Taking Complete Control of the Army

The Tsarist Russian Empire Army was reorganized into seven military districts. Four of them were on the East European Plain, primarily to face enemies from the direction of Europe.

Of the other three military districts, two faced the Middle East and one faced the Far East.

These were also the Tsarist Russian Empire's two major directions for future expansion.

Europe was full of powerful nations. It was almost impossible for the Tsarist Russian Empire to expand there in the short term.

But the Middle East and the Far East were different.

In the Middle East especially, now that the Tsarist Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire were at war, the Ottomans had to be defeated first, no matter what. Only then could the security of the Caucasus region be assured.

Only then could the empire expand toward the Middle East.

Although many people currently saw the Middle East as a barren wasteland of yellow sand,

in Mikhail's eyes, it was a blessed land. Not only was its strategic position vital, but the oil buried beneath it was enough to drive the whole world mad.

The Baku Oil Field alone had already become one of the pillar industries under Mikhail's control.

If the Tsarist Russian Empire could get a share of the Middle East's oil resources, it would bring the empire even greater wealth.

Both national development and military buildup cost money.

Mikhail also needed to actively seek new sources of revenue.

Of course, the Middle East was currently Ottoman Empire territory, and the British were also actively infiltrating the region.

If the Tsarist Russian Empire wanted to enter the Middle East, it would have to make an even greater effort.

In the Far East, the threat came from the Japanese.

If the Tsarist Russian Empire wanted to expand in the Far East and find a good ice-free port, it had to defeat the Japanese.

During Nicholas II's reign, the empire had already forced the Great Qing Empire to lease Lüshun to it and had taken control of the Liaodong Peninsula. Nearly all of Northeast China had also fallen into the Tsarist Russian Empire's sphere of influence.

But the Japanese were watching like tigers eyeing their prey, all the while reorganizing their forces and preparing for war.

If the Tsarist Russian Empire wanted to preserve its interests in the Far East, it had to defeat the Japanese.

Besides, the Tsarist Russian Empire needed a good ice-free port on the Pacific coast. There were plenty of places to choose from on the Korean Peninsula and even in the Japanese homeland.

As long as it could defeat the Japanese in a war, even if it had to abandon the Liaodong Peninsula and Northeast China because of force majeure, the impact on the Tsarist Russian Empire's naval deployments in the Pacific would not be too great.

Mikhail's decision to establish the Far East Military District specifically for this purpose was undoubtedly preparation for a war with the Japanese.

War Minister Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Chief of the General Staff General Brusilov had no objections to Mikhail's division of the military districts.

Mikhail then proposed that all units of the Tsarist Russian Empire Army be reorganized and formed using the units under the Caucasus Military District as a model.

There would be seven military districts, each commanding ten infantry divisions, four cavalry brigades, and one heavy artillery brigade. In addition, the Caucasus Military District and the Far East Military District would each command four additional mountain infantry brigades.

Both the Caucasus Military District and the Far East Military District had many areas suited to mountain warfare.

Equipping them with several mountain infantry brigades would also be more advantageous for upcoming operations.

By that calculation, the Tsarist Russian Army's future field forces would include seventy infantry divisions, twenty-eight cavalry companies, eight mountain infantry brigades, and seven heavy artillery brigades, for a total strength of more than 1.6 million men.

That was more than 400,000 more than before the civil war.

Of course, Mikhail was also preparing for war.

After all, the Tsarist Russian Empire was currently at war with the Ottoman Empire. In a few years, it would also have to fight a major war against the Japanese.

It was only natural for the Tsarist Russian Army to expand its forces in advance and prepare for war.

At present, however, the Caucasus Military District had more troops under its command. This was because Mikhail had mobilized the district after the civil war broke out, and because it had to deal with the Ottoman Empire's invasion.

Once the war with the Ottoman Empire was over, the Caucasus Military District's troop strength would return to normal.

In addition, each military district would have to establish a mobilization system to ensure that, once a large-scale war broke out and a mobilization order was issued, every district could double its troop strength in the shortest possible time.

Mikhail hoped this would take one month.

That meant weapons and equipment not only had to be stockpiled in advance. Reservists capable of rapidly becoming combat-ready also had to complete their training beforehand.

These reservists would mainly consist of retired officers and soldiers. However, one month would be set aside each year for refresher training, ensuring that they maintained sufficient combat proficiency even after retirement.

Mikhail was, of course, doing this to prepare for war.

For the Tsarist Russian Empire, preparations had to be made for the current war with the Ottoman Empire, the war with the Japanese in a few years, and the world war to come.

Otherwise, facing these powerful enemies, the Tsarist Russian Empire would probably suffer another crushing defeat.

That was undoubtedly absolutely unacceptable to Mikhail.

Mikhail then announced the appointments of the commanders of several military districts.

Mikhail would concurrently serve as commander of the Mosk Military District, while General Brusilov would concurrently serve as its chief of staff.

This was already customary in the Tsarist Russian Empire.

Only if the tsar concurrently commanded the capital's military district could His Majesty truly rest easy.

Lieutenant General Viktor Sakharov was appointed commander of the Northwestern Military District. Lieutenant General Paul von Plehwe was appointed commander of the Western Military District. General Mikhail Dragomirov, former commander of the Kiev Military District, was appointed commander of the Southwestern Military District. Lieutenant General Mikhail Belyayev was appointed commander of the Caucasus Military District. General Nikolai Grodekov, former commander of the Turkestan Military District, was appointed commander of the Siberia-Central Asia Military District. General Alexander Gulevich, former commander of the Irkutsk Military District, was appointed commander of the Far East Military District.

These military district commanders were either Mikhail and his trusted aides or generals who had declared their neutrality during the civil war.

Moreover, during the coming reorganization of the units under each military district, Mikhail would also transfer large numbers of junior and mid-ranking officers and core soldiers from the Caucasus Military District to the other districts.

In this way, he would strengthen his control over the army.

In addition, when suitable opportunities arose in the future, generals who had reached retirement age would be replaced, allowing a younger generation of generals to rise.

Before long, the entire army of the Tsarist Russian Empire would be completely under Mikhail's control.

After all, under Mikhail's plan, the future Tsarist Russian Empire Army would have seventy infantry divisions, twenty-eight cavalry brigades, eight mountain infantry brigades, and seven heavy artillery brigades. The current Caucasus Military District already had forty infantry divisions, twelve cavalry brigades, four mountain infantry brigades, and one heavy artillery brigade.

It could be said that more than half the units in the entire Tsarist Russian Empire Army were already Mikhail's own forces.

No one could shake Mikhail's control over the army.