LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 78
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“Do you think you haven’t been caught? Or are you just playing reporter?”
“I see. Perhaps the Tsar is simply taking a break since he’s been working so much.”
“It’s a bit childish to express greed while he’s trying to unwind, saying, ‘Oh, I wish the meals could improve a bit more.'”
Other than that, he was satisfied.
Honestly, there wasn’t much to complain about.
So, Sergey just replied honestly.
“Um, no complaints.”
“Is that so? You can speak frankly. I’ll make sure it doesn’t reach the ears of those high-ranking officials.”
Well, even if I had complaints, wouldn’t I have to voice them to Pyotrov, the invisible factory owner involved in weapons development?
Sergey, who’d been dirt poor since childhood and later was made to roll around in Bolshevik-run Moscow, was old enough to understand things.
Could it be that the Tsar came to check if his subjects were just lazing around and not working?
Looking at it this way, the answer becomes clear.
Elderly men frequently mention a five-year reform known as the Anastasia Reform, wherein the country gradually starts resembling a true nation.
Yes, that’s it. These days, it’s said at factories that anyone not working shouldn’t even eat.
The Tsar is seriously examining whether the workers are receiving their wages yet are idly lounging around.
How could the citizens of the United States, the Tsar’s subjects, just play around?
Contrary to Anastasia’s intentions, Sergey had fallen into a grand illusion.
“What do you mean by that? We have no complaints at all. Just now, we finished lunch and were about to get back to work! Right, everyone?”
“Uh. Yes.”
“Honestly, compared to the Bolshevik era or the time of the previous Tsar, this is an incredibly good period.”
The factory workers all seemed to chime in synchronously, scrambling to respond to Sergey’s question.
Anastasia didn’t know.
That as the reforms progressed, Russia became prosperous, and the standard of living for the citizens improved, this was no longer the era where people begged for shorter working hours or more bread; rather, it had become strange not to match one’s work output to one’s wage.
Anastasia was unaware.
These factory employees were the ones who had been conscripted into the Red Army, and they were those who’d seen the Empress at the forefront when Moscow was recaptured by the White Army.
The factory staff and Sergey were united in heart and mind, recognizing the deep meaning of the Tsar’s visit.
Anastasia replied with a saintly smile.
“That’s wonderful! Let’s work hard for Russia’s development from now on!”
That gentle smile was more beautiful to Sergey than anything else.
“Truly beautiful.”
This lady leading Russia would surely stand tall above the world.
The fact that the Tsar was disguised as a reporter was to be kept secret among the staff.
* * *
Returning to my office, I sat comfortably.
Wow, disguising as a reporter is quite amusing.
It was funny that everyone spoke freely without realizing it was the Tsar.
That there were no complaints amidst all this was shocking.
Could it be that only the truly brain-dead factory workers remained as the Bolsheviks were hunted down?
The ones still shouting “Tsar!” even after cracking their skulls, that is.
Those who had complaints would’ve probably been killed in retaliation by the White Army during the civil war.
“Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
The ministers seemed to have quite a lot they wanted to say.
Yeah, it would seem a bit strange that I masqueraded as a reporter.
“No, well, anyway, it seems to be good news. The citizens of the United States are not dissatisfied yet. Just look at how there haven’t been any protests lately!”
Ah, yeah. That could indeed be a perspective to consider.
I had forgotten because I was too excited about the factory tour.
“Hmm. So that’s how it is.”
I had overlooked it.
There was the occurrence of something akin to Bloody Sunday.
Right. Just the absence of such protests is remarkable on its own; I was perhaps too harsh.
“Yes.”
“Was the worker’s name Sergey? He seemed like a young lad who works hard.”
I really liked him.
A young man devoted to the Tsar in this era. I don’t dislike that type at all.
Guys like him would surely step up during a national crisis.
If not, he’d create firearms to equip our White Army. The so-called White Army.
I like this!
Doesn’t that imply that all the remaining workers are like that?
The answer seems clear then.
Thanks to the bloodshed during the civil war, only the real deal remains.
So perhaps I should give them a little raise or something special.
“Yes.”
“Since that lad, well, anyway, the factory workers responded well to our inquiries, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to give them some rewards, maybe something like a bonus?”
It’s usually customary to reward those who speak well.
Now I see why a monarch might lend an ear to the words of the sycophants.
“I’ll do that, Your Majesty. It might be a good strategy to silence them.”
“Really?”
“I mean, no.”
I’m not quite following what he means. But yeah, you receive rewards equivalent to your work, and bonuses in proportion to how well you follow orders.
The Pyotrov factory had me on edge due to the American papers, but it relieved some tension.
“By the way, it seems the Pyotrov factory is producing more firearms than other factories.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It seems they are working harder, likely because they are in Moscow.”
I guess it makes sense since it’s the city where the Tsarina is staying.
Pyotrov must have his reasons for being concerned too.
“It’d be nice if they could replicate that success in other areas too.”
“Apparently, the socialists are encouraging workers to increase coal production as well.”
So, socialists can actually be helpful during times like this.
“That’s a relief.”
Coal mining also plays a huge role, and Russia is a country rich in resources.
We should mine resources diligently and put them to use as our advantage.
Oh, speaking of which, the Stakhanov movement comes to mind.
During Stalin’s reign while the second five-year plan was underway, a miner from Kadyayevka extracted coal fourteen times the quota, becoming a symbolic figure of propaganda—even if it won’t be the same in this history.
If facing Communist Germany, we ought to act a bit faster.
“How about we promote ourselves like the Reds? We can portray the munitions coming out of our factories as the military power that will protect Russia.”
“Wouldn’t that make it look like we’re gearing up for war?”
Preparation for war is always necessary.
Our Communist Germany buddies could transform their people’s self-defense units into a legitimate army anytime and boldly strike Poland with their “Grandma Red is dead” propaganda.
Plus, I doubt we’d appear as if we were preparing for war.
Recently, the weapons coming out of our factories are arming the Eastern Army, including the Asian Cavalry Division, and are being sold to the Chinese Huabei Army.
The funny thing is that Japan opened the gates to Southern Manchuria, allowing us to sell weapons to the Huabei Army quite easily.
“Anyway, we’re making money by selling weapons to China, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
Given the current situation, it seems our Japanese friends are selling weapons to the Beiyang government.
So, we’re selling to the Huabei and they’re selling to Beiyang.
It’s basically like testing weapons against each other.
They probably have no choice right now but to sell more weapons since there’s nothing left to extract from the Beiyang warlords.
So, in a way, we’re helping each other out by selling weapons.
After all, we don’t have our volunteer army there in the Huabei Army.
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head, and I began to wiggle my fingers.
“Ah, Poland. Please ensure they’re sufficiently stocked with weapons. So much so that the entire Polish army is armed with Russian weapons. Oh, make sure not to give them away for free, but sell them cheap. They are, after all, a nation under air defense agreements!”
This way, it would appear that we’re preparing defenses for our communist shield, rather than being a war-hungry nation.
“They might try to target us with that armed force.”
“Then we have to do it. If they only use our Russian weapons, how could they possibly attack us?”
It’s all about being prepared for the worst.
On the surface, we seem to be eagerly supporting them while actually leaving them to savor the taste of our weapons.
Isn’t it pretty contradictory to attack Russia with weapons from Russia?
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“Given this, they might later even ask for more weapons to strike against Germany.”
If they get too dependent on Russian weapons, that’s bound to happen.
No matter how emotionally unstable they are, they would rather utilize Communist Germany, which could be deemed the true enemy, than the arms we provided.
This is something I keep repeating.
Germany is definitely easier to attack than Russia.
At least, from a geographical standpoint.
Russia has to cross the Urals while Germany is isolated from everyone, leaving Poland with no choice but to choose sides.
Moreover, this Poland, still engaged in mutual slaughter with China, represents a market we can produce weapons for and sell to.
At first glance, it gives off a vibe of a death merchant.
But it’s better than actually engaging in war, right?
“Have there been any updates related to the air defense agreement?”
“Everyone responded positively.”
“Is that so?”
That’s quite a relief. Romania is a bit of a concern.
After all, the question is which side will you choose; how many nations are there in the world that will side with isolated Germany?
That too, under a communist regime rather than a monarchy.
We mustn’t let our guard down, but still, the options are limited for those Balkan folks.
Romania and Bulgaria maintain monarchies for now.
Just look at the communist states; the defeated Bolsheviks during the civil war slaughtered the Tsar’s family, while Communist Germany was hot on the Kaiser’s heels right up until they took out his family as well.
And then there’s Mussolini from Italy, who didn’t kill them, but I’ve heard he overturned Italy with German backing and overthrew the royal family.
Romania and Bulgaria might end up feeling the pressure.
They might observe how closely they’re aligned with Germany and fear a communist revolution might pop up in their own countries.
To guard against that, they will naturally distance themselves from Germany. Come to think of it, there are indeed many monarchies.
“Austria and Bulgaria are set for the Kaiser and Tsar’s direct visit.”
“Is that so? That’s not bad at all.”
At this time, was Boris III in Bulgaria?
During World War II, I remember he meets Adolf Hitler and dies afterward. In this history, will Boris III align with Russia?
Wasn’t he the one who established an autocracy and expanded the territory during World War II by aligning with Germany?
If Yugoslavia turns communist, they could potentially expand their territory in line with historical precedent.
But, I feel a bit anxious.
Rosa Luxemburg or Karl something. Both of them originally die due to the failure of the revolution.
Even if we manage to preemptively take sides through agreements or whatnot, variables are always a consideration.
When Wilhelm tossed Lenin into Russia, did he truly think Russia would flip over and turn red?
I believe he only considered the possibility of war withdrawal.
“While we’re at it with the anti-communist propaganda, how about we send our own anti-communist propagandists to different countries?”
“Anti-communist propaganda?”
That’s a rather intriguing statement.
I’ve seen communists working hard for their cause and revolutionary propaganda, but this is the first time I’ve heard of Russian anti-communist propagandists.
No, it’s been done domestically, but never sent abroad.
Would it be interesting to send them to Austria?
“I heard the Communist Germany people are secretly pushing their party members into Austria and Hungary to propagate from the shadows. Why should they be the only ones allowed to spread propaganda?”
Oh, yeah. That does hold some merit.
That’s the mindset we should adopt.
Good Reds are dead Reds, after all.