Chapter 507 The Last Fight
Compared with the dilapidated warships, how to get rid of unqualified officers was more of a headache for George.
Compared with the army, there are more aristocratic children serving in the navy, and the resistance to reform is greater. After George announced the assessment standards, many aristocratic officers and their elders went to the Winter Palace to plead for mercy, hoping that George.com Give them a chance to continue their loyalty to the Empire.
George originally wanted to drive these people out of the army, at least away from the front line, no longer responsible for specific work, and minimize their impact on the army.
This decision was collectively opposed by Nikolai and Nikolay Jr., as well as Stolypin.
The so-called "loyalty to the empire" is definitely an excuse, and profit is their motivation.
Officers in the Russian Empire are treated very well. This tradition began during the time of Peter the Great and continues to this day.
A rear admiral in the Baltic Fleet, not counting various hidden benefits, his annual salary plus various allowances, his apparent income is as high as 48,000 rubles, which is second to none in Europe.
In order to cultivate the martial spirit of the entire aristocratic class, the tradition of nobles serving in the military cannot be changed. If George transferred those members of the nobles serving in the military away from the front line and asked them to only take money and not work, then I am afraid that More and more members of the nobility will join the army.
“When you get money, you have to work, and you have to go to the most difficult places. If you want to just get money and not work, it’s a dream!”
Little Nicholas's starting point is the same as George's, but if he does what Little Nicholas says, the consequences will be more serious.
When George was in the Guards, a group of Grand Dukes in the Guards kept having banquets and having fun all day long. The troops were not well led, but they drank in various ways. Nicholas also understood this deeply. .
This is still St. Petersburg, and the emperor's feet are in such chaos. It is understandable that Russian soldiers in remote areas only have an annual salary of 2 rubles and 10 kopecks.
Compared with the chaos in the army, George would rather let the archdukes just get paid and not work.
The reason for Stolypin’s objection was that the empire’s treatment of officers was too good, so members of the aristocracy sharpened their heads and joined the army.
Stolypin hoped to reduce the basic salary of officers and increase their position allowances, which would make the army less attractive to members of the nobility and give more opportunities to those who truly wanted to contribute their loyalty to the empire.
Nicholas is worried that a further reduction in the public content of the army will affect the empire's control over the army.
Although Vladimir and Alexei are greedy, their loyalty to the Tsar will not waver.
The loyalty of non-royal members represented by Kolchak belongs to the entire aristocratic class.
Kolchak was also a hereditary noble, so after the provisional government was established, Kolchak swore allegiance to the provisional government.
Although the provisional government at that time was dominated by the bourgeoisie, the capitalists in the Russian Empire were essentially the white gloves of the entire aristocracy, so Kolchak was loyal to the entire aristocracy.
After the October Revolution overthrew the provisional government, the aristocracy completely lost power and faced the Bolshevik liquidation. Only then did Kolchak raise a flag of rebellion, but it was too late.
From this issue, Nicholas is very sober.
The reason why George compromised was to reduce resistance.
George has no intention of touching those who have already entered the military and held senior positions. He will marginalize them first. What to do in the future depends on the situation.
The world war is only a few years away.
If the Russian Empire perishes like another time and space, then this problem no longer needs to be worried.
If they can survive this hurdle, George can also formulate a new system to allow them to retire early.
In recent years, if aristocratic children want to join the army, they must pass military school and pass the exam before they can enter the army. After entering the army, noble children who want to be promoted must strictly follow the system. Those who are truly capable will definitely be reused, and those who are incompetent can just be his captains.
George also discussed this issue with Milyutin.
During the restructuring, Milyugin also tried to regulate the promotion system in the military with strict systems, but in the end nothing happened.
When officers enter the military academy, they automatically enter the aristocratic class. In this sense, all officers in the empire are aristocrats, and there is no class war at all.
There is also a chain of contempt between nobles. For the same two noble officers, the officer from the duke family will definitely be promoted faster than the officer from the earl family. If these unspoken rules are not broken, then no matter how strict the system is, Unable to execute.
Compared with the army, the navy during the reconstruction period still faced such great resistance.
The Army will only get worse.
"The empire has no time to wait for them to grow. All unqualified officers must be removed and their positions given to truly capable people. The tragedy of the war against Japan must not be repeated."
George I hope that little Nicholas can fully cooperate with George in carrying out reforms.
If George had a choice, George would prefer to serve as Secretary of War and leave the mess of the Navy to little Nicholas.
It’s not that the navy is unimportant, but that the Russian Empire currently does not have the ability to take care of both the navy and the army at the same time. It can only focus more resources on the army, and the navy will wait until later.
The international environment in Milyutin's era was not tense, and he could spend 20 years working hard to defeat his old enemies.
George was pressed for time and had to complete the reform as quickly as possible. He had no time to mess with those dawdling members of the aristocracy.
"George, you are too anxious, I believe there must be a better way to solve these problems."
Little Nicholas has no sense of urgency and does not seem to realize that a world war is approaching .
Nobles, no matter what you do, you must be calm and have a certain demeanor. Even if the enemy is approaching the city, the officers cannot run, otherwise it will be disgraceful.
If it were 1894 now, George would play slowly with those noble officers. When they all retire, many problems will be solved.
It's impossible now, even if George doesn't want to fight, Russia will be tied to the tank.
"I know, but we have no time to find a better way. There can never be a perfect solution."
George looked at Stolypin, hoping to get Stolypin Lei Ping's support.
Stolypin’s ongoing reforms, like George’s military reforms, also face huge resistance.
Stolypin first took action from Nikolai and sold all the land under Nikolai's name, and then he barely suppressed the opposing voices and struggled to promote economic development.
The same is true for George. He first started with the aristocratic group and completely eradicated the traditional bad habits of the military.
George's confidence is that if the two Nicholas are willing to cooperate with George, George will fight one last time to save the empire.
If he doesn't want to, then George will return directly to Amur and settle down with his destiny.
(End of this chapter)