One week later.
Peace has settled upon the world and each country is eyeing reconstruction. In spite of fighting all of the great powers in Europa, the Ruthenia Empire suffered only minor damages, especially at the border. Nothing significant was made to the capital of the Empire given the fact that its distance from the nearest country is a hundred or thousand kilometers away. A plane could reach that distance but it will be shot down nonetheless with the Ruthenian anti-air defense system.
As their neighbors were working hard cleaning up the debris and the vestige of war, the Ruthenia Empire was having its ceremony in the Winter Palace. At Palace Square, thousands of soldiers gathered. They are formed in a beautifully straight line. Their heads looked up at the balcony where Alexander stood with a podium in front of him.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I would like to thank you all for your service in defending the nation against a danger that threatens our sovereignty and our way of life. Your courageous and valiant act in the frontline would surely inspire the people of Ruthenia to do the same for the sake of their motherland. I know there are those who have perished in the war, but they will never be forgotten. I will make sure that future generations would know that those heroes existed and have protected the country they'll be treading upon in their birth. Now that we have achieved global peace, we want to keep it that way. We should be the ones to advocate peace as you already know, war is the cruelest thing that humankind has done to its kind. Regardless of our differences in culture, tradition, and the land we are born with, let us embrace peace and enjoy it in our own time. Let us share in this era. The day is long gone when we had to fight to stay alive in this harsh and uncaring world of ours. Let us cherish this moment." He paused before his next words. "The Black Hand who is the sole responsible for cruelty has now been extinguished. We are never going to feel afraid of them anymore. As I will put it, don't fear the dead, fear the living, as those are the ones that can bring harm. That's all, my beloved people."
After his speech, the soldiers stamped their feet and performed an orchestrated salute at their emperor.
Alexander retreated from the podium and entered the palace. As he walk down the great hallways of the Winter Palace, Sergei was following behind, reading him reports.
"Your Majesty, we have set up a date for the Hague Convention that will be held in St. Petersburg. The agenda of the meeting has been forwarded to the participants of the convention. Reconstruction in our Polish territory is going smoothly as we speak, and the last thing is your plan of building a People's Hall for the Imperial Council. The budget is laid out and I have to be honest, Your Majesty, building it is a hard and expensive task. I was hoping that you would reconsider your decision…"
"You don't have to remind me, I am not going to sign it," Alexander said, his hands behind his back as they walked together at the same speed. "The funds for the construction of the People's hall will then be reinvested to build business districts. A simple yet elegant neoclassical style palace for the Imperial Council would do."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. You never strike me as an ambitious man who builds monumental things that only serve as eye candy."
"It is best that we remain frugal. We are strengthening the economy of the Ruthenia Empire here, making it the largest exporter of goods and services. I don't want our country to be looked at like it was once before, a paper tiger. A country with a lot of land but underdeveloped and uninhabitable, and a lot of troops but are undertrained and underequipped. We are changing that perception."
After two minutes of talking, Alexander finally reached his office. He went inside, followed by Sergei, who then sat on a chair across Alexander's table. Alexander took his seat, leaned back, and twiddled his hand.
Sergei continued. "The agenda for the Hague convention, Your Majesty, can you walk me through it? On the front page, it reads, a proposal for a new organization for the world. A united nation."
"Even if the war lasted for three weeks, I'm sure countries like the Deutschland Empire and Britannia Empire would have seen a glimpse of the war took for years. It will be a total annihilation and destruction. Not to mention the fact that we have a nuclear arsenal, and they have none. And it is for that very reason that the countries will start to feel warily towards us."
"Why is that?" Sergei asked.
"Sergei, let's say the Deutschland Empire was the first country to develop a working nuclear weapon. How will you react?"
Sergei pondered for a moment and answered. "Well, Your Majesty, I think the most logical answer would be us panicking. If the weapon is delivered via missiles and we have no way of intercepting it, then we are at the mercy of that country. In order to counter that threat, I suggest that we start our own nuclear weapon program to keep up with it. If not then the Deutschland Empire will become a sole global superpower."
"That's right," Alexander confirmed his answer. "That's what other countries think of us right now. I'm sure that at some point in time, they'll initiate their nuclear weapon program. But I won't let that happen. So far, our country is the only one that has scientists with a background in nuclear science. We can't let them get out of the country and share top secrets with the neighbors. So if we can't let them build a nuclear program, then why don't we propose something that they'll find favorable? Global peace and security? The purpose of the United Nation is to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote social progress, and better living standards and human rights."
"Does that apply to all nations? Your Majesty?" Sergei inquired.
"It applies to all independent nations. Those who have been colonized by the great powers, well I don't want to ruffle any feathers…"
"But won't that defeat the purpose of the organization you are trying to create?" Sergei pressed further.
"The United Nation was created for the sole purpose of formality. Make the world think that there is a rule that binds us together. We are going to circumvent the organization we created through the use of soft power. I had this quote that is lingering in my mind for quite some time about the colonies. 'Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed'." Alexander quoted. "And we will give those people tools for their freedom but I don't have interest in Africa, at least not yet. Let's focus on one of the most stable continents so far. South America."
