Chapter 512: Providing a Stage for the Russians
Over sixty kilometers north of Kabul lies a small village.
There, a group of Afghan resistance fighters had gathered. Before the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the Russians had been Afghanistan's allies. The alliance between Afghanistan and Tsarist Russia had been formed in July of the previous year, but by November of the same year, Britain had already invaded Afghanistan.
Clearly, Russia had no deterrent effect on Britain—or rather, Britain placed immense importance on Afghanistan. To prevent Russia from reaching the Indian Ocean, Britain would crush even the faintest possibility before it could sprout.
This mirrored the mindset of the United States in another timeline. Everyone knew Russia's potential breakout zones: one was the Middle East and the Black Sea, the other was the Indian Ocean.
If Tsarist Russia ever managed to secure an outlet to the Indian Ocean, its geopolitical influence would become, without exaggeration, invincible. Though Russia's vast territory already gave it formidable standing, without access to the sea, it could never truly attain the coveted status of a global superpower.
Since the Age of Exploration, the ocean had essentially equaled trade, and controlling the seas had naturally become synonymous with global supremacy. This was a status Russia, as the former gendarme of Europe, and France, the former continental hegemon, could only long for. Continental dominance could never rival the value of maritime supremacy. Being a maritime power meant being a world power—Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands understood this deeply. Even France had held the mantle briefly, though never with the overwhelming dominance of those sea empires.
While the competition between sea power and land power continued, Ernst believed sea power held the ultimate edge—unless a centralized empire could control all of Eurasia. Even then, its influence would be confined to three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. After all, the land is divided by the sea.
In contrast, a maritime hegemon like Britain could intervene in global affairs via the oceans. Wherever a British warship sailed, that became Britain's sphere of influence.
Thus, Britain's deep hostility toward Russia was understandable. If Ernst were British, he too would want to trap Russia inland. And indeed, Ernst supported any effort to keep Russia landlocked—as long as he wasn't Russian himself.
Russia's territory was vast enough to monopolize an entire continent. Only the United States, East Africa, and the Far East Empire could compare. Were it not for Russia's harsh environment, only Britain—with its massive colonial empire—could outmatch it.
Watching their Afghan ally being swallowed up by Britain, Russia could do nothing but fume. The Russo-Turkish War had lasted even longer than in history, leaving Russia powerless to assist Afghanistan directly.
Even symbolic support, like sending a few military instructors and limited arms, strained Russia's capabilities. Its weapons were prioritized for the war with the Ottomans, and its industrial and logistical capacity was already overextended.
Thus, East Africa's weapons deliveries provided much-needed relief for the Afghan resistance. While these arms were outdated, for a country like Afghanistan with no industrial base, they were more than welcome.
Today, Russian military advisor Ilya, stationed in Afghanistan, was surprised to discover the Afghans had acquired a batch of new weapons.
He asked resistance leader Mulrati, "Where did you get these weapons?"
Mulrati didn't mind the Russian's curiosity—after all, Ilya was there to help them fight the British. He replied, "They say these weapons came from international friends, delivered through Persia. But they wouldn't reveal their identities."
"Persia?" Ilya was skeptical. He didn't believe the Persians had the guts to support Afghanistan—crossing Britain would be suicidal.
"I doubt it. The Persians fear the British too much. You sure it was them? Do you know who actually sent these?"
"Mr. Ilya, the weapons were supplied by an Arab merchant who claimed they might have been provided by your people—the Russians."
That startled Ilya. "Impossible. If they were from Russia, how could I not know? And if this was an official Russian operation, I'd have met the person in charge. They wouldn't go through a third party."
Mulrati scratched his head. "I'm not sure, but the merchant said the leader of the group who delivered the weapons was a Russian—from St. Petersburg, no less."
Sensing something off, Ilya asked gravely, "Could someone be impersonating a Russian?"
"I doubt it. That merchant has done business with your people for years—he'd recognize a fake."
"Maybe I'm overthinking this…" Ilya muttered, confused.
Mulrati reassured him, "Mr. Ilya, there's no need to dwell on this. Whoever provided these weapons must be a friend of Afghanistan—or at least an enemy of the British. We needed arms, and now we have them. That's all that matters."
Ilya realized he had been overanalyzing. After all, his mission was to disrupt the British. These weapons would enhance the resistance. If anyone had a problem, it would be the British.
"You're right, Mr. Mulrati. It's not like the British would kindly send us weapons."
But then, as Ilya examined the weapons, he was surprised to find many were actually of British origin.
"Enfields? And French Martinis? This one's a German Dreyse… and various flintlocks…"
The mix fascinated him. As he sorted through the pile, he noticed the weapons came from all over—mainly Germany, Britain, and France. Russian-made arms were rare.
That led Ilya to two theories:
First, the weapons were truly provided by an Arab state or middleman—assembled from secondhand purchases across Europe.
Second, they might still be Russian-supplied, and the lack of Russian arms was an intentional misdirection to hide involvement.
Both were plausible, but Ilya leaned toward the first theory. If this were official Russian aid, there'd be no need for such secrecy.
In reality, the weapons were recently retired from the East African Black Corps after the Eastern Portuguese War, supplemented with captured Portuguese gear—i.e., British and French arms.
The East African intelligence department had been careful, mixing in equipment from multiple countries to obscure the true source.
"These weapons don't look very new. Will they be reliable against the British? Won't the failure rate be high?"
Ilya now shifted from questioning their origin to nitpicking their quality.
But Mulrati was satisfied: "It doesn't matter to us. With these weapons and our brave warriors, we'll strike a heavy blow to the British."
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