Reincarnated as Nikolai II

The war began on July 28th with shells falling on Belgrade.

Both the country firing the shells and the one being hit drew their allies into the war, and those nations, in turn, pulled in others.

An antlion pit of the desert opened in Europe.

Now, European nations had reached a moment where they had to make choices that would determine their fate.

And on August 3rd, at an emergency meeting of the Royal Commission in Romania, Carol I declared:

"We must support Emperor Wilhelm II. It is the honorable thing to do and our destiny."

Then, for the first time, Carol I revealed a massive secret he had been keeping from the commission and his subjects.

It was a secret treaty made with Germany decades ago.

"Absolutely not!"

"During the last Balkan War, we were able to gain Bulgarian territory through the Treaty of Bucharest only because Russia turned a blind eye, not because we were a great power!"

"That's right. Neither Emperor Joseph nor Emperor Wilhelm can protect us from Russia!"

"You must consider public opinion. The people overwhelmingly support France!"
Continue your adventure at empire

Contrary to Carol I's bold statement, everyone strongly opposed it and prostrated themselves.

They knew their king was of German origin, but they never imagined he had been hiding such a secret treaty.

Setting aside the sense of betrayal and shock, the consequences they would face if Russia learned of this were too horrifying to imagine.

Especially when Prime Minister Brătianu strongly argued not to break the peace gained through the Treaty of Bucharest, even a king couldn't easily mobilize troops against everyone's opposition.

As a result, neutrality for now. Romania made the choice of making no choice at all.

A month passed.

During this time, Carol I's health began to deteriorate rapidly, and Prince Victor, who had been learning state affairs one by one, was gradually becoming a complete regent.

As a dramatic power shift was expected in Romania due to Carol I's health issues:

"... I knew Russia was strong, but to this extent?"

"Almost forty cavalry divisions...? That country must have more horses than we have livestock?"

"What if Russia really advances all the way past Poland?"

Whether it was combat effectiveness, territory, or military strength - all information pointed to Russia's overwhelming victory.

Brusilov's fierce offensive chose to engage without hesitation whenever encountering the enemy and pressed forward.

'... What if Russia retaliates while we keep staying neutral?'

'The King is now bedridden with clouded judgment.'

'Prince Victor has shown pro-British tendencies, so it would be different!'

Carol I's health was already day to day.

Meanwhile, Prince Victor was perfectly managing state affairs as regent and had maintained good relations with France, Russia, and Britain.

While Carol I's power remained solid after 48 years of excellent rule and everyone respected him...

"... Russia will eventually move south. They won't stand by and watch the Black Sea get locked away."

"The pressure coming to the Foreign Ministry is concerning. It might be better to step forward voluntarily now rather than move later under coercion."

"Your Highness, please make a decision."

This time, all the subjects had no choice but to appeal to the crown prince, Prince Victor.

September 11th.

After France miraculously defended Paris in the Battle of the Marne, the sentiment to join the Entente grew stronger within the kingdom.

'The Tsar of the 150 million-strong empire must be waiting for his chance.'

'The Blood Tsar, the one who carried out that great purge!'

'Even without Russia's revenge, isn't joining the Entente the right choice now that France has begun its counterattack?'

More clearly than any other Balkan nation, Romania had witnessed:

Brusilov's cavalry crossing Poland while consistently overwhelming the enemy.

The sight of Ivanov's great army entering the territory of the Dual Monarchy and defeating the enemy.

After watching all this over the past month, what fool would say, "Since Russia is winning, joining the Central Powers would let us get more spoils as a contrarian bet!"?

That had to be a sycophant desperately courting the bedridden Carol I to gain power.

No gambler in the world, no matter how brave,

Would bet against the odds in war.

And looking at the war situation so far, Romania's safe bet was Russia.

Whatever might be happening in Western Europe, at least here in Eastern Europe, that was the case.

Faced with these demands from his subjects, Prince Victor stepped back once.

"No matter that I am regent, His Majesty would not approve breaking neutrality."

For now, staying in neutral gear and hands off.

'Yes, if the German army retreats, the situation might change again.'

'Even Russia can't say anything about our neutrality yet.'

The Romanian Kingdom maintained this peculiar balance - Carol I's pro-German stance, the people's pro-French sentiment, and the neutrality of the subjects and regent in between.

Meanwhile, another wind of change visited the Western and Eastern fronts.

The German army retreated from the Western Front for the first time since the war began, due to the major counterattack by the Anglo-French allied forces under Joseph Joffre's command and the excellent performance of Ferdinand Foch's Ninth Army.

Germany quickly acknowledged the failure of the Schlieffen Plan and rapidly focused on maintaining the front to prevent counterattack while simultaneously redirecting forces to the East.

The Anglo-French forces attempting to counterattack.

The German forces trying to stop them.

The German forces retreating to normalize the Eastern front.

The Russian forces trying to prevent this.

Like cards being flipped instantly in a casino dealer's hands, the military relationships on both Eastern and Western fronts were suddenly reversed.

And such changes...

'... Well, we Italy are maintaining neutrality while completely ignoring any treaties for now.'

'With the Ottoman Empire that was at war until recently right next door, could Russia possibly deliver a finishing blow?'

'Spain is staying quiet too, so let's not get involved as a small country. But still, maybe we should increase our forces just in case.'

Many neutral countries were watching.

Romania wasn't the only one wanting to bet on the winning side.

All European countries, though not yet participating, wanted to become members of the victorious side.

After all, this Great War was one where only the victor would gain the right to pursue imperialism.

==

As people age, there's something that develops.

Negatively speaking, it's stubbornness or obsession.

Positively expressed, it's conviction or principle.

As one lives life, experiences accumulate and countless lessons build up from those experiences, until before you know it, there are things that define a person like immutable 'principles.'

From his thirties when he was just an ignorant quartermaster officer, through meeting the Tsar and fighting the Russo-Japanese War, to serving as the head of the Engineering School.

Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko had come to know several of these principles.

First and foremost:

If the Tsar specifically assigned him to a battlefield, it was because he had something in mind.

And that battlefield usually took the form of a defensive battle where engineers played a major role.

"Why else would he make me head of the Engineering School? He wants me to develop and advance defensive battle doctrine on my own."

While not a few generals retired due to General Kuropatkin's reckless swordsmanship, Roman was an exception.