The Reluctant Politician (4)

Beren's tears flowing without wiping wouldn't easily stop.

Because.

'Fuck, I lived! Sob, I lived! Honey, I'll definitely return!'

Now even clapping hands trembling. Might wet pants with tension released.

But good.

Because lived anyway.

Beren's opposition was sincere.

==

Though Nikolai shows great interest in foreign wireless communication experiments since '95 and imperial Communications Ministry actively tries introducing technology, Far East remains practically isolated land.

Physically too far, even concept of receiving supplies from that Europe impossible if assuming war.

"This must be why Tsar allocated inexhaustible budget. Maximizing supply procurement capability."

For Roman, how much profitability and future development potential numerous projects spread by current Governor-General's Office have was ultimately secondary.

Most important work for him ultimately is war Nikolai predicted.

Then is it right for Governor Sergei unlimitedly increasing military district forces now?

"...Still won't reach 100,000 under governor. Real forces must come riding trains when railway completes anyway."

However many troops exist under governor, would just be for enduring initial defense.

Joseon also problem.

Though that country itself has no value if given up, can't prevent increase of various ports and landing points.

If give up Joseon, naturally Yellow Sea falls next.

"Sigh, terrain too rough unlike European military districts and climate does whatever it wants."

No matter how much spread maps changing troop deployment and trying enemy's advance routes variously, process all similar.

Enemy will occupy Joseon first and advance north to Liaodong and Manchuria. Our empire will try gathering maximum troops while they eat Joseon.

Don't care whether lose Joseon or not but not from Manchuria. Just losing South Manchurian Railway deals empire big supply blow.

Tsar said Japan will use most Sino-Japanese War reparations for military expenses.

Meanwhile empire dispersing variously into railway construction, business, support, investment, urban development costs etc.

Yet Tsar acted like no big problem if just prepare in advance.

"Why, why me of all people."

Having run for this issue in Far East nearly 3 years but seeing no answer, such thought suddenly struck Roman.

Really nothing special about himself. Never achieved war merits anywhere and knows nothing about economy or planned cities.

Can't understand why Tsar made him noble and designated him next governor here.

"What I'm confident in at most... just engineering."

The part Roman himself showed talent at most was when learning advanced engineering course in '79.

No actually his life was just engineering itself since commissioning as Caucasus 1st Engineering Battalion lieutenant.

Building something, destroying something.

Inexhaustible budget and sufficient labor force.

Born engineer Roman decided to just do what he does well.

That was construction.

Roman stood on the half-finished battlements of the Port Arthur fortifications, surveying the work below. Hundreds of laborers moved like ants across the construction site, hauling materials, digging foundations, laying stone. The relentless pace had continued for months now, transforming theoretical plans into solid reality.

"The eastern redoubt will be completed ahead of schedule, sir," reported the chief foreman, a grizzled veteran of the engineering corps. "And the artillery platforms are ready for the first guns whenever they arrive."

Roman nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Prioritize the magazine bunkers next. They need to be bombproof."

As the foreman departed, Roman turned his attention to the harbor below, where new docks extended into the water like fingers reaching for the sea. Supply ships arrived almost daily now, bringing materials from Vladivostok, from European Russia, even from foreign suppliers when necessary.

It wasn't the grand political maneuvering of St. Petersburg. It wasn't the economic theorizing of Bunge and his disciples. It was simply what Roman knew best—building things that would last, things that would serve a purpose.

"Impressive progress," came a voice behind him. Roman turned to find Admiral Alekseyev approaching along the parapet. "When I first saw Kondratenko's plans, I thought they would take a decade to implement."

"We've condensed the timeline considerably," Roman replied. "Though many refinements will need to wait for the second phase."

The Admiral gazed out at the harbor. "Will it be enough, do you think? When the Japanese come?"

The question hung in the air between them, the unspoken assumption that war was not a possibility but an inevitability. Roman had stopped questioning it months ago, focusing instead on the practical challenges of preparation.

"It will delay them," he answered honestly. "That's all fortifications can ever do—buy time. The question is whether we can use that time effectively."

"The railway is progressing too slowly," Alekseyev observed. "And our naval reinforcements are still months away at best."

Roman had heard the same concerns from Governor Sergei, from his staff officers, from anyone who understood the strategic realities of the Far East. Russia was playing a dangerous game of catch-up, trying to build defensive capacity before Japan decided their moment had come.

"We work with what we have," Roman said simply. "The Tsar has given us resources. We must use them wisely."

The Admiral nodded, understanding the pragmatism that drove Roman's approach. "Governor Sergei speaks highly of your work. He believes you're the natural choice to succeed him."

Roman felt the familiar discomfort at such talk. "I'm an engineer, not an administrator."

"Perhaps that's precisely why His Majesty favors you," Alekseyev suggested. "The Far East doesn't need another politician. It needs a builder."

The conversation turned to technical matters—the specification of guns for the fortifications, the depth requirements for the new harbor facilities, the storage capacity needed for coal reserves. These were questions Roman could answer with confidence, problems he could solve through the application of engineering principles.

Later, as evening approached and work slowly wound down for the day, Roman returned to his modest quarters near the Governor-General's residence. Unlike many officials who had brought luxuries from European Russia, Roman's rooms contained little beyond necessities and technical manuals.

He spread maps across his desk—not just of Port Arthur, but of the entire region from Vladivostok to the Korean border. Red lines marked completed fortifications, blue indicated projects underway, and yellow showed planned future work. A separate map tracked the progress of the railway, the lifeline that would determine whether Russia could hold these territories when conflict came.

As he worked late into the night, revising plans and calculating material requirements, Roman occasionally paused to wonder about events in the distant capital. Had Beren Volkov's accidental political career advanced or collapsed? Had Witte implemented whatever mysterious strategy the Tsar had hinted at? Had the Duma continued its chaotic deliberations, unaware of its predetermined fate?

These questions held little relevance to Roman's immediate concerns. St. Petersburg was a different world, operating on different principles. Here in the Far East, reality was more concrete—stone and steel, guns and ships, the fundamentals of defense against a gathering threat.

The Tsar had chosen him for this role not because of political acumen or noble lineage, but because Roman understood how to build. And in a region that needed to transform rapidly from frontier territory to defensible stronghold, perhaps that was precisely what was needed.

Roman traced the coastline on his map, identifying vulnerable points, planning additional fortifications. The work absorbed him completely, driving away doubts about his adequacy for the broader responsibilities that might soon be his.

"Just engineering," he murmured to himself, echoing his earlier thought. But perhaps that was enough. Perhaps, in the end, that was exactly what the Tsar had been looking for all along—a man who would build without questioning why, who would prepare for war without political distraction.

Outside his window, Port Arthur continued its transformation from sleepy port to military stronghold. And far to the south, across the waters, Japan watched and waited, making its own preparations for the conflict that both nations now saw as inevitable.