"The enemy of my enemy is my friend"
-Sun Tzu
...
Count Giers straightened his back and pointed to the map of Europe.
"The German and Austrian influences have been on the rise. Especially the German counterpart. Their industrialization process is already in an advanced stage and their military remains top notch. Because of that they have been looking for ways to expand their global influence lately which is also putting pressure on the British, making them uncomfortable.
This is good for us as it relieves pressure off our backs. The British still see us as their main competitors but if we lay low and focus on our industrialization in Europe for some more years, I believe their attention will switch to the Germans soon.
We are working to keep cautious but stable relationships with Germany and Austria.
While Germany is doing us a 'favor' we must also beware of them as the Germans are quite ambitious and to maintain the balance, we must curb their ambitions in mainland Europe, otherwise, a mainland European hegemon will be born.
And that, Your Majesty, is where our alliance with the French which we signed back in August comes in. Right now, it serves as a counterbalance against the central block of Germany. I trust in the French cooperation and I believe it is key to keeping the Germans in check and obtain a much needed breath which also aligns with His Majesty's vision.
The French have been helping us financially which have been helping our industry and modernization. I would like to advocate for military measures to strengthen our Russian Empire's preparedness to be in line with our alliance's requirements."
"Of course, the Russian Empire shall never be the 'little brother' of an alliance" interjected Alexander.
Count Giers smiled and nodded. Then he shifted his eyesight towards Asia continuing "while in Asia, we're still on the so-called 'Great Game' with the British. We have been investing into Chinese and Persian economy, trying to make them dependent on us, but it is still not enough. We need more funds, Your Majesty for economic incentives and also fortifications on the borders. We absolutely need Persia if we want to compete for the 'the Jewel of the Crown' - India.
While in Central Asia, our activities are centered around gaining influence in northern China and Manchuria and they have been quite successful so far.
Japan has been getting more and more relentless though and a rise on their military power has been seen.
Nothing our great Russian Empire cannot handle but I really think the Trans-Siberian railway must be completed as soon as possible to secure our access to Manchuria and the Far East." Count Giers stared at Nicholas for a mere second before shifting his attention back to the map. "We are already negotiating with the Qing Dynasty to secure our right to build sections of the railway there, your Majesty."
After the Foreign Minister,
There was the Minister of Transport, Count Semyonov;
Minister of Agriculture, Count Kossov
And last but not least, the Minister of Public Education, Zamyatin.
The next day, Nicholas summerized what these ministers talked about and wrote it in his notebook.
Agriculture was currently the backbone of the Russian economy, with the majority of the population still engaged in farming. However, this sector was marked by inefficiency and high stagnation. Especially the 1891-1892 famine, exacerbated by drought and poor harvests, highlighted the vulnerabilities in Russian agricultural practices and the lack of effective government intervention.
This crisis actually underlined the need for comprehensive reforms to modernize Russian agriculture and improve food security.
The transportation infrastructure was also heavily underdeveloped, hindering economic growth and integration across the vast empire. Railway expansion was a priority, with the Trans-Siberian Railway project already underway, initiated to connect the European Russia with the Far East. Despite all the efforts, the network remained quite limited affecting trade and mobility. That is why the Minister of Transportation asked for a budget increase for yet another year which was granted together with a budget increase of 10 Million for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Finance each.
Speaking about the Education System, we can say it was quite rudimentary, with around 20% literacy rates which mostly made up for aristocratic or capitalist children.
Primary education was not universally accessible while higher educations were few and far in between.
The government had already recognized the importance of education for national progress but their finances costrained them.
The Tsar could grant the Ministry of Education with at most a 2.5 Million Rubles budget increase. Any further than that and it would strain the finances of Russia too much.
At the end of the meeting, Tsar Alexander got up from his seat, congratulated & thanked the cabinet and exited the conference room with Nicholas following closely behind with the ministers staring at their backs. They were different expressions on the ministers' faces. Reverence,respect and some more interesting ones among them
Like Pobedonotsnev and Count Tolstoy who were clearly frowning.
Then, on the other side there were Count Sergei Witte and Count Vannovsky whose eyes were literally glittering while watching the Crown Prince's back while Count Giers had a smug smile on his face.
...
After leaving the conference room, Nicholas went directly to his bedroom and laid on his bed. He was extraordinarily tired but he couldn't even sleep.
He had drawn some conclusions from this meeting. One was that Russia was in an even worse state than he thought.
Two was that Russia needed reform.
Three and the most important one was the thing that Russia most desperately needed, which Nicholas didn't have, which was TIME. Not just time, but peaceful time. While skirmishes and colonial conflicts with the British were alright just like every Great Power did at the time, Russia couldn't handle a Great War until it completed it's modernization and reforms, as history had proved.
Four, is that he had more potential allies than he thought. John in his past life was just a normal university student. He wasn't a genius nor a failure but he couldn't invent rockets. Nor could he single-handedly reverse Russian Empire's fate.
Nicholas, like it or not, was a normal man.
He knew the trend of times, he was capable politically because he studied political sciences at University but also had the memories of the original Nicholas studying politics during his royal education and since he came from the future, he more or less knew what way he must choose and what he must do. But he couldn't know how the future would change because of his arrival. So he couldn't rely too much on that either.
That's who Nicholas currently was.
So, he needed allies. Competent allies loyal to him. Sergei Witte was a prominent figure which he had known in the future so he had already selected him as his major ally since the first weeks of transmigration as Nicholas. But as for the rest, Nicholas didn't know them.
He came to the conclusion that the Minister of War, Count Vannovksy and also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Giers could be his potential allies. They were both competent men with reformist minds looking to modernize Russia. Nicholas just had to rope them into his group. Which wasn't going to be easy either as long as his father was alive...
With these thoughts, Nicholas severe tiredness took over, and he drifted to sleep...