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14-August-1920
''What about the situation in Italy? What is happening there?'' I asked, looking at Manstein, who was reviewing a report prepared by our network of informants. The Austrian branch of the agency had detected Italian movements.
''The Kingdom of Italy is mobilizing to try to reincorporate Lombardy-Venetia into its union of States. However, the politicians of the new republic are not too satisfied with the idea. They consider that their taxes mainly financed the south and do not look favorably on returning to the Kingdom. Troop mobilizations have been observed on both sides, although, numerically, the Kingdom of Italy possesses an absolute advantage'' Manstein explained while reviewing the report and observing a map of Italy drawn up during the German invasion of the region.
''More instability in the area… But I doubt anyone will intervene and cause even more problems. The Austrians have their own difficulties, so they cannot support the Italian republic. The Kingdom of Italy probably will not have too many problems annexing it again either. From what we know, the French and British are far too concerned with avoiding another war that could end badly'' I said thoughtfully while moving the pencil over the map.
''Are we going to do anything? We could send military advisers to the Italian republic or sell weapons and ammunition to both sides to obtain some additional income'' Manstein proposed while scratching his chin with one finger.
''I do not want to sell them our weapons. They are not so complex that they could not copy them with some investment and reverse engineering. It would be enough to dismantle and study them. So no. The last thing I need is to find copies of my semi-automatic rifle everywhere''.
I left the pencil on the table.
''Whoever wins will seek recognition and international support. It would not take long for them to hand over to other States all the military equipment we sold them so they could study it. At most, we could offer ammunition to both sides, as well as uniforms and basic supplies. The complete package for a civil war'' I added thoughtfully.
''Excellent decision. And where would that additional income end up?'' Manstein asked with a slight smile.
''In financing this horrible expense called a royal wedding. I knew I should have listened to reason and simply married in a small church. But nooooo. Properties must be provided to temporarily house the guests, in addition to paying for the food, clothing, decorations and who knows how many other things. Everything costs a fortune''.
I made a grimace of displeasure.
''That money could have been used for a library, a new hospital or a road for some village that does not appear among our immediate plans because its construction offers few general benefits. Anything like that would have been a more useful investment than a wedding worthy of an old imperial family''.
''Come now, something unused must still be left somewhere. There is a lot of research we could finance. Make the printing press run a little more. You handed practically everything that remained of the military budget to that Focke and I still have numerous prototypes I wanted to greenlight. The air force is taking far too large a share of our investments'' Manstein protested, visibly disappointed with the direction of military spending.
''It is necessary. I entrusted him with the development of a helicopter. The investment in engines, rotors and everything necessary to make it a reality will be enormous. I know the technology necessary to build exactly what I have in mind does not yet exist, but perhaps, after one or two decades of constant investment, we may achieve it'' I replied while thinking about helicopters capable of transporting troops and others designed specifically to attack the enemy from the air.
''One or two decades? It seems we will have to return to simple rifles, because if this continues, there will not be much money left to re-equip our forces'' Manstein said, surprised.
''We will find more funding. Everything we are doing now is investment. The urbanized cities will make tax collection easier, organized industries will produce goods on which we can levy taxes and the hydroelectric dams will provide us with cheap and accessible energy, reducing the costs of our companies''.
I settled into the seat before continuing.
''Besides, many of those companies pay dividends directly to the State. According to our growth and revenue forecasts, during the next fiscal year you should have a budget around twelve percent larger. So do not complain. Few States invest so much in defense in these times'' I said, remembering our economic estimates.
''Great'' Manstein replied, nodding his head.
''Speaking of resources, how has the price of oil fluctuated? It is our only truly constant source of income'' I asked, looking at Alexander, who was reviewing several books related to the matter.
''Prices remain stable for the moment, although demand continues to increase, especially for its derivative products. More and more tractors are being used and a good part of commerce is recovering now that there is finally relative peace in Europe'' Alexander explained while showing me the income from the last month.
''Growing demand, but stable prices… I suppose many producers are continuing to increase extraction'' I commented thoughtfully. ''What have our diplomats reported about the mission to the Ottomans to purchase prospecting and oil exploitation rights in their territories? And what about the other Arab States?''
I was thinking about the enormous oil reserves still undiscovered in that region.
''The negotiations have already begun, but there are still no major advances'' Alexander replied while reviewing some reports sent by our diplomats, who had been moving through Europe and the Middle East for weeks.
''Good, we must keep an eye on that. Although we still have all the Ukrainian and Polish oil flowing into our coffers, it will always be better to have more, discover new deposits and see if we can finance those projects you want so much, Manstein. So calm down and work with what you have'' I said while standing and beginning to walk through the room.
I looked through one of the windows and observed that the reconstruction of Riga continued advancing at an extraordinary pace.
''Understood. In any case, am I authorized to carry out theoretical studies together with my German counterparts? We have received several requests from officers interested in our research on the Panzer. Due to the restrictions imposed on the German army and the economic situation of the country, they do not have the budget necessary to carry out their own research. That is why they have asked us whether some officers could visit our facilities to theoretically study the use of tanks and the ways to counter them'' Manstein explained, looking at me fixedly.
''That is fine, but no studying the internal design of our vehicles. If they want to analyze new ways of making war, they can come, observe our theoretical studies and learn about some of our advances. However, do not give them diagrams, blueprints or detailed technical information. Remember that Germany remains a political rival we cannot lose sight of, however close our interests and policies may be'' I replied while observing the commander-in-chief, who seemed truly interested in attracting German officers.
''Thank you. Perhaps I can attract a couple of them if I offer them a few things, of course, if that interests you'' Manstein said with a broad smile.
''Ah, so that was what this was about… Do not get us into trouble either and do not allow them to accuse us of stealing officers. One thing is for them to desert of their own free will and something very different is for us to actively offer them incentives to abandon Germany and come over to our side'' I replied while scratching my nose with one finger.
''Understood'' Manstein said.
''Alexander, let us go. We have to review the wedding preparations and I do not want to receive last-minute complaints because something is not as it should be. Manstein, remember that the ceremony is tomorrow at eleven in the morning. Apart from that, continue with your work'' I said while leaving the room of the mansion.
Alexander quickly took a notebook and pencil before following me.
The wedding would be an interesting event, for, in a certain sense, it would announce to the whole world that the Romanovs belonging to Nicholas's branch were still alive and kicking. All of that would be accompanied by the publication of my book, so it was important to give it considerable media attention through some journalists.
We had founded a newspaper with the intention of later turning it into a State broadcaster, once advances in radio allowed it. For the moment, it would be responsible for spreading the news throughout the Duchy and then delivering it to other newspapers to make sure the message reached as far as possible.
Although, in reality, that newspaper barely had seven workers: three former military messengers, two lawyers, a professor and an engineer. All of them had served in some way in the army, so it was an extremely loyal means of communication, considering the loyalty that existed within my forces.
At least I could trust that the wedding would be presented favorably, instead of becoming something harmful to my image. A ceremony full of luxury while the country remained in the middle of reconstruction would raise many eyebrows.
I had yielded to please my future in-laws, but I was already beginning to regret it. I did not believe such a display would be well received by the popular classes, especially among the urban middle-class sectors of the Baltic Duchy, who had not depended so much on State aid and whose loyalty to me was not completely guaranteed.
However, since I had accepted, I had to make sure that all the luxury demanded for the ceremony was present and arranged as it should be.
The Crown Prince of Germany would attend. The Kaiser could not come because of the instability of his position before the Reichstag. With a good part of Parliament against him, leaving Germany could trigger a new political crisis.
Some Habsburgs would also come, although their Kaiser would not attend either. In his case, it was even more understandable, since his country seemed to be on the verge of imploding.
The other Romanovs would not come because they had not been informed of the ceremony. I did not want one of them appearing to openly express opposition to the marriage.
Other nobles would also attend, such as the Duke of Württemberg and Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, which would serve to reinforce our new cordial relations with the different German States.
There was an absurd number of court rituals I knew absolutely nothing about, but which I was obliged to follow because we were supposedly celebrating a royal wedding with Prussian influence.
For that reason, the days before, I had had to go hunting on my own lands to obtain a good part of the meat that would be served during the banquet.
That was one of the ways a Junker demonstrated his wealth. The number of animals hunted allowed him to display the extent of the lands he possessed, as well as demonstrate his skill as a hunter.
In my case, I had land to spare, being the largest landowner in the Duchy. I was also quite good at following tracks and pursuing prey, although it was not exactly my favorite way to waste time.
Alexander was the one responsible for keeping me informed about all those customs and traditions. I simply followed them to avoid looking like a complete ignorant fool before the guests.
So I spent several days hunting wild boar and deer, buying exotic animals that would unfortunately end up being devoured by royalty, obtaining wines whose price equaled several years of a worker's salary and searching for fresh fish caught far from the areas contaminated by the fuel spilled from the sunken British ships.
To all that had to be added an enormous quantity of expensive decorations and the tailors, who charged the price of a house to make a suit and a wedding dress.
And it was better not even to think about the jewels.
I limited myself to ordering the rings using the measurements of my finger and that of my fiancée, deliberately avoiding looking at the price. I was completely certain that, if I saw it, I would end up saying something that would provoke another argument about that whole ceremony.
During those days, it fell to me to smile and personally receive each of the royal guests arriving for the wedding, while we tried to keep the true purpose of the ceremony secret until the moment when we could reveal what truly mattered.
Even so, despite all the money I was spending on that wedding, I was left with the bitter taste of not being able to truly eat what I wanted. One of the most important ingredients was far too difficult to transport: avocado.
Everything else could be obtained with relative ease, although there was still a small problem.
How the hell could I explain that I wanted to try a dish that, as far as I knew, had not even been invented yet?
I sighed deeply, resigned to not being able to eat something from my previous life, and entered the room where the Romanovs were gathered.
Whichever one was not present would be my fiancée.
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