Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 108 Unmasked (2)

amid continuing topics that could be passed over lightly like children, childhood memories, state affairs.

"nicky, something about this event deeply impressed me."

"what's that?"

"that this country's imperial citizens love their tsar."

discover hidden stories at empire

billy continued self-deprecatingly, as if somewhat envious.

"i suddenly wondered if our citizens are the same."

"how would you be different? german citizens must love you too."

"no, they love the words i speak and the future i present."

his self-deprecating tone was now filled with certainty.

"nicky, the words bismarck told me until his death 15 years ago still ring in my ears."

"what did he say?"

"that there's no better friend than russia."

"..."

something i once imagined too.

what if billy hadn't let go of russia's hand?

'wouldn't the two countries have spread not just to the balkans but western asia and north africa?'

german pan-nationalism, or pan-germanism.

russian pan-slavism.

if the two countries had stayed together until the end, wouldn't we have torn apart the ottoman corpse and french and british colonies in the 20th century?

"you seem to have something to say."

"the alliance with france lasts until january next year. how about taking my hand again?"

"...reject the reinsurance?"

"i'll make sure you don't feel the absence of those frog bastards. what do you think?"

middle east expansion (3b policy).

new route policy.

naval law.

does he spout such words knowing how tyrannical his path has been?

i looked at him briefly wondering if he was serious, but there seemed to be no jest mixed in billy's attitude. it didn't seem like he was just testing the waters.

they probably know the current russian military's changes aren't simply at the level of normal spending increases.

"prime minister, from now on, let's increase openly."

still, i learned quite a bit from the conversation with billy.

he probably thought there was room to join hands again since russia, having completely broken from isolationism, would now be more enthusiastic about expansion.

but billy has a misunderstanding.

current russia isn't strengthening military power to increase colonies like germany.

'my friend, i don't want colonies - i want to eat you.'

and while we're at it, make my ally france and britain behind them completely collapse too.

in that sense, billy.

no, all countries currently absorbed in imperialism.

"they don't seem to realize they're on the dining table."

they look truly careless to me.

==

meanwhile, the banquet guests watching the historic meeting of two emperors were busy guessing what the two were discussing.

and amusingly, britain came closest to the truth in their guesses.

"wh-why did that german emperor suddenly!"

"oh no, surely not!"

seeing the two emperors sit down and converse amicably, british special envoy george buchanan and ambassador nicolson couldn't let this pass quietly.

"just what are they talking about?"

"wilhelm must be persuading the tsar! he's surely offering to stop the balkan war and save the ottoman empire in exchange for transferring their recently acquired bosphorus usage rights!"

"we absolutely can't leave this be!"

the islanders' unique ability to instinctively suspect circumstances and make their own assumptions was displayed to the maximum.

though their personal friendship was widely known in international society, to their eyes it already looked like russia and germany had formed an alliance and made complete plans to invade france.

no, that wasn't enough - it wouldn't be strange if a treaty dividing the mediterranean and balkans was completed right away.

the longer the two conversed, the more the legs of the two britons watching from afar trembled.

'alliance? treaty? agreement? just what is it!'

'what's the topic? balkans? mediterranean? asia? africa?'

normal humans would think based on common sense 'ah, they're celebrating the tercentenary,' but they were british.

this was normal for them.