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“That makes sense. But will you support the Tsar in the Duma?”

“Yes. We have already received unanimous support.”

This part has already been approved by the National Duma.

Since I have to somehow prepare for the second Great War, it wasn’t difficult.

—“May I take the lead on that air defense treaty?”

—“Of course, that is only natural.”

—“Since foreign leaders will be present, it is only right that Your Majesty takes the lead.”

It was taken too matter-of-factly.

I can sense something here. In the Duma, they’re probably just going to leave everything to me and blame me if things go wrong.

Thus, I must share the responsibility with the leaders participating in this treaty.

So, I suppose if Bulgaria attacks Greece, I won’t particularly oppose it.

That doesn’t mean I’ll provide military support.

Essentially, if Bulgaria attacks Greece, we’ll simply be passive observers. That’s about it.

“We will also participate in the Greek issue.”

“Turkey?”

“Yes. The Greek Army has committed atrocities against our homeland while declaring the Megali Idea. We must seek revenge.”

That was something I had already heard before, so I had no reason to refuse.

As long as it’s after the second Great War.

It’s not as if there’s a war happening in Russia, so what reason do I have to help Greece?

Considering we’re descendants of a similar Eastern Roman Empire, it would make sense to ally with Greece, but they’ve said nothing.

The air defense agreement has been sent to several countries aside from the ones that were directly selected to join the treaty in the Duma.

It was basically sent to the Baltic States, who are friendly with Britain, and Greece as well.

The Baltic States set conditions for independence guarantees, while Greece has still said nothing.

Perhaps they take issue with Russia hindering the Megali Idea, or maybe it’s because Bulgaria and Turkey are involved in the treaty. Or could it be due to the communist influence from Yugoslavia and Italy?

For whatever reason, Greece did not come here.

As a result, the date for Bulgaria and Turkey to jointly deal with Greece was set.

Well, it’s their fault for not coming.

So, shouldn’t we receive something in return?

“Now then, we too, Russia, have things to receive from Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.”

“What is it?”

The fact that I even thought of making demands from Romania and Bulgaria caught Boris III and King Ferdinand I by surprise as they widened their eyes while sipping tea.

Ilyinuy seemed to expect something.

So, what common ground do these three countries share?

They all have ties to Rome.

Romania, even by its name, boldly claims to be the land of Romans, outright asserting its Roman legacy.

Bulgaria, although it remained silent after independence from the Ottomans, used to aspire to claim the throne just like Rome.

Turkey is the direct successor of the Ottomans, who merged the Eastern Roman Empire.

“Constantinople is the rightful territory of our Russia, which inherits Byzantium. You must acknowledge this.”

Turkey, by treaty, already acknowledged that during their War of Independence, Constantinople was, after all, adjacent to Bulgaria, having taken it this time.

This must be acknowledged.

Russia, claiming to be Rome’s successor, must be recognized by the neighboring countries touching the border.

If Russia possesses Constantinople, demanding foreign nations to recognize it as rightful Russian territory means they are acknowledging that Russia is the successor of the Eastern Roman Empire.

“Since you took Constantinople, it naturally belongs to Russia, and Russia is indeed the descendant of the Eastern Roman Empire.”

“Our Romania will also acknowledge this.”

With this in mind, I planned to seek confirmation from Turkey again. They have acknowledged Constantinople, but this entails the legitimacy of Rome.

Henceforth, countries that are set to cooperate in defense must know each other.

Prime Minister Ilyinuy cleared his throat as if slightly displeased.

However, when it comes to fostering camaraderie during the air defense treaty, there’s no other option.

“The successor of the Eastern Roman Empire is the Russian Republic, and this we, Turkey, also acknowledge.”

The Ottoman Empire also used the name Rome after merging with the Eastern Roman Empire.

However, it was said to have been for justification in conquering Roman territories and to woo the Eastern Roman upper class at the time.

But now, Turkey’s direct recognition of Russia as the descendant of the Eastern Roman Empire signals an intention to abandon the legitimacy of Rome from the Ottoman era.

Isn’t it ironic, considering they destroyed that very nation, that they still use its name?

Even the name Turkey, when traced to its origin, derives not from Roman succession but from ethnic identity.

In other words, the true descendant of the Eastern Romans is merely Russia.

The unification of Russia stems from its pride in being the heir to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Considering that, it is only proper that this be affirmed here, enhancing the idea of Russia not just as a mere Slavic elder brother but as the true heart of Rome.

Thinking about the circumstances of various countries threatened by communism, being recognized as Rome’s descendant would only deepen the Russian attachment to Rome.

Not communism, mind you.

Thinking further, if Greece had come here, they might have argued passionately about being the descendants of Eastern Rome via the Megali Idea.

Considering the ethnic composition of the Eastern Roman Empire, Russia stands for spiritual legitimacy while Greece holds the ethnic legitimacy.

“Well then, let us sign the agreement.”

Admittedly, using international relations to secure recognition of the descendants of Rome from the surrounding countries near Constantinople feels somewhat sketchy.

“Have East Prussia and Poland already signed?”

“Yes. Now that everyone has gathered for anti-communism, what a beautiful day this is! Let us all take a photo together.”

I smiled brightly as I took pictures with leaders from all the countries.

Thus, following the German Empire and Poland, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey joined the second treaty, uniting the Balkans against communism.

* * *

German Free Socialist Republic, Berlin

With the second air defense treaty making headlines in the newspapers, the German Free Socialist Republic has also caught wind of the news.

“Damn, is the revolution in the Balkans truly impossible?”

Whatever carrot the Tsarina dangled or how she tempted them, many Balkan nations have aligned with Russia.

This means that leading a revolution carelessly will be quite a challenge.

With all of them being monarchies except for Turkey, unity among them must be quite strong.

Turkey’s President Atatürk has already had personal discussions with the Tsarina, making it hard for Turkey to fall to communism.

Secretary Karl Liebknecht clicked his tongue in disappointment as he looked at a map of the Balkans.

“Under these circumstances, we must firmly red-tide Yugoslavia, Comrade Secretary.”

Rosa Luxemburg is right.

There’s currently a surge of communism in Yugoslavia.

In fact, even Croatia and Bosnia, once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, are echoing this, leaving the Yugoslav government with no viable solution.

“What do you think the French Revolution will be like? It would be great if it could happen before the war.”

The communist takeover in France would serve as a crucial factor for Communist Germany to assert dominance in Europe.

“I think the French Revolution is currently out of reach. France won’t hold out long in the Ruhr, so we should first enact plans to support the revolutionary colonies.”

Supporting colonial revolutions.

Currently, Communist Germany boldly proclaimed the violation of the Versailles Treaty, but we’ve yet to restore the damages of war.

At this moment, we can only clench our teeth at France, which occupies the Ruhr and do nothing.

However, the strength of the Reds doesn’t stem from military power.

At its core, communism delves into the hearts of those suffering and turns them into fellow communists.

Colonial subjects are not much different.

Instead, colonial subjects who suffer and live like livestock under the yoke of a ruthless colonial empire will likely feel more compelled.

The German Communist Party was already preparing for the final war, just as Anastasia predicted.

That’s how communism works.

The last adversary the German Communist Party must topple is Russia.

Russia has long suffered at the hands of Bolsheviks, harboring disdain for Bolshevism and communism, mocking Communist Germany in competition, and obstructing the spread of revolution.

Communist Germany was aware of its own status.

To confront Russia, it had to overcome both Britain and France.

Those colonial empires are also enemies of communism. To those colonial empires, communism is an adversary they must topple as well.

However, it was unrealistic to hope for so much with Germany’s current power.

So, they compromised with reality, opting to infiltrate communist parties into the colonies and increase their communist numbers. When the time came, if Germany started a workers’ liberation war, the colonies would simultaneously rise to distract the armies of England and France, thus diminishing their ability to wage war on the European continent.

That was the essence of supporting colonial revolutions.

If the colonized could hamper the Dread British Empire and France, then they could focus on defeating that despicable Russian Empress, who had duped workers with the absurd notion of reformist capitalism, thereby achieving true liberation for Europe.

“Alright then. We must continue to recruit local colonists. And we must also keep supporting the French Commune.”

“Yes, Comrade.”

Meanwhile, communication with the Commune continued as we supported it.

Hitting the united forces of Britain and France, who were bound up in the colonies, would help the French Commune seize power successfully, tipping the scale of the war instantly.

In that process, the lowland countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg) were merely highways for Germany to swiftly invade France.

One small concern lingered in my mind.

Secretary Karl Liebknecht’s eyes fell upon the map leading towards the Italian Peninsula.

Right, Italy.

A strange Secretary, who claims to be a communist while shouting about recreating ancient Rome. The nation of Benito Mussolini.

“Italy still stands?”

“Yes, Comrade. Secretary Benito Mussolini claims to have their own communism, but they are still shouting for Rome.”

“Tsk.”

How ironic that the leader of Italy has adopted communism not for the sake of liberating workers, but for the revival of Rome.

Yet the problem was that, despite this, Germany could hardly criticize such a structure while maintaining proper communist operation.

If one were to delve into it, there would be no end to the discussion.

However, engaging in such debates would inevitably sever ties with Italy, and currently, there was no need for that.

* * *

Harbin, Northern Manchuria, under Russian administration

Around this time, Harbin in Northern Manchuria was fervently undergoing development.

For development, there should naturally be people.

As Russia expanded its influence all the way to the Far East, reaching Vladivostok, many Han Chinese and Manchurians had left, and now, Russian White Russians and Jews sent from the motherland were arriving in succession.

Especially for the Jews, this new environment was quite unfamiliar.

Having lost their homeland for a long period and wandered through Europe, the Jews, who settled in Poland, failed to assimilate and were ultimately oppressed and expelled due to Poland’s anti-Jewish policies.

The Jewish groups arriving in Russia, which reportedly favors Jews, followed the instructions from the Russian motherland to go to Northern Manchuria, where they would receive settlement assistance.

Coincidentally, wealthy Jews from Poland were tidying up their assets and made an initial shift to Northern Manchuria.

“Are we going to live here from now on?”

“Dad, it seems a bit cold here.”

“Still, it’s better than dying under the Poles.”

Though the land where they were to settle was not entirely pleasant, it was at least better than being under the oppressive gaze of the Polish.

A bearded Russian White Army general, appearing to lead the Jewish settlement, gathered the Jews who had arrived by train at Harbin Square.

His name was Dmitry Horvat. He had earlier seized control of the Middle Eastern Railway, gaining the support of great powers while disrupting the Eastern front of the Red Army. Once history changed, leading to the victory of the White Army and the establishment of the United States, he was appointed as the governor of Northern Manchuria.

Standing on the podium, he addressed the Jews.

“Listen carefully, everyone. You will be settling here and living through development. There are already many Jews who moved here before you.”

Right away, asking them to settle and develop in this far-off land was a bit shocking.

Among the Jews who traveled across distant lands by train, some complained and expressed dissatisfaction, but it was still better than groaning under Polish oppression.

Of course, this land, inhabited by Easterners, wasn’t exactly to their liking.

But, slowly, they would be able to change this land into their own.

“Ah, and if anyone wishes to assist in oil exploration, please come to the Northern Manchuria Governor General’s Office. We are currently recruiting many workers for that.”

Oil exploration.

Recently, with covert support from the Rothschild family, oil exploration was well underway in Northern Manchuria.

Having already seen the possibilities for oil from experts, striking oil here would not be bad news for the Jewish people in Northern Manchuria.

Some propagandists dispatched from the motherland were actively encouraging settlement under the banner of ‘Manchurian Dream,’ making life about oil exploration and settlement a regular routine for the Jews.

 

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