I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 276 River Fleet

Mikhail is still a bit petty in his work, and his vision is not far-sighted enough.

George's current goal is to acquire Edison's company and kill Edison completely.

At that time, only George's AC will be left on the market. The price of the electricity bill was once completely decided by George, and he could charge as much as he wanted.

No matter how high the patent fee is, it will be useless if it cannot be sold. Instead, it will give Edison a chance to struggle to his death.

If Morgan brings trouble to Thierry, Thierry can definitely get Morgan to buy shares without Thierry having to say anything. Morgan might help Thierry deal with Edison.

The reason is simple: AC electricity costs less than DC electricity, allowing Morgan to make more money.

that's enough.

After hearing George's plan, Mikhail and Milyutin looked at George with different eyes.

George's performance in business has always been not as sharp and aggressive as in the military.

In St. Petersburg, except for the first pot of gold in the liquor store, George never got involved in traditional industries and lived peacefully with the princes, just like a little white rabbit, harmless to humans and animals.

This gave Mikhail and Milyutin the illusion that George did not have much ambition in business.

This is actually not a good thing. The adult world is cruel. Although Mikhail and Milyutin are not qualified businessmen, they understand the operating rules of the adult world.

Therefore, a ruthless George is far more reassuring to Mikhail and Milyutin than a tender George.

Compared with business, what really worried George was the military.

After the Qing Empire's Beiyang Fleet was established, Japan was greatly stimulated and launched a crazy shipbuilding plan.

All Japan's current warships cannot pose a threat to "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan", so Japan has to start a new round of shipbuilding plan.

In building warships, the Japanese have fully demonstrated what it means to be addicted to food.

As early as 1871, Japan's Ministry of War, which was in charge of the army and navy at the time, proposed a twenty-year shipbuilding plan.

According to this plan, Japan will build ten warships every year, and by the end of the period, it will build a total of 200 warships, plus 20 transport ships.

This plan was probably dreamed up by the boss of the Ministry of War after drinking too much and patting his head, and there is absolutely no possibility of it being realized.

In 1873, Katsu Yasuyoshi, then Japanese Navy Minister, proposed an eighteen-year naval expansion plan, planning to build a total of 104 new large and small warships, including ironclads.

Japan is also unable to afford this plan.

It was not until 1882 that the then Navy Secretary Kawamura Junyoshi reduced the number of new warships to 32, and the Japanese naval plan was finally launched.

Just start it.

The Japanese completely underestimated the difficulty of building a navy. By 1885, Japan was already stretched thin and unsustainable, and had to issue public bonds to raise funds.

In any case, the Japanese navy was on its way.

The Qing Empire's Beiyang Navy has also begun to take shape.

So the Russian Empire's Siberian Fleet was very embarrassed.

George was even more embarrassed.

Mikhail and Milyutin were just watching the arms race between Japan and the Qing Empire. They did not expect that a war would break out between Japan and the Russian Empire in the future.

George had no idea about the history of the Japanese navy.

But George knew very well that after Japan defeated the Qing Empire, it would target the Russian Empire.

The Russian Empire already has a Siberian fleet in the Far East, and it is impossible for Amur to form a fleet unless George takes the Siberian fleet into his pocket.

Since he can't make a fuss about the navy, George can only work hard to improve Vladivostok's own defense capabilities.

After Milyutin took office, the Amur Military District began to take over the Vladivostok fort. Only then did George realize how indifferent the Siberian Fleet was.

I complained to my face that the Japanese navy was addicted to food.

The Siberian fleet is not much stronger than the Japanese navy, and the forts built are actually very wooden.

No wonder the Siberian fleet has been thinking about going south all day long. The Siberian fleet can run.

George could not move Vladivostok.

So after the Amur Military District took over the fort, George began to transform the fort.

and increase the number of forts.

Wooden turrets will definitely not work. George requested that all turrets be transformed into reinforced concrete structures, which should at least be able to withstand direct hits from 320mm naval guns.

After professional calculations, to meet George's requirements, the thickness of the top of the Vladivostok Fort must be at least 5 meters.

The 5-meter-thick roof, plus the covering soil, is at least 15 meters thick, which is a huge challenge to Vladivostok’s industrial capacity.

The current steel in Vladivostok is not enough to meet the needs of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and it simply does not have the ability to build more forts.

Therefore, there is currently only one fort in Vladivostok.

There is only one 305 fortress gun used for fort defense.

"George, what are you worried about? No one dares to attack Vladivostok."

Mikhail was unimpressed with George's plan.

George planned to build 16 forts or bunkers around Vladivostok. The main forts were equipped with no less than 305 6 fortress guns. The fortresses and bunkers were connected by underground railways. The entire project was expected to take ten years to complete.

It’s only 1890, so it’s not too late.

"What if there is?"

George is a late-stage sufferer of deep hypophobia.

"There is no chance! Who dares to challenge the powerful Russian Empire?"

Mikhail's thinking represents the vast majority of Russians.

16 forts and bunkers with a thickness of more than 5 meters require astronomical amounts of reinforced concrete. Mikhail would rather build the railway between Yuriev and Temple Street. At least the railway can promote the economic development of the Amur region.

The railway must be repaired.

Forts are also essential.

A port city always feels like something is missing without a fort. George couldn't even sleep in Yuriev Palace.

After training in the Oak Division, Peter has become a qualified artillery officer.

Not all walls of forts and bunkers are thicker than five meters, and only key locations need to be strengthened.

There are many mountains around Vladivostok, and the terrain can be used to build forts and bunkers on the mountainside or on the top of the mountain. This will greatly reduce the consumption of materials.

Peter also had his own ideas for the defense of Vladivostok.

"Yeah, I think offense is the best defense."

Peter did not recommend large-scale construction of forts.

The forts must be repaired, and there is no need to build as many as 16. There are three or five forts with a few 305 artillery guns, which is enough to deter those young people.

Vladivostok already has submarines, and it is completely possible to use offense instead of defense. Instead of building forts, it is better to build a few more submarines.

As for the warship——

Although the Amur Military District cannot form a navy, it can form a river fleet. This is completely justified.

The Amur River was the dividing line between the Amur and Qing empires.

The warships of the Siberian Fleet cannot enter the Amur River, so Vladivostok has every reason to build shallow-water gunboats.

(End of this chapter)