Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Then September came.

Just when summer’s heat slowly began to break.

East, West, South, Balkans, Isonzo, Serbia, Arabia, Africa, Asia - battles, rebellions, and uprisings continue endlessly in all regions.

"Send, send more troops!"

"Ah, citizens still harbor antipathy toward this conscription system-"

"If conscripts are difficult, send Territorial Force! The front lines are hell right now!"

"The homeland’s territorial army is part-time volunteers?"

Sure enough, Britain suffered from severe army manpower shortages.

Starting with creating six additional divisions in August 1914, they increased to 29 divisions by March 1915, but didn’t grow much after that.

More precisely, they increased numbers but lost just as many, so the troop ledger stayed even.

They barely created the Third Army in July, but before even filling it, the war intensified from September.

Was manpower shortage their only problem?

After several months of fierce struggle, when they ran the numbers...

"We... lost?"

"We sometimes burned 100,000 French, 30,000 British, 8,000 Canadians in one battle and still lost?"

"No, we had more troops! Doesn’t this mean we lost all major battles this year!"

Looking at just the major Western Front battle results in 1915.

Winter Operations, failed.

Battle of Neuve Chapelle, losses.

Battle of Festubert, defeat.

Second Battle of Ypres, losses.

Battle of Loos, defeat.

Battle of Champagne, defeat.

All crushed.

Lost every battle fought.

"...We might actually lose the war at this rate."

Was there a troop shortage?

No. Many battles had force ratios ranging from 1:1 to 1:2.1.

Was there geographical disadvantage?

There were several times in hill battles, but even those were just repetitions of taking and losing, so it couldn’t be an excuse.

Was it weapon difference?

With more troops, naturally the Anglo-French alliance had more machine guns and artillery too.

Well, there were times like the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) where they achieved tactical victory at the cost of more deaths, but even that wasn’t a victory that could become a foothold to do something on the Western Front, but rather closer to a moral victory saying "Germany’s fighting a two-front war so if we take equal losses we definitely win!"

Meanwhile, the Eastern Front.

[Gorlice-Tarnów Front. German army expected to lose minimum 500,000 troops.]

[Romanian-Russian Allied Forces enter Central Continental territory.]

[Hell on Earth, Eastern Front]

Numbers that made British forces doubt their authenticity kept emerging.

The great clash between Ivanov trying to break through Tarnów over three months to enter Dual Monarchy territory and German Field Marshal August von Mackensen trying somehow to devour him.

The German army mobilized five field armies totaling 1.61 million, while the Russian army mobilized forces reaching 1.9 million with Warsaw’s endless troop support after starting at 1.42 million.

The mobilized troop numbers were amazing, but the casualties were alarming.

"...The fiercest place on the Western Front since the war began was Ypres, but they had more deaths than the First, Second, and Third Battles of Ypres combined?"

"What on earth is happening across the southern front."

However, there was a battlefield that surpassed even this clash between Ivanov and Mackensen.

It was the battle between Hindenburg and Roman.

The ceaseless offensive and defensive battle between two generals who threw trenches to the dogs in the age of great trench warfare.

"We knew the Muscovites organized a Special Army (13th Army) but..."

Kitchener felt fear beyond shock at news from the Eastern Front.

While Britain barely managed organizing three armies with great difficulty, Russia had completed organizing up to the 13th Army and was gradually drawing in additional allied forces.

After defending for a straight year, Russia bet everything on just one offensive.

Roman and Hindenburg.

As a result of dozens, hundreds of orders that humans could barely issue colliding head-on:

Engagement ratio: 1:0.9

Combined German and Russian casualties approximately 1.1 million.

Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive.

Roman and Hindenburg’s decisive battle.

Kitchener couldn’t believe these two battles happened simultaneously.

While some couldn’t even manage to fill 700,000 BEF expeditionary forces, others easily lost 700,000.

Just how many millions of troops were Russia and Germany maintaining at all times?

It doesn’t make sense how they immediately fill positions with conscripts as soon as soldiers die.

[General Roman’s single offensive. 40km advance.]

[Albania’s population disappeared in Poland.]

No British person could complain about news from the East and South.

Because Russia had walked through deaths and hell they couldn’t imagine.

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"...A country that doesn’t even need recruitment posters like mine."

[Is Russia going to Berlin alone?]

Roman’s offensive was so shocking that talk of independent victory emerged.

The cabinet and military viewed news of Russia’s offensive very hopefully.

"If they just keep pressuring Berlin like this, the Boche will have no choice but to withdraw troops from the Western Front!"

"General Roman Kontratenko must be a legendary commander! To utilize his country’s military characteristics so well!"

"Am I the only one feeling victory is within reach?"

However, Kitchener, who joined the cabinet as a soldier and negotiated with Russia, felt something different.

The East, victorious while bleeding desperately.

The West, defeated despite admirable efforts.

Russia, facing Germany and the Dual Monarchy alone.

The Anglo-French alliance, defeated despite combining forces.

’...Russia kept their promise. After the Black Sea opened, they thoroughly prepared and executed two major battles. Successfully at that.’

They kept their promise. These words kept circling in Kitchener’s mind.

If promises were kept... then isn’t it over?

At this moment, Kitchener arrived at this question.

"Will Russia really launch another offensive?"

Now Britain has neither means nor justification to pressure them.

Russia has lost far more than Britain or France.

Then does Britain still have any carrots or sticks left to move that country?

No, before that.

"Minister, the Russian Empire has refused to form a Supreme War Council to command allied forces."

"..."

Aren’t the positions reversed now?

For some reason, he seemed to hear the voices of Prime Minister Kokovtsov and Chief of General Staff Kuropatkin whom he met then.

Saying they’ve done their part.

So now it’s your turn. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Or.

That Russia will now withdraw from the war.