Vladivostok, Primorye, Russian Empire.Headquarters of the Russian Garrison.
Crash!
"What? What kind of insane report is this?!"
Gennady Nevelskoy, acting commander, slammed his fist onto the desk as he shouted, unable to contain himself at the sudden report.
But no matter how much he raged, the contents of the document in front of him did not change.
"Japan attacked Sakhalin? And the entire garrison was wiped out?"
"Yes, sir."
"No, no, no! Fine, an attack I can understand. It doesn't look like they even issued a declaration of war, but perhaps those uncivilized Eastern customs don't bother with such things. But all of them dead? Not a single prisoner taken?!"
"That is… apparently our soldiers fought so bravely that the enemy had no choice but to kill them all. They claim they conducted proper burial rites…"
"These lunatics!"
It wasn't even the excuse of "they were too strong to capture alive." This was outright mockery.
There had only been a few dozen men stationed there. If anything, that made them easier—not harder—to capture alive.
And considering that most of the already scarce weapons had been pulled away in fear of a possible Korean advance, the garrison had barely been capable of mounting a proper defense.
There was only one conclusion.
The enemy had come with the intention of killing every last man from the very beginning.
"Commander! Should we mobilize immediately and strike Sakhalin? If we move the Vladivostok forces, we can drive them back!"
"No. We can't move the troops here. There are reports that the British fleet is already being supplied through Korea and Japan. How do you expect us to redeploy in this situation?"
The situation in Primorye was, by any honest measure, dire.
It was bad enough that a man not even forty years old had been forced into the role of acting commander.
Russia had already committed its main forces entirely to the Black Sea theater. Not a single additional soldier could be spared for the Far East.
Which meant they had to stretch what little manpower and equipment remained to cover everything.
Originally, they had expected Britain to target Vladivostok, the port city that was only just beginning to take shape. So they had concentrated everything there.
But then Korea had suddenly declared war.
What if they crossed the river and advanced north?
He didn't know exactly how strong Korea was, but with a population of sixteen million, they could easily field hundreds—perhaps thousands—of troops.
So he had been forced to pull men and weapons away, begrudgingly reinforcing the Korean border.
And now, Japan had struck.
"Commander! A message just came in—Japan has delivered a declaration of war…"
"What? These bastards must be joking. They attack first and declare war after?"
"They claim the envoy departed much earlier, but their ship was delayed by severe storms…"
"…."
At this point, even anger felt exhausting.
Or perhaps… this was no coincidence at all.
Korea declares war first, drawing attention—then Japan launches a surprise attack on Sakhalin.
Could that really be accidental?
It was entirely possible the two had coordinated, mocking them in unison.
"They're both Asian states… it wouldn't be strange if they were in close communication."
"…Now that I think about it, isn't the British monarch related to both Korea and Japan's royal families?"
"Yes, sir. That is correct."
"Damn it. I knew it. This is Britain's doing from the start. They've incited both nations to strike us from three directions."
"…C-can we even stop this?"
Stop it?
If Korea advanced across the river, Britain struck Vladivostok from the sea, and Japan pushed in from Sakhalin—could anyone stop that?
You could gather Napoleon, Hannibal, Caesar, and Alexander in one room, and they still wouldn't find a solution.
"…Impossible. We'll have to choose what to hold and what to abandon."
After a brief silence, Nevelskoy made his decision.
"There's no way we can defend all of Primorye. Concentrate everything—troops, weapons, supplies—into Vladivostok. Even if we lose everything else, holding that city means we've done our duty."
"And Korea… Japan…?"
"With our current strength, defending all fronts is a fantasy. Try to defend everything, and you lose everything."
Clenching his fists, Nevelskoy barely restrained his fury as he read the Japanese declaration.
It was filled with endless talk of peace, condemnation of Russian aggression, and cooperation with Britain.
Peace?
What kind of nation that "loved peace" slaughtered every enemy soldier without taking prisoners?
At this point, it felt less like a formal declaration and more like a deliberate insult.
Still, if this report reached Saint Petersburg…
How would the Tsar react?
Perhaps, in his fury, he might even send reinforcements.
Clinging to that faint hope, Nevelskoy immediately ordered the document forwarded to the imperial court.
Just wait, you treacherous Japanese.
If reinforcements arrived, he would make them pay—by any means necessary.
In Joseon, the court—already watching Britain and Japan closely—received news so shocking they could scarcely believe it.
"What… the Shogunate attacked Russia?"
"It has been confirmed by the British fleet receiving supplies at port. They report that the Shogunate attacked Russian forces and slaughtered dozens."
"And Russia? Did they retaliate?"
"On the contrary, they are withdrawing further and fortifying their main positions. Even their defensive lines near the Tumen River have been pulled back."
What exactly was happening?
No one spoke, but they all thought the same thing.
Even Britain, it seemed, had not expected this.
"Your Majesty! The Shogunate is advancing to fully occupy the island previously held by Russia!"
"Are they mad? Can they handle the consequences?"
"Even Russia cannot sustain such an extended front. And since both we and the Shogunate are aligned with Britain, it is unlikely Russia would dare retaliate after the war ends."
"…Hah. We should not underestimate them. To act so swiftly and decisively…"
Japan's lightning strike.
The exact details were unclear, but the fact remained—they had struck and suffered no immediate retaliation.
It spoke volumes.
"Your Majesty! Given this sudden change, we no longer need to adhere to our previous policy."
"And what do you propose?"
Seo Gi-sun, the Minister of War, spoke calmly.
"We have already deployed troops along the northern border out of concern for Russian aggression. However, now that Russia has withdrawn its forces, there is no longer any need to maintain such concentration."
"A fair point. Then what should we do?"
"At present, we could simply withdraw the troops and restore our forces to their original state."
That would have been the obvious answer yesterday.
But now… something stirred within the king.
"If we contribute nothing, then when the war ends, we gain nothing. Meanwhile, the Shogunate will claim victory and reap the rewards."
"…That is…"
"If they gain territory and indemnities while we receive nothing but reimbursement for supplies… what does that make us?"
The conclusion was obvious.
Incompetence.
And for Joseon—proudly calling itself the "Little Middle Kingdom"—being seen as inferior to Japan was unacceptable.
"Your Majesty! Russia is withdrawing north of the Tumen River. If we advance, we will face no resistance. Furthermore, our troops and supplies are already concentrated near the border."
"You're suggesting we move into Primorye?"
"There is no need for a full advance. We need only secure enough territory to justify our contribution."
The idea spread quickly.
Minimal risk. Maximum gain.
And for once, no one opposed it.
A faint, dangerous smile began to spread across the court.
***
After crushing Greece, the Royal Navy's broader strategy was simple.
Some forces would operate in the Baltic, others near Vladivostok, and then the main fleet would move into the Black Sea to destroy Russia's core naval power.
With naval supremacy secured, the land war would follow.
Coordination was everything.
Although real-time communication with Asia was still impossible, telegraph lines allowed relatively smooth communication with Europe.
"Prussia has agreed to cooperate. They will first destroy the shipyards in the Grand Duchy of Finland."
Good.
"Any updates from Asia?"
"Yes, a telegram just arrived. It's being transcribed now."
Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.
With overwhelming naval superiority and a faster telegraph network than in the original timeline, Britain held the advantage in both force and information.
By the time Russia even realized what was happening, it would already be too late.
I leaned back in my chair, watching Admiral Parker read the decoded message.
He had been smiling just moments ago.
So why was his expression suddenly… twitching?
"Admiral, is there a problem?"
"No… not a problem. More like an unexpected development…"
"Unexpected?"
He glanced between me and the report, then nodded as if something clicked.
"I see now. Brilliant… truly brilliant, Your Highness. Korea and Japan—so that's what this was."
"…What did they do?"
"Japan has occupied Sakhalin. And Korea is preparing to cross the river into Primorye. We only asked for a declaration of war, yet their loyalty goes far beyond that."
…What?
Who crossed where?
Snatching the report, I skimmed through it.
It said exactly what he claimed.
…Did they all lose their minds?
But despite my inner disbelief, my lips spoke something entirely different.
"…As expected. Russia is now facing a true three-front war. This will give them a headache."
"Indeed! With Korea and Japan stepping in, we couldn't ask for more. Hahaha! Your Highness, when did you persuade them to mobilize like this?"
"Haha… hahaha!"
A wide border always meant a wide front.
Whether intended or not, Russia had no choice now.
With a faint, scheming smile, I continued to laugh.
My dear relatives.
How adorable.