Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 34 Tsar Bomba (1)

"...The stench of blood is palpable."

"The atmosphere seems quite different from the capital I knew."

"I thought it would have changed quite a bit according to Beren's letter, but that wasn't all."

"Something must be happening."

Trial news that's now too common, continuously appearing even in street newspaper stands.

Though Governor-General Sergei had heard about the Tsar's purge in the capital and five provinces where agricultural reform first began, it seems what he knew wasn't everything after arriving.

There are clearly more stores bustling and people passing on streets than a few years ago. The city seems to breathe heavily until late evening.

However, the bloody scent stimulating his nose now wasn't from these common imperial citizens.

It was the blood of those who have.

Terror that doesn't discriminate by status or class.

That was the reality of the atmosphere Governor-General Sergei felt.

The proof is in the nobles and Duma representatives not visible even walking around all day.

"According to Representative Volkov, the capital is noisy with street representative speeches and intellectual debates almost daily."

"Shall we meet Beren right away?"

"No, the Tsar told me to enter the palace this evening. I heard he would commend my hard days in the Far East."

"Should I go too?"

"Of course, an aide follows his superior."

Though Aide Felix didn't want to stand out in social circles during this time of purge, the same went for Sergei.

'Yet they say nobles keep entering the palace. It's just strange.'

An exceptional party at the imperial palace amid this atmosphere of terror where anyone could die.

"...I really don't want to go."

"Then shall we all-"

"That's why we must go."

It's been 5 years since seeing Tsar Nicholas. When he saw him as Tsarevich after the previous Tsar passed away, he was far from purges.

'I just thought he was an intelligent and passionate person.'

To think such a person became a bloody monarch in just a few years.

What could have happened?

Maybe he could understand by meeting the Tsar directly.

However the situation flowed, Sergei just hoped sparks wouldn't fly to the military.

==

The place commonly called the Summer Palace isn't just a single palace sitting there.

It has 20 buildings, a central plaza, hundreds of fountains, arched gates, greenhouses and grand gardens throughout, and golden statues.

Below the palace you can see the wide-open Gulf of Finland, and cool winds blow at night - when added to the brightly lit palace, it even gives a moving feeling.

'I thought Chairman Bunge changed the Far East quite a bit, but it was really nothing compared to this.'

The Summer Palace - truly a place showing the ultimate in architecture.

With so many fountains it's also called the Fountain Palace or Peterhof Palace, Sergei arriving by carriage was amazed before even entering.

Is it because he came from such a remote place? Or because it's been a while since an imperial party? His heart pounds despite his old age.

Many carriages must have come and gone already, as voices of people can be heard from inside.

"My goodness, lights are on even over there..."

"What do you mean by that?"

Aide Felix, who once worked in the Interior Ministry, muttered fearfully "Who would be working during a banquet at this hour?" seeing lights bright to the end of distant buildings, but Sergei strode forward first.

"When will we receive such hospitality again?"

Thinking there could be no greater honor than a banquet held by the Tsar for an individual, Sergei went inside holding his aide.

Voices introducing Sergei are heard from the side and many gazes fix on him under the high ceiling shining with chandeliers.

However, what caught Sergei's eye first was the Tsar, who was down on the first floor instead of the emperor's seat.

"Your Majesty."

Nikolai approaches and catches Sergei as he immediately tries to bow in greeting. The shock seems not just his, as many nobles watching also widened their eyes.

"I didn't know you would already be here."

"It's fine, I just showed my face since I need to leave early. Welcome. Did I keep my promise to call you in five years?"

"I can only be grateful."

"Don't be like that, let's have a drink upstairs separately. And beside you?"

"This is Aide Felix Sumarkov-Elston, Count."

"Hmm, have I seen you before?"

He wouldn't have had separate conversations with a mere count, so must have only seen him in passing a few times.

"Would you know Prince Yusupov?"

"Yusupov? Ah, you were the prince."

"I only received the title."

"Ah, that Yusupov. Hmm, you come along too."

Grandfather created zemstvos with the shackles of the press, but Father removed these shackles.

Zemstvos without preservatives naturally rotted.

"That's how it happened. Though it seems quite shocking to the nobles. They had always thought of themselves as victims until now, not traitors."

Land tax was eventually introduced too. Noble power has weakened over three generations - grandfather-father-me.

Especially with imperial farmers across the empire joining reform this year, their place disappeared even more.

"I don't dislike nobles. Just look at Prince Yusupov here - isn't he from an ancient family?"

"Y-yes."

"They say a cornered rat will bite... but nobles don't even have the strength to bite."

I thought a noble military rebellion might be somewhat possible... but nonsense. That's impossible in this period's Russian Empire too.

'How would they recruit Grand Dukes who are like the Tsar's alter ego? And what about uncorrupted nobles? Commoner-born soldiers? Military districts scattered across the empire?'

Above all, Father's impact was too strong. Father who made everyone from military chiefs to privates into Tsar supporters.

His scent still remains throughout the military to this degree.

Since he himself became the military itself, this country's army can't move according to nobles' will despite containing many of them.

"Aren't they mostly nobles with residences in the capital or Moscow?"

"When we followed the stems up from zemstvos, they kept getting caught one by one. Family, acquaintances, relatives - anyway they were all connected somehow so we cut them off."

Even if their own family survives, could they sleep comfortably if relatives they did business with got beheaded?

"The atmosphere got a bit awkward so I held many banquets, but seems it's still not enough. Well, I think this too will become a driving force for reform."

Then it's fine. I may be called Bloody Nicholas, but I have clear justification and many supporters. Unlike Mary I, it's hard to die now unless the empire falls.

The somewhat disgruntled-looking Governor-General Sergei - no, Major General and his aide.

Thinking the talk might have been too heavy, I briefly changed topics.

"Prince Yusupov is the Governor's aide? How? You could have stayed in the capital."

"I-I volunteered to go! Since the Tsar was said to be very interested in the Far East then, there were quite a lot of volunteers!"

"I see. You have an adventurous spirit."

Yusupov. Actually, I don't know who the man before me is. Not particularly interested either.

But I can't help but know the names Yusupov and Yusupova.

Yusupova is his wife. An heiress with immense wealth whom all European royalty and nobility came to propose to - a beauty of the century.

As a European man of this era, she was too famous not to know.

And Yusupov. The name Yusupov belongs to the man who killed Rasputin, the behind-the-scenes power that led the original history's Russian Empire to ruin.

Probably the next Yusupov, not the Yusupov before me.

'Though respected by all even now due to his wife Yusupova's good deeds, they say the next generation was quite tough too. Anti-Nazi, supporting Russian immigrants, establishing charities.'

A family continuing quite a fateful connection with the Romanov imperial family.

Though Major General Dukhovskoy seemed to need time to adapt to the capital's atmosphere having just returned, there was no trouble having pleasant conversation when limited to Far Eastern topics.

"Did you know Admiral Romen is about to die because of the Baltic Fleet?"

"That guy needs to suffer a bit. He was probably the most leisurely one, so he needs to work."

The recent situation of Romen Nikolai Nikolayevich whom I designated and installed.

"Though it might be difficult to pay detailed attention to the Far East now, how about looking after Roman Kondratenko, that friend, once?"

"Why Roman? He's been reporting frequently since wireless communication became possible in the Communications Department."

"Whether to call it obsession... anyway the Yalu River isn't enough, he keeps drawing huge budgets. These days he's fixated on the Lüshun fortress..."

"Heheh, I know better than anyone."

Hearing about Roman directly, I can tell not a single historical record is wrong.

Wasn't there an anecdote about him completing more in six months than 5 years of construction after being appointed to Lüshun fortress right before the Russo-Japanese War?

Anyway, he's a crazy engineer unprecedented in imperial history.

"What about Chairman Bunge? How is he doing? Do you know, Prince Yusupov?"

"Don't even mention it. First he called himself by a strange name, and now he's even created an ideology. I experienced firsthand that scholars are scariest when they go crazy."

The most mysterious thing since my accession.

Someone who should have died originally is still not dead.

Nikolai Bunge's life recorded in history books only goes until the mid-90s. So the current Bunge was unknown even to me - perhaps the biggest evidence that history had changed.

"Hehe, it's tearfully fun hearing Far East stories after so long. Your family? Did they go together that far distance?"

"My children had all grown up and left long before I was appointed Governor."

"I went with my family. Really, I'm just sorry and grateful to my wife. My daughter and two sons too."

"...Really? Were those your family behind you earlier?"

"Yes."

We continued endless pleasant conversation like that.

Though our ages differ and we haven't known each other long, it seems offset by looking toward the same goal.

And the next day.

[12 officials jointly indicted on 19 charges including massive bribery, tax evasion, threats and extortion received death sentences-]

[With this the Lukaveyev family that belonged to the Noble Assembly for generations was exterminated-]

A day like any other dawned.