Tsarina and Poland (3)
After Anastasia and the Russian ministers withdrew, Józef Piłsudski convened his cabinet. How on earth was he supposed to explain this headache of a situation? After much agonizing, he finally laid everything bare. Yet the cabinet seemed far from pleased with the Tsarina’s proposal. More precisely, they were displeased that the Russian Tsarina had dared to make such an offer at all.
“Isn’t the Tsarina being rather arrogant?”
“Perhaps it would be better to join hands with Germany instead.”
“Yes. Why not expand into Russia while we have the chance? They’re toothless now anyway.”
“But Britain remains an issue.”
“Britain is across the sea, and they haven’t even withdrawn their troops from Austria or the Baltics yet. If we handle their share for them, they’ll likely turn a blind eye. Isn’t that why the Tsarina threw this offer at us in the first place?”
Expansion into Russia. Such words had actually emerged from the cabinet. Józef Piłsudski had to admit that if the current Russia were still in the same state as five years ago—if the civil war had dragged on indefinitely—he might have considered it feasible. But things were different now. This was not the time to shout about expansion and reveal a belligerent nature.
“The Russia of today is no easy opponent.”
Though they had been pushed back by Germany in the Great War, they had gained experience from the civil war and even reclaimed Constantinople. Russia was now firmly in the grasp of a young but bold Tsarina who had fought on the front lines herself. Moreover, Russia’s population alone made them a formidable foe. Russia’s vast territory meant that any war would exhaust Poland first. Could they even manage the increased occupied lands? Could they trust communist Germany? Would their supply lines hold? Countless problems arose.
Besides, communist Germany currently lacked any meaningful army. Of course, they would eventually rearm, but regardless of what happened, Poland would become the battlefield. As much as it grated on him, the fact that the Tsarina had personally come to seek a new relationship could be seen as consideration for Poland’s pride.
The fact that the Russian government was so tightly controlled by the Tsarina that she could personally visit a former Russian territory to improve relations was proof enough. How far could Poland realistically advance against a unified Russia?
“The Tsarina said something like this: Isn’t Berlin closer than Yekaterinburg? If you consider the civil war, to break Russia’s war-making ability, you’d have to reach the Urals. Or perhaps even cross them.”
It was impossible to imagine going that far. Nor could one assume there would be no external pressure during such a campaign. In reality, considering the division of war efforts, the Polish army would have to take the lead, but stationing troops in occupied territories would leave their rear vulnerable. There was no guarantee Germany wouldn’t swallow Poland whole. And if that happened, would Britain and France come to their aid? He doubted it.
“That may be true, but—”
“The mere fact that she came so boldly onto Polish soil already tells us the answer. It’s as if she’s saying, ‘Go ahead and try.’”
The Tsarina had flown into Poland like a moth to a flame, but she surely knew her own value. If anything happened to her here, or if her proposal was rejected, the consequences would fall squarely on Piłsudski’s shoulders.
“She says she will firmly guarantee our independence?”
“So she claims.”
If the Tsarina had said it herself, it was probably trustworthy. As she had said, Russia still had plenty of land even after losing some. She seemed to understand Polish anti-Russian sentiment as well. There was no reason for her to pour troops into a place that would require shedding rivers of blood just to occupy it again.
“Then will you accept it?”
“This is quite the dilemma.”
Józef Piłsudski let out a deep sigh. That was the problem. He, too, was a man who had distinguished himself countless times on the battlefield. He was just as displeased with the current situation. The casual offer to hand over Lithuania—which wasn’t even theirs but under British jurisdiction—was irritating. The thought of simply going to war with Russia had crossed his mind, but…
“If Russia truly has no intention of attacking us, wouldn’t it be better to remain neutral? A mutual defense treaty? If Russian troops enter our land to fight Germany, who knows what else they might do?”
“Mmm…”
War with Russia was out of the question. This was something the cabinet reluctantly acknowledged despite their frustration. Even the elite forces Russia possessed right now were several times larger than Poland’s army. However, signing a mutual defense treaty carried a heavy burden. It meant allowing Russian troops into Poland to stop communist Germany. How would the public react? Could Russian troops be trusted?
As evidenced by the current cabinet’s composition, Piłsudski’s Poland would soon hold another election and select a president. Wouldn’t that create complications? The night grew long as the cabinet’s deliberations continued.
In a building somewhere in Warsaw, Polish nationalists and right-wing forces had gathered. Naturally, they had heard how the cabinet meeting was proceeding and were furious. They had only just secured independence. They could not allow themselves to be manipulated by the Russians again.
“It seems the cabinet is taking the Tsarina’s proposal positively.”
“How can they accept something like that? It’s absurd.”
“We must proceed as planned.”
What they aimed for was a second Sarajevo. No—something even greater. They had already received explosives from the German Communist Party, which was secretly supporting Polish nationalists within the country, specifically to eliminate the Tsarina. The audacious woman had come all this way, but that was as far as she would go. Once the Tsarina was removed, Poland and Russia would cross a river from which there was no return, and Germany would support Poland. Austria had been reduced to a minor power and could not aid Russia. Under German support, they could settle the score with Russia once and for all.
“We don’t have much explosive. To ensure success, we target only the Tsarina.”
“Yes!”
The die had already been cast. Yes. All of this was for Poland.
What choice would Józef Piłsudski make? He would probably try to adjust my proposal moderately and consider it. At least Piłsudski himself would. Thinking this with such certainty made me no different from that dreamer Sun Yat-sen or Lenin, the communist idol who remained convinced that the proletarian revolution would eventually succeed.
The ministers who had accompanied me looked quite worried.
“Honestly, if you’re going to provide accommodations, at least choose a proper place. A two-story inn like this? It’s completely unsuitable for the Tsar of All Russia, a Saint, and the Emperor of the Eastern Romans.”
Ungern, true to his title, clearly disapproved of assigning such a shabby inn to a monarch. Though shabby, it was still a fairly high-end establishment with all the necessary amenities. It was certainly better than the bedroom in the provisional government building back in Yekaterinburg.
“We’ve been told there are many right-wing and nationalist elements within Poland harboring anti-Russian sentiment. Among them are quite a few fanatics, so they must have chosen this on purpose.”
The Polish soldiers who had guided us here had said it was for ‘safety reasons.’ In other words, they were preparing for the possibility of terrorism. Sending us to a more prominent location might make it harder for the soldiers to defend against threats due to higher foot traffic. Of course, there might also be an element of anti-Russian feeling—reluctance to offer Russians a better place.
After all, the proposal I had made could potentially allow Russian troops to legitimately enter Poland again. This was a small act of defiance against that possibility.
“You’re offering them Lithuania and Latvia? Aren’t those currently under British jurisdiction?”
“There’s no way we’d actually give them away. We only said we would ‘support’ it. That doesn’t mean we don’t recognize British influence. It means Britain would support Polish-Lithuanian reconstruction only if they tolerate it. Given their nature, they might be seriously considering attacking Lithuania now that British troops have withdrawn.”
“In other words, if Britain says it will not tolerate Poland taking Lithuania or Latvia—”
“Conflict with Britain would harm Russia. In that case, we simply withdraw. We have to let Piłsudski have his dream, don’t we?”
It was ultimately wordplay. The kind of hypocritical behavior the great powers excelled at. If they accepted and advanced into Lithuania, it would be rather amusing. Given Poland’s character, they might actually try it. If Britain then said it could not tolerate it, we could simply pull back. At that point, Poland would have no choice but to suck their thumbs, unable to switch to Germany. If Britain turned a blind eye and allowed a Polish-Lithuanian union, it would tie Germany down for even longer. Either way, Russia came out ahead. After all, the battlefield would be Poland. Whether Poland grew larger or smaller, whether they defended better or worse—it was all the same. The important thing was that Poland would serve as a meat shield against anyone who wanted to strike Russia.
“We must also consider the possibility that they will reject it.”
“Józef Piłsudski is no fool. He led Polish forces under Austria, ultimately defeated the Russian army, and now stands as Poland’s leader with British support. He understands foreign and international relations better than anyone. The British pirates wouldn’t have chosen him otherwise.”
The British wouldn’t have installed someone unreasonable as Poland’s leader. They had chosen a man with sufficient charisma and ability—someone they could talk to and who could keep Germany in check.
“So you mean he will accept it.”
In simple terms, yes. Honestly, Poland wasn’t in a position to reject us right now. Or more precisely, Piłsudski as Chief of State wasn’t.
“Yes. He’ll probably flex his pride a bit before agreeing. In response, we’ll treat them as equals, offer appropriate trade deals, and so on. As long as it doesn’t harm Russian interests, we can fully support Poland. That should suffice.”
If they accepted reasonably, we would respond with appropriate compensation.
“If they refuse, it will be dangerous. This is enemy territory, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. To be honest, I’m not completely ruling out that possibility either.”
I had only considered it as a ‘there is a chance’ scenario.
“Then this is serious. We barely have any escort troops, do we?”
Ungern shot up from his seat. It was rather amusing to see a senior officer make such a face. I had simply thrown the idea out there. Hmm, had I made a bad choice? Maybe I should have sent only the ministers. No. I couldn’t show weakness. When my authority was at its peak, I had to do everything possible. In the end, this was a gamble. I had already survived several near-death experiences. Personally, I even harbored the faint hope that Józef Piłsudski might be so impressed by my bold move—like how Japan had slapped America with the Pearl Harbor attack to lift the oil embargo—that he would immediately accept my proposal. Every single action I took ultimately affected Russia’s prestige. I could not show weakness here.
So I spoke with confidence.
“We have already shown good faith by coming here. After all, we’ve walked into a place where we might die. So let’s wait and see.”
It really was a gamble. If something happened to me here, that would be the end. In that ruined world, every day had been a life-or-death struggle. Mutated survivors who couldn’t even die from radiation wandered the earth, and with the law essentially collapsed, it had become a lawless zone. And now… it was time to sleep. It wouldn’t do for all these grown men to stay in the same room as the Tsarina, would it?
“Anyway, isn’t it time for everyone to rest? You’re not seriously thinking of staying up all night with me, are you?”
“Ahem. We are simply concerned for Your Majesty’s safety.”
I understood their feelings. But having everyone gathered like this would look strange. What would the Poles think? That we were scared and huddling together? I didn’t want such rumors.
“This is exactly when we must show confidence. If we stay up all night acting like cowards, what will they think? ‘Oh, the Russian Tsarina is nothing special after all.’ Don’t turn me into a coward.”
Despite appearances, my titles included Saint, Great Khan, Tsar, and Emperor of the Eastern Romans. It would be ridiculous for someone of such status to cower in a former occupied territory.
“Understood.”
Only then did they withdraw. It seemed they didn’t want to damage the Tsarina’s authority. Once they left, I finally stretched my legs out fully.
“Finally, they’re gone.”
I couldn’t help but think: At a time like this, would Polish nationalists, right-wingers, and fanatics really sit quietly while the Emperor of a potential enemy nation was right here in their country?