Smoke from the Volga campaign still lingered in the air when the first reports arrived.
From Vienna to London, from Istanbul to Paris, the chancelleries of Europe stirred with alarm.
The Iron Tsar's victories were too rapid, too brutal, too complete.
And so, in drawing rooms and palace corridors, a secret consensus formed:
Russia must be contained—or destroyed.
[Global Status: Hostile Alliances Forming]
In London, Prime Minister Harold Winston convened a War Council. British naval command was ordered to expand espionage operations in the Baltic and the Black Sea.
Secret treaties were drafted with the Ottoman Sultan, offering advanced rifles and telegraph systems in exchange for coordinated attacks along Russia's vulnerable southern borders.
Meanwhile, French diplomats whispered promises of "shared prosperity" to Polish nobles still dreaming of an independent Poland.
In Vienna, Austrian generals met with German envoys, proposing a "mutual defense pact"—one aimed not against France, but against the Russian bear awakening to the east.
[International Development: Proto-Coalition Against Russia]
Mikhail was no fool.
The Office of Internal Affairs intercepted dozens of coded telegrams. Cipher Corps agents in Berlin and London sent back chilling reports:
"Operation Winter Cordon: Multi-national military exercises along Russian borders."
"Mass conscription orders in Ottoman and Austrian territories."
"Rumors of British naval deployments in the Arctic."
The world was preparing for war.
And Mikhail knew he could not face them all at once.
[Decision Point: Preemptive Strike or Diplomatic Gambit?]
Summoning his inner council, Mikhail laid out his plan.
Russia would appear to bend.
Envoys would be sent with proposals of trade, technology sharing, and "mutual understanding."
Publicly, Russia would host a World's Exposition in St. Petersburg, showcasing its "peaceful" innovations.
Privately, the Empire would arm itself faster than ever before.
Steam-tanks. Mobile artillery platforms. Industrialized conscription programs.
[Strategy Activated: Mask of Iron]
[Hidden Status: Rapid Militarization Underway]
At the same time, Mikhail authorized black-ops campaigns:
Sabotage Ottoman weapon shipments.
Bribe key Austrian generals.
Spread revolutionary propaganda among British colonies.
[Covert Actions Launched]
The Iron Tsar was building a double game.
He would smile with diplomats.
And drive knives into their backs when the time came.
As winter deepened across Russia, preparations for the Exposition began.
Invitations were sent to every major nation.
The bait was set.
Let them come and see.
Let them marvel.
And let them realize—too late—that the Russian Empire was no longer the Bear of old.
It was a machine.
A Leviathan of iron and fire.
And it would not be stopped.