I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 413 Governor of the Far East
A raging soldier, and a raging nest.

Under the command of Suvorov, the Cossacks were indeed invincible, and they made each other famous.

Under the command of Kuropatkin, the Cossacks could not even defeat the Japanese and were called the sick men of Europe.

Before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Empire's military expenditure was ten times that of Japan, and its per capita income was also ten times that of Japan. It could build all warships, including battleships.

Japan started the war with borrowed money and lacked domestic resources. Coal for warships had to be purchased from abroad. It could only build warships of no more than 3000 tons domestically.

No matter how you look at it, the Russian Empire cannot lose this war.

Even the Japanese themselves did not expect that the war could be fought like this.

Before Dongxiang's sneak attack on the Pacific Fleet, he flew the "Z" flag, which means "the rise and fall of the empire, in one fell swoop."

The Russians cannot understand Japan's courage to break the boat.

However, Japan, which is deeply influenced by Chinese culture, can find countless precedents in Chinese history.

At the same time that Witte arrived in Vladivostok, Kuropatkin, under pressure from St. Petersburg, finally launched a counterattack against the Japanese army.

After Alexeyev was recalled, the post of Governor of Kwantung remained unresolved.

Although the Japanese have theoretical support, they have relied on luck until now.

Vladimir proposed that Nicholas Jr. be appointed commander-in-chief of Kwantung.

Tetsutaro Sato, an instructor at Naval University who personally participated in the Russo-Japanese War, was once asked this question by his students: What was the reason for Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War?
Sato replied: Forty percent depends on luck.

Nicholas once wanted Vladimir to serve as governor of Kwantung, but Vladimir decisively refused.

After Alexei was born, he was diagnosed with hemophilia and would most likely die before reaching adulthood.

Nicholas did not interfere in the work of the War Ministry.

On the day after Vladimir appointed Linevich as the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in Kwantung, Nicholas appointed George as the Governor-General of the Far East, whose jurisdiction included the Amur Governor-General and the Kanto Governor-General.

"George has no practical experience and is not qualified for this position. Nicky should be allowed to go to the Far East."

Hemophilia is an incurable disease. Queen Alex's brother and two nephews all died of hemophilia. This disease only affects male members.

Linevich was very smart. After receiving the appointment, he tried his best to save the situation. He actually didn't sleep for two days and two nights in a row and became sick from overwork.

The two base camps of the Russian army in Kwantung are the Arthur Fortress for the navy and Fengtian for the army.

Russia is in chaos, the Russo-Japanese War is losing ground, the only son is suffering from an incurable disease, and the royal family members are still busy fighting for power——

Vice Admiral Rozhdestvinsky is the Commander-in-Chief of the Second Fleet and is en route to the Far East.

Vladimir insisted.

Vladimir can be willful.

The student asked: What about the remaining 60%?

This appointment is normal.

But this is not a good suggestion, because Rozhdestvinsky had been ill some time ago and luckily survived.

At this point, Vladimir still refused to admit defeat and appointed Infantry Lieutenant General Linevich, commander of the First Kwantung Army, as commander-in-chief of the Russian Army in Kwantung.

Let’s see who God favors more.

Nikolai has been in a bad mood lately, and not just because of Sergei's assassination.

When George and Nikolai were serving in the Guards, Nikolay Jr. and Sergey served as commanders of the General Regiment and Sergey Regiment respectively. Nikolay Jr. had not yet gotten over the grief of Sergei's assassination.

Nicholas sat in the main seat, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Nikolai now wants to kill someone.

"Then let Rozhdestvinsky serve as the commander of Kwantung. In short, power cannot be concentrated too much in the hands of one person, even if that person is George!"

"Are you making me sick?"

After Fengtian was lost, half of the so-called Kanto Governor-General was lost, and the next loss was Bingcheng, the hub of the China-Eastern Railway.

But he can't continue to let Vladimir do whatever he wants.

The commander-in-chief of the Russian Army in Kwantung and the governor-general of the Far East are two completely different positions. The commander-in-chief is a military position, and the governor-general is a civilian position.

George always thought that his luck was quite good.

Ya San is opposed to Nicholas marrying Alex. One of the important reasons is hemophilia.

Kuropatkin made the same mistake as Stessel, and still did not destroy the supplies hoarded by Fengtian when he retreated.

Little Nicholas got up in arms.

Nicholas could not gamble with the fate of the empire.

This decision triggered strong opposition from Vladimir, and a fierce quarrel broke out in the meeting of ministers.

However, Kuropatkin's counterattack was very unsuccessful. Not only did he fail to drive the Japanese army out of Kanto, but he also lost Fengtian.

Linevich was seriously ill and fell into a deep coma. No matter what methods the doctors used, they could not wake up Linevich.

Nicholas decided again to appoint George as the commander-in-chief of the Russian Army in Kwantung.

Sato: Still lucky!
Luck is a thing, it contains too much idealism.

When Rozhdestvinsky was ill, he requested to resign, which was not approved by St. Petersburg.

Deputy Commander Foxam was not so lucky. He really died of illness on the road. To avoid affecting morale, Rozhdestvinsky did not announce it——

So the Second Fleet actually lost its deputy commander.

In this case, once Rozhdestvinsky is killed in battle or unable to command the battle——

The tragedy of the Pacific Fleet's breakout is about to happen again.

"The Second Fleet needs the support of the Siberian Fleet to successfully reach Vladivostok."

Alexey also has appeals.

Alexei's purpose was not to support the Siberian Fleet, but to return the command of the Siberian Fleet to the Imperial Navy.

Fortress Arthur fell and the entire Pacific Fleet was wiped out.

The warships of the Black Sea Fleet have proven unsuitable for maritime conditions in the Pacific region. If the Baltic Fleet is lost again, Alexey will become a bare minister.

At this time, the Siberian fleet that won the Battle of Vladivostok some time ago became even more precious.

"No one wants to take advantage of the Siberian Fleet——"

Nicholas spoke slowly.

"——The Siberian fleet belongs to George!"

"The Siberian Fleet belongs to the Empire!"

Alexei fought hard.

"The empire is your empire, it's George's empire, it's my empire!"

Nikolai broke out completely, and he was no longer the Nikolai before.

In the past, Nicholas valued family ties and was kind to everyone around him.

After Alexei was diagnosed, Nikolai's temperament changed drastically. He could not even protect the people he valued most. The status of others, including George, in Nikolai's heart was rapidly declining.

After all, there is a difference between closeness and distance.

"You told me a year ago that the Japanese macaques were a joke. All it took was throwing a hat to knock the Japanese to the ground——"

Nikolai's eyes were as fierce as a Siberian steppe wolf, scanning the faces of his uncles and brothers one by one.

"——The fall of Port Arthur, the annihilation of the Pacific Fleet, the fall of Fengtian—where is next? Vladivostok? Moscow? Or St. Petersburg? Then you and I will have to pick up guns and go to the battlefield!"

"I will if necessary!"

Vladimir is righteous.

"Then you go! I will appoint you as the Governor of the Far East now, will you go?"

Nicholas was furious, his uncle had broken his heart.

"Of course I'd like to go—"

Vladimir was backed into a corner.

"What if we can't win this war?"

Nikolai asked Vladimir to issue a military order.

"That must be God's will—"

Vladimir spread his hands, who can defeat God.

Nicholas was almost furious, and it took him a long time to get over it.

"If we can win this war, you and I can still enjoy prosperity and wealth in St. Petersburg - if not, you know the consequences."

After Nicholas finished speaking, he waved his sleeves and left.

Later, Empress Dowager Maria took the initiative to call Nicholas and summoned him to Gatchina Palace.

"Nicky, my poor Nicky—"

Maria stroked Nikolai's thin cheek, her eyes filled with tears.

"If the empire is defeated, only one person will bear the responsibility, and that person is you——"

Maria had to intervene, it was her empire too.

"Mom, I'm so tired - I'm so tired -"

Nicholas lay on Maria's lap, exhausted both physically and mentally.

"Although I still don't like George, I have to say that your father is right. If anyone can save this war, then that person must be George."

He would have been surprised if George had been there.

George himself didn't know that Ya San had such a high opinion of him.

Nicholas said nothing and continued to lie motionless on Maria's lap.

"I have long said that those uncles of yours are idiots and they are all vampires of the empire. You should learn from your grandfather and your father and let them all go fishing."

What Maria said was inappropriate.

After Yaer and Yasan succeeded to the throne, the imperial uncles were marginalized one after another. That was because Yaer and Yasan had many brothers.

Of Nikolai’s three younger brothers, Alexander died early, Georgi died of illness, and only one Mikhail was left. He still misses the queen’s brother’s ex-wife every day——

If Nicholas didn't rely on his uncles, who would he rely on?
By Sujay King and Prahwa——

They were all killed by assassins.

“It’s been ten years since you last went to Vladivostok—”

Maria is really ruthless. In order to win over George, she would even give away her son.

Nikolai only visited Vladivostok once when he traveled around the world as an adult.

"Vladivostok has the best medical skills in the empire. Why don't you take Alexei to try it?"

Maria was really nice to Alexei, even better than Nikolai.

Kiss from another generation.

"Yes! Damn it! How could I forget Vladivostok!"

Nikolai's spirits perked up.

Back then, Yasan and Maria sought help from famous doctors in Europe for Georgi's condition, but there was still no improvement.

Although Vladivostok Hospital failed to cure Georgi's disease, Georgi's health improved greatly in the last few years of his life and he was even able to go hunting.

Georgi's condition worsened precisely because he caught cold while hunting.

This was also done by myself.

(End of this chapter)