"I, the Emperor, Tsar and Dictator of All Russia, bestow the crown symbolizing the Princes of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Seminigallia, my eldest daughter. and declared her to be the sovereign of the Baltic principalities, the protector of all the Baltic people, the defender of Christianity in the Baltics, the lords of the Baltics, and at the same time the Grand Duchess of the Russian Empire......"

In the church of Gliniko Palace, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, dressed in red military attire, took the crown symbolizing the monarchs of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalia from an Orthodox bishop in a golden robe and crown. Under the watchful eyes of the ambassadors of neutral and friendly countries who were watching the ceremony, he personally put it on Olga, who was half-kneeling on the ground and wearing a golden cloak. The head of the Grand Duchess Nikolaevna, who then declared her the monarch of the Baltic principalities.

Then Olga took an oath in both Russian and German: "I, the monarch of the Duchy of the Baltic, Grand Duke Olga hereby takes the crown of the monarch of the Baltic, and I swear to preserve the territorial integrity of the principality, to respect and cause respect for God and freedom of religious rites, equality of rights, political freedom and civil liberties, and to protect the lawful property of citizens from being violated; Only taxes are levied according to law; upholding the constitutional dignity of the Baltics; To rule only for the good, happiness and honor of the Baltic people. ”

It was a very solemn coronation, and it didn't look like a puppet anymore. Standing behind the Grand Duchess, Hirschmann, who listened to her oath in both German and Russian, felt a little helpless. I have been busy for so many days, just for the Soviet-German friendship after the war - it is difficult to say what happened in the forties, but there was no problem in the twenties and thirties, right?

But now something is going to happen! Who made himself a little lieutenant colonel? The plan that has been painstakingly developed is only one of many options in the end. Whether it is adopted or not depends on the ideas of the big people above.

The situation now is clear, Wilhelm II, who is about to lose the throne, is still struggling, not to carry out the most reactionary White Terror in Germany in order to force the population to support the war, but to curry favor with the Entente by betraying the interests of Soviet Russia. Although the probability of success is very low, it will suddenly cast a shadow on the already small friendship between the Soviet Union and Germany.

Of course, the mentor in Moscow must have had a similar idea! Mrs. Colontai was only an envoy who had arrived quietly, not a public "envoy". And Mrs. Colontai did not mention the establishment of diplomatic relations between Soviet Russia and the Baltics. It seems that the "non-aggression pact" that was secretly signed has become a waste of paper, and I am afraid that it will be very difficult to think about how to carry out Russian-German cooperation in the future.

……

It's been a few hours since the coronation was over, and most of the guests had left worriedly, including the Kaiser and the Tsar, and even the celebratory dinner had been canceled. These two former mortal enemies are now grasshoppers on a rope.

The Tsar knew with a little brain that it would be difficult to rely on Britain and France to help restore the restoration. The only one who can be relied on is his "good brother" William. As long as the British and French were willing to spare Wilhelm II's Germany, Wilhelm II's army would be able to send the tsar to the Winter Palace in Petrograd for a maximum of two weeks!

Considering what the Bolsheviks did when they came to power, especially machine-gun ration squads or something...... The Tsar may now be the object of many people's nostalgia. As soon as Nicholas II was restored in the Winter Palace, the Bolsheviks would probably run out of food and go away.

If the British and French were to be counted on, there would not necessarily be an intervention force advancing on Petrograd in six months' time, because the war with Germany would be concluded before they could send troops to help Russia, and even if the Germans surrendered immediately, it would take months to disarm and draw up a treaty. Moreover, Britain and France are both democratic countries, and it is so easy to send troops to Russia to interfere in the civil war and other things, so easy to pass the parliament? By the time the parliamentarians came up with a result, the Bolsheviks had already beaten down the White Army.

"God, I am now a true Grand Duke! It's unbelievable to think about when I was 'caught' by you last year. ”

Archduchess Olga smiled from the bottom of her heart, revealing her white teeth. "Ah, yes. Colonel, I would like to stay in Berlin for a few more days. ”

"How many more days?" Hersman was having dinner with Chloe, the proud Grand Duchess and the "beer-bellied" general. According to the planned itinerary, the Grand Guild will depart for Riga tomorrow evening.

"But the situation in Berlin is ......very chaotic," Hirschmann said thoughtfully, "it could happen at any time, and I think we should return to the Polo as soon as possible." ”

The Grand Duchess smiled and snorted and said, "Ha! They all say you're a magical 'crow's mouth', and I don't think you're going to say that this time. Because peace on the Western Front will come at any moment...... The real danger to Britain and France was the Bolsheviks! Now they have taken control of the most populous and economically developed regions of Russia. It seemed as if Hungary was about to fall into their hands, and the Soviets there were as powerful as they had been in Russia before August 1917. Even Germany had a little problem, and I heard that the sailors in the port of Kiel had also formed a Soviet. Under these circumstances, why can't we unite and eradicate the Bolsheviks, the cancer of the whole world? ”

"It's hard to say on the English and French side......" Hersman shook his head, "Isn't there no reply yet?" ”

"Hey, we don't really need a lot of foreign help." General Beer Belly interjected, "As long as the Baltic government does not expel our men and allows us to gather forces in Estonia, we will have plenty of weapons." Even without the deployment of the Baltic Defense Army, we will be able to retake Petrograd next spring. ”

The general who spoke was named Nikolai. Nikolaevich. Yudenich was the commander of the North-Western Army of Belarus. After the August Revolution, he went to Estonia to restore it with the help of the Germans. However, the German Baltic authorities did not support it much, and later expelled all the armed White Russians to Finland. But now he has become a guest of Berlin!

"Colonel Hersman," Yudenich asked, "I hear that you know the situation on the Russian side very well?" ”

"Yes, I am the general manager of the Russian-German Economic Promotion Company," replied Hersmann, "and we have great trade relations with Soviet Russia. ”

Business looks like it's going to take a break! Before attending the coronation of the Grand Duchess, Hersman gave the order to retreat to the various branches in Moscow, Petrograd and Kiev. All employees of the company, including Russian employees (voluntarily evacuated), were to be evacuated to Riga in the shortest possible time.

"Then you should know how difficult it is there!" Yudenich said angrily, "They killed a lot of people, they took hostages everywhere, and they also sent Cheka teams to the countryside to grab food, and anyone who resisted will be shot, these villains are simply heinous!" Now the Russian people must be looking forward day and night for His Majesty the Tsar to return. ”

"Well, Your Excellency (Yudenich is an infantry general), you may have a point." Hersmann, of course, knew that the Bolsheviks were acting harshly, but this ruthlessness was able to squeeze out all the war potential in the shortest possible time - by killing chickens and eggs. "However, I still think that we must wait until Britain and France give Polo full support before launching an attack."

Yudenich and the Grand Duchess exchanged glances with each other, and the Grand Duke looked at Hersmann with affectionate eyes, and was about to speak. Hursmann's secretary, Second Lieutenant Rosenberg (Polo's rank), ran in in a panic. Before the man could stand firm, he shouted, "Hamburg! Riots in Hamburg! ”

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