Where Is the Great Germany Headed?
The fight against the German Communist Party probably won’t drag on for long. We should refuse them outright. Besides, wouldn’t it be better for us to swallow whatever scraps Germany left behind rather than hand them over to the communists? What does the Minister of Finance think?
In other words, everything Germany had stockpiled by treating Russia as its personal arsenal.
“Your Majesty is correct. Our reforms have only just begun, and in truth, we are barely maintaining appearances thanks to the support of the great powers. Our advance all the way to Anatolia was possible largely because of their help. If we aid the Kaiser now, we risk sinking back into the quagmire.”
“That’s right. I’ve heard even France is refusing to help because they find the Kaiser detestable. Britain, at least, seems to have moved Poland to secure East Prussia as a check against the communists.”
So the military was opposed as well. Still, Britain had done a decent job. Unlike in the original history, Germany had effectively lost East Prussia entirely. Technically it was held by communist Germany, of course.
At this point, we needed a justification for not helping Germany. I spoke up.
“Didn’t they only help us in the first place to deceive the eyes of the great powers?”
To drive a bayonet into France, no less. No matter how many times I thought about it, I couldn’t help but admire Wilhelm II. In more ways than one.
“This nation has made anti-communism its guiding principle. Shouldn’t we provide support, at least in principle?”
“Sending troops to spill blood is out of the question. Destroying communist Germany is important to us, but we’ve already fought too much. The damage from the civil war hasn’t even been fully repaired. A new war would be too much. Turkey was manageable, but Germany… And above all, the fact that Britain has recognized communist Germany suggests even they are struggling.”
She was right. Everything she said was correct. But that didn’t mean we could simply refrain from sending any forces at all. We still had General Bermondt’s Western Russian Army, didn’t we?
We could send them to East Prussia to help the Kaiser settle there stably. That alone would continue to undermine the legitimacy of communist Germany. It would be enough. To communist Germany, the Kaiser’s East Prussia would be like a Lego brick stuck underfoot or a thumbtack in the sole of their shoe.
No matter how communist the country had become, there would still be loyalists to the Kaiser. Not to mention the likes of the Freikorps. Communist Germany would be far more difficult to deal with than Nazi Germany had been in the original timeline.
The real problem was whether France or Britain would throw a fit at us. For now, we could afford to talk our way around it.
“Hmm. Still, we should show some sense of honor. How about we send General Bermondt to East Prussia under the pretense of helping? And if East Prussia becomes too dangerous, we can offer to support the establishment of a German Kingdom inside Russia, in the German-settled regions along the Volga.”
The Volga Germans had lived there for a long time. In 1762, Catherine the Great had invited large-scale immigration from Europe to increase population density and boost agricultural output. The Germans who settled along the Volga became known as the Volga Germans. During the Soviet era, they had even been granted the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, but unfortunately, after Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Stalin had deported them all to Siberia and Central Asia.
So this was essentially wordplay. Like how King Munmu of Silla had allowed Anseung to establish the kingdom of Bodeok in the former Baekje territory of Geummaje. If worse came to worst, they could at least serve as the nominal king of a single-province state within Russia.
This way, we would secure justification for intervening against communist Germany later. And if the Kaiser proved unable to retake the mainland and the situation solidified at this point, communist Germany would still be able to stockpile strength.
“It doesn’t sound bad.”
“But this will certainly not be the end. The communists have their characteristic red tendencies, and to the German Communist Party, we may become the final enemy of the revolution.”
After all, we had killed Russia’s revolution and were now threatening communism with our new modified capitalism.
“Yes. The reforms we are carrying out are exactly the kind of thing that makes communists foam at the mouth in opposition. They will target us if only to preserve their own power.”
In the end, war would come. As long as White Russia stood tall, the reds would have to destroy us before they could pursue world revolution.
“In preparation for that time, we should maintain an appropriate level of military spending, accelerate weapons development, and establish defensive lines on the Polish border.”
At my words, the entire military leadership nodded in agreement. They would have to. Otherwise they wouldn’t be reds.
Next, it was time to slowly lay the groundwork for the Great Depression. It wasn’t something I could solve alone, after all. I had been planning to mention it in advance. Knowing what was coming was better than being caught unaware.
“I happened to overhear something from the American side not long ago.”
“What was it?”
“One of their economic experts said that a massive economic panic would soon erupt in the United States.”
“Isn’t America currently enjoying an economic boom?”
The one who reacted was Mikhail Vladimirovich Bernatsky, the Minister of Finance. Since he was currently in charge of Russia’s economic policy, he was naturally sensitive to the topic. He was well-educated and quite capable. While I had only offered occasional suggestions, he had thrown himself into carrying out economic reforms with great diligence.
“It has been predicted for a long time. I believe it will erupt before thirty years have passed. We must prepare countermeasures in advance.”
“It’s only a rumor without confirmation, but… still. When we speak of economic panic, the biggest issue is usually labor, isn’t it? Given the severe damage from our civil war, would we really suffer a heavy blow?”
That made sense. Russia’s economy had always been in shambles. But even so, was it really that bad? In the current Russia?
“Is it that severe?”
“Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians died in the civil war. After the war, we carried out large-scale purges of reds across the entire country. And that’s not all. The reds destroyed and plundered every region that refused to support them. The damage from the civil war has devastated European Russia so thoroughly that we lack even the economic foundation to be hurt by a panic. Even though Russia has a large population, it seems there will be almost no one in the next few years who gets fired from a factory and ends up on the street.”
It was shocking. So we had only gained land while our actual situation remained precarious? Was the damage truly that extensive? It felt like hearing the meme that Russia’s economy had always been trash turned into cold reality.
“Didn’t we receive substantial support from the great powers?”
“That support was limited almost entirely to the civil war period. The economic situation had been catastrophic long before that. Thanks to those investments, we have managed to escape the worst of the current crisis. And in reality, because of the civil war damage, we are currently implementing policies that socialists would love. I am referring to the five-year plan Your Majesty designed. We are only doing this because we are still recovering from civil war. Had this been before the Great War, the other powers would have accused us of being a communist state.”
Wait, was he joking? I let out a small laugh, thinking it was a joke, but Bernatsky’s expression remained serious, his eyes narrowing.
“Is it really that bad?”
“You should understand why the socialists are staying quiet right now. Some of them even praise Your Majesty as the Red Empress.”
Oh shit. Dear God. Well, I suppose it made sense. We had adopted both the New Economic Policy and the Five-Year Plan. The Soviet Union in the original history had also referenced Stolypin’s reforms, so I guess I had done the same. But still… to this extent? This was genuinely shocking.
“Then it seems the only option is to tighten our belts and work hard.”
“Yes. The civil war wiped out most of the old, obstinate nobility, and the establishment of the United States has allowed us to reorganize the bureaucracy. For now, we should reestablish the zemstvos, maintain stability, and continue as we are. Later, we can pursue regional development in each city and gradually transition toward industrialization. Russia is also rich in natural resources. Utilizing those will allow us to respond to the panic far more effectively.”
So even if the Great Depression hit, we could simply maintain the current course? It sounded plausible, but the question of when that would actually be possible was another matter. Would we develop faster than the Soviet Union in the original timeline?
“Then when do you think Russia will properly recover?”
“Although reforms are underway, full national recovery will likely take until at least the mid-1930s. Still, at the present moment, the fact that Germany—which laid railroads across Russia’s vast territory—has ended up like this means we no longer need to worry about German sensibilities. We can simply throw the Kaiser in East Prussia some fodder from time to time.”
The mid-1930s. With the Second World War right around the corner. If communist Germany started a war, would it happen earlier? Or around the same time as in the original history?
“Let’s provide support to the technicians who fled to Russia to escape the German Communist Party. We should also consider the treatment of the German volunteers remaining within Russia.”
“Since they fought against the reds, they can’t simply return home and become citizens of a communist state. They will either go to East Prussia or remain with us.”
“Now that you mention it, one German friend of mine has quite an interesting talent.”
Mikhail Drozdovsky, who had recently taken charge of establishing armored units and was reorganizing the Russian army alongside the Black Baron, presented several drawings. At first glance they looked like nothing more than building sketches, but they strongly resembled illustrations I had seen several times on the internet in my previous life.
“Who drew these?”
“A German corporal named Adolf Hitler. He was even awarded the Iron Cross First Class.”
Oh dear God. So Mr. Adolf was drawing pictures here? Ah, right. The man was currently adrift. He couldn’t return to a Germany stained by red ideology, and going back to Austria would mean returning to a torn and no-longer-great nation. He probably had no desire to go to East Prussia and serve under the incompetent Kaiser either.
“It seems he wants to turn away from the reality that his homeland has become communist. So he draws. I wouldn’t quite call him an artist, though.”
Still, these drawings were impressive. What if we steered him toward industrial design or architecture? A good idea occurred to me. The reds were already causing enough trouble. We didn’t need Hitler running wild on top of that. I would call for him as soon as I returned to Moscow.
The German volunteers within Russia found themselves adrift.
The French volunteers, furious at the revelation that the Kaiser had once again plotted to attack France, had already withdrawn as far as the Crimean Peninsula to prepare for departure. The British volunteers had moved to Poland out of wariness toward the German revolution. What remained were the Russian army, the Americans—who were up to who-knows-what—and themselves.
Yet the German volunteers had nowhere to go. Their homeland had become a communist state—the German Free Socialist Republic. Returning there was impossible. Having spent years crushing reds here, even soldiers who had grown sick of the Kaiser could not go back to a red Germany.
That left East Prussia, where the Kaiser had fled. Honestly, no one knew when that remnant would collapse, and the thought of becoming the Kaiser’s meat shield was hardly appealing. Still, it was one option. The other was to remain in the Russian army and take up a position in the military leadership that had been completely reshuffled by the civil war.
However, most had families and acquaintances back home. The majority could not choose either path, leaving them truly stranded.
Among them, Adolf Hitler in particular had become famous within the German forces for capturing a major red figure. He had even been decorated by the White Army. These days, he did nothing but draw pictures. The Russians fed and housed him, but he was simply wasting time. If he did anything at all, it was serving as a military advisor to new Russian recruits. At least the Russian army’s recognition of German military prowess gave Adolf Hitler some measure of satisfaction.
“Hey, Hitler. What are you going to do? Drawing pictures won’t solve anything.”
A comrade who had grown plump from catching reds, playing, and eating alongside him here asked the question while watching Hitler waste time with his sketches. Hitler lightly shook his head.
“A Germany ruled by communism is no longer Germany. I have no intention of returning.”
Of course, there were still right-wing forces and East Prussia, but a Germany that had bowed to the great powers, acted as their pawn, and then suffered revolution was no longer Germany.
“I’m thinking of heading to East Prussia. Want to come with me?”
“I don’t know.”
He had considered returning to Austria, but even Austria—which could once have been considered a great power despite its multi-ethnic makeup—had been reduced to its current wretched state. Every nation of the Germanic peoples was collapsing.