I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 506 Negative Assets

The clashes in Sevastopol left 37 people dead, 125 injured, and more than 1400 people exiled during the subsequent trials.

After the reorganization, there were less than 3000 officers and soldiers left in the Black Sea Fleet, and morale was extremely low.

Peter was not in a hurry to return to St. Petersburg, as the reconstruction of the Black Sea Fleet had just begun.

The navy is a high-tech branch of the military, and the income of officers and soldiers is actually quite good, almost the same as that of the Guards.

However, the officers and soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet have never received their due salaries in a timely and full manner, and even the logistical support is far from what it should be.

According to relevant regulations, the average daily supply standard for officers and soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet is: 700 grams of rye dry bread or 1000 grams of freshly baked rye bread, 400 grams of fresh meat or 300 grams of canned meat, 20 grams of butter or fat, 17 grams of flour for cooking, 6.4 grams of tea, 20 grams of salt, 20 grams of sugar, and 0.7 grams of pepper.

In addition, each soldier can get about 250 grams of fresh vegetables or 20 grams of dried vegetables every day; the Black Sea Fleet even supplies macaroni and tobacco, as well as white wine.

According to this standard, the food a soldier receives every day is enough to provide the calories needed for training or combat.

The problem was that soldiers never got enough of their quota.

There is bread, but it is not whole wheat bread. Instead, it is mixed with many other grains and tastes terrible.

Only the fish was fresh, and the quantity was insufficient. Sometimes the canned food was even spoiled and no one knew how long it had been stored, so it was completely inedible.

Other materials required by regulations are either inferior or severely deducted, in short, they do not meet the required standards at all.

Peter first standardized the logistics supply and never allowed spoiled food to appear on the soldiers' tables. The daily supply for each person had to meet the standard. If this was not done, Peter would hold the relevant responsible persons accountable.

At the same time, the soldiers' salaries were paid in full and on time, without any delay or deduction. Peter sent military police to the army to supervise the implementation of these regulations.

Once these two things are achieved, no other commitments are needed and the soldiers will immediately stabilize.

Peter finally understood why the soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet rebelled.

Nicholas knew very well that the army was the foundation of the empire. Although the officers and soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet did not receive the treatment they deserved, the empire's funding and material supplies to the Black Sea Fleet were not reduced at all.

So where did all the withheld wages and scarce supplies go?

"This is the crux of the problem. Good policies must be strictly enforced to be effective."

George reminded Polis of the importance of regulation.

Born in 1894, Boris is 14 years old this year.

George began to keep Boris by his side, allowing Boris to gradually become familiar with military affairs.

According to tradition, Bolis also had to serve in the army when he came of age.

Under normal circumstances, Boris should start from military school, study for three to five years, and then officially enter the army to serve.

George didn't want Boris to be a pure soldier. As the first heir of Grand Duke Yuriev, Boris would definitely not become the next generation military god of the Russian Empire like George.

In modern warfare, the role that individuals can play is getting smaller and smaller. War has gradually evolved into a competition between the comprehensive strength of countries. Work outside the battlefield is becoming more and more important.

"Why did those people attack the army? Don't they know the importance of the army?"

Boris couldn't understand why someone dared to attack the army. It was too bold.

"In the face of huge interests, anyone can be shaken, so we cannot pin our hopes on morality, but should be restrained by the system. The key to whether the system can play its due role lies in whether it is strictly enforced."

George actually didn't want to discuss the dark side of human nature with Boris. Boris grew up in a completely different environment from George.

After the assassination of Alexander II, Catherine was exiled to France, and George was alone in St. Petersburg. Although it was not a dangerous place, he was still trembling with fear and walking on thin ice.

When Polis was born, George was already the Governor-General of Amur, and later served as the Commander of the Amur Military District. In Amur, George was the Tsar, so in Polis's world, everyone was a good person.

"What if the people who carry out the execution and the people who supervise the execution are in collusion with each other?"

Boris is very smart, thanks to Anne's strict teaching.

"Then we'll have a new group of people to supervise and enforce the law."

George is determined to eradicate all evil and will never compromise on this issue.

The commander of the Black Sea Fleet earns more than 10 rubles a year, while an ordinary soldier's annual salary and benefits total only 100 rubles.

George also couldn't understand why someone with an annual salary of 10 rubles would be greedy for even the 100 rubles from the soldiers.

Some questions have no answers, that's human nature.

The problems of the Black Sea Fleet are not serious yet. The Baltic Fleet is the focus of George's work.

The Empire has no intention of rebuilding the Pacific Fleet. There are only a few members of the Black Sea Fleet left. In the European region of Russia, only the Baltic Fleet is left to guard St. Petersburg.

The Baltic Fleet currently has more than 30 warships and nearly 2.9 officers and soldiers. Four all-heavy artillery battleships are under construction in the dock. Peter can kill as much as he wants in the Black Sea Fleet, but George must be extremely cautious with the Baltic Fleet.

If this is not handled properly and the Winter Palace is bombarded in advance, George will be the first person responsible.

According to George's standards, less than 1% of the current officers of the Baltic Fleet are qualified, and the remaining 9% are either unqualified or uneducated.

All the capable officers have died in the Pacific Ocean, leaving only the old and the young. It can be said that the Imperial Navy is currently at its weakest moment in history.

George started to reorganize the Baltic Fleet from the officers.

Unqualified officers should retire or be transferred to other positions. Even members of the royal family should leave if they fail to meet George's requirements to make room for capable people.

“How do you determine if an officer is qualified?”

Boris asked when he didn't understand.

"There is only one criterion for whether an officer is qualified: whether he can lead his troops to victory."

George doesn't waste time. Whether it's a mule or a horse, pull it out for a walk.

Although there is no war in peacetime, George also has a way to assess whether officers are qualified, all he needs to do is to conduct more exercises.

Naval exercises are actually easier than army exercises. The Baltic Fleet also has many warships that are about to fall apart. George waved his hand and used all of these warships as target ships for the Baltic Fleet to train.

"Sunk it directly?"

Kolchak was surprised. These were all imperial properties. It would not be a good idea to sink them directly.

"These assets are now negative assets. If we get rid of them all sooner, the empire will be able to fight with less burden."

George didn't feel sorry for them. Those unqualified naval officers were also negative assets to George.

(End of this chapter)