I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 507 The Last Fight

Compared with the dilapidated warships, how to eliminate those unqualified officers gave George a bigger headache.

Compared with the army, there are more children of nobles serving in the navy, and the resistance to reform is also greater. After George announced the assessment standards, many noble officers and their elders ran to the Winter Palace to plead for mercy, hoping that George would show leniency and give them the opportunity to continue to contribute their loyalty to the empire.

George originally wanted to drive these people out of the army, or at least have them leave the front line, no longer be responsible for specific work, and minimize their impact on the army.

This decision was collectively opposed by Nikolai, Nikolai the Younger, and Stolypin.

The so-called "loyalty to the empire" is definitely an excuse; interests are their motivation.

Officers in the Russian Empire were treated well, a tradition that began under Peter the Great and continues to this day.

A major general of the Baltic Fleet, not counting various hidden benefits, has an annual salary plus various allowances, and his apparent income is as high as 4.8 rubles, which is second to none among all European countries.

In order to cultivate the martial spirit of the entire aristocratic class, the tradition of aristocrats joining the army cannot be changed. If George transfers those aristocratic members serving in the army away from the front line and lets them only get paid without working, then I am afraid that more and more aristocratic members will flock to the army.

"If you get paid, you have to work, and you have to go to the most difficult places. If you want to just get paid without working, you're dreaming!"

Little Nicholas' starting point is the same as George's, but if you do as Little Nicholas says, the consequences will be more serious.

When George was in the Guards, a group of grand dukes in the Guards held banquets and had fun all day long. They were not very good at leading the troops, but they had many different ways of drinking, and Nicholas was well aware of this.

This is St. Petersburg. It is understandable that the Russian soldiers in remote areas only have an annual salary of 2 rubles and 10 kopecks, given the chaos right under the emperor's feet.

Rather than causing chaos in the army, George would rather let the grand dukes just get paid without doing any work.

Stolypin's reason for opposition was that the empire treated officers too well, so members of the nobility were trying their best to join the army.

Stolypin wanted to reduce the basic salary of officers and increase position allowances, which would reduce the army's appeal to members of the nobility and give more opportunities to those who truly wanted to contribute their loyalty to the empire.

Nicholas was worried that the public content of the army would further decrease, which would affect the empire's control over the army.

Although Vladimir and Alexei were greedy, their loyalty to the Tsar was unwavering.

Non-royal members, represented by Kolchak, are loyal to the entire aristocratic class.

Kolchak was also born into a hereditary noble family, so after the establishment of the Provisional Government, Kolchak swore allegiance to the Provisional Government.

Although the provisional government at the time was mainly composed of the bourgeoisie, the capitalists of the Russian Empire were essentially the white gloves of the entire aristocracy, so Kolchak was loyal to the entire aristocracy.

After the October Revolution overthrew the Provisional Government, the aristocracy completely lost power and faced liquidation by the Bolsheviks. It was only then that Kolchak raised the banner of rebellion, but it was too late.

Nicholas is very clear-headed on this issue.

George compromised in order to reduce resistance.

George does not intend to touch those who have already entered the military and held senior positions. He will marginalize them first and what to do in the future will depend on the situation.

The World War was only a few years away.

If the Russian Empire perished like in another time and space, then there would be no need to worry about this issue.

If they can get through this, George can also formulate a new system to allow them to retire early.

In recent years, if noble children want to join the army, they must pass the military academy and pass the exams before they can enter the army. After entering the army, if noble children want to be promoted, they must strictly follow the system. Those who are truly capable will definitely be reused, and those who are incapable will just be his captain.

George also discussed this issue with Milyutin.

When Milyutin was carrying out the reform, he also tried to use strict systems to regulate the promotion system in the military, but it ultimately came to nothing.

When officers enter military academies, they automatically enter the aristocratic class. In this sense, all officers in the empire are aristocrats, and there is no class struggle at all.

There is also a chain of contempt among the nobles. For two noble officers, the one from a duke's family will definitely be promoted faster than the one from an earl's family. If these unspoken rules are not broken, then even the strictest system cannot be enforced.

Compared with the army, the navy still faced great resistance during the reconstruction period.

The Army will only be worse.

"The Empire does not have time to wait for them to grow up. All unqualified officers must be dismissed and their positions must be given to truly capable people. The tragedy of the war against Japan must not be repeated."

George hopes that little Nicholas can fully cooperate with George in carrying out reforms.

If George had a choice, he would prefer to be the Minister of War and leave the mess of the navy to little Nicholas.

It’s not that the navy is not important, but the Russian Empire does not have the ability to take care of both the navy and the army at the same time. It can only allocate more resources to the army and leave the navy for later.

The international environment in Milyutin's era was not tense, and he could spend 20 years working hard to defeat his old enemy.

George was pressed for time and had to complete the reforms as quickly as possible. He had no time to argue with those noble members who were just slacking off.

"George, you are too anxious. I believe there must be a better way to solve these problems."

Little Nicholas had no sense of urgency and seemed unaware that world war was approaching.

As aristocrats, they must be calm and composed no matter what they do, and they must maintain grace. Even if the enemy is at the gate of the city, the officers cannot run away, otherwise it would be disgraceful.

If it were 1894 now, George would slowly play with those aristocratic officers, and when they all retired, many problems would be solved.

It's impossible now. Even if George doesn't want to fight, Russia will be tied to the chariot.

"I know, but we don't have time to find a better way. There will never be a perfect solution."

George glanced at Stolypin, hoping to get Stolypin's support.

Stolypin's ongoing reforms, like George's military reforms, also faced huge resistance.

Stolypin started with Nicholas and sold all the land under his name. Only then could he barely suppress the voices of opposition and promote economic development with difficulty.

George did the same thing, starting with the aristocratic group and completely eradicating the traditional bad habits of the military.

George's confidence lies in the fact that if the two Nicholas are willing to cooperate with George, George will make one last effort to save the empire.

If he doesn't want to, then George can just go back to Amur and let everything else take its course.

(End of this chapter)