I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 176 It’s itchy, right?

After not seeing each other for a few months, Nicholas has a few new faces around him.

This is normal. When Nicholas becomes Tsar in the future, he will also need his own team. George cannot do everything by himself.

In the evening, they stayed for dinner at Gatchina Palace as usual. Yasan took the initiative to ask about the situation in Vladivostok. George did not hide anything and told everything, including the telegram from Little Nikolai.

Even if George didn't say anything, Korff would definitely have to report to the Czar.

"Are all those prisoners dead?" Ya San seemed to be casual, but George understood what he meant.

"Yes, they are all dead——"

It won't work if I don't die now.

"The conditions in Vladivostok are too harsh. You are right. The empire should try its best to provide better protection for immigrants developing Siberia." This is what the tsar said. How to do it depends on the specific situation. .

After all, Tsarist Russia also has its own national conditions here.

There were many things that the Tsar could not settle with just one word.

"Vladivostok has already started building the railway. When will it start in Chelyabinsk?" Nikolai is obsessed with the Siberian Railway.

Several versions of the design drawings of the Trans-Siberian Railway have been made, and the European part was built starting from Chelyabinsk.

Railway construction is a big project. When George builds a railway in Vladivostok, he must report it to St. Petersburg.

Calculating the time, work should have started by now.

"Posiette is making preparations. This is a big project, so be patient." Ya San also wanted to start construction as soon as possible, but the empire's strength did not allow it.

Many things have been squeezed together in the past two years. The army needs to upgrade to new rifles, the navy needs to build new ships, the empire's expansion in the Far East has encountered obstacles, and George has to build railways, and everything costs money. Three sometimes wanted to borrow money from George.

When George and Nicola were working together to sell wine, Ya San only regarded it as a child's game and didn't take it to heart.

George's business grew bigger and bigger, and the empire also received corresponding taxes. Yasan was still very happy, and even gave George the exclusive right to sell champagne in St. Petersburg.

But what George did next was far beyond Ya San's imagination.

Ya San never knew that a small cosmetic product could have such huge profits. George's current deposits in the Imperial Bank alone exceeded 500 million rubles.

This is just the profit of cosmetics in Russia.

George also has a factory in France, and the profits of cosmetics are only much higher than those in Russia.

Ya San knew that George installed the telescope on the rifle, which effectively increased the rifle's range.

But who would have thought that a small telescope would actually allow George to start a lucrative business.

The raw materials of cosmetics are actually pearls and ginseng. Although the price is a bit expensive, it is still worth it.

The main raw material of sunglasses is sand. A pair of ordinary sunglasses actually costs 10 rubles in St. Petersburg. If you buy sand, ten rubles can buy an entire car.

This doesn't count the local specialties that George brought from the Balkans.

Including the speed of development in Vladivostok, Ya San was also surprised.

Before sealing Vladivostok to George, Yasan knew exactly what Vladivostok was like.

So when Nicholas asked Asan to give George more land, Asan readily agreed, because the entire Amur was a barren land and could not generate any profits. It didn't matter whether the area was larger or smaller.

George was Ya San's younger brother. He was kicked by Ya San and sent to the far East. It was not good to hear the news.

If the chassis is larger, it will block the mouths of many people. The quality is not enough, so quantity is needed.

It has only been three years since George really started developing Vladivostok.

In the past three years, Vladivostok has gone from being a barren land that could not even be self-sufficient in food to producing steel, shotguns, timber and coal, and even exporting it to make money.

Now Vladivostok can even produce cars.

If Ya San hadn't watched George grow up, Ya San would have doubted whether George was a magician.

"Counting on Posiete, the Trans-Siberian Railway will never start construction." Nicholas didn't like these so-called important ministers of the empire. They were too inefficient.

If there were no George as a comparison, then Nicholas might just believe the words of those important officials of the empire.

For example, the construction period is long, the cost is high, and the manpower is insufficient.

In short, it just cannot be repaired, it cannot be repaired, and it has to wait.

George didn't wait.

The empire does not appropriate funds for George, but invests it himself.

If there are no rails, we will produce them ourselves.

If there are no workers, hire them from the Qing Empire——

Speaking of workers, Nicholas suddenly remembered something.

"George, someone filed a lawsuit against you a few days ago——"

"What's this for?" George had so many lice that he didn't feel itchy.

Everything that is good in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. There are so many governors and lords in the empire, and they all keep to themselves. George is the only one who works hard. He is a steel factory and Vladivostok University. Why don't you show your ability?

George had already been mentally prepared.

Sue, sue whatever you want, as long as George Jane is in the heart of the emperor - As long as brothers are of the same mind, George is not afraid.

"Why don't you hire workers from St. Petersburg, but instead hire a large number of workers from the Qing Empire?" Nicholas did not answer George's question.

"I wonder - can you afford it?" George curled his lips. Workers in St. Petersburg really couldn't afford it.

Don't even talk about workers.

George hired veterans from Russia and Europe, and the cost per person was equivalent to 10 rubles.

How much did it cost to hire people from the Qing Empire?

Just 2 rubles.

The difference is so huge, but every capitalist knows what to do.

The key is not about money.

The workers in St. Petersburg were more or less spoiled by the laws of the Russian Empire. George was worried that if a large number of workers were hired from St. Petersburg, Vladivostok would sooner or later be like Paris, with a small riot every three days and a big riot every five days.

In fact, the workers in St. Petersburg cannot be blamed.

Workers work to support their families.

However, the capitalists in St. Petersburg find trouble every now and then and deduct their wages. The workers in St. Petersburg do not have any welfare guarantees. They wake up earlier than chickens, go to bed later than dogs, work more than donkeys, and eat less than pigs.

If it were George, George would have pulled the pole and rebelled.

"Let me just say, George is the super duke of the empire, how could he harm the interests of the empire!" Nicholas looked proud, very proud of George.

"Who is suing me? What's the reason?" George's character in St. Petersburg is that he must retaliate, so he dared to sue me. How brave!

"George——" The Tsar didn't want the situation to escalate. There were really not many people in St. Petersburg who could support the combination of George and Nicholas.

"What reasons are you basing your judgment on Japan on?" Yasan is still very concerned about the situation in East Asia.

"Japan -" George pondered, and organized his words before speaking: "-The situation in Japan is very dangerous, and the domestic economy has reached the edge of collapse. It would be fine if the Japanese are willing to be lonely, but the Japanese are arrogant and small in stature. We have great ambitions, so Japan will become our main rival in East Asia sooner or later."

"Not the Qing Empire? Or the United Kingdom?" Ya San's judgment on East Asia was different from George's.

It is estimated that the entire Russia, that is, George, raised Japan's threat to the Russian Empire to a level higher than that of the Qing Empire and the United Kingdom.

Anyone else would probably not think that Japan would have a bright future.

Yasan’s think tank certainly thinks so.

So Korff telegraphed George's judgment back to St. Petersburg, causing an uproar that makes Ya San still tremble in fear when he thinks about it now.

how to say--

That should be the first time that all the imperial ministers who are qualified to participate in the imperial meeting have made a concerted effort to despise someone.

It doesn’t matter if you are uneducated and have no skills, but you are still talking alarmist. It is really just a child’s talk.

After selling off state-owned assets, Japan's Meiji Restoration has become a joke. It seems that soldiers' salaries can no longer be paid. How can it pose a threat to Russia?

If you don't give me food to eat, will I be disgusted to death?
  "This time around the controversy over Juwen Island, the tacit understanding between Britain and Japan is worthy of our attention." George said as vaguely as possible, allowing Ya San to express himself freely.

George can't just say directly that Britain will form an alliance with Japan to deal with Russia together.

Don't forget that Ya San and the British Crown Prince are on the same side, and the Queen and Princess are biological sisters.

If George dared to say this directly, he would not be a magician, but would be seeking his own death.

"What do you know?" Ya San knew that George had his own information channels.

George was doing business with the Japanese in Vladivostok.

Mikhail also sent people to Japan to illegally hire labor.

It would be normal if George knew some information that St. Petersburg did not know.

"Britain will probably not end up in the Far East personally, but Japan may become a dog raised by the British." George can be regarded as seeing through the nature of the Japanese.

"But Japan has no qualifications to confront the empire." Ya San didn't believe George's judgment, because Japan had no ability to threaten Russia.

George couldn't explain it.

Then we'll see.

After dinner at Gatchina Palace, George went directly back to Oak Group.

The Oak Regiment transferred a battalion to Vladivostok last year, and the vacancy has now been filled. Demet performed well in the position of deputy commander. In last year's Rivno exercise, the Oak Regiment continued its unbeaten record and easily defeated the other two participating units. , once again stole the show.

George brought gifts to each of Demet, Vasily, and Andrei. In addition to shotguns, there were also some chair decorations and medicinal wine that men loved.

Demeter, Vasily, and Andre actually haven't needed supplements yet.

But it doesn’t matter, you can give it away if you don’t need it. The effect of this thing is very immediate.

George also did not forget to tell several people not to drink too much at one time, otherwise the body will not be able to bear it.

"You have been in Vladivostok for two years, and this is what you have done?" Vasily felt very sad for George. You are the most promising star of the empire, how can you not do your job properly?

"Your skin is itchy, right?" George's words successfully brought back Vasily's painful memories.

(End of this chapter)