The Kronstadt military port, which protects the heart of Russia, is located on the island of Cotlin, the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland. It is an artificially built fortress city. It has been reinforced several times since its completion. It has been strong and extremely strong fortifications and powerful gun groups. It once repelled the British and French joint fleet in the mid-19th century, so it was proudly praised by the Russians as "a fortress that will never fall."

Kronstadt is a German name, meaning "City of Royal". When the Irish naval training ship "Ku-Churin" with green, white and yellow flags flying on the flagpole entered the military port code, the long-lost sunlight brought a touch of psychological warmth to the ice-celled world. Standing on the deck that had been cleaned but still had ice residue, Xia Tree looked around, the four most powerful warships in the history of the Russian Navy, the Gangut-class dreadnought, were anchored among a large number of old and old warships. In the eyes of laymen, they were first-class dreadnought battleships,

The four-seat 12-inch main gun has strong firepower and a long range. The maximum speed of 24 knots is faster than that of most dreadnoughts. However, according to the intelligence information obtained by Xia Shu, the fire control and command conditions of these Russian main battleships are still at the pre-war level. The main armored belt is as weak as the British battlecruiser, and basically has no air defense capabilities. In the modern three-dimensional naval battle mode, with the current personnel and technical conditions of the navies of Germany and Russia, a German standard heavy cruiser of 150,000 tons can torture the Russian Navy's "four-dislike" of 250,000 tons!

The army is strong outside and the middle. Although the morale is sluggish, what makes the Russians even more worried is that the country's economy, finance and society are all trapped in a deep quagmire. The short-term political reforms only brought about a flash in prosperity, factories collapsed, workers were unemployed, and the essence of the brutal rule of the government has not changed. Revolutionary ideas spread among the workers at the bottom of society and ordinary soldiers. These sharp problems cannot be solved by the monarch relying on personal charm or simple reform determination.

Amid the noisy military music, Vladimir Nikolayevich Kokovzov, the chairman of the Russian Imperial Council (equivalent to the Imperial Prime Minister), who was wearing a goatee (equivalent to the Imperial Prime Minister), brought a group of officials to the ship to greet him. Hundreds of brightly decorated royal guards were neatly arranged on the pier, and the bayonets on the rifle were shining with cold light, but there was no trace of Tsar Nicholas II, which looked like a Hongmen Banquet.

Seeing this, some Irish officials and officers accompanying him couldn't help but show surprise, but Xia Shu didn't feel angry. The Irish army sent to the Russian front at the end of the war was very small in scale and limited in its role. The military deliberately restricted military discipline, so there was never a bad case of invading Russian civilians. The Russians did not need to hold revenge for Ireland's participation in the war. Moreover, the world situation is stable now. The hearts of the Russian royal family and government lies in the dissatisfaction of the people in the country and the surging revolutionary thoughts. At this time, we should try our best to resolve many contradictions in our country, rather than having nothing to do with one.

The itchy country is in a bad relationship. The reason for this is that Natsuki feels that it is related to the shadow of assassination entangled in the Russian royal family. Nicholas II's grandfather Alexander II was assassinated in St. Petersburg more than thirty years ago. When Nicholas II was the crown prince, he was assassinated by enemies during his visit to Japan and almost died. These painful memories made Nicholas II intentionally avoid appearing in public and lived in suburban royal territories more than the imperial palaces in the city. At the moment, the situation in St. Petersburg is unstable and revolutionaries are moving around. It is not surprising that Nicholas II is very cautious.

After greeting the Russian officials politely, Xia Shu took Charlotte off the boat, then boarded the car arranged by the Russian side and left the dock. The convoy drove all the way through the heavily guarded streets, deserted everywhere, as if it was a huge prison.

Less than a kilometer from the dock, the convoy drove into a gate, and Nicholas II, wearing a sword in military uniform, was waiting for the arrival of the VIPs within the high wall. What surprised Xia Shu was that the Tsar, known for his tyranny, arrogant, stupid and weak, had an unexpected attitude at this time. He hugged him warmly and friendlyly, and explained with great respect: "I am very sorry, the noble Majesty Joachim was unable to go to the port for greeting due to physical inconvenience. It is rude and I beg your Majesty to obtain his understanding."

In the eyes of the tyrant, Xia Shu saw a lot of blood and the anxiety revealed in his eyes. Before leaving from Helsinki, Xia Shu got the latest news about the political situation in Russia from Vaino I officials. Large-scale strikes and demonstrations broke out again in St. Petersburg. The people involved in the strikes were said to have reached more than 200,000, and various enterprises, shops, restaurants, and cafes stopped working. The entire Russian capital was paralyzed. It is reported that Nicholas II ordered special measures to take on the strike movement in St. Petersburg, and the army raided the Bolsheviks overnight. The committee in St. Petersburg arrested a group of Bolshevik organizers, controlled the railway station and port, blocked the main traffic routes, and prevented the marchers from approaching the palace. However, this did not quell the strikes, but instead intensified the resistance between workers and citizens. Moreover, under the influence of the long-term infiltration of the Bolsheviks, a large number of soldiers in the army had stood on the side of the workers and even became staunch supporters of the revolution. The people's resentment had reached its limit. Under such a political situation, large-scale armed uprisings were about to break out, and the tsarist regime that was surviving may fall down at any time.

When Russia was in trouble, it was the opponent in the war who was the first to extend an olive branch. In the past two years, with the guarantee of the German royal family or the government, German bankers have provided Russia with several large loans to help the Russian government solve the deteriorating financial and social problems. The small Moltke line of defense built by Germany actually blocked many revolutionaries who tried to enter Russia through Germany and its controlled areas. Revolutionaries represented by Lenin have been stranded in Switzerland so far, which is more or less related to this.

Perhaps because of face or insistence on safeguarding the dignity of Tsarist Russia's great power, Nicholas II did not accept the affection of this distant cousin. He refused to join the Allies led by Germany, although this would bring greater economic assistance to the Russian government. After the war, he never visited Germany, nor sent an invitation to visit William II, but rather begged for assistance from Britain and the United States. The aid from Britain fell from the bucket, and the Americans lacked confidence in Russia's revival and worried that Russia would turn to the Allies, so he denied this investment that was difficult to get compensation.

As the domestic economy that was deeply trapped in the mud did not improve significantly, Russia's social conflicts became increasingly acute. At this time, Nicholas II and his subordinates had to abandon their previous stubbornness and began to seek help from the camp of allies that were close to them. Therefore, inviting the King of Ireland to meet Nicholas II in a political turbulent situation, the voice that just now fully reflects this state of mind.

Xia Shu knew this and naturally would not care about etiquette. However, he was both puzzled and unhappy about the "absence" of the Russian queen. You should know that the current Russian queen is the daughter of Ludwig IV, the grand duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. She is an orthodox German royal family. She should come to say hello to him for both reason and reason.

Before Xia Shu could reveal his doubts, Nicholas II explained why the queen did not come on the grounds of being ill, and instead conveyed his sincere greetings.

According to historical records, this Russian queen was a stubborn, willful, hysterical, but good at playing power. She deeply influenced Nicholas II's decision on the affairs of the palace and even the state. After the war broke out, because of her stop, Nicholas II did not go to the railway station to see off Grand Duke Nicholas who led his army to fight. Later, because of her suggestions, Nicholas II dismissed Grand Duke Nicholas who were deeply loved by the army and personally served as the commander-in-chief of the army, which directly affected the morale of the frontline soldiers. Moreover, the facts showed that his talent in military strategy was much inferior to his uncle. Because of these bad deeds, many Russian officials angrily denounced the Russian queen as a "spy sent by Germany" behind their backs, and hated her deeply and wanted to get rid of it.

After the greetings, Nicholas II led the Irish king and his wife to this royal palace with ordinary appearance but elegant interior decoration. The Tsar's office here was facing the harbor. It is said that when he first ascended the throne, he was full of desire for the ocean, fantasizing that his flag could one day fly in every corner of the world and become a new "Sun-Don't Setting Empire". Therefore, he had high hopes for the construction of the Russian Navy. The Russian Navy also ushered in two periods of rapid development before the World War at the end of the 19th century and after the Russo-Japanese War. Unfortunately, only part of the grand naval plan was restricted by the national economic situation, the national industrial conditions and the international political environment.

When the two sides entered the main topic of the meeting, from the perspective of Xia Shu, you can see the majestic and majestic figures of the four Gangut-class dreadnoughts. If they are modified by modern naval warfare standards, their comprehensive performance can be greatly improved, but the result will still not keep up with the trend of the times. At this time, Xia Shu thought jokingly that if Nicholas II used these four warships to compensate Ireland for the opportunity to take refuge in Ireland, he might have converted them all into fast aircraft carriers. After all, their airworthiness capabilities are still relatively good. Maybe their next war will ravage the super dreadnoughts built by Britain and the United States in the later stages of the Atlantic.
Chapter completed!