I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 352 Don’t want to grow up
The princes are not stupid and will not be incited by Vladimir's few words.

But this possibility does exist, so Vladimir's words are like a prophecy, leaving a shadow in everyone's heart.

After the imperial meeting, Nicholas felt heavy and simply asked for a car to go to Gatchina Palace.

After Yasan's death, all restrictions in the Gatchina Palace were lifted, the band was reorganized, the banquet hall was decorated, and Maria finally felt the happiness of the Empress Dowager.

Knowing a son is like a mother, it is natural that Nicholas's worries cannot be hidden from Maria.

"Oh, it's just dog bite dog——"

Maria doesn't like Vladimir, and she doesn't like George even more.

Nicholas' eyes widened in disbelief.

"Varodia is right. As the Tsar, you cannot completely trust anyone. They are all your pawns, and you are the only one who is the chess player."

Maria revealed the secret.

"Maybe not--"

"I knew it all along——"

Maria is wiser than ever before. Perhaps this is why a fool will gain something after all his considerations.

Peter took the initiative to find George and submit a plan for the expansion of the Amur River Fleet.

"You are the Tsar and you don't need to take sides."

"That's the root of the problem."

The "Amur" has a displacement of 5500 tons. Its armament system consists of two twin-mounted 203mm main guns, six twin-mounted 6mm rapid-fire guns, and four torpedo launch tubes.

Maria looked at Nicholas with pity in her eyes, which was the price of becoming a Tsar.

George, unlike Nicholas, was fulfilling his promise to Yasan and ruling the east for the empire.

"what should I do?"

When Nicholas left Gatchina Palace, he felt extremely sad. If this was growth, Nicholas would rather never grow up.

"Does Amur Enterprise have shares in Volodya?"

Nikolai had never experienced such a complicated situation.

"George has told me a long time ago that I have shares in all companies in Amur, including American car factories-"

Due to the redesign of the hull, the "Amur" has a top speed of up to 28 knots, making it the fastest cruiser in the world.

In mid-July, the "Amur" was officially put into service and became the flagship of the Amur River Fleet.

Nikolai's words left Maria in a trance, and so did the father and mother.

Maria also didn’t know how good the relationship between George and Nicholas was.

"If you ask George for the craftsmanship and formula of a new type of armor, will George give it to you?"

"Your grandfather is too philanthropic. It's his fault, but it's your luck. With George here, at least your uncles don't dare to go too far; George also needs your help to ensure his interests in the Far East."

There is really no simple member of the royal family.

The Amur River Fleet has one mission, which is to maintain the waterway between Vladivostok and Aceh.

The distance between Vladivostok and Aceh is nearly 6000 kilometers, and the light cruise requires coaling to reach it. Therefore, Peter requested to be equipped with a heavy cruiser with a longer range. He also requested a supply port in the Qing Empire to facilitate the warships to add coal and water during the cruise.

In peacetime, the warships of the Russian Empire could enter the ports of the Qing Empire to add coal and water.

Although the Qing Empire and Russia signed a "Treaty of Mutual Assistance against Enemies", this treaty was limited to defense. If it was an attack, the Qing Empire could remain neutral.

If the Qing Empire remained neutral, the Russian Empire's ships would not be able to enter the Qing Empire's ports to resupply during wartime.

"Jeju can be used as a relay port——"

George was prepared.

But Jeju is not enough. Jeju is still more than 4000 kilometers away from Aceh.

The maximum range of the "Amur" is only 4000 kilometers, which is definitely not possible. If combat is considered, at least one relay port is needed.

"Using Luzon as the dividing line, you will be responsible for the north of Luzon, and the Aceh fleet will be responsible for the south of Luzon."

As for the heavy patrol——

"Heavy cruisers are too expensive, just bear with it-" Even if George built it himself and could keep the cost to a minimum, he still felt distressed.

The heavy cruiser of the Siberian Fleet costs about 350 million rubles.

Don't be too little, Daosheng Bank's principal is only 600 million rubles, which is not enough to build two heavy cruisers.

Peter synthesized the needs of the Amur River Fleet and proposed that at least 6 heavy cruisers and 12 light cruisers should be equipped to complete the escort mission.

George felt very angry after reading it.

None of the Siberian fleets had such luxury.

The three major fleets of the Russian Empire combined have 6 heavy cruisers and 12 light cruisers.

I'm used to you, why don't you want a battleship?
What George didn't know was that Peter had two plans.

The first copy is the one reported to George now.

The second long-term plan includes battleships.

Peter has been with George for so long that he knows more about George than he knows about himself.

If Peter submitted the second plan now, George would not consider it at all.

So when it comes to equipment, you also need to pay attention to strategy.

"Your Highness, the Japanese are all equipped with Majesty-class battleships. How can we do it with only light cruisers?"

Peter argued hard.

"The Japanese's Majestic class hasn't been launched yet. Let's wait until they are launched."

George can delay it for a day.

There is no way, there are too many places to spend money this year, and George has to save money.

The key is that George still needs to catch the Japanese fish. Only when all four Japanese "Dignity" class ships are launched into the water will George take out the dreadnoughts.

"Your Highness, at least give me time to train sailors——"

Peter had a good reason.

Warships can be built at any time.

Navy officers and soldiers need to be trained slowly.

Especially the gunners, they are all fed with cannonballs and cannot be achieved overnight.

"Let's practice slowly on the 'Amur' first. We will not break out of a war until Japan's Sixty-Sixth Fleet is formed."

George had nothing to hide from Peter.

"Why not strike first?"

Peter was extremely excited.

All Vladivostok's train guns have been sold to the Siberian Fleet, and George has to wait for 340, so Vladivostok's current shore defense firepower is unprecedentedly empty.

If a war broke out between the Russian Empire and Japan, the Amur River Fleet would have to keep the enemy at bay.

The light cruiser alone could not even penetrate the armor of the "Fuji".

So Peter tends to take the initiative.

"Go first, it won't be your turn."

George would not let the river fleet take the lead.

If a war broke out between the Russian Empire and Japan, the first echelon sent by George would definitely be submarines, then the air force, and finally the fleet.

Therefore, the Amur River Fleet is a bluff and does not undertake combat missions.

Peter was disappointed.

George still gave Peter a lot of face. The heavy patrol was indeed a bit early, and the light patrol had nothing to say. Enough.

Of course, this also takes time. Now, the biggest problem of the Vladivostok Shipyard, like the St. Petersburg Shipyard, is the lack of shipyards.

(End of this chapter)