I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 573 The unjust war in the Spring and Autumn Period

It is the consensus of all Russians that there will eventually be a war between the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire's tripartite system was not really aimed at the Kingdom of Serbia, but at Russia.

If two yuan becomes three yuan, the name of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will probably become Austro-Pakistan or Austro-Hungary-Slovenia.

After 11 Russo-Turkish wars, the Russian Empire finally defeated its arch-enemy, the Ottoman Empire, and helped the Balkan countries gain independence.

How can the Russians tolerate the Austro-Hungarian Empire now jumping out to pick peaches?

After learning about George's plan, young Nicholas was full of confidence. Even with the help of Germany, young Nicholas was confident that he could defeat the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Sukhomlinov remained calm and hoped to wait until George came back before making a decision.

The Russo-Japanese War fully demonstrated that the performance of the Russian army with George and the Russian army without George was completely different.

Although little Nicholas is full of confidence, he has never proved himself on the battlefield. Who can guarantee that little Nicholas is not the second Alexeev?

Like little Nicholas, Nicholas was also furious.

Whatever the reason for the death of the Tsar's envoy, it would have a serious impact on Nicholas' prestige and reputation.

What made Nicholas even more angry was the attitude of Germany and Britain.

The King of England and the Emperor of Germany both sent telegrams to Nicholas as soon as possible, hoping that Nicholas would remain restrained and wait for further investigation by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire has already announced that the Tsar's envoy died suddenly due to health reasons, so what is there to investigate?

Is the next step to dissect the body?
"Even if we don't attack immediately, we have to mobilize and fully demonstrate our attitude."

Little Nicholas overlooked one problem: once mobilization began, it would be difficult to stop.

All countries generally used mobilization as a signal of war, except for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which regarded mobilization as tactical blackmail.

Once the Russian Empire began to mobilize, it was not Austria-Hungary but Germany that reacted most strongly.

To put it bluntly, even if the Russian Empire did not mobilize, letting George command the Guards would be enough to give the Austro-Hungarian Empire a hard time.

"We have to wait for Grand Duke Yuriev."

Sukhomlinov disagreed with mobilization and insisted on waiting for George.

"If George doesn't come back, then there will never be any action?"

Little Nicholas was very angry and he also wanted to prove himself.

George shined in the Russo-Japanese War and the Balkan War, becoming a royal military god. It is impossible to say that this had no impact on little Nicholas.

As a fellow member of the royal family, since George could do it, little Nicholas thought he could do it too.

"Then let's decide it this way. If George were here, he would probably do the same."

Nicholas has made the decision, and George is the toughest man in the Russian Empire, so he will only be more determined.

At this time, the heavy cruiser "Lerna" on which George was riding had just passed through the Suez Canal.

"General Hamilton sent a telegram wishing you a safe journey."

Christie delivered a telegram from Ian Hamilton, Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in the Mediterranean.

"Thank you very much and I wish him good health."

George did not go to Alexandria, he wanted to return to St. Petersburg as quickly as possible.

George has received information that the Russian Empire is mobilizing.

What made George feel a little relieved was that Nicholas was not so cruel and only mobilized partially.

Total mobilization means that the country enters a full-scale war state, all people of working age are drafted into active service or reserve, social production and economic activities must give way to war, and all unnecessary social activities are suspended.

Partial mobilization is mobilization only in certain areas.

This time, the Russian Empire's mobilization was limited to the Rivne region.

But this is enough to make the whole world nervous.

The mobilization of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was regarded as a joke by all other countries.

The Russian Empire was so large that even the place of Rovno alone made the Austro-Hungarian Empire extremely nervous.

George V sent another telegram, urging Nicholas to remain calm.

William II directly asked Nicholas to stop mobilization.

George V's attitude is understandable. They are all relatives and should talk things out nicely. Fighting and killing is too brutal and disgraceful.

Nicholas could not accept William II's attitude.

They are both emperors and relatives, so there is no question of who is superior or inferior. What's the matter with this telegram with an imperative tone?

On the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Russian Empire's tolerance did not win Germany's friendship, but instead made it more aggressive.

This time Nicholas didn't want to endure it anymore.

In the Treaty of Berlin, Britain, which did not participate in the war at all, got Cyprus, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which also took advantage of the situation, got Bosnia and Herzegovina. The real winner, the Russian Empire, got nothing.

Forced by the situation, Ya Er had to accept it.

In 1908, Bosnia and Herzegovina was completely annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. William II, together with the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Joseph I, forced Nicholas to recognize this fact. This was the beginning of the real breakdown of relations between the Russian Empire and Germany.

Of course there was a reason for this, because before that, the Russian Empire had just reached an agreement of reconciliation with Britain and relations between the two sides began to ease.

When the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Russian Empire had just experienced the Russo-Japanese War. Riots broke out one after another in the country and the Russian Empire was unable to take care of itself, so Nicholas endured it again.

Now the Tsar’s face was being rubbed on the ground by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which really treated the Tsar as a clay figure.

Before Nicholas could respond, the Kingdom of Serbia also announced mobilization. Unlike the Russian Empire, the mobilization of the Kingdom of Serbia was a national mobilization.

There is actually no way around this.

After the Balkan Wars, Serbia gained Western Macedonia, which doubled its area and population.

Vadara Macedonia previously belonged to the Ottoman Empire, and the locals do not have a strong sense of identity with the Kingdom of Serbia.

Instead of recuperating, the Kingdom of Serbia was full of confidence, hoping to take back Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in one go. Therefore, since the end of the Balkan War, the economy of the Kingdom of Serbia has not only failed to recover, but has continued to deteriorate.

It is for this reason that the Kingdom of Serbia had to declare a national state of mobilization.

The mobilization of the Russian Empire might also be seen by the Austro-Hungarian Empire as tactical blackmail.

The Kingdom of Serbia's mobilization was serious and aimed at overthrowing the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire also responded quickly. On April 4, just one day before George arrived in St. Petersburg, the Austro-Hungarian Empire once again issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia, stating that if the Kingdom of Serbia did not stop mobilization, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would retaliate in the same way.

Serbia is weak, and even if it carries out a national mobilization, it will have little impact on other countries.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was the second largest in Europe in terms of area and the third largest in terms of population. Once the Austro-Hungarian Empire launched a full general mobilization, it would be a prelude to a world war.

George didn't even have time to go home before Nicholas took him directly to the Winter Palace.

"The situation is dire. Just now, 11 marshals and the Grand Duke of the Empire jointly requested that the Empire immediately enter a state of full mobilization to deal with the threat from the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

Alexander greeted George and introduced him as they walked.

"No mobilization is needed to deal with Austria-Hungary."

George was annoyed. These people really just wanted to watch the fun and make trouble.

But who can be blamed for this?

The confidence of the Grand Dukes was given by George.

If the Russian Empire had not won the Russo-Japanese War and the Balkan Wars in succession, the Grand Dukes would have been calmer.

"Berlin's attitude is tough. If we mobilize, Germany will also start mobilizing."

Alexander took the initiative to open the door of the Winter Palace conference room for George.

"George, you're finally back—"

There were tears in Nicholas' eyes, but George might have been hallucinating.

"George, you're back just in time. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has already begun mobilizing, and the Balkan Alliance is about to start moving too!"

Little Nicholas was dressed in military uniform and looked very majestic with his two-meter height.

Sukhomlinov and several other generals looked at George with expectant eyes.

Among the golden stars, George actually saw a person he shouldn't have seen, Zhilinsky, who served as Alexeev's chief of staff in the Russo-Japanese War.

George and Zhilinsky had first come into contact during the Rovno maneuvers, many years earlier.

After the Russo-Japanese War, Alexeev's family was purged, and George had no idea how he escaped and returned to the core decision-making level of the empire.

This is also talent.

It's a pity that it was used in the wrong place.

But George was in no mood to deal with Zhilinsky at the moment, so he would talk about him later.

"Nikki, we have to stop mobilizing."

George made a shocking start right from the start.

"Why, why?"

Little Nicholas even stuttered.

“Why didn’t Britain and France mobilize?”

George reminded Nicholas and little Nicholas not to forget the previous plan.

The plan George made for the Russian Empire was to find ways to intensify the conflict between the German-Austrian alliance and Britain and France, let Germany attack France, and let the Russian Empire reap the benefits.

George had only been away for a few months, but the Russian Empire suddenly became the vanguard, which caught George off guard.

"It is too obvious that Britain and France want us to draw the firepower of Germany and Austria-Hungary and let us attrition each other."

After not seeing each other for a few months, Sukhomlinov's hair had turned completely white and he looked more than ten years older.

“What will happen to the Kingdom of Serbia if we stop mobilizing?”

Nicholas has a strong sense of responsibility towards the Balkan countries and does not want to abandon any of his brothers.

"The Empire does not accept any form of kidnapping. Russia will mobilize only when it is necessary."

In George's plan, the entire Balkan League was expendable.

As long as the Russian Empire can win the final victory, the Balkan countries will always be younger brothers in front of the Russian Empire.

On the contrary, if the Russian Empire stood up for its younger brother and took the initiative to attract the firepower of the Austro-Hungarian Alliance, who would be responsible for the losses of the Russian Empire?

Moral?

responsibility?

Ah!
In the face of national interests, these are just empty names.

(End of this chapter)