Reincarnated as Nikolai II

While some officials seemed unable to even express admiration at General Kuropatkin's trashy idea, only gaping their mouths...

'...He's not wrong.'

I showed no particular reaction. I wanted them to truly discuss this proposal without worrying about my reaction.

Russia planned to open three fronts within the year. With troop losses impossible to estimate, naturally they needed to be minimized as much as possible.

Which front would become the most active for imperial forces going forward?

The Northwestern Front where Roman was appointed as the new commander? No.

It's the southwest.

This is a clear fact supported by numerous battle records, and the reason is simple.

The Southwestern Front is unsuitable for trenches.

Comparing the ratio of troops to front length, the Southwestern Front is the most vast among the Western, Eastern, and Balkan fronts.

In other words, it can't all be blocked off with trenches, and the front will grow even longer when Romania joins.

This means continuous troop reinforcements must go southwest, while not retreating a single step in the northwest and having to occupy Constantinople...

'...It requires too many troops simultaneously.'

Though we can provide reinforcements, even we can't maintain 6 million troops constantly.

Previously, General Kuropatkin boasted about being able to mobilize 15 million, but when talking about 'the number of troops that could be deployed simultaneously' afterward, it was only around 3 million.

Trenches don't need particularly strong troops. The doctrine is simple, and once adapted, they just need to maintain mechanical engagement according to the manual.

Kuropatkin proposed filling these trenches not just with imperial troops but with other countries' armies and paying the blood price.

"Even the Finnish army has maintained considerable numbers through small-scale maintenance over time? Though it would be around 100,000 at most."

"We need to make them implement their own conscription."

The Grand Duchy of Finland had lived in the Russky Mir (Russian World) or Pax Russica since 1809.

Though relations improved after breaking away from father's hardline policies, they still want to escape from being a grand duchy.

'Just that we Russia have become too powerful, making it difficult.'

If we remained good neighbors and granted them autonomy, how many troops could we extract?

"Finland's population exceeds 3 million. Moreover, the majority are young. I believe we can extract up to 500,000 troops."

"Nonsense. That would destroy Finland's young generation."

"But imperial troops would live."

"...General, you really are serious."

Foreign Minister Sazonov seemed unable to find words to refute Kuropatkin's hardline stance anymore.

And I didn't think Kuropatkin's calculations were entirely wrong.

'Looking at history where hundreds of thousands of troops not only participated in the Eastern Front but even fought civil wars, it might be possible to squeeze out that many if pushed to the maximum.'

Kuropatkin's extremism didn't end there.

"Korea is the same. No, it's even better than Finland."

"In what conditions?"

"They are an extremely poor country but have a population approaching 20 million, and with the justification of being a protectorate, they're good to use."

Then Kuropatkin spread out papers densely filled with charts.

"British BEF soldiers receive basic pay of 1.5 to 4 shillings depending on rank. Plus daily allowances of 1 penny to 1 shilling."

"...Must be swimming in money."

One pound is 20 shillings.

The common phrase 'one gold coin' refers to one pound sterling.

While it might not seem much given that a resident maid's annual salary is 10 to 15 pounds, it's no small burden for a nation to give this to hundreds of thousands of troops.

Moreover, it's clear that more money will go to future pensions than current weekly pay for British troops.

In fact, Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes receives a pension of 11 shillings 6 pence after being discharged as a medical volunteer from fighting in Afghanistan.

It's quite good treatment for this era, enough for Kokovtsov to mutter that they're 'not organizing an expeditionary force because of money.'

"France is similar. Though conscripts' basic pay is lower, they similarly provide daily allowances of 0.5 to 0.6 francs. For 2.5 million men, providing annual salary and combat pay plus injury treatment and future pensions... I can't imagine how much budget it would require."

Though less than Britain, it's still soldiers' monthly salary from the start.

The fact that they give conscripts enough monthly pay for their families to live comfortably in the rear shows they are wealthy nations.

"In contrast, the imperial army provides existing monthly salary to officers and 1.5 rubles combat pay to soldiers. Considering a lieutenant's salary is 45 rubles and a lieutenant colonel's is 90 rubles, it's still a small amount for the price of their lives."

By pre-war standards, a soldier risking his life for a day barely provides enough for one dinner for his family waiting in the rear.

Just before the war, one pound of flour was 2.5 rubles and a bag of potatoes was 1 ruble.

"If a British soldier loses an arm in battle, the state provides a pension enough to live on for life. If a French soldier injures his arm, they provide massive medical expenses and enough pension not to starve. So I ask the Prime Minister, how much pension can our government provide to an imperial soldier who loses an arm?"

When Kuropatkin demanded exact numbers, Kokovtsov fell into thought for a moment.

"...Maximum 40% of current basic monthly soldier pay. No, even that might be difficult as casualties increase. Payments might be delayed, or provided in forms other than cash."

"I completely understand."

Kuropatkin wasn't trying to mock the empire's poor reality compared to Britain or France or make things difficult for Kokovtsov here.

From the start, labor costs in London, a city of cities, couldn't possibly be the same as rural Russia.

Even just comparing unskilled dock worker wages shows nearly triple the difference, but there are many caveats to these statistics.

Nevertheless, the core of what Kuropatkin wanted to say came across more than sufficiently.

"Our allied forces are also very cheap economically."

An army that doesn't cost money. An army that's practically free with just a few diplomatic and political concessions.