SWNOVELXO Chapter 44
Atatürk never bowed his pride, even as the country faced ruin.
“Are you asking us to concede the territories of the Eastern Roman Empire in return for support? If you twist it just right, we could claim to be the successors of the Eastern Roman Empire too.”
Now, that’s just wordplay.
I don’t intend to engage in this cumbersome back-and-forth.
Right now, I should just lay everything on the table.
“Honestly, I need to maintain some face. I must pull off something substantial to keep Russia afloat. In a situation where we can neither go this way nor that, we’re also in need of concessions from our homeland.”
“Then just let Russia take a back seat.”
“Either we all die together, or we preserve the national debt. It’s one or the other. Of course, if we choose the former, Turkey is certain to perish. Other nations might swap out their regimes, but not Turkey.”
Even without combat, moving the army first creates room for misunderstanding.
We need to extract something reasonable from this situation.
To think that Tsarina could negotiate for Constantinople without a war?
The White Army would be on a high from that! They’d say Tsarina had retaken the Second Rome.
“Hah.”
In any case, this is just wordplay.
Britain and France will inevitably have to relinquish their colonies.
They can certainly feign support as much as they want.
“Instead, let us also indulge in wordplay. If Turkey ‘grants independence’ to the Pontic Greeks as if we are liberating them, it should make the Grand National Assembly pleased to have an ally in Russia.”
“Russia as an ally? How are we supposed to trust that?”
Right. There’s no way to trust it.
I can’t even trust the state. It’s like letting a cat manage a fish store, placing vast territories in the hands of our enemy.
“If you can’t trust Russia, then trust me as an individual.”
“The Princess?”
“Before my eyes, my parents and siblings were executed by the Reds, and I rushed around to prevent the country from succumbing to them. Here I stand, called Tsarina, despite being far removed from the line of succession from the Tsar. As someone who has overcome national adversity, I personally support the general putting everything on the line for Turkey’s independence.”
It’s just like appealing directly to Atatürk.
“I need to think it over.”
Good. It was great to see it go that far.
We almost succeeded. Had I failed here, I would’ve been stuck in a war.
“If Britain and France catch on, it could be troublesome. I cannot afford to give you much time. We cannot have any conflict between our forces.”
After a while, Atatürk replied.
He claimed he would promise for the future. He’s saying he’d choose to trust me, for better or worse.
Seeing reality, he decided it was worthwhile to trust an ally and pledge for the future.
* * *
In actual history, Ismet Pasha from the Grand National Assembly, who was sent as an envoy to Britain, firmly rejected the powers’ proposals and fought on.
However, in this altered history, the White Army had no choice but to submit as they entered Anatolia.
Unlike actual history, the territory of the newly established Turkey shrunk, now encompassing only parts of Southeastern and Central Anatolia, including Ankara.
“Phew. I’m relieved now.”
“It feels like we’re giving Russia too much, but I guess as long as we can manage the Mediterranean, we’ll be fine.”
“Just look at Germany. If the German Socialist Republic wins the civil war, we’re in trouble. We have to grow Russia.”
“I heard Tsarina negotiated alone with Kemal?”
“Thinking back, doesn’t the reform Tsarina implements feel a bit too Red?”
Britain and France managed to save face, while the Russians, having their pride scratched after the Reds’ victory in the Civil War, united with newfound pride.
A pride rooted in ‘Rome’.
The Russians, who almost had their country turned upside down by the Reds, felt a surge of pride as true heirs of Rome after reclaiming Constantinople.
“We have reclaimed Constantinople!”
“Indeed, a reincarnation of Catherine the Great! Tsarina Anastasia is the rightful heir to Rome and the true ruler of Russia!”
“The revival of Rome, isn’t that amazing!”
“It’s the Third Empire of Rome!”
“The Holy Roman Empire is just a precursor to Germany!”
“Long live God Tsar!”
After the Red-White Civil War, remarkably bound by a sense of pride, the Russians clung to the notion that they are descendants of Rome.
They truly believed that they are the heirs of Rome. This was a moment of establishing the identity of the White Russians, unlike in actual Soviet history.
And then…
Atatürk and İnonü felt like the losers.
“Is this really okay? It feels suspicious to lie to ourselves.”
“What the princess says isn’t wrong. We should wait to see how things unfold. Didn’t you say that everything until now has been a miracle?”
There was little time left for weapons now.
Discontent was also rising among the army of the Grand National Assembly.
With this much accomplished, shouldn’t we be alright?
“Is that so? But can we really trust Russia?”
“I don’t trust Russia. I only trust that princess.”
Yet still, who that princess is remains unclear.
But at her age, what kind of woman would still be standing so firm in the enemy’s territory?
There weren’t many Russians around either.
For the sake of ‘dialogue’. The army was pulled back for the safety of Kemal and the leadership of the Grand National Assembly.
In that setting, should the decision be made, assassinating the princess wouldn’t be an impossible task, and yet she stood with a face that seemed to dance on the line of life and death.
You can discern on the battlefield.
Whether you should be wary of this person or whether you should shake hands first.
The princess applies to both.
If Russia pushes forward, couldn’t they take more than half of Turkey, sanctioned by Britain and France?
But instead, the princess chose to build alliances.
Right. For now, let’s just survive.
For the day when Turkey can stand tall once again like in the Ottoman era.
* * *
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey finally surrendered.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself came to represent them, while Churchill showed up to negotiate for Britain. Truly a bothersome bunch.
We sent Basil Kharlamov, the former leader of the White Army in the Caucasus and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, to conduct negotiations.
Thus, the Treaty of Ankara was freshly signed.
The Greeks stormed out of the negotiation hall to express their displeasure.
To the White Army, or rather to the situation where families had suffered due to the Civil War only to see their choice falling on Tsarina, the reclamation of Constantinople would grant legitimacy.
Thank goodness we surrendered, at least.
Had Atatürk made a final stand with a shout until the end, we would have been exhausted. Having just wrapped up a civil war with a land still under the oppression of the Bolsheviks, it could have easily turned radical again.
Compared to the original history, I feel sorry this ended in such a meager conclusion.
“Your Highness, we have reclaimed Constantinople.”
“You may now ascend as Tsarina in Constantinople.”
Laughter bloomed among the members of the Duma.
Even those from the Red camp like Khrihoiri and Antonov, who had previously grumbled, thinking “We have no choice; this is a temporary alliance!” were now utterly bright.
Yeah, you can’t resist the allure of Rome.
Tsarina. Tsarina.
A Tsarina that was never meant to be.
I’ve mentioned it before, but at this stage, Russia is in a substantially better position.
Back when the Civil War was ongoing, I could have been treated like Tsarina. But now, with the Civil War concluded, I’ve unexpectedly managed to reclaim Constantinople.
Could anyone else like to jump in on this?
“Until now, we haven’t said much externally, but isn’t there the Salica Law?”
Salica Law. It was formalized by Tsar Paul I of the Russian Empire, blooming from his resentment against his mother, who became empress by killing his father in a coup, preventing women from inheriting the throne.
Though it’s meaningless since there’s no man to inherit the throne anyway.
“I believe there were discussions about Princess Olga’s succession even during the reign of the late Tsar.”
Boris Savinkov, from the newly formed National Republican Party, spoke up.
He was part of the leftist faction in actual history, yet here he has slid into this side remarkably swiftly.
He’s a person who would assassinate quite well.
He even served as the Minister of Defense during the Kerensky government.
Well, you never really know people’s true thoughts.
“Isn’t the situation a bit different now?”
In a situation where we have reclaimed Constantinople and can boldly declare to be the Roman Emperor, who among the royalty would not be salivating at this opportunity?
“Aren’t the royals who want to attach a spoonful to this going to die if the knife comes out?”
Most of the royalty had previously fled to Britain and France.
Right.
They haven’t come back yet, but this essentially means they are acknowledging me as Tsarina.
Or else they might believe their lives are in danger in the land where the Tsar has been overthrown.
Let’s set that aside. A knife?
“No, that’s a bit much.”
People’s instincts never falter.
Are they really looking for an assassination angle in front of me?
Don’t they know the Tsarina standing right in front of me is also nobility?
The people joining after the Civil War seem completely unhinged. Can I really hand over power to the Duma now?
“We are facing a special situation, and the law can be changed to suit the times. You, Your Highness, symbolize the White Army and are the Tsarina who has handed over power to the Duma. If we were to elevate another royal to the Tsar, wouldn’t that throw everything into chaos?”
“The Salica Law has no meaning without a male heir. Your Highness can directly ascend above the Tsarina’s role now.”
Right. I guess the Duma has already made their decision.
This kind of thing usually starts with the first excuse to reject, but on the third time, you must pretend to concede.
Besides, this is a decision from the Duma, the center of state power. There’s no way to escape it.
“So, this is the will of the Duma, huh.”
If it’s the Duma’s will, there’s no way around it.
Ah, so it’s simply Duma directing me…
While acknowledging the supremacy of the Duma, I’ll ascend to the throne.
I’m merely accepting the crown you offer me, right?
In that case, would I become Anastasia I?
“Ooooo. Not only the successor of the Mongol Empire, but even the position of the all-powerful Roman Emperor is yours. Truly, Your Highness is the true monarch of this era.”
With the recent reclamation of Constantinople, Grigory Semenov rushed from Mongolia to sing my praises.
Indeed.
Am I not receiving the thrones of both Eastern and Western empires?
Of course, from the Mongolian side, it feels like they’ve undermined me to forcibly take back something, but well.
“How is the food production doing? I’ve heard it has suffered greatly due to the civil war.”
“While dealing with all those boneheaded Bolsheviks sucking up resources, we’ve gained a bit of surplus, and much is coming from Makhno’s Free Territory.”
The Great Purge.
Here, I relentlessly wiped out the Bolsheviks.
To fill it solely with White Russians loyal to the new Russia. The revolutionary dreams of the Reds would be trampled under the sacred double-headed eagle. Those still unable to speak ill of Marx and Lenin were eradicated as treasonous to the core.
“Thanks to Makhno’s Eastern Ukraine, we’re somewhat okay with food.”
Had it not been for Makhno, we would have had to rely entirely on the British.
“Still, we can’t let that Red be about indefinitely, can we? What if he acts like Lenin?”
That won’t happen.
In the first place, what Makhno dreams of is anarchism, which is quite distant from Lenin’s ideals.
That’s why, historically, Trotsky beat Makhno down, right?
“Let’s leave him for now. Despite appearances, he holds some military strength. I’ve heard that even though he has suffered losses to the Bolsheviks, he still commands over 50,000 troops. If they embark on guerrilla warfare in Ukrainian lands, there’s no answer to that. Eventually, we’d see the extent to which that anarchism is merely an illusion, and he would join us.”
There’s no need to smack Makhno’s Black Army right now.
With Lenin’s fall and the Bolsheviks getting beat, the anarchist Free Territory recognized by the White Russians stands as nothing more than a free city.
Even if we just leave it be, that force will dwindle and inevitably get absorbed.
Why? Because there’s a newly reformed Russia right above it.
Even if Makhno tried to maintain his liberty, it wouldn’t be easy.
The international community can’t live in isolation.
As long as we’re Russia and can trade through free trade with them, they’ll eventually fall apart on their own.