---

* * *

Sigh, it’s a shame.

It looks like we have no choice but to get some from the US, which is fully activating its shipyards to catch Japan.

Otherwise, we might have to quickly establish air superiority, take the Japanese mainland, force their surrender, and then swallow their fleet.

Hmm. Should I maintain the navy decently?

A fleet is nothing but a money-eating hippo. It’s better to keep it at a reasonable level.

Still, we can’t just throw cold water on this victory celebration.

“The Mediterranean is now our lake!”

“Hahaha! This was unimaginable during the Great War.”

“The Spanish navy has requested to send their fleet to join us here.”

“Hm, Spain.”

The command staff is in an uproar with joy.

Thinking about it, Spain did seem a bit suspicious.

After all, we helped them so much, yet they haven’t eagerly declared their participation.

It’s not that we particularly asked them to, but it seems Spain has been too preoccupied with using the money they received via US credit cards for their domestic reconstruction.

Well, if we were to say, “We helped you, now join the war,” they’d have no choice but to bow down. Anyway, Spain is currently in a neutral position.

They’ve been silent so far to avoid becoming the first victim of France, but they likely want to get involved in the war soon.

“If Spain attacks now, can the French Commune hold them off?”

The border between Spain and France is the Pyrenees.

If the French Commune has any sense, they would deploy troops along the Spanish border.

But, can the French Commune truly defend the Pyrenees right now?

Well, they don’t necessarily need to attack from the French side.

Just eliminating Italy would definitely take care of the aggro from the Red Front.

Later, we could handle France at our convenience.

“The main force of France is here, won’t they break through?”

“Still, the Commune wouldn’t have acted thoughtlessly.”

“Even if they don’t break through, if the Spanish forces move with more troops than expected, the Commune will have no choice but to spread their forces thin. That would make things easier for us.”

That’s true. The key is how much the Spanish will stop after that.

It feels a bit off to say they should do this just because we supported them during their civil war.

After all, uniting Europe under one power means it doesn’t matter how land is divided.

“We supported the Spanish Civil War, so we don’t really have a reason to repay them, do we?”

“If we must offer something, how about we take care of Gibraltar?”

Gibraltar sounds good, but how do we do that?

That land isn’t ours, and it’s not exactly land that France has to be cautious about.

“Isn’t that under British jurisdiction?”

“We’ll negotiate with the British to secure it. Besides, the British can’t even think about crawling out from their island.”

The British are being underestimated right now, but their navy is still strong.

It wouldn’t be right to dismiss the old lion when it still roars.

Don’t underestimate Mr. Dunkirk’s myth!

Or wait, what if we assign Gibraltar to Spain as a mandate territory in exchange for elevating their status as a victorious nation?

That could work.

“Well, Spain won’t have much to do anyway. They just need to keep poking the Commune from behind.”

“Yes. Then I’ll contact Franco.”

“How about splitting our forces to unite with the Danube Federation troops at Sudetenland and push upwards?”

We’ve already done enough to claim a huge share of the White Army’s territory during the war!

The troops captured from Communist Germany and the Commune must exceed a million.

Considering the prisoners taken, it’s an astronomical number.

“And if we secure naval dominance, let’s aim for an invasion of Italy as well.”

“But there’s no army there. We could rotate the army, though.”

Drozdovsky is strange too. Why should we use our army?

Is our army the only one that exists?

If we have already secured naval dominance, then an invasion by the Ethiopian Army wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

We originally intended to attempt this if we secured naval dominance. Honestly, this is under the assumption of receiving help from the British Mediterranean fleet, but since it’s come to this, let’s land the Ethiopians.

“There’s an army, isn’t there? The Ethiopian army.”

“Oh.”

“It would be possible if it’s Ethiopia, which would tremble at the thought of Italy.”

Doesn’t it sound like fun?

“Indeed it does. Then I’ll get in touch with the Ethiopian side.”

It’s already been promised. Ethiopia will probably accept.

After all, entering the capital of a major power as the first African army would make them extremely happy.

Since we’ve destroyed the naval forces, we should enjoy it while we can.

“I need to contact Emperor Haile Selassie. Considering how Africa has been treated until now, wouldn’t it be fun for the Ethiopian army to march in Italy, which is considered a major power?”

This has been the image I’ve painted from the start.

Our Ethiopian army proudly marching in Rome.

Doesn’t that seem interesting?

“Oh, that would be great.”

“There won’t be a humiliation like that.”

Now, what’s this?

The chief of staff is handing me a letter.

“Your Majesty. A letter has just arrived from Turkey congratulating us on our victory, sent by Kemal himself.”

Curious, I opened it, and it contained an amusing message.

They intend to retake Suez. They want to recover Ottoman territory to the extent possible.

But on the condition that, if they retake Suez, they wish to manage it jointly with Russia instead of the British. I wonder if this has already been discussed with the British?

It seems they want to divide the spoils, assuming it’s all going to fall into the hands of the Reds anyway.

What would happen to Egypt in this case?

Honestly, I was considering Turkey as the Middle East handler for the future. However, thinking about the revenue Egypt makes from the Suez, it’s quite pitiful.

Of course, if we could give Egypt a share, it might work out. Hmm.

Just how far does Kemal want to push?

From the contents of the letter, it seems he wants to gobble up Egypt, but no, he must only want Suez.

“Your Majesty. The Free French government has contacted us, offering to assist with the Algerian colonial army—”

“They’ve managed to hold out for this long.”

“Aren’t they also trying to reclaim their homeland?”

See how quickly they rush out upon hearing we’ve secured naval dominance.

It’s understandable for a government in exile, but is that too much to ask?

“They haven’t even stabilized Algeria yet. Do they have the capacity to move?”

“We’ll need to assess, but it seems they think reclaiming the homeland first is essential.”

That makes sense, the situation has completely tilted against them.

The fact that we’ve gained naval dominance means there’s the potential for a landing on the mainland.

If the government in exile in Algeria has ears, they’ll realize that Commune troops are rushing out to fend off Russia and that they’re planning to move toward Spain as well.

Ultimately, they’d understand that the opportunity for retaking is now.

“Who is the current head of the Algerian government?”

At least if they’re currently leading the Algerian government, it signifies they were dragged out of the chaos. They must indeed be a capable person.

“Philippe Pétain.”

Oh, it’s Philippe Pétain showing up now.

Well, considering he was on the lineup when they fled to Algeria, that makes sense.

“Hmm. That’s unfortunate.”

Personally, I find Pétain quite pitiable.

He thought surrendering was for France’s sake and ended up leading Vichy France. Even after the war, he still had many who respected him.

In this alternate history, it seems he managed to escape to Algeria, but stabilizing that region will surely be tough.

With Europe bound together somehow, it seems we still have to tear a bit off of France.

“The British have also contacted us.”

“What did they say?”

If the British are reaching out at this point, it’s likely Churchill himself who is behind it.

“If needed, we’ll mobilize the Commonwealth, so please help us tear France apart.”

Oh, the British are really scraping together the Commonwealth forces.

Have they forgotten Dunkirk already? If they exploit them again, the Commonwealth troops will likely ignore the British entirely.

No matter how full Britain has become, who would be pleased to see their population split apart?

After Gallipoli, I understand the Commonwealth forces suffered losses again this time.

But wait a minute, isn’t this just perfect for us?

It’s as if both Britain and France are vying for our favor.

“It’s interesting that both Britain and France are courting us.”

Who would’ve thought it would unfold like this?

Is this really the same Russia that was seen as weak during World War I? It’s truly magnificent.

The invasion of Communist Germany and the victory in the Aegean Sea has led to this outcome.

Both Britain and France are getting desperate.

If this ends here, everything will belong to Russia!

It makes me think about how they both want something from us.

“Especially from the British, it seems they are quite desperate. They’re begging me to tear France apart.”

I can roughly grasp what that means.

Interpreted simply, it comes down to:

“If I can’t eat anything this time, I might die, so please help.”

It’s a SOS from Churchill.

If it looks like he might die, will he really blink?

If the war ends like this, Britain will have accomplished nothing, and they won’t have anything to feast upon. Churchill will end things after having lost hundreds of thousands at Dunkirk.

“Otherwise, the British will probably drag Churchill out of Downing Street.”

For now, Churchill will likely see the French Commune as traitors. After all, they’re among the main reasons his moniker of Mr. Dunkirk was coined.

If France hadn’t flipped like that, it wouldn’t have turned out like this.

Churchill is someone with a sense of reality.

He’ll need results to maintain the British Isles if he doesn’t want to lose influence.

For that, even if he doesn’t like Russia, he’ll have to swallow his pride and cooperate.

After downing drink after drink, if he makes himself unable to take even a single bite from the war, it’d be pitiful.

He probably realizes that much, so he must have some plans in mind.

That person surely understands that he can’t do anything about German territory now. So, what remains is to take a bite out of the traitorous French.

“But the French government in exile, namely Free France, probably won’t accept that.”

What fool would be okay with tearing their country apart?

But Free France doesn’t have many choices in this matter.

All they can do is watch the decisions of the victorious nations after the war.

They’ll even have to firmly persuade other countries about their demands for the homeland!

“That’s right.”

“Anyway, France is going to get torn up at this point. Hm. Let’s do this. Originally, we thought to tear apart the French Commune as traitors to the Russians and the Allied forces, but considering Pétain’s subordinate de Gaulle, let’s at least allow them to maintain a bit of the homeland.”

For the sake of the original France, let’s just agree to preserve a bit.

I think it would work well with just this level.

“Do you know de Gaulle?”

“He helped us as a volunteer during the Red and White Civil War.”

I remember his face a bit. It feels like, “Oh, I’ve met you before.”

We may be tearing apart what’s left, but considering that connection, we’ll let some stay.

By leveraging that connection, we could give part of the land to France. That seems to be the right development.

“So you mean this is a favor though you weren’t originally going to give it?”

“That’s right.”

Our Roman von Ungern is quite perceptive.

I’d bet Ungern has seen de Gaulle? They were together on the Southern Russian front.

Looking at the aftermath, both the German Empire and the Danube Federation that sought the homeland will suffer greatly.

Most importantly, the Russians and the Danube, who directly faced the French Commune, will have a special anger towards them.

In that case, Hitler would want to break France apart like a pie!

At that moment, I would step up and state that since France supported us during the civil war, we must refrain from tearing them apart completely, and we’d negotiate to give a bit back to them.

“In the future, France might feel dissatisfied.”

“The Danube Federation and we have been suffering at the hands of the French Commune in this war more than expected. Britain is, for the time being, the betrayal that occurred. If we don’t tear France apart, Britain and the Danube Federation will hold grudges too. Plus, they might think we’re too merciful, and words will spread domestically.”

Just some resentment against France.

That too, when they have no capacity to reclaim their homeland; the grudge over just a small piece taken back, and the resentment from the victorious nations like the Danube Federation and Britain.

That’s a bit off.

Though the British are in such a state, they are still an unforgivable pirate nation.

Before Churchill is purged in a revolution, we should keep that much in mind.

“Your Majesty. Greece has requested support from our nation.”

“Greece seems to be struggling against Mussolini’s forces at last.”

No matter how crumbling Italy is, they will still cling to Greece tenaciously.

Greece will not be able to withstand that offensive.

“Manstein, who planned the Sickles Operation, has reportedly been dispatched to that area.”

“Manstein, you say.”

Now that I think of it, the Sickles Operation was reportedly disclosed to the Allied forces at the beginning, and I’ve heard Churchill dismissed that.

If he had accepted it, circumstances might have changed significantly now.

Wilhelm II would have to run to plead with Churchill, just begging to spare the homeland.

Though they succeeded in the Sickles operation, I’m convinced Manstein leaked information to the Allied forces regarding it.

It doesn’t seem likely that Manstein would work for the Communists. Plus, aside from Manstein himself, isn’t there anyone else who could leak that information?

Even Goebbels might see this as part of the operation, or might not even know, but anyway, he has unexpectedly become a hero in Red Germany.

Moreover, seeing that he even brought his own troops to Greece, it seems Goebbels values him quite a bit, but he came to help attack Greece.

It might be worth testing the waters with him.

 

---