I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 316: Start taking sides

Nicholas was indeed quite sentimental when he was a child.

But Nicholas is now 26 years old, no longer 16 years old.

As the heir to the empire, to be able to say such words at such a time is definitely not in line with Russian requirements for a tsar.

George didn't know what kind of ecstasy drug Alex poured into Nicholas, which made Nicholas so fascinated that he was willing to give up the throne for Alex.

Yasan has only two sons, Nikolai and 16-year-old Mikhail.

Mikhail is also qualified to succeed, but the 16-year-old Tsar is too easily controlled and is not in the interest of the Romanov family.

So no matter what, the Tsar could only be Nicholas.

Nicholas didn't really want to give up the throne, he probably just wanted to show George and Sergey the importance of Alex.

George and Sergei spent a long time making Nicholas understand the relationship between imperial power and personal happiness.

"There is no difference. Essentially, they are all serving the empire."

Compared with the last time, the Tsar's body was like a deflated rubber ball. His whole body was hollowed out and he was extremely weak.

Last year Witte went to the Ministry of Finance, and the construction work of the Trans-Siberian Railway was seriously affected. In August, work was even suspended. Only then did George discover Witte's role.

“What’s the difference between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Transport?”

Sergey sipped the wine in one sip, got up and poured another glass. He thought he might as well bring the bottle as well.

George rang the bell and asked Deyang to bring over some dishes. He couldn't drink them dry.

When Witte was Secretary of Transportation, George didn't think Witte was very powerful, and was even dissatisfied with Witte's work.

Sergey lay with his feet up on the coffee table. Both of them were a little exhausted and didn't want to say a word.

At the gate of the palace, George met Werther by chance.

Yasan's attending doctor, Leiden, was very pessimistic. The Tsar's health had improved and deteriorated over the past few years, and even an iron man could not withstand such repeated torture.

George and Sergey did not stay too long, leaving time for Asan and Nikolai.

Ya San couldn't bear the loneliness and insisted on going hunting despite the doctor's dissuasion. After returning, he fell ill again. This time it was pneumonia and nephritis.

For George, Werther still respected him very much and took the initiative to say hello to George.

George actually didn't want Witt to go to the Treasury.

After Nikolay fell asleep, George and Sergey breathed a sigh of relief.

The 2 bottles of champagne were quickly cleared away, and George and Sergey went back to their respective rooms.

After a winter of recuperation, Ya San's health improved slightly.

Even though George was mentally prepared, he was still shocked when he saw the Tsar.

In the private room outside Nikolai's bedroom, George poured two glasses of wine and handed one of them to Sergey.

"Your Majesty's situation is very bad. Don't make your Majesty angry or sad. Staying in a happy mood will help your majesty's health."

Because of his outstanding performance on the Siberian Railway Commission, Witte was appointed Minister of Finance by the Tsar last year and officially entered the center of the empire.

Werther pursued his own political affairs in his position, took the initiative to invite George to dinner, and asked George for advice on how to make money.

After becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer, Werther realized how serious the situation in the empire had become.

Years ago, the empire fell into debt to survive.

In order to launch the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, the empire has not yet repaid the money it borrowed from the bank.

The Tenth Russo-Turkish War was already in 1877.

Ya San is not really peace-loving, but the situation in the Russian Empire does not allow Ya San to launch a foreign war. Otherwise, when the British occupy Juwen Island, Ya San will directly fight against the British.

After Witte became Chancellor of the Finance, he did a lot of work to increase revenue. The new tax system that the empire started to implement this year was the work of Witte. "If you want to increase revenue, the easiest way is to start a war!"

George was referring to the Ottoman Empire.

17 years have passed since the last Russo-Turkish war. The new generation of Russians and Ottomans have grown up, and it is time for a showdown.

Of course, it may be the same as the previous ten times, and there is no way to completely defeat the opponent.

The Russian Empire was not without a chance.

But every time an opportunity arises, it will always be interfered by mysterious factors and fall short.

"Duke, it is impossible for the empire to launch a foreign war in a short period of time."

Vette's short time, at least 10 years to start.

"It's okay not to fight, but all ways to increase income must start with investment, and it will take a long time to see results. Do you have it?"

What George wanted to say was all written in Governor Amur's report.

How Vladivostok got to where it is today step by step, the three governors Korv, Milyutin, and Pobedonostsev gave clear reports, and George himself also made a report, which can be used as a reference.

Werther also wanted to copy his homework, but it was unrealistic.

The situation here in St. Petersburg is completely different from that in Amur.

Amul is a blank piece of paper. George can do whatever he wants without affecting the interests of other people.

Werther's implementation of the new tax system has affected the interests of many people and attracted numerous criticisms. Werther has the trust of the Tsar, so Werther's status is relatively stable for the time being.

That's why Werther came to George.

The Tsar's health was getting worse and worse, and he might die one day.

Werther might be liquidated by then.

Werther knew very well about the relationship between George and Nicholas. When Werther met George for the first time, Nicholas was present.

So Werther must hold Nikolai's thigh tightly now to ensure that Werther will not be liquidated after Ya San's death.

Nicholas's mind is now on Alex and he is in no mood to talk to Werther.

George became Werther's breakthrough.

"Duke, I hope you can understand that I am not targeting anyone -"

Witte nationalized all liquor management rights, which had a huge impact on George and cost him millions of rubles every year.

In other words, the George family has a big business and doesn't care about this little money.

It depends on someone else, and Werther might leave earlier than the Tsar.

"My feelings are the same as yours, and I also hope that the empire will get better and better. You don't have to worry about this."

George is really not the Virgin. His interests are deeply bound to the interests of the empire.

"How wonderful it would be if all the princes of St. Petersburg were like you—"

Werther smiled bitterly. He was now on the assassin's blacklist and could be assassinated by the assassin at any time.

These Russian assassins are also amazing. They can easily obtain the travel routes of important officials of the empire and even members of the royal family. Their assassination methods are even more varied and difficult to guard against.

So George didn't believe it if these assassins were improvised.

"Queen—Your Highness—"

Werther hesitated, a little hesitant to speak.

George was not in a hurry and waited for Werther to hand over his certificate.

(End of this chapter)