I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 659 Boomerang

The people in the provisional government were indeed inexperienced. In their eagerness to seize power, they made an unforgivable mistake.

George hasn't even sent a telegram to pledge allegiance to the provisional government yet, but now they are in such a hurry to seize power. Aren't they afraid of forcing George to rebel?

George is not a loser like little Nicholas.

Little Nicholas had no confidants in the Caucasus. He came alone and left alone, which was a very desolate scene.

George could not get in the way of the Balkan war zone, and Amur was even more of an iron wall. This was Grand Duke Yuriev's old nest, not the insidious St. Petersburg.

Peter was unable to continue to Vladivostok and was temporarily detained in Irkutsk.

George had no time to care about Peter. As spring came, the war continued.

On January 1 this year, Germany decided to resume unrestricted submarine warfare.

After the outbreak of World War II, Germany dispatched submarines to attack British ships in order to weaken Britain's maritime advantage, seriously affecting the safety of the North Sea Passage.

In May 1915, the British merchant ship Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine, killing 5 people, including 1198 Americans.

On August 8, the Arab was sunk and more Americans died.

Under pressure from the United States, Germany stopped unrestricted submarine warfare in September 1915.

After the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme, unrestricted submarine warfare was once again on the agenda.

The new German Chancellor Bethmann opposed unrestricted submarine warfare, believing that it would lead to the United States joining the war.

Chief of the Naval General Staff Henry Holtzendorff assured William II: As an officer, I want to tell your Majesty that no Americans will land in Europe.

The effect of unrestricted submarine warfare was indeed good. In January, without attacking American merchant ships, the total tonnage of British merchant ships sunk by German submarines was only 30 tons.

In February, that figure doubled to 2 tons, and soared to 59 tons in March.

The United States reacted extremely strongly, and on the fourth day after the German army resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, it took the initiative to sever diplomatic relations with Germany.

On April 4, the American merchant ship "Liberty" was sunk. The news reached Washington, and on April 2, the United States declared war on Germany.

Another reason for the United States to enter the war was the "Zimmermann Telegram" incident.

After the outbreak of World War II, the British Navy immediately cut off Germany's transatlantic submarine communication cables.

After that, communications between Germany and the United States could only be carried out with the help of submarine cables between Sweden and the United States.

As mentioned earlier, Britain had begun monitoring submarine cables long before and had cracked the German Navy's communication codes. This is why Britain was able to know every move of the German army during the Battle of Jutland.

Even though the British knew the German battle plan in advance, they still achieved this result. The Royal Navy was somewhat arrogant.

On January 1, William II's foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to Heinrich von Ercadet, the German ambassador to Mexico, stating that if the United States entered the war, Germany would join Mexico in attacking the United States.

The content of this telegram was so important that Zimmermann sent it via cables from the United States and Sweden to ensure effective communication.

This telegram therefore attracted strong attention from Britain.

On March 3, the contents of the "Zimmermann Telegram" were made public, and the United States began to mobilize.

The United States' entry into the war did not bring any immediate tangible help, as it would take at least 18 months for U.S. troops to arrive in Europe.

This situation was strongly opposed by Britain, France and Russia.

After Nicholas abdicated, the Provisional Government decided to continue to participate in the World War, and it was now the Provisional Government that represented Russia.

France and Russia had good reason to object, as mobilization simply would not take that long.

The United Kingdom also opposed it, which really surprised the Americans.

Because the British Army's training cycle is also 18 months.

The most critical issue was that since the US government had not been prepared to participate in the war, the soldiers mobilized by the United States had to be trained in the UK, and the UK would provide all the supplies needed for training.

Including weapons and ammunition.

When the news reached Europe, everyone once again witnessed the shamelessness of the Americans.

Before the outbreak of the World War, the United States was a debtor nation.

By last year, the United States had not only paid off its foreign debts but had also become a creditor nation.

Nearly half of the strategic materials needed by Britain and France come from the United States.

So what the Americans meant was that Britain should pay to buy weapons from American companies and equip American troops to fight to save the European continent.

This is really an eye-opener.

George had no expectations of the Americans. The so-called "saving the European continent" was an excuse used by the British to deceive the United States.

In order to squeeze out the last penny, the Americans went with the flow.

So the phrase "not squeezing out every last penny" is just for reference, the real description should be "breaking the bones and sucking out the marrow", squeezing out oil from even the bones.

After Ruzynski returned to the Northern Front, he actively prepared for war in accordance with the instructions of St. Petersburg and was ready to launch a new round of offensive.

This was one of the conditions for Britain and France to recognize the provisional government.

Russia paid such a huge price for its recovery from the world war that the Provisional Government had enough reasons to inherit the legacy of the Russian Empire.

Britain and France do not agree. If you want to inherit the empire's legacy, you must first prove your strength.

Alexeev had no choice but to continue working despite his illness.

Ruzynski reminded Kerensky that the Russian army no longer had the ability to attack.

In order to strengthen the Russian army's will to fight, Kerensky decided to restore the death penalty.

The first boomerang of the provisional government appeared.

When Yanushkevich served as Chief of the General Staff, it was Kerensky and his gang who kept saying that the death penalty was inhumane and should be abolished, and that soldiers should be given better treatment, etc., and forced Yanushkevich to abolish the death penalty.

Now that the Provisional Government is in power, it wants to restore the death penalty. Does this mean it wants to follow the Tsar's example and continue to exploit the Russians?
This is just the beginning.

After Nicholas abdicated, the empire fell into chaos and rail transport from all over the country to St. Petersburg came to a standstill.

This time St. Petersburg really ran out of food.

The provisional government panicked and sent people to various places to purchase grain, which aroused strong opposition from the farmers.

No matter how cruel the Tsar was, he never forcibly collected grain.

Farmers are still naive.

At least the provisional government provided compensation for the grain it collected.

In St. Petersburg in February, at the peak, more than 2 workers took part in the walkout. Industrial production came to a complete standstill, but demand from the front line did not stop.

Then the second boomerang appeared soon.

After the provisional government was established, workers were asked to return to the factory as soon as possible to continue production.

The workers were very dissatisfied. They overthrew the Tsar in order to be the masters of their own house. Who would be the master who does the work himself?
It's just work, it's not unacceptable.

When Nicholas was in power, it was Kerensky and his gang who kept complaining that workers' wages were too low, not enough to support their families, and that the benefits provided to workers were not enough. After working hard all day, they couldn't even have a sip of vodka. Is this still the little daddy of the Russians?
After the provisional government came to power, the finances were exhausted and Witte was in tears. There was not a penny in the accounts, and he had to repay the interest on loans from Britain and France every month. He could not even pay the wages.

After the provisional government came to power, some people did receive a salary increase, such as the ministers of the provisional government.

During Nicholas' reign, ministers' salaries were around 2 rubles per year.

The salary of the interim minister is 5 rubles per year.

This does not include benefits.

During the period of abolition of the death penalty, a large number of soldiers deserted, and if the offensive was to be resumed, new reinforcements would be needed.

Therefore, the soldiers who played a huge role in the establishment of the provisional government were to be sent to the front in batches.

The soldiers opposed the Tsar in order to avoid going to the front to die.

At that time, at least if you didn't want to eat the emperor's food, you could escape and you wouldn't be sentenced to death.

Now, the death penalty has been restored and the escape route has been blocked. The soldiers are left with only two options: go to the front line or go to the execution ground.

How badly the Russian army suffered on the northern front was now known to everyone after the Kerenskys' tireless propaganda over the past two years.

There is really no difference between going to the front line and going to the execution ground.

The difference is that if you die on the front line, at least you get a pension.

Wait, given the current state of the interim government, it’s still unclear whether there will be any pension.

Kerensky was indeed an eloquent man. He personally came to the headquarters to hold a meeting and reason with Alexeev and Ruzysky.

"In the past, Russians fought for the Tsar. They sacrificed their lives to maintain the Tsar's corrupt rule, and the empire gave them very little in return. Now Russians fight for themselves. If we win the final victory, we will become the masters of the country. As long as we can realize this, the soldiers will surely burst out with unparalleled enthusiasm and completely defeat the Germans on the opposite side!"

Alexeev and Ruzysky looked at each other.

Was Kerensky right?

Correct!
But I always feel like something is wrong.

Alexeev and Ruzhsky were military men, and their eloquence could not compare with that of Kerensky, the Attorney General who was a lawyer.

Alexeyev and Ruzynsky were not stupid. They knew that what Kerensky said was wrong, but they could not tell what was wrong.

"You have to understand that if our attack fails this time, it will have extremely serious consequences—"

Alexeev still hoped that Kerensky would be cautious.

"I know, I fully understand, so we must not only try our best, but also need the assistance of Grand Duke Yuriev!"

Kerensky had already prepared a way out for himself.

If they could win, that would be good, and all the credit would go to Kerensky. Not only would he be able to give an explanation to his people, but he would also be able to show off his power to his allies.

If we cannot win, it will definitely be the responsibility of front-line commanders such as Alexeyev, Ruzynski, and George.

The senior officers commanding operations at the front line are basically appointed by Nicholas. The army has its own system, and the provisional government cannot intervene for the time being.

If the attack fails, the provisional government can legitimately reform the military system, control the army, and then completely control Russia.

(End of this chapter)