ch26

The Polish kingdom was ravaged across its entire territory by the Imperial Army.

Quite literally, thoroughly.

In this era where the vast majority of infantry marched on foot, let alone trucks, how do you think the Imperial Army was able to traverse the entire territory of Poland at such a rapid pace? It was because they minimized their baggage.

All kinds of baggage, except for ammunition.

Then, some might wonder. If baggage was minimized, how was the supply of soldiers resolved?

The method was simple. Our Imperial Army thoroughly followed the teachings of Teacher Mo Qian-gu Lianye: procure supplies locally.

Food? Purchase it from local villages with military scrip. Of course, the payment is scheduled to be made after the war ends. Drinking water? Purchase it from local villages with military scrip. This, too, will be paid for after the war ends.

Refuse to sell food and water? Then be deemed to have joined the rebels and summarily executed on the spot.

Yes, an act that was virtually no different from plunder. This act was consistently carried out by hundreds of thousands of Imperial soldiers until they occupied Warsaw.

Naturally, the economy of the Polish countryside virtually collapsed.

And the Empire resolved this issue with miraculous logic.

“Since it happened in Poland, Poland should take responsibility. Mhm.”

They plundered the Polish national treasury and allocated it as rural support funds. The Polish people wanted to cry.

But their suffering did not end there.

The Empire had only tied Poland to the cross, not yet hammered the nails in.

And now. The Empire was trying to drive nails into their hearts.

The event known as the Warsaw Conference began.

Clatter, clatter. I boarded the Imperial train and set off for Warsaw.

All the railways in Poland were constructed according to Imperial standards, so there were no stops along the way.

It was only natural. The industrialization of all satellite states, including Poland, was led by Imperial corporations. In their position, they had no choice but to proceed with industrialization using the Empire as the ‘standard,’ whether they liked it or not.

Thanks to this, I could go straight to Warsaw without any stops in between, so I could say I was lucky.

Thinking so, I took a sip of tea. The taste of the tea was very…

“Um. Marie.”

“Y, Yes?!”

It seemed I had bitten my tongue. She hurriedly let out a short sound. I chuckled at her reaction.

“The tea tastes excellent. You’ve improved.”

“Ah… Hehehe… I actually worked hard to please Your Majesty…!”

Good grief… Am I raising a puppy or employing a maid… I snickered and said.

“Very good. Continue to strive as you do now.”

As I chatted with her about this and that, the red city of Warsaw came into view outside the window.

“Marie. I’d like you to do my makeup now.”

“Yes!”

It goes without saying, but I hate makeup. What kind of person in the world enjoys painting their face? Of course, it was also because I was too busy to even have time for makeup. That’s why I’ve only ever worn makeup three times: once at a funeral, once at an Imperial Council meeting, and once when giving the ‘Struggle Against Savagery’ speech.

But today, I needed to wear makeup. In other words, it was as important as the emperor’s funeral, as important as the meeting that would determine the fate of the Empire, as important as a national address.

Currently, all the royalty of the vassal and satellite states, except for my biological sister, were gathered in Warsaw.

The only reason they gathered in Warsaw was this:

To determine the Empire’s eastern territories, that is, the territories the Empire would newly acquire after the war.

I felt it on the way to the Warsaw royal palace.

They really destroyed it thoroughly.

Of course, the proportion of intact places was greater than that of damaged places. But the various facilities, including the church and city hall, which were virtually landmarks of Warsaw, had been ground to dust. The feeling of ‘This is Warsaw’ was… frankly speaking, not there at all.

“It’s such a shame. I wanted to see the beautiful landmarks of Warsaw with my own eyes at least once, don’t you think?”

The kings of the vassal states looked at me with expressions that seemed to say, ‘Is that really a human being?’

You guys shouldn’t be making those faces. You ran away overseas with your emergency funds while I took all the blame, didn’t you?

“Ahem, just kidding, just kidding. Don’t take it so seriously. Hehe.”

Only then did awkward laughter spread among them. Tsk. How boring. I clapped my hands to lighten the mood.

“Now, everyone. Thanks to the success of our security maintenance operation, we have succeeded in suppressing all the rebels in Poland! Please give a big round of applause to His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Wilhelm, who made a great contribution to this suppression operation!”

Of course, the suppression process was what it was. A lukewarm applause echoed. He seemed to understand this atmosphere well enough.

“But if there is good news, there is also sad news. Unfortunately… this incident has revealed that the administrative capacity of the Polish kingdom is insufficient to govern such a vast territory.”

I pretended to swallow tears for a moment. Of course, tears did come out. Tears of joy, though.

“Therefore, although it is truly sad, we have decided to divide the Polish kingdom into north and south. Northern Poland will be reorganized into the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, and its king will be His Highness Karl Albrecht, the former King of Poland.”

Perhaps he was shocked by the fact that the country he ruled was being split. My great-uncle’s face darkened.

As if he had any real power. What’s there to be sad about?

“And… Southern Poland will be reorganized into the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, taking the name of the Kingdom of Galicia that was located there in the past. It will form a personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary.”

My great-uncle, Grand Duke Otto, heard the unexpected good news and his expression brightened. Geez. Why is he grinning like that? I’m planning to feed him until he bursts.

Well, he’s about to rule a great power spanning Eastern Europe, so he has reason to be happy. Although I don’t know how long it will last.

“Great-uncle. I look forward to your help in the future.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please come to me anytime if you need help.”

What a pushover. I smiled and nodded.

“Great-uncle? You can sign here.”

I handed him the paper.

“I… I cannot sign such a document.”

He stood up abruptly, as if he couldn’t bear it.

“It seems you’ve lived in Poland for too long. To the point where you mistake yourself for a Pole.”

Hahaha. Laughter spread through the hall.

“Since the King of Poland has given up signing, I, as the head of the Habsburg family, will sign instead.”

I scribbled a signature there and continued.

“Then let’s move on to the next agenda item.”

It seemed that those gathered here roughly anticipated what the ‘next agenda item’ meant. Their faces brightened.

“The next agenda item is, ‘How to distribute the eastern territories that will be newly acquired after the war.'”

The vassal states had already divided the Balkan Peninsula like a cake and tasted its sweetness. It was not strange that their minds were filled with the expectation of ‘Can we taste that sweetness again this time?’

“First, it is believed that the King of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has the tradition of the House of Wettin, which formerly served as the King of Poland-Lithuania. Therefore, the House of Wettin will take it. Does anyone have any objections?”

Silence. I accepted it as agreement and moved on to the next item.

“Next is the House of Hohenzollern. Since the House of Hohenzollern has produced numerous Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights, we will establish the Grand Duchy of the Baltic, encompassing Estonia and Latvia, after the war, and grant them the position of Grand Duke.”

At that time, King Ernst August II of the Kingdom of Hanover raised his hand.

“I object. The amount of money our House of Hanover has invested in the Northern Crusade is also considerable. So why is the House of Hohenzollern taking the Grand Duchy of the Baltic?”

Should I say he’s quick-witted? To an unnecessary extent.

We, the House of Habsburg, plan to take the truly lucrative land, the Kingdom of Ukraine. Then the only remaining position is the Kingdom of Belarus, which has nothing. This is not a situation that the Kingdom of Hanover would particularly welcome.

“Yes. I am well aware of that fact. But the family that led the Northern Crusade at the forefront was, after all, the Hohenzollerns. Unfortunately, the House of Hanover lacks the tradition to take the position of Grand Duke of the Baltic compared to the House of Hohenzollern.”

The joy and sorrow of Wilhelm, the head of the Hohenzollern family, and Ernst August crossed paths. Of course, I didn’t just blurt out these words without thinking. I continued before he could say anything.

“But the emperor cannot ignore the opinions of the vassal states. Instead of the position of Grand Duke of the Baltic after the war, I propose that the House of Hanover take the position of King of Eastern Iberia.”

I unfolded the folded part of the map. The words “Kingdom of Eastern Iberia” were written across the entire Caucasus region.

Of course, there is no connection between the House of Hanover and the Kingdom of Eastern Iberia, but… the dynasty there had virtually become a vassal of the Tsardom of Russia on its own, so even if the House of Hanover were to obtain the position of king there, there would be no major problems.

“Hmm. If it’s about the Kingdom of Eastern Iberia…”

He seemed satisfied with this as well. He awkwardly stroked his mustache and turned his gaze away.

“And the House of Swabia will be given the title of King of Belarus after the war, and the House of Baden will be given the title of Grand Duke of Don-Volga after the war.”

No matter how much of a vassal state it is, it can only gain a voice if it has power. Minor powers like Baden and Swabia will have to be satisfied with just receiving titles.

“Now, the final plan has been decided. If anyone has any complaints, please raise your hand.”

Silence.

I accepted it as agreement and signed the final plan with a pen.

At the same time, the names of numerous kings of the vassal states began to be written down in order.