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The Kingdom of Romania

King Ferdinand I of Romania returned home after successfully concluding air defense agreements and a summit with the Tsarina.

While her husband was away, his wife Maria of Edinburgh managed the country and greeted him warmly.

“How did the air defense agreements go?”

To be precise, I was curious whether my somewhat unreliable husband had negotiated properly in front of the Russian hero and other leaders and if he hadn’t made any unfavorable agreements for Romania.

“It went well. The young Tsarina was quite sharp.”

Sharp, indeed.

Yeah, this supposedly proud eldest daughter, the Romanov princess younger than Carol, was commanding troops in the civil war and even turning public sentiment around.

That’s why Romania needed to be clear about its stance.

As a country caught in the midst of the air defense alliance, we couldn’t afford to be looked down upon and had to hold our ground like the victors of the Great War.

If we ever showed even the slightest vulnerability, would Russia just let Romania, which lost Bessarabia, remain unscathed?

“It’s not about being sharp. Right now, Britain is tidying up its own internal affairs, and they’re withdrawing troops from pro-British Southwest Ukraine. If a revitalized Russia recovers Ukraine and then targets Bessarabia…”

Yeah, that does sound a bit dangerous.

Ferdinand understood his wife’s concerns.

After all, he listened to her and chose the right side to build today’s Romania.

Then at the very least, Romania’s safety should be secured now.

Hungary, a neighboring country, had already seized Transylvania when the Dual Monarchy collapsed, and by chance, Romania had taken over Bessarabia from Russia.

Due to the revolution and civil war in Russia, there hadn’t been any strong reactions yet, but the territorial disputes over Bessarabia could potentially lead to war.

“According to the contents of the air defense agreement, they did indeed agree to recognize Transylvania and Bessarabia as Romanian territory.”

“Is that so?”

Maria read through the air defense agreement documents that her husband had passed over.

An alliance against communist states. It meant that it was fundamentally a defensive alliance against communist countries.

Yeah, that’s a relief.

As far as air defense is concerned, it signals that Romania doesn’t need to meddle in other matters.

However, there was an alarming point: Bulgaria and Turkey would receive support from Russia in the event of acts of hostility against Greece as a condition of joining the air defense agreement.

Moreover, there was no mention of Dobruja, which they had seized from Bulgaria, while Transylvania and Bessarabia were present.

“Why does this feel so suspicious?”

“Your Majesty, what seems to be the problem? In essence, we shouldn’t lose any more territory, and as long as we don’t side with anyone else, we shouldn’t be attacked by neighboring countries.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Maria shook her head. Although she insisted otherwise, she still felt that way.

This complicated international relationship felt like a dance atop something potentially formidable.

It was as if Romania’s glory wouldn’t last long.

The war may have ended in victory, but it felt like another war was still waged somewhere.

In that war, Romania was bound to be squeezed dry.

Having become a patriot of Romania during the Great War, Maria was worried that Romania might, like during the Bucharest Treaty, fall back into a state of semi-colonialism.

The air defense agreement was made under Russian leadership, and they sought Romania’s safety, but they still risked being trampled under German boots again by participating in this air defense agreement.

What was this ominous feeling?

Meanwhile, their eldest son, Carol II, was just too pathetic.

“I worry whether that womanizer Carol can successfully run the country against the powerful Russia and communism.”

The queen sighed, placing a hand on her cheek.

King Ferdinand I shared the same concern.

Yet, suddenly reflecting on it, he found it amusing that the queen was saying such things now.

“Hehehe. It’s quite surprising to hear you worry about that now. Have you not been spreading your legs for another man (Romanian Prime Minister Barbu Ştirbei)? You’ve even had a child with him, and it’s clear where Carol got his looks from.”

“Why bring this up now?”

Maria’s face turned red with anger.

Sure, she acknowledged the infidelity and that she had a child with her lover. But that was something her husband Ferdinand had also recognized.

Now, why drag that fact back into the conversation?

“Well, I wonder why. The last princess left by the previous Tsar of Russia is so dazzling that looking back now, it seems ridiculously funny. One thing is certain, you have no right to speak ill of Carol.”

Ferdinand envied the fact that Anastasia, much younger than Carol, was leading the vast empire of East and West well.

Furthermore, unlike the previous Tsar’s time, the Russian people praised the Tsarina and united as one, looking up to her as a mother. It was impressive. The inept Nicholas II had Rasputin as a mystic, but at least his wife had not been cheating or given birth to another child.

Anastasia resembled someone, but one might discern the essence from a glance. It’s perfectly clear that Carol, with his debauchery, takes after his mother.

“Tsk. Let’s call it a day on that topic. I’m tired.”

King Ferdinand I turned his back on his wife with a weary expression.

And, looking at her husband’s forlorn back, Maria sighed.

Today, she recalled the mother of Saxon-Cabourg who had once scolded her for siding with the British, the enemy of Germany.

Not long after.

As if to confirm her anxiety, Hungary announced that it would conduct military training for anti-communist purposes and frequently carried out military drills near the border.

* * *

Today, I was summoned to the meeting of the White Army faction.

The topic of this meeting would likely be obvious, but just to be sure, I asked Baron Beria.

“So, how’s the airborne forces situation?”

Right, the airborne forces.

Turkey, eager to crush the Kurds, had sent officers to study airborne operations alongside Russia.

It was about time we should be getting some results from that.

“Deputy of the White Army, Mikhail Drozdovsky, oversaw the tests and found the operational strategic value to be sufficient. However…”

“However?”

“While it would be possible to capture Kurdish villages around Mount Ararat or Armenian villages cooperating with the Kurds, dealing with guerrillas hiding in the mountains would fundamentally be difficult.”

Are there still villages cooperating with the remaining forces?

Haven’t they occupied those yet?

Despite claiming to have crushed many forces, the casualties are high, so they intend to try out these airborne forces first, is that it?

“Is that so?”

“Of course, if we manage to capture the villages supporting the Kurdish soldiers in the mountainous regions, they would eventually collapse. However, simply dropping soldiers into the mountains for a secure landing would leave transport planes maneuvering above, and it’s uncertain whether guerrillas would quietly watch from below.”

Yeah, that seems likely. They could become target practice while descending from the mountains.

It would indeed be a regrettable outcome.

“Has there been any immediate casualties yet?”

“None yet. Ultimately, Turkish forces will inevitably have to handle the Kurds of Mount Ararat, right?”

“Right. That’s quite unfortunate.”

If the Turkish troops jump from the transport planes up there, it might lead to some rather undesirable outcomes.

Not to mention that the Kurds might end up clearing away the corpses of Turkish soldiers.

Yeah, that’s how it is, but there’s one problem here.

“Hmm. By the way…”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The most critical point here is that.

“If we’ve spoon-fed them this much, deploying troops to the mountaintops should be Turkey’s responsibility, right? The Deputy Minister of Defense is being overly cautious.”

After all this, Turkey should be grateful to us, not resentful.

Why do we have to take responsibility for how the Turkish troops suffer up there?

“Oh, is that so?”

“Whatever happens when they hit the ground up there is on the Turks, not on us Russians. It’s not like any Russians are dying in the process.”

Think about it logically.

We are not sending volunteer forces to be airborne units.

It’s the Turkish forces who will live or die, not the Russian army. Why are we worrying about this?

By simply offering them this information, Turkey won’t complain about us.

“Indeed, Your Majesty, your insight is astonishing.”

“This is just common sense. Now, how should we utilize them in real battle situations?”

“We can define it as airborne training, and the main role will be to project to the ground and attack and capture the enemy as you suggested. Furthermore, given the advancement of tanks, these will become suitable weapons for swiftly attacking enemies on the battlefield, just like in the civil war.”

“Yes, that sounds nice. It will be great for smashing the enemy’s defenses.”

“It will involve rapid mobility by armored units as the main force along with aerial transport to attack the opposition.”

Oh, that sounds oddly familiar.

See? I’m not just making all this up.

Even without Soviet geniuses, White Army has come up with this much.

“Hmm. Have you named it?”

“It’s called the Deep Operation Theory.”

Deep Operation Theory. Right. That sounds promising.

I wonder if Mikhail Tukhachevsky will have a role to play in this.

“And the White Army’s Cossack cavalry commander Vladimir Kapel is interested in tanks.”

He’s interested in tanks.

Hmm, if renowned generals of the White Army are looking into tanks, that could be a good sign.

Moreover, I believe I’ve heard of Vladimir Kapel before.

Isn’t he the one who led the White Cossacks across Siberia?

“Is Vladimir Kapel the one commanding the Cossack cavalry?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Well, it makes sense. Once tanks get developed, there will be less room for cavalry to shine.”

Honestly, I find it surprising that cavalry is still being utilized.

Especially the Russian Cossack cavalry.

They were among the top cavalry forces that showcased remarkable feats even in the 20th century. Reports came in that Vladimir Kapel crushed enemy cavalry multiple times with the White Army Cossacks.

“That would be the case.”

“Ultimately, to finish off the Germans, the role of tank brigades will be crucial. It would be great if we could amplify their scale and cover the Rhine.”

I wonder how long Secretary Carl will continue to manage Germany, but it would be nice to witness Germany’s downfall in the hands of the revolutionary generation.

“Thinking about it, hasn’t our Russian industrialization made significant progress?”

“Yes. We’ve already produced considerable results, and we’ve received existing German support, along with a boost in the national budget due to resource sales.”

Truly, Germany was a divine move.

Kaiser Wilhelm II’s insane idea to use Russia as an arms factory. In the end, he went all out and dumped it onto Russia.

Thanks to that, Russia gained many benefits.

Seeing that Wilhelm didn’t mind the advantages that Russia reaped, it appears he considered it a favor for supporting them.

“So, it suddenly occurred to me.”

I’ve had somewhat childish thoughts.

“Yes? Please, go ahead.”

“What if we could swiftly mobilize a massive tank brigade to sweep across Europe?”

An armored wave.

A gigantic scale tank brigade sweeping through Europe. Given that the military of the Russian Republic consists of the Russian White Army, it would be a white flood.

After sweeping through Europe, delivering a swift blow to Japan wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

However, it seems that Baron Beria is hesitant to say much, finally opening his mouth.

“Your Majesty, even if we’ve grown stronger, we aren’t quite there yet. Sure, by the 30s, a tank brigade could easily trample over countries like Romania.”

“I’m just saying that for exaggeration’s sake.”

I know. Making someone feel awkward by dropping facts!

 

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