Chapter 46 Where Is the Tsar?

"Struggle! Struggle! Struggle!"

On the train station square, tens of thousands of Baltic Volkssturm shouted battle slogans. They were not created by Hessmann, but were established under the order of Admiral Goltz. The basis is the theory of people's war proposed by Marshal Goltz (Marshal Colmar von der Goltz).

This marshal wrote the classic military work "The Armed People". He commanded the Turkish army to fight in the Middle East during the World War and died of typhoid fever in April 1916, so he did not see the heartbreaking scene. Because he taught at the Military Academy for a long time, his theory was extremely influential in the German army and was known to almost all officers.

In the United Principality of the Baltics, due to the small population, the number of regular troops was ultimately limited. Universal military service became an inevitable choice! So after the organization of the Baltic Defense Force was completed, the Defense Force Command led by General Goltz began to incorporate all male Baltic Germans who could take up arms, as well as some Latvian and Estonian volunteers, into the People's Stormtroopers, with a total force of 100,000!

Including the regular army of the Baltic Defense Force and the Free Corps (currently still the German army) that was prepared to stay in the Baltic temporarily, the Baltic United Principality would be able to mobilize more than 250,000 troops after the defeat of Germany!

Now the main forces of the Baltic Defense Force and the German army stationed in the Baltic have been transferred to the Courland Peninsula and Estonia for defense, and the People's Stormtroopers are mainly guarding Riga.

Amid the slogans, Hersman came down from the podium and saw Mrs. Kollontai who had been waiting for a while. The latter was wearing precious furs, dressed very fashionably, and brought two followers, as if she was a rich White Russian woman from Russia.

There were also more wealthy White Russians in Riga, most of whom escaped while the Bolsheviks had not yet closed the country's borders. Some were expelled by the Bolsheviks, mainly celebrities and scholars, as well as senior socialists (non-Bolsheviks). The Bolsheviks did not dare to attack them, so they were expelled.

"Ludwig, your speech has improved rapidly!" Kollontai hugged Hirschmann affectionately, "You will catch up with Lenin if you continue like this."

"Lenin? Haha, still far away!" Hirschmann saw Nagy Imre, "Who is this friend? Alexandra, he is not your new boyfriend, right?"

If you say this to Chloe, she will definitely roll her eyes. But Kollontai is famous for her boldness. She laughed and said, "Actually, he is not, at least not yet. Let me introduce you to Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig von Hirschmann - this is Nagy Imre, a Hungarian revolutionary, and a representative of Comrade Bela."

Nagy? Nagy, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers who was executed after the Hungarian incident? Hessman always seemed to meet some guys who died a miserable death, either shot, died in prison or committed suicide, so he was used to it.

"Comrade Imre, welcome to the United Baltic Principality." Hessman took the initiative to shake hands with the young Nagy. "20 million Hungarian people have begun to fight, I wish you victory soon!"

"Lieutenant Colonel, I came here for this matter." Nagy Imre said.

"Okay," Hessman nodded, "This is not the place to talk, let's get in the car and talk. By the way, Chloe, give the guests some masks."

"Masks?" Kollontai frowned, "Is the flu also spreading in Riga?"

She was talking about the Spanish flu, which first appeared in the United States and was not very deadly at first. But in August, the flu suddenly became a killing weapon. In the three months of August, September, and October, it swept across several Western Front countries such as the United States, Britain, and France. The barracks on the front line were full of patients, and thousands of soldiers died-this is probably the main reason why the Allied offensive slowed down after August.

On October 17, Ludendorff also admitted that the German front was also full of sick soldiers. Then the deadly cold spread throughout Germany, and the Baltics were also affected.

…

The carriage drove to the Courland Manor on the outskirts of Riga. It was the headquarters of the Russian-German Economic Promotion Company in Riga. Because Mrs. Kollontai came secretly, it was not suitable for her to live in Riga, but she was arranged to stay in the secluded Courland Manor. There she will sign a secret "Non-Aggression Treaty" with Baron Pierburg, the Prime Minister of the United Baltic Principality - the Baltic promise not to allow the White Russians to use their territory as a base to attack the Soviet Union, nor to provide assistance to Poland and Ukraine when the Soviet Union and Poland and Ukraine go to war. The Soviet Union promises not to invade the territory of the United Baltic Principality...

Along the way, Kollontai and Nagy were carefully observing the situation in Riga. Riga seemed quite stable, with Baltic stormtroopers patrolling the streets from time to time, and slogans written on the walls in German and Latvian, all of which were related to fighting to the end!

It is clear that the new Baltic Principality has been firmly controlled by the German militarists! Even the powerful Bolsheviks can't do anything, not to mention the social democratic anti-war activists.

Without these guys making trouble inside, the Baltic Principality can fight any invader... not only the Allied forces, but also the Bolshevik Red Army!

It will be a difficult battle to liberate Riga!

Moreover, the United Baltic Principality may also receive support from Britain and France. Because...Grand Duchess Olga Nikolayevna is a monarch that Britain and France cannot oppose.

The Bolshevik Central Committee has held many meetings to study this matter, and finally came to the conclusion: This is a very clever arrangement! If the Allies want to use the Tsar to interfere in the Russian Revolution - this is almost the only way to unite the White Guards! Then they must recognize the Tsar as the legitimate monarch of Russia and repudiate the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. In this way, Tsarist Russia was the winner rather than the loser of the world war.

In other words, Tsar Nicholas II was still the legal monarch of Courland, Livonia, Livonia and Estonia. He has the right to grant the three princely titles related to the four former Tsarist Russian provinces to Grand Duchess Olga, and as the second in line of succession to the Tsar - considering that Crown Prince Alexei suffers from severe hemophilia , Olga has a high probability of becoming the Empress of Russia - she is definitely qualified to accept those three prince titles!

Therefore, according to the international legal principles prevailing in Europe today, as long as Olga becomes the monarch of the Baltics. Whether this country is to be established is a matter for the Russian Empire, not the German Empire.

Britain and France had no reason to object - unless they believed that the principle of "national self-determination" in the "Fourteen Points for Peace" applied to the victorious countries.

But this was almost impossible, as it would cause chaos in the colonies of the British and French Empires.

Moreover, Olga Nikolayevna can actually become a pawn for Britain and France to subvert Soviet Russia. The Belarusian forces headed by Yudenich have been trying to use Estonia as a base to attack Petrograd. However, it could not be implemented because of the opposition of the Germans. If Olga became the monarch of the Baltic States after Germany's defeat, and with the support of Britain and France, it is entirely possible that the Baltic States would become a base area against Soviet Russia!

If it were not for the greater power of the Hungarian chess piece, Lenin would definitely object - but Lenin's objection may not be useful. After all, it is not the Soviet Union but Britain and France that can threaten the existence of the United Baltic Principality after Germany's defeat.

Moreover, the greatest threat to the Bolsheviks in the tsarist family was not the Grand Duchess Olga, but Nicholas II himself!

Now Lenin regretted it so much. If he had known that the Germans would be unable to withstand it so quickly, he would never have handed over the Tsar.

"When will the Grand Duchess Olga be crowned?" In the carriage, Kollontai asked about the Grand Duchess's coronation.

"November 4th," Hersman replied, "and will be coming to Riga in a while."

He had no intention of hiding anything. Now that the Soviet Union had an embassy in Germany and many friends (Spartacists), they would definitely be able to grasp the whereabouts of the Tsar's family.

"Then the Tsar...will come too?" Kollontai asked about the Tsar inadvertently.

"He's not coming," Hersman shook his head, then added, "At least I haven't heard of him coming... Alexandra, you know who he is? That's a big deal! "

The Tsar and Crown Prince Alexei are bargaining chips in Germany's hands - used to exchange for better peace conditions, so they will not be handed over easily.

"Will they live in Berlin?" Kollontai asked next.

"Yes, I will live in Berlin," Hersman said.