Empress Catherine VIII walked gallantly in her Imperial Suite. The memory of her grandfather, Emperor Alexander III "the Liar", was still strong in her mind. She adored him for his refusal to give in to the rebel demands. Well, she would not crumble either. The reprisals in Bohemia and Moldova were successful and the people no longer rebelled. In the Baltic States, the Lithuanian leaders crumbled but were quickly replaced by bold Estonians. This made the Lithuanian people believe that there was still hope for their rebellion. However, much of the Lithuanian and Latvian population pledged loyalty to the Imperium again, and Vilnius itself, the original capital of the Baltic rebellion, had surrendered itself back to the Imperium and the authority of the Empress.
The Finnish rebels were left relatively untouched by the reprisal and assassination of their leadership. Their rebel ranks had only slightly decreased. Their determination is what earned them the respect of Catherine. The Lithuanian leadership immediately crumbled to the weaker, less-organized Estonians. The Lithuanians gave up immediately. The Finns, however, were obviously pure in their desire for
There were parades in Warsaw, Moscow, Krakow, Gdansk, Minsk, and more major cities all over the Imperium celebrating Emperor Alexander III for his bravery and rescue of the Polish Imperium from fragmenting and collapsing. His resolve to maintain the Imperium earned the recognition of many people. Even in Prague, Bohemia, and Chisinau, Moldova - 2 centers of rebellion - there were quite a few small celebrations in his name.
The Baltic rebels had become less organized because not all of them recognized the sudden transition of rebel authority from the Lithuanians in Vilnius to the Estonians in Tallinn - this was one of the reasons that the rebellion lost credibility among most Lithuanians except for the ones living on the Baltic Coast.
The Estonian rebels would pay for their ambitious defiance.
For many people in the Imperium, Catherine VIII would be known as Catherine the Great; for the soon-to-be-crushed Estonian rebels, she would be known as Catherine the Be-yotch; but for the Finns, she would be known as Catherine the Chain-Breaker because she broke the chain of oppression in Finland by granting independence.
Diplo
From Empress Catherine VIII of the Polish Imperium
To German Republic:
We thank you for your gift of land.
To Finnish Rebel Authority in Helsinki:
We agree to give Finland independence with these terms:
1. The new Republic of Finland will have the rebelling Finnish lands (the striped ones) and, as a sign of the Imperial goodwill, the Finnish coastline going up north all the way to the border with the Vikings (a thin coastline).
2. The Republic of Finland will pay 2 economy levels to facilitate a trade route between the Republic and the Imperium.
3. THe Republic of Finland will agree to a full alliance with the Polish Imperium called the Baltic Alliance.
4. The Republic of Finland will recognize the Polish Imperium.
5. The Polish Imperium will recognize the Republic of Finland.
6. The Polish Imperium will immediately withdraw any and all troops that may be remaining in the lands designated to secede.
Those are our terms. We await your response.
Orders
Let the rebel Finns secede with the land that their rebellion currently encompasses and with that thin coastline leading up to the Viking border.
Withdraw the troops from Finland.
Send SECRET NUMBER: 5,000 troops to the Estonian rebellion to CRUSH IT!
Keep SECRET NUMBER: 1,000 troops manning the fortifications on the border with the Vikings.
Build marketplaces all over the Imperium to icnrease economy.