Ch.49Where Is the Great Germany Headed?

# The Fight Against German Communism

“Won’t the fight against the German Communist Party take long? We should refuse. Besides, wouldn’t it be better for us to swallow what Germany left behind, claiming we can’t hand it over to the Communists? What does the Finance Minister think?”

He meant all the stockpiles Germany had accumulated while using Russia as its arsenal.

“The Tsarina is correct. Our reforms are just beginning, and truthfully, we’re only maintaining appearances thanks to support from the great powers. Even our advance into Anatolia was largely due to their help. We could fall back into the quagmire if we help the Kaiser.”

“Agreed. I’ve heard that France isn’t helping because they resent the Kaiser. At least Britain seems to have mobilized Poland to protect East Prussia as a check against the Communists.”

So even the military opposes it.

At least Britain did something right.

Unlike actual history, Germany has essentially lost East Prussia too.

Well, technically it’s Communist Germany, but still.

At this point, we need to justify our decision not to help Germany.

“From the beginning, their assistance to us was merely to deceive the great powers.”

To drive a spear into France, that is.

Thinking about it again, I find Wilhelm II quite remarkable, in many ways.

“This country has established anti-communism as its national policy. Shouldn’t we provide support?”

“Bleeding ourselves to help them is unreasonable. Bringing down Communist Germany is important to us, but we’ve had too many wars. We haven’t even fully recovered from the civil war’s damage, so a new war is difficult. Turkey was manageable, but Germany is different. Above all, Britain’s recognition of Communist Germany suggests they too find it challenging.”

That’s right. All valid points.

But we can’t simply not send troops either.

We still have General Bermont’s Western Russian Army. We should send them to East Prussia to help the Kaiser establish himself there stably.

That way, we can continue undermining Communist Germany’s legitimacy.

That alone should be sufficient.

For Communist Germany, the Kaiser’s East Prussia is like stepping on a Lego piece or a thumbtack.

No matter how communist they’ve become, there will still be Kaiser loyalists.

Plus, there are groups like the Freikorps.

Communist Germany will face far greater challenges than Nazi Germany did.

The problem is whether France or Britain will give us trouble. I suppose we can talk our way through it for now.

“Hmm. Still, we should show some loyalty. What if we send General Bermont to East Prussia, pretending to help? And if East Prussia becomes endangered, we could offer to help establish a Russian German Kingdom in the Volga German region.”

Germans have lived along the Volga River for a long time.

In 1762, Catherine II encouraged large-scale immigration from Europe to increase population density and agricultural production.

The Germans who settled along the Volga River became known as Volga Germans.

During the Soviet era, they established the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, but unfortunately, during Hitler’s German-Soviet war, Stalin relocated the Volga Germans to Siberia and Central Asia.

So I’m suggesting we play with words here.

Like how King Munmu of Silla allowed Anseung to establish Bodeok Kingdom in Geumma-ya, which was formerly Baekje territory.

If all else fails, let him be a nominal king of a small territory that’s part of Russia.

This way, we’ll have justification to go after Communist Germany later.

If the Kaiser lacks the ability to recapture his homeland and things solidify at this point.

Communist Germany will still be able to build up its strength.

“That doesn’t sound bad.”

“But this certainly won’t be the end. The Communists have their characteristic red tendencies, and to the German Communist Party, we might become the final enemy of their revolution.”

Because we killed Russia’s revolution and are threatening communism with our modified capitalism.

We’ll be Germany’s greatest enemy.

“Yes. The reforms we’re implementing are exactly what would make the reds foam at the mouth in opposition. The Communist parties will target us to maintain their power.”

War will eventually break out.

As long as White Russia stands tall, the reds must overthrow us before they can pursue world revolution.

“In preparation for that time, we should maintain appropriate military strength, accelerate weapons development, and establish defensive lines near Poland.”

The military nodded in agreement with my words.

It will certainly happen.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be reds.

Now, should I start dropping hints about the Great Depression?

Knowing about it alone won’t solve the problem.

I wanted to mention this in advance.

It’s better to face something when you’re prepared than when you’re caught off guard.

“I happened to overhear something from the American military recently.”

“What was it?”

“This American, who seemed to be an economic expert, said that a major economic depression would soon hit the United States.”

“Isn’t America experiencing an economic boom?”

The one who responded was Finance Minister Mikhail Vladimirovich Bernatsky.

He’s in charge of Russia’s economic policies recently, so he’s bound to be sensitive to this.

He’s well-educated and quite capable.

I’ve only made suggestions, but he’s been diligently handling the economic reforms.

“It’s been predicted for a long time, and I believe it will happen before the 1930s. We need to prepare countermeasures.”

“Even if it’s an unconfirmed rumor… hmm. An economic depression would primarily be a labor issue, wouldn’t it? Given the extensive damage from our civil war, would we really be severely affected?”

I suppose so. Russia’s economy has always been in ruins.

But is that really the case? Is today’s Russia like that?

“Is that all?”

“Millions of soldiers and civilians died in the civil war, and afterward, we purged reds throughout Russia. Not only that, the reds destroyed and looted areas that didn’t support them. The civil war’s damage has hit European Russia hard, and we didn’t have much economic strength to begin with. Despite Russia’s large population, I don’t think anyone will be laid off from factories and left on the streets for the next few years.”

That’s shocking.

We’ve expanded our territory, but are we in such a precarious situation?

Is the damage really that extensive?

It feels like I’m hearing the joke about Russia’s economy always being crippled as a reality.

“Haven’t we received significant support from the great powers?”

“We only received help during the civil war period. The economic situation was terrible even before that. Thanks to that investment, we’re now able to somewhat escape the economic crisis. And in fact, due to the civil war’s damage, we’re currently implementing policies that socialists would appreciate—the Five-Year Plan for economic policy that the Tsarina planned. This is only because we’re in a post-civil war period. If this were before the Great War, other powers would have accused us of being a communist country.”

No, what kind of joke is this?

I smiled, telling him not to joke, but Bernatsky looked serious, his eyes downcast.

“Is it that serious?”

“You should understand why the socialists are quiet now. Some socialists even praise Your Majesty as the ‘Red Empress.'”

Oh shit. Good Lord.

Well, we’ve adopted the New Economic Policy and the Five-Year Plan, so I guess that makes sense.

Even the Soviet Union in actual history referenced Stolypin’s reforms, so I suppose I’m just referencing them too. But is it really that extreme?

This is truly shocking.

“So you’re saying we have no choice but to tighten our belts and work hard?”

“Yes. The old, rigid nobility mostly died in the civil war, and with the establishment of the United States, the bureaucracy has been reorganized. If we reinstall the zemstvo, maintain stability, continue as we are now, and gradually develop each city to transition to industrialization, we should be fine. Also, Russian land is rich in resources, which we can use to respond more effectively to the depression.”

So even if the Great Depression hits, we just need to maintain our current course?

That sounds plausible, but…

When will this actually be possible? That’s a different question.

Will development exceed that of the Soviet Union in actual history?

“When will our Russia properly recover?”

“We’re in the midst of reforms, but for the country to fully recover, we’ll need to wait until at least the mid-1930s. Still, now that Germany, which laid railways for transportation across vast Russia, has fallen into such a state, we at least don’t need to worry about them. We can just throw some feed to the Kaiser in East Prussia.”

Mid-1930s. That’s right before World War II.

If Communist Germany starts a war, would it be before then?

Or around the same time as in actual history?

“Let’s support the technicians who fled to Russia to escape the German Communist Party. And we need to address the treatment of German volunteer forces in Russia.”

“They fought against the reds, so they can’t return to their homeland to become part of a communist state. They’ll either go to East Prussia or stay with us.”

“Speaking of which, a German friend has an interesting ability.”

Mikhail Drozdovsky, who had recently been tasked with establishing an armored division and reforming the Russian army alongside the Black Baron, presented several drawings.

They look like building sketches at first glance.

They remind me of drawings I’ve seen on the internet before.

“Who drew these pictures?”

“A German corporal named Adolf Hitler. He even received the Iron Cross First Class.”

Oh. Good Lord.

Is Mr. Adolf drawing pictures here?

Ah, come to think of it, that man is in limbo right now.

He can’t go to Germany, which has turned red. He doesn’t want to return to Austria because it’s been torn apart and is no longer great.

And he probably doesn’t want to go to East Prussia with its incompetent Kaiser.

“Perhaps he wants to ignore the fact that his country has turned communist. He draws pictures. Though calling him an artist would be a bit of a stretch.”

Still, these drawings are quite impressive. I wonder what would happen if he focused on industrial design or architecture.

I have a good idea.

The reds are already causing trouble; we don’t need Hitler making a fuss too.

I’ll summon him as soon as I get to Moscow.

# * * *

Around this time, German volunteer forces in Russia were in limbo.

The French volunteer forces had already headed down to the Crimean Peninsula to prepare for withdrawal, cursing the German army for the Kaiser’s plan to attack France again.

British volunteer forces had moved to Poland, wary of the German revolution. All that remained were the Russian army, the American forces (who were doing who knows what), and themselves.

But the German volunteer forces were caught in a dilemma.

Their homeland had become a communist state.

The German Free Socialist Republic. They couldn’t return home even if they weren’t particularly loyal to the Kaiser, as they had fought against the reds here.

Then there was East Prussia, where the Kaiser was.

Honestly, they weren’t sure if it would survive either, and the thought of becoming the Kaiser’s meat shield wasn’t appealing, but it was one option.

Another option was to stay with the Russian army and secure a position in the Russian military, which had been overturned by the civil war.

But with families and acquaintances back home, most couldn’t decide, leaving them in limbo.

Among them was Adolf Hitler.

Famous within the German army for capturing a communist bigwig and decorated by the Russian White Army, he now spent his days just drawing pictures.

The Russians provided food and lodging, but he was just wasting time.

If he did anything at all, it was serving as a military advisor to Russian White Army recruits.

Adolf Hitler found some satisfaction in the Russian army’s recognition of German military strength.

“Hey Hitler, what are you going to do? Drawing pictures won’t solve anything.”

A comrade who had grown plump after capturing reds and enjoying life here asked Hitler, who was wasting time drawing.

Hitler shook his head slightly.

“A Germany dominated by communism is not Germany. I have no intention of returning.”

Of course, there were still right-wing forces and East Prussia, but a Germany that had kowtowed to the great powers and then faced revolution was not Germany in his eyes.

“I’m thinking of going to East Prussia. Will you come with me?”

“I don’t know.”

He had considered returning to Austria, but…

Austria, once a great power despite its mixed ethnicities, was now in a sorry state.

All Germanic nations were collapsing.