I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 517 Balkan Alliance

After the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Empire, like Britain after the Second Boer War, began to adjust its national policy from strategic expansion to strategic contraction.

The Ottoman Empire's strategic contraction began earlier than the Russian Empire, starting after the Tenth Russo-Turkish War.

It has been more than 30 years since the tenth Russo-Turkish war.

Following the traditions of the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, the 11th Russo-Turkish War should have broken out during the Russo-Japanese War.

After the Second Fleet was completely wiped out, the Ottoman Empire became restless and sent warships to invade the waters of the Russian Empire many times. At one point, it approached Sevastopol, the home port of the Black Sea Fleet, seriously infringing on the sovereignty of the Russian Empire.

The Black Sea Fleet was also tough. Although all its battleships were lost in the Far East and the morale of the fleet's officers and soldiers was unstable and they were prone to mutiny, the Black Sea Fleet still fought back strongly in the face of the provocation of the Ottoman Navy, and repeatedly used its outdated armored ships to confront the Ottoman battleships.

The Ottomans were also smart. Before the Russo-Japanese War was over, the Ottoman Empire started building all-heavy artillery battleships.

Half a month ago, the Ottoman Empire's first all-heavy artillery battleship was put into service. Before the fleet officers and soldiers became familiar with the all-heavy artillery battleship, the Ottomans once again invaded the waters of the Russian Empire and approached Sevastopol.

"The Ottomans should not have anti-submarine capabilities."

Ozdoyev requested to fight.

There is a shipyard in Sevastopol.

The Russian Empire built four new all-heavy artillery battleships, three in the Baltic Shipyard and one in Vladivostok, while the Sevastopol Shipyard was completely neglected.

The future mission of the Black Sea Fleet is based on defense. Submarines are the most effective weapon against all-heavy artillery battleships. So after Peter came to Sevastopol, the Sevastopol Shipyard began to build submarines. Now there are two submarines that can be used for combat.

As for sonar—

In 1906, in another time and space, Lewis Nixon of the British Navy invented sonar, which was mainly used to detect icebergs.

Because of the George bug, the Russian Empire began researching wireless telegraphy in 1894.

After the Vladivostok submarines entered service, the warships of the Siberian Fleet began to install sonar.

Ozdoyev was certain that, at least so far, the Ottoman Navy had not yet begun to equip itself with sonar.

"You want to use submarines to attack the Ottoman Empire's all-heavy artillery battleships?"

Peter did not want to expose the strength of the Black Sea Fleet too early.

"Why not? The Ottoman navy may not even have radio. Even if they are equipped with full-heavy artillery battleships, they cannot fully exert the true strength of full-heavy artillery battleships."

Ozdoyev really did not mean to look down on the Ottomans. The Russo-Japanese War was the Ottomans' only chance.

If the Ottoman Empire had taken the initiative to provoke the 11th Russo-Turkish War during the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Empire would have been in trouble, and the Ottoman Empire might even succeed.

Now the situation has changed. Even if the Ottoman Empire took the initiative to attack, George would command the Cossacks to completely defeat the Ottoman army.

Ozdoyev believed that George could do it.

"You are stupid. If we use submarines to sink the Ottoman Empire's all-heavy artillery battleships, then the Black Sea Fleet will never be equipped with all-heavy artillery battleships."

Peter showed weakness to his enemy and allowed the Ottomans to show off their power.

Peter's main task now is to reorganize the Black Sea Fleet. The Pacific Fleet has been disbanded, and the three major fleets of the Russian Empire are the Siberian Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, and the Black Sea Fleet.

Both the Siberian Fleet and the Baltic Fleet were equipped with battleships with all-heavy artillery, and there was more than one.

In Alexei's plan, the Black Sea Fleet not only lacked all heavy artillery battleships, but also did not even have armored cruisers, and was completely lacking the scale that a fleet should have.

Although there are no main battleships, the empire does not have to worry about the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. If the Ottoman Empire really dares to land in Crimea, then the Cossacks will let the Ottomans understand that the Russian Empire still has the ability to defeat the Ottoman Empire.

Peter is now Under-Secretary of the Admiralty.

From Peter's perspective, Peter certainly hopes that the Black Sea Fleet will be equipped with as many battleships as possible.

Whether or not to equip the Black Sea Fleet with all-heavy artillery battleships is not up to George, but must be approved by the State Duma.

If Peter does not want the most powerful warships in the Black Sea Fleet to be just offshore gunboats in the future, he must be more careful.

"What should we do? Report the dire situation we are in to the Grand Duke?"

Ozdoyev was itching to do it, because so far, no all-heavy artillery battleship had been sunk in the world.

If Ozdoyev could sink the Ottoman Empire's all-heavy artillery battleships in Sevastopol, then Ozdoyev's name would definitely be recorded in the world naval history.

"We must let the Grand Duke know that Crimea is facing a serious threat from the Ottoman Empire."

Peter is going to St. Petersburg to complain and make George face up to the plight of the Black Sea Fleet.

Sevastopol is a military city with a total population of about 6000, most of whom are families of Black Sea officers and soldiers.

If a war breaks out, the Black Sea Fleet alone will certainly not be able to withstand the invasion of the Ottoman Empire, and the army must be relied upon to repel the Ottomans.

For the officers and soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet, if the Ottoman army was allowed to land on the Black Sea coast, it would mean the failure of the Black Sea Fleet.

George still trusts Peter very much.

However, George could not take care of the demands of the Black Sea Fleet now.

When Peter arrived in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg was filled with distinguished persons, including Crown Prince Ferdinand, King Valdemar of Bulgaria, Minister of War of Serbia Radomir Putnik, and Prince George II of Greece.

These four countries are all allies of the Russian Empire in the Balkans.

So now you know why Britain was so afraid of the Russian Empire.

If the Ottoman Empire had not controlled the Bosphorus Strait, the Russian Empire would have been able to break through the Black Sea and enter the Mediterranean at any time, threatening Britain's control over the passage to Eurasia.

George hoped that the four Balkan countries would unite to form the Balkan Alliance to jointly deal with the threat of the Ottoman Empire.

In other words, join forces to attack the Ottoman Empire.

However, this also has many problems. The conflict between the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Bulgaria is just one of the many conflicts in the Balkans.

At least for the Kingdom of Serbia, the threat posed by the Ottoman Empire was far less than that posed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

(End of this chapter)