Chapter 316: Taking sides
Nicholas was indeed quite sentimental when he was a child.
But Nicholas is now 26 years old, no longer 16 years old.
As the heir to the empire, to be able to say such words at such a time is definitely not in line with Russian requirements for a tsar.
George didn’t know what kind of ecstasy drug Alex poured into Nicholas, which fascinated Nicholas so much that he was willing to give up the throne for Alex.
Yasan has only two sons, Nikolai and 16-year-old Mikhail.
Mikhail is also qualified to succeed, but the 16-year-old Tsar is too easily controlled and is not in the interests of the Romanov family.
So no matter what, the Tsar can only be Nicholas.
Nicholas did not really want to give up the throne, he probably just wanted to show George and Sergey the importance of Alex.
George and Sergey spent a long time making Nikolay understand the relationship between imperial power and personal happiness.
After Nikolay fell asleep, George and Sergey breathed a sigh of relief.
In the private room outside Nikolai's bedroom, George poured two glasses of wine and handed one of them to Sergey.
Sergey was lying down with his feet up on the coffee table. Both of them were a little exhausted and didn't want to say a word.
Sergey drained the wine in one gulp, stood up and poured another glass. He thought he might as well bring the bottle with him.
George rang the bell and asked Deyang to bring over two dishes, but he couldn't drink them dry.
The 2 bottles of champagne were quickly cleared away, and George and Sergey went back to their respective rooms.
After a winter of recuperation, Yasan's health has improved slightly.
Asan couldn't bear the loneliness and insisted on hunting despite the doctor's dissuasion. After returning, he fell ill again. This time it was pneumonia and nephritis.
"Your Majesty's condition is very bad. Don't make your Majesty angry or sad. Staying in a happy mood will help your majesty's health."
Lai Lai, Yasan's attending physician Dun was very pessimistic. The Tsar's health had improved and deteriorated over the past few years. Even an iron man could not withstand such repeated torture.
Even though George was mentally prepared, he was still shocked when he saw the Tsar.
Compared with the last time, the Tsar's body was like a deflated rubber ball. His whole body was hollowed out and he was extremely weak.
George and Sergey did not stay too long, leaving time for Asan and Nikolai.
At the gate of the palace, George met Werther by chance.
Because of his outstanding performance on the Siberian Railway Commission, Witte was appointed Minister of Finance by the Tsar last year and officially entered the center of the empire.
For George, Werther still respected him very much and took the initiative to say hello to George.
“What is the difference between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of Transportation?”
George actually didn’t want Witte to go to the Treasury.
When Werther was Secretary of Transportation, George did not think Werther was very powerful, and was even dissatisfied with Werther's work.
Last year Witte went to the Ministry of Finance, and the construction work of the Trans-Siberian Railway was seriously affected. In August, work was even suspended. Only then did George discover Witte's role.
"There is no difference. Essentially, they are all serving the empire."
Witt was pursuing his own political affairs in his position, taking the initiative to invite George to dinner and asking George for advice on how to make money.
Only after becoming Chancellor of Finance did Werther realize how serious the situation in the empire had become.
Years ago, the empire fell into the dilemma of borrowing money to survive.
To launch the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, the empire has not yet repaid the money it borrowed from the bank.
The Tenth Russo-Turkish War was already in 1877.
Yasan is really not peace-loving, but the situation in the Russian Empire does not allow Yasan to launch a foreign war. Otherwise, when the British occupy Juwen Island, Yasan will directly fight against the British.
After Werther became Chancellor of Finance, he did a lot of work to increase revenue. The new tax system that the empire started to implement this year was the work of Werther. "If you want to increase revenue, the easiest way is to start a war!"
George was referring to the Ottoman Empire.
17 years have passed since the last Russo-Turkish war. The new generation of Russians and Ottomans have grown up, and it is time for a showdown.
Of course, it may be the same as the previous ten times, and there is no way to completely defeat the opponent.
The Russian Empire is not without a chance.
But every time when an opportunity arises, it will always be interfered by mysterious factors and fall short.
"Duke, it is impossible for the empire to launch a foreign war in a short period of time."
Vette's short time, at least 10 years to start.
“It’s okay not to fight, but all ways to increase income must start with investment, and it will take a long time to see results. Do you have it?”
George wants to say Yes, it's all written in the report of Governor Amur.
How Vladivostok got to where it is today step by step, the three governors Korv, Milyutin, and Pobedonostsev reported clearly, and George himself also made a report, which can be used as a reference. .
Witt also wanted to copy his homework, but it was unrealistic.
The situation here in St. Petersburg is completely different from that in Amur.
Amul is a blank piece of paper. George can do whatever he wants without affecting the interests of other people.
Witt's implementation of the new tax system has affected the interests of many people and attracted numerous criticisms. In other words, Werther has the trust of the Tsar, so Werther's status is relatively stable for the time being.
This is why Werther came to George.
The Tsar's health is getting worse and worse, and he may die one day.
Werther might be liquidated by then.
Werther knew very well about the relationship between George and Nicholas. When Werther met George for the first time, Nicholas was present.
So Werther must hold Nikolai's thigh tightly now to ensure that Werther will not be liquidated after Yasan's death.
Nicola’s mind is now on Alex and he is not in the mood to talk to Werther.
George became Werther's breakthrough.
"Duke, I hope you can understand that I am not targeting anyone-"
Witt's nationalization of all liquor management rights will have a huge impact on George and will cost George millions of rubles every year.
The George family has a great business and doesn’t care about this little money.
It depends on someone else. Werther might leave earlier than the Tsar.
"My feelings are the same as yours, and I also hope that the empire will get better and better. You don't have to worry about this."
George is really not the Virgin. His interests are deeply bound to the interests of the empire.
"It would be great if all the Grand Dukes of St. Petersburg were like you -"
Witt smiled bitterly. He was now on the assassin's blacklist and could be assassinated by the assassin at any time.
These assassins in Russia are also very amazing. They can easily obtain the travel routes of important officials of the empire and even members of the royal family. The assassination methods are even more varied and difficult to guard against.
So George doesn’t believe it if these assassins are improvised.
"Queen—Your Highness—"
Witt hesitated, a little hesitant to speak.
George was not in a hurry, waiting for Witte to hand over his name.
(End of this chapter)