-Judgment Day-

(It's still not enough...)

　Hiding in a trench, Tatiana calmly analyzes the difference in strength between the two sides through binoculars.

(At least, the worst-case scenario is over. But the German army still has the initiative. If there are any reserves left...)

　The Russians' current situation is like a dilapidated ship that is barely holding up underwater. It's patchwork and the crew is overwhelmed. They don't have the capacity to send troops to other fronts, and if the Germans send their reserves elsewhere, it could create a gap in their front line.

"I'd like to call HQ to check the situation, but the lines were just destroyed by enemy artillery or bombing... what should I do?"

　At that moment, I saw a soldier riding a horse. He was still a young soldier.

"Where is Princess Tatiana?"

Women are rare on the battlefield, and as soon as Tatiana waved to him, the young man caught her eye.

"We've received a letter from headquarters!"

　Tatiana felt a little uneasy about what the soldier said.

(Why would you bother to write a letter to yourself when you're so busy?)

　It may sound strange to say it myself, but in reality, even though the title is general, it is just a figurehead. The main effect is symbolic, to create a sense of unity in the army, to show that poor soldiers shouldn't run away because even members of the imperial family are fighting in the army.

　The only exception would be political actions such as the one I just mentioned, taking advantage of my private position as the "Emperor's daughter."

"Maybe..."

　I have a bad feeling about this.

　Feeling anxious, he opened the letter and, as he had expected, found it in a familiar handwriting. It was undoubtedly a letter from his father, Nicholas II, addressed to him. Moreover, the handwriting showed an unusual sense of haste.

　It simply said:

　--- Tatiana, run away now. If you can't, go to the trenches. I'm going to blow them all up together.

"...Hey, can I ask you something?"

　Tatiana timidly asks the soldier who delivered the letter.

Do you know when this letter was written?

"Ha! The whole thing, yes!"

It was a reply that sounded exactly like what a hardened soldier would say, as if he had followed his training. The soldier continued.

"The order was to deliver it by the time the package was delivered! However, I got lost on the way and was delayed!"

　"Sorry!" the soldier said, bending his waist at a perfect right angle with great force, making Tatiana burst out laughing. Seeing the energetic young man's energetic figure, she felt a little encouraged even in this situation.

"Oh, I was just checking the time."

　He glanced at his watch. It was a custom-made watch, made with the utmost skill by Swiss craftsmen, befitting a member of the royal family, and it kept precise time without a single error.

　--- 2:45.

"Eh..."

　Honestly, this is a bit risky, and no joke. It's even more so when you consider that the things his father, Nicholas II, would do were all high-risk, high-return, drastic measures that were no good anyway.

"...Um, what's your name?"

"10th Cavalry Division! Sergeant Georgy Zhukov, I am!"

"Georgi, can you yell for everyone to take cover in the trenches right now?"

"Ha!"

　Then, just after Sergeant Zhukov loudly called for evacuation, a tremendous, earth-shaking impact hit Petrograd.

　---Roar---

　It was an overwhelming force, like the wrath of God shaking the earth. It blew German soldiers away and even smashed the supposedly strong artillery positions to pieces.

　The roar echoed not only where Tatiana and her friends were, but across all fronts, and the epicenter instantly transformed into a huge crater. It was a scene that seemed to embody the anger of the great Tsar.

Tatiana couldn't understand what had happened.

　All I could see was that the German position that had been under intense artillery fire just moments before had been blown away without a trace, and in the place where the strong German position had once been, there was now a huge, desolate crater.

"Not artillery..."

　Sergeant Zhukov muttered quietly next to her. Hearing his simple words, Tatiana finally understood the situation.

　Yes, artillery doesn't have that kind of firepower -- it would take a cannon with a caliber of more than 30 cm to make a crater that big -- but Tatiana knew of only one weapon that could do it.

"...Gangut-class battleship."

　＊＊＊

"...You've finally made an appearance."

　The moment he heard the sound, Wrangel let out a dry chuckle.

"...You've finally come."

　Mannerheim sat down on the ground with a look of relief on his face, as if a weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

"I've been waiting."

　Kornilov, who happened to be on horseback, unconsciously clenched his fists.

"You've come back...!"

　Kuropatkin, who was in his study in the Winter Palace, threw down the document he was writing and leaned over the balcony.

　I know this gunfire.

　--I haven't heard that name in a long time, but I know it.

　Then several mouths cried out his name at once.

"Baltic Fleet!!!"

　The world's most powerful fleet, stained with glory and shame, once disappeared into the Sea of ​​Japan. It was called the Imperial Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet, commonly known as the Baltic Fleet.

　＊＊＊

　Admiral Alexander Kolchak, commander-in-chief of the Baltic Fleet, watched the burning Petrograd through binoculars from the bridge of his flagship, Gangut.

When the elderly officer reported that they had finished reloading, Kolchak gave a solemn order.

Subaru: "I'll make you feel some pain. ――――Ouch!!"

　The next moment, the Gangut's four triple 52-caliber main guns fired simultaneously. A roar echoed through the air with enough force to tilt the ship, and after a short delay, the shells hit the city of Petrograd.

"Load next round!"

"Charge the powder, hurry!"

"Fire! Fire away!"

　Not only Gangut, but other light cruisers and armored cruisers also joined in, turning the German positions into a sea of ​​fire with the overwhelming firepower of their naval gunfire.

　Kolchak muttered as he surveyed the results of the battle.

"I wish I could have brought other battleships with me."

　The rebuilt Baltic Fleet was equipped with four state-of-the-art Dreadnought class battleships.

　However, the second ship, Petrokhaborovsk, the third ship, Poltava, and the fourth ship, Sevastopol, were accompanying the main force of the Baltic Fleet off the coast of Sweden. Initially, the entire force had departed from their home port of Petrograd to deceive the Germans, but Kolchak returned with some of his ships under cover of darkness.

In the Battle of Petrograd, the Imperial German Navy's Baltic Fleet was considered the greatest threat.

　The Imperial German Navy, which had acquired a large fleet through Tirpitz's naval expansion policy, deployed ten dreadnought battleships and eight light cruisers in the Baltic Sea. If these fleets entered the capital Petrograd, which faced the sea, the overwhelming firepower of the battleships' gunfire was thought to pose a major threat.

　Of course, the Imperial Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet was expected to play a role in interfering with this. However, Admiral Kolchak, who was the commander-in-chief, judged that there was little chance of winning if they fought head-on. Instead, Kolchak came up with a plan to divert the German Navy by moving his fleet first.

　If they could pretend to challenge the German Navy to a naval battle, they could buy themselves some time. In fact, the Germans fell for the diversion and were still pursuing the main force with all their forces.

"But Your Majesty has taken a bold gamble."

　Tsar Nicholas II, not content with a mere diversion, asked Kolchak to send part of his fleet to help defend the capital.

　Of course, this would reduce the main force of the Baltic Fleet, so if the German Navy were to catch up with them, they could be attacked unilaterally. Moreover, if the German Navy realized that this was a diversion along the way, there was even a possibility that they would be defeated one by one.

　Nevertheless, Kolchak embarked on this epic gamble because he had a strong desire to avenge his loss in the Russo-Japanese War.

(The Battle of Tsushima has brought the reputation of our glorious Navy to ruin... I will do whatever it takes to restore the honor of the Baltic Fleet...)

　At the time, Kolchak participated in the Battle of Port Arthur as the captain of a torpedo boat. After the war, he joined the Naval General Staff and made an effort to rebuild the destroyed Baltic Fleet. That is why he had an extraordinary desire to restore his honor.

　Kolchak went around trying to persuade each of the reluctant admirals, fearing the risks.

"If the capital, Petrograd, were to fall, the fleet's safety would be meaningless. Our Baltic Fleet would lose its home port and become a cowardly remnant wandering the Baltic Sea! What would be the point of the Baltic Fleet then?"

　After hearing Kolchak's passionate speech, the officers and soldiers of the Baltic Fleet were determined to avenge their past defeats at all costs.

　Even if the worst happens and the fleet is destroyed, we will at least restore the honor of the glorious Baltic Fleet.

　Thus Kolchak's gamble paid off.

Tsar Nicholas II's highly speculative, almost spontaneous, proposal was turned into a feasible operational plan through the personal conviction of Alexander Kolchak, and it dramatically changed the course of the war.

　**

　Thus the battle, with both sides exerting all their strength, continued until sunrise, and the outcome was decided just as the sun was fully up in the sky.

　What decided the outcome was the quantity of ammunition. The German supplies ran out first, and the intervals between covering fire gradually increased, until it stopped altogether.

　After the enemy had completely gone silent, Kornilov ordered the rocket troops to cease firing. He rode his horse to inspect the front line, where he found piles of dead German soldiers and the remains of a dozen destroyed tanks.

　The night's fighting was the first complete victory for the Imperial Russian Army in the long Battle of Petrograd. Casualties were heavy on both sides, but the difference was that the Germans had unexpected losses, whereas the Russians had expected them.

　The German army, once known for its formidable military might, never regained its former glory, and eventually began to retreat due to supply problems. Although the Russian army continued to face sporadic counterattacks, it managed to hold out Petrograd.

The Germans fought well with limited supplies and exhausted troops, but they reached their breaking point just before Petrograd. The final all-out offensive was a stretch that overstretched their forces and ended up destroying their precious remaining frontline troops.

　The German army, which had once boasted of being invincible, finally gave way just before the capital.