Part 2

MAY 25, UNIFIED YEAR 1925, THE COMMONWEALTH, WHITEHALL

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The birth of an unopposed superpower on the continent could absolutely not be allowed. Having to face such a continent was the Commonwealth's geopolitical nightmare.

That was the foundation of the Commonwealth's foreign policy.

Which was why ever since the Empire had appeared as the latest blooming power, it had become a headache for these men. Outwardly, they were understanding when it came to the self-determination of nations, but inwardly, countries that were too powerful made them anxious.

And in fact, this man was taking it quite seriously. No, he was probably the one taking it the most seriously in all the Commonwealth—as a challenge to the destiny of the glorious Commonwealth as God's chosen nation.

So when the massive Empire began snapping at the other powers to break through their loose encirclement, he imagined the worst possible scenario, which made him quake with anger.

They were too dangerous. And when military personnel in the Commonwealth saw that the Empire was deftly fending off even the Republic's assault (practically a sneak attack at that), they came to him in shock to have a frank discussion about what to do.

Up to that point was fine.

But are you daft? he roared in his head as he plunged his cigar angrily into the ashtray. He exhaled smoke, mentally berating the numbskull gentlemen and their ridiculous burgeoning euphoria with every curse he could think of. He could only despair at the way every face he could see was relaxing into a cheerful smile.

The other day, the Imperial Army had retreated, abandoning the Low Lands to reorganize its lines. And now even his friends were commenting, as if they were certain the outcome of the war was self-evident. There were even idiots concerned about fashionable society, saying that if the war would just hurry up and end, they could rekindle relationships with old friends in the Empire.

To him, it was simply unbelievable. Even the sharpest critics and skeptics were questioning the Empire's ability to continue fighting in the newspapers, claiming its armed forces were quite vulnerable.

Thus, he deplored everyone else's relieved sighs.

And it wasn't uncommon for the key figures in the Commonwealth to be the target of his lamentations and contempt. Meanwhile, their sighs echoed off the walls of Whitehall, expressing relief that the balance of power would be restored.

The noble gentlemen sitting around playing cards, talking about how the war must surely be nearing its end, were evidence of how relaxed the Commonwealth had gotten. Was it a reaction against the dreadful prospect of a dominant Empire taking over the continent? A smooth advance for the Empire meant the collapse of their plan to balance power. The idea of the maritime nation facing the continental power alone had recalled the nobles' worst nightmares.

But yes—"had." Now that was all spoken of in past tense. Despite endeavoring to control themselves, everyone was grinning and chatting. The resonant laughter was erupting from their delighted anticipation of a bright future free of national security nightmares.

Thus, men like him, who made noise about the continued threat the Empire posed, were kept, albeit indirectly, at arm's length. "Oh, come now, you're not really interested in debating a problem that's already solved, are you?" came the gentle, roundabout reproofs. It was clear to see that the rampant euphoria and accompanying optimism had reached even the politicians, who should have been Machiavellist. What a bunch of happy fools!

Hence, impatient and seething with irritation, he was forced to attend another cabinet meeting.

"Well, gentlemen, it seems our friend the Republic will get this done for us."

Until just a few days ago, the prime minister had been clad in bespoke misery tailored from his anguish and suffering. But today he was leaning back in his chair puffing a cigar.

Even if he wasn't hiding his contentment, he did show self-restraint in his expression. Still, it was clear to all the cabinet members with one glance at his cheerfully relaxed

face and unusually crisp suit that he was in a good mood. They could all tell from his calm visage and the lack of dark circles under his eyes that he had slept well.

That thoroughly aggravated this man's already touchy feelings. He was forced to bemoan that, regardless of how this prime minister dealt with domestic problems, his political ability vis-a`-vis foreign affairs couldn't be relied on.

It was up to this man to protect the country God had chosen.

No matter what. He looked gloomily around at the complacent faces of the cabinet members in disbelief.

"Well, it's still a ways off, but… soon we'll be able to spend our weekends reuniting with old acquaintances at cafe´s in the Republic. I may love my country, but I miss wine."

"Indeed. It's been hard to go without the subtle flavor of those galettes."

Most of the cabinet ministers nodded at the murmured comment from the elderly minister sitting opposite the PM, showing that they all felt the return to normalcy was near. Only one man found their optimism difficult to fathom.

To the others, however, it was a foregone conclusion: The bothersome war would soon end. When that happened, the ferries would resume running between the Commonwealth and the Republic, which was why they could have these easygoing conversations about sipping wine over galettes on the Republican coast.

To put it in extreme terms, all these cabinet ministers were tasting the sweet happiness of freedom from anxiety. Hence the wherewithal to smile wryly at their country's poor food culture.

Of course, no one went so far as to say the war was actually over. As relaxed as everyone looked, besides this one man, they hadn't forgotten that the Imperial Army still existed. It hadn't been wiped out yet.

But once it lost the industrial base necessary to continue fighting the war, its fate was as good as sealed. "No matter how strong its soldiers are, they won't be able to change the outcome," the ministers commented as if they knew.

"In light of that, gentlemen, and focusing on what happens postwar, our plan should

be to intervene. Restoring the balance of power will come with a pile of challenges."

The prime minister and everyone else indicated that since they knew the outcome of the war, they could turn to the next issue. To them, the problem was the shape world order would take once the Empire fell.

"Our friends have borne nearly all the burden. We can't very well just enjoy the fruits of their labor. We should help them out a little."

"We still have the problem of the Federation as well as the loan from the Unified States. Couldn't we just take our improved national security situation as an opportunity to limit military expenditures?"

Some even preemptively celebrated victory, saying it was time to clarify the Commonwealth's position and that now was a chance to make an easy profit.

"It's still a bit too soon for that. Shouldn't we use our uninvolved position to arrange the peace talks?"

"I agree. We should order each agency to conduct a preliminary survey about a peace treaty. We should also have the fleet suggest to the Empire via a demonstration that unless they reach a swift peace, they'll make an enemy of us."

Even the people with fairly grounded opinions talked as if the war would end soon.

"If we hit them with the Royal Navy? Yes, indeed. Surely even the Empire would abandon their reckless resistance if it came down to picking a fight with the world's strongest maritime force and the world's most distinguished land army."

"Yes, they're a sickening bunch of rationalists, they are. If they were able to understand what our intervention would mean, perhaps they would sign a peace treaty before we even had to join the fight."

That is laughably optimistic.

At that point, the man finally had no choice but to chime in, and the urge drove him to his feet.

"Lord Marlborough? Did you have something?"

"Excuse the interruption, Prime Minister, but shouldn't we try to get our feet on the ground? I never thought the day would come that I would have to say, Lauso la mare e tente'n terro ('Praise the sea, but keep your feet firmly planted on the ground') to you gentlemen."

"Lord Marlborough, it's a bit strange to ask you this, considering the navy is your jurisdiction, but our navy possesses not medieval galleys but capital ships up to super dreadnought–class, does it not?"

He understood the sarcastic fellow was reaching for a contextual meaning different from what he intended. So the man, Marlborough, brought his cigar back to his mouth, took a drag, and argued confidently back. "Chancellor Loluyd, I beg your pardon, but if you would kindly take the simple meaning and not get distracted by the context. We can only strike a decisive blow against the Empire with our land army. They're a land nation, so threatening their sea lanes will not cause critical damage."

"Lord Marlborough, I admit that what you're saying is correct. But even so, the Empire is in the process of losing their western industrial region. How will they fight a war once that occurs?"

Sadly, his ideas were only capable of attracting agreement from a purely military viewpoint. As Loluyd sarcastically pointed out, in the event that the Empire lost the western industrial region, which contained the nation's largest manufacturing base, it would lose much of its footing for continuing the war.

Once that happens, surely the Empire will lay down its sword. Even if it wasn't stated explicitly, Marlborough could hear it.

"If you'll allow me to speak in my capacity as Chancellor of the Exchequer, both the Empire and the Republic have virtually obliterated their finances. Just imagine them spending at the same levels for a few more months. They'll end up in the red following the end of hostilities and be stuck paying back loans for forty years."

He spoke of what should perhaps be called the biggest illusion of all: financial limitations. No matter what happens, the Empire and all the rest of the countries participating in the war will go broke. Reaching for his tea with a "Nonsense!" Loluyd must have felt, with a little bit of Commonwealth austerity, that it would be stupid to join a war in which everyone was running their finances into the red.

"Well, but we're going to end up joining anyhow, so it would be annoying to do so too late. For now, get ready to send the fleet out. Let's also order the army to prepare for an expedition."

Marlborough couldn't understand everyone's leisurely attitude; they didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation or how great the glory was that awaited. Permission for "preparations," as if that were the prudent move? From his point of view, it would be too late.

"Excuse me—if it's an order, I'll instruct the fleet to be ready, but do you really think the Empire will shamefully retreat and swallow a peace treaty? Don't tell me you gentlemen all seriously believe that!"

And that's why, as his bulldoggish face flushed with anger, Marlborough shouted at the top of his lungs. He wanted to scream at them, Quit joking around! At the same time, he knew that his worst-case prediction wouldn't be funny at all.

The cold looks he was getting proved that they were sharing the same thought.

Prepare to deploy? You must be kidding.

"If anything, what comes after that will be the hardest part. Shouldn't we be talking about postwar reconstruction? Where is the money to rebuild the Entente Alliance and Dacia going to come from? I'd like you to think of our gold reserve balance. No matter how City we may be, I'm not sure we can pay all those reconstruction fees."

"On the other hand, we don't want to get overrun by the anarchist Reds. This is such a headache. We need to take into account what the Federation is up to."

From the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the home secretary's exchange, it sounded like everything was decided; they all but said no further debate was necessary.

Of course, they had their points. They gave much more weight to the issue of how to deal with the postwar situation because they had sincere concerns how obliterated finances and economic confusion in a country would give tremendous leeway to the communists for their schemes.

"…Lord Marlborough, did you have something else?" The prime minister's somewhat irritated tone of voice made his thoughts clear: This issue is closed, so why are you still prattling on about it?

"Of course, consulting one another about postwar matters is all well and good, but I'd like you to remember that all of that will only come after we finish up what you gentlemen seem to think is a small matter. Now I hope we can begin drawing up a plan for dispatching troops?"

"If we're dispatching troops, we should keep the Imperial Navy in mind. In other words, the navy should send escorts alongside the land units. To put it another way, the plan is up to you, Lord Marlborough. You may draw it up as you like."

The prime minister, sounding fed up with the whole conversation, readily gave the permission, telling the First Lord he could do as he wished with his authority. His mind was otherwise occupied with intentions to solve domestic issues, especially the serious one to the north, so he felt conflicted about having his time taken up with foreign affairs.

To be frank, the predominant mood of the room was one of annoyance at the First Lord, who seemed so eager to stick their nose into war and root around for glory.

"That said, Lord Marlborough, I realize it's not your jurisdiction, but do you know how many infantry units we have available to send overseas? Seven divisions, plus a division of cavalry. We can't deploy Local Defense Volunteers overseas. What are you even planning to do with that few troops anyway?"

"They can die with the Republicans, can't they?"

The prime minister made that remark with exasperation befitting the leader of a nation with its hands tied, and he was momentarily shocked by the Duke of Marlborough's resolute reply.

Die with the Republicans…? You're saying that's a reason to send young people to the battlefield?

About the same time, however, the cabinet meeting understood the political implications. If Commonwealth soldiers formed ranks with Republican soldiers, and if at the end of their march, boots in step, they fell—if even one man from the Commonwealth fell—in an imperial attack, the Commonwealth wouldn't be able to back down.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but why must we bleed for the Republic? Why not let the Republican peasants till the stability of the continent and then respectfully reap their

harvest?"

"It's not as if I necessarily agree with the home secretary, but I'm not going to jump into a fire I am capable of putting out."

And so the cabinet members furrow their brows in thought, pondering why anyone would doubt that staying out of such absurdity would best serve the Commonwealth's interests.

"So the biggest illusion is right after all? The war is already so huge that it's not worth the cost. It would be a waste of money. Did you look at the financials of the warring countries that the Chancellor of the Exchequer put together?"

Ridiculous! They can't keep up these irrational expenditures forever. Why should we have to waste money like that? They had doubts backed up by numbers; in a way, they were right.

"Chancellor, are you certain there's no mistake?"

"Yes. The warring countries are already relying on domestic bonds and foreign loans. The Unified States, in particular, is underwriting the war in great part; their influence is rapidly expanding. The Empire and the Republic are no exception—they don't have enough even after coming up with provisional measures that throw most of their national budget into the military."

"Well. So between reparations and whatnot, the Empire will be put out of commission. Perhaps we should be more worried about political stability in the Republic?"

The opinion indicated that they were convinced the warring countries were already facing those troubles. In other words, the war would naturally end soon. No nation had enough energy to maintain such excessive consumption forever.

And so, as God's chosen country refused to act, Marlborough, with no outlet for his frustration, was compelled to construct a deployment plan "just in case."

But…

Marlborough's plans would change when a furious man from the admiralty flew into his office and told him that all the assumptions the Commonwealth had made were crumbling at their very foundations.