I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 670 The final madness
There are many different opinions about the whereabouts of Nicholas' family. Some say that Nicholas' family has been secretly executed by the Provisional Government, some say that Nicholas' family has gone into exile with the king, and some even claim that they have seen Princess Olga in Constantinople.

A more reliable statement is that Nicholas and his family were probably imprisoned by the Provisional Government in Moscow or somewhere in Siberia.

Alexander prayed for Alexei and the princesses, hoping they could be rescued safely.

Forget about Nicholas and Alex, they should be held responsible for the demise of the empire.

With the recovery of St. Petersburg, some nobles who had been exiled after Nicholas' abdication returned, and the calls for George to ascend the throne grew louder and louder.

Alexander knew what the purpose of these nobles was. They did not miss the empire, but their own privileges.

Little Nicholas didn't care. He and his wife Anastasia had no children and no worries.

Some people have their own opinions, such as the Queen Mother who is temporarily living in Denmark. After losing her royal salary, her financial situation is so tight that she can't even pay the electricity bill for her residence.

Many nobles who were exiled abroad had no ability to make a living and could only rely on selling jewelry to make a living. Every day, newspapers reported on noble members living on the streets.

Alexander just couldn't understand.

The aristocracy is famous for its versatility. They are proficient in literature, art, music, and dance. If they really can't do it, they can work as translators to survive. How did they end up living on the streets?

"Vova is known as the greatest writer in the empire. Do you think his literary attainments are really that high?"

Little Nicholas laughed. Not everyone was as strict as George and Anne.

George and Anne attached great importance to their children's education, and Alexander and his siblings were truly multi-talented.

Others were not so lucky.

Members of the nobility are born with salaries and have no pressure to survive or motivation to learn. Although they can afford to hire tutors, it is hard to say how much they can learn.

The best example of this is Paul, the most famous gourmet in Paris.

A gourmet, as the name suggests, is someone who knows how to eat.

Grand Prince Vladimir was called the greatest writer of the empire because he wrote a book about geography.

"If I write a play, wouldn't I be the most famous playwright in the empire?"

Alexander lamented that it was so easy for nobles to become famous.

"You don't even have to write it. Buy a script, change the name to yours, and you'll be the most famous playwright in the empire."

Little Nicholas knows the ins and outs of this very well.

"So, it was right for father not to be the Tsar—"

Alexander had no good feelings towards most of the nobles.

When the fighting on the front was the most intense, the Grand Duke of St. Petersburg was still partying every night, not caring about the fate of the empire at all, but only caring about whether his salary had increased.

Every noble who joined the army would be reported in newspapers, trying to prove the correctness of the privileges enjoyed by the aristocracy.

After the war broke out, Russia mobilized 1500 million people to participate in the war. How many of them were children of nobles?
Aren’t children from ordinary families worthy of praise?

By the time Nicholas abdicated, the salary of the Grand Duke had increased to 120 million rubles per year.

Even so, many grand dukes still did not have enough money to spend, so they went to Nicholas to borrow money.

"If your father becomes Tsar, you will be first in line."

Young Nicholas reminded Alexander that the throne was hereditary.

"I'd rather not!"

Alexander was firm.

The Tsar held no attraction for Alexander.

Is Alexei happy?
Even without hemophilia, Alexei's life would have been far from happy.

Yes, Alexei has countless wealth, but he doesn’t even know how much a loaf of bread sells for. Wealth has lost its meaning to Alexei.

Alexander also had a lot of money, more than he could spend in his lifetime, but wealth was meaningless to him either.

Alexander wanted to be George.

Instead of being hated like Nicholas.

"Smart choice!"

Little Nicholas didn't want to be a tsar either. Rights and obligations go hand in hand.

The power George now possesses is no different from that of the Tsar.

No, in terms of power alone, George had even more power than Nicholas.

Nicholas' power was restricted by the aristocracy and the bureaucracy and was not unlimited. Without the consent of the aristocracy and the bureaucracy, Nicholas' decrees could not even leave the Winter Palace.

Although George was in Constantinople, his orders were unimpeded in most parts of the country. If anyone dared to disobey George's orders, they would be subject to military law.

In Constantinople, there were also strong calls for George to ascend the throne.

When Nicholas abdicated, most nobles did not realize the seriousness of the matter. It was not until the provisional government was overthrown and the provisional executive committee came to power that many nobles realized that the empire had changed.

At that time, St. Petersburg was in chaos. The nobles had no time to deal with their assets. The belongings they carried with them were limited, and many people were already stretched to the limit.

There is a saying that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality.

Although the nobles who fled to Constantinople lost their salaries, their living habits could not be changed in a day or two. Some nobles sold all the valuables they carried with them and even had to sell themselves.

George is busy with work and has no time to receive guests.

Many people came to Anne to sell things or borrow money. "Maria sent me a telegram today, asking when you will ascend the throne."

The Maria Anne was referring to was George's only sister, Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.

After her marriage, Maria continued to receive the Grand Duchess's salary from the Russian Empire and had a considerable income.

After Nicholas abdicated, the provisional government stopped paying Maria's salary, which made Maria very uncomfortable.

"She no longer cares about Nikki's whereabouts?"

George has a lot of problems with Maria.

After Nicholas abdicated, the provisional government wanted to send Nicholas and his family to Britain, but was rejected by Britain.

If Maria had said anything at that time, it would have been worth the salary that Nicholas had given her over the years.

Maria got married in 1874, and the salary she received from the Russian Empire over the years had already exceeded tens of millions of rubles.

He took so much money, but didn't say a word when the Tsar was in trouble. George didn't know what Nicholas felt, but he was very heartbroken.

Thinking about becoming the Tsar and having to support these weirdos, George would rather distribute the money to his soldiers.

"What's the use of caring? Life must go on."

Anne downplayed the fact that Nicholas was only six years old when Maria got married, so their feelings were really limited.

George was only two years old at the time and his emotions were even more limited.

"Don't the British royal family give money?"

George also didn't know whether Maria received a salary or a pension in the UK.

"The royal family also has a large group of people to support, and each person doesn't get much."

Anne curled her lips. Britain is famous for its poverty.

After Maria married Alfred, she praised the Queen of England for her simple lifestyle.

Yasan's life is really simple.

Saying that the Queen of England lives a simple life is actually mocking the Queen for being shabby.

"Do you want me to be Tsar?"

George asks Anne for advice.

To say that the throne has no appeal would be a lie.

But starting from Nicholas I, among the four tsars, one committed suicide, one was assassinated, and one was deposed, and only Yasan had a good end.

The probability of an accident happening is too high.

"What they miss is not the empire, but an orderly life."

Anne didn't want to be queen; both she and Alex were from Germany.

The people in Constantinople who were asking George to ascend the throne every day were the same people who were calling for Nicholas to abdicate in St. Petersburg.

It is indeed tragic to go from living in luxury to living on the streets.

But they deserve it, it's their own fault!

But compared to the grand dukes executed by the Second Provisional Government, they were lucky.

At the end of June, news of the execution of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich spread widely in Constantinople.

Mikhail is Nicholas's younger brother and one of the biggest masterminds behind Nicholas' abdication.

At the wedding of Nicholas' sister Olga, the royal family unanimously decided that Nicholas would abdicate, Alexei would ascend the throne, and Mikhail would serve as regent.

Nicholas did not want Alexei to ascend the throne, so he passed it to Mikhail.

Mikhail, who had high aspirations but a fragile life, was frightened by the situation in St. Petersburg. Not only did he refuse to accept the throne, but he also took the initiative to surrender to the Provisional Executive Committee.

After Mikhail's surrender, the news was widely publicized by the Provisional Executive Committee. People thought that Mikhail would be entrusted with important tasks, but unexpectedly, Mikhail was secretly executed.

A week ago, a prisoner captured by the Second Balkan Army in Tula confessed that Mikhail had been executed on the eve of the Second Provisional Government's move to Moscow.

Also executed along with Mikhail were Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich and the two brothers Grand Dukes George and Sergei Mikhailovich.

When the news reached Constantinople, the whereabouts of Nicholas' family once again became the focus of attention.

Including the above four, nine grand dukes have been executed.

Including Pavel who was shot in Constantinople, more than a quarter of the men in the Romanov family had died.

Even the Tsar’s brother was executed, and the rest of the grand dukes, about whom there was still no news, were probably not much better off.

The Constantinople authorities did not restrict people's discussion. George wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone: cherish life and live in the present.

On July 7, news finally came from Tula that Duke Vasily Suvorov led the Second Balkan Army in a bloody battle for half a month and finally recaptured Tula.

In the Battle of Tula, 15 troops loyal to the Second Provisional Government were killed and another 20 were captured.

Alexander was very happy and immediately sent a telegram to Vasily, hoping that all the prisoners could be sent to St. Petersburg, as they were needed for the reconstruction of St. Petersburg.

Vasily was not in a hurry. He waited until all the prisoners in Moscow arrived and then sent them to St. Petersburg together.

(End of this chapter)