I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 357 Declaration of War
Everyone wants to take a piece of the cake of the China Eastern Railway, but it is impossible for someone to swallow it in one bite.

Kanto State is not Amur, nor is it George's private fiefdom. The Grand Dukes of St. Petersburg probably believe that they and George have equal opportunities.

George could only say that the princes were used to being unscrupulous in St. Petersburg and did not understand what it meant to be a local coward.

It's just that the local refugees or bandits really don't have the ability to force the road convoy to withdraw from the Ice City.

Kanto Continent is not only filled with refugees and bandits, but also Cossacks from Russia.

This is normal. The Cossacks were originally bandits. They couldn't survive in the Russian Empire, so they had no choice but to go to the Qing Empire to make a living.

George admitted that Amur sold the gun, and the Cossacks definitely did not run away from Amur.

The Siberian Military District next to the Amur Military District also has many Cossacks.

"I want to ask you about this. We need to hire local workers to build roads. Your relationship with the locals is so bad. Are the locals still willing to work for us?"

George began to take the blame. If his selfish interests affected the construction of the China-Eastern Railway, St. Petersburg would be held accountable.

Ukhtomsky glared at Vasily.

George treats security as a business. This is the difference between professional and amateur.

Ye Luoxin's words made Alexeyev blush with shame.

Ukhtomsky was right, the way of doing things was wrong.

"No matter who it is, the key question now is, what should we do?"

"That's not farmers, it's definitely an organized army."

It was only after Ukhtomsky arrived at Yuriev Palace that he learned that George had not invited Alexeyev.

Before the China Eastern Railway project was approved, George established the China Eastern Railway Company to undertake the construction business of the China Eastern Railway.

In the evening, George hosted a banquet for Ukhtomsky at the Yuriev Palace.

"I'm not targeting you, I just want some people to know that the Far East is not St. Petersburg."

After the China Eastern Railway is completed, its operation and maintenance will also be the responsibility of the China Eastern Railway Company.

"George, you really gave me a big problem."

If George is also responsible for the security work, then Daosheng Bank's only right is settlement.

Besides George and Ukhtomsky, the only other guest was Prince Vasily Suvorov.

Ukhtomsky could not escape, he was responsible for the empire and the investments of the Grand Dukes of St. Petersburg.

"The road protection team formed after the military model was actually beaten back by the farmers. You are really giving the empire face -"

The grand dukes of St. Petersburg couldn't make any money in Kanto State, so they patted their butts and returned to St. Petersburg, running and dancing like horses.

"I'm laughing at you, you can't even make money -"

No one else is qualified to sit with the three of them.

George could still hold it in, but Vasily lost control and burst into laughter.

What did I say wrong?

George sat at the head of the table with great style.

Alexeyev only realized this later.

The Russian-French consortium worked hard for so long and spent tens of millions of rubles, all of which were used to make George's wedding clothes.

But that doesn't make sense.

Ukhtomsky is the chairman of Dowson Bank and the first person in charge of China Eastern Railway.

"Kanto Prefecture is not Amur——"

George was in no hurry.

Ukhtomsky was unwilling to give in, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Vasily's job is to act as George's mouthpiece.

Therefore, the opponent of the road protection team is at least not the army of the Qing Empire.

It was said to be a banquet, but in fact there were only three people.

In informal settings, Ukhtomsky speaks more casually.

Understanding this, Alexeyev looked at George and Yeluoxin with suspicion.

When building a railway in Russia, the land management rights on both sides of the railway automatically belong to the railway company.

"Why don't we set up another Middle East railway security company."

What are you laughing at?

Ukhtomsky frowned, and he found that he had fallen into George's trap again.

Although the area along the Middle East Railway is the territory of the Qing Empire, according to the agreement between the Russian Empire and the Qing Empire, if the Qing army enters the area along the Middle East Railway, it needs the consent of Russia.

The management rights of the land on both sides of the China Eastern Railway are also owned by the China Eastern Railway Company.

Ukhtomsky and Alexeyev were speechless. They did not expect that the situation would deteriorate to this point.

The old face of Ukhtomsky was red. He had many identities: a duke, a biographer, a traveler, a gourmet, and now a banker.

Only when it comes to making money, Ukhtomski is really not good at it.

But this isn’t Ukhtomski’s problem either.

In Russia, no one dares to say that they are better at making money than George.

"How much profit can you get from robbing Qing farmers? How much money can you make from lumber mills? Is this what you so-called imperial elites know about making money?"

It’s hard to say how much military talent Vasily inherited from the God of War. In terms of being acrimonious and acrimonious, he was definitely better than his master.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Ukhtomsky masked his embarrassment with anger.

"You have to ask the Duke. I don't need to make money."

Vasily was also a talker. His salary and salary, as well as the interest generated from Olga's dowry, were enough to support the family.

"If you want to make quick money, of course you have to find a way to make money from the major shareholders——"

George knew that archdukes usually had little patience. The payback period for railways is very long, so in Russia before, this kind of business was not favored by the big bosses at all.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be those Hebrews’ turn.

Daosheng Bank is jointly invested by the Bank of Russia and the Bank of France. The French Bank accounts for the majority of the investment, but it is at a disadvantage in terms of voice.

Georgigen Ukhtomski did the math.

Daosheng Bank and the Siberian Fleet jointly established a road protection team, with Daosheng Bank investing 10 rubles.

There are only 250 people in the road protection team, and the average cost per person is 400 rubles.

The Eastern Railway covers more than 1700 kilometers within the Qing Empire alone. Is it enough for 250 people?

George made a big move, referring to the experience of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and directly increased the size of the road protection team to 1700 people per regiment.

"It's impossible, the board of directors can't agree to it."

Ukhtomsky was very disappointed. It turned out that the God of Wealth was just like this.

"Who has the final say on the board of directors——"

George chuckled.

There are 8 people on the board of directors of Daosheng Bank, 5 from Russia, and even the chairman is Russian.

So whether the board of directors agrees or not, it is the Russians who have the final say.

It's not the French who have the final say.

"This this--"

Ukhtomsky never imagined that he could still play like this.

The Russians are indeed too upright, no wonder they are tricked by the Europeans.

"Weapons and equipment for more than 1700 people, why should this cost one million rubles——"

"It won't take that much—"

Ukhtomsky's resistance became increasingly weak.

"It's up to me to decide how much to use."

George is the seller.

"France also has arsenals——"

"The Ice City is too cold. French equipment is not suitable for use in the Ice City. It will freeze -"

George is not worried about the French. The key is the distribution of interests on Russia's side.

French banks have already invested more than 4000 million rubles in the Middle East Railway, with another one or two million more to come.

George doesn't care how much the bank's budget is, he only makes what he deserves.

As for how the profits are distributed, that is Ukhtomsky's business.

If Ukhtomski is ignorant, George has plenty of ways to make him miserable.

George learned this method from the St. Petersburg Shipyard.

Sure enough, you have to live and learn.

However, if Daosheng Bank and George jointly set up a road protection team, there would be nothing wrong with the Siberian Fleet.

"Oh, what the hell is the Siberian Fleet!"

Vasily spoke arrogantly, this was the Grand Duke's game, and the Siberian Fleet Commander was not qualified to participate.

When Ukhtomsky walked out of Yuriev Palace, his head was dazed.

At night, Yuriev Palace looks like a tiger, overlooking the entire Far East.

With George's participation, the project progress immediately became smooth.

The Amur people have been building railways every day for the past few years and have extremely rich experience.

The requirements of the indigenous people are not high, they just want to survive. Based on this premise, they can tolerate even some losses in interests.

George sent people carrying gifts and visited the Bingcheng aborigines door to door. He took the initiative to show his goodwill and also said that the China Eastern Railway Company would hire road construction workers from the aborigines, and the welfare benefits would be the same as those of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Since the China Eastern Railway Company will renovate Bingcheng in the future, the Bingcheng aborigines will receive financial compensation if they are willing to relocate.

If you are willing to stay, there will be more job opportunities. In the future, the operation of the China-Eastern Railway will also require a large number of workers.

George Chicken Thief, in order to reduce the resistance of the aboriginal people, the staff sent out are all Chinese.

These staff members all at least graduated from primary school and received a complete primary education. In the words of the Qing Empire, they were all scholars.

If you have the right, you are not afraid of hooligans, but you are afraid that hooligans are educated.

When the physique of a barbarian and the temperament of a scholar are fused together, the effect is not as simple as 1+1=2, but increases exponentially.

Most of the indigenous people chose to stay.

Most of those who took the money and left chose to try their luck in Vladivostok.

In less than a month, the Haiyan River was clear.

The staff not only gave gifts but also helped the indigenous people solve practical difficulties.

There is a bearded man on Heixiazi Mountain near Bingcheng who does all kinds of evil.

Antonio, the newly arrived director of the security company, took the initiative to send people to Heixiazi Mountain, hoping that these people would take the initiative to go down the mountain and correct their evil ways.

Beard kept a respectful distance from the Russians, neither submissive nor hostile, hoping that the well would not offend the river.

Antonio does not allow any security risks within his jurisdiction. If he is not a friend, he is an enemy.

On April 4, Antonio Shuai's expedition team went to Heixiazi Mountain to encircle and suppress the enemy.

The expedition team was well equipped with not only repeating rifles but also mortars.

The equipment of these bearded men turned out to be pretty good. Many weapons were purchased from Vladivostok, which caused some trouble for the expedition team.

However, in the face of the mortar bombardment, Huzi was quickly defeated.

On April 4th, Spain declared war on the United States.

(End of this chapter)