Ch.460IF: The Status Window of My Revolution (3)

When will I ever see him? I’m already trying my utmost to tolerate talking with these Reds. Even if this body originally belonged to someone else, would I meet Stalin in Romanov’s body?

Or perhaps this bastard… Does he know about Anastasia?

Yes, that could be it. How could the Bolsheviks not recognize the faces of the Tsar’s family when they purged them? It’s entirely possible.

Frankly speaking, he’s not trying to seduce a woman with such dog-like comments either.

Anyway, this is deeply unpleasant.

“Comrade Secretary. Until you summoned me, I had absolutely no intention of even thinking about attempting to seek an audience with you from my position.”

“I understand.”

Is this bastard starting to suspect me?

Ah, I wish the German-Soviet war would break out soon. This is quite uncomfortable.

* * *

After Anastasia left, Stalin summoned Beria.

“Beria. What do you think of that woman, Irina?”

“She’s like a rose with thorns. She has a different flavor compared to today’s women, wouldn’t you say?”

She was certainly extremely beautiful.

Beautiful enough that Beria would want to take her in his arms even if it meant overstepping his authority.

However, since the Comrade Secretary was interested in her, there was nothing to be done.

“No, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

“Now that you mention it, she does resemble the Tsar’s family somewhat.”

She did look somewhat similar to those people.

For someone supposedly living a lower-class life, for someone living as an ordinary worker, her appearance was too neat, and she had the noble bearing of someone born into the bourgeois class—an aristocratic woman full of dignity.

There was something suspicious about her.

“That’s right. She does resemble them. They’re all dead now, but wouldn’t they look like that if they had grown up?”

“But there’s a generational difference, isn’t there? Above all, we executed the entire Tsar’s family that day.”

The report had been properly submitted.

Of course, the local Cheka agents were all killed by reactionaries afterward, which was slightly suspicious.

“What if she survived by chance? The local Cheka agents died during the civil war, so we don’t know the full story.”

“I’ve thoroughly investigated her background, but there are no remaining records. Moreover, even the youngest princess would be quite old by now, so she couldn’t possibly look like that. It’s too soon for her to have survived by chance, escaped the civil war, and given birth to a child.”

Unless she had a child in extreme haste. Even then, looking at her history, it doesn’t make sense unless she was born an adult.

Even considering all possible timelines, even if she did give birth, she couldn’t have escaped the eyes of the Cheka. That was Beria’s judgment.

“You’re certainly right.”

In fact, Stalin himself knew this, but he just had a strange feeling.

When he heard the word “princess,” there was something odd about this woman called Irina.

Didn’t it remind him of the time when he was moving around, clinging to life for the sake of the revolution?

What if a princess had concealed her identity and escaped?

What if a local Cheka agent had spared one princess, raped her, got her pregnant, and she gave birth while hiding her identity during the chaos of the civil war?

‘No, that’s too far-fetched a fantasy to have about a novelist.’

Stalin shook his head.

Perhaps reading too many novels had affected his ability to make rational judgments.

It was right to deal with those who dared to defy him, but she was just a novelist. A woman, at that. It would be too much of a coincidence for her to be a princess’s child. Too implausible.

If he were in her position, he would have fled rather than writing novels in the Soviet Union.

Well, that aside. “Bold decision”?

Why did those words particularly echo in his mind?

* * *

Finally, the Great Purge began.

Many men died, and as Beria assisted with this purge, new bloodshed occurred daily.

“A fresh and thrilling purge every day!”

Countless people died in Stalin’s Great Purge.

Perhaps because I’m a novelist, Stalin didn’t seem to do anything to me other than surveillance, since we were just acquaintances except when I came to give him spoilers.

Of course, from my position as a novelist, I was honestly a little scared.

I mean, he’s been calling me in recently and asking bizarre questions.

For a mere novelist, he’s asking quite a lot, isn’t he?

I only told him things that ordinary people would know, not any classified information. But still, you get a feeling, you know?

Like, what is this dog trying to do to me by saying such things?

“These Reds truly have no principles. In the Tsar’s era, there was the absolute Tsar, so there were no problems, but these crazy Bolsheviks fight among themselves. Even collective farms, of all things.”

Maria sneered, mocking this era of the Great Purge.

“That’s right. They’re devouring themselves. When they fight among themselves like that, what remains in the end is a vacuum of talent.”

To be honest, Stalin’s agricultural collectivization policy had various reasons.

In a backward country like the Soviet Union, they skipped various steps for rapid industrialization.

There were even political necessities. Above all, they carried out these things without properly establishing the conditions necessary for agricultural collectivization.

In the end, it could be seen as preparation for war, leading to the exploitation of the poor in the very communist state they had established.

In other words, it was full of contradictions.

Like the meme that appears in the future, isn’t enduring such contradictions what makes one a communist? Anyway, I don’t know the details, but I think Stalin’s Soviet Union was preparing for war.

Germany is now Nazi Germany, just as in the original history.

Hitler has also begun to take action in earnest. I wonder how things will turn out.

“But collective farms. Is this the right approach?”

“No. It’s absolutely wrong. In the end, it’s no different from the Russian Empire they cursed and overthrew. For it to succeed, technology needs to develop accordingly, and agriculture needs to be organized for production. But these guys didn’t do that. They forced it through without any preparation. On top of that, the kulaks instigated the middle and poor peasants to destroy livestock and agricultural tools.”

It wasn’t even Bloody Sunday; they imprisoned everyone who opposed collective farms.

Moreover, technological development is important, but I think I read on Wikipedia that society also needs to mature socially.

I’m getting tired of experiencing the original history now.

These Soviet bastards are truly filthy Reds not worth my time.

“I need to prepare to escape when the war breaks out.”

It’s important to escape before the Soviets start conscripting women too.

And then, after some time, the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was signed, and Hitler’s Nazi Germany began to move in earnest.

“Wow, it’s just as you said, sister. Germany really started a war.”

“See? Hitler is a madman.”

If Nazi Germany had won the war, the Holocaust would have been buried, and the image of the defeated Britain and France would have been utterly destroyed.

That’s the fate of those who lose wars.

The Soviet-Finnish War, Germany’s invasion of Poland, the Phoney War, and so on—everything proceeded exactly as in the original history.

I need to do something before the German-Soviet war breaks out. And on one day when I went to the Kremlin to spoil yet another year’s worth of works for Stalin, he said something strange.

“How would you deal with a rapidly growing political rival?”

What? Isn’t the Great Purge over yet?

Well, fine. I’m writing novels and trying to please you without flattering you too much.

“Weeds should be uprooted before they grow too large.”

“So that’s how you see it.”

“It becomes harder to catch them if they grow too much. You should catch them decisively when you think you can. If you don’t win when you can win, the damage will snowball.”

Stalin nodded.

I don’t know what he’s so satisfied about, but anyway, that’s that.

“Talking with you removes the hesitation in my concerns.”

“Is that so?”

“I’d like to have you as one of my close aides.”

Don’t. Please don’t. I really don’t want to be involved with you.

“I’m a writer, and I’ll say this clearly: since fiction and reality are different, I wouldn’t shine as much if I were among Comrade Secretary’s close aides. Perhaps what I say seems impressive only because I’m in the position of a novelist?”

“I like your modesty too. Hmm. Well, I understand.”

I don’t know what it is, but he’ll handle it well, I guess. Hurry up and have a fight with Germany.

* * *

After Anastasia left, Stalin furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t because of Anastasia. The current situation in Europe was the problem.

“Germany has entered France and is growing too powerful.”

This was troubling. Poland was one thing—one shouldn’t struggle with the likes of Poland—but Germany’s momentum was too concerning.

They were showing mobility unlike the imperial era, having invaded France and conquered it in an instant.

Stalin felt intimidated after witnessing France surrender in just six weeks.

Stalin’s original goal was to wait until Germany, Britain, and France were entangled in fighting, all becoming equally crippled, and then push the Red Army in to spread revolution across Europe. But the great European army of France had fallen so pathetically.

He needed to make a decision before they fully absorbed France and used its power.

Stalin summoned the officers of the Red Army.

“We must attack the German fascists immediately.”

“Comrade Secretary. It’s dangerous. We’re not ready yet.”

The Red Army wasn’t prepared yet.

Fighting the German army now would be self-destructive.

“If they swallow and digest France now, it will be even harder later. This is our opportunity. We must engage, even if it’s risky. Otherwise, many of our people will die on our own soil.”

“Surely they wouldn’t invade us?”

“Can you take responsibility for those words? Unless Hitler is an idiot, he knows he must eventually bring us down, doesn’t he? What will you do when our soil is soaked with the blood of our people?”

The Red Army officers had nothing to say.

Frankly speaking, looking at the current German situation, there was a real possibility, and if by some chance the Soviet Union had to give up its homeland, everyone present could be labeled as fascists and killed.

The aftermath of the Great Purge was still lingering. They had no choice.

But going to war now, when the Red Army was in poor condition due to the purge of officers—it was a lose-lose situation.

But when ordered, they had to obey.

At least if they followed the Comrade Secretary’s orders now, they wouldn’t die.

And so, Operation Uranus was planned.

Unlike the original history, it was a plan for the Soviet invasion of Germany, carried out in an underprepared state.

* * *

I had been somewhat careless.

I didn’t think my position would change the original history much.

But, quite unexpectedly, I was blindsided from an unexpected direction.

[Soviet Union! Marching West for the Communization of Europe!]

[To Liberate the German Workers! Punishing the Fascist Invaders of Europe!]

[Long Live the Proletarian Revolution! Our Beloved Comrade Stalin Leads Us!]

Stalin had launched an invasion of Germany.

The Soviet Union shifted to a wartime system, and while Maria and I were somewhat protected thanks to Stalin, the Soviet Union had struck first, even before Italy’s invasion of Greece was complete.

In the original history, Germany’s plan to invade the Soviet Union was delayed due to Italy’s invasion of Greece, wasn’t it? But the Soviet Union attacked Germany even before the Italian invasion.

Germany was already hostile toward the Soviet Union and preparing for invasion when the Soviet Union struck first. From Germany’s perspective, what would happen?

Would they be caught off guard and beaten? Or would they have gathered their forces and beat the Soviet Union?

Honestly, I’m quite curious.

“Can Germany win this?”

“They won’t be pushed back, at least.”

Germany already has plenty of elite troops through war, right? Unless they’re directly entering the Soviet Union, would Germany really lose to the half-forced invasion of the underprepared Red Army?

It’s truly a perfect war that makes one’s heart petty.

As expected of a war that makes one’s heart petty, the situation was strange from the start.

The Red Army advanced into East Prussia, but that was all.

They entered East Prussia and western Poland, but were soon blocked by the German army.

And Germany’s Goebbels thoroughly propagandized this invasion, they say.

“Judeo-Bolshevism is science!”

“Look! In the end, those Bolsheviks broke their treaty with the Führer and invaded!”

In fact, if we were to be precise, it was just a matter of who would strike first.

Initially, they invaded East Prussia, Poland, and Romania with good momentum, but they only made gains in Romania. The Soviet army lacked the capacity to push beyond East Prussia into German territory.

The news coming back to the Soviet homeland was that the Red Army was fighting fiercely in East Prussia. That was about it, but unless one’s head was completely empty, one would only believe this at first. Seeing the atmosphere of pushing people into the German front as if plucking them from fields, people gradually sensed that the war situation was deteriorating.

The perception of the Soviet Union in America also became terrible.