Atlantic Ocean pentagram Alliance
July 12, 1890.
Capital of the German Empire.
Berlin.
"Hmmm. Who should we bring in?"
German Empire.
Confederate States of America (CSA)
Empire of Brazil.
Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Ottoman Empire.
The Atlantic Ocean pentagram Alliance, which I envision as a counterweight to the Alliance of the Russian Empire, the French Republic, and the British Empire.
Of course, this alliance is not without its problems.
The Brazilian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire are too weak to hold the Russian Empire together.
The Confederate States of America (CSA) has a strong economy and can be expected to act as a supply depot, but its military power is inferior to that of the European powers, and it must be kept in check by the United States.
In effect, the German Empire alone would have to act as a hammer to crush its allies.
"Besides, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is not part of the Atlantic Pentagon Alliance."
"Why? Oh, no?"
"Yes. Because the Austro-Hungarian Empire will be anschlussed by our German Empire, and our Aryan people, suffering under Habsburg oppression, will be placed in the arms of Hohenzollern."
"..."
"That leaves one spot, and who should we fill it with?"
At my words, Bismarck put down the glasses he was wearing.
He thought for a moment, and then came up with a quick answer.
"What about the Japanese Empire?"
"Based on what?"
"Well, they're an industrialized semi-power in Asia, and they're on very bad terms with Great Britain, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea to take out one of their friendly countries."
"..."
"Besides, it's an Asian country, and it has a large population, so I think pushing the Japanese into the front line with bullet holes will exponentially reduce the damage to us Germanic peoples."
Bismarck's words are very, very logical by common sense, but I know.
The Japanese empire is very clever.
With the help of the British Empire, the Japanese Empire won the Qing-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, but in World War I, the Japanese Empire did not commit troops to the Western Front.
Of course, it's not that I don't understand the Japanese Empire's position, as their military was very, very poor compared to the European powers, but I was frankly disgusted.
"Take what you can get, and then stab them in the back later. Ah! This is why we should learn and apply the island nation's dirty tricks, while the chivalrous lunatics just shut up and charge."
"From the look on your face, I guess the Japanese Empire is a pass."
"Yeah. Pass on the Japanese Empire. Hmm. So who should we put in the Atlantic Pentagon Alliance instead of the Austro-Hungarian Empire?"
-Click. Click. Click. Click.
I tapped my fingers on the wooden desk, lost in thought.
Suddenly, I remembered an appointment.
"By the way, aren't you supposed to meet with Alexander III, Tsar of the Russian Empire, in a year's time?"
"Yes. We agreed to meet in a place called Narva, Estonia."
"Hmm. Move that date up a bit. How about a week later?"
"...!!!!"
At my words, Bismarck instinctively realized.
The last seat in the Atlantic Pentagon Alliance could be occupied by a brown bear.
***
Alexander III's point of view.
July 18, 1890.
Capital of the Russian Empire.
St. Petersburg.
Alexander III, father of 130 million Russians and master of the Russian Empire, one of the world's top three superpowers.
He is troubled by a note he has just received from the German ambassador to Russia.
"The Kaiser wishes to see me at an earlier date, what do you think?"
At Alexander III's words, the five men in the giant alcove exchanged glances.
This was before the establishment of the Duma, which manifested itself in the increased rights of the common people, so there was no prime minister wielding great power.
In effect, the five men present could be said to lead the great Russian empire.
The Patriarch, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the state religion of the Russian Empire with 100 million adherents.
Konstantin Pobedonoschev.
"Although the German Empire has fallen through modernization, industrialization, and secularization, their power has exploded and they are now being called the top three superpowers, and I don't think it would have been a bad idea to meet with the monarch of the German Empire at an earlier date."
Foreign Minister, head of the Russian Empire's Foreign Ministry, a crucial casting boat in the power games of the Atlantic Pentagon Alliance and Great Britain challenging Pax Britannica's ascendancy.
Ivan Dilich.
"I am against it. How dare the German Empire inform the Tsar of the great and glorious Russian Empire that the German Empire is in a sorry position, that it lacks an ally against the British Empire, a superpower that has dominated the world for centuries, that it lacks allies, that it lacks even its own bilge gear."
Minister of Finance, head of the Ministry of Finance, which oversaw railroad construction, industrialization policies, and economic development for the Russian Empire, the sixth largest economy in the world.
Mikhail Hirs.
"The German Empire is the richest country in the world, even though its behavior is disgusting. The size of its economy is embarrassing, but it has long since surpassed the Russian Empire and is on par with the mainland of the British Empire. We would rather take this opportunity to attract massive investment from the German Reich, sell government bonds, and profit from it."
The head of the Russian Empire's armed forces, with the power to conscript up to 15 million troops and project Mother Russia's status to the rest of the world.
Dmitry Milutin.
"Absolutely not! The Russian imperial army is the strongest in the world, and no country can stand a chance against us. Only strong military power moves the world, be it economic or political!"
2:2
Despite the German Kaiser's assertive stance, the top echelons of the Russian Empire were split down the middle.
In fact, by this number alone, the Russian Empire is a disgrace.
One year.
No. More like 800 days, if you count the negotiations that took place underwater from the time Wilhelm II began his ascension to the rightful monarch of the German Empire.
That's how long the highest echelons of the two powers negotiated the decision.
But when the Kaiser of the German Empire suddenly announces that he wants to meet in a week's time, it is a humiliation that the top of the Russian Empire, which is very, very proud, cannot bear.
'It also signaled the explosive growth of the German Empire's power. It means that even the Russian Empire, which had been playing the Great Game with the British Empire for nearly a hundred years, is now deeply troubled by the German Empire's behavior.'
But everyone at the top of the Russian Empire knows this.
If you compare economics, military, diplomacy, politics, colonies, and so on, the German Empire is clearly outclassing the Russian Empire.
Except in population.
***
'Kaiser. Kaiser. Kaiser. They're too big for me, and as much as I'd like to chew on their opinions, I have something to eat.'
Alexander III was torn.
He honestly wanted to ignore the Germans, but he was already bound by contract to them.
Why would the Russian Empire take Jerry's side in the colonial negotiations between the German Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands?
It all came down to watered-down negotiations.
"Tsk. I can't help it, I've got a lot on my plate. Notify him to meet me in a week."
"Okay. Oh, by the way, the German ambassador to Russia has informed me of one more thing."
"...What else?!"
Alexander III's brow furrowed at the foreign minister's words.
The barbaric German Empire, with all its chivalry, is always being notified, notified, notified.
Ugh. Barbarians.
"What else have they informed you of?"
"They want me to bring Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, Crown Prince of the Russian Empire, to these talks."
"What the hell are you talking about, summoning the Emperor of the Russian Empire and the first in line to the throne at the same time, outside the capital, not even in the Imperial Palace?"
The Russian Empire is a land of assassinations.
If the Emperor and the first in line to the throne were to be in the same place at the same time, a bombing would immediately plunge the empire into chaos.
So, according to the Romanovs, the Emperor and the first in line to the throne could not be together.
"You crazy Jerrys! Don't you mean to call us all together and kill us all in one place?"
"Ah! The German Empire is also expecting the Kaiser and Empress, Wilhelm von Prussia."
"..."
At the foreign minister's words, Alexander III felt an instinctive sense of crisis.
"How old was Wilhelm von Prussia this year?"
"...Eight years old."
"My son is twenty-two."
"..."
"..."
An unintelligible silence enveloped the room.
But the common thread was the image of an asshole, a madman, selling his daughter.