Reincarnated as Nikolai II

"Douglas."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"Push them away."

"...I must have misheard?"

"Use tanks to push them all away."

But the rioters picked the wrong opponent.

If they wanted to protest, they should have done it to a president with re-election possibilities, not making demands to a president whose term is already effectively over.

"It may be presumptuous of me to say, but there are pregnant women, the elderly, and even disabled people among them. They've established a position, but no weapons have been confirmed, and rather, dialogue—"

"Enough. Isn't the police force having difficulty suppressing these communists?

Dialogue? Is presenting unreasonable demands a sign of wanting dialogue?

Everyone has difficulties, everyone has stories.

He's having a hard time too.

Confirmed re-election failure, diminishing support from fellow Republicans, public criticism, even taking all the blame.

This is why Hoover couldn't empathize with the rioters' pain at all.

"Clear them all out. That's an order."

"...Understood."

Douglas MacArthur, receiving Hoover's orders, had to leave the office under the president's firm will.

The next day at 4:45 PM.

When all Washington DC citizens were about to head home from work.

Six tanks and an infantry regiment took position in front of the veterans shouting for their bonus.

"Oh, oh! It's the US Army! The army has come to help us!"

"Me too! I'm a National Guard alumnus, juniors!"

"Hooray! Long live the Army!"

The protesters cheered at the appearance of the familiar and missed army, but...

"All units forward arms!"

"Forward!"

"If anyone rushes through the tear gas, you may fire! The armor will lead the destruction of their positions, and capture the leaders at all costs!"

The army was not on their side.

Juniors against seniors. Active duty against reserves. A historic incident forcing them to point guns at each other.

The suppression of the Bonus Army, meant to kill old soldiers, began this way.

==

This feels familiar somehow.

Not because it's an event I already knew about, but because of some strange déjà vu.

'A stubborn lame-duck president?'

No, that's not it. Looking at the current state of the United States, Hoover seems to have nothing to lose, but still, people have built lives, and surely he wouldn't have acted so rashly and recklessly...

"Joseon. It was similar there too, but they were unexpected. The state openly betraying those who hadn't yet put down their guns."

Joseon... Honestly, it was like Military Rebellion of 1882 Season 2, surpassing Season 1.

It's a miracle the Joseon royal family is still alive.

I kept thinking something was similar, and after long contemplation, one similar incident came to mind.

"The military turning guns on protesters... Come to think of it, this is just like our country, isn't it?"

As long as I'm here, such things won't happen, but the setup is too similar.

The military suppressing protesters demanding bread with bullets. Anyone would be reminded of Bloody Sunday.

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'Of course, the scale is different.'

In this country, an army of 10,000 massacred protesters with overwhelming force.

And the difference is that it wasn't the Tsar, the military commander-in-chief, but a mere Grand Duke Vladimir who ordered civilians killed... anyway.

'This is why I got rid of the grand dukes. The imperial family's nonsense is all done by the collateral branches.'

It's a reminder that regardless of the country, the process of falling is the same.

Whatever their circumstances, nothing has been better news to me recently than this Bonus Army.

Domestic chaos makes foreign intervention difficult.

After the next election ends and the administration changes next March, it might be different, but for now, nothing shows the situation in the United States better than this.

It's certain. That country currently has no ability to project power externally.

While Western nations generally suffer from unemployment rates 2-3 times higher than in 1929, the United States has an unemployment rate more than 6 times higher than three years ago.

Foreign trade has decreased by 70% and industrial production capacity has been halved.

I know too. These figures are just the lowest point this year, and they will recover someday.

But what I want to see is just this year.

"I see no one who dares to oppose me."

The disparity in three years. That enormous gap means the New World cannot turn its eyes to the Old World or the colonial continents while unable to get its bearings.

This allows me to gain two things.

First is expansion in Asia.

"Beren, Chiang Kai-shek has begun forcibly occupying ports."

"Since America voluntarily withdrew from China in 1928, their influence in Asia has continued to decline. They're furious about the forced confiscation of ports, but there will likely be no physical response."

"What was gained by force should be taken by force."

I must have lived a long time.

I never imagined I would break the Witte-Taft Treaty with my own hands.

'The mighty United States finds it difficult to project influence in Asia.'

They had the Philippines. We had priority in Joseon as we agreed to divide the Far East.

This became possible due to America's domestic-first policy after the depression, along with their unfamiliarity with imperialism.

However, several problems will inevitably follow.

'We should be wary of them joining hands with Japan or the Western world.'

But for now, we also need the Republic of China market to survive, so it can't be helped.

Next is what we can gain in Europe.

The Western world without American backing. This is like a minority party in the Duma that cannot form an alliance.

"It means they'll have difficulty stopping even Germany, let alone us."

One thing I've always been wary of since the survival of the empire was confirmed after the Great War:

A united Western world.

These people, who have never been united since industrialization, become one after the second world war.

And they've always maintained unity by designating their enemies.

The target may change from Nazis to Soviets to Communist China to Russia depending on the era, but ultimately, no single country can defeat a united Western world.

However, they are not yet united.

This will give Germany an opportunity to rise.

And I...

"I just need to sign a non-aggression treaty at the right time."

There was absolutely no reason to prevent this.