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“Isn’t it a technology that Russia can obtain on its own given enough time? Moreover, it would be beneficial to receive Russia’s technological cooperation to counter the British fleet.”

“What do you mean by that?”

This concerns the future of the Empire.

The Russian fleet could potentially serve as a bulwark against the British fleet’s influence in Asia, much like how Britain used Japan to contain Russia’s southward expansion.

“Even if we are allied now, weren’t England and Russia once the two superpowers dividing the world during the Great Game? The Russian fleet was quite powerful too. It has since weakened, particularly after their battles with the Empire.”

“So what?”

“In the future, the Empire’s fleet must take responsibility for Asia. The British fleet will be a hindrance to the Empire’s security. Speaking of the Eastern Fleet, we have a common enemy in Germany for now. But if the Russian fleet regains strength, won’t Britain have to refocus its fleet back to Europe to counter Russia?”

That makes a certain sense.

“Then, what of the Russian Far Eastern Fleet?”

The Russian Far Eastern Fleet.

To be honest, it feels virtually nonexistent right now.

I’ve heard rumors that Russia is preparing for a naval battle with Italy. The fact that they are seeking cooperation with the Empire speaks volumes; it essentially means that Russia’s fleet isn’t too strong at the moment. If they engage with Italy, their Far Eastern fleet could very well find itself dragged into European waters.

“Russia has already established an unbreakable treaty with the Empire regarding Manchuria. There’s no need to worry about the Far Eastern fleet. If we don’t intend to physically oust the British fleet, all we need to do is strengthen Russia’s naval power to keep Britain in check.”

After all, we now share a border with Russia via the Manchurian Railway.

Even if war breaks out, it is likely to take on the form of land battles.

The military seems determined to make Asia a territory for Japan.

This, by necessity, would mean confronting Britain.

The British Eastern fleet is no small force either. However, with both sides under a mutual air defense agreement, it complicates direct military engagement with Britain.

Then, wouldn’t it be best to draw as much of the fleet as possible toward Europe?

If Russia’s European fleet becomes stronger, Britain would surely feel the pressure.

“I see. You make a good point.”

Japan, thinking the Russian fleet would hinder the British fleet, decided to pass on naval technology to Russia.

Contrary to Anastasia’s expectations, Japan accepted the request for technological cooperation to dominate the seas of Asia.

* * *

Japan accepted the proposal from the United States Navy.

This news was enough to stir the Russian National Duma.

It was something they had thrown out casually, and Japan took it.

This implies that they will need to allocate a budget for rebuilding the fleet.

“Japan accepted our Navy’s proposal.”

“They accepted it like this?”

“What could those guys possibly be thinking?”

“They said as long as we send over the resources they need, they will help with naval technology on the condition that they won’t strengthen the Far Eastern Fleet.”

They are willing to cooperate on naval technology.

Especially regarding aircraft carriers? That’s a bit unusual.

“Does the Navy know why Japan made this decision?”

“It seems too nuanced to simply call it friendship. However, by requesting that they not strengthen the Far Eastern Fleet, they likely prefer that we focus solely on Europe.”

Do they really think that little of us?

Just a condition that doesn’t strengthen the Far Eastern fleet?

That seems a bit too convenient.

“Then it makes sense, but what do you think, Your Majesty?”

“Hmm, I’m not so sure.”

It’s certainly ambiguous.

With history altered, I can’t discern Japan’s true intentions.

However, given their interest in pushing into China, they might be even greedier than the actual historical account suggests.

It’s even said that if they had secured oil, the Sino-Japanese War might not have happened. Now they are showing interest in securing resources in China long before any oil embargo.

This suggests they might be eyeing the south.

Perhaps their plan is to secure French Indochina while a massive war breaks out in Europe, using their formidable fleet to pressure France into giving them Indochina while supporting resistance forces there.

For this plan to succeed, the British Eastern Fleet must be entirely absent from the Pacific or the South China Sea.

“Oh.”

I’m suddenly struck with an idea.

For the Eastern Fleet to shift toward Europe, there must be strong competitors or adversarial forces with significant naval power. If Russia begins to rebuild its fleet, our interests align.

Of course, this is purely speculation.

To be honest, this seems to be the most plausible scenario.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for Japan to offer all its technology for just a little resource.

Could it be that Japan’s technology isn’t as impressive?

Of course, considering we received technology from Germany, Japan might have factored that in as well. After all, for aircraft carriers, it might just be a matter of sketching something out—this could be their mindset. Or perhaps they’d see us as allies and freely offer us their technology.

In any case, we would eventually develop our own aircraft carriers.

It’s just a matter of how quickly we can do it, or if Japan lends a hand in the meantime.

No matter how you look at it, thinking about actual history, Japan is filled with treachery.

If that’s the case, my speculation might be more accurate.

I snapped my fingers.

“Japan is targeting China, which means they are aiming for all of Asia. If they want to take full control of Asia, they need to secure the maritime rights over the Pacific and the South China Sea. The British and French fleets in Asia will stand in their way.”

“Oh, does that mean they want us to strengthen our fleet so that Britain feels threatened and withdraws its Asian fleet back to Europe?”

“Yes. Japan might be looking to manage Asia by making the Pacific and the South China Sea their own backwaters.”

They may even have to contend with America immediately, and having Britain around would certainly complicate things.

Moreover, since we are all under the same air defense agreement, formally declaring war on Britain and launching a surprise attack would also be problematic. So, if they want to pull the British fleet toward Europe without conflict, that would be the way to do it.

This could lead to a new naval arms race.

The British pirates take great pride in their fleet; they wouldn’t like the idea of Russia surpassing them in naval strength.

“Hmm. That means we need to invest in the navy.”

“Well, Italy and Greece are not island nations, and we could just push forward on land. Is there really a need to do something advantageous for the Japanese?”

For a moment, I tapped my temples with my fingers as I contemplated.

We can’t allow Japan to benefit at our expense.

True, their intentions resonate with me, but we need to give Japan some leeway for the time being.

If Japan sees Russia as a solid ally, their mind will rest easy regarding operations to the south. Should Russia return to a competitive relationship with Britain, Japan would feel free to assert themselves in Asia.

The conflict with Germany might end quicker than anticipated.

In that case, Japan could potentially engage with the U.S. even more fiercely than in actual history.

At this point, the U.S. is still an immovable force. They haven’t even helped Korea gain independence, so I have no reason to accommodate them.

Yet, that’s also the problem.

Even if I were to accommodate them, unlike actual history, there’s no need to lend land to the Soviet Union. There’s also little chance of us needing to land in Normandy.

If it becomes a one-on-one battle between America and Japan, purely in the Pacific, hmm.

It’ll be quite a grand spectacle.

Unless Japan develops nuclear weapons, the U.S. might be pushed to counter Japan as they stomach the bites being taken from them.

Realistically speaking, there’s nothing particularly unfavorable about this situation.

If Japan runs rampant in Asia, they are bound to clash with British and French influence.

It might be better to concentrate our fleet in Europe, pushing off some of the territorial rights to Japan for convenience, especially since they’ll be a hindrance.

So perhaps just enough budget to not make it strain our finances.

“Let’s keep the budget within reasonable limits.”

“Do you plan to accommodate Japan’s wishes?”

It’s not about desires or anything; this is a matter of pride.

This is merely a possibility.

Still, the fact that Japan accepted our proposal is significant.

“Well, if Britain’s fleet concentrates in this area, we can more easily deal with Germany and Italy.”

Whether they intend to check us or not, if the British fleet focuses on Europe, will Italy even have room to breathe?

“Indeed.”

“Accepting aircraft carrier technology won’t lead to an immediate output. One aircraft carrier or so should be feasible. Minister Kolchak, why don’t you try designing a carrier? Surely that’s manageable?”

Kolchak has been expressing a strong desire for this, hence even one or two should be possible.

As the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Kolchak would certainly show interest at this level.

“The funds we received from mediation during the recent Chinese Republican War are substantial. However, how will we address the budget for the aircraft carrier?”

Krivoshein wore a bitter expression while speaking.

Yeah, just looking at that face, I have a good idea of what to expect.

“You mean we cannot fully rebuild our fleet with a focus on aircraft carriers?”

“Yes. We are certainly better off than during the Tsarist period and we’re growing, but we cannot invest in the entire military of land, sea, and air. Industrialization is in motion, and the army and air force are demanding resources. Luckily, the army has received generous support from Germany in their ambitions against France, but the air force is consuming a significant amount of our efforts.”

“Then it seems that the naval engagement with Italy will likely be in conjunction with either Britain or France. After all, Italy, known for its naval strength, will consequently have a weaker army. Given the state of Italy, they won’t be able to allocate resources for a full investment.”

Historically, Italy wasn’t that strong.

Mussolini tried to elevate Italy to the level of a great power, but, in the end, they fell short compared to other nations, intervening in the Spanish Civil War not as volunteers but with their own military. During World War II, they foolishly attacked Greece, inciting Hitler’s annoyance instead of being prepared.

It’s commonly stated that Italy’s national power during World War II was lesser than Japan’s, which was obvious. They wouldn’t even know how to sustain themselves.

If Italy concentrated its efforts on the navy, their ground forces would surely be weak. They could easily advance against the Austrian army led by a mustached commander.

Though before they can do that, they still need to figure out what to do with Germany eyeing the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. Well.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Kolchak lowered his head in disappointment.

Yeah, that’s just how life is.

It is indeed a good opportunity for Japan to cooperate on technology, and they did achieve some initial success during the early stages of World War II.

Yet, there is no guarantee that learning their tech will make us any stronger.

Moreover, upon further thought, this poses a challenge.

Can we even adopt Japanese technology effectively?

Of course, the plan isn’t to copy everything verbatim, but it makes sense to adapt it to our own needs. However, if Japan’s aircraft carriers are only at an early stage of development, simply picking that up might not provide a huge benefit.

In reality, it’ll be nearly impossible considering Russia’s capabilities. The landmass is just too vast. To be honest, the fact that we’ve even come this far is somewhat miraculous.

Utilizing resources effectively while completely exterminating the internal Bolshevik opposition and eliminating any opposing forces has led us to begin industrialization.

We’ve crafted a more effective starter pack compared to the Bolshevik Soviet Union and have arrived at this point.

Of course, while Germany’s self-destruction contributed to our profit, still.

Speaking of which, there’s more to utilizing the navy than just focusing on aircraft carriers.

“It might be worth considering the submarine route too, particularly those German U-boats.”

Nazi Germany made excellent use of U-boats.

With a frail navy, they still managed to gain significant advantage throughout the war using U-boats, and in fact, Winston Churchill feared U-boats during World War II.

If they hadn’t engaged against the Soviet Union and had just deployed U-boats around the British Isles, who knows how well it could’ve turned out.

What about Italy in all this?

Of course, they’re physically connected to Germany, limiting how effective they can cut supply lines against Italy’s U-boats. But still, they could likely inflict some decent damage.

U-boats were capable of taking down surface ships as well.

Moreover, Russia has naval capabilities strong enough to hinder destroyers and escort ships, which submarines typically struggle against.

“Submarines, you say?”

“I’ve heard that the German Empire’s navy had significant success with U-boats during the Great War. Nothing more than my opinion though. At least it should cost less than aircraft carriers, right?”

“That’s true.”

Right. Especially since I’ve personally negotiated with them for U-boat technology.

They were just eager to hand it over as a gesture of goodwill.

If that’s already the case, shouldn’t we just lean into the U-boat route?

It seems like it could provide some nice yields.

 

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