The Legitimacy of Rome
The revolution had broken out in Germany. Yet the nation born from its ashes was not the Weimar Republic. It was the German Free Socialist Republic, forged by the uprising of Roza Luxemburg and that Karl fellow. There was something absurd about pairing “free” and “socialist” in the same name.
“A German revolution,” I muttered. “What kind of colossal screw-up does it take for something like that to actually happen?”
In the original timeline, Roza Luxemburg’s revolution had failed miserably. Here, it had exploded while the German Empire was still standing? Just how badly had they bungled things for it to reach this point?
“The Kaiser has been driven out of Berlin,” the reports said. Every fresh dispatch was more dismal than the last. The Great War had ended in a whimper, and with the White Army’s victory in the Red-White Civil War, a meticulously prepared communist revolution had erupted in Bavaria instead of the short-lived republic I remembered.
“This one looks serious.”
How much external influence would it take for an event that should have been crushed immediately to spiral this far? Historically, Roza Luxemburg had been suppressed, paraded through the streets, and executed. Strange. Then again, she had risen later than expected. Perhaps this time she had prepared thoroughly, even winning over elements of the regular German army. Unlike the original history, the military hadn’t been gutted by disarmament either.
At this rate, would Germany become the true heart of global communism instead of Russia? Was Trotsky somewhere in Germany right now?
“They say the revolution broke out while they were preparing another attack on France.”
“A defeated nation, one that only survived thanks to the mercy of the Entente, trying it again? Is the Kaiser even living in the same era as me?”
Well, Hitler had also tried to solve his bankruptcy with war, so I suppose it wasn’t entirely out of character. Still, this was pushing it. I would need to watch how things developed.
As expected, Germany was being Germany and ruining itself in spectacular fashion. Good. If their civil war dragged on, perhaps I could swallow everything they had given us without consequences. If the reds took full control, I could simply seize all the aid we had received. The real question was what would happen to our dear mustached friend in that scenario. And what would the Second World War even look like? Communism might blunt the impact of the Great Depression, and they would likely fight to spread the revolution in place of the Soviet Union.
Would I eventually get the chance to beat Germany properly? Patton was currently working with Mikhail Drozdovsky and Ungern to build Russia’s armored forces. The Second World War remained the decisive factor. Whether we faced Nazi Germany or communist Germany, conflict seemed inevitable.
“Hmm.”
If I was going to intervene, now might be the time. But we had only just ended our own civil war. Internal stabilization was difficult enough without trying to prop up the Kaiser in Germany.
“Your Highness?”
“How many White Army troops can we mobilize right now?”
“Considering the forces still tied down hunting Bolshevik remnants and securing public order, we could field roughly five hundred thousand from the western regions immediately. You’re not seriously considering…”
Five hundred thousand. Russia’s population truly was vast. If we mobilized the entire White Army, the number would be several times larger. Yet Russia’s territory was so enormous that sheer numbers alone didn’t guarantee victory.
I shook my head.
“No. I’m simply preparing for every possibility. Just because we received help doesn’t mean I intend to support the Kaiser.”
Unless they offered suitable compensation, there was no reason to involve ourselves in their civil war. Our priority was to watch Germany warily while rebuilding our own house. The damage from the civil war was more extensive than I had anticipated. While we had a surplus of people, reconstructing cities and infrastructure would take considerable time.
Even Azerbaijan, which had declared independence, had swung toward Britain in this altered history only to be handed back to us. We were now moving troops to incorporate it properly. Georgia was even worse.
“Then we’ll handle our own affairs accordingly.”
“What did you have in mind, Your Highness?”
“I will personally tour the regions that suffered the heaviest fighting in this war.”
First Petrograd, then Moscow, Tsaritsyn, and Yekaterinburg. I needed to travel among the people and gather their hearts, much like a politician on the campaign trail.
Petrograd had seen the return of many refugees, along with citizens who had endured Bolshevik oppression. I would need to soothe them and offer promises of a better future. They had abandoned the Tsar only to find that the Bolsheviks were no different. And now a new Tsar had appeared, merely wearing a different name. So yes, some careful management of public sentiment was necessary.
Even though they had suffered under Bolshevik tyranny, the population in former Red territories would have absorbed some communist influence. For the time being, we would have to stabilize their hearts with the aid we had received.
I walked through the streets of Petrograd, comforting the citizens.
“The Saint herself touched my daughter, and she stood right up!”
“Mother has risen from her bed!”
“We’ve been starving for so long, yet my stomach feels full!”
People naturally seek something to lean on in times of hardship. A person’s state of mind can change everything. For a while, the “Wonhyo’s skull water” miracle continued without pause.
Around this time, the Entente powers were still entangled in one unfinished war: the Turkish War of Independence that had erupted from the dismantled Ottoman Empire. What had once been Turkey, shredded into pieces like torn paper, had seen its people rise up. Leading them was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the hero of the Battle of Gallipoli and the Great War’s most celebrated Ottoman commander. He now headed the Grand National Assembly of Turkey—the independence army—and was thoroughly humiliating the great powers.
Without Soviet support and in far worse conditions than in the original history, Atatürk was nevertheless beating back the Allies and radiating the spirit of independence. The Greek army, which had advanced all the way to Ankara shouting Megali Idea, had been hammered by Turkish forces and reached the culminating point of their offensive.
“At this rate, Atatürk will run wild.”
“They said they would reclaim Eastern Roman territory, but it looks like this is as far as Greece goes.”
“Germany is in chaos as well.”
“Perhaps we should simply accept Turkish independence…”
The great powers were leaning in that direction. However, with the White Army’s victory in the Russian Civil War, their calculations had changed. The Great War had ended far too anticlimactically. They needed a clear symbol of victory. Austria had been adequately carved up, and Germany had been treated relatively leniently. Had they known Russia’s civil war would end so quickly in White victory, they would have torn Germany and Austria apart more thoroughly. But it was too late for that.
In that case, they would simply have to dismember the Ottomans instead.
After much deliberation, the Entente turned their eyes once more toward Russia. Yes, the civil war had ended, but the nation that had just emerged from it still possessed millions of soldiers. If they could be persuaded to stab Atatürk in the flank?
Besides, Russia had historically claimed to be the successor of Rome and had repeatedly clashed with the Ottomans. Lately they were even being called the Third Rome, apparently out of national pride. What better opportunity could there be?
“Didn’t the Russian Civil War just end? Don’t they still have millions of troops?”
“How about requesting support from Grand Duchess Anastasia?”
“She is called the reincarnation of Catherine the Great. If she understands our situation, she won’t help us for free.”
Among the White Russian émigrés, the Grand Duchess was revered as the incarnation of Catherine II. Of course, considering Catherine’s reputation for oppressing peasants and being labeled a tyrant, it was an odd title. But when judged solely by her achievements as a female ruler who had expanded the empire, the comparison made sense.
A female monarch. For Anastasia, whose position remained precarious after the civil war, the offer to reclaim Eastern Roman territory would be extremely tempting. Especially with over a million battle-hardened White Russian troops fresh from fighting the Bolsheviks.
“Still, Anastasia herself rose to the throne through civil war. And she is a woman. She will likely salivate at any chance to establish legitimacy.”
“What if we revise the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and cede Constantinople along with the old Byzantine territories?”
“They’ve already swallowed Belarus and quietly created what they call the Anarchist Free Territory in eastern Ukraine to extend their influence. We cannot revise the treaty any further.”
They had let Belarus slip away while we weren’t looking, and had even handed eastern Ukraine to the anarchists. Of course, anyone who looked closely could see their true intention: temporarily grant it to the anarchists to remove British influence, then absorb it later. But the British Empire lacked the resources to administer all of Ukraine; establishing a pro-British government in western Ukraine had been the best they could manage. They could hardly demand the east back with threats.
“That’s Britain’s problem. We in France face a different situation. The Kaiser’s antics have left us on the verge of our own commune uprising. Or do you intend to let Atatürk continue wasting our time while we deal with the German situation?”
Unlike the original history, France found itself unable to withdraw from Ottoman affairs. The prevailing mindset was that they needed to crush at least one country to save face.
“If we grant the Eastern Roman territories to Russia, that means revising the Treaty of Sèvres. What about Greece?”
“Why should we take responsibility for their failure? Let’s bring Russia in instead.”
“Russia has only just emerged from civil war. Dragging them into another conflict would require appropriate compensation.”
They were already busy treating the aftereffects of their own war. Would they accept another conflict? The Slavs were unlikely to feel indebted simply because the Entente had saved them from the Bolsheviks. Compensation would be necessary. Since economic aid was already being provided, that option was off the table.
“Then how about assistance with troop transport in exchange for all of Eastern Thrace, including Constantinople?”
“That doesn’t sound bad.”
The decision was made. The legitimacy of Rome would belong to Russia.
Around this time, Anton Denikin commanded the Caucasus Military District in southern Russia, effectively controlling all forces in the south. The civil war had ended in White victory, and he retained his position as commander of the Southern White Army. Yet he harbored one deep dissatisfaction: Pyotr Wrangel, who had served under him, was now outshining him.
After all, Denikin had been the one threatening the Bolsheviks from southern Russia and capturing the entire southern region of Moscow. Yet his fame seemed lesser than that of the Black Baron. He was unhappy about it. His current duty of monitoring Makhno’s forces in eastern Ukraine felt like a waste of his talents.
It was at this moment that news reached Anton Denikin that made his ears perk up.
“The British and French want to drag us into the Ottoman theater?”
Yes. This was an opportunity. A chance to present the Tsarina with the legitimacy of Rome, the Second Rome! A chance to restore the wounded pride of the Russian people that had been tarnished by the Bolsheviks! How dare a minor power like Greece claim the legacy of Eastern Rome? Preposterous!
Anton Denikin burned with desire to lead the White Army into Anatolia.