Army Reform

Reform had never been easy.

Those with vested interests would certainly oppose it with all their might. The process would meet with tremendous resistance. It could even lead to bloodshed. This had been true in all times and places.

In the Tsarist Russian Empire, with Mikhail as tsar pushing it forward with all his might, even considerable resistance could be forcibly flattened.

The reason, ultimately, was that Mikhail controlled the most powerful armed forces in the Tsarist Russian Empire.

During the civil war, the Guards Army, the Petersburg Military District and the Kazan Military District had been wiped out, while the Huasha Military District, the Vilna Military District and the Orenburg Military District had lost more than half their forces. The Mosk Military District had also suffered considerable losses in the war.

The only military districts left intact were the Kiev Military District, the Odessa Military District, the Turkestan Military District and the Irkutsk Military District.

Of these, the Odessa Military District had declared its support for Grand Duke Nicholas during the civil war.

It was only because the Black Sea Fleet had pinned it down from the start of the war that it had never actually entered the civil war.

Otherwise, perhaps that military district would also have been destroyed in the civil war.

The Caucasus Military District under Mikhail's command had ample manpower and formidable fighting strength, and had swept through the forces of the Russian Army's various military districts during the civil war.

Clearly, Mikhail now controlled the most powerful military force in the country.

That was also why Mikhail dared to push through his various reforms by force.

As for the other nobles, officials, landowners and merchants, even if they were deeply dissatisfied with Mikhail's reforms, they dared not resist.

Otherwise, they would only end up losing everything themselves.

Mikhail was well aware of this too. The army was the safeguard of his power, so he gave it the greatest attention.

On July 2, 1898, Mikhail summoned War Minister Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Chief of the General Staff General Brusilov, preparing to reform the Tsarist Russian Empire Army.

At present, although the Tsarist Russian Empire Army had a vast number of troops and no fewer than eleven military districts,

the Tsarist Russian Army still had many problems.

For example, its weapons and equipment were outdated, its training had fallen into neglect, its tactics were obsolete, and its soldiers' will to fight was fragile, among other things.

This was also one of the main reasons Mikhail's army had been able to sweep through the Russian Army after the civil war broke out.

If a war broke out in the future and the Tsarist Russian Army was still in such a terrible state, its performance in that war could well be imagined. For Mikhail, that was undoubtedly absolutely unacceptable.

"Your Excellency, Grand Duke. Your Excellency, Chief of Staff. I have decided to reform the imperial army.

"At present, the imperial army has far too many problems.

"Whether in weapons and equipment or in fighting spirit, it cannot compare with the troops of the Caucasus Military District. As for fighting strength, one is in heaven and the other on earth.

"Therefore, I hope the imperial army can completely change this situation going forward!"

Mikhail said to the two men.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and General Brusilov both replied.

General Brusilov had served as chief of staff of the Caucasus Military District when Grand Duke Mikhail also held the post of its commander. He could be called Mikhail's right-hand man in military affairs and was an absolutely trusted confidant.

General Brusilov was also well aware that Mikhail was deeply dissatisfied with the imperial army's fighting strength.

When Mikhail was carrying out sweeping reforms across the entire Tsarist Russian Empire, how could he possibly leave the military unreformed?

Both the army and the navy had to be reformed.

Mikhail had even discussed the matter with General Brusilov in advance.

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich understood this just as well.

During the civil war, their army had been beaten into a panicked rout by the forces of the Caucasus Military District, giving him a firsthand look at their fighting strength. It was only natural that Mikhail would decide to carry out reforms.

Mikhail then announced his plan to reform the army.

First, Mikhail established that the Imperial General Staff would be responsible for troop movements and operational command. The War Ministry, meanwhile, would handle recruitment, retirement, mobilization, payment of salaries, compensation and other such matters.

The various military districts would also be responsible for the daily training of their troops.

As for the research, development and procurement of weapons and equipment, those would be handled by the Equipment Department and the Logistics Department under the General Staff.

This undoubtedly greatly strengthened the General Staff's authority and weakened that of the War Ministry.

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was undoubtedly somewhat dissatisfied.

Even so, he could understand it.

Even if he was Mikhail's own uncle, he had, after all, sided with Grand Duke Nicholas during the civil war.

So even though he had been appointed war minister, Mikhail would never truly trust him.

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich could understand that as well.

If he had been in Mikhail's position, perhaps he would not have been as magnanimous!

Second, Mikhail merged the existing eleven military districts, retaining only seven.

They were the Mosk Military District, the Northwestern Military District, the Western Military District, the Southwestern Military District, the Caucasus Military District, the Siberia-Central Asia Military District and the Far East Military District.

The Mosk Military District guarded the imperial capital and was also the Tsarist Russian Empire Army's principal strategic reserve.

The Northwestern Military District was based primarily on the former Petersburg Military District, with its headquarters in Petersburg. It was chiefly responsible for security in the northwest of the empire and for countering threats from the direction of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Baltic Sea.

The Western Military District was based primarily on the former Huasha Military District and Vilna Military District, with its headquarters in Warsaw. It was chiefly responsible for security in the west of the empire, including Poland and the vicinity of the Baltic Sea, and for countering the threat from the German Empire.

The Southwestern Military District was based primarily on the former Kiev Military District and Odessa Military District, with its headquarters in Kiev. It was chiefly responsible for security in the southwest of the empire, countering the threat from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and being ready to respond to changes in the direction of the Balkan Peninsula.

The Caucasus Military District retained its original area of responsibility, with its headquarters in Tbilisi. It was chiefly responsible for security in the regions north and south of the Caucasus Mountains, countering the threat from the Ottoman Empire, and the coming expansion toward the Middle East.

The Siberia-Central Asia Military District, headquartered in Tashkent, was chiefly responsible for security on the empire's West Siberia Plain, half of the Central Siberia Plateau and the whole of Central Asia, as well as the empire's future expansion toward the Middle East and the Indian Peninsula.

The Far East Military District, headquartered in Vladivostok, was chiefly responsible for security in the empire's East Siberia Mountains and Far Eastern coastal regions, as well as within the empire's sphere of influence in the Far East, and for countering the threat from the Japanese Empire.

Each of the seven military districts had its own area of responsibility and direction from which to counter threats.

Of course, once war broke out, the troops of every military district would be under the command of the Imperial General Staff.

Each military district was responsible for the daily training of the troops under its command. During wartime, especially in a major war, the military districts would serve as the basis for forming armies to commit to the fighting.