I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 253 Disappointment

People always change.

Nicholas is no longer a child. He will eventually change from the innocent and kind-hearted Nikki to the ruthless Nicholas II.

George is very sensitive. Although Nicholas will still come to Oak Camp to find him, when Nicholas and George are together, their words become more and more concise, and the smiles on their faces become less and less.

So when the first snow fell in St. Petersburg, George knew he had to go.

Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway started from Khabarovsk and Chelyabinsk respectively.

Nicholas, the commander-in-chief, was in charge in St. Petersburg. For reasons and reasons, George should go to Khabarovsk to supervise the work.

Before leaving St. Petersburg, George went to see Nicholas to say goodbye.

"Duke, please wait a moment, His Highness is resting."

Oroga did not let George go in directly, but asked George to wait in the lounge.

George didn't have to wait long.

"George, can't you not go back to Amur?"

Every time George returned to Amur, Nicholas would complain.

But for some reason, Nicholas's tone was particularly brisk this time.

"I can't rule the East for you if I stay in St. Petersburg——"

George made a pun, and his relationship with Nikolai completely depends on Nikolai.

Nicholas' mood was very complicated, and stars were shining in his eyes.

"George, don't go back to Amur, stay in St. Petersburg, I will seal Crimea to you——"

George's mood was more complicated.

If it were not before Vladivostok, George would be very happy.

Crimea has fertile land, superior location, and much better conditions than Vladivostok.

But how is it possible for George to give up Vladivostok now——

George put a lot of effort into Vladivostok.

Vladivostok carries the hopes of too many people.

So George really couldn't give up Vladivostok.

"Nikki, Vladivostok is far more important to Russia than you think."

George can't say that after the empire falls, Vladivostok will be the last safe haven for people like them.

So George could only be as tactful as possible.

But George's tact, in Nicholas's eyes, was proof that George was unwilling to give up power.

"George, I understand, and I will always support you no matter what."

Nicholas's smile made George sad.

But at the same time, deep inside, I was vaguely happy.

Okay, in this case, you can finally focus all your energy on Vladivostok.

Before George left, he did not forget to visit Anne in Germany.

Anne had already packed her luggage and was going to Vladivostok with George.

I miss Katya!

The reasons Anne gave were irrefutable to George.

They don't miss you, so don't be sentimental.

George and his party boarded the ship in Nice, and they followed George to the Far East, including Andre and Peter.

The Yeroshin family, except Andrei and Peter, are all in Vladivostok.

George couldn't let his family live in two places.

So George transferred Andrei and Peter to Amur in the name of the Amur Military District.

Also going to the Far East at the same time were some workers and technicians from the St. Petersburg Glass Factory.

So George's team was extremely large.

"It feels like you're on the run—"

Anne is more sensitive than George.

"You're right. Once you go, you will never be able to go back to Germany. It's still too late for you to regret it."

George half-truths.

Anne was silent for a while and said something in Chinese: "Then I can only marry the chicken and follow the chicken and marry the dog and follow the dog."

George couldn't help it and gave Anne a big hug.

The "Dolgorukov" headed east and arrived in Aceh in mid-October.

“Vladivostok’s icebreaker won’t break down again—”

Annie covered her mouth and snickered.

"You may not know that there are two icebreakers in Vladivostok."

George's honesty earned George a nice eye roll.

The tropics are great. In just half a year, the traces of the war have completely disappeared from Aceh, and reconstruction work is proceeding smoothly.

The Dutch bombardment almost completely destroyed Aceh, leaving only a few intact houses.

Yangkov was not in a hurry. He hired designers to make an overall plan for Aceh and built it slowly around the port. He had plenty of time.

Vladivostok is frozen for half of the year, making it impossible to start work.

Aceh is located in the tropics, so there is no delay 12 months a year, and the efficiency is quite high.

While Aceh was being rebuilt, work on the plantations was progressing steadily.

George's original intention of controlling Aceh was to provide raw materials for Vladivostok. When the Dutch invaded, a large number of plantations around Aceh were also destroyed. Now it is time to re-plan without delay.

These islands in Southeast Asia are indeed Feng Shui treasures.

Although Aceh has not yet provided industrial raw materials to Vladivostok, tropical fruits and aquatic products from Aceh have appeared in the Vladivostok market.

George was very surprised. There were refrigerated transport ships in 1888?

There really is. And it was there 10 years ago.

What else is there to say? Just plant it.

"What's Batavia doing lately?"

George still cares about Batavia.

Including compensation, the Dutch paid at least 2 million Dutch guilders in Aceh successively, not only getting nothing, but also losing troops and generals. If George was the governor of East India, George would not be reconciled.

Aceh defeated Batavia twice, relying on guerrilla warfare.

Guerrilla warfare is not a cure-all for all diseases. Once the Dutch become familiar with the guerrilla warfare model, guerrilla warfare will not be smooth sailing.

"The Dutch have transferred their main force to Kalimantan Island to deal with the Lanfang people on Kalimantan Island. They have no time to pay attention to us for the time being."

Yankov's eyes flashed with danger.

Thousands of people beat the broken drum.

The Netherlands is broken right now.

The two wars not only expanded Aceh's control area, but also extorted funds necessary for the development of Aceh from the Netherlands. Yankov tasted the sweetness and wanted to continue his efforts.

"Send the right people to Kalimantan, how can we let the people of Lanfang fight alone——"

George will not take the initiative to break the agreement.

But at the same time, it would not be easy for the Dutch to conquer Kalimantan.

The national power of the Netherlands is still too weak.

When the benefits brought by colonizing East India are less than the expenses, the Dutch will truly understand their status.

If you are a small country with few people, you should not engage in colonization. You don’t know if you don’t have the strength.

The only way to go back to Europe is to reclaim the sea and build land.

Although Aceh no longer has the threat of Batavia, it faces the same problem as Vladivostok, population.

Aceh's population was originally small, and it was devastated by wars. After the war, there were less than 600 people left in Aceh, which was miserable.

Under the rule of the Lansha Sultanate, the total population is now only 20, the vast majority of which are indigenous Acehnese.

This problem cannot be solved for a while. Vladivostok is still short of people and unable to support Aceh.

Fortunately, the families of Aceh's "mercenaries" are arriving in Aceh one after another. Compared with the ice and snow of the Arctic Circle, they prefer the climate in Aceh.

"We must do a good job in resettling new immigrants. Whether they are Cossacks or East Indians, as long as they come to Aceh, they are Acehnese."

George gave Li Sha lessons, worried that Li Sha would resist the new immigrants.

George also knows that people who are not of my race must have different hearts.

But now that dissident capital has not been eliminated, George can only engage in integration.

After a generation or two, when the population base has increased, George will be able to bring in private goods. It is still too early now.

"In the past few months, there have been a lot of people coming from Lanfang."

Li Sha still felt a little guilty. George was also a foreigner in Li Sha's eyes.

Lanfang is a country founded by the Chinese, with more than one million Chinese at its peak.

In 1850, a war broke out between the Lanfang Company and the East India Company. Lanfang defeated the East India's attacks many times, and was finally defeated due to lack of strength.

Although Lanfang Company failed, the resistance of Lanfang people did not stop.

Earlier this year, the Lanfang people also fought against the Dutch in Kalimantan.

After the defeat of the Lanfang Company, the surviving Chinese were displaced. In recent months, more than 2000 Lanfang people have arrived in Aceh through various channels.

"As much as you want."

George opened his eyes.

After staying in Aceh for a week, the "Dolgorukov" continued north.

Compared with Aceh, Jeju's development was smoother. While reclaiming wasteland, Danila secretly installed several artillery pieces on an armed merchant ship, so Jeju had basic self-defense capabilities.

This self-defense is not against the Royal Navy.

As long as you have the ability to resist pirate attacks.

"Is there still pirate harassment?"

George is not afraid of threats from governments of various countries. Pirates are the biggest factor of instability.

"The pirates are gone, but in the past few months, the warships of the Siberian Fleet have been coming more frequently."

Danila was dissatisfied with the Siberian fleet.

The last time pirates attacked Jeju, the support from the Siberian fleet arrived belatedly. If George hadn't still had backup in Jeju, Jeju would have suffered heavy losses.

When the warships of the Siberian Fleet arrived in Jeju, the pirates had retreated and there was no exchange of fire at all.

However, the Siberian fleet took credit for repelling the pirates, so it was normal for them to come to visit them every now and then.

"You can add coal and water, but you can't stay overnight, and the sailors are not allowed to go ashore."

George doesn't like the Siberian Fleet either, but it's impossible not to deal with it completely.

Jeju is a civilian port. In order to avoid disputes, warships of the Siberian Fleet cannot appear frequently in Jeju Port. Otherwise, sooner or later, the British will take advantage of the situation.

George has not seen Alexeyev since he took office.

George is not aware of Alexeev's "great achievements", but judging from Alexeev's performance in the more than a year since he took office, Alexeev is not much better than his predecessor. Where to go.

This is also normal.

Really capable generals will not send the Siberian Fleet. The Baltic Fleet and Black Sea Fleet are not enough.

"Sailor—"

Daniella hesitated.

"If you have any questions, just send a telegram to Vladivostok. If I'm not around, just call Mi Shuai. If that doesn't work, you can also call General Yelokhin."

George knew that this request was a bit excessive, but this cannot be blamed on George. The sailors of the Siberian Fleet were even more excessive.

(End of this chapter)