I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 384 Arrogance

Compared with Asia II and Asia III, officials changed frequently during Nicholas' tenure. In the past three years, the Russian Empire changed three foreign ministers, two interior ministers, two education ministers, six governors and commander, and two war ministers.

Nicholas had not made up his mind, unsure whether to focus on the Far East or to follow the wishes of previous tsars and gain access to the Black Sea first.

Although the Anglo-Japanese Alliance has not yet been signed, Japan has already made demands to the Russian Empire, asking the Russian Empire to protect the rights and interests of Japanese companies in Kanto, and asking the Russian Empire to withdraw its military advisers stationed in Goryeo to eliminate its influence on the Goryeo military.

There's trouble on George's side too.

The lease between the Siberian Fleet and Nagasaki has expired. Japan has requested to terminate the contract and take back the concession. The Amur Military District is negotiating with the Nagasaki government on compensation for the concession.

The Amur Military District maintains that the total value of property in Nagasaki exceeds 5000 million rubles.

If Nagasaki wants to take back the concession, it can pay the money to the Amur Military Region, and the Amur Military Region will agree to withdraw from Nagasaki.

The asset appraisal of the Nagasaki Concession was organized by the Amur Military District on its own and was not recognized by Nagasaki.

Nagasaki requested that Britain, Japan, and Russia jointly set up an asset appraisal team to evaluate the asset value of the concession.

"No, no, no, getting access to the Black Sea is the long-cherished wish of all Russians. Now for us, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we miss it, we will never miss it."

Alexei insisted on fighting against the Ottoman Empire.

"France is our ally, and our relations with the United Kingdom and Germany have also been greatly improved, so we only need to send a general who is good at fighting to station at the Russian-Austrian border to form a sufficient deterrent to the Austrians-"

The Russian Empire's invasion of Kantung has aroused the vigilance of all countries, and even the United States is secretly supporting the Japanese.

Let’s not talk about Japan first.

"George, in your opinion, if a war breaks out between us and Japan, who will win the final victory?"

Sergey’s angle is amazing.

He also knew the reason why Nicholas called him back.

Same goes for Germany.

George didn’t know who gave Nicholas his confidence.

The "Yellow Peril" propagated by William II was not aimed at the Qing Empire, but at Japan. The purpose was to hope that the Russian Empire would shift its focus to East Asia and reduce the pressure on Germany.

The Ottoman Empire is in a desperate struggle. As long as it sends an expeditionary force, the Ottoman Empire will be slaughtered.

To deal with the Ottomans or even the Japanese, George did not need to take action at all.

Once the Boer War was over, it would not be so easy to build a fort in Bataan.

"Britain had to shrink strategically because it was mired in the Boer War. Now Britain is negotiating with the Boers. Let's wait and see. Once the Boer War is over, the Anglo-Japanese alliance will be implemented, and Britain's attitude towards us will be completely different. "

George's attitude never changed.

Comparing the national strength of the two countries, Japan is obviously at a disadvantage. Even the United Kingdom does not believe that Japan can defeat Russia, but only uses Japan to cause trouble for Russia.

Emotionally Nicholas wanted him to deal with the Austrians.

Was Theodore Roosevelt really ordering cruisers from Vladivostok because the Vladivostok cruisers were irreplaceable?

The Russian Empire wanted to fight the Ottomans, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the first to oppose it. The British uncle and the old German cousin also did not support Russia.

If George is convinced that Russia will win, then Japan has nothing to worry about.

On this issue, the Amur Military District and Nagasaki are still negotiating.

"It depends on who is in charge -"

Japanese macaques are vulnerable and can be knocked down by simply throwing a hat.

not necessarily.

"It is not difficult to defeat the Ottomans, but how do we deal with possible interference from Britain, France, Austria and Germany?"

George was now beginning to come to his senses.

George finally knew where Nicholas's confidence came from.

George argued.

For the same reason, France does not want the Russian Empire to shift its focus to the Far East, so France's support for the Russian Empire is extremely limited in the conflict between Russia and Japan.

This question is difficult to answer.

George hopes to use this time to gain more interests, such as the Bataan Fortress.

Even France will not support Russia.

Therefore, the slipway of the Vladivostok Shipyard is occupied, and the construction of cruisers for the Pacific Fleet and the Siberian Fleet will be delayed.

This is also a bad signal for the Russian Empire,

After the Xinchou compensation was determined, Japan was in contact with Germany and France and was preparing to order warships from Germany and France respectively.

At least the Americans' need for cruisers is far less urgent than Russia's.

George is really not arrogant. Even Alexeyev is a useless person. If you give him a heavenly army, he can't defeat him.

The situation in the Far East is similar to that of the Ottomans.

Compared with Japan, which is ambitious and vigorous, the Ottoman Empire is like an aging giant. With just a gentle push, the Russian Empire can get the coveted outlet to the sea.

"There is no doubt that we should focus on Japan to ensure our interests in the Far East."

"George, you have never commanded a real war, so where does your confidence come from?"

Alexei is equally sharp.

George finally understood.

These princes in St. Petersburg put all their skills in talking and talking. No wonder they can't eat enough and can't do anything well. "Amusa, why do you think the Dutch sold East India to me?"

George was thinking about how to explain to Alexey that those who are good at fighting have no great achievements.

For Alexey, only a "military god" like Suvorov, who has never been defeated in his life, can be called good at fighting.

There is no way around this. The history of the Russian Empire is too short and there is a lack of reference samples.

"Even if you beat the Dutch, what's there to be proud of?"

Alexei's understanding of war is indeed as superficial as George's understanding.

"It's better than this. You deal with the Ottomans and I deal with Japan."

George clearly divided the work, whether it was the mule or the horse.

"George, the Empire does not have the ability to wage two wars at the same time."

Nikolai was in a dilemma.

It was even more difficult for George, who wanted to save the Russian Empire but didn't know how to do it.

Returning to the Yekaterin Palace in the evening, Demit and Brusinov visited hand in hand.

Demeter is still serving in the Guards as the commander of the cavalry division.

Brusinov had just returned from Warsaw, where another rebellion broke out.

Most of George's old troops in the Guards went to Vladivostok. In St. Petersburg, the only ones who had a close relationship with George were Demeter and Brusinov.

It is precisely for this reason that despite their outstanding abilities, Demet and Brusinov were not popular in the War Department.

"The current situation in the empire is very bad. In the past few years, there were peasant riots due to tax resistance, unfair land distribution, serious oppression by lords, etc. In the past two years, more and more workers have been in trouble. My biggest task now is to suppress the rebellion. Today we’re in Poland, tomorrow we’re in Kiev, and the day after tomorrow we don’t know where we’re going.”

Brusinov was so exhausted that he looked like a dry old man under the age of 50.

"You deserve your misfortune. Who asked you to openly contradict the Minister of War——"

Demeter has lived a good life in the past few years, and he has grown into a general.

The current minister of war in the empire, Kuropatkin, had served as chief of staff to Skbylev, the conqueror of Central Asia.

Skobylev once reminded Kuropatkin: Once something happens to the country, I hope you will never assume the position of commander, because although you will make good plans, you do not have the strong perseverance to carry them out to the end.

Skobylev's assessment of Kuropatkin was accurate.

As a staff officer, Kuropatkin was qualified.

But during his tenure as Imperial Minister of War, Kuropatkin's performance was a disaster.

"Is it a responsible attitude to be as wise as you and not express any opinions or go against anyone?"

Brusinov showed no mercy.

Demeter spread his hands, you deserve it for your attitude!

"Why didn't you go to the Far East?"

George didn't know much about Demeter and Brusinov's situation.

"How could it be our turn for such a good thing to show off--"

Brusinov was deeply resentful.

"To defeat the empire, do we still need to dispatch the Guards?"

Demeter was so proud that it was enough for the Guards to dispatch a general commander.

"Sooner or later you will suffer a big loss."

George didn't like Demeter's attitude. He had never been like this before.

"This is the Department of the Army's decision and what I think doesn't matter."

Demeter sighed, this was not something he could decide.

In this case, George would have no choice.

Then drink.

It had been a long time since he had seen his old friend, and George accidentally drank a few more drinks. As a result, at the royal meeting the next day, George's spirit was a little sluggish.

Kuropatkin was inclined to launch a war against the Ottoman Empire and formulated a careful and complex plan for this purpose. Even if George was picky about the eggs, it was perfect.

The only problem is that the cycle of this plan is too long. The preparation phase alone will take at least a year and a half.

"This won't work. When fighting the Ottoman Empire, time is of the essence. We must end the war before other countries have time to intervene and completely defeat the Ottomans. Only in this way can we win."

George is the commander-in-chief and is not good at making plans. He is only responsible for the overall strategy. Making plans is the job of the chief of staff.

"It is impossible to win without a careful plan. If we go deep alone, the tragedy of the Crimean War will repeat itself. We must be prepared to deal with interference from other countries and eliminate all hidden dangers, so that victory will be within easy reach."

Kuropatkin was right, but something felt wrong.

Yes.

Plans can never keep up with changes. In theory, a perfect plan cannot exist.

Same problem as Demeter.

George's attitude didn't matter.

The key is that Nikolai was convinced by Kuropatkin's plan, and even Witte, who had always been opposed to launching a war, had to remain silent.

(End of this chapter)