I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 663: Strict! Severe! Quick!
Even when two countries were at war, they did not kill envoys. George really did not expect that little Nicholas would be so violent.

Little Nikolai emptied the magazine and spat on Kirov's body.

Although George's office was well soundproofed, the gunshot still came out.

Guard Chief Felix heard the gunshots and rushed into the office with a large group of guards.

The office was filled with a strong smell of blood and it was unbearable to stay there.

Christie was very careful and did not forget to remind Felix to control Kirov's followers first.

"What are you still controlling? Shoot them all, leave no one alive!"

Little Nicholas waved his pistol and shouted wildly.

Felix looked at George.

George shook his head slightly.

It’s not that you can’t kill, the procedure must be correct.

One of the important reasons why the Provisional Executive Committee opposed the Tsar was that the ruling class headed by the Tsar disregarded human life.

Ironically, after the Provisional Executive Committee came to power, they killed people much more cruelly than the Tsar.

George admitted that Nicholas was weak, indulged the queen, and was extravagant.

George disagreed with Nicholas's reckless attitude towards human life.

But there are two sides to this question.

After the outbreak of World War I, the Russian army suffered millions of casualties. From this perspective, Nicholas did not take the lives of the Russians seriously.

But in the current context, which country can remain immune?

While the Second Provisional Government was negotiating with Germany, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary were also contacting the Allied Powers, trying to end the war through negotiations.

Lloyd George and Poincaré separately sent telegrams to George, asking whether the Balkan theater led by George would follow the order from St. Petersburg and cease fire with Germany.

George's response was simple: Never!

Churchill came to Constantinople again, bringing with him Britain's promise.

Churchill hoped that George could end the chaos in Russia and lead the Russian Empire to continue fighting.

George knew Churchill's purpose.

Churchill's move may have been partly due to war considerations, but more so for Britain's own interests.

There is nothing wrong with this. If it were George, he would do the same.

Churchill was a good communicator and knew what George wanted.

"Grand Duke, if you need it, the United Kingdom can provide all the help, even the army."

Churchill wanted to talk about other things, but George accepted everything, except the army.

George was afraid that the British army would fall behind.

"I will personally end the chaos in Russia and lead Russia to continue fighting. Before that, no country can negotiate with the Allies."

George demanded that he ensure that Russia would be eligible to participate in the distribution of the fruits of victory after the war.

"Of course! Any private contact between any country and the enemy is a shameful betrayal!"

Churchill's words were definitely meant to vent his feelings.

George's disgust with the Second Provisional Government reached a new level.

These people not only don't care about Russia's interests, they also don't care about Russia's honor.

Like the English, the French also sent aid and promises to George.

George doesn't really care about promises.

Promises are based on strength. If George can't do it, no matter how good the promise is, it will be useless.

George didn't care about aid. Constantinople had everything. Britain and France still needed to import from Russia.

While George received his allies, Witte officially took over the civil affairs of Constantinople.

After the fall of the Lvov government, Witte was ostracized by Kerensky, so he resigned from his position and came to Constantinople.

George still likes Werther very much.

Witt is not a qualified decision maker, but he is definitely a qualified executor.

The first job George gave Witte was to appease the members of the nobility who had fled to Constantinople.

With George’s support, Witt’s work rate was nothing short of spectacular.

Witte first warned those members of the nobility who demanded privileges that if they wanted to stay in Constantinople, they had to abide by the laws of Constantinople, otherwise they had to leave.

The consequences of not abiding by the law can be seen in St. Petersburg today.

The law is a constraint on everyone. Even Grand Duke Yuriev abides by it, so what else can others say?

For most people, after experiencing the great changes in St. Petersburg, the need for privileges is actually not essential.

Some people are difficult to communicate with, like little Nicholas.

Privileges are innate to little Nicholas, just like he can pull out a gun and kill people at will in George's office. It doesn't make much difference to little Nicholas whether the other party is a negotiating representative of the Second Provisional Government or an ordinary person.

Little Nikolai felt that Kirov deserved to die, so he killed him.

For the same reason, Alexander and Felix the Younger killed Rasputin, which, although with good intentions, was also a manifestation of privilege.

After Rasputin's death, Nikolai said, "No one has the right to kill," which is essentially a defense of the law.

Whether Rasputin should die should be decided by law.

In St. Petersburg, Witte could do nothing about little Nicholas' behavior, so many of Witte's policies could not be implemented.

George fully supports Witt's work, so George is responsible for communicating with little Nicholas.

"Shouldn't that guy be dead?"

Little Nicholas was very angry.

"Whether someone should be put to death should be decided by the law, not by us."

George strives to uphold the dignity of the law.

"George, this is why you always disappoint me!" Little Nicholas wanted to see a river of blood, but he had only just begun.

“No one wants to live in a disorderly society.”

What George wanted to maintain was not the feudal rule of the Tsar, but the order of Russia.

According to Nicholas the Younger's logic, the fate of Grand Dukes like George should also be decided by a few people in St. Petersburg.

As long as they have the ability, they can kill anyone they want, and everyone is in danger.

"We are order!"

Little Nicholas has not yet realized the seriousness of the problem.

"We are not order. Order is determined by the will of the majority and must be in the interests of the majority. This is why Nikki abdicated."

George, you're welcome. Nicholas and the little Nicholas and other grand dukes have brought themselves to this state.

"George, do you know what you are talking about? Don't forget that you are Grand Duke Yuriev!"

Little Nicholas was surprised that what George said was exactly the same as those members of the Provisional Executive Committee.

"Niki, the Empire no longer exists."

Although George was also part of the empire's ruling class, he did not miss the ruling order headed by the Tsar.

George himself can keep himself clean and obey the law.

How can George ensure that others obey the law if he fails to discipline his own son?

"George, I told you that you have the ability to rebuild the empire!"

Little Nicholas's expression finally became serious.

“Niki, I can rebuild Russia, but I won’t rebuild the empire.”

George didn't want to be Tsar because the job was too dangerous and the death rate from unnatural causes was too high.

Little Nicholas was hit hard. He never expected that George was the biggest traitor.

"Why don't you become the Tsar——"

George had no good intentions.

"No, no, no, I can't!"

Little Nicholas avoided snakes and scorpions.

Is it so easy to be a Tsar?
Nicholas supported Stolypin's reforms, which displeased the nobles.

Without reform, the bourgeoisie will be dissatisfied.

Improving workers' welfare will affect the profits of capitalists, and ignoring workers is cold-blooded and heartless.

If the foreign war is won, everything will be fine. If the war is not won, the Tsar will commit suicide to thank the world.

In short, if there is one person in Russia who does not live the life he wants, it is the Tsar's responsibility.

After all, the Tsar is everyone’s little daddy.

"Look, even you don't want to be a scapegoat, so why should I take on this responsibility?"

George was straightforward, and was afraid that little Nicholas would not understand if he tried to be tactful.

"This is the last time. If something like this happens again, whoever it is will be brought to justice."

George gave up on persuasion and education. It was impossible to reason with these people. The Russians had to be treated simply and roughly.

"George, you're crazy, you must be crazy--"

Little Nicholas couldn't believe it. How could a person betray his own class?
George did not want to be buried with the aristocracy.

Although young Nicholas was reckless, he had been the Grand Duke for so long that he knew not to anger George at this time.

But some people took the initiative to challenge the order of Constantinople.

After the establishment of the Provisional Government, Grand Prince Kirill took the initiative to surrender to the Provisional Government and became the first grand prince to defect.

Kirill was smart enough to flee St. Petersburg and come to Constantinople before the fall of the Provisional Government.

On the second day of the New Year, a car drove out of Kirill's mansion and abandoned a body on the outskirts of Constantinople.

The body was soon discovered and after investigation, the police confirmed that the deceased was Kirill's maid who had been raped before her death.

Witt came to George and asked what to do.

"According to the relevant laws and regulations, we will handle it as we see fit—"

After George gave the order, he gave Witt three more reassurances: "Be strict! Be severe! Be quick!"

Kirill was arrested by Constantinople police the same day.

Kirill's father, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, had died in 1909.

Kirill's mother, Duchess Mary, came to Anne, hoping that George would show leniency.

Anne didn't see Mary.

Mary went to see little Nicholas again.

Little Nicholas was also missing.

On February 2, after trial, the Constantinople court sentenced Kirill to death for murder and ordered him to pay 19 rubles in compensation to the victim's family.

When the news came out, the whole of Constantinople was in an uproar.

This was the first grand duke in the history of the Russian Empire to be sentenced to death for murder.

The deceased was a lowly maid.

The court's verdict clearly states: No one has the right to deprive another person of his or her life, and violators will be severely punished by law.

This verdict is more effective than George emphasizing it a thousand times.

On February 2, Kirill was executed in Constantinople.

Now no one questions the majesty of the law.

Grand Duke Yuriev was willing to sacrifice even his own nephew to uphold the dignity of the law. Who else would dare to break the law?
(End of this chapter)