43 – The Eye of the Storm (2)
Winter Palace, capital of the Russian Empire, Petrograd.
The defeat of the Balkan Alliance countries plunged Russia into extreme anxiety. The changing attitudes of neutral countries were also a problem, but the biggest problem was that over a million allied troops were coming here.
Petrograd was also greatly perplexed when they received reports that Austria’s main force was advancing north. It was because of the imminent offensive of the allied forces. If another defeat occurred here, there was a high possibility that defeatism would spread to the rear of the front.
Ollana was doing her best to maintain security in the rear, but they couldn’t prevent all the risks. The voices of the socialists and the questioning gaze towards the Tsarist regime were shaking the foundation of a regime that was not stable.
Even Tsar Nikolai, who lacked political sense, was vaguely aware of this danger. He called upon the Minister of War Vladimir Sukhomlinov and the Chief of the General Staff Nikolai Yanushkevich to ask if the situation was really not dangerous.
“Can we stop the offensive of the allied forces?”
“It’s not yet a cause for great concern. Once the German army advances further, the natural barrier of the Pripet Marshes will deprive the enemy of supplies and make their offensive difficult. If the enemy is divided by the marshes, we can attack the weaker side and defeat them one by one. If we consider the case of Moscow during the Great Patriotic War, where we gave up the city and still won, the current crisis is nothing.”
After the Chief of Staff’s response, Minister Charr threw a confirming question.
“Is what the Chief of Staff said true?”
War Minister Sukhomlinov gave a similar response, following the same line of reasoning.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Creating space and weakening the enemy is part of the traditional Russian strategy of spatial warfare. Temporary defeats may happen, but ultimate victory is ours.”
“But the people are becoming restless due to the military’s defeats. You call it a strategy, but if we keep retreating like this and the same thing happens as in the Russo-Japanese War, what will we do?”
Charr mentioned the Russo-Japanese War.
As Charr said, during the Russo-Japanese War, Krobatkin adopted a global strategy and suffered defeat in the Far East, leading to doubts about victory at home and undermining the Empire’s war capabilities. If defeatism spread in the current situation, it could even affect the Empire’s survival.
“It’s different then and now, Your Majesty.”
“What’s different?”
“At that time, we didn’t have allied countries fighting alongside us. Now we have friends, including France, and even the Anglo-Americans are supporting us financially. Isn’t the situation completely different from back then?”
As Sukhomlinov said, during the Russo-Japanese War, Russia was virtually isolated diplomatically, but now all major powers except Germany were directly or indirectly helping Russia. Charr, who believed in this fact and agreed to the war, did not retort.
“Above all, we have the Black Hundreds with extensive influence. Even if impure elements rise up, we are prepared to cooperate with the military and suppress them at any time. What is there to worry about?”
“It was the same when Jim conducted the coronation ceremony. Russia acted as if it would pledge loyalty to Jim. But what happened in 1905? Jim couldn’t let his guard down because of reasons like this.”
Sukhomlinov decided to alleviate Charr’s concerns.
“Above all, the allied forces cannot focus on Russia. I have a plan to move France.”
“Tell me.”
“What if we leak rumors of a solo reinforcement in Paris? If that happens, the French will somehow divert German forces to the west.”
“Solo reinforcement?”
“Yes.”
If Russia wanted to put pressure on France from a separate front, they had no card that was more certain than that.
Even if it meant making such a dangerous statement, the situation where the allied forces concentrated on the Eastern Front had to be prevented. It was difficult for the Russian Empire to withstand an enemy more powerful than their capacity.
“Even if the French launch an offensive with all their might, it will be useless if the German fortresses don’t fall.”
Realistically, the possibility of that happening was slim. If it were easy to bring down the fortresses with an offensive, France would have reached the Rhine in September. Char pointed out that contradiction.
“At least one or two field armies will be sent.”
The Minister presented the most optimistic outlook.
“Hmm.”
“If we can endure until spring, we can recruit at least 2.5 million more troops to send to the front. So you can expect that the power balance on the front won’t change much.”
The Chief of Staff said forcefully.
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However, there was a trap hidden in Yanuskevich’s words. Whether it was 2 million or 3 million, even if they recruited more soldiers, they couldn’t demonstrate proper combat power without providing them with sufficient guns and ammunition. The current Russian army was in such a serious situation that it couldn’t even properly sustain the soldiers already on the front.
Of course, the shortage of ammunition was not unique to Russia. It was a problem that almost all belligerent countries commonly faced. The rapidly increased firing capability of cannons, which were three to four times faster than during the Boer War, the endless consumption of ammunition by machine guns, and the greatly expanded size of the army compared to before all led to a natural phenomenon where an unimaginable amount of ammunition was required before the start of the war.
There was no country suffering as much as Russia among the major belligerent nations.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Char did not know that.
“If I summarize the officers’ stories, it seems we are not in such a desperate situation that we need to beg Germany for reinforcements.”
“That’s correct.”
Nikolay didn’t fully trust their words, but he thought they had some validity.
‘If it’s not a truly dire situation, it might be fine to leave the front to the generals.’
Char dismissed the Chief of Staff and the Minister.
But after sending them away, Char’s worries about the front returned to his mind. The past experience of trusting the generals and being betrayed deepened his concerns.
After much contemplation, Nikolay called for Sijangjang and brought in the military historian.
Soon, Rasputin made his appearance in the grand hall of the palace with confident strides.
“You called for me, Your Majesty.”
Tsar stood up from his throne and personally greeted him.
“I have something important to discuss, so I requested an audience.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Tsar pretended to walk, as it was not pleasant for either Tsar or Rasputin to have conversations in the narrow and solemn hall. They often had discussions while walking like this. However, there were no eavesdropping from the surrounding courtiers.
As they walked through the corridor, Tsar recounted the conversations he had with the military leaders. Rasputin sometimes nodded, other times stroked his beard, showing his reactions to Tsar’s words. When Nicholas finished his story, Rasputin spoke.
“The doubts you hold, Your Majesty, are indeed valid.”
“Is that so?”
“There are stories about the great ruler, Tsar Peter, who also led the country with brilliant inspiration and wit. Can we not think that the doubts you hold today are derived from the innate talent passed down from your ancestors?”
“Hmm.”
“Think about it. If the situation on the front lines were as fine as they say, why would the German army be deep inside our empire? Why would our allies be hesitant? It is possible that the situation on the front lines, as you suspect, might really be bad.”
“What do you think I should do as the Tsar?”
Tsar asked Charr.
“Wouldn’t it be necessary for Your Majesty to personally visit the front lines to assess the situation?”
“It is true that I have not been able to see and judge with my own eyes.”
Nicholas thought that it might be better to doubt and worry endlessly about whether the generals were deceiving him or not.
However, there was a concern.
“The problem is that it would be difficult to empty the capital and visit the front lines. If I make a wrong move, the generals on the front lines might misunderstand and think that I am personally leading the expedition. There is also a possibility that the unruly crowd in the capital might take advantage of the situation. That’s what worries me.”
“If you make a short visit, it shouldn’t be a problem. Are there not noble people in the capital whom Your Majesty trusts?”
Rasputin suggested that Charyna be entrusted with the capital. Charyna Alexandrovna was someone under Rasputin’s influence. If Charyna were to rule over Petrograd, there would be no difference between her and the city’s highest authority, Rasputin.
Despite this, Charyna thought that his words made sense.
“It’s not a wrong statement. If it’s her, she will handle it well. Excellent. Jim will personally inspect the front lines.”
“You have made a wise decision.”
Rasputin smiled at Charyna’s words.
Nikolai’s visit to the front lines was a move thought up by Rasputin, a “turning point” in the game. It was a given fact that if Charyna were to visit the front lines, the generals on the battlefield would lose their trust in Nikolai. Although he was a civilian in the army, he had enough intuition to know that the war could turn against them.
“If Charyna goes to the front lines once, she will lose all the trust she had. That arrogant Grand Duchess will be no exception.”
Once the generals lost trust in Charyna, all Rasputin had to do was introduce new commanders who were loyal to him. Even if they were stationed in the rear, if the commanders in the front lines were dismissed, those positions would be theirs. Whether they were competent or not was a secondary issue. The important thing was whether Rasputin himself could gain more power. Military power meant power. Rasputin was determined to raise his unofficial position to an official one on this opportunity.
“So, I’m talking about this. While Jim is away from the capital, I want to entrust my children to you.”
“Do not worry. I will take responsibility for them and protect them.”
Rasputin replied confidently.
“Thank you, Kuksa. Indeed, you are the only one Jim can trust.”
Charyna, who was indecisive, finally let out a relieved expression as if she had put down a stone in her heart.