I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 414: Lend me your head

Nicholas was the Tsar and Alexei was the Crown Prince. Theoretically, they could not go to Amur at the same time.

But Nicholas can’t care so much anymore, George is going to rebel now, and no one can stop him.

Of course, it’s not that easy for Nikolai to go to Amur.

The empire is currently experiencing internal and external troubles, and Nicholas needs to arrange things before he can go to the Far East. The trip will not be possible until June at least.

George did not wait for Nicholas, and he was very dissatisfied with Nicholas' appointment because Nicholas did not meet all of George's requirements.

George's current conditions are not only absolute command power, but also punishment of those responsible.

Both Witte and Milyutin advised George to put the overall situation first.

Even if Alexeyev and Kuropatkin were to be tried, the reckoning would have to wait until after the war.

Vladimir and Alexei are even more difficult to deal with. One of them is the Minister of War and the other is the Minister of Navy. If Nikolai were to replace them at the same time, it would cause a major earthquake in the military, which would be even more detrimental to the Russian army fighting on the front line.

After Fengtian was lost, the Russian army retreated to Siping.

No one took care of the broken wooden box, and the icons inside were scattered all over the floor. No wonder no one cared about it.

Kuropatkin could only reassure the generals around him: Don't be anxious, be patient, everything will be fine.

When the Russian army on the front line needed artillery shells the most, what came from St. Petersburg was truck after truck of holy statues. The Russian army joked that once the Japanese attacked, they would have no choice but to use the holy statues to hit the Japanese.

But even Kuropatkin himself doesn't know when he will get better.

Andre did not enter the waiting hall. The Harbin Division was arriving in Siping one after another to take over Siping's defense.

Kuropatkin was also aggrieved.

Siping was the front line at this time. When George got off the train, he could clearly hear the sound of artillery in the distance.

The situation in the waiting hall was even worse. There were wounded soldiers everywhere who had not been sent away in time. The dead soldiers were wrapped in white cloth from head to toe and piled against the wall.

Alexeyev thought he was smart and kept his money not in Russian banks but in foreign banks.

On April 4, George arrived in Siping by train.

But putting corpses and wounded soldiers together seems to have more serious consequences.

Among the large group of golden generals, George unexpectedly discovered that Brusinov was also there.

Swish!
Ye Luoxin, who arrived in Siping with George in the same car, drew his sword and shouted to the sky: "Defend the empire!"

"Duke, you shouldn't come here, it's too dangerous!"

The generals drew their sabers and shouted, "Ula!" resounded throughout the waiting hall.

After George accepted the post of commander-in-chief of the Russian Army in Kwantung, Linevich, who miraculously recovered from health, hoped that George would place his headquarters in an ice city farther away from the front line, preferably in Vladivostok.

George is now the Governor of the Far East and the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Russian Army. He has monopolized power. The generals of the Kwantung Russian Army rushed to the train station to welcome George's arrival.

"I'm right here and I won't take a step back!"

Alexeyev's crime is unforgivable, but he is only a part of the entire criminal chain. If you dig deeper, he will definitely pull out the carrot and bring out the mud. Therefore, it is very likely that he will find a reason to go to jail and question the crime.

After the Japanese army obtained the strategic materials hoarded by the Russian army in Fengtian, their morale was greatly boosted and they continued to advance northward, with their troops pointing directly at the Ice City.

Kuropatkin still had a conscience and did not let their bodies be exposed in the wilderness.

Brusinov clenched his fist and shouted: "Fight to the death for His Majesty!"

Kuropatkin was not dismissed, but was demoted to commander of the 1st Kwantung Army, swapping with Linevich.

These are no longer Kuropatkin's problems.

You have a life to earn, but you have no life to spend.

The empire has suffered too many failures. If it loses George as the governor of the Far East, it will be completely over.

The train station was in a state of chaos, with supplies uncovered and piled haphazardly on the snow-covered platform.

The Middle East Railway is also George's hard work, and George will not let the Japanese get involved in the Middle East Railway.

But in St. Petersburg, although they can move freely, their every move is controlled by the secret police.

Kuropatkin's dereliction of duty did not amount to a crime. It was purely due to lack of ability and being placed in an inappropriate position. Upon closer inspection, Nikolay's responsibility seems to be greater.

George's voice was sonorous and powerful, and his firm eyes looked at the faces of the generals one by one. The generals subconsciously straightened their spines and showed their best side to George.

The morale of the generals was boosted.

"If Siping falls, I will fight until the last moment!"

"You should return to your troops immediately and stabilize the defense line. No matter who it is, if his position is lost, I will kill him with my own hands!"

Werther was helpless. The situation in the empire was too complicated.

"His Majesty is sending people to investigate Alexeyev's criminal behavior. He will definitely pay the price and will never go unpunished."

The generals looked solemn.

George suddenly pulled out his command knife and stabbed it into the floor of the waiting hall with his backhand.

The Japanese army is attacking and Siping may be lost at any time.

George had no time to hold Alexeyev accountable.

The Russian army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Fengtian. The cavalry troops suffered slightly smaller losses because they did not participate in the battle. Almost all the baggage of the field troops was lost, and many soldiers lost their guns.

After retreating to Siping, Kuropatkin counted the losses and felt like crying.

More than half of the 18 Russian troops participating in the Fengtian Battle were lost. The three main battle divisions had less than a thousand soldiers left. Among them, the 3rd East Siberian Division was almost completely wiped out. The division commander died in the battle and the chief of staff was missing.

There were more than 2 wounded waiting to be transported to the rear in Siping, and the remaining combat troops were less than 10.

The transportation capacity of the South Manchuria Railway is limited, and the Harbin Division has a lot of heavy equipment. It will take three days to arrive. The Yushi and Ni divisions will also set off one after another. Vasily led the Talisman Division and went to Korea with the Sakhalin Division to cooperate with Yankov to prepare for the counterattack against the Japanese army.

With the arrival of George, order at the train station immediately returned to normal.

George first sent people to remove all the materials accumulated on the platform, and sent people to clear all the snow in the train station.

Wounded soldiers also began to be transferred to Bingcheng and Vladivostok respectively. The lightly wounded were treated in Bingcheng, and all the seriously injured were sent to Vladivostok.

The supplies sent from St. Petersburg began to be distributed in Chita.

Supplies that are not needed on the front line, such as holy statues, are first placed in Chita.

Artillery shells that are urgently needed on the front line are transported first.

The supplies hoarded in Vladivostok also began to be concentrated in Siping. Late at night when George arrived in Siping, 48 rocket launchers arrived in Siping on a truck.

After sending all the Russian generals back to the front, George left Brusinov alone.

After the war broke out, Brusinov took the initiative to ask for war, but the Guards did not participate in the war. Brusinov came to Kanto almost alone. Since he had no troops under his command, Brusinov was assigned to work in the staff department.

"The situation is very bad. Most of the troops have lost their combat capabilities, their morale is low, and their equipment is severely damaged. There are no bullets for machine guns and no shells for artillery. Many soldiers have run out of bullets, but they cannot be replenished in time-"

Brusinov was filled with grief and indignation. He wanted to go to the front line, but the front line was full of carrots and pits, and there was no place for him.

"You are now my quartermaster, and it is up to you to solve these problems."

George first arranged for Brusinov to wait for the opportunity.

Brusinov did not wait long.

The Japanese attack was crazy. Despite George's repeated orders, the 2nd West Siberian Army still lost its position, and commander Zasulich was taken to George's headquarters.

During the Battle of the Amur River, Zasulich served as the commander of the East Manchuria detachment. He was almost unprepared before the war. Faced with the Japanese attack, he panicked and misdirected his command, which led to the collapse of the entire Russian army and the Japanese invasion of Kanto.

After the Battle of the Amur River, Zasulich was not held accountable, but rose through the ranks and served as the commander of the 2nd Army in Western Siberia.

"Duke, give me one day, and I will definitely take back the position!"

Zasulich did not realize the seriousness of the matter.

"Do you remember what I said the day before yesterday?"

George wanted to use Zasulich's head.

Zasulich was stunned and could not utter a word.

"I said, no matter who it is, if he loses his position, I will kill him with my own hands!"

George shouted sharply, pulled out his gun and threw it in front of Zasulic.

"If you commit suicide, I will treat you as if you died in battle."

When George used to watch movies, whenever this kind of plot happened, George would laugh at the screenwriter's stupidity.

Just throw the gun in front of the opponent, just in case the opponent jumps over the wall——

it's useless.

Zasulich's family is in St. Petersburg.

If Zasulich died in battle, his family could still enjoy prosperity and wealth, and enjoy special treatment from the empire as the family members of a lieutenant general.

If Zasulich had evil intentions, his family would also be implicated if he died without telling anyone.

"Duke, please give me a chance, I will definitely take back the position——"

Zasulich cried bitterly and regretted it beyond words.

George was indifferent, turned around and left.

As soon as George went out, gunshots were heard behind him.

After the news of Zasulich's death spread, the morale of the Russian army recovered instantly, and the Cossacks finally turned back into the feared Cossacks they were.

In Laoyegou, less than 10 kilometers away from the train station, the 37th Regiment of Russia's Eastern Siberia was fighting a bloody battle with the Japanese army under the leadership of its commander Petrovich.

The bullets of the 37th Regiment have been exhausted. Petrovich led the officers and soldiers through hand-to-hand combat and just repelled another Japanese attack.

"Including the regiment headquarters, we only have 450 people left, and the seriously injured need to be sent to the rear——"

Chief of Staff Ivanovich had a bandage on his arm, and almost everyone in the 37th Regiment was wounded.

"Give each of the seriously wounded a bayonet, and everyone must fight to the end!"

Petrovich's forehead was still bleeding. After Zasulich was "killed", everyone understood that Grand Duke Yuriev kept his word.

The dignified lieutenant general died in battle when he said he was killed in action.

Zasulich was the only lieutenant general killed in the Kwantung Russian Army since the war began.

"The Japanese are attacking more and more, and we need support."

Ivanovich also knew that he and Petrovich had no retreat.

"If we die in battle, the Duke will take care of our families—"

Petrovich felt a fire burning in his heart.

The Japanese are indeed fighting more and more.

But who can blame them? The Japanese confidence was cultivated by the Russian army through continuous victories.

Petrovich would rather die fighting than run away again!

(End of this chapter)