-Seeds of Reform-

"Sorry to interrupt you in your excitement, but do you really think coordinated action will work?"

　A thin, pale man interrupted the heated discussion.

"Colonel Wrangel..."

　The man's name is Pyotr Wrangel. He is a nobleman by birth and serves as the commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry Brigade. He is nicknamed the Black Baron because of his penchant for wearing black clothing, which is also the national dress code.

"Look at the British and French armies. They can't even coordinate with their artillery on land. How can they coordinate with their artillery in the air?"

　Apart from the arrogant attitude of an aristocrat, Wrangel's point is valid: the idea of ​​putting bombs on planes and using them as mobile artillery is certainly an interesting one.

　However, there's something missing with just that.

"...like sending a messenger plane."

Wrangel shrugged as Tatiana timidly explained her spontaneous idea.

"Well, if bombers are flying artillery, then it makes sense that we'd need flying messengers as well. Though I'm not sure if their messages would reach them."

　Tatiana's beautiful face swelled up a little at the sarcastic remark. No one had ever behaved so rudely at court, and even though she was grown up, she was still young enough to be called a girl, so she couldn't help but sulk and become stubborn.

"Well, maybe some semaphore signals."

"It's better than before, but you can't see through clouds or fog. It's also weak at night. And it's a pain to need a telescope."

"Smoke signal!"

"The enemy will know too."

"Signal flare!"

"Hmm… Well, it should be possible to roughly specify the bombing points. However, it would still be impossible to communicate complex details."

"So, the carrier pigeon..."

"It will be a healing experience for the soldiers."

Although Tatiana becomes angry, she gradually becomes more and more unable to back down, so Wrangel mercilessly cuts her down with sarcasm and sound reason.

　He does indirectly admit that the signal flares could be somewhat useful, so although he may be a bit harsh, he does give credit where credit is due.

"Well then, let's think about using signal flares for now."

　Kuropatkin comes to the rescue and tries to settle the matter for the time being, Wrangel shrugs, and Tatiana nods in agreement.

(Well, as Colonel Wrangel said, it's not that impressive...)

　All of Tatiana's ideas are sound, or rather, they are an extension of existing technology, and are of the "do in the air what we have been doing on land until now" type. They are easy to understand and accept for army officers such as Kuropatkin, but the reality is not so kind that simply doing the same thing in the air is a perfect solution.

　But, I can't think of any other breakthrough ideas.

　The military personnel here are all elites, but because they are elites they understand that existing methods are based on a great deal of trial and error, and so they tend to favor gradual reforms that involve as little risk as possible.

But then a man with a broad forehead and an unruly beard steps in and interrupts them: physicist Alexander Popov.

"Hmm, perhaps a time like this is my turn?"

　Dr. Popov, smiling with his kindly droopy eyes narrowing even further, was a man who succeeded in developing wireless at roughly the same time as Italy's Marconi. Both armies used wireless in the Russo-Japanese War, and it is said that the victory of the Japanese Navy was due to its superior wireless communication speed. It is no exaggeration to say that he was Russia's leading expert on wireless communication.

"...I see, using a wireless connection could certainly solve the problem. However--"

"There's no money like that anywhere."

　Kuropatkin tried to evade the question, but Wrangel did not hesitate to say so: radios were very expensive in those days, and only a few were owned by the entire army.

"I don't think that's the case, but you're not going to put luxury items that are only being discussed at the division level on all of your planes, are you?"

"Of course not. It will happen eventually. Yes, it must."

"It's a pipe dream."

　Wrangel cuts it off without a word.

"It's true that if you ignore cost-effectiveness, you can make any super weapon you want. But we have to fight with maximum efficiency within our limited budget."

　Wrangel's words expressed the thoughts of all military personnel. After all, if you have money, you can create any army of your dreams, but in reality, you have to work hard and bleed because you don't have that money.

　However, Dr. Popov has not dedicated his life to research for nothing. He does not back down even one step against the imposing physique of Wrangel, and instead seems to be inspired by his fighting spirit.

"This is also an investment. You're young, but you're stubborn."

"Any decent soldier wouldn't invest in the whims of an amateur. I'll bet on it, but there's no one in the military who's stupid enough to take your gamble."

"Then I win the bet. I have a big investor."

　Wrangel, who had been mocking Dr. Popov up until then, now frowned at the confident Dr. Popov. He reflexively looked back at Kuropatkin and the others, but they simply shook their heads, not understanding what he was talking about.

"...Who is it?"

"The great Tsar, our Emperor Nicholas II himself."

　The look on Wrangel's face when he heard those words was quite a sight, Kuropatkin later recalled.

"...Seriously?"

"Seriously?"

"..."

After a moment of awkward silence, Wrangel let out a big sigh and raised both hands in an exaggerated pose that said "I surrender."

"If that's the case, it can't be helped."

　When he finds out that Dr. Popov has been hiding the most powerful Joker from the beginning, he feels frustrated at having been tricked, but he quickly turns his back on him, realizing that a loss is a loss.

"picture"

　Tatiana, who was listening nearby, was confused by Wrangel's sudden change in attitude, as he agreed to the plan without any consideration of logic, simply because "the Tsar said so."

"Um, is my father really that trustworthy...?"

"Well, he is the Emperor after all."

"Well, if His Majesty says so, then it must be so."

"After all, it is His Majesty Nikolai."

　Is that okay?

　I couldn't help but comment in my mind. Tatiana had also often heard her father Nikolai say things like, "It's not what you say, but who says it that matters," but I realized once again that humans are creatures who are driven by authority rather than logic.

　Of course, all of these generals and researchers were chosen by their father, Nicholas II, for one reason or another, which explains their loyalty.

　However, the difference that trust makes is by no means small.

Wrangel was not completely convinced by Dr. Popov, but he seemed to at least recognize it as a problem that needed to be taken seriously. He had previously started from a negative standpoint, but now he started from a positive standpoint.

"Well, I may have gone too far earlier, but on the other hand, wireless is the best, as long as you can manage the cost. Dr. Popov, can you make this cheaper?"

"Some Marconi kid in Italy is making a cheaper version for commercial use, but the patent fees are high."

"Can't we make a pirated version by reverse engineering it? Our country is good at that sort of thing. And since we have His Majesty's approval, why don't we just make a dead copy and test it out?"

　Although I do wonder what the point of that is, we are currently at war. The general consensus among the military personnel present was that copyright is of no concern to them.

　**

　His daughter Tatiana watched in disbelief as the generals around her praised her father and the once conservative Russian army began discussing the new technology. None of this was possible before the war.

(Somehow, this is turning out to be a more amazing story than I thought it would be...)

　Perhaps due to the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War and the continuing recession, even Tatiana, who had been raised at court, was aware of the fact that her father, Nicholas II, had a poor reputation among the public.

　Even when the war broke out and his approval rating suddenly soared, I had privately looked at it coldly, thinking it was just temporary enthusiasm, but it seemed the generals in front of me were genuinely inspired.

　The more I learned about him, the more impressed I was with my father, Nicholas II's progressiveness and deep insight. His readings were so sharp that I wondered if he had seen into the future, and it even made me feel cold and scared.

　In fact, her father has changed a lot - and as one of his daughters, Tatiana knows this more than anyone else. The doctors said he just had short-term memory loss and was a little confused, but Tatiana didn't think so.

Her father in her memory was not a strong leader, but a kind, family-oriented father. Although he could be a little narrow-minded, she remembers him as a generally sincere and gentle person.

　However, when my father wakes up from a coma of unknown cause, he exudes a stern aura, as if Ivan the Terrible or Peter the Great had been resurrected.

　Until now, my father had a reputation for being a rather passive, "whatever-it-takes" type of leader, but now he led everyone with a strong, almost self-righteous style of leadership.

　Tatiana still can't decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. As a daughter, she feels very confused by the change in Nikolai, her real father.

　However, as the "Father of the Nation," Nicholas certainly seemed to be leading Russia in a positive direction.

(Perhaps this war changed my father. He was originally a thoughtful person, and perhaps he really did foresee the outcome of this war when it began...)

　The only way to govern and guide the vast country of Russia was through a tsarist dictatorship that exercised iron fisted rule... This was the political climate in Russia that had been cultivated for 300 years under the Romanov dynasty, and for the 500 years since their father the Tsar reigned over Mother Russia.

Behind the mask of Western rule of law, "fair rule under the law," he wields Eastern theocracy, "The Tsar is angry and punishes God."...Even though he was baptized by the Western Renaissance, the Tsar must remain an angry father who brings down the hammer of terror on all the people of Mother Earth Russia, refusing to give them any say in the matter.

　---enviable.

　A world I cannot see right now. I want to know what my father sees in the distant future.

　In just two years, the world I knew has changed dramatically. New inventions appear every day, and the door to a completely unknown world opens.

　For Tatiana, who had been spending her boring days dancing and socializing in the safety of the palace, this was the first time she had ever experienced any kind of excitement.

　Of course, this emotion is closely related to the fear of death. One wrong step could cost tens of thousands of people their lives; humanity is on the verge of opening Pandora's box.

　---But still, I want to know what happens next.

　The first time I boarded an airship, I discovered the joy of opening the door to a completely unknown world.

　It was a dream she would never have had if she had stayed in the palace in Petrograd where she was born and raised. She would flaunt her charms at the social gatherings that were held almost every night, practice dancing, eventually marry into a noble family, give birth to an heir, and then spend the rest of her life as if she were no longer needed... This was the exact opposite path to a boring life.

　But even so, I want to continue on this path for now. And eventually.

--- Someday, I'll surely stand in the same place as my father.

　Tatiana's heart was filled with anticipation, and without realizing it, a terrible smile appeared on her face.