Rasputin of the East

＜ Episode 56 >

The political landscape of the British Empire was as if hit by a nuclear weapon in an era without nuclear bombs.

Shortly after becoming Prime Minister, Lloyd George had to vacate 10 Downing Street.

Not only the cabinet collapsed, but the Liberal Party itself almost collapsed.

The Conservative Party, who came to power, initially offered Andrew Bonner Law the post of prime minister, but declined. Eventually, the post of Prime Minister passed to Stanley Baldwin.

Admiral Arthur Belfour, who had just taken office after Churchill’s overthrow, also submitted his resignation along with the 1st Naval Police Officer, and to Admiral Fisher, who had received sympathy from the people as he was evaluated for fighting well in spite of all that was lacking. The post of Minister of the Navy was granted to Admiral Beatty with the 1st Naval Rigidity.

In order to wash away this disgrace, nothing else was needed and only unconditional victory was needed, but since the German army, which suffered heavy damage in the last battle, was confined to Kiel naval port and began to focus only on submarine operations, there was no opportunity for proper humiliation.

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Meanwhile, when the British Army’s sole offensive was decided, the British government had high expectations for it.

In the beginning, Germany’s main focus was on the Eastern Front, which was considerably consumed.

However, regardless of the command’s strategic goals, the cost of tactical shoveling was disastrous.

On the first day of the offensive, the British Army suffered about 70,000 casualties.

But there was some hope.

After continuing the offensive with a carpet of blood, the German defense lines began to fall one by one.

On the Eastern Front, the German army, which suffered significant losses in Bergen, had a difficult time withstanding the months-long offensive.

Of course, Britain also suffered massive damage and later had to ask the French for reinforcements, but within a month of the offensive, the German first line of defense collapsed. , The Battle of the Somme ended when British troops hoisted Union Jacks at Barform, a strategic point that was originally targeted.

During the six months of the Battle of the Somme, British troops suffered about 700,000 casualties.

***

Failing to win international support, Lenin was forced to return empty-handed.

However, his enthusiasm for the revolution did not cease. No, it was burning even hotter.

But things were not going well.

‘Even if you get three holy places, if you don’t have enough food to put in your mouth, dissatisfaction will pile up.’

The problem, however, is that the Ukrainian granary is still intact. The Germans collapsed in front of Brest, and although both armies were in a lull, it was unlikely that the Germans, who were preoccupied with blocking the Western Front, could advance further.

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Moreover, at a time when the achievements of the rural reforms led by Stolipin are revealed one after another, it is impossible to preach the necessity of the revolution to the frenzied people in a general way due to the sufficient inflow of food into the city and the victory of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

But Lenin saw the problem there.

The Russian Empire is suffering from hyperinflation. In addition, they owe huge debts for arms imports.

It is evidence that the government’s income is insufficient compared to its expenditure.

In the first place, the Baltic Sea was blocked by the Kaiser Marine, and grain exports, the main export item, could not be exported.

Of course, this is a problem that will be resolved to some extent after the war is over. But there is a weak point here.

The point is that money cannot always be evenly distributed across all regions of Russia.

As industrialization progresses, the trade balance and the government’s deficit will improve, but it has long been proven in history that it must always be secured at the expense of the countryside.

‘The Count of Vostok gave what no tsar gave to the serfs. I have to admit that one.’

The poison that frustrates such revolutionaries, the poison that started in the military and spread throughout the empire through the bloodstream of religion was called Hope.

The hope that we can get a better tomorrow, the hope that if we go a little further, push a little harder, we can reach a better future that is looming as the sun shines through the dark clouds.

What they should have given them.

However, that hope is a double-edged sword.

If they succeed and the Russian Empire succeeds in industrialization and modernization, the revolution is over. The Tsar’s reign will last another thousand years, and there will be no one left who can speak the name of revolution.

But what if it fails?

The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. If hopes do not come true, what comes is a deep sense of frustration, betrayal, and anger.

That will be the fuse that will set the revolution on fire.

‘And no matter how great the Count is, he cannot do it alone.’

Even for a tsar, it is difficult to reform in a short period of time. It is necessary to solve the chronic corruption and to show results by kicking the buttocks of bureaucrats in the welfare system.

Not just by words, but by practical improvements in living standards.

And considering the time it takes for the improvement to be felt, they probably didn’t have much time left.

‘We are not dead yet.’

Even though it was only a handful, the comrades who were still dreaming of the revolution were walking around the Russian Empire, holding their breath, avoiding Ohrana.

What they had to do was simple. We need to put the brakes on reform.

It is a victory for them to simply slow the progress of reforms without ever having to stop them.

‘A crisis is an opportunity that coexists with a risk.’

International support? Not required. With his hands, with the hands of him and the Bolsheviks who follow him.

If there is one thing that International is helping, is it that they focus on the UK?

The UK is the country that dominates the world economy. It is a self-evident story that the value of the British pound will plummet at the moment of the Communist Revolution in England.

The collapse of the City of London was bound to bring about an economic crisis of unprecedented scale, a panic incomparable to the current economic crisis.

If so, Russia’s industrialization, which cannot but be affected by it, will also be stranded or delayed for at least several years.

Lenin, paradoxically, sighed in shock at his situation in which he had to look forward to the propaganda of the International that had rejected the Russian revolution and had broken up with him in order to make the Russian revolution successful.

***

February 1916. Moscow.

During the Battle of the Somme on the other side of the continent, Moscow was in a festive mood.

“Long live Russia! Charsi! Long live!”

Three of the five patriarchs in hundreds of years have been recaptured into the hands of the Russian Empire.

Among the other two, Rome was originally in the hands of Christians, and the other, Alexandria, was recaptured by the British army, so all five dioceses of the early church were completely in the hands of Christians.

Was Europe like this when they heard the news of the Crusader’s recapture of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages?

Frenzy of religious exaltation, citizens rushed to the streets, and the military police gave orders not to intervene unless they were too difficult to subdue as they were praising the tsar and the empire in a loud voice, and they only watched.

Even the clergy took to the streets to hold impromptu prayer meetings, and Moscow was a frenzy.

As an added bonus – it would be a laugh if they knew – people who were bright in the market made their own icons of the generals who participated in this campaign and sold them.

Icon is an icon depicting a saint, and it is like turning a living person into a dead adult.

The reaction of the Russian Empire to this victory was literally explosive, with not only the generals but also those of the recipients who were awarded the medal, which were reported in the media as fakes—it was difficult to even call them fakes because there were no originals—icons were made and sold.

And when we saw that scene, we had to face a bewildered feeling.

“…… Count, what is all this?”

When Warden Wrangel asked, I grinned.

“Isn’t that an icon?”

“I know it’s an icon. But why is my face stuck here?”

“Is your face well-received?”

“……”

The black baron clasped his forehead. Well, but I can’t help it. Even in the Soviet era, icons with Stalin’s face were made.

me? I was hooked at first.

What kind of portrait rights do you want to have in this era? After all, all the faces have been sold all over Russia, but I can’t stop it…

“It’s easy to give up and accept.”

As soon as he came out of the station, Wrangel briefly flagged the sights he saw, and after a while he looked at the price tag and stiffened.

“What… is this price worth it?”

“Come and see, everything else looks like that.”

“…how long have prices changed since you left?”

“Hyperinflation, the government printing too much money. From the point of view of the aristocrats, it might be something to be happy about, hasn’t the value of assets skyrocketed?”

“No… that’s not important right now, isn’t it!”

The faces of the generals, who were not aware of the exact situation, were hardened only on the front lines. In particular, Chief of Staff Kim In-su was trembling as he remembered the incident of Heungseon Daewongun’s Dangbaek Battle.

I was aware of the situation after receiving Irina’s report.

I was joking, but I knew it was a serious situation.

Then, a familiar car appeared.

The driver of the car was also very familiar with it.

Silver hair was blown away by the wind swept over the driver’s seat of a car without a roof, and a beautiful woman with sunglasses protecting her sensitive eyes was leaning against the car door standing next to the train station and looking at me.

But that’s my car.

“Irina.”

“Can I have a date for a minute?”

“Chief of Staff.”

“All right.”

Even without giving detailed instructions, the chief of staff moved people to see where the time had gone.

“Aren’t the princesses here?”

“There were several overlapping tasks, so we decided to come by another train, but they said that it would arrive in about 5 hours due to the distribution of tracks.”

“Then we will meet you in five hours. Now there is something more urgent than that.”

“Did you come with something to do?”

“If you can’t reduce the amount of armament that goes into indefinitely, it’s all there.”

“It’s a solar eclipse operation for that, isn’t it?”

“It also takes several months. No matter how late, you can’t block the sun until the first snow falls.”

“Um… didn’t you just say that a little bit?”

“Before you call me cringe, let’s take a look at your conduct. In any case, to the extent that the soundness and reliability of the government’s finances are recovered to a large extent even after the war is over, ending the war and completing fiscal reform will put out an urgent fire. How high are you going this time?”

“Regimental level.”

“That’s enough power to launch Operation Twilight.”

“Operation Twilight was also part of the plan, in the worst case, with a battalion-level force. And the time is not yet.”

“Of course, before that, let’s meet the Prime Minister first. Even if we do redomination until financial soundness is restored, it is just a game of numbers.”