ALL NOVEL Chapter 21
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Germany
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, as expected by Anastasia, did not give up on the war.
No, to be more precise, he had to fight the war.
He needed to take France by any means necessary to make up for the losses incurred in the war.
Kaiser Wilhelm II had brilliantly navigated a miraculous underground negotiation, keeping his diplomatic efforts hidden until today, and managed to conduct a perfect peace negotiation while minimizing reparations.
However, it was the United Kingdom that eagerly accepted, stirring new ambitions within.
In other words, Kaiser had more personal greed.
With the Austro-Hungarian Empire now in shambles, it wouldn’t make sense to not at least take down France.
“Is the operation proceeding smoothly?”
“Yes. It seems that England and America have not noticed yet. The U.S. has achieved its objectives and will only focus on supporting Russia. England will also be busy with the situation in Ukraine.”
Surprisingly, America quickly withdrew from Europe.
Seeing America support Russia through the Far East suggests that the number of Communists within the U.S. is increasing, and they intend to resolve this issue.
“How is Anastasia doing?”
“We’re building railroads and factories for them, so what could the princess possibly say? She should just be grateful for what we do.”
The German Empire had a covert operation in preparation.
Under the pretext of securing the industrial power of White Russia, they were secretly building factories in Southern Russia and Central Asia.
Naturally, this was not solely for Russia’s sake.
They needed to show the great powers that they were doing well!
There were factories for the Russians too.
All the other great powers were generously supplying weapons to crush the fundamentally unworthy Bolsheviks.
They were only taking their share.
Even if they took a little, there would be plenty left for Russia to use. Now, they would gradually gather in Germany.
And then, they would strike.
“When the time comes, we must move cautiously.”
“Yes.”
“Once we march straight to Paris and secure France’s surrender, there would be no issue. Since the English say we’ve submitted to them, as long as we keep fulfilling our secret pact, they shouldn’t say anything.”
Right now, Germany was smiling broadly as they turned the military around in the colonies they had just been granted, and they wouldn’t send troops to grab Germany again.
So ultimately, it was just a verbal trick.
America couldn’t re-engage in a war that had already ended.
“That seems likely.”
“What about the performance of our tanks?”
“Our performance tests indicate that they are similar to France’s Renault FT.”
Germany had already produced tanks with capabilities similar to France’s Renault.
Thanks to disassembling the tanks of England and France after the war, it was a significant advantage.
“I see. While they are busy tearing apart the Ottoman Empire and our strong ally Austria, we just need to wait for the right moment.”
“Yes.”
“And if we take Anastasia as a bride after the war, wouldn’t Russia naturally fall under our influence as well?”
If they could bring Russia to their side, enduring the loss of their ally, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, could be worth it.
The Eastern Front would get resolved in that case.
“Precisely, Your Majesty.”
If they succeeded, a future that might be possible.
They didn’t know what would happen with Russia, but if they could just take France, the German Empire could bounce back.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Turks, who had initiated the Basmachi movement, also received a proposal from Anastasia.
Ibrahim Bek frowned upon receiving Anastasia’s proposal.
“Participating in the Duma and expanding autonomy. What use is this carrot now?”
“The princess is fully aware of your situation. She mentioned that the forced conscription of Muslims would be apologized for on behalf of her father, the late Tsar.”
“Hmm.”
“The Khan of Mongolia, who had already submitted to your country’s princess, was appointed as the Mongolian governor, and the nobility became members of the Duma.”
Of course, the circumstances were different, but Mongolia was considered an outside nation.
The nobility of such a nation had entered the Duma.
What could stop the Turks from doing the same in this situation?
“Isn’t this just an attempt to placate us during the civil war?”
“The princess mentioned she is aware of this concern. If you cannot trust it, there’s nothing that can be done. However, she would like you to remain quiet until the civil war is over.”
“Is the civil war that difficult?”
Ibrahim Bek’s eyes sparkled.
If that were the case, wouldn’t it be better to aim for complete independence instead?
No, but if Bolshevik Russia would oppress them as well…
It would be the same in the end.
For now, the Basmachi movement was primarily guerrilla warfare.
If Russia attempted to crack down on them, the Basmachi movement would be thoroughly suppressed.
“This could also be beneficial for you. This is part of the plans the Soviets will implement once they take control of Russia.”
Anastasia’s envoy revealed the Soviets’ plans.
Naturally, Ibrahim Bek gasped and became angry.
“Collectivization? Are they expecting us to accept that?”
“That means it’s a policy of the Reds. Our princess sees collectivization as a policy for establishing Bolshevik dictatorship. And we are the last bastion against such Bolshevik threats.”
“Ugh.”
“And this is a ‘proposal’ that the princess has secretly extended to you. Funds will be provided fairly, and she hopes the Muslims will fight alongside the White Army.”
Ibrahim Bek’s deliberation did not last long.
The Russian Empire was a bastard to them, but it was evident that the Soviet takeover would usher in a far worse era.
At the very least, wouldn’t it be necessary to follow the lesser evil?
Thus, the Turks joined the White Army.
Meanwhile, Pyotr Wrangel’s White Army had recaptured Kazan and planted the tricolor flag of the Russian Empire.
“Long live the Russian White Army! Long live Princess Anastasia!”
The Russian White Army felt immense pride as the last Romanov, Anastasia, became their army’s identity.
Of course, in terms of the Romanovs, there were still distant branches left, but now they were banding together under Princess Anastasia.
Pyotr Wrangel smiled contentedly at the sight of the flag of the Russian Empire flying over the reclaimed Kazan.
Not long ago, Anatoly Pepelyaev’s 20,000 troops had easily captured Perm, making it simpler to take Kazan.
Indeed, it had been a wise choice for the Southern Russians to join forces in Yekaterinburg.
Thanks to this, they had reclaimed southern Samara and now Kazan right before their eyes; with this momentum, they could even target Nizhny Novgorod.
“At this point, Yekaterinburg should be relatively secure. We could reach Nizhny Novgorod.”
Once Ukraine falls under the White Army’s sphere of influence, it could put pressure on the Reds from that direction.
This meant the Reds, lurking in Moscow, could be attacked from all sides.
‘If that happens, it would be good to detour toward Smolensk.’
One thing was certain: the Red Army wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.
The Cossacks under the Red Army were also crossing over to this side.
Right. But.
‘Princess Anastasia.’
Pyotr Wrangel knew nothing about Princess Anastasia.
He had merely thought she was a sheltered princess grown in a greenhouse, but was she strong-willed?
He had heard that she survived being shot, and while there might be some exaggeration for legitimacy and deification, the fact remained that she had directly faced the Reds in Yekaterinburg.
If Princess Anastasia hadn’t been there — if she had fled — the White Army would have been scattered and defeated by the Bolsheviks.
It didn’t matter if they were republicans, anti-Bolshevik socialists, or royalists. Right now, they were united under Anastasia.
They were even initiating reforms.
Of course, because it was a civil war, they couldn’t implement it across Russia, but the importance was in the effort to try.
Speaking of which, didn’t Princess Anastasia declare war in Yekaterinburg?
“Catherine the Great comes to mind.”
The mother of Russia, who revived the collapsed nation. That was exactly it.
Right. For now, this civil war is crucial.
As they slowly began their advance in accordance with the princess’s wishes, more collaborators were joining.
With this momentum, reaching Moscow wouldn’t be difficult.
* * *
This time, engineers from the United States were dispatched.
The better areas had already been taken by the Bolsheviks, so the support was for the development of the territory in White Russia.
However, if there was one problem, it was that an utterly unexpected figure was present here.
Nikola Tesla.
The rival of Edison, known as the father of wireless communication.
He had developed various technologies and had even created radar.
Never did they think someone like him would come to this place.
“Nikola Tesla, the father of wireless communication.”
“You seem to know quite a bit about me.”
He had been a handsome young man, and even in his old age, remnants of that appearance remained.
What on earth would bring him to Russia?
Wouldn’t it be much more convenient to be in the U.S.?
“It is remarkable that such a great inventor would come to a country in civil war.”
“I thought I could find inspiration here. Even as I grow older, my mind is flooded with constant ideas, demanding a new environment for invention.”
“Hmm, with the civil war, I can’t offer much support, are you sure that’s alright?”
“That’s fine. A lot of support is already coming from the U.S.,”
They did not know why this man was here, but now that he was here, it would be best to keep him around.
After all, he was elderly. It would be more useful to utilize him in White Russia than just letting him stay in America.
They needed something stimulating and new.
Yes, he had certainly come up with the radar concept.
Then later, Yagi Hideitsu and Uda Shintaro developed the Yagi antenna.
“Do you perhaps know about radar?”
“Yes. I never expected the princess would know about radar.”
Hmm, in that case, they might be able to take a shot at this.
There was no choice.
In the world where they lived, one had to do something.
They had tried to learn various things, including tinkering with radios to see if any cities functioning like governments still existed.
During that time, they had learned about antennas created in the past.
The Yagi antenna.
An antenna widely used in civilian applications, including for television reception.
They pulled out a piece of paper and began to draw in front of Tesla.
“What do you think of this?”
“What is this?”
“This is a directional antenna. I wish to use it for military purposes. I’m a layman, so I thought it might be good to have something like this.”
“A directional antenna. Hmm. That’s highly innovative for radar.”
Originally, it was something that wouldn’t be developed until 1925.
They might as well have Tesla develop the Yagi antenna ahead of time.
“This looks interesting. This seems to be a new challenge. I’ll give it a try.”
“And one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“I plan to rebuild Russia’s navy after the war. I’ve heard you created remote-controlled boats.”
Nikola Tesla demonstrated the remote-controlled boat in 1898.
At that time, it was dismissed as telepathy or witchcraft and didn’t receive research in the U.S. until after World War II. They intended to leave a suggestion that Tesla would likely enjoy in Russia.
“Fools dismissed it as witchcraft.”
“Wouldn’t you consider doing research in Russia? Russia is vast. How about building the transmission towers you designed to send electricity over several kilometers?”
“How do you know about that, princess?”
The Great Depression wasn’t too far off.
So before that, they had to extract everything they could.
Weapons and technology were being supported by Germany, while England and France were sending tanks and volunteer troops, and America was sending funds.
If they didn’t try something like this now, when would they?
Even Nikola Tesla had conducted so many experiments that he wouldn’t have a way to implement them in the 21st century.
If they could make him do something here until just before his death, wouldn’t the history of humanity change somehow?
“I never imagined that the princess would know so much about this old man. Very well. I will give it a shot.”
Nikola Tesla was appointed to lead the newly established Russian Ministry of Science and Technology.
Something truly amazing seemed to be happening.
Could it really be Nikola Tesla?
Was the old man who sent them here creating forced plausibility, or was it a plausible possibility?
Given Tesla’s character in history, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
For now, they tried to see who else was among the humans dispatched from America since Tesla was the most noticed.
“George S. Patton?”
George S. Patton had come as the military attaché?
What on earth could be the reason?
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