I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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“The fight with the German Communist Party probably won’t take long, right? We should refuse. Moreover, wouldn’t it be better for us to gobble up what Germany has left because they can’t hand it over to the Communists? What do you think, Minister of Finance?”

I’m talking about all the stuff Germany has packed into Russia like a weapon cache.

“Your Highness is correct. Our reforms are just in the early stages, and in reality, we are merely maintaining appearances with the support of the great powers. Our advance into Anatolia was largely thanks to their help. We could easily fall back into a pit if we assist the Kaiser.”

“Indeed. I’ve heard that France is not helping the Kaiser because they find him detestable. Fortunately, it seems Britain is moving Poland to keep a check on the Communists while securing East Prussia.”

Even the military is opposing this.

At least Britain is doing well.

Unlike actual history, Germany has pretty much lost East Prussia as well.

Well, technically it’s Communist Germany, but still.

At this point, we too should justify not aiding Germany.

“Wasn’t their assistance to us merely a ruse to deceive the great powers in the first place?”

To stick a spear into France, if you will.

I can’t help but think that Kaiser Wilhelm II is quite an impressive character in many ways.

“This nation has anti-communism as its national policy. It would be best to show some support for now.”

“It’s impossible to help while spilling blood. It’s important for us to dismantle Communist Germany, but we’ve already fought too much. With the damage from the civil war not fully recovered, a new war would be tough. Turkey could be manageable, but against Germany… More importantly, the fact that Britain recognized Communist Germany suggests they’re also having a hard time.”

True. That’s all reasonable.

But that doesn’t mean we can avoid sending troops.

Isn’t General Vermont’s White Army still around? We need to send them to East Prussia so the Kaiser can settle in securely.

That way, we can continuously undermine the legitimacy of Communist Germany.

That alone would be enough.

East Prussia is like a stepped-on Lego or a thumbtack beneath the Kaiser’s authority.

No matter how much it’s become Communist, there will surely be Kaiser loyalists.

Moreover, there are also those lads from the Free Corps.

Communist Germany will surely be more challenging than Nazi Germany.

The problem is whether France and Britain will give us a hard time. We can at least chat casually for now.

“Hmm. However, we do need to show some degree of loyalty. How about we pretend that General Vermont is sending aid towards East Prussia? And if East Prussia becomes vulnerable, we can also say we’d support the establishment of a German kingdom in the regions of Germany along the Volga River.”

Germans have been migrating and living along the Volga River for a long time.

In 1762, Catherine II increased population density and agricultural production by welcoming large-scale immigration from Europe.

Those Germans who settled along the Volga River became known as the Volga Germans.

During the Soviet era, they created the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, but unfortunately, due to Hitler’s war against the Soviets, Stalin migrated the Volga Germans to Siberia and Central Asia.

So, it’s basically a game of words.

Just like when the king of Silla made Anseung establish the Beokguk in the territory of Baekje.

If all else fails, we can just hold a ceremonial king position in a one-sided land that’s a part of Russia.

This way, in the future, we can have justification for catching Communist Germany.

If the Kaiser fails to reclaim his homeland and remains in this state,

Communist Germany will nonetheless stockpile power.

“Sounds good to me.”

“But this is certainly not the end. The Communist Party has its unique red tendencies, and we may become their ultimate revolutionary enemy.”

Since they are threatening communism with their new modified capitalism.

They would become the greatest threat in Germany.

“Yes. The reforms we pursue will lead to the Reds frothing at the mouth against us, so the Communists will likely target us to maintain their power.”

Ultimately, war will break out.

As long as the White Russian faction stands tall, the Reds must bring us down to initiate their world revolution.

“To prepare for that, it would be prudent to maintain our military budget, hasten weapon development, and establish a defensive line towards Poland.”

At my words, the military nodded, as if in agreement.

It’s certain that they will.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be Reds.

So, should I sprinkle some hints about the Great Depression next?

It’s not something I can figure out on my own.

I intended to mention this in advance.

It’s better to be right about something beforehand than to stumble into it unaware.

“I happened to overhear some chatter from the US military.”

“What is it?”

“That military guy, who’s supposed to be an expert on economic matters, mentioned something. He said a major economic crisis would hit the United States soon.”

“But isn’t the United States in a period of economic boom?”

The one reacting was Minister of Finance Mikhail Vladimirovich Vernadsky.

Since he has been overseeing Russia’s economic policy recently, he must be sensitive about it.

He had a good education and had some considerable abilities.

I’ve merely offered my opinions, yet he diligently handles economic reforms.

“It’s something that has been anticipated for a long time; it will happen before the 1930s. We should prepare some countermeasures for that.”

“Though it’s uncertain, hmm. Economic crises usually involve significant labor issues. Considering the damage from this civil war, will we really suffer a significant impact?”

That’s true. Russia’s economy has always been a wreck.

Still, is it really that bad? For current-day Russia?

“Is that the case?”

“Millions of soldiers and civilians have died in the civil war, and afterward, we saw a massive purge of Reds across all of Russia. And that’s not all. The Reds have destroyed and pillaged every region that didn’t support them, and the damage from the civil war has annihilated any economic capacity we could have had. Even if Russia has a large population, there won’t be many who get laid off and wind up on the streets in the coming years.”

That’s shocking.

They’ve just expanded the land but are in a tight spot right now, huh?

Doesn’t that mean the damage is quite severe?

Hearing about Russia’s economy always being a disaster feels painfully real.

“Didn’t you receive support from the great powers?”

“The help we received was only during the civil war. Before that point, our economic situation was at its worst. That investment has allowed us to escape some of the current economic crisis. Moreover, we’ve essentially been implementing policies favorable to socialists due to the damages from the civil war. The five-year economic plans that Your Highness has laid out. If it weren’t for the civil war, I’m sure other great powers would have called us a Communist state.”

Seriously, what kind of joke is that?

I chuckled lightly, but Vernadsky seemed sincere, his brows furrowed.

“Is that truly the case?”

“You need to understand why the socialists have remained quiet. They even refer to Your Majesty as the Red Empress.”

Oh my God. God help me.

Well, I suppose, considering the New Economic Policy. We’ve followed all their five-year plans to the letter.

Even the USSR in actual history referenced Stolypin’s reforms, so I suppose I can argue that as well. But is it really that serious?

This is seriously shocking.

“So, it means there’s no choice but to tighten our belts and keep on working hard, huh?”

“Yes. With the existing nobles all but wiped out during this civil war, and the establishment of the Union, the bureaucracy has been tidied up. We’ll just have to reinstall the zemstvos, maintain stability, and gradually transition to industrialization through local development in each city. Additionally, given the wealth of resources in Russia, we will be able to respond to the crisis more effectively by utilizing them.”

So, even when the Great Depression hits, we can just maintain the current course, huh?

Sounds plausible, but…

When exactly will that become possible? That’s another question.

Are we going to develop further than the actual USSR in history?

“When do you predict our Russia will fully recover?”

“We’re in the midst of reforms now, but in order for the country to recover fully, we’re looking at the mid-1930s at the very least. Thankfully, considering the current state where Germany, who laid down the railways for Russia’s transportation, ended up in dire straits, we don’t have to worry too much about their opinion. We just need to toss some fodder towards the Kaiser in East Prussia, and that should suffice.”

The mid-1930s, huh? Right before World War II.

Should we expect Communist Germany to go to war before then?

Or would it be around the same time as actual history?

“This time, let’s offer support to the technicians who fled from the German Communist Party to Russia. We’ll also need to look into the treatment of the German volunteers within Russia.”

“Since they fought against the Reds, they can’t return to their homeland to become part of a Communist state. They’ll either head to East Prussia or stick around with us.”

“By the way. One German friend of mine has an interesting talent.”

Recently, Mikhail Drozdovsky, who was in charge of establishing armored divisions, posted some drawings alongside Baron Beria.

At first glance, they just looked like building sketches.

But they somewhat resembled some illustrations I’d seen before online.

“Who drew this picture?”

“It’s a German sergeant named Adolf Hitler. He even earned the Iron Cross First Class.”

Oh. My God, seriously?

Does that mean Mr. Adolf is drawing here?

Ah, and come to think of it, that guy is floating right now.

He can’t head back to a Germany soaked in Reds, and he definitely wouldn’t want to return to Austria, torn apart and not grand at all.

Neither would he want to go to East Prussia with the incompetent Kaiser.

“Perhaps he wants to ignore the fact that his homeland has turned into a Communist state. He’s busy drawing. It’s a bit odd to call him a painter, though.”

Still, that painting is impressive. I wonder what would happen if he focused on industrial design or architecture.

I had a good idea.

If the Reds are already causing a mess, it would be bad if Hitler adds to it.

As soon as we get to Moscow, let’s call him over right away.

* * *

Around this time, the German volunteers within Russia found themselves at a crossroads.

The French volunteers, upset about the Kaiser trying to attack France once again, cursed the German forces, heading down to the Crimea to prepare for an early withdrawal.

British volunteers also moved to Poland to guard against the German revolution, leaving only the Russian forces and the remnants of the US military, not quite sure what they were doing.

But the German volunteers found themselves in a bind.

Their homeland had become a Communist state.

Thus, returning to the German Free Socialist Republic was no longer viable since they had already knocked down Reds here, and even the German soldiers, tired of the Kaiser, couldn’t return to their homeland.

So, they were left with East Prussia where the Kaiser resides.

Honestly, who knows when this place will fall apart, and the thought of becoming the Kaiser’s meat shield makes me wonder whether they should go back, but anyway, it’s still one of their choices.

The other option is to remain with the Russian army and seize a position within the overthrown Russian military.

However, with family and acquaintances still back home, most couldn’t choose, resulting in a situation where they were left as if stuck in limbo.

Among them was Adolf Hitler.

Famed for capturing a Red heavyweight, he became well-known within the German forces and received medals from the Russian White Army, yet now, he was endlessly occupied with just drawing.

All he did was kill time with the resources provided by the Russian side.

There was really nothing more to it.

If anything, I suppose you could say he was acting as a military adviser to the recruits of the Russian White Army.

Yet, Adolf hitler found considerable satisfaction in the Russian military recognizing the strength of the German forces.

“Hey, Hitler. What are you going to do? Just drawing won’t solve anything, will it?”

Now, one of his comrades, who had caught Reds and put on some weight while enjoying the fruits of their teamwork, asked him about his time-wasting artistic hobby.

Hitler shook his head lightly at that.

“A Germany seized by Communism is not Germany. There’s no thought of going back.”

Of course, there are still right-wing forces and East Prussia remains, but a Germany that has revolted whilst trying to appease the great powers is no longer Germany.

“I’m thinking of heading to East Prussia. Are you coming with me?”

“I’m not sure.”

He also considered returning to Austria.

Even if a mixture of various ethnicities, Austria could still be viewed as a power, and now it’s in such a state.

The land of Germans is crumbling everywhere.