Eve of the Great War, Part IV
Although the resolution of the photographs was low, they clearly revealed exactly what was happening inside the Serbian concentration camps. These were images obtained at the risk of their lives by the Agricultural Cooperative Peacekeeping Force and the Greek army, who had launched a daring breakthrough at a single point on the front line, even at the cost of a retreat.
"I-It's a fabrication!" "Everyone, this is fake news!" The Liberal Party MPs, who had passionately supported intervention in Serbia, immediately resorted to claiming fabrication and manipulation the moment their disastrous blunder was laid bare.
But with over a thousand witnesses pouring out of the camps, how on earth could they hope to push the narrative of a hoax?
"This is clear proof that the Liberal Party supports massacre and opposes democracy, ladies and gentlemen! Please support the Conservative Party, the true defenders of democracy!" "What absolute nonsense! You lot are the ones who threw a tantrum in Parliament, demanding we intervene in the Balkans! Prime Minister Herbert was against intervention from the very beginning!" "But the Liberals did intervene, didn't they? And they backed the wrong horse with Serbia! If the Conservatives were in power, we would have supported Greece!" With the horrific reality of Serbia's actions exposed, the Conservatives launched a ferocious offensive. Even within the Liberal Party, internal strife was reaching a boiling point.
"I told you we shouldn't have intervened! This is... this is on par with the Opium War! How are we any different from the Conservatives who committed atrocities during the Boer War?" "Prime Minister Herbert must step down immediately! If not, withdraw all support for Serbia at once!" "I knew the Liberal Party was imperialist, but I never imagined it would be this vile. I am resigning from the party to join the Labour Party!"
For Prime Minister Herbert, the situation felt deeply unjust. They were the ones who had clamored for intervention, begging him to find a solution. So, he had simply done what he always did—using the Royal Navy to throw a wrench in the gears. It was the standard political theater played by both the ruling and opposition parties.
Prime Minister Herbert and his Liberal cabinet had viewed the notorious Peacekeeping Force invented by Stahl as a form of 'British-style mediation.' Their policy direction hadn't deviated much from tradition. In fact, they were far more moderate than the Conservatives, who were always eager to charge headfirst into war.
Yet, the moment things went south, the Liberals, the Conservatives, and even the rapidly rising Labour Party all turned on him. Like zealots hunting for a scapegoat, they sought to drag the Liberal leadership and Herbert's loyalists to the burning stake.
It's fine. The public will soon forget about the affairs of distant Eastern Europe anyway. We still hold the majority of seats, and I can easily suppress this internal party squabble. The process didn't matter. Only the results did. Adopting a pragmatic, island-nation mindset reminiscent of the historical Japanese military, Herbert managed to regain his composure.
Having swiftly calculated his political moves, Prime Minister Herbert faced the reality. He had never liked Serbia from the start, but what choice did he have now? He recalled the conversation in Vienna between Cartwright, the British Minister to Austria, and Vice Chairman Stahl regarding the situation in Eastern Europe. Stahl had warned that Britain would never be able to control Serbia—partly due to national pride. Herbert deeply regretted dismissing it back then as merely another one of Stahl's continent-shaking conspiracies.
Prime Minister Herbert beat around the bush, actively avoiding any direct mention of Serbia.
"This is an internal Serbian matter. Our Liberal cabinet merely provided a modicum of 'assistance' for the sake of continental and European peace."
"What utter rubbish! Do you know how much of our budget was poured into Serbia? You are the ones who openly provided military aid to them!"
"Now, now. 'Military aid'? That is an incorrect term."
"What?"
"It is not a 'war,' but a 'special military operation.' It is not 'aid,' but an 'export.' Do not disparage our peacekeeping efforts."
"..."
He calculated that as long as Serbia emerged victorious and British interests in the Balkans remained intact, the controversy would naturally blow over. For a politician, it was a sound, pragmatic judgment. To hasten that day, Prime Minister Herbert began pouring food, ammunition, and peacekeeping forces into Serbia.
"Vice Chairman Stahl! We followed your advice, and now the front line has been pushed back to our very mainland! Ha, the Eastern Roman Empire? What a foolish dream that was. Our entire Greek nation is about to end up in concentration camps! What are you going to do about this?" The Greek Envoy, utterly losing his mind, ranted hysterically.
What absolute nonsense. They were the ones who flew off the handle and declared war on Serbia, so why is he blaming me? Still, it wasn't as if my conscience was entirely clear. Using legitimacy and military aid as bait, I had indeed thrown massive logs onto the small campfire Greece had lit. Furthermore, after the concentration camp incident, I had developed a profound loathing for those Serbian bastards. Those pieces of trash needed to be thoroughly crushed. To achieve that, Greece's cooperation was absolutely vital.
"First of all, the front line will not push back any further."
"On what grounds?"
"The mountain ranges in the west and the densely packed, chaotic cities in the east will serve as your shield. From this point on, Serbia will not be able to sweep through Greek territory with such ease."
"That is assuming Serbia doesn't just halt at the Greek border as you say, Vice Chairman Stahl."
"They absolutely will. Serbia has a long, illustrious history of stabbing others in the back."
The Greek Envoy shot me a deeply skeptical look, but what choice did he have? If he didn't believe this, his country was as good as gone. I felt like I finally understood the core psychology of the Serbians. Their behavioral patterns were an exact mirror of the historical Japanese military. If things didn't go their way, they launched a Russo-Japanese War. If the opponent seemed weak, they forced an annexation. If they had the upper hand, they naturally initiated a Sino-Japanese War. And if they found themselves at a disadvantage, they launched a preemptive strike like Pearl Harbor before things got any worse. No matter the circumstances, they were the type of people who simply had to cross the line.
"Fine, let us assume things play out as you say, Vice Chairman Stahl. They will cross the border, marching as if to destroy Athens, and they will attempt to encroach upon the Adriatic Sea regardless of what Britain says."
"Oh, you see it perfectly."
"...In any case, Greece might avoid total destruction. But even then, we will have essentially lost the war."
"In the long run, you will emerge victorious. Furthermore..." Sigh, I wasn't planning on sharing this. This was a massive secret known only to me, Hitler, and my closest confidants—a golden ticket to completely reverse the tide of war. It was practically leaking the secrets of heaven. Was it really okay to say? I glanced around warily to ensure no one was eavesdropping before leaning in to whisper to the envoy.
"In the near future, Serbia's reckless rampaging will trigger a massive war that will engulf the entirety of Europe."
"And?"
"That will be the turning point. If we win that war, the Eastern Roman Empire will no longer remain a mere piece of domestic propaganda!"
"...What?"
"Just hold on a little longer. We just need to hit the jackpot later and pay off all our debts, right?"
"You madman! Our administration is on the verge of collapse, and you're talking about hitting the jackpot?!" the Greek Envoy bellowed, his eyes rolling back in sheer exasperation.
Sigh, completely blind to the grand scheme of things, obsessing only over immediate political power. What an amateur. In truth, the Democratic Revolutionary Republic of Greece was indeed on the brink of collapse. Frankly, it would have been stranger if it weren't. They had mobilized their entire national strength to strike at the Ottoman Empire, yet far from reclaiming the Eastern Roman Empire, they hadn't gained a single inch of land in the Balkans. They desperately needed an emergency firefighter.
"Do not worry about your approval ratings. The chances of your government falling are lower than the chances of Serbia actually showing restraint."
"What do you mean by that?"
"How can you not know that war is actually the greatest opportunity to solidify a regime's grip on power?"
"I truly do not know."
"We will send someone to you, so please receive him with the utmost hospitality. He is known as the hero of the Hungarian Agricultural Cooperative." It was time for a demonstration by a seasoned professional. Adolf Hitler, the Hungarian Agricultural Cooperative Leader, was about to be deployed to Athens!
"Fight to the death! Defend the fatherland! Fight to the death! Defend the fatherland!"
"Perhaps the Eastern Roman National Revolutionary Party has made mistakes. Even our own party must acknowledge that! However! Instead of constantly firing inward at ourselves, we must seek the path forward!"
"Whoaaaaaa! Fight to the death! Defend the fatherland! Fight to the death! Defend the fatherland!"
Why did you ruin the war we so ambitiously started? Where did our revenge against Serbia go? The monarchy was better! Such were the cries of the populace. With Greece's economy crumbling under consecutive defeats and grueling trench warfare, the Greek National Revolutionary Party had been on the verge of being ousted. Yet, through Stahl's systematic consulting and Hitler's speeches, they had miraculously returned from the dead. Miraculously? It was no exaggeration to say they were experiencing a second golden age in terms of public approval.
Prior to deploying Hitler, Stahl had meticulously prepared a grand show to boost their approval ratings.
"First, change your party's name. A public apology performance would also be excellent."
"Pardon? Why on earth would we change a perfectly fine name..."
"When a party is cornered, change its name. Show the public a symbol of reform. It is simple. In my view... the 'Eastern Roman National Revolutionary Party' sounds fitting."
Following Stahl's consulting, the Greek National Revolutionary Party changed its name that very day. They pitched tents amidst the ancient ruins of the Agora in Athens, relocating the offices of all high-ranking officials to the site to conduct party and state affairs. Working in military uniforms instead of their usual suits was an added bonus.
"What on earth is the point of this...? The rain is soaking all our documents!"
"Shh! Don't say that in front of the reporters!"
"Ah, right! Ladies and gentlemen of the press, in order to share even a fraction of the suffering endured by our brave National Revolutionary Army soldiers risking their lives in the trenches, we are conducting our duties here in the Agora—the very essence of the Eastern Roman national spirit—come rain or snow."
It was a thoroughly trivial, highly inefficient, performative show. Yet, because they had set up tents in the Agora, massive crowds gathered constantly.
"Vice Chairman Stahl, isn't this going to cause classified information to leak?"
"Has there ever been a time when it didn't leak? On the contrary, allowing the public to easily spectate is a golden opportunity."
"How so?"
"Whenever a crowd gathers, put on a performance. Even if you are speaking falsehoods, say them loudly and frequently. If you do, people will eventually believe you, no matter how unpalatable your words may be."
Thus, Stahl's consulting brought about an initial rebound in approval ratings. And to make that rebound explode, he deployed his ultimate strategic weapon. The ultimate nationalist hypnotist—Hitler had arrived!
Even in his youth, when his only credentials were choreographing mass gymnastics and painting mediocre pictures, Hitler had possessed a bizarre, magnetic charm that could utterly captivate the masses. How much more so now, having successfully orchestrated a revolution second in European history only to the French Revolution? Once a person reaches such heights, they develop a distinct aura—whether that aura is an illusion projected by an adoring public, or a genuine presence forged through sheer experience and authority.
Hitler stood before the dense crowd that had gathered in the Agora to see him. The location itself was perfectly suited to stimulate the historical fantasies of the Greek people.
"Do you remember Sparta, which stood against Persia with its three hundred warriors? Long ago, the Greeks who fought against the invading empire of the Peloponnesian Peninsula gathered in this very place to resolve themselves for war!"
Hitler's speech began by tapping directly into Greece's historical romanticism. Although Hitler operated within the sphere of Stahlism—a pseudo-socialist, anarchist-leaning ideology—his unique rhetoric was more than capable of stirring deep historical sentiment. Instantly captivated by Hitler's evocative words, the crowd was no longer anchored to the 20th-century Democratic Revolutionary Republic of Greece. They were transported back to ancient Athens.
"Until now, war was the domain of kings and nobles! But just as in those ancient times, when the vast lands of the Balkans stood on the brink of ruin like a candle in the wind, the citizens rose up to defend their nation from foreign invaders! This was true not only of ancient Greece, but also of those who faced the Muslim armies marching upon Constantinople! They fought to the bitter end against the Turks, resolved to perish alongside the Theodosian Walls! Let me ask you: Are you the descendants of Socrates?"
"Yes!"
"Are you the descendants of Constantine?"
"Yes!"
"The Serbians, who have committed atrocities unprecedented in human history, are marching toward us! The Serbians claim that the Eastern Romans wish to surrender just as they did five hundred years ago—that you desire submission over total war! I ask the descendants of Constantine: Do you want total war? Do you want a war more radical and total than anything we can possibly imagine?!"
"Long live the National Revolutionary Party! We want total war!"
"Then rise, descendants, and face the storm!" At that very moment, millions of Greek citizens, resolved to face death to stand against Serbia, were secured.