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* * *

I snapped my fingers as if I had a great idea.

“What if we fortify the border?”

“Is there really a need with Poland around?”

Well, the Duma surely knows one thing but not another.

We need to broaden our perspective here.

“We should prepare for the worst. We must also consider the possibility of the Poles falling into the hands of Communist Germany.”

This had been discussed before.

“Your Majesty is correct. We cannot trust Poland. In fact, the military has been pushing for fortification for a while now.”

“Won’t Poland complain?”

“What can they do if they do? They’ve never liked the Russian army being stationed in Poland. Let’s start fortifying soon.”

Then there shouldn’t be an issue with Poland.

After all, building a fort doesn’t mean we won’t provide military aid.

It’s just said to be for defensive lines, so what can they do?

“Then if there’s backlash, the Foreign Affairs Office will handle it well.”

“Please do that. Hmm, it would be better to build a line from the Baltics to Poland.”

“From the Baltics, you say?”

“The Baltic States have gained independence from Russia. They wouldn’t want to be influenced by Russia, so let’s build all the way from the border to Poland.”

If anyone in the Baltics or Poland raises a fuss, we can just say it’s for defense purposes.

Anyway, as the Baltics are part of the Air Defense Agreement, even if they feel uncomfortable, they won’t be able to complain, and Poland initially allowed Russian presence on their land only with their permission, so it’s unavoidable.

“Your Majesty. With such large-scale construction, we can’t be sure if the defensive line will be completed by the time of the great war.”

“I know. This is merely a sort of script. Surely, Poland, the Baltics, and Communist Germany will be provoked. Both Poland and the Baltics will feel pressure knowing they won’t receive direct Russian support during the great war. While Poland has become our second division, that’s only within the context of roles; both Poland and the Baltics are still pro-British.”

Let’s pull them away from Britain.

This can be seen as a secondary objective.

“Britain seems unreliable while Russia only wants to defend its own territory. That’s the kind of feeling they’ll get.”

The Duma knows this well, having experienced civil war.

Well, you all have more political experience than I do as a young one, so you should know.

“Yes. In that case, how will the Baltic States respond, considering they’re somewhat of a weight compared to Poland?”

“Oh. That sounds plausible.”

At the very least, the Baltic States will have no choice but to align with us.

This only applies if we turn on our happy circuitry, though.

The Baltic States won’t follow us outright.

The threat from Communist Germany hasn’t fully materialized yet.

What we’re aiming for is Communist Germany.

“They’ll try to grab our pants. But the Baltic States don’t need to cling to us desperately. There’s a separate target.”

We just need to provoke Communist Germany.

I think jet fighters will be out soon. It won’t be long before mechanized legions are produced.

Of course, while we’re provoking them, Communist Germany will take some time to prepare for war against Russia.

There will still be new weapons coming out during that time.

And Communist Germany will be preparing for war as quickly as possible.

“Communist Germany will also try to resolve things before the defensive line is built.”

If we are to consider Stalin’s line, we are indeed late.

After all, we poured more into the weapons budget.

“Yes. Precisely.”

The Baltics have no reason to hold us back.

The fact is, they are caught up in what Poland is interested in.

For the time being, Lithuania wants to capture Poland and rebuild Pol-Lit.

They may have removed Lithuania from a previous agreement.

But formalizing Lithuania as our ally is a different matter entirely.

Even if they can’t possess it, they wouldn’t want Russia to hold it.

As long as something remains intact, it means there will always be an opportunity, right?

On the flip side, if Russia turns it into a puppet state, that means they’ll have to fight Russia.

It would be a dangerous situation, with Lithuania being interested in Russia as they endure blows from Germany.

So, the Baltics should gather whatever they can if possible. Otherwise, they can back off.

Estonia or Latvia might not be as threatened unless it involves Lithuania.

The Baltics will be an additional acquisition, while the primary target remains Communist Germany.

Communist Germany will definitely feel provoked.

After all, Russia, which is already hard to occupy, is preparing a defensive line openly. Won’t they try to interfere or get through before it’s completed?

Now that the Bolsheviks can’t be found in Russia, disrupting their plans will be difficult, so they’ll likely move before completion.

In other words, fortifying the border is a strategy to provoke Communist Germany into starting a war.

“By provoking Germany before they grow strong, we strike first. That’s a good method.”

Mikhail Drozdovsky clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

“But if they start a war quickly, won’t that be troublesome?”

“Yes. That’s why we’re setting lines. If they have plans to initiate the war of annihilation, they will surely prepare and blow it up. They’ll probably step up operations among the great powers or firmly rearm themselves.”

In short, what I’m doing is preparation for the possibility of a war breaking out later than in the original history.

After all, even if we prepare from now, it’s likely our Communist Germany will start a war after Spain and the American Civil War.

Germany has already been rushing to rearm due to tensions caused by the Sudetenland.

Then, how about we create the defensive line called Anastasia?

Everyone present would tremble at the mention of communism.

However, striking preemptively would appear as an invasion, so we can’t do that.

So we can only provoke with border fortifications.

* * *

Russia’s border fortification project was indeed sufficient to provoke both the Baltics and Poland.

After all, hasn’t Poland historically suffered at Russia’s hands?

No matter how well-intentioned their actions might be, they were met with suspicion time and time again.

Especially after the far-right in Poland launched bomb attacks against the Tsar, Poland felt anxious about being in a forced alliance with Russia, fearing at any moment that Russia might turn against them.

It was fully understandable for them to question it.

“What is Russia thinking? Fortifying the entire border!”

Could it be that they’re preparing for war with Poland under the guise of fortification?

Of course, if they were intending that, they would have stationed a large army on the border, but given past actions, Poland felt unnecessarily uneasy.

“Don’t worry. We have no intentions against Poland. We are merely preparing for an unexpected situation where our borders are threatened by communists. We will adhere to the air defense agreement and continue to support the modernization of the Polish military.”

“Ahem.”

“Or will the Polish government agree to have our troops stationed in Poland? If so, we could fortify the border between Poland and Communist Germany.”

Naturally, Poland rejected this.

It was only natural. What trust did they have to hand their affairs over to Russia?

Anyway, even as a second division of Russia, this was a forced move rather than stemming from an affectionate “Hehe, I love Russia” mentality.

However, the three Baltic states, having gained independence from Russia, felt differently.

They had barely escaped from Russia amid the turmoil of the great war.

“Is Russia fortifying to invade the Baltics?”

“Fortifications are made for defense, not for invasion.”

Amid the surprised remarks of the Latvian ambassador, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Vasily Kharlamov, could only scoff.

“Then are we planning to invade Russia?”

That was nonsense, wasn’t it?

But unfortunately, Russia’s response was different.

“If Communist Germany starts a war, won’t the Baltic States be invaded too? We are installing forts along the borders to prepare for this.”

In essence, it meant Russia would defend its territory under the precondition that the Baltic states would fall under Communist German occupation.

What does that mean? Does it imply that Russia has no intention of stepping out during a war?

“If we are attacked by Germany, then Russia…”

The trembling voice of the Estonian ambassador prompted the Foreign Minister to speak in a deadpan manner.

He was about to say something they desperately hoped was not true.

“Shouldn’t we defend our own territory? The best way is to block it at the Baltics. But our Russia recognizes the Baltic states’ right to self-determination. Our Sovereign has determined that preventing communists in the Baltics is strategically wise, but it could pose a threat to the sovereignty of the Baltic states. So worry not about our invasion, and you can fight against Communist Germany. We also need to prepare defensively, so we can’t supply much, but there’s Britain in the Baltics, right?”

What a massive fallacy that was.

If Communist Germany were to come to the Baltic states, how would they do so?

They’d have to breach East Prussia first. Even using maritime routes, there’s the British fleet and Russia’s Baltic fleet right?

Constructing fortifications at the border is essentially a demonstration.

It’s a way of saying, “Come cling to us instead of Britain.”

“Ahem. With the Royal Navy and the Baltic fleet, surely Communist Germany wouldn’t dare to come, would they?”

The Estonian ambassador, while stating this, turned away, perhaps realizing how absurd it was to rely on the Russian fleet.

“Our Russia has opted for a defense strategy precisely because we cannot trust Britain. If things don’t go as planned, they will soon enter into defensive stances to guard the homeland with their fleet. Also, isn’t the Baltic Sea the Baltic states’ sea? Our Russia has decided to relocate the Baltic fleet to Finland to employ a current fleet strategy for any eventuality.”

That was also a fallacy.

How much of a fleet could Communist Germany build? The real battleground would likely be the land, and any fleet made would be overwhelmed by the Baltic fleet.

The Baltic Sea belongs to the Baltic states, so they should take care of it!

Even if the Baltic fleet were to operate under the existing fleet strategy, Communist Germany would hardly be able to do anything.

Thus, Russia could leisurely prepare for a full-blown war against Germany.

The ambassadors of the Baltic states had to retreat without gaining anything.

“What do we do about this?”

“Our Lithuania is also under pressure from Poland! If Russia turns a blind eye, we’re finished.”

“Can we continue to trust Britain?”

The ambassadors of the Baltic states fell silent.

From any perspective, judging by Britain’s performance, whether they would help the Baltics remained uncertain.

With their own colonial management to think about, would they lend a hand?

Britain would likely prefer to see Russia handle the defenses themselves, all while Russia is resolute in maintaining its defensive posture.

While claiming that it wouldn’t threaten the sovereignty of the Baltic states.

In effect, it was saying that they would watch impassively, regardless of whether the Baltics got consumed or not.

Contrary to Anastasia’s expectations, the Baltic states were indeed facing threats from Communist Germany.

If the Baltic states fell to communism, East Prussia or Poland, as well as Russia, would have their hands free to deal with them from behind.

They were subtly infiltrating communists into their own ranks.

With that said, one might consider simply giving up and aligning with Communist Germany.

However, doing so would mean immediately being trampled by the hundreds of thousands of Russian troops.

Moreover, with Anastasia’s supporters around, there’s no need to elaborate further.

A situation where communists and Anastasia faction supporters coexist defines the current Baltic states.

They were trapped, unable to maneuver left or right, and thus needed Russia’s assistance.

“Hm. Speaking of which, didn’t the Russian army also garrison in East Prussia?”

“But they recognize us as an independent state, so they cannot station troops here.”

“So much for the saint; she’s quite a rogue.”

For the sake of the sovereignty and independence of the Baltic states, Russia would absolutely refrain from entering Baltic territory.

If not on the brink of war, Russia’s words might have provided great relief.

But isn’t it natural to assist an ally?

That Russia’s saint recognizes the Baltics as a sovereign state and independent country. For that reason, she declares that the Russian army will not be pushed into the Baltics. In asking for Russia’s help now, it’s as if saying you must become a vassal state.

The concerns of the Baltic three countries only grew.

Meanwhile, in Germany, new winds were blowing.

“Russia is setting up forts all along its border with Poland and the Baltics.”

“Hm. So are they saying they’re willing to abandon the Baltics and Poland?”

The intentions behind Anastasia irritating Germany had certainly been achieved to some degree.

With plans to lay defensive lines with fortifications along the border, Germany now felt the heat under their feet as they had been scheming for a final war with Russia.

With a Russia already strong, fortifying that lengthy border would surely trigger alarm bells in Communist Germany.

In other words, they were signaling that while they fought with Austria or the Balkan states, they aimed to solidify their defenses.

At least, it seemed a fortunate relief that there wasn’t a plan for joint military action.

However, judging by the current situation, it seemed unlikely that Britain would involve itself in the European war. On the surface, it seemed like a pretty decent scenario.

In the head of Karl Liebknecht, a new vision formed.

A dream of bringing communism to Poland and the Baltics.

What if he captured the Kaiser of East Prussia and unified Germany, then went to war with Russia?

 

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