"And please, I would like the structure of the imperial Guard and all forces responsible for my protection by afternoon and also send word to the ministers of war and navy as well as the Governor-General to see me at once… after breakfast that is" Nicholas said with a smile
"As you wish it, Gesudar" Hesse replied as he saluted one more time before backing away.
As soon as the door was closed, Nicholas collapsed on his chair. His heart was beating fast, to an extent that he could swear that he could hear it. He had just woken up and now he was dealing with not just some revolution but also a full blown war.
Strikes and politics he could handle but war.. that was a whole different thing and even worse, he couldn't let it be a loss. As a monarch, a lot of your legitimacy depended on winning wars that you initiated or at least participated in and even when you did lose… make it look like a near miss.
However the situation he was looking at didn't exactly look good.. in fact he would dear say that it didn't even look bad… it was way past using the word 'Bad' for it.
Japan was winning the battle.
This isn't to underestimate Japan after all Modern Japan was a powerhouse of its own but for it to be defeating the Russian bear was something he would never anticipate. If the war was with China or Qing as it was called on the map on the wall then he would understand but Japan?
The documents didn't exactly note down a lot of things about the war and nothing in the reports read like a victory to begin with so he could safely assume that they were losing badly.
"Was this guy a fool or something?" Nicholas said picking up one of the pictures he found on the desk
It was a picture of the new him, dressed in a fanciful suit and surrounded by what he assumed was family. The man looked responsible and smart but somehow this was the man that had approved a war without caring enough to assess the situation of their state.
The Port had fallen just ten days ago and though the report seemed to only be reaching him now, it was without a doubt that the news had probably spread amongst the masses which would sort of explain the hike in revolutionary activity.
Besides that there was also the economic side to things, from what he could see in the reports, it was very clear that there was a higher chance that there might be a coup of some kind or at least that he would be forced to hand over some of his power.
The navy seemed to be an endless pit that ducked away the nation's finances as even the reports from the Ministry of Finance complained non-stop about it. War was expensive naturally but for the treasury to complain about a specific thing then something must be going on.
Yes, victory eventually pays for itself as it means more land and more people to extract the wealth from. However for now, it was nothing more than justification for the populace to mutiny. It only needed to meet the requirements… economic failure of the state and military humiliation.
Turning to the map, he stayed looking at it for a while as he tried to understand exactly why they were going to war. Port Arthur was in Chinese territory but yet the enemy was Japanese which meant that it was leased or something like that.
It would seem the Russian agenda and main aim was an ice-free port, the Russian winter is a known event of its own and every Russian port that He could find on the map would be completely frozen when it was winter which meant that Russian trade essentially stops.
The modern era solved this with icebreaker ships but the date on the reports was 12th January 1905, he was not just in the 20th century, he was literally just five years into the century. Such technology was nowhere to be seen.
The ports that were free a bit were open to blockages from other parties like the Ottoman Empire in the Black Sea. In essence Russian trade was halted during the winter. The map revealed that much so it made sense that Russia would lease a port from the Qing Dynasty or Empire.
However the question was why would China let two powers fight in its territory. Nicholas didn't know if it was because he was laying his image of modern China over this version of it but he still couldn't understand why the 'Celestial Empire' would let him face Japan without repercussions on their territory.
"As if just thinking about it would provide answers" He said as he finally turned away from the map
Whatever the reason for Qing allowing it, it was clear that he would need to come up with new strategies to ensure his win. Deciding to let the war be, he finally focused on the pictures hanging in the study
A massive picture of his new self was hung on the wall, Nicholas stood watching it for a while and still couldn't get used to the fact that this was what he looked like now. Remembering something, Nicholas immediately went back to the desk and picked up the picture that sat there. It was the same picture he had seen when he had initially come into study.
It was his new self, a woman and three children. Beside it was the image of a younger child. Touching the picture, his heart suddenly felt heavy for some reason, there was some strange sense of longing for them that he seemed to have inherited from his predecessor.
It wasn't something he could explain but he could feel a connection to them which made it almost unnecessary for him to try and ask who they were. He would say that this connection was good but the problem was that it meant that they were close to each other.
If he acted out of line then the wife would notice, the children could go blabbering about it to some cousin or uncle or aunt who could take advantage of things. The way he saw things, he was in trouble whether he visited home or not.
If he refused to return home, it was even far more suspicious as his predecessor seems to be a good husband but if he did go home, his new wife would surely realise the difference. Regardless, he was bound to be noticed so if he didn't want his head flying off anytime soon, it was best that he gathered as much information as he could.
"Besides who even transmigrates someone without giving them the necessary memories that come with the body" Nicholas complained
"Out of the times to fulfill my isekai wish it was into a man who already had a family and in the middle of war" he whispered under his breath as he continued to fiddle with the pictures
He didn't know what to do next or how to even overcome his current situation other than just to go along with the flow. The war he could potentially salvage if what he suspected was true after all it made no sense for such a large empire to be losing to a much smaller one even if the other party was technologically superior.
The numbers advantage was a very real thing, nations of old didn't sport thousands of men for no reason. Technological advantage needed to be taken into advantage as well but that advantage shouldn't really exist here. The bigger the empire, the more resources to modernise, no?
Listening to his own thoughts, a bad feeling continued to develop within. He had this bad feeling that things weren't as they should be logically, after all if it were logical then the nation wouldn't be going to war when their home front wasn't as stable
"Your Imperial Majesty" a voice called from outside the study
"Come in" he replied
With his response, Hesse entered the room with a bunch of documents in hand and following him were a bunch of servants along with a new person who was dressed in a different set of clothing.
The servants were wearing fancy clothing that didn't suit their role at all. If anything Nicholas considered that their fancy uniforms would interfere with their work constantly. As for the man leading them, he too wore some fancy outfit, he would say it was similar to Hesse's uniform but it was far too civil to be compared to each other.
The man looked to be in his early 50s or maybe actually be considerably younger considering that he moved with the agility of a younger man. Nicholas couldn't exactly tell how old he was and at the moment, he didn't care as much as he wanted more to know who he was than how old.
"Your breakfast is served, your imperial majesty" the man said with a bow while gesturing towards the table in the study.
Giving the Attendants space, Hesse and the man stood to the side with the man silently directing them as they set up the meal on the table. A minute later, they were done but Nicholas couldn't believe his eyes as he watched them leave.
"Is that all?" Nicholas blurted out without thinking
Hearing him, the two men immediately froze as they continued to stare at him. Realising what he had said, Nicholas immediately waved it off and sat down at the table. What was sitting before him was only a bowl and a tea cup.
The tea he understood but the bowl, he didn't. It contained something that he could only describe as gruel. Even he wouldn't have eaten something like this in his previous life, this was the very last thing he expected breakfast for an Emperor to be.
"If you wish your imperial majesty, i can prepare something else" The man said but Nicholas simply waved it off
"That is not necessary, however please give me something with a bit more substance for lunch" Nicholas replied.
He didn't know if this was regular practice or if it was his predecessor's preference but either way, it wasn't something that he would like to continue, it was no wonder why he looked so frail. He would say that the body looked fit but for some weird reason, he felt absurdly weak.
Initially he had thought it was just because he wasn't accustomed to being in a different body, however turns out it was probably because the body hadn't been receiving proper nutrients this far.
"As you wish, your majesty" the man bowed before leaving the room
"I have brought the documents you requested and Prince Vladimir Orlov is on his way to brief you properly on the war, your imperial majesty" Hesse said as he handled over the small wad of papers in his hands
"I see, when he arrives…" Nicholas said but got interrupted as he abruptly spat out the food
"Your imperial majesty, someone get a physician" Hesse shouted as he quickly ran to assist only for nicholas to hold his hand up.