After a long six months of tug-of-war.
In January 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was completed.
It didn't take long to feel how powerful this treaty was.
"Hereby we strip the rights to the Prussian throne and the connected German imperial throne."
France finally announced the disappearance of the empire in the sa place where Wilhelm I had proclaid it in the Palace of Versailles.
Wilhelm II had been preparing for exile to the Netherlands since the dostic atmosphere turned ominous and talk of abdication erged, so he wouldn't resist, and the aning this carried was quite significant.
Three empires collapsed from just one war.
Beyond taking responsibility for defeat, they completely drove out the House of Hohenzollern that had ruled Prussia for 400 years.
Each ti dozens of pages were read out enurating Germany's cris one by one, the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles repeatedly filled with applause and cheers from hundreds.
The venue, content, gathered figures - everything was filled with excessive performance matching how difficult the war had been.
Only Dr. Johannes Bell, appearing as Germany's representative at the huge table, kept his head deliberately lowered and his eyes and ears closed.
Regardless, the end of the war that had reached five years in duration was truly sothing that couldn't help but be exciting.
Dr. Bell sitting pitifully before dozens of national leaders and representatives.
There seed no better composition showing the war's outco than this.
Though reading hundreds of clauses took a long ti, the exhilaration didn't drop thanks to the weight contained in each word.
Finally, when all declarations ended and everyone rose to applaud.
Kokovtsov, sitting quietly on the Allied side, also stood while arranging his uniform.
"Roman, let's go back."
"What? What about the following events?"
"This isn't a place for us to enjoy."
Though everyone's cheers grew louder as Dr. Johannes Bell's head lowered more and his shoulders shrank, Kokovtsov felt no excitent from this performance.
Rather, the sense of dissonance he felt throughout this event gave him a bad feeling that all this would return as karma soday.
'Germany did that in the '70s. Drunk on victory, they rampaged for nearly half a century not knowing how high the sky was.'
This ti it's just reversed with France's vindictiveness making Germany bow their head.
How long will this really last?
No, did such a difficult war truly grant complete hegemony?
Though such questions kept springing up, Kokovtsov decided to set them aside for now and.
"Let's prepare to welco His Majesty."
Decided to focus on sothing more important than such a treaty ceremony.
The Baltic Fleet was coming to France.
==
Perhaps the Baltic Fleet was the fleet that took the least damage in this naval war.
Because except for the early war, this fleet never sailed out.
"The Baltic Fleet, since its founding by Peter the Great with over 300 years of history-"
"Ah, Admiral. I know it all so you can stop explaining."
"Our fleet always carries out missions like warti in peaceti! Like peaceti in warti!"
The Russian Mad Dog who even participated in the Russo-Japanese War, Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky.
Having mastered getting money from the Treasury in cooperation with Naval Minister Ron, he went beyond pestering to stick right next to and wouldn't stop explaining.
"However, sadly with recently outdated equipnt and displacent falling behind those vicious Western European ships truly not matching the Baltic Fleet's high spirit, if by chance-"
"Stop, stop I said."
With army disarmant clearly coming, now knowing it's their turn they're ready to demand completely replacing the fleet.
Still, he's not wrong.
The Baltic Fleet was certainly rusted beyond outdated after the ergence of dreadnoughts.
Rescue ships and surface ships are all obsolete and simply outmatched in scale. No wonder they had to stay quietly in port for the past 5 years.
Still, a fleet is a fleet.
Dozens of ships sailing together couldn't help but be quite a spectacle.
Yes. This fleet was now leaving the Baltic Sea with heading to France.
Though they say it's vast, just getting out of seeing the sa capital every day couldn't help but improve my mood quite a bit.
With the cool sea breeze blowing, just standing on deck feels refreshing.
"Your Majesty, even so, is there reason for you to go to France personally?"
"Count Fredericks, am I not allowed to go abroad?"
"You know that's not it. After all, it's a foreign country so there are security and protocol issues, and above all since we haven't extended the alliance, the French may not be so friendly."
"It's fine, I'm not going for anything good anyway."
Willy will probably flee to the Netherlands now, and though George is just a decoration locked at ho under constitutional monarchy, Russia is different.
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We're an absolute monarchy, and practically I, not Kokovtsov, am the head of state.
Above all, there's sothing I clearly realized last year.
'The empire won't collapse now even without .'
Louis XIV said he himself was the state? When I ascended the throne, literally my fate was Russia's fate.
In those days I couldn't go out not just from the capital but even the imperial palace, married late, and with even my brother not being normal, I was an absolutely essential existence who must not die.
But now the Great War is over and the prodigal son has returned after wandering the battlefields.
With Nikita looking perfectly fine as Tsesarevich, this much should be alright, shouldn't it?
This trip to France is privately also my only hobby and deviation. For sothing only I can enjoy.
'They say I can et historical figures.'
It's not a perverted taste, and certainly not fan sentint.
Just the heart of a historian still sowhat remaining in the life of a man nad Nicholas moved.
And above all.
"The rapidly changing situation isn't easy even for to predict now. So, I must see and hear with my own eyes. I must go to France where the world situation is being decided."
Just as the empire's fate and mine are no longer identical, the history I know doesn't match the era I live in.
So I won't be satisfied hearing from others' mouths or reading in newspapers - I must see directly.
"I understand your words but why leave together with the Pri Minister of all tis?"
"In the past the Finance Minister was practically Pri Minister. We have Stolypin, don't we?"
"That man... is sowhat twisted. Like soone desperate to fight sowhere."
"I know."
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