped out the Golden Hellenism Party leadership. What could they do?

Even Papagos died, I heard.

With Papagos, a hero of Greece, dying such an inglorious death, what could Greece do?

In the end, they had to kneel when told to kneel.

“That’s right. They may be grumbling now, but they know it’s futile, and their anger management issues will sort themselves out.”

When you analyze the cause, we didn’t exploit Greece as a great power.

We even provided weapons and told them to end it appropriately because of East Japan.

It was Greece that refused and insisted on defeating Afghanistan.

In the midst of all this, their mere whining was ended by a fanatic.

Moreover, if we trace the origin of that fanatic, Greece clearly bears some responsibility.

And they dare?

Perhaps if Greece had the caliber of the Donut Federation or the spirit of Bulgaria, it would be different, but Greece is neither here nor there.

Even in the Great War, they were loners. You know the type—every class has one.

Every class has at least one loner who does their own thing, not bothering anyone, just minding their own business.

During the interwar period, Greece was that type.

Anyway, this also aligned with my plans to some extent.

An Iraqi fanatic was carrying out terrorism in Greece.

Of course, as a member state of the Rome Treaty, appropriate sanctions should be imposed, but what’s important is that anger and hatred were directed at Greece rather than Russia or other countries.

“Serves those impudent bastards right.”

In my view, this turned out very well.

They should know their place. Bluntly speaking, giving up their share in the Rome Treaty would have meant virtually monopolizing Afghanistan’s resources.

Yet they’re still asking for more.

Watching Greece like this makes my blood boil.

Well, since it resolved itself, the Rome Treaty Headquarters seems to have let it slide.

They’ll just lodge a mild protest with the Islamic-Hellenistic Federation.

“So, does Greece have anything to say?”

“Of course they have some complaints, but what can they do?”

Beria emphasized that Greece doesn’t even have the standing to rebel.

If they merely have complaints, that’s a problem in itself.

It’s just annoying. How dare Greece? Even if Russia were split into ten parts, they wouldn’t dare defy us.

Who do they think they have to thank for their current position?

“If they still act up, then we’ll have to settle this once and for all.”

We’ll properly incorporate Greece.

To be honest, I’ve never liked these bastards. They act like we’re giving them special treatment because they’re so great.

I might need to teach them a lesson someday.

They need to be shown that Greece shouldn’t dare act up.

“By the way, Your Majesty, it seems the Americans aren’t very interested in China.”

“Is that so? Damn them.”

Would it hurt them to help a little?

No, is MacArthur not going to help?

Whether Israel and China fight until one side collapses, it has nothing to do with America.

America just needs to maintain its grip on the Pacific.

“With East Japan to deal with, why should they worry about China too? As evidence, they seem to be establishing naval and air force bases on Pacific islands, intending to secure the Pacific.”

It’s about time.

Actually, America hasn’t been able to focus on the Pacific because they’ve been tied up with East Japan.

Now that East Japan has been resolved, and they need to maintain some control over South America, they need to secure the seas.

To do that, America will establish naval and air force bases on every island in what they consider their front yard.

At first glance, America’s situation might seem better than ours.

After all, the Rome Treaty is a multinational coalition.

If any region is attacked, we’re bound to suffer considerable damage.

“Well, we’ve agreed to overlook that.”

We’ve already tacitly accepted it.

The Rome Treaty will make some token protests to America like, “Why are you building naval bases there? Are the air force bases for dropping nuclear bombs?” America will respond in kind. We’ll just continue with politics as usual.

The world is maintained through verbal sparring.

“Hmm, in that case, there’s only one option.”

We need to approach this differently.

South China must be preserved. More precisely, the Nationalist Government must somehow be maintained.

If America won’t accept our proposal, we must take a different approach.

We have the UN.

“Are you thinking of the UN?”

I nodded at Maria II’s question.

“That’s what we’ll do. We need to be in the UN to make use of it.”

“But even at the UN, America will just tell us to handle it ourselves.”

Yes. That’s what we’ll exploit.

“They probably will. So since America has shirked responsibility, the Rome Treaty must uphold UN law. That should be enough.”

This should be acceptable to Israel too.

The idea is to give China some time to stabilize public sentiment.

Israel must realize that beyond Shanghai, it would be difficult to easily occupy other territories.

Of course, this isn’t just to help China.

“Humanitarian aid to both sides would be good.”

On the surface, Israel will also receive support, so they won’t feel neglected.

From Israel’s perspective, this might not be entirely unwelcome.

Terraforming operations are in full swing in the north, and while they’re fighting in the south, without requesting support from the Balhae Army, they can only maintain a defensive position.

They can’t keep fighting just in Shanghai indefinitely, so they might actually welcome mediation.

These situations often reach a point where pride prevents either side from backing down, and they secretly hope for someone to intervene.

If the UN steps in to resolve this, it would benefit both Israel and the Nationalist Government.

The Nationalist Government especially would desperately want our help, just like during the nuclear incident.

“If I go directly—”

“If you want to step back, you should refrain from resolving this personally.”

Yes, I know. I know, but… it’s frustrating.

I just have this feeling that I need to do something.

For some reason, if I don’t resolve it myself, it feels like I have thorns in my mouth. But it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to step in this time.

If that were the case, I would have dissolved the Duma and ruled directly.

Anyway, the Duma is effectively running Russia’s internal affairs now.

Yes, I’ll stay out of it this time too. The Greek situation ended well without my direct involvement.

That’s enough.

The more I resolve directly, the more problematic things will be after I’m gone.

As I always say, while I still have influence, I should let the Rome Treaty organization handle these matters.

Making the system run smoothly without me—that’s my ideal system.

“Well then, let’s drop a hint to Alisa Rosenbaum.”

She’s the Prime Minister after all. She’ll understand what I mean.

Alisa Rosenbaum is particularly devoted to me, so that should be enough.

“Should I convey Your Majesty’s intentions?”

“Yes. Just at the level of ‘How about this?’ Could you go directly to the Duma and leak it?”

Maria’s face momentarily hardened at my words.

“That would make me the problem.”

“What problem could you possibly have?”

Maria is essentially the Kremlin spokesperson, isn’t she?

The name “Maria” itself has become a job title.

What’s the problem with just doing as instructed?

“First of all, being Your Majesty’s spokesperson is a huge issue. Personally, I think I should only be involved with the Okhrana within the Kremlin.”

“I see. Is it because you’re by my side without doing anything? I suppose that could make people jealous.”

I was too casual about this aspect.

I just thought I needed someone to convey my message, but Maria is indeed in a position that could attract jealousy.

“If it were just jealousy, that would be fine.”

“Surely you’re not facing death threats or anything like that?”

No matter what, who would threaten the Kremlin spokesperson?

That seems unlikely.

“It’s not unheard of.”

“Is that so? Hmm, that’s concerning.”

In that case, I’ll just have Vladimir relay the message.

I called Vladimir and explained appropriately.

From now on, he should convey my intentions to the Duma, or present them as his own.

The Rome Treaty Headquarters itself is a collection of multinational representatives and functions on its own without my direct intervention.

The issue is that Russia has a strong voice in the Rome Treaty Headquarters, so proposals from the Duma almost always pass, and the Duma’s brain is essentially me.

They handle internal affairs well, but they leave all major international matters to me.

“But, Your Majesty, without your guidance…”

His tone suggests he finds this absurd, which irritates me. What is he trying to do?

“You’re my successor, if not by blood, then by position. You idiot.”

As my successor, he needs to handle things on his own from now on. That’s basic.

I’m just asking him to handle this one matter on his own.

“Well, that seems pointless. But I understand.”

“No, perhaps I’m interfering too much. Bring up this agenda and I’ll secretly observe how things unfold.”

I guess there’s no choice. This is a time for Anastasia in disguise to step in.