I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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* * *

“What on earth is that horrific hybrid?”

“Sometimes even a horrid hybrid is necessary.”

After all, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make that suggestion to Afghanistan.

Islamic-Hellenism Federation. It’s a hybrid, I’ll admit, but it doesn’t seem all that bad.

“Let’s leave Afghanistan to them.”

“And if Afghanistan refuses?”

If they refuse, we’ll have to find alternative ways. We might as well just attack.

It seems the Duma really wants to take down Afghanistan by any means.

“At that point, what other option would we have besides attack?”

At that point, we would truly have no choice but to attack. I’ve already explained all the reasons why I can’t conquer them myself, so I expect them to handle it well.

And if we’re going to do this, I’d prefer if I wasn’t involved. After all, I don’t want to be the main culprit of this war.

“Well then, that’s enough for now. I plan to go there myself.”

I dashed out of the Duma as if escaping.

The issue with Afghanistan is something I’d like the White Army to handle.

That’s when it hits hard.

-Scared?

-Yeah, totally scared.

To target places where Mongolia, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and the United States have all failed? To be honest, it’s quite terrifying.

I hope they come up with a decent strategy.

The best outcome would be if Afghanistan conveniently decides to surrender, but well, that probably won’t happen.

* * *

National Duma

Once the Tsar exited, a heavy silence enveloped the Duma.

It’s because Mother Tsar views this invasion very dangerously.

Islamic-Hellenism Federation.

The National Duma held its head in despair over that strange plan.

I mean, it’s one thing to accept that there might be circumstances, but reviving Hellenism in the Arab region?

I understand it’s just a name. But doesn’t it feel impactful?

“This Islamic-Hellenism Federation is quite shocking.”

One thing’s for sure: to create such a shocking federation post-war, we need to take complete control.

Whatever Mother Tsarina has in mind will require effort beyond Alexander’s original campaign.

Exactly. This is a huge undertaking. If this is to be achieved, wouldn’t it just create Islamic extremists?

“Still, shouldn’t we accept it without war?”

“At the very least, we need to devise a plan up to Iran.”

Mother Tsar is only looking as far as Iran.

Then we might as well pursue more diversity.

“No, let’s consider Afghanistan as well. It’s not like they lack a central government. After all, they do have military groups.”

The military groups in Afghanistan aren’t in the hundreds of thousands, and relative to their population, they’re really not that many. We just need to take them down.

“Then, shouldn’t we eliminate them completely?”

Just wipe them all out.

With the current Russia, that’s entirely possible. The Duma reached that conclusion.

Let’s be straightforward. Mother Tsarina’s concern is overly substantial.

Naturally. What need is there for advanced equipment? Is the terrain so abhorrent? If that’s the case, can Afghan guerillas withstand a full-scale European army that has endured great wars?

“Then we should prepare enough troops to cover all of Afghanistan.”

Troops enough to cover the entirety of Afghanistan.

In the Duma, the White Army was buzzing with excitement.

After all, they are the Rome Treaty Army. Their previous significance was small.

This was partly because Russia had participated in numerous wars and spent heavily during World War II, but the military actions of the Rome Treaty Army are deployed closest to the enemy they’re operating against.

On the other hand, Iran and Afghanistan are closest to Russia.

What does this imply?

It means that we could mobilize the Russian army to strike Afghanistan.

Of course, there’s Turkey, but aside from oil fields, hasn’t Turkey kept largely out of the Arabian Peninsula?

It’s practically a reverse Ottoman Empire.

“How much do we need to prepare?”

Now, the only remaining question is how to lead the war.

“Wouldn’t around ten million suffice?”

“Ten million? Are you naming a child? Pushing ten million into war after unifying the Rome Treaty would be… wow.”

The members waved their hands dismissively.

No matter how you think about it, this seems a bit too much—doesn’t it? Let’s speak sensibly.

Of course, if we really, really poke around, there’s no way we can’t mobilize through the influence of the Rome Treaty Organization.

But to engage in a war over Afghanistan with ten million? That’s insane.

Even if the resources from Afghanistan are excellent, the costs of mobilizing ten million would outweigh the benefits.

“Of course, that was a joke.”

“We need to minimize numbers. After all, this is Afghanistan, where both the Mongol Empire and Britain failed. Truthfully, sending a large army might not yield any conquests, and it could come off poorly.”

How embarrassing would it be to deploy a massive army into such a small nation like Afghanistan? It would almost ruin the prestige of the Rome Treaty.

“Rather, sending a large army could set an example as the Roman Emperor.”

That statement had its merit too.

After all, sending a large army would mean wiping out anyone who dares to act up.

Yet, Afghanistan may consider alliances with other Arab states, yet has refused to act directly, necessitating this prevention war.

“That’s the problem. Even if we win, the losses would be significant.”

“How about we try to pacify them with provisions?”

Pacify them with provisions.

Is that even feasible? If it were, the world would be optimistic and full of laughter without wars.

“If pastries could pacify them, then there wouldn’t be a strategy of Afghanistan in this world.”

A member of the Liberal Democratic Party waved his hands, insinuating they were shaking the world’s strategies.

The Duma members were already contemplating whether the strategic Afghanistan was truly any different from the real world’s Afghanistan.

“Could it be that this time Mother Tsar is being overly cautious? It might not be a big deal in reality.”

That does have some validity, but there are historical precedents.

The times and weapons may have changed, but still.

“Looking at how Britain retreated, this doesn’t seem normal.”

“If possible, it would be fine to ask Britain for insights.”

Surely Britain would know the pros and cons of Afghanistan.

Of course, if it were the old Russian Empire, perhaps they could have struck when Britain was pulling out. If they’ve set a precedent, it should be heard.

“But Britain managed to pull out by themselves, didn’t they? Wasn’t it after World War I?”

“We haven’t confirmed the war yet.”

Right. Afghanistan could very well choose to surrender on its own.

With Iraq and Iran taking hits, would Afghanistan just sit idle?

If Iraq and Iran fall apart like hay across threshers, would Afghanistan surrender? Or would it aid them?

Supporting could only be an option; they wouldn’t be placed in a position to perish immediately, but Afghanistan is also bordered by Russia.

In other words, they are in a position to be invaded at any moment and aren’t in a position to support anyone.

“Let’s push as far as Iran first. How about we send a delegation to Afghanistan proposing they lead the Islamic-Hellenism Federation?”

“Wouldn’t that make us look incapable of waging war?”

“We should apply some military pressure. Plus, we can stress the massive damage to Iraq and Iran.”

“We need to establish a clear subordinate structure under the Rome Treaty.”

We could set up pro-Rome treaty governments in Iraq and Iran, putting a mere facade over Afghanistan.

“That aside, we must be ready for war as well. If what His Majesty says is true, we need to push from the get-go, so deploying about one hundred thousand might be wise.”

One hundred thousand. That utterance made everyone swallow hard.

It hadn’t been long since unifying the Rome Treaty, and already suggesting deploying one hundred thousand?

This was not something to be taken lightly.

“If we accept that, we’ll need to support Afghanistan afterward. We should achieve political unity centered around the king.”

“Then, we can promise support in exchange for the chairmanship.”

It could end up being surprisingly uncomplicated.

Through this expedition, extremists might emerge from Iraq and Iran to unsettle the Rome Treaty.

Though before that, the Rome Treaty must win by any means.

“Let’s keep preparing a large army as well.”

“Hey, doesn’t Hellenism connect to Greece? Why not request troops from Greece as well?”

Right. After all, Hellenism carries legitimacy through Greece.

Greece has almost joined the Rome Treaty just to blend in, but their relations with Russia can’t be regarded as just peachy.

This whole Rome conflict clashes with Megali Idea and Russia’s Third Rome.

“Can we get about fifty thousand troops from Greece?”

“Given its symbolic importance in rebuilding Hellenism.”

After all, Greece is a descendant of the Hellenistic Empire.

Unlike Russia, which merely claims to be a successor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Greece has a clear pedigree related to Hellenism that can be utilized.

Having the Russian army as the main force is excellent, but wouldn’t it also benefit to have a legitimate descendant in the mix?

“What number does the White Army project we need, should we advance from Iraq to Iran?”

“Probably around two hundred fifty thousand would suffice?”

“With two hundred fifty thousand combat troops and sufficient supplies, that should do it. I think that’s still plenty of power.”

Two hundred fifty thousand combat troops. Truthfully, that’s already excessive even against Iraq and Iran.

“We can wipe you all out with this number! Showing that is important too.”

“But we need to display authority. We should support a roughly appropriate number.”

From the outset, it wouldn’t make sense for such sophisticated and elite troops to struggle against Iraq and Iran.

The question lies solely with Afghanistan.

For now, let’s push through to Iran and propose our Hellenistic Federation planning to Afghanistan as intended.

“Then off we go to the Kremlin as the White Army, once ready. The Treasury should prepare the war budget.”

“Understood.”

Gradually, the winds of war were stirring in the Middle East.

* * *

At that time, Iraq and Iran were in dire straits.

After all, Nejd and Hejaz were battered terribly.

Rumor had it that there was an amazing oil field, and that Romanov Oil was directly dispatched to the Persian Gulf for drilling.

“Hejaz and Nejd were utterly pulverized and absorbed into Turkey, right?”

“Isn’t that a warning to us to stay out of their way?”

“But they’ve reportedly already begun preparations for war. Russian soldiers are steadily being deployed to the borders.”

Troops were already being stationed in border areas.

The Russian army is literally coming directly.

Is the Russian army just a Russian army? Assisting in the American Civil War, beating Europe to a pulp, and even taking on famous Japan in East Asia. Isn’t the Russian army essentially the strongest army on land?

That army is on the move.

It’s not just about qualitative superiority. The Russian army also boasts numbers.

Even if Iraq and Iran combine forces, they might struggle to match the Russian army.

“Any word from the United States yet?”

They truly believed.

Yes, indeed the United States. Just as Anastasia predicted, they were counting on the US.

After all, they believed the US would counter the Rome Treaty’s expansion of influence and monopolization of resources.

But once again, the US refused.

“Regrettably, they stated they need to focus on Japan right now.”

“Are we less important than that little island in the Far East?”

Turning their back on a significant Middle Eastern partner over one little island is absurd.

Of course, the U.S. also has thoughts of wanting to align with Iran and Iraq; however, with their attention fixated on Eastern Japan, they had no reason to provoke the Rome Treaty, especially since the oil issue isn’t pressing.

But what if? Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan had to unite.

“Isn’t this a big problem? What about Afghanistan?”

“The Kingdom of Afghanistan says it’s not in a position to go to war right now.”

“Damn. I guess they really banged their heads against the wall with the US not offering help.”

Could they have predicted the US would leave them hanging like this?

Of course, it’s not that they weren’t receiving any support at all.

Before the meeting between MacArthur and Anastasia, they supplied weapons to countries like Iraq and Iran to counter Russia.

Currently, the confidence in Iraq stems from their belief that the US would assist them.

Regrettably, that situation does not exist.

If only the United States could secure independence for the Middle East, the Rome Treaty could not act recklessly. It’s a pity that it turned out this way.

“That said, we can’t just be swept away. There are U.S.-supplied weapons, so we should use these to resist.”

The outdated weapons supplied by the US. This will suffice.

* * *