January 30, 1902.
Lansdowne House, London
"Hereby declare that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Empire of Japan officially form an alliance."
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! ——!
With the announcement by the British Foreign Secretary, the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, enthusiastic applause echoed within the Marquess's mansion.
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
Britain and Japan, which were opposing the Russian Empire, formed an alliance.
However, the reactions of the two delegations were vastly different.
Most of the British delegation looked indifferent. After all, for Britain, Japan was merely a pawn to prevent the expansion of Russia, nothing more.
But the reaction of the Japanese side was so enthusiastic that it made people sweat. The Japanese representative, Hayashi Tadasu, the Japanese Minister to the United Kingdom, even shed tears.
It can be imagined that when this news was relayed back to Japan, the reaction there would also be equally enthusiastic. This was sufficient to show how eager and desperate Japan was for the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
"You've worked hard, Minister Hayashi."
"Your Excellency, the Marquess of Lansdowne."
"May the future of the British Empire and the Empire of Japan be blessed by God."
"Yes, I also pray that the friendship between our two countries will last forever."
The Marquess of Lansdowne and Minister Hayashi shook hands and exchanged polite words.
Of course, polite words were nothing more than that.
"However, friendship lasting forever?" The Marquess of Lansdowne sneered inwardly as he listened to Minister Hayashi's words.
There is no eternal alliance in the world.
The Marquess of Lansdowne and the British Empire understood this better than anyone else.
This alliance was only achieved based on the common interest of Britain and Japan in preventing the expansion of Russia in the Far East and the Pacific region. Once the goal was achieved, this Anglo-Japanese Alliance, whose ink had not yet dried, would vanish like a midsummer night's dream.
This was the essence of international diplomacy.
However, even the Marquess of Lansdowne, who wore a false smile on his face, was not without concerns about this alliance.
He remembered the words of the Marquess of Salisbury, who, together with Benjamin Disraeli, had led the British Empire to glory:
"The Japanese will never be satisfied with merely preventing the expansion of Russia."
The Marquess of Salisbury had a great foresight of the possibility of a war breaking out between Japan and Russia.
King Edward VII of the United Kingdom held the same view.
"And the war will break out because of Japan's pre-emptive strike?"
Under normal circumstances, such a statement might be dismissed as nonsense and laughed off. But the problem was that various signs were verifying this prophecy.
The Japanese military, both the army and the navy, showed extremely active behavior. Moreover, according to the report of the British Ambassador to Russia, the number of cases of Japan's spies being caught in Russia had increased significantly recently.
This was undoubtedly preparation for a war with Russia.
Just as the Marquess of Salisbury and Edward VII had warned, Japan seemed to have already made preparations to launch an attack on Russia.
"This is really troublesome." The Marquess of Lansdowne thought to himself as he looked at Minister Hayashi, who was still full of excitement.
The outbreak of a war between Japan and Russia in itself was not a problem. The Marquess of Lansdowne and the British diplomats had already discussed the possibility of this. But the premise of these discussions was that Russia would launch an attack on Japan out of impatience first, rather than Japan launching a pre-emptive strike against Russia.
"During the war with Qing China, Japan also launched a pre-emptive strike without a formal declaration of war."
This time, Japan was highly likely to repeat the same mistake.
For Britain, this would be an extremely troublesome situation. In this era, although a pre-emptive strike might gain a military advantage, it was extremely disadvantageous in diplomacy. If an attack was launched without a declaration of war, it would greatly damage the international reputation.
Therefore, a pre-emptive action must have sufficient reasons. Even if there were no reasons, a seemingly reasonable one had to be fabricated, even if such an act was despicable.
In addition, if a pre-emptive strike failed, the consequences would be extremely disastrous.
If Japan launched a proactive attack on Russia but suffered a crushing defeat, the balance of power in the Far East would completely tip in favor of that lazy brown bear in the frigid tundra.
"I will never tolerate such a thing!" The Marquess of Lansdowne didn't believe that Japan would win in a war against Russia at all, so he was filled with great worry and vigilance about this prospect.
"Fortunately, the German Empire is not involved this time."
Since the current emperor ascended the throne, the German Empire, under the guise of the "World Policy," has challenged Britain's maritime hegemony.
Although the Marquess of Salisbury, whose illness was increasingly severe, had been substantially replaced by Arthur Balfour, and the latter didn't seem to take the threat from Germany seriously, the sense of crisis towards Germany within Britain was growing day by day.
Despite this, Britain had also attempted to repair the increasingly strained relationship with Germany and even envisioned forming an alliance with Germany.
Under the leadership of the Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, Britain tried to break its diplomatic isolation, form an alliance with the German Empire, and even join the Triple Alliance. However, this attempt ultimately ended in failure.
Now, Chamberlain has turned his attention to France. But due to the Dreyfus Affair that flared up again last year and the intense conflicts between the left and right wings that ensued, the political situation in France is still in turmoil. Apparently, France at this moment doesn't have the spare capacity to discuss an alliance with Britain.
"It seems there will be a lot to do in the future." A mountain of documents seemed to have already emerged in front of his eyes.
The Marquess of Lansdowne clinked glasses and drank heartily with the Japanese diplomats, but couldn't help but sigh.
"Achoo!"
However, the Marquess of Lansdowne didn't know that—
"Hmph... It's so cold..."
Germany, which seemingly had no connection with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, had already quietly stepped onto the stage.
...
In winter, the Baltic Sea was wild, fierce, and extremely cold.
Moreover, the closer they got to Russia, the more severe the situation became.
But what troubled Hans the most was seasickness.
This damned seasickness.
In his previous life, Hans would get carsick as soon as he got in a car.
What's more, now he was riding the waves on this swaying ship?
It was simply hell.
The feeling of nausea and discomfort lingered and had been tormenting Hans for several days, and he hadn't even been able to sleep properly.
So why on earth did I say I wanted to go to Russia?
Just as Hans started to feel regretful, Prince Heinrich slapped his back enthusiastically, just as he had when they met last time, and said:
"Haha, Hans! Someone who looks like a woman like this won't be able to join the navy, right?"
"I don't want to join at all... Ugh!"
"Hahaha! I've never seen someone get seasick this badly. Hahaha!"
Prince Heinrich was completely different from Hans, who was clinging to the ship's railing and vomiting continuously. He didn't care about the huge waves that seemed capable of swallowing the entire ship and laughed heartily against the icy sea breeze.
How could he be so steady on this swaying ship?
Sure enough, a sailor is a sailor after all.
"Ugh... Sorry, can I go back to the cabin and rest?"
"Come on, don't be like that. Let's stay together. Helene has already gone into the cabin. If you leave too, I'll be so bored."
Prince Heinrich ignored the helpless look on Hans' face and continued to speak brazenly.
Sure enough, these social butterflies just don't understand other people's feelings.
"Look, those seagulls flying over there."
"... I don't see them."
The sky was as overcast as when they set out, a dull gray, and it looked like a storm could hit at any moment.
This weather doesn't seem suitable for birds to fly at all.
"Er, anyway, we'll be able to see the land soon. To be precise, it's Kronstadt."
"The home port of the Baltic Fleet."
"Exactly. After passing through there, it will be..."
Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург).
This is the heart of the Russian Empire, a city built on the bones of countless laborers and Swedish prisoners of war out of Peter the Great's ambition to open up an outlet to the sea. Even in the 21st century, it remains on a par with the capital Moscow as the center of Russia.
"Moreover, in two years' time, this city will witness the 'Bloody Sunday' that will determine the fate of the Romanov Dynasty."
It is also the place where the Russian Revolution broke out later and where the Soviet Union, a superpower that would divide the world with the United States, was born.
By then, the name Saint Petersburg will disappear and become "Leningrad".
"Perhaps this trip will be the last visit to Saint Petersburg before it loses its original name."
When World War I broke out, Saint Petersburg was renamed "Petrograd" in Russian because its name was too Germanic.
Some long-lived Russian elders have even experienced such changes—they were born in Saint Petersburg, grew up in Petrograd, lived in Leningrad, and finally died in Saint Petersburg.
"But I don't think I'll live to see the day when Saint Petersburg gets its original name back."
No matter when Hans dies, it will be nearly a century later before Leningrad changes back to Saint Petersburg.
Unless there are major changes in history.
"Prince Heinrich."
"Hmm? What is it, Hans?"
"What kind of person is His Majesty Nicholas II?"
"Nicky? Hmm... In short, he's a good person, and at the same time, an excellent husband and a loving father."
Having said this, Prince Heinrich paused for a moment and then continued:
"But as the Emperor of Russia... To be honest, he's not quite up to the mark."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. If Russia were a constitutional monarchy, things might be much better. But Hans, although the Russian Empire is huge, it's a corrupt and backward country. It's still full of medieval thinking and customs."
"Haha..."
Due to its extremely vast territory and insufficient administrative efficiency, the Russian Empire still retains the bad custom of a man "marrying his daughter-in-law" and various outdated traditions, which are very different from those of other European countries.
No wonder some people joke that the Russian Empire is a world like the "vulgar novels" or "melodramatic romance dramas" in reality.
"However, in terms of Nicky's ability, it's really difficult for him to govern this empire. Ah, don't tell Helene what I just said."
Hans nodded.
Even Prince Heinrich thought that Nicholas II was not suitable to be the ruler of a country.
"The evaluation in history is the same."
Kind, diligent but incompetent, he can be regarded as the worst leader.
This is the evaluation of Nicholas II.
It can be said that he is a person who is not suitable for either the era or the country.
"Whoo───!"
"Oh, it seems we're almost there."
As the deep whistle sounded, Prince Heinrich said in a low voice.
Hans forced his swaying body and leaned against the railing, raising his head and looking forward.
Soon, a port filled with huge warships and the faintly visible outline of a magnificent city came into view.
Kronstadt and Saint Petersburg.
They had arrived in the Russian Empire.