I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 674: It won’t work without the Tsar
Ignatiev's words were not enough to make George change his decision.

Being a Tsar is an honor, but more importantly, it is a responsibility. If you wear the crown, you must bear its weight.

Ruzynski sent George a document from Budapest, and George was furious after reading it.

The content of this document is cultural exchange between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Russian Empire.

Although the relationship between the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary was not good, the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries were still very frequent. Russian scholars were often invited to Budapest to participate in academic discussions and conferences, and St. Petersburg University invited many Hungarians to serve as visiting professors.

After reading the document, George realized that the so-called "civilian" exchanges of the Kingdom of Hungary were entirely funded by the Kingdom of Hungary.

The Kingdom of Hungary spends millions of rubles on this every year.

George suddenly realized that it was no wonder that St. Petersburg University had so many problems. It turned out that it was rotten from the root.

Ruzynski also sent a list of key names, including an academician of the Academy of Sciences, several professors from St. Petersburg University, and even a minister of the Provisional Government.

This doesn't mean anything.

After all, they just accepted the invitation of the Hungarians to visit Budapest, were treated as guests of honor by the Hungarians, received gifts from the Hungarians, and accepted funding from the Hungarians in the name of scientific research.

From a legal point of view, this list cannot be used as evidence of their treason.

But George, who has seen peaceful subversion in the 21st century, knows the ugliness hidden behind these so-called "civilian exchanges."

There is no such thing as ideology; it’s all business.

After reading the documents and the list, Witt reluctantly admitted that from a legal perspective, it was impossible to hold the people on the list accountable.

It's not that it can't be pursued.

If George were the Tsar, all these people would be thrown into jail with just one document from George.

The Tsar's power is above the law.

“Do we have similar people-to-people exchanges?”

George had never paid attention to this information before.

"Of course, and the effect is remarkable—"

Witt didn't blush or feel nervous, as these were all routine operations.

Only then did George understand why the Austro-Hungarian Empire was defeated at the beginning of the World War.

Okay, since he didn't suffer any loss, George felt relieved.

However, George would not let go of these people on the list.

“The authenticity of this document remains to be verified.”

Witt hopes George will be cautious. Regardless of whether the content of the document is true or not, once it is made public, the impact will be extremely bad.

George also knew that family disgrace should not be made public, so secret investigation was inevitable. Once the facts were verified, no one would be let off.

The people on the list were in their forties, and several of their names were framed with boxes, indicating that they were dead.

Even though a person is dead, it doesn't mean that all is over. Friends and acquaintances still need to investigate to see if they have been affected.

Igor reported a very difficult problem to George.

Although the world war has not yet ended, Russia has lost more than 600 million soldiers, including nearly million killed.

According to Russian law, pensions and maintenance fees should be paid to these fallen soldiers.

In addition to the part about deaths in battle, the follow-up treatment and disability allowances for disabled soldiers are another huge expense.

The attitude of most Duma deputies is that most of the casualties were caused by the Empire and had nothing to do with the current Constantinople government, and the Constantinople government did not need to bear this part of the expenses.

It's not that the parliamentarians are stingy, it's just that the cost is too high. According to imperial regulations, the pension for fallen soldiers alone would be as high as 10 billion rubles.

Some cunning congressmen suggested simply printing 10 billion paper rubles and distributing the paper rubles as pensions to the families of the fallen soldiers.

"How can such a person be a member of parliament? Get him out!"

George was furious. People who died for their country should not be treated like this.

"Grand Duke, although this man's suggestion is unreliable, it complies with Duma procedures. His membership in the parliament cannot be revoked for this reason."

Igor was also helpless. You said we should abide by the law, but why do you just break the law when it comes to the specific implementation?

“Is this something a normal person could suggest?”

George was very angry. Does that mean he can do whatever he wants just because the procedures are correct?
Igor remained silent. At least based on the current legal basis, there was nothing we could do about this kind of person.

The pension issue had not yet been settled when another case occurred on the Moscow front.

The soldiers of the Gaori Corps led by Vasily were almost all Japanese or Koreans, and the officers were all Russians.

An officer from Moscow discovered that his wife was having an affair with a neighbor after he returned to Russia. Not only did the lover live in the officer's house openly, but the two also had a child.

There is a hidden story behind this matter.

The organization of the Russian army has been very chaotic in recent years. The local civil affairs department mistakenly entered the officer's information into the list of casualties and issued a death notice to his family.

The officer's wife thought the officer had been killed in action, so she reunited her family.

The accident happened this summer.

This year, due to the severe cold epidemic, two of the officers' children died in June and July respectively.

If the child were still alive, the matter could have been resolved peacefully.

In a rage, the officer killed his wife, lover, and their children, and then surrendered to the military police.

The military police sentenced the officer to death for murder.

Vasily was furious when he found out about this and sent people to break into the gendarmerie headquarters and take the officer away. That night, the officer committed suicide in his dormitory.

Although all the parties involved have died, Vasily's act of going to the gendarmerie headquarters to snatch people cannot be ignored.

There are countless similar tragedies against the backdrop of world war.

If anyone can go to the gendarmerie headquarters to snatch someone, then military law will be meaningless.

But if Vasily was held responsible for this incident, George would not be able to accept it, not to mention anyone else.

There is another problem here.

Although the officer has committed suicide, his experience has aroused widespread sympathy in the military. If this matter is not handled properly, the adverse impact it causes may be beyond everyone's imagination.

There is a way. With just a special pardon order, the officer's crime can be pardoned.

If the officer is innocent, Vasily's behavior can be explained.

"So, at least in Russia, the Tsar had a reason to exist."

Witt also sympathized with the officer's experience, but under the current legal system, he could not clear the officer's name.

For soldiers who fight for their country, honor is more important than life.

Otherwise they would not have enlisted at all.

Since you have joined the army, you are ready to die in battle.

George actually knew that the existence of the Russian Empire for 300 years must have been justified and necessary for the Tsar.

The question is whether Russia still needs a Tsar.

"The empire does not need a weak tsar. Especially for Russia today, a strong voice is very important."

Igor admitted that it was difficult to advance his work now.

The situation in Constantinople was completely different from that in Amur.

Take pensions as an example. Don’t the Duma members know how much George values ​​the army?

Even if they don't know, there are military representatives in the Duma, and they will not ignore the interests of the military.

The reason why the pension has been debated for so long and there is still no conclusion is that there is no money.

Before the outbreak of the World War, the empire relied on borrowing to survive, and its accumulated foreign debt to Britain and France had exceeded 30 billion pounds.

Based on the pre-war exchange rate, it is approximately equivalent to 300 billion rubles.

Looking at it this way, 10 billion rubles doesn't seem to be a lot. After all, too many lice won't itch.

But the account is not calculated in this way. Russia has too many places to spend money. Although the suggestions of the Duma deputies are outrageous, their starting point is correct. They should save wherever possible.

If George were the Tsar, he could end the Duma's discussion that had lasted for nearly half a month with just a single document.

For a country like Russia, no matter whether it is right or wrong, the key is to make a decision as soon as possible and not leave it unresolved and drag it on.

Even if the decision is wrong, it can be adjusted during the implementation process.

It will never be possible to expect a group of people to discuss and come up with a perfect solution.

Even though they are elites with relatively strong independent thinking abilities.

That's the crux of the problem.

Otherwise, why do they say that it takes a scholar ten years to succeed in his rebellion?

At the dinner at the Yuriev family's house, fewer and fewer people came. After Catherine took her little grandson to Adrianople, only George, Anne, and Alexandra were left in Constantinople.

Alexandra had an active mind and kept chattering at the dinner table, making George laugh, while Anne looked sad.

Looking at these heartless father and son, Anne really wanted to knock George on the head and ask him: How long are you going to keep this old girl?
Other Grand Duchesses get married in their teens or twenties, and by the time Alexandra is her age, her children are already grown up.

Alexandra spends all day in the army mingling with a group of young officers. Isn't there any one she likes?

"Li Tuo did something stupid today. He and Sto had a fight over something, and he was beaten up by Sto and Carol."

Alexandra did not take the matter to heart. Princes were all proud and it was normal for them to have conflicts with each other. After the fight, they had a drink together and remained good friends.

"Why are you arguing?"

George asked casually.

Alexandra frowned slightly, hesitating whether to tell the reason.

Now even Annie was curious. Is there anything this silly girl dare not say?

"Li Tuo said that the Montenegrin Kingdom and the Bulgarian Kingdom should just merge—"

Alexandra proved that Li Tuo deserved the beating.

But then, Alexandra's words stopped George from laughing.

"—and that you should be Tsar."

George remembered that Alexandra had opposed George becoming Tsar in the past.

"When Nicholas was the Tsar, everyone believed that the Tsar had become an obstacle to Russia and should be abolished—"

Alexandra's logic is self-consistent. People always change.

"It now appears that it is not the Tsarist system that should be abolished, but Nicholas' inability to do the job."

George frowned. Is this how you young people understand the Tsarist system?
George had no idea how high his status was in the eyes of the young people.

(End of this chapter)