I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 856 Fight

With Germany's current strength, it cannot defeat France at all, let alone pose a threat to Russia.

Even Vasily was skeptical about George's judgment, so it is easy to imagine the controversy caused by George's decision.

At this time, Poland was between Russia and Germany.

Not to mention Germany, does Poland also have the ability to pose a threat to Russia?

If Germany has the ability to pose a threat to Russia, then Russia should act quickly to eliminate the hidden dangers rather than withdrawing key facilities to show weakness to the enemy.

What caught George off guard was that the questioning of this decision quickly turned into questioning of George himself.

George's old friends who participated in the World War have all grown old. Wilson died of illness early, Clemenceau died in 1929, and although Lloyd George was still holding on, the British Liberal Party he led had only four seats left in the British Parliament and was barely surviving.

The Yuriev family remains powerful.

George's prestige in the army has begun to waver.

If Russia in the imperial era had the strength it has now, it would have unified Europe long ago.

The new international order that George hoped to establish was controversial even in Russia and was far ahead of its time.

For most Russians, social Darwinism is the way to go, and the winner should take all. Otherwise, Russia would have become strong in vain.

George was sad that after 20 years of hard work he had failed to get Russia back on the right track.

"Now you understand why I need to do a big clean-up—"

Vasily felt mixed emotions, as if he saw a myth being shattered.

"Keep going!"

George knew that the war hawks in the Russian army were already impatient, especially the young people who had just graduated from military academies.

These young people who had experienced the Russian Empire hated the European powers led by Britain and France and dreamed of flattening Europe. It was difficult for them to understand George's restraint.

George was not disgusted. The starting point of these young people was also for Russia. They were not instigated by foreign forces like the patriots in the imperial era.

What really worried George was that even senior generals such as Peter and Kolchak, even if they did not oppose George, also believed that Russia should expand outward.

Even a country like the Kingdom of Italy is frequently attacking in North Africa and making huge profits. Is there any point in Russia remaining restrained?
Yes, under George's leadership, Russia has developed steadily, step by step, and continuously moved to a higher level.

But if we change the way, will Russia reach a new peak at a faster speed?
Under the influence of this trend of thought, the War Department formulated a plan to continue expanding southward, targeting the Barakzai dynasty which had just freed itself from British colonial rule.

The imperial cemetery under the rule of the Barakzaid dynasty is right next to Persia and borders Russia.

Britain invaded this land three times, in 1839-1842, 1879-1880, and 1919, but was repelled by the gravekeepers each time. Eventually, Britain was forced to withdraw from this land, and this land became the "imperial graveyard" of the British Empire.

As with Persia, Russia and Britain have battled for control of the cemetery in recent decades.

The Barakzai dynasty was able to repel the British invasion, which had a lot to do with Russia's support, so the relationship between Russia and the Barakzai dynasty was quite good.

If the Kingdom of Italy had not invaded the Abyssinian Empire, it would not have irritated the Russians.

Seeing that the Abyssinian Empire had become a colony of the Kingdom of Italy, the radicals in the Russian military could no longer hold back and they hoped to incorporate the Barakzai dynasty into the Russian system.

“How much benefit can Barakzai bring us?”

George disagrees, saying the region is not indispensable to Russia.

George's goal has always been very clear: to win over the Balkan countries for the stability of the Balkan region, and to win over Australia for Australia's wool and iron ore. He never does anything in vain.

Lack of profitability was also a key factor in Britain's abandonment of the region.

“It can ease the need for domestic expansion and bring us geopolitical security.”

Andre has not yet correctly understood the meaning of "Graveyard of Empires".

The staff of the Army Department also underestimated the complexity of the Imperial Cemetery.

The cemetery is not India. It will not surrender easily and will fight to the death against foreign invasion.

The terrain of the cemetery is also very complex, which is not conducive to the rapid maneuvering of large troops. There are barren mountains and wilderness everywhere, and the long supply lines will become a fatal weakness.

"The Barakzais relied on us to defeat the British. They don't have any industrial capacity and can't even make bullets. As long as we cut off their supply, they will be powerless to resist."

Saparov, who serves as commander of the Caucasus Military District, was previously Ruzynskiy's chief of staff.

Saparov vowed that he would only need 2 people at most to conquer the Barakzai dynasty.

George and Demeter looked at each other and frowned.

Demeter is still the Chief of the Russian General Staff. Without his and George's approval, this plan cannot be passed.

"Have you ever considered that if the Barakzai people seek help from Britain, we will face the same dilemma as the British army."

Demeter is cautious. Sitting on the fence is the way for most weak countries to survive.

"After Australia's independence, Britain withdrew from all sectors, and only maintained colonial rule in India, where it also spent more than it earned every year. The British economy was hit hard by the economic crisis, and there is no sign of recovery. Overall, Britain has lost the ability to support the Barakzai dynasty."

Saparov's judgment on Britain was basically correct, but he still didn't understand the British people's trouble-making character well enough.

In order to create conflicts for their opponents, the British often do things that harm others and benefit themselves. If it can create difficulties for the Russian invasion, the British government will not hesitate to issue bonds.

"Even if we have the support of the British, what does it matter? Look at Australia. Even if the British army goes there themselves, they are no match for us."

The Chief of Staff of the Caucasus Military District, Ilyazov, is also full of confidence.

"The terrain of Barakzai is most suitable for Cossack cavalry. It is precisely because of the participation of Cossacks that the British are helpless."

Deputy Commander Ruslan also wanted to fight.

George did not make a decision immediately, and after the meeting, LaAndre and Demeter continued to hold a small meeting.

"If you want to defeat the Barakzai dynasty, 2 people may not be enough."

Demeter's understanding of the cemetery is equally unclear.

"We have been suppressed for too long and need an outlet for our emotions."

Based on the actual situation of the Russian army, Andrei was inclined to sacrifice the Barakzai dynasty.

“Have you ever considered that if we invade Barakzai, the international image we have built over the past decade will be destroyed in one fell swoop.”

George also had a headache. It seemed that these people had never considered that Russia would be defeated.

In another time and space, the reason why Barakzai became the "Graveyard of Empires" was that Red Russia was also a victim, which made it gain the great reputation of "Graveyard of Empires".

As for the United States, it contributed countless famous scenes. "George, no matter how we restrain ourselves, our international image is always deeply rooted."

Andre was blunt.

As the most powerful military region in Russia, during Andrei's tenure as commander-in-chief of the Amur Military District, he was able to completely annex the Kanto region solely by relying on the strength of the Amur Military District.

Russia's restraint did not bring peace to the Kanto region. Instead, it handed the Kanto region over to Japan. This is the deep-seated reason for this turmoil.

"It seems that you are all ready and determined to carry out this plan—"

George no longer insisted. No one can be taught by people, but people can be taught by things.

"We are at least 90 percent sure."

Andre is full of confidence.

Looking only at the data on paper, the gap in strength between the Barakzai Dynasty and Russia is indeed very large. The dynasty lags behind Russia in all aspects and has no ability to resist at all.

Since even Andre and Demeter were inclined to attack, George no longer stopped them.

Let's see whether the Barakzai dynasty will be sacrificed or Russia will become another victim of the "graveyard of empires".

There is also an advantage to agreeing to this plan. George can hide his own plan in this plan and implement it secretly.

This decision caused Felix to laugh at him.

"See, this is what happens when you don't become a Tsar!"

Felix was also a royalist at first.

"Since they all think they can replace you, why don't you take a step back and prove that you are irreplaceable."

Felix, a layman who knew nothing about military affairs, was not optimistic about the Russian army's proactive attack this time.

"Why do you think we can't win?"

George was surprised. Could it be that Felix had been hiding his military talent?

"Isn't it obvious that if the British couldn't conquer the Barakzai dynasty, we probably can't either."

Felix's logic is full of holes.

George also knows how to maximize benefits, but he can't be as free and easy as Felix.

The Russian military's mobilization immediately attracted the attention of the outside world. In order to reduce the attention, Andre announced that this year's routine military exercises would be held in the Caucasus Military District.

This reason could not dispel the outside world's doubts, and the British immediately began to hype that Russia was about to invade the Barakzai Dynasty.

"That's absolutely not the case!"

At the regular meeting of the League of Nations, Archduke Andrew flatly denied it.

"There is no best—"

Edward's attack was weak and ended abruptly.

No one who can be an ambassador in the League of Nations is a fool. After the meeting, Alan came to Andre in person, hoping to get accurate information.

The Grand Duchy of Yuriev and Russia are allies. Once Russia takes the initiative to launch an aggressive war, according to the regulations of the Collective Security Union, Russia will voluntarily withdraw from the Collective Security Union.

"Don't worry, Russia will not take the initiative to invade any sovereign country unless Russia's interests are seriously violated."

Andre did not deny it, but acknowledged in a relatively tactful way that war was about to break out.

The reasons are all ready.

When Britain invaded the Barakzai Dynasty, Russia provided a lot of assistance to the Barakzai Dynasty, but this assistance was not free.

The financial situation of the Barakzai dynasty was very bad. It could not even repay the principal, let alone the interest, and had to exchange debts for debts.

The reason why this war gained widespread support in Russia was largely due to the stubbornness of the Barakzai dynasty.

Under normal circumstances, if the Barakzai dynasty was willing to open up investment, allow Russian capital to enter the graveyard, and use resources to repay foreign debts, Russia would not be unacceptable.

Perhaps the continuous repulsion of the British attacks gave the Barakzai Dynasty firm confidence. The Barakzai Dynasty was very stubborn, even a bit shameless, and did not take Russia's warnings seriously at all.

Russia's military exercises also attracted the attention of the Barakzai dynasty. The king of the Barakzai dynasty, Muhammad Nader Shah, transferred his troops to the Russian-Pakistani border to guard against a possible invasion by the Russian army.

To avoid accidental clashes, countries do not station troops near their borders in peacetime to reduce the possibility of friction.

The hostile behavior of the Barakzai dynasty immediately aroused the anger of the Russians.

Russia has not stationed troops on the border, but the Barakzai dynasty is deploying troops to the border. What do you want to do?
Don't think that you can defeat Russia by repelling the British attack. Napoleon gathered the power of the whole of Europe, but still was defeated in Moscow.

As tensions between Russia and the Barakzai dynasty mounted, the situation between Germany and Poland was also deteriorating.

The cause of the incident was still the civil unrest in Poland.

After being repelled, the Polish government forces were regrouping and preparing for the next attack.

Polish rebels have issued a statement deciding to hold a referendum on whether to join Germany in February next year.

The news sparked strong protests from the Polish government.

Poland has previously blamed domestic rebellions on German instigation, but this was ultimately unconvincing due to a lack of evidence.

There is no doubt that if a referendum were to be held in the areas occupied by the Polish rebels, the result of the referendum would definitely be joining Germany, which is absolutely unacceptable to the Polish government.

"Do you still dare to say that the chaos in Poland has nothing to do with Germany?"

Prestor came to the League of Nations again and called on the international community to provide assistance to Poland.

"We should face up to the just calls of the Polish people. As we all know, the Poles have been living in dire straits. The Polish government is completely unable to bring a stable and happy life to the Poles. If Poland's structure is not changed, aid will be meaningless and will only make the situation in Poland worse."

Putales responded tit for tat, saying that referendums are really useful.

After the end of World War II, Schleswig on the Jutland Peninsula held a referendum with the support of Britain, France and Russia and successfully joined Denmark.

Australia also left the Commonwealth through a referendum, and the United Kingdom was also a victim of the referendum.

Poland is now also going to hold a referendum. If the results of the referendum are not recognized, Schleswig will still belong to Germany.

"Gentlemen, the world we live in is becoming increasingly worse. We should strive to avoid war and solve problems in a peaceful way."

Edward was still neither equivocal nor equivocal. Let's fight. It was in the best interests of Britain to fight.

(End of this chapter)