In real life, the Russian Empire finished mobilizing earlier than Germany expected and immediately invaded East Prussia. However, Nicholas's policy was defensive: "We will mobilize, but we will not attack Germany."
"Considering the current state of our country, we are still not fully prepared for the war effort. We approve of full mobilization, but we will postpone the invasion for the time being."
"But that would mean allowing the German army to invade our territory..."
Those who expressed reservations included Chief of the General Staff Yanushkevich and others in charge of planning the mobilization.
They remembered the brilliant German victory in the Franco-Prussian War, when Germany, using the railroad to rapidly maneuver troops, seized the initiative and forced France to surrender in just under two months.
"Since the Russo-Japanese War, public discontent has only grown. If we allow the German army to invade our country, support for the government and His Majesty will decline even further..."
"But can we win with our current army? I hear we are short on cannons and ammunition. If we win, that's fine, but if we lose, the people's discontent will only increase."
In real life, the Russian Empire invaded according to the General Staff's plan, and as a result, their 400,000-strong army was defeated by the German army, less than half its size, in the Battle of Tannenberg. Knowing this, Stalin had to change history at all costs.
"I'm not saying to go on a complete defensive mission. That's why I'm following the advice of the General Staff and saying I'm authorizing full mobilization, not partial mobilization."
Janushkevich and his team were at a loss for words under Stalin's glaring gaze. The First World War was originally caused by a conflict between Austria, which sided with Germany, and Serbia, which sided with Russia.
Since Austria had declared war on Serbia, Russia could not abandon its ally Serbia, but doing so would inevitably deepen conflict with Germany.
Fearing all-out war, Nicholas II sought to limit military mobilization to a partial level so as not to provoke Germany more than necessary.
But then came the Main Staff Office, headed by Yanushkevich, who was in charge of logistics. They rejected Nicholas's request, saying, "Partial mobilization is not possible because in the event of war with Germany, it would cause fatal delays in our war plans. If we are going to do it, we need full mobilization."
After lengthy debate, Nicholas II reluctantly agreed to a general mobilization, but the reincarnated Stalin decided to take advantage of this.
In essence, they were saying, "I made the concession on total mobilization, so now it's your turn to make a concession."
"but..."
"There is no need to worry. We are allies with France. Germany is not going to send a large army to us and leave the enemy behind."
Stalin, who knew the historical facts, was confident that the ``preemptive attack on Russia by German forces'' that Yanushkevich and others feared would not occur.
--In fact, the German General Staff had planned to invade France before Russia.
This mobilization plan, called the "Schlieffen Plan," was based on the assumption that it would take time for Russia to complete its full mobilization due to its vast territory, and so planned to first defeat the French forces and then turn around and invade Russia.
However, there was no way that the Russian military officials at the time had any idea about such future knowledge, and even if they had obtained information from a spy, how much of it should they take at face value?
In fact, even the German army ultimately adopted the Schleifen Plan, but conflict continued between the "Western faction" led by Schleifen, who emphasized the Western front, and the "Eastern faction" led by Moltke, who emphasized the eastern front.
Therefore, to Yanushkevich and others, the Tsar only appeared to be optimistic about the situation, and endless discussions continued between him and Nicholas.
(Oh come on! I, the emperor, am asking for a postponement! Hurry up and nod while you still have your head!)
However, unlike Nicholas II, who was a gentle person, Stalin was not originally such a gentle person.
Stalin, who was fed up with the general staff's refusal to agree, finally decided to take his final measure.
"Well, let's do this. If you insist on invading, I won't stop you, but if you fail, you will have to take full responsibility. However, unlike Stesseli, don't expect any amnesty."
In short, it was a straightforward threat: "If you lose, you will be tried by a military court and sentenced to death." As expected, the protests against Nikolai stopped abruptly.
(Yes, this is the best way to do it. Nothing controls people as easily as fear.)
In the end, everyone cares about their own health. There are very few people who are willing to risk their lives to make their point.
In addition, the General Staff, who were even more aware of the Russian military's lack of preparation than Nikolai, had no choice but to back down after being told this much.
**
Thus, as Stalin had predicted, the German army put into motion the Schlieffen Plan, pouring the majority of its forces into France. In an attempt to encircle the French army, the German army invaded neutral Belgium, which led to a quagmire on the Western Front, while on the other hand the German army took a defensive stance against Russia.
On the other hand, the Russian army, although fully mobilized, made no attempt to leave its territory, instead digging trenches along the border under the orders of Emperor Nicholas II. While the Western Front intensified, the two armies on the Eastern Front were locked in a standoff, and due to boredom, a feeling of war weariness spread, lowering morale, and soldiers on both sides were even seen exchanging cigarettes and alcohol.
Despite the fact that the two countries are in a state of war and share a border, no fighting has taken place, and the media has sarcastically dubbed this a "phony war."
However, the Allied Powers, who were forced to accept the large armies of Germany and Austro-Hungary, were not immune to the Russian Empire's lack of enthusiasm.
In particular, Serbia, the country that started the war, was on the verge of collapse under fierce attack from the great power Austria-Hungary.
"What is Russia doing? Aren't we the same Slavic people?"
Daily cries of distress for aid reached the Petrograd court from the Serbian government.
It was only thanks to Russia's support that Serbia was able to resist Austria, which was burning with revenge after the assassination of the crown prince. The book is filled with the wisdom and sorrow of small and medium-sized countries that took advantage of Russia's plan to establish a sphere of influence in the Balkans based on Pan-Slavism, but Nicholas was surprisingly cold towards this traditional Pan-Slavism.
(After the war, I was brutally betrayed by the ungrateful Tito. I will never trust the Balkan Slavs again.)
The reason was a completely personal grudge. Since they had participated in the war out of obligation and had provided military supplies, Nikolai (aka Stalin) believed that there was no need to accept any further demands.
Naturally, the Serbian government strongly protested against Russia's attitude, which was tantamount to abandoning Serbia.
"If Serbia were to lose, the large Austria-Hungarian army that we are now attracting would turn against Russia. That is not what you want, is it?"
"Or maybe the army will head towards France or Britain. That's not what the West wants."
Stalin was always wary of a conspiracy by Britain and France to use Russia to fight the Germanic peoples, aiming to bring about their downfall together. In fact, British Prime Minister Churchill and others thought the same during World War II, and Stalin's stance was not to trust any foreign country, even if it was an ally.
"...You'll regret this."
"I sincerely pray for the safety of your country. If Serbia remains in good health, the number of allied soldiers heading to Russia will decrease accordingly."
"Hk...!"
Thus, Serbia, which had been abandoned by Russia, shifted its foreign policy to one that emphasized the West, and began to shift its strategy toward obtaining aid from Britain and France, on the condition that it sell its domestic interests, such as railways and mines, to British and French capital after the war.
Although Britain and France sent only a small number of soldiers, they supplied Serbia with ammunition in abundance. The Kingdom of Serbia, which seemed hopeless in the face of the great power Austria-Hungary, showed such tenacity that it was called the "Miracle of the Balkans," and continued to fight almost alone for over a year until it was conquered at the end of 1915.
One of the great upsets of World War I, the "Balkan Miracle" imposed an unexpected burden on the Central Powers, but it also gave the Russian Empire more than a year to prepare for total war at home, without worrying about the war situation.
Thus, at the cost of abandoning his allies and losing his diplomatic reputation with Britain and France, Nicholas was able to buy himself time to preserve the integrity of the Russian Empire and carry out sensible reforms.
Modern historians write that this was "a dangerous move that could have led to Russia's diplomatic isolation," but even this was merely a mild adversity for Stalin, who had survived being surrounded on all sides by the Soviet Union.