Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 282: Where Is My Friend (4) comment

Then you'll witness a Napoleon-style continental blockade in East Asia.

If Japan's expansion, unable to rise upward, goes elsewhere, it's obvious who they'll clash with.

"Beren, did Father plan this just by seeing FDR's election?"

On the way back to the hotel after the meeting, Nikita brought up his father.

"It seems so, doesn't it? He must have thought this is the only opportunity while the United States is crumbling."

The fiery activist Beren had disappeared, and a gentleman with reason and intellect answered.

"Even having come this far, I still don't understand. Say they build warships. Then what? What's the aftermath? Where does all this lead?"

"...He must want confrontation with America, right?"

"That can't be all. The Nazis too. Father says they're a group of lunatics, but he never stops them."

The reason for providing oil and steel this time is to give this poor country a chance to build up its naval power.

And Father clearly said that militarists without money see war as a means of making money.

It seems too much like an operation to paralyze Japan's reason... no one can be certain of the results, can they?

'But Father seems to know.'

Not content with raising Nazis to guard the neighboring house, now he's even trying to raise the Japs.

"...I don't know either. Clearly, they're difficult to control."

"Hmm, perhaps..."

Stroking his beard, Beren cautiously expressed an unrefined thought.

"Could it be that he's certain of this country's failure?"

"Failure? What do you mean?"

"Isn't it so? Let's assume they go crazy with militarism and attack the Philippines or Hong Kong. Whether it's FDR or MacDonald, they'd be filled with anger and strike this country, right?"

"That's right."

"Then Japan will be defeated. This is certain. However, those who fight this country will also be wounded."

Hmm, that's true. From Nikita's perspective, Japan is too strong to be considered simply weak, yet too weak to colonize anywhere.

"Ah, that's it! The Tsar's goal is the outbreak of that war itself! Oh, now that I think about it, even my placement in the Foreign Ministry must be His Majesty's arrangement. An official who's been shouting anti-Western sentiments since the Great War and dislikes the Empire's external intervention! The perfect person to not get swept up in other countries' wars!"

"...Please say something that makes sense. How far will you take this delusion?"

"No! I've followed the Tsar even before Your Highness was born, so I can understand. Oh, what magnificent leadership! Just how far ahead does our Tsar see!"

"Sigh, here we go again."

Just when Beren seemed normal for a moment, he reverted to his original self, causing Nikita to ignore him and rest his chin on his hand while looking out the window.

'This country caught in war. And not with us, but with other countries.'

I still don't know. Though it's hard to easily imagine the streets I'm looking at now being consumed by fire and disappearing.

I'm just eagerly watching passersby, wondering if a bullet might come flying from somewhere.

But since he isn't Nicholas:

"This is boring."

He arrived safely at the hotel.

==

From the start of his term, every day for FDR has been beyond spectacular, with everything being a first of its kind.

"Creating the WPA right away. That's fast."

The Works Progress Administration, WPA, a core department of the New Deal.

An unprecedented national project department that employed 3.3 million workers simultaneously during the Great Depression and early World War II, and a total of 9 million workers over the long term.

That's right. Because companies weren't hiring, Roosevelt created and successfully ran a project office akin to something you'd see in communism, where the state itself provides employment.

'This is beyond bold, it's radical. It's a solution I couldn't easily attempt either.'

The WPA appeared earlier than expected.

This could signal that America's economic crisis is that severe, but conversely, it could also be seen as a sign that FDR's leadership is working well.

"It seems Nikita is doing well."

Meanwhile, Nikita seems to be running late after successfully concluding the meeting and stopping by various places.

In my time, just the journey home took two months, but my son won't even take two weeks—the world seems to be changing rapidly.

Japan has finally accepted my proposal.

Steel and oil.

Two essentials for industry in the 20th century, and absolutely necessary when building a navy.

I wasn't actually sure whether Japan would accept my proposal.

First, I couldn't tell how obsessed they were with militarism, and second, the Hamaguchi cabinet was quite proactive during the London Naval Treaty in '29.

At that time, they thought reducing naval power was unconditionally good for national development, but times have changed.

Now, it's an era where reducing naval power and staying still means death.

Logic applies similarly everywhere.

Just as the Nazis would wither and die under treaties if they remained still.

Japan without colonies has no way to overcome this crisis.

Although we still need to watch:

"Thus, the two conditions for the next Great War have been fulfilled."

The two dogs being raised to the left and right of the Russian Empire have been successfully infected with rabies.

History, distorted by the empire's survival and the absence of the Soviet Union, has returned to its normal course.

"Wilson, and Foch. You should have lived to see this."

Was it in Paris after the Great War ended? When we met directly and said that another war would occur 20 years later.

I couldn't say everything then, but...

"It wasn't impossible to prevent. Though you wouldn't have had the will to stop it."

If the structure of the Allies had been maintained, the next Great War might not have even started or ended trivially.

But from the moment they checked the empire, and we also refused to be passive, the option for the empire to inherit the Soviet Union's role disappeared from me.

"Well, don't blame me too much if we meet later."

Still, I feel no guilt.

"This is the correct history."

This is clearly their choice, this is the flow of the original history.

It's the fate destined for them.