＜ Episode 75 >
Preparations were in full swing in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
When an unofficial contact came through the legation that one of the highest-ranking generals and war heroes of the Russian Empire would visit Serbia, from that day on, Serbia entered an all-out war with no faction or affiliation.
Of course, the plans they had inside were different, but none of them could deny that it was necessary to show the duke as best as possible.
Black Sudan was accompanied by ceremonial training and rigorous preparation, as if they had heard that their supreme commander would be censored, and it is routine for several battalions of soldiers to go up to several kilometers near their unit to repair roads in Serbia, especially in units around Belgrade. It was close to what I could see.
In particular, it was the black means that caused the most uproar.
The Black Hand, the Duke had already listed them as a war criminal organization and a target of purge, but they, to be precise, the Black Sudanese members under Colonel Dragutin were full of dreams.
Who is the Duke of Vostok?
Commander of the Interior Army, Director of the GRU, Director of Ohrana, and other close aides to the tsar who holds wealth and power in one hand and the head of the Russian Empire.
Colonel Dragutin had already foreseen that he would be similar to himself.
Isn’t that seemingly true? He holds the elite of the Russian Empire in one hand, the Tsar’s bodyguard and the intelligence service.
In that he is a commander of a special force that combines military power and intelligence, does he not have much in common with him, who is the head of the Intelligence Bureau and the leader of Black Sudan, such as the Border Guard?
The only difference is that unlike him, who raised his army to become the world’s strongest ground force, the Black Sudan still lacks many aspects.
For this reason, Colonel Dragutin was buoyed by a dream of long-term cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Like the Russian Interior Army, he founded the Serbian Interior Army, and he himself takes the power he has in Russia in Serbia, and the great Serbia leads the Balkans.
what a beautiful story this is what a great story this is He will now remain a legend. will remain a hero. Marshal Dragutin Dimitrijejechi, the national hero of Serbia! What a nice sound to hear!
To do that, I had to sew the first button well.
And Dragutin was determined to do everything he could. Whether it was a woman, money, or fame, he was about to give him everything he wanted.
On the other hand, Dragutin wasn’t the only one running such a happy circuit.
Petar I made his first schedule for the awarding of medals and titles. He planned to hang out with the duke throughout the entire schedule, including tea time with the royal family.
The reason was also as predicted. To contain dragutin.
To be honest, the dragoutine was too big. Of course, compared to the share of the Duke of Vostok in Russia, there were many shortcomings, but it was enough to make the general monarch feel threatened.
In fact, this was part of what Nicholas II was too trusting of people, and in fact, the Ministry of Internal Affairs grew so large that even the nominally superior Russian military and Interior Minister Stolipin could not control it.
It was rather strange that Nicholas II, who watched it until it was so big and even sponsored it, did not work out in the end anyway.
The same is true of Black Sudan, and he supported the Black Sudan to pressure the civilian government, which was constantly failing to do so. group was created
However, with the outbreak of World War II and dragutin becoming too large, he now felt a full-fledged threat and was going to establish a connection with the Russian Interior Army.
Once the Dragutin roasted and boiled Russia well and supported them, it would be over, and once they made a connection, even if they lost the battle for power, the worst could be avoided.
Separately, Serbia’s civil government was also busy. The Cabinet, which had been unable to function properly due to the pressure of the Black Sudanese, saw this opportunity as an opportune moment when the royal family and the Black Sudanese were divided and the commander of the Interior Ministry, a powerful external force, made a visit to Serbia.
***
“The internal situation in Serbia is roughly understood as such.”
“uh…….”
Olga asked with a puzzled expression.
“Did I understand correctly? So….”
“It is a clash of three powers: the royal family, the Black Hand, and the Serbian civil government. And those three factions are trying to win our favor and somehow try to seize power.”
“I’m dizzy…”
The four princesses were literally in a culture shock.
“Then which one are we?”
“Are we? It’s a peacock.”
“How are you? The duke is on my side, and mine is on the duke’s side!”
As Anastasia shouted proudly, Olga touched her forehead.
“Anastasia. No matter how much you think…”
“Well, it’s not really wrong, isn’t it…”
When Olga turned her head, Maria quickly turned away.
“The Duke said he was going to attack the Black Sudan, so are you on the royal side?”
“First of all… keep in mind that the Tsar’s will is to support the royal family. But… As I said earlier, Princess Olga is right. Anastasia.”
“Yes?”
“My will does not always coincide with the will of the Tsar. Like this time. I am the party who proposed the purge of Black Sudan, but I do not believe that the beneficiary should become the royal family.”
“Yes…….?”
Anastasia looks at me with the kind of betrayal she felt, don’t look at me like that… I feel guilty.
“Of course I don’t do anything that harms the tsar and the imperial family, but there is an information imbalance in the world. For example, if I suddenly pull out a pistol and point the gun towards the princess, won’t she think that I am trying to shoot the princess? But I may be aiming at a beast that is targeting the princess from behind.”
“You don’t think so?”
“…. Ah yes. In any case, the current Tsar has made the best judgment for the Russian Empire based on his limited information, but from my point of view, having more direct access to that information, it cannot be considered the best judgment.”
“Well……”
“This is the first time I have disobeyed the tsar’s orders.
“I don’t talk.”
Anastasia pouting her lips, said a little bluntly. It was a protest that he was sad that he did not listen to his side.
“I trust the Duke.”
“Me too.”
“If the Duke is like that, then it must be.”
They were Olga, Tatiana, and Maria respectively. I sighed and continued.
“Of course, the Serbian monarchy cannot be abolished like the French Revolution, but the current King of Serbia, Peter I, must be eliminated. He is the one who made the Black Sudan go so wild, and he will do the same thing over and over again even if the Black Sudan is destroyed. Shouldn’t we avoid two great wars?”
All four of them nodded at that. Because everyone had experienced the war, this part was definitely agreed upon quickly.
“Then how are you going to deal with it?”
“That’s why I say this to the princesses.”
***
After the duke even made sure that all explanations and understandings were complete, he left, and there was a strange silence between the sisters.
“Did you really have to shame me like that in front of the Duke?”
“Oh, you were the one who spoke rashly, Anastasia. I should blame you for your thoughtless words. Why are you talking to me?”
“Still, I understand what Anastasia is saying, honestly, I can’t imagine that the Duke is hostile to us…”
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Maria helped with a word, but Olga shook her head.
“That’s why you are young. In politics, one does not necessarily have to agree to one another, and conversely, the same does not necessarily mean one becomes one. People say you are your father’s sword and your father’s shield, but he is also a man with his own feelings and thoughts.
“Wow, what’s standing still!”
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Maria’s complexion changed, and Anastasia raised her voice.
“Maria, Anastasia, do you think there could be any secret between our sisters? You can guess your thoughts and feelings just by looking at your eyebrows, right?”
“Ugh…”
It was a sad but undeniable fact.
“Tatiana, why don’t you say anything? You must have something you want to say.”
“What… do I have to intervene?”
Tatiana, who had a strangely confident expression on her face, sipped the tea. Even Olga was overwhelmed for a moment by the atmosphere that it was as if she had already won and started.
“Do you have any faith in anything?”
“The belief that I will never lose? Blessed are those who believe.”
“That’s not what it’s meant to be used for. Blow, what do you believe?”
“Well, try your best, I’m already connected with the Duke?”
“……. What?”
During the commotion, Maria kept her mouth shut, unable to intervene.
It was because he was so timid that he missed the right time to speak.
But looking at it objectively… A sense of crisis came over me.
Olga seemed to understand the other person better than anyone through the serious conversation they had for a long time, and Tatiana seemed to believe in something even though she didn’t know what it was. Anastasia built a relationship that was at least like her sister by confronting each other and attacking each other.
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Moreover, in this board, which had only been sisters, gradually annoying opponents began to appear.
No matter how much he thought about it, he was alone behind him.
***
Serbia, Belgrade.
The train slowly stopped on the platform.
People at the level who had transferred the entire Serbian government were crowded together on the platform. Starting with King Petar I, Crown Prince Alexander, and Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevich, there was no one who did not attend, as long as there were people hanging out from all walks of life.
Because the person they were waiting for was worthy of them.
After a while, the Serbian military band played a song, followed by a red carpet, and soldiers stepped on it.
Royals and other celebrities stiffened and watched the people getting off the train.
Even if they didn’t know his plan, there was no one who didn’t know that something was coming down on that train that would cause a major uproar in Serbia’s politics.