Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 56 What? You call me Rasputin?

The next morning, the priest in black appeared before the general.

"Your Excellency, although the Lord teaches us all to be honest, as a member of the Empire, serving His Majesty is also our duty."

"You mean you agree?"

"Yes, I can set off at any time if needed."

“Thank you, Father! You have a heart devoted to the country,” Lenningkamp said, offering praise that was not for money.

However, the general then pressed his hands down again, saying, "Although His Majesty's orders are very important, I would still like to talk to you about what happened on the battlefield at Lake Masuria."

"What happened on the battlefield?"

“Of course, haven’t we had a very pleasant exchange before?” Renningkamp said, handing several draft documents to the priest in black.

Qin Hao glanced at the documents; they were a series of prepared reports, all essentially trying to justify the First Army's performance in the Battle of Tannenberg and pinning the main responsibility for the defeat on Samsonov.

Is he trying to get me to cooperate with him in shifting blame and endorsing him?
The two sides now share common interests, and Qin Hao nodded, "While serving His Majesty, I am also willing to reasonably protect your interests."

“Look at you, Father, you’re always so sentimental. I’ll repay you when the time is right.”

A sordid political deal was thus completed, and Qin Hao began to "memorize his script" from the documents in his hand, but gradually his eyebrows furrowed.

"Sir, may I ask who Rasputin is, as written on this?" Qin Hao asked, pointing to the name on the battle report.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, this person is you," the general said with a smile, standing opposite him.

"Me?! I've never had this name before."

"Of course, this isn't your problem. This is how the Germans refer to you internally. It might be a spelling error or a misreading, but our propaganda department simply used the verbatim to intimidate the enemy," the general explained nonchalantly.

"this…"

Qin Hao's mind raced. He had no feelings for a name he made up on the spot; if he mispronounced it, so be it. But the name Rasputin was different.

This name is quite unusual.

Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin—the Grand Tutor of the last Tsar and the protagonist of various strange tales in modern Russia.

This guy was supposedly an ordinary farmer when he was young, and he even worked as a horse thief to make a living.

One day, he suddenly claimed to have received a spiritual awakening and began to preach and cure the villagers' illnesses in strange ways.

Later, through a chance introduction, he met Queen Alexandra and successfully gained her trust. He not only treated the royal family with strange medicines, but also acted as a medium and prophet.

His influence was immense; once he gained trust, he directly intervened in politics, even going so far as to use prophecy to command troops instead of intelligence.

His deeds of causing chaos in the palace and his fondness for collecting young girls are countless.

Finally, amidst public outrage, he was assassinated through a plot. Even so, it took a series of methods—poison, heavy blows, gunshots, and drowning—to kill him.

Judging from the timing, this guy should already be with Alexandra. Since they are "in the same profession," it would be very bad if they were targeted again because of their names.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao carefully considered his words and tentatively asked, "Won't this misunderstanding about names make the person beside the Empress unhappy?"

"The one beside the Queen? Who is she?" Renningkamp asked with a puzzled look on his face, his expression genuine.

A few minutes later. "You mean, whether in the Winter Palace or the temporary camp, there was no one named Rasputin by the Empress's side?!" Qin Hao asked again to confirm.

“Of course, the Queen’s current theological advisor is Master Philip, who has been by His Majesty’s side for a long time,” Renningkamp said with great certainty.

“Philip Vashad?” Qin Hao confirmed again.

"Oh? You know him?" The general then said with relief, "Of course, it's not surprising that someone of your status has heard of Master Philip. I believe you two will get along very well when you meet."

"I think it definitely will be." Qin Hao forced a smile again.

Even after boarding the carriage bound for Mogilev's camp, Qin Hao was still deep in thought.

History took a turn at this juncture; the Tsar's charlatan changed, and Rasputin failed to appear. He was replaced by Philippe Vashad, a Frenchman who should have left the royal family ten years earlier.

In my memory, this guy's main profession back then was psychic communication and praying for children. It is said that the royal family only had a true male heir—Prince Alexei—after he appeared.

Surprisingly, this person is still living in the palace.

Is this good news?

The wheels rolled forward, carrying Qin Hao and his questions toward an unknown distance.
-
At the same time, at Mogilev's camp.

"Philip, what do you think about this? Is it good news?" A short, white man placed a drink on the table.

“Papis, my friend, are you testing me?” The tall companion picked up his cup and drank it all in one gulp, then said, “A so-called priest from a barbaric place, his identity is questionable. How can we let such a person come to His Majesty’s side?”

The guy named Papis narrowed his eyes, confirming that the other person was thinking the same thing as him.

He was also a medium, but he wasn't as skilled in the "business" as Philip.

The two initially clashed. However, after realizing that undermining each other would result in mutual harm, they tacitly maintained a balance—with Philip taking the lead and Pappis taking a backseat, and their usual interests being split 30/70.

Now, another guy, whose origins are unknown, has been summoned by the emperor, which makes them feel that their position is threatened.

In the psychic version, fellow practitioners are often enemies; this is probably the situation.

"My friend, what are you going to do?" Papis refilled the cup. This guy was an alcoholic who drank a lot every day.

Philip tapped the table with his hand, his eyes becoming vacant, as if he had fallen into some kind of thinking state.

Papis involuntarily took a half-step back cautiously; this was what made him afraid of Philip. This Frenchman seemed to possess some kind of hypnotic power; ordinary people who stared into his eyes would involuntarily become lost in them.

He used this to put the Empress into a so-called "spiritual" state several times, but he didn't want to experience the feeling of being a puppet.

About a minute later, Philip opened his eyes again.

“Papis, my friend, do you remember when you first arrived, you got lost in the palace corridors?”

“Of course, I almost offended some of the princes back then. But why are you bringing that up?” Papis asked, puzzled.

"If anyone is new here, please be careful not to get lost, as some parts of this place are quite dangerous."

The Frenchman's eyes were fixed on the distance, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Behind the wall, the sound of chains clanging and the low growls of an unknown creature could be heard continuously.

(End of this chapter)