I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 740 Welcome to take your seat
Unlike the Russian nobles who emphasized status, in the minds of most Cossacks, Catherine was the queen that was married to Alexander II in a formal ceremony.

Who do you think you are if you don't recognize a marriage that is recognized by the Patriarch?

Although the patriarch of the Dolgorukov family has been replaced by Mario, Catherine is still the spiritual leader of the Dolgorukov family and the object of loyalty of the Cossacks.

For these Cossacks, George was not as effective as Catherine.

Because their salaries were paid by the Dolgorukov family.

From March 3 to April 17, the Suez Canal was closed to navigation for nearly a month.

Apart from the countries concerned, namely Britain, France, the United States and Russia, the attitudes of countries surrounding the Mediterranean have gradually changed from watching the fun to complaining.

Watching the fun cannot make a living, and the impact of the suspension of flights on countries surrounding the Mediterranean is real.

Affected by the economic crisis, the economic situation in European countries was already bad. After the canal was suspended, European countries started a new round of currency depreciation and prices soared.

On April 4, Nicolas the Younger and Clemenceau once again proposed to Britain that if the canal company could not guarantee the smooth operation of the canal, then the management rights of the canal should be handed over.

When things got to this point, the British finally realized that Nicholas the Younger's real purpose was to gain jurisdiction over the canal.

On the evening of the 19th, the British Cabinet held an emergency meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was not to discuss the ownership of the canal, but Egypt's newly promulgated constitution.

After Fuad I ascended the throne, he took frequent actions. First, he changed the sultan to the king, and then promulgated the constitution, which explicitly wrote into the constitution the further struggle for political rights and the maintenance of national territorial security.

At first glance, no problem.

But if you think about it carefully, the constitution promulgated by Fuad is full of words about the Suez Canal.

Since we need to safeguard national territorial security, a "country within a country" like the Canal Zone is definitely not allowed.

Churchill, who was serving as Minister of Colonial Affairs, suggested sending the Mediterranean Fleet to take over Cairo in the name of suppressing the rebellion and replacing a more suitable king.

As for whether Cairo rebelled or not, it didn't matter at all; if the British said so, then so it did.

Edward Grey, who had resigned from the League of Nations and returned to the House of Lords to become the leader of the Liberal Party, expressed opposition, fearing that Britain's military intervention would trigger a chain reaction among various countries.

Egypt was already an independent country and a full member of the League of Nations.

If Britain sends troops, it will be an invasion.

Think about the Second Boer War. We must never repeat the same mistakes.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Austen Chamberlain, also opposed it, arguing that Britain could no longer afford a new war.

Lloyd George asked for the opinion of Chief of Staff Robert Robertson, who had been promoted to field marshal earlier that year.

Robert Robertson's answer completely disappointed Churchill.

The world war caused 70 deaths and 200 million injuries in Britain. Many people have not yet received pensions, and veterans have not been properly resettled.

Under such circumstances, if Britain were to provoke a new war, I am afraid the British would rebel.

After Ireland's independence, Scotland and Wales also began to make moves.

Launching a foreign war at this time will not only fail to divert attention, but will instead add fuel to the fire.

"Your reasons are all valid, but we have to face the reality that if we do nothing, we will lose the Suez Canal."

Churchill had been suffering from severe anxiety lately.

Following Ireland and Egypt, South Africa recently formally demanded independence.

As early as the beginning of the Irish War of Independence, Churchill asked London to send troops to suppress it forcefully.

At that time, Lloyd George took into account that the World War had just ended and Britain was in urgent need of recuperation, so he adopted a conciliatory policy.

London's appeasement seems weak to the Irish.

"If we had acted earlier, maybe we could have done something, but now it's too late."

Austin Chamberlain's classic answer completely broke through Churchill's psychological defenses.

On the 20th, Churchill took the initiative to submit his resignation to Lloyd George.

Lloyd George had no time to keep Churchill, and he was now in danger himself.

The successive independence of Ireland and Egypt was certainly Churchill's fault, but Churchill was working under the leadership of Lloyd George, so Lloyd George cannot escape blame.

The World War had ended three years earlier and the Treaty of Versailles had been signed two years earlier, but the situation in Britain had not only not improved, but had become worse.

In the first quarter of this year, Britain's exports amounted to only 1500 million pounds, less than one-tenth of Russia's.

This cannot be blamed on Lloyd George's incompetence; it is mainly determined by the economic structure of the two countries.

Russia's exports are mainly food and building materials, and the proportion of industrial products is also increasing.

As the World War ended, an economic crisis broke out. Britain's wartime industrial transformation was difficult and its dependence on overseas colonies and dominions became increasingly serious.

Compared with overseas colonies, dominions are Britain's core interests.

Many people may not believe it, but most of Britain's overseas colonies are losing money. In order to maintain colonial rule, the British government has to subsidize a large amount of money every year.

After the end of the World War, Britain began to adjust, and Egypt was an attempt.

For Britain, Egypt's only valuable asset is the Suez Canal. Egypt's population is not an asset to Britain, but a heavy financial burden.

The same is true in South Africa.

The only valuable asset of South Africa for Britain is the Rand gold mine. London needs the gold from the Rand gold mine to maintain the international status of the pound. So the independence of South Africa is not out of the question.

Independence was not unacceptable as long as South Africa agreed to continue shipping gold from the Rand mines to London.

Compared with the previous British Empire, this was a completely new way of colonization.

It will definitely be beneficial for the British government to cut financial burdens and maintain core assets.

But not everyone understands this.

Especially for the opposition Conservative and Labour parties, even if a policy is completely beneficial to Britain, after being interpreted by the Conservative and Labour parties, it will become a traitor to the British Empire.

Since the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence, the Conservative and Labour parties have been attacking Lloyd George continuously.

After Egypt's independence, Lloyd George's prestige was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Compared with the French, the British are very patient.

As soon as the World War ended, the French kicked Clemenceau, the greatest contributor to the World War, away without any mercy.

Lloyd George was fortunate to have achieved what he had today.

Unlike George in London, George in Constantinople felt that Britain was not chaotic enough, so Witte visited in early April.

Witte only visited four countries this time, namely South Africa, Australia, the United States, and Canada.

South Africa, Australia and Canada are all British dominions.

The presence of the United States here is simply making things more obvious.

After Witte's visit, Guchkov will be temporarily in charge of Russian political affairs.

Guchkov had only taken over for three days when he quietly sent a big signal to George.

Russia has also been in trouble recently.

After Poland's independence, many Poles living in Warsaw left and went to Poland to join the free world.

The Warsaw authorities not only did not stop it, but also fanned the flames, causing some people who originally did not want to leave Warsaw to go to Poland.

Compared with stubborn and corrupt Russia, Poland is indeed quite free.

But the price of freedom is the loss of a stable life.

In order to contain Germany, when Poland became independent, Clemenceau gave Silesia, which originally belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Upper Silesia of Germany to Poland. On the surface, Poland suddenly became a country with strength surpassing Germany and Austria.

Silesia has fertile soil, abundant resources, and is rich in coal and iron, and has a good industrial and agricultural foundation.

The people of Warsaw arrived in Poland full of hope, only to find that the land of Silesia had been divided up by the Polish nobles.

Even if you don't have land, you can still survive if you have a job.

However, Poland was unable to provide enough jobs for Warsaw residents. After arriving in Poland, many Warsaw residents did not even have a house to live in, and had no food or clothing.

It was only at this time that people in Warsaw began to remember the benefits of Russia.

The Russians who moved to Siberia were actually given 100 acres of land each, and they didn't even have to pay taxes.

Not only do they not have to pay taxes, the Russian government also provides loans to new immigrants so that they can purchase livestock or agricultural machinery to improve farming efficiency.

The economic benefits are fine.

The people of Warsaw who came to Poland in a rush realized, after they calmed down, that Poland was in an extremely bad situation.

In history, Poland was divided three times and eventually perished.

The Germans bore a grudge against the Treaty of Versailles and refused to accept it. Once Germany regained its strength, Poland would sooner or later face the fate of being divided.

At this time, the people of Warsaw in Poland began to miss Russia's protection.

Since last year, people from Warsaw who immigrated to Poland have wanted to return to Warsaw to continue their lives.

Brusinov took a tough stance and refused entry on the grounds that all the information of these people had been destroyed.

As a result, many people were stranded at the Russian-Polish border.

Since these people were already Russians, the Warsaw authorities had no obligation to provide them with food.

The Polish government doesn't care about the lives of these people because they are going to Russia.

In order to survive, these people had to reclaim land and cultivate crops, and natural villages began to take shape.

It would be fine if it was just about opening up new land in Poland.

Many Poles entered Russia to open up wasteland, and the Warsaw authorities did not take a tough stance.

As soon as Guchkov took office, he sent a telegram to Brusinov, asking the Warsaw authorities to set up barbed wire on the Russian-Polish border and not allow any Poles to enter Russia to open up wasteland.

I would rather leave the land barren than let you farm.

The Polish government does not care about the lives of Poles on the border.

The Warsaw authorities set up barbed wire, which touched the self-esteem of the Polish government.

Why build barbed wire on this border? Who are we trying to protect against?

Guchkov responded disdainfully, saying that these barbed wire fences are thieves, and whoever asks is being guarded against. Feel free to identify yourself.

(End of this chapter)