Ch.9Ahead of the Commies, No Matter What!

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The protagonist of the tricolor flag was Alexander Kolchak.

Originally, he would have staged a coup to become the head of the Russian government and, in effect, the commander of the White Army. But history had changed.

He came to Yekaterinburg.

What does this mean?

It meant that Kolchak’s White Army had joined my forces in Yekaterinburg.

And they were joining Yekaterinburg under my leadership.

This guy is incompetent.

No, that’s not right. History has changed after all. He might not be on Pyotr Wrangel’s level, but he should at least be able to maintain the status quo.

“I didn’t expect you to join me, General.”

“Not at all. As this is a war to restore everything to its rightful place, I will follow the Grand Duchess.”

What’s more, those who guided Kolchak here were the Czechoslovak Legion.

In the original history, Czechoslovakia handed Kolchak over to the Red Army for safe evacuation, but ironically, history had changed.

With Kolchak joining, my faction officially became the focal point for standing against the Bolsheviks.

This isn’t right. Even as I thought this, my head throbbed as history changed.

What should I do now?

Aren’t those Japanese bastards already drooling over Siberia?

It seems Kolchak is even under pressure from the Entente.

“For the time being, please take charge of training the volunteer army in Yekaterinburg.”

“Yes.”

It felt like the tangled threads were slowly unraveling one by one.

Like puzzle pieces fitting together.

Compared to the original history, the White Army’s situation was much better now.

“Grand Duchess.”

“What is it?”

“A man named Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov, whom we met on the way, wishes to see you.”

“Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov?”

Who is that?

“He’s the man who designed the Fedorov Avtomat.”

Automatic rifle.

I’m not a military enthusiast, so I don’t know much about such things. But isn’t that what later becomes the assault rifle?

By this era’s standards, he must be the one who created the predecessor to the AK-47. I know almost nothing about this gentleman. I’ve just heard he made some kind of gun.

At that time, there were already various automatic rifles. It’s a bit subtle to call it an assault rifle, but it might be one of the more useful guns in Russia.

I suppose it would be good to have it.

“Bring him here immediately.”

It wouldn’t hurt to see him first.

“It’s an honor to meet the last Grand Duchess of all Russia!”

Fyodorov’s hair was disheveled, and his clothes were torn in various places.

He must have had a rough journey.

He was said to have been under the Bolsheviks, but can he be trusted?

“There’s no time for such formalities now. I understand you’re the man who created the automatic rifle. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. I created the Fedorov rifle. However, the Bolsheviks halted weapon production—”

It must be a gun of a different caliber than something like the Mosin-Nagant.

“Your coming here suggests you understand my situation. To fight the Bolsheviks, we need many firearms. Can I entrust you with production and development of new weapons?”

“Yes. However, we’ll likely need to outsource production to foreign companies.”

That makes sense. Russia’s industrial capacity is poor.

Despite its size, Russia should be viewed as merely a pseudo-great power.

That’s why they suffered something like the Bolshevik Revolution.

My knowledge about this gentleman is somewhat lacking, but judging by his work, he should be helpful.

“For now, we need to produce according to our current capabilities. Before long, the great powers who dislike the Bolsheviks coloring Europe red will provide support, so it would be better to start full-scale production then.”

“Understood.”

Anyway, we still lack many things on our side.

The support from the great powers will soon become a reality.

“Foreign companies are a problem though.”

Britain, France, America, and other Entente powers should be starting to show interest soon.

For a while, the important thing is that I alone must take control of Yekaterinburg.

Following Kolchak’s joining, many nobles and wealthy people from the empire were present.

So I gathered the nobles who had joined Yekaterinburg, major landowners, and citizen representatives.

There don’t seem to be any notable figures yet.

They’re probably watching to see whether they should join my side or not.

The problem is these nobles who have joined.

They have no choice but to side with us if they want to reclaim their past glory through imperial restoration.

Moreover, the Bolsheviks are now known as barbaric villains who brutally killed the Tsar’s family without trial.

The nobles had to join our side to protect their own necks.

And they must know that to keep those necks, they need to give up what they have.

“Civil war is civil war, but we should start preparing for reforms. We must break away from an agricultural society and step into an industrial one.”

With the White Army joining, my sphere of influence in Yekaterinburg extended beyond Siberia to the Far East.

Despite the civil war, it was time to do something.

System competition.

From now on, it’s not just a war of guns and swords, but who can win more public support.

That’s what matters.

By gathering the support of the Russian people through public sentiment, they will soon become the workforce and soldiers of White Russia.

Naturally, we can gain the upper hand in the civil war.

In the original history, the White Army beat the Red Army for a while and reclaimed much of Russian territory, but due to their nature as a warlord coalition and lack of public support, they were swept away by the reorganized Red Army.

So now we need to proceed step by step.

Building up one by one, piece by piece.

Having just won the battle of position, now is the time to act.

“Well then.”

“It’s still a distant story for us, but right now, let’s implement land reform.”

“Land reform? We’re in the middle of a civil war.”

The imperial nobles’ faces contorted.

They probably joined us partly to avoid such things.

But this is how you’ll all survive later.

“Russia cannot endure long with the current system. Without land reform, the red plague will continue to spread. It’s absolutely necessary for a new Russia. Otherwise, do you think those Bolsheviks, who even executed the Tsar’s family, would spare your necks?”

They wouldn’t. Right now, there may be citizens infatuated with the Grand Duchess, but who knows how long that will last.

If nothing changes, the people of Yekaterinburg could turn bright red at any time.

“Ahem.”

“The majority of Russia’s subjects are peasants. For the sake of public sentiment, for the future of this country, and to turn back the subjects who suffer from the incompetent rule of the imperial family and are swept up in the red plague, land reform is absolutely necessary. Only then will those swayed by the red plague support the imperial family again.”

No matter how precious the Tsar is said to be, the Bolsheviks have long been known as an intolerable force that even desecrated the dead Grand Duchess.

Reform promised by such a force for the peasants. A country of workers.

The promise of the last Grand Duchess, who survived alone and is easy to sympathize with. No, reforms to be implemented immediately. Which would be more appealing?

Yes, we’ll implement policies that the Reds should have done first.

This is important.

What matters now is how much public support we can gain at this time.

“Are you saying you’ll revive Stolypin’s reforms?”

“Yes. Land reform. I will declare that peasants are allowed to own property and land. No more just words, but right here, I will directly redistribute land. Either lose everything and die in the civil war, or give what needs to be given and receive what can be received. It will be one of these two. It’s a matter of life and death. Standing at this crossroads now, if you want to preserve your lives and remain nobles of a greater Russia, you should no longer oppose this.”

The nobles could no longer object.

Now they had no choice but to listen.

After all, would they rather lose their heads or participate in reforms while maintaining minimal privileges?

Between these two options, wouldn’t they choose the latter?

Unlike the time when Nicholas II opposed reforms and they could voice their opposition, the situation is bad now, and if the last Grand Duchess is leading, they have no choice.

The nobles who once foamed at the mouth opposing reforms now begin to lead them. This will be another lifeline for those swayed by the red plague.

The beginning of land reform.

This was like presidential candidates presenting their pledges.

It marked the beginning of system competition with the Bolsheviks.

Unfortunately, even though the Bolsheviks implemented land reform after the revolution, they earned the resentment of peasants by not allowing private property.

This means the beginning of the Soviet Union wasn’t smooth.

Here, the last Grand Duchess whispers everything with sweet words.

Isn’t that enticing?

In reality, we must move forward this way to survive.

So I directly proclaimed before the citizens of Yekaterinburg:

“Subjects of the Empire! I will continue Peter Stolypin’s reforms and achieve the liberation of serfs! After the red plague is eradicated in this civil war, I will continue Stolypin’s land reforms and the development of the Far East! I ask the subjects of the Empire to follow not the cursed Romanovs, but the individual named Anastasia!”

There was no time to consider various factors now.

I implemented these measures immediately.

I know it’s a risky move. But what’s important is to put this into action before the Bolsheviks.

I put forward the nobles in Yekaterinburg who had some brains.

The sight of nobles who had many complaints taking the lead seems to have been received quite favorably by the common people.

From what I hear, the evaluation isn’t bad.

“The Grand Duchess has promised land reform and land ownership for peasants.”

“Are you trusting the Romanovs again? The Bolsheviks might be better—”

“I heard some parts have already been implemented? She said she would continue Stolypin’s reforms as soon as the civil war ends and the country normalizes.”

“The nobles are directly leading the reforms. It seems they’ll implement everything after defeating the Bolsheviks.”

“I’ve admired the Grand Duchess for a long time. Of course I should follow her!”

If these policies had been implemented by a mere White Army warlord, people wouldn’t have been hooked.

But what’s important is that the one implementing these policies now is the Grand Duchess.

The last Grand Duchess didn’t just promise reforms, she implemented them immediately.

A radical reform in the midst of civil war.

Add to this the 8-hour workday, 5-day workweek, wage guarantees, and so on.

She promised everything for the post-war period.

Not as a Romanov, but as Anastasia, the last Grand Duchess.

She may be the daughter of the cursed incompetent Tsar, but that’s why she’s trying to correct things.

And the nobles are even taking the lead.

“They can’t help but be tempted.”

The Reds, who didn’t like Stolypin’s plans, must now be foaming at the mouth.

According to information obtained by a reformed Cheka agent, there seems to be quite a commotion on the Bolshevik side.

Seeing them going around inciting that the reforms led by the damn wealthy under the Grand Duchess will eventually reach their limits.

It seems there are quite a few of what they call reactionaries within the regime.