I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 652: Rebels Everywhere
George was as unable to leave as Nicholas, so Anne, accompanied by Alexandra, went to Crimea on George's behalf.

After gaining access to the Black Sea, the Black Sea almost became an inland lake of the Russian Empire. Crimea has always been the favorite holiday paradise for Russians in winter, and now it is becoming more and more prosperous.

Almost all Russian nobles owned property in Crimea, and the Yuriev family was no exception.

Sevastopol in Crimea is still one of the home ports of the Black Sea Fleet.

George is still the Imperial Navy Minister, so the security of Yuriev Manor where Anne and Alexandra live is the responsibility of the Black Sea Fleet, and the guards outside the manor are all sailors from the Black Sea Fleet.

The Queen Mother and the Grand Dukes were in Crimea, and their security was provided by the Palace Guard.

The only family the sailors were responsible for was George's.

Compared with the blue breastplate Guards Cavalry of which the Queen Mother served as the commander of the honorary legion, the sailor's standard sailor shirt is particularly eye-catching. Their sailor caps have black ribbons to commemorate the cloth strips used to indicate wind direction in the sailing era. The fleet they serve in and the name of the ship are marked on the cap wall. The navy blue trousers are made of pure cotton fabric, and the golden naval emblem on the belt buckle complements the Black Sea Fleet emblem on the chest.

Unlike the low-key Constantinople, when Anne set out for the Livadia Palace, like those grand duchesses, she wore all kinds of jewelry wherever there was room for it. When she walked, her pearls and diamonds jingled, which made Alexandra, who was also dressed in jewels and silk, very uncomfortable.

"Be content. I used to wear a court-style long skirt with a crinoline when attending court banquets—"

Anne knew Alexandra liked military uniforms.

In Constantinople, Alexandra could wear whatever she wanted.

When participating in royal activities, you have to abide by court etiquette, which is part of the rules.

Alexandra curled her lips and said nothing. The crinoline was originally designed to facilitate urination and defecation.

It was very troublesome for noble women to dress up, and they needed several people to help them put on and take off their skirts smoothly.

What should I do if I need to go to the toilet while wearing a skirt?
The crinoline came into being.

So if you saw a noble woman squatting on the ground in the 18th century, she was definitely not tying her shoelaces, but going to the toilet.

This is what Europeans call "civilization".

As time goes by, the exaggerated court-style long skirts gradually disappear, and what is popular now is a close-fitting long skirt that fits the curves of the female body.

There were many people in the Livadia Palace, but the atmosphere was not warm enough. The ladies from Germany and the ladies from Russia were clearly separated and there was almost no communication between them.

Anne's arrival broke the awkwardness. Little Nicholas' wife, Montenegrin Princess Anastasia, came over to greet Anne and were very affectionate.

Anastasia's sister, Militsa, married Nicholas's brother, Peter.

Anastasia first married George Beauharnais, the 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, the son of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, and they had one son and one daughter.

In 1906, Anastasia divorced Beauharnais and in 07 she married Nicholas the Younger.

Rasputin was recommended to Alex by Anastasia because he cured the dog of little Nikolai's family. For this reason, the Montenegrin sisters had a very good relationship with Alex for a time.

After little Nicholas was banished, Anastasia never went to the Winter Palace again.

"Niki asked me to send my regards to Grand Duke Yuriev and wish him good health."

Anastasia's smile is warm and makes people feel like spring breeze.

"Thank you, it's nice to see you."

Anne covered her alienation with a smile.

Since the men were all in the army, it was natural that the wives were responsible for arranging the wedding.

The ladies' gatherings were not easy either. Everyone was careful with their words and actions and was reluctant to say a single word for fear of causing trouble.

Mikhail's wife Natalia was also very enthusiastic towards Anne, and Anne responded politely. After a few greetings, she took Alexandra to meet the Queen Mother.

Mikhail was the regent appointed by the royal family, and Nicholas the Younger was the regent nominated by St. Petersburg. Anne didn't want to pay any attention to the wives of either of them.

Because of Rasputin, Anastasia was disliked by the royal family, which was one of the reasons why the royal family did not choose little Nicholas.

Natalia was ridiculed because both of her marriages ended in infidelity. God knows how long her marriage to Mikhail can last.

Compared with these two women, the Queen Mother, who once had a bad relationship with George, began to become lovable.

The Queen Mother was full of worries. Princesses Xenia and Olga accompanied her, and the three of them talked to each other in private.

Seeing Anne, the Queen Mother and the two princesses all stood up to greet her.

Anne was flattered as never before.

That's normal. The only woman in Russia who is qualified to put on airs in front of Anne is her mother-in-law Catherine.

Oh, and there's Queen Alex who doesn't understand the situation.

Anyone who wants to manipulate Anne into thinking they can do so must think carefully about the millions of elite soldiers under George.

"Is little George all right?"

The Queen Mother was asking about George the Younger, the son of Boris.

"Thank you for your concern, it's fine—"

When Anne thanked the Queen Mother, she did not forget to express her gratitude to Xenia.

Xenia had just been sitting next to the Queen Mother, and when Anne came over, Xenia took the initiative to give up her chair. Anne was the elder, and was a sister-in-law to the Queen Mother.

"Thank God, I hope this damn strange disease will disappear."

The Queen Mother made no secret of her dissatisfaction with the Queen.

Anne smiled but said nothing. The Queen Mother not only disliked the Queen, but she also disliked Nicholas.

Without the approval of the Empress Dowager, the royal family would not dare to rebel.

If Alexander dared to seize the throne of Polis, Anne would imprison him to death without George having to do anything.

The empire was in a state of war, and Mikhail actually wanted to rebel against Nicholas. He didn't even think about it, if he were the Tsar, would he be able to turn the tide?
Mikhail and Natalia lived abroad after their marriage and had almost no dealings with the imperial generals.

People like George, Little Nicholas, Ruzysky, and Alexeev either received favors from Yasan or were promoted by Nicholas. Why would they support Mikhail, a prince who doesn't even have the right of inheritance!
Both have no right of inheritance, both are princes, and clearly have better choices.

"Is George all right?"

The Queen Mother took the initiative to ask about George.

As long as Anne is around, George is an unavoidable topic.

"He's fine, but he's been sleeping too little lately. The doctor asked him to get more rest, but he always fails to do so."

Annie was not seeking credit, she just felt sorry for him.

"Nikki, too. He's been through too much. He shouldn't have been like this—"

The Queen Mother was in mixed emotions, she didn't know why the situation had turned out like this.

On the 300th anniversary of the Romanov era, the Empress Dowager and Nicholas toured the empire together. Wherever they went, they were warmly welcomed by the locals. At that time, Nicholas was also supported and loved by all Russians.

In just two years, everything changed. The empire declined, the Russian army suffered heavy casualties, the people of St. Petersburg were restless, and Nicholas was deserted by his friends and relatives.

"George is having a hard time now. He has to work until late at night every day. The Balkan theater has to deal with both the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire at the same time. George also has to meet the demands of the Balkan countries—"

Anne reminded the Queen Mother that no one was at ease at the moment.

"I heard from Misha that only George can lead the Balkan countries. George, please rest assured, no matter what happens in St. Petersburg, no one can replace George."

The Queen Mother's promise made Anne frown slightly.

This means that George will be killed in the Balkans.

That's fine. Anne likes Constantinople very much and is willing to accompany George to live in Constantinople.

But in that case, what should the Russian army do?
Apart from George, who else could replace Nicholas as the commander-in-chief of the Russian army?
But this was not a problem for Anne to worry about. Anne only stayed in the Queen Mother's room for a short while before taking the initiative to leave.

Alexandra was in a state of depression, and had said nothing since she had entered the Livadia Palace.

"I don't like it here, let's go home-"

Alexandra felt very uncomfortable. The weather was so good, the autumn air was refreshing, the palace was so magnificent, and everyone greeted her with smiles, but Alexandra only felt depressed, extremely depressed.

"Not yet, we'll have to stay here for a few more days."

Anne wants Alexandra to understand that if you can't change your circumstances, adapt to them.

"I want to arrest all the people here and make them all work as laborers."

Alexandra bared her little white teeth and said something that frightened Anne.

Annie almost forgot that this is a little traitor!

But if Alexandra was a traitor, then what about the Empress Dowager, the Emperor's brother, and the officials and grand dukes of St. Petersburg?
They are all traitors.

Even Anne and George were labeled traitors and spies.

George really didn't want to be a rebel.

Vasily suddenly returned to Constantinople from Budapest by plane, which startled George.

Although the safety factor of airplanes these days has been greatly improved compared to a few years ago, there are still risks.

As the commander-in-chief of the army group, if Vasily's plane crashed or was attacked by German planes, it would be a heavy loss to the Balkan theater.

In front of Demeter, Vasily laughed and said only that he wanted to have a drink with George.

Demeter was not stupid either. He took the initiative to say goodbye and let Vasily and George communicate alone.

Vasily was in Budapest and also heard something about St. Petersburg.

Unlike Dmitry and Brusinov, who were loyal to the empire, Vasily wanted George to rise up, overthrow Nicholas' rule, and become the tsar himself.

"Andrei and I have a plan. Andrei will lead the 12th and 13th Army to take over the defense line, and I will lead the Vladivostok Division and the Khabarovsk Division to attack St. Petersburg. The Guards have been completely destroyed, and there are only new recruits in training in St. Petersburg. We have a great chance of success."

What George didn't expect was that Andre was also involved.

(End of this chapter)