Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 16 Colorless King (3)

What can I possibly do now that I've become an absolute monarch overnight from being a crown prince?

Weapon development, which everyone commonly thinks about?

Hmm, while I could vaguely suggest direction, I can't personally lead the design-production-manufacturing process.

I can only push for funding when there's budget flexibility later.

Since the empire needs money, how about rapid economic growth?

The most risk-free and efficient method would be to simply increase agricultural production, but I don't even know how fertilizers are made.

The value of products from our empire's land is only one-third of Germany's.

While raising this alone would be tremendous, it's not a fundamental solution.

Then how about establishing 'efficient administration' in the empire like President Woodrow Wilson, known as the father of public administration?

'Again, I haven't even fully grasped the existing imperial system.'

So what exactly should I do in my current position with only blind power?

After experiencing it firsthand these past few days, the answer to this concern is simpler than expected.

All I have is power, and everyone in the empire is watching me.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

More precisely, they're watching this power in my hands.

This was the starting point of the plan to establish parliament.

Parliament is ultimately a device that allows legal use of the power held in the emperor's hands.

Even though it won't match even Germany's parliament, let alone England's, this alone can be called a tremendous reform.

Because this country hasn't allowed anyone except the emperor to hold power for decades.

'Clearly, various powers exist within the empire, but their scarcity was immense.'

The nobles merely picked up the power the emperor dropped. So why don't the nobles covet the emperor's power?

The answer is not that they don't covet it, but that they can't.

For decades, grandfather and father have trained them to be satisfied with the scarcity of power, and to not dare challenge greater power.

The Romanov family would never allow power to fall into the hands of nobles who executed Pavel I.

Nevertheless, the current inefficient power structure is nothing but an obstacle to the empire.

"Your Majesty, everyone is confused by such sudden changes. Shouldn't you give more detailed instructions?"

"Witte, sit down and listen first. My past few days have been truly fascinating."

Right after announcing the parliamentary system, the empire's only three archbishops rushed in, pushing their doctrines and claiming their 'sacred domain.'

The nobles subtly show their accumulated dissatisfaction since the land reform, asking to take their side quickly.

Daily protests by workers, farmers dissatisfied with falling grain prices accompanying currency reform, and tenant farmers still unable to escape serfdom without an inch of their own land.

Regardless, it's a very good sign that all sectors are moving.

Though everyone is confused, they hope their claims will be realized through this new channel called parliament.

"Do you know how large our empire's population is?"

"...We haven't yet accurately determined the empire's population."

"It's 120 million."

"How did you..."

Based on reverse calculations from the empire's first census to be conducted in '97, two years from now, this year's imperial population should be around that number.

Naturally, everyone rushes to me since the power to rule those 120 million is concentrated in me.

"From now on, the archbishops will have to go to parliament first, not me, to speak up. City workers will want to lower food prices and cost of living, but rural farmers will oppose this. Provincial nobles and major city nobles will clash, and bureaucrats like you and legal officers will be busy watching each other."

"Relations between administrative and judicial officials are already at their worst."

"Well, it'll get worse than now. The revival of parliament means the judiciary that died with it will also be revived."

Originally, judicial administration was handled outside the government's administrative power, but during father's and grandfather's time, it was gradually reclaimed.

And if this aspect comes back to life.

'Nobles, bureaucrats, parliament, Duma. Everyone will hate it.'

Witte's worries remained complex.

Whether this was managing his expression or concern about the current confusion, even I couldn't know his true feelings.

There's only one reason I'm having this conversation with Witte alone in my study.

"Witte, I'm giving you special treatment right now."

"Special treatment... you say?"

"Well, even though you'll eventually be driven from your position if you turn your back on the nobles and Duma and focus only on reforms, you still know one thing, don't you?"

While it is reform, it's institutional reform whose purpose hasn't yet clearly emerged.

So while everyone is being careful while scrambling to prepare for that confusion, our minister already half knows.

Is he trying to check the noble families who have been local leaders for generations? But barely any places would be overturned by just one election.

"Then is it a Duma for the workers? But that's not it either."

"Given that votes in major cities including Moscow are allocated according to taxes paid, it won't be easy for things to go workers' way."

That's right. At this rate, a parliament where no one can win will be established.

Of course, no one will immediately turn their anger toward the Tsar just because things don't go their way.

Their designated battleground is parliament, not the Tsar's study. They will obviously struggle within it to gain more votes and more power.

Although the Russian Empire has been called stagnant, it's not that there were no reforms.

Rather, most Tsars attempted major reforms at least once in their lifetime.

Peter the Great's absolutist reforms.

Catherine the Great's Enlightenment reforms.

Nicholas I's militaristic reforms.

Up to Alexander II's class reforms.

While there have been cases of Tsars leading to overturn the country, this time is different.

"You don't know. The way he alone watches everyone falling into confusion as if it's someone else's business."

The Tsar neither antagonizes anyone nor takes anyone's side.

He just enjoys the situation he created.

"But it's not mysticism avoiding dialogue or exposure either. Rather the opposite, he leaves room to actively intervene."

How was the Warsaw Archbishop incident handled?

The Tsar hasn't imposed any judicial sanctions yet.

However, newspaper companies that were essentially just for promotion in the empire began covering the Warsaw Archbishop incident in detail.

Ironically, this forced the Holy Synod to dispatch a prosecutor to Warsaw.

Who can the archbishops and Orthodox Church blame after watching a knife being stuck into their own group?

The Tsar who is the protector of the Orthodox Church struggling to keep up with belated successor education? Or the people's press that dared criticize the Orthodox Church?

In the end, not a drop of filth splashed on His Majesty Nikolai, which seemed unnatural to Witte.

"He is certainly very different from the previous Tsar. In his time, it would have been impossible for newspapers themselves to criticize the church."

"He's definitely a reforming monarch, that much I'm certain of."

"Hmm..."

A reforming monarch who doesn't get even a drop of filth or blood on his clothes. Looking just at past Tsars, such a thing couldn't exist.

"Minister, I think the Far East best shows His Majesty Nikolai's intentions. After all, it's land he went to personally."

"That's true but... Is there anything special about the Far East? Right now the Far East is just land of escaped farmers, nothing more nothing less."

"Because there's nothing there, it's perfect to start anything. From what I hear lately, the number of workers is growing more than farmers. Quite dynamic compared to here where 90% of imperial citizens were farmers until recently."

"Is this Chairman Bunge's assessment?"

"Yes. Anyway, according to the former Finance Minister's expression, the current Far East is overturning everything."

Well of course they're spending money freely after getting hundreds of years worth of typical local city Duma budgets.

"So the Far East is His Majesty Nikolai's ultimate goal? Far East development?"

"No, not that... Well, perhaps like the Far East, His Majesty actually wants to overturn the entire empire now, I thought."

"..."

His Majesty said changes in the trans-Eastern Siberian region were only assumed because of war.

But there won't be war spreading across the empire, and it seems unnecessary to overturn the empire like the Far East... But Witte couldn't find a single flaw in Kokovtsov's argument.

What happens when parliament, not a local city Duma but this national Duma called parliament, is created?

"...His Majesty can choose parties to his taste when he wants."

Though it's nominally closer to a constitutional monarchy, parliament is essentially an incomplete organization that can't do anything on its own without the emperor's power.

In other words, it's more certain to dominate parliament through the Tsar's protection rather than through votes.

"Kokovtsov, you said Duke Lvov came with a party membership proposal earlier?"

"Yes, he seemed to be gathering initial members for the Constitutional Democratic Party ahead of elections."

"From now on, ignore any proposals to join together, whether from parties or any other groups. Understand?"

"Oh, understood."

Being so focused on His Majesty's objectives, he almost forgot a very basic common sense.

His Majesty hasn't yet let anyone into his domain.

So Witte too must not belong anywhere.

Whether or not a national Duma is created, what's important for him during reforms is ultimately the Tsar's protection.