I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 124 Let’s wait until next year to capture him alive.

Yekaterinburg is the most important smelting center in Russia, and Russia's first smelting plant is located here.

The bomb factory that Nikolay mentioned was not just a simple assembly of bombs, but a super factory integrating smelting, casting, and production. Even the required gunpowder was produced by itself.

Such a super factory was abandoned because the products it produced were no longer needed by the military. George gained a new understanding of the industry of the Russian Empire.

It’s not that Russia is incompetent, but that it is very capable. No one can tell how many similar things the Empire has done.

What else could George do? Since the factories were abandoned, George could just reluctantly take them over.

After all, the factory is the property of the empire and cannot be taken for free.

Nicholas said hello to Finance Minister Bungi, and George got this abandoned factory with an area of ​​1000 square kilometers for 11.5 rubles.

To be precise, there should be a total of 11.5 factories within an area of ​​8 square kilometers.

This factory not only produces bombs, but also produces the wooden boxes in which the bombs are placed.

There is even a railway within the factory area, connecting to the Russian Imperial Railway network through Yekaterinburg.

Compared with bombs, George paid more attention to smelting and casting.

If the exercise was not still going on, George would have loved to have wings and fly to Yekaterinburg to organize the resumption of production.

The exercise can hardly go on anymore.

Clearing the site is not an easy task. Winter is coming. If the site cannot be cleared before winter, the exercise will have to wait until next year to continue.

During the clearance process, the Guards discovered some people of unknown origin. This situation attracted the attention of the Tsar. The Tsar ordered Police Inspector Shebeko to investigate these people. If they were working for foreign countries, all of them would be sent to Siberia.

George did not welcome noble officers to Siberia.

Criminals are still very welcome.

Mikhail's immigration work in the Far East was not going well. The biggest resistance came not from the Qing Empire, but from his British and Dutch counterparts.

The British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia also needed a large amount of labor.

Britain and the Netherlands had small populations and could not provide enough labor to the colonies, so they also turned to the Qing Empire.

Britain and the Netherlands had a long history of hiring labor from the Qing Dynasty, which was recorded before the outbreak of the First Opium War.

After the Second Opium War, the Qing Empire was forced to recognize the legalization of Chinese workers going abroad. Therefore, even if George did not find Zeng Jize, he could still obtain labor from the Qing through formal channels.

Although the method is formal, the process is inhumane.

The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, Portugal and other countries were involved in the atrocities of illegally hiring labor from the Qing Empire. They collaborated with the Qing's "labor bureau" to plunder people by kidnapping, deception, threats and other means. The situation was so serious that even Hong Kong at that time Du Bao Ling also had to admit that the lawless atrocities caused by collecting piggy coolies and trafficking them overseas had reached an unimaginable level.

The people of the Qing Dynasty relocated to their new homeland. Without using these illegal methods, they would not be able to obtain enough labor from the Qing Dynasty.

Even so, the workers "recruited" by the labor recruitment bureau every year were still unable to meet the needs of the colony.

At this time, Russia came to take a piece of the pie, which immediately aroused opposition from "businessmen" in countries such as Britain and the Netherlands.

When Mikhail first arrived, he did not compete with British, Dutch, Portuguese and American businessmen in the southeast. Instead, he set up the recruitment bureau in Vladivostok within the German sphere of influence in the Qing Dynasty.

No matter how evil Bismarck was, Russia and Germany were nominal allies.

The allies wanted to open a recruitment bureau within Germany's sphere of influence, and the Germans found no reason to oppose it.

Through the recruitment bureau, Mikhail would pay corresponding remuneration to the German colonial authorities for every person he recruited.

This method was a great success. This year Vladivostok received about 3000 workers from the Qing Empire through this method.

These 3000 people are all under the age of 30 and are generally malnourished, but they do not have serious diseases. As long as they are given adequate nutrition, they will all be healthy laborers.

Mikhail offered them a salary of 10 kopecks a day.

Although 10 kopecks is not much, it is 3 rubles per month.

In Siberia, the price of land redemption is only 3 rubles per dessiatine.

So this salary is indeed not much for workers in St. Petersburg.

But for Siberian workers it is already high.

The key point is that Mikhail really pays and will not deduct without reason, let alone find ways to earn back the workers' pitiful salary.

In the plantations of the British in Southeast Asia, they would grow plants that could not be written and sell them to the workers. While earning back their wages, they also made the workers dependent so that they would never be able to leave.

Mikhail still had a bottom line and would not do such unscrupulous things. The living conditions of Qing workers in Vladivostok could not be said to be superior, but they were also very different from their lives in the Qing.

At least my stomach will be full.

In addition to recruiting, Mikhail's work this year is going well.

Ten thousand acres of land have been cultivated and will be ready for cultivation next spring.

The talent of the Chinese in farming is unparalleled. Some of the land that was cultivated relatively early has already produced a harvest this year, and the harvest is gratifying.

The level of farming in Russia is not high. Even compared with countries at the same latitude, the output is about half lower than that of countries at the same latitude.

Among all European countries, Russia ranks last in wheat harvest volume.

Denmark can harvest 193.6 poods of wheat per dessiat (one pood is 16.38 kilograms), Germany 127.4, and Russia only 42.6——

The wheat cultivated in Vladivostok this year can be calculated in terms of dessiats, and each dessinia can harvest 90 poods. This is still under the condition of almost no management, because the workers in Vladivostok spend most of their time opening up wasteland and have no time to manage at all. It all depends on the weather. Have a meal.

After counting this year's grain production, Mikhail happily told George that next year Vladivostok will be self-sufficient in grain and will no longer rely on transportation from Europe.

George placed higher demands on Mikhail.

How can we be self-sufficient with only wheat? The workers in Vladivostok cannot only eat wheat. The nutrition must be balanced. The key is meat. Not to mention having meat every meal like the farmers in Eastern Europe, at least it must be meaty.

It's not difficult to do this.

Recruitment has just started this year and there are not enough manpower.

More workers will arrive next year, and by then the four collective farms will be able to start raising poultry and livestock on a large scale.

Throughout the summer, the sailors of the Siberian Fleet were logging, and there were mountains of wood in the lumberyards, enough to build houses.

The wood cut down by the sailors last year was ready for use after a year of drying. Mikhail ordered a wheel kiln to be built, which could burn 15 bricks at a time and took days.

Urban construction has a huge demand for building materials. Bricks have many uses. They can not only be used to build houses, but also to pave roads. The Siberian fleet has a greater demand for bricks.

In 1871, the port of Vladivostok was built, and the construction of forts and military camps around the port began simultaneously. This work is still in progress and will take at least ten years to complete.

Prior to this, the Siberian fleet built forts using stone as building materials. In the era before large machinery, quarrying was a very difficult job, so the progress of the fort was slow and could not meet the requirements of the military department.

With bricks, construction speed can be greatly accelerated.

The best thing is that kiln burning can also be done in winter and is less affected by weather conditions.

Moreover, the wheel kiln is not picky, no matter what material is used, as long as it can burn.

The sailors of the Siberian fleet have been cutting wood all summer, so there are many things to burn in Vladivostok, which is enough to build ten more wheel kilns.

Mikhail fired the kiln not with wood, but with coal.

It's not just ordinary low-quality coal, but high-quality anthracite that can be used in warship boilers.

In fact, warship boilers are not picky, any coal can be used, but inferior coal will cause great damage to the equipment due to insufficient combustion, so warships must use the best anthracite coal.

Another advantage of using anthracite is that it does not produce heavy smoke, which is more beneficial to the survival of warships.

The survey team discovered a high-quality coal mine producing anthracite coal less than 50 kilometers away from Vladivostok.

So Mikhail fired the kiln with anthracite coal.

This caused great indignation among the Siberian fleet.

Part of the anthracite burned by the Siberian fleet was imported from the Qing Dynasty, and part of it was transported thousands of miles from Europe to Vladivostok.

The production of high-quality anthracite in the Qing Dynasty was insufficient. In addition to the Qing Dynasty's own navy, the Japanese Navy also purchased large quantities for use by the Japanese combined fleet.

Here I have to praise Eastern Bismarck’s business spirit.

Before the Sino-Japanese War broke out, Japan ordered 3 tons of high-quality coal from the Qing Empire.

At that time, the Qing Empire's navy used low-quality coal for its own use, and all high-quality coal was exported.

After the Sino-Japanese War broke out, some people suggested stopping the export of coal to Japan.

Mr. Li thought that the Qing Dynasty could not break its promise, so this batch of coal was exported to Japan normally to supply the Japanese Navy.

Mikhail is not an enemy.

However, the efficiency of using high-quality anthracite to burn a kiln is indeed very good, and a waste of money is a real waste of money.

After Mikhail learned the importance of anthracite, he immediately stopped this foolish behavior and not only supplied anthracite to the Siberian fleet, but also exported anthracite to Japan.

This year the profit from anthracite to Vladivostok is only 1.5 rubles.

But don’t worry, as production gradually increases, the profits from anthracite will increase.

George was a sinister guy. After learning that Vladivostok could produce anthracite coal, George asked Mikhail to go to the Qing Dynasty to purchase high-quality anthracite coal and drive up coal prices.

When the price of anthracite coal in the Qing Dynasty increased, Japan had to increase its purchases in Vladivostok. Both the Qing Dynasty and Vladivostok made money, and Japan had to pay greater costs to maintain its combined fleet.

George is really not helping the Qing Dynasty, but doing it for Russia.

There will eventually be a war between Russia and Japan.

Shebeko is still very efficient. The investigation results show that there are indeed people hired by foreigners to observe the specific process of Rivne exercises.

This situation immediately attracted the tsar's attention.

In previous years, observers from various countries were invited to participate in the Rivne exercise. The Rivne exercise has a certain deterrent nature.

This year's Rivne exercise did not invite observers from various countries, so some people are curious about the content of the Rivne exercise. This is normal.

The Tsar solved the problem in a simple and crude way and ordered all residents within a hundred square kilometers around Rivne to be relocated. This work must be completed before the start of the Rivne exercise next year.

When the Rivne exercise begins next year, participating troops can shoot and kill any idlers found during the exercise.

On September 9, the Tsar awarded George a first-class medal of "St. Andre" at the summary meeting of the Rovno exercise. George therefore became the youngest recipient of the "St. Andre" medal in Russian history.

Nicholas is the second youngest. He also received a first-class medal of "Saint Andre".

Brusinov also gained something. He received a second-class "St. George" medal and was appointed commander of the 3rd Cavalry Division.

The 3rd Cavalry Division was part of the Guards Corps, and Brusinov was able to achieve success in one fell swoop and gain the attention of the Tsar.

George also had the opportunity to become a division commander.

Considering that in next year's exercise, George will fight with a regiment against a division, George can only stay in the Oak Regiment.

Nikolai left the Oak Regiment after the Rivne maneuvers, and George officially became the commander of the Oak Regiment.

He is also the youngest legion commander in the history of the empire.

Nikolai is also the second youngest.

George did not return to St. Petersburg with the troops, but took a train to Yekaterinburg. He wanted to inspect his property, and there was a very good reason.

Yekaterinburg is 2300 versts from Rivne (one verst is 1.0668 kilometers), and it takes 7 days by train.

This time George did not take a military train, but a civilian train.

Civilian trains are also divided into grades. George chartered two carriages alone, one for George's own use and one for use by members of the Guard.
  Only then did George realize how expensive transportation costs are in Russia.

George had always known that transportation in Russia was lagging behind.

But to what extent he lags behind, George has no personal experience.

George had taken trains before, either military trains or royal trains with Nicholas, and the journey was smooth.

Civilian trains are not qualified to be special. The trains stop and go, and it takes 2300 days to travel 7 versts, and this does not include the cost.

Most of Russia's railways are privately controlled, and railway charges are extremely high. The cost of transporting wheat by railway will increase by one percent for every 30 miles traveled. The price of wheat transported from Yekaterinburg to Rivne will be higher than that in Yekaterinburg. An increase of 76%.

This can also explain why the circulation of materials in Russia is so difficult.

For George, there is a more important question.

St. Petersburg is 10,000 kilometers away from Vladivostok. The railway is winding and winding, and the final length must be more than 10,000 kilometers.

Even if it only counts 333 kilometers, according to the cost of material circulation in Russia, the cost of transporting materials from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg will increase by %——

What kind of business is this? The wheat from Vladivostok sent to St. Petersburg is more expensive than the local beef sold in St. Petersburg. Only a fool would buy it.

There is only one way to change this situation, which is to strive to nationalize the railways and keep them firmly in the hands of the empire.

(End of this chapter)