I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 134 Dolgorukov

What is impossible in the 21st century was just a dream in the 19th century.

All countries in the world, large and small, do not control guns. On the contrary, they are cultivating the martial spirit of their citizens through various means.

George also doesn't support gun control. Controlling guns because he is worried about being assassinated is a waste of food.

The Oak Regiment did not participate in the performance of the second half of the exercise, and George did not return to St. Petersburg with the Oak Regiment. Instead, he and Korff took the French cruise ship "Dolgorukov" to the Far East.

The "Dolgorukov" is a new ship with a full load displacement of 6000 tons. You can tell from the name that this ship probably belongs to one of George's uncles.

"Is this boat yours?" Korff was surprised. He knew the relationship between George and this surname.

"I don't know-" George's answer surprised Korff even more.

The outside world only knows that after Ya Er's death, George's status in the royal family fell sharply, but the specific extent of the decline is not clear to the outside world.

Now it seems that the rumors about George from the outside world are not true. George doesn't even know how many assets he has in his name. Has his private assets already reached this level?

Cruise ships are not expensive. Ekaterina has made a lot of money in the past two years, so she can still afford a ship.

After the Tsar granted Vladivostok to George, George had to transport a lot of supplies from Europe to Vladivostok every year, so after two trips, Catherine decided to buy a ship.

If you only send it once, that's it.

Vladivostok is George's fiefdom. Materials are transferred very frequently, and ocean transportation costs are high. If you rent a merchant ship for a few trips, the transportation fee is almost enough to buy a new ship.

There is no limit to the extent of Catherine's support for George.

Since Vladivostok needed ships, Ekaterina went all out, so on the route between Europe and Vladivostok, there is now an ocean freighter and a cruise ship belonging to George.

Cargo ships are used to haul goods, and cruise ships are used for immigration.

In the French shipyard, there are still two ocean-going freighters belonging to George working overtime.

"Dolgorukov" is 121 meters long, 15.1 meters wide, has a maximum speed of 14 knots, and can carry approximately 850 passengers.

Not all of these 850 people were going to Vladivostok. Most of them would disembark on the way. There were only 121 passengers going to Vladivostok except George and Korf.

These 121 people are all followers of George and Korff.

In other words, none of the immigrants actually went to Vladivostok.

"Damn it, I'm already starting to regret it. Why should I accept this appointment? If I go to ask His Majesty, can His Majesty take back my life?" Korf was very frustrated. He knew that Vladivostok was not good, but he didn't know that it was so bad. To this extent.

"Probably not." George was not qualified to sympathize with Korff. He and Korff had the same problem.

There are eight governor-general regions in Russia. Why did the Tsar let Korv serve as the governor-general of Amur? Didn’t Korv have some AC in his heart?

The real good place is not the turn of Baron Korff.

"Dolgorukov" leaves the Dardanelles Strait and heads east along the Suez Canal.

Nearly 400 people disembarked in the Lion City, and more than a hundred more disembarked in Saigon. After passing through Majiao, only George and his party were left on the ship, and the new Russian Consul General in Nagasaki, Kostelev.

Kostryev went to Japan to study in 1875, mainly learning Japanese. While studying abroad, he worked at the Russian Consulate in Nagasaki and was recently appointed Consul General in Nagasaki.

Vladivostok is not a true ice-free port. In winter, only the port does not freeze, and ships need icebreakers to enter and exit.

The warships of the Siberian Fleet will go to Nagasaki to spend the winter in Nagasaki. Russia has a concession in Nagasaki, a military sanatorium and a ship repair center. Nagasaki has an entertainment street that specifically provides services to Russian naval officers and soldiers.

"We and Japan signed the St. Petersburg Treaty about ten years ago, which partially settled disputes over territory. However, this treaty also caused great controversy and the conflicts have not been completely resolved." Kostelev knows Russia well. relations with Japan.

In 1875, Russia and Japan signed a treaty in St. Petersburg on the dispute over Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. Both parties confirmed that the Kuril Islands belonged to Japan and Sakhalin Island belonged to Russia.

The signing of the treaty has eased relations between the two countries and caused huge controversy among the people. Neither the Russians nor the Japanese are satisfied with these two treaties.

Sakhalin is much larger than the Kuril Islands, so Japan is not satisfied with this result. Some scholars believe that the Japanese government betrayed Japan's interests in exchange for Russia's forgiveness.

Scholars in Russia are unwilling to give up an inch of land. They not only demand Sakhalin Island, but also ask Japan to give up its claim to the Kuril Islands.

"Sakhalin Island seems to be your fiefdom too?" Korff was concerned about George's attitude.

"Why does Japan get the Kuril Islands? Both the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin should belong to Russia!" George's performance was the same as the Tsar expected of him.

Korff was very satisfied.

Russia's super duke should be full of enterprising spirit.

"Getting Sakhalin Island is already the result of all of our efforts -" Kostelev was also helpless.

Russia's overall strength is definitely stronger than Japan.

But specifically in the Far East, Russia is really not as good as Japan. There are only a few people on the 7.6-square-kilometer Sakhalin Island. Even if it controls the Kuril Islands, Russia has no ability to develop it. Therefore, the so-called "huge interests" clamored by St. Petersburg scholars do not exist at all.

Without development, there is no benefit at all.

Faced with this situation, Russian diplomats are indeed helpless.

Not every Russian diplomat, like Ignaev, can obtain non-existent benefits for Russia through blackmail at the negotiation table.

"It doesn't matter, your work has been done, let's look at mine next." George did his job. The Thousand Islands are right next to Sakhalin Island.

"Your Highness, what do you want to do?" Kostelev was frightened.

Russia does not have much strength in the Far East. Although the Siberian Fleet is a fleet in name, its warships only have gunboats and trawlers used for minelaying, but no battleships or cruisers.

The sailors of the Siberian Fleet cut trees every day. They have no other work to do. Routine training is almost abandoned. The sailors cannot fire ten rounds of ammunition in a year.

Under such circumstances, it is definitely not a good thing for Russia to have a super irritable super duke in Vladivostok.

"I hope we can reach an agreement that construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway must start as soon as possible." George hopes to reach a unified front, which is what all officials of the empire in the Far East hope.

"Yes, it is necessary to build the railway--" Korff fully supported George.

To support George is to support himself.

"Once the railway construction starts, our relations with Japan will deteriorate." Kostelev is worried that the Trans-Siberian Railway will affect the relations between Russia and Japan.

This is certain. Once the Trans-Siberian Railway is started, it will mean that the center of gravity of the Russian Empire will begin to shift from Europe to East Asia, and the pressure on Japan will double.

The fundamental reason why Japan dares to make demands to Russia is that Russia's strength in the Far East is too weak. Once a fight breaks out, Russia will not have the advantage.

Without the Trans-Siberian Railway, any transportation of personnel and materials from Russia to Vladivostok would have to pass through the Sea of ​​Japan.

After the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the connection between Russia and Vladivostok will no longer be subject to Japanese control.

"Why is it deteriorating? That's because the Trans-Siberian Railway is not in Japan's interests!" George has a keen eye and is as decisive as the legend says: "Whatever the enemy opposes is what we must insist on."

The Qing Empire was in dire straits.

Britain and France already owned countless colonies around the world and were unable to occupy East Asia.

The Americans have not yet come up with an open door policy.

Japan, a small country, has actually become Russia's main competitor in the Far East.

All Russians do not take Japan seriously.

Only George knew how big a threat Japan posed to Russia.

George's words were irrefutable, and Kostrev had nothing to say.

Since 1803, ships from the United States, Russia, Britain and other countries have entered Nagasaki to request trade.

Nagasaki was built as a city in 1869. The United States, Russia, Britain and other countries all had concessions in Nagasaki.

The Russian concession in Nagasaki is not large, only about 3.7 square kilometers. This concession is not long-term, with a time limit of only 10 years.

The lease was not signed with the Japanese government, but with the local Shiga family in Nagasaki, and the lease was the Shiga family's civil land.

The head of the Shiga family is fluent in Russian and is a Russian translator.

George and Korff did not identify themselves, did not even disembark, and did not visit the officers of the Siberian fleet.

After Kostrev disembarked, the "Dolgorukov" continued northward, and finally arrived in Vladivostok on October 10, taking exactly 6 days along the way.

As the "Dolgorukov" got closer and closer to Vladivostok, George was still very excited.

However, all the excitement disappeared after arriving in Vladivostok.

This is the third year since Mikhail arrived in Vladivostok. After three years of development, in George's imagination, Vladivostok has not only undergone earth-shaking changes, but at least it cannot be like a shabby small fishing village.

Last year George was in Rivne and received a design plan for the new Vladivostok.

George made extensive modifications to the design plan and asked Mikhail to implement the new plan and completely transform Vladivostok.

This work should have already started, but the execution was not good, because what appeared in front of George were only the forts and fortresses belonging to the Siberian Fleet, and the chaotic sailor camp.

"Is this Vladivostok?" Korv also came to Vladivostok for the first time.

"That should be it -" George was disappointed. He didn't see the busy construction site, nor the orderly city. There was nothing in front of him, not even the grocery store Mikhail mentioned in the telegram. No.

(End of this chapter)