Chapter 842 The Great Famine in Kiev
In the ten years since the end of the World War, at least 200,000 Germans have become Russian citizens, and most of them are high-quality talents in the usual sense.
After taking office, Mustache called on these Germans who had become Russian citizens to return to work in Germany and promised to provide them with the same welfare benefits as Russia.
It is true that some ethnic Germans responded to the call of the German government and returned to Germany to work.
Germans who continue to work in Russia are also actively donating money and materials to Germany, hoping that the Russian government will increase its assistance to Germany.
Guchkov complied with public opinion and decided to cooperate more closely with Germany.
George received a report from Alpha, which stated that two consecutive years of reduced agricultural production had led to food shortages in some areas.
George is surprised and orders Alpha to investigate deeper.
Half a month later, Alpha head Makarov came to Yuriev Palace in person to report to George face to face.
"It is true that food supply is tight in some areas, including the Don River Basin, the Caucasus, and around Kiev——"
Makarov's report was shocking.
The Don River Basin has always been Russia's main grain-producing area, and food shortages should not occur here.
Kiev is one of the three largest black soils in the world, and there is no reason for a food shortage to break out here.
As for the Caucasus, the cause of food shortages is not natural disasters, but more like man-made disasters.
"We dispatched investigation teams to 12 areas around Kiev. The situation is far more serious than we imagined. In remote areas around Kiev, people have died due to malnutrition——"
Makarov's wording was quite euphemistic. The so-called death from malnutrition is death from starvation.
George suddenly remembered that in another time and space, around 1932, there seemed to be a great famine that killed millions of people around Kiev.
There are different opinions on the death toll caused by this famine. Some believe that it was around 2 million, while others claim that it was as high as 10 million.
Whether it is 2 million or 10 million, it is unacceptable to George.
In another time and space, 1932, Russia still exported a large amount of grain despite successive years of poor agricultural harvests. To complete the task of grain collection, collectors adopted rough methods and took away farmers' rations and seeds, which ultimately led to this tragedy.
Russia now also exports a large amount of grain to Europe, but with Russia's current agricultural scale, even if the grain harvest fails in some areas, it should not be serious enough to starve to death.
"Our state-owned farms in various places are operating well. Due to the use of a large number of agricultural machinery and fertilizers, grain output has increased year after year; the situation of homesteaders in various places is not very optimistic. They have serious resistance to agricultural machinery and fertilizers and still use traditional farming methods. Last year The fodder harvest failed in winter, resulting in the death of a large number of livestock, and low grain prices also led to a lack of enthusiasm among farmers to grow grain crops. This is also one of the important reasons for the decline in grain production in the past two years. ”
Makarov's report made George unable to sit still, so George simply took Makarov directly to Guchkov.
Guchkov was receiving the newly arrived US Secretary of State Stimson.
The tariff war initiated by Hoover intensified, and U.S. exports of goods suffered serious setbacks.
Stimson's purpose in coming to Russia this time was to hope that Russia would open its market to American goods.
George was curious, wondering how Americans could be so brave.
"Tell Alexander I'm waiting for him."
George was very angry. Guchkov had been somewhat drifting in the past two years.
Guchkov did not dare to let George wait, and hurriedly sent Stimson away to see George.
George handed Alpha's report to Guchkov and let Guchkov read it himself.
Guchkov climbed over quickly, his expression becoming more and more solemn.
"When did this happen?"
Guchkov seemed completely unaware.
George was disappointed with Guchkov's performance, which cannot be summarized as "oversight."
Against the background of the economic crisis, Russia stands out and almost completely drives out American products from Europe, achieving a great victory.
"It's happening, and if it's not taken seriously, more people will starve to death."
George also blamed himself. He had received a report about a reduction in grain production a few months ago, but George did not pay attention to it at that time.
Russian agriculture is backed by state farms. Food in most cities is provided by state farms. Even if food production decreases, people will not starve to death.
"Ivan, call all the ministers and hold an emergency meeting."
Guchkov's face turned red. If the Americans found out about this, they would laugh out loud.
But Americans have no right to laugh at Russia, because more people in the United States are suffering from famine.
Russia is not greatly affected by the economic crisis, but ordinary Americans are suffering from pain and hunger.
During the Great Depression, widespread malnutrition and famine occurred in the United States, resulting in a large number of abnormal deaths.
Due to the lack of relevant statistical data, no one knows how many people have starved to death in the United States. The so-called "8 million" is just a guess, and the reliability is about the same as the "10 million" in Russia.
"This, this is so ridiculous and unbelievable——"
Guchkov did not question the authenticity of the report, but was surprised that the situation was so serious.
"Notify war preparation warehouses in various places to urgently mobilize food to alleviate the disaster."
George couldn't wait for the meeting. The Russian military had its own supply system.
During the Russian Empire, George worked hard to promote the standardization of Russian military logistics and achieved remarkable results.
Russia's four major military regions and each province have their own war preparation warehouses. The stored grain is enough for Russians to eat for a year. New grain is put into the warehouse every year, and old grain is mostly exported. The problem lies in this link.
In order to ensure that there is enough grain for export, various regions must ensure the collection of new grain. This is not a big problem in good years, but conflicts abound in disaster years.
"Tell Karl to temporarily stop grain exports to Europe."
Guchkov doesn't yet understand how serious the situation is.
Although Alpha's report is detailed, the scope of the investigation is not comprehensive enough. All levels of Russian governments need to take comprehensive action to know how serious the situation is.
Before that, exports must be stopped.
"We still have surplus grain at the national farm in Siberia that can be mobilized, and train transportation will be arranged immediately."
George's orders came one after another, and the situation now is similar to that during the World War.
During the World War, food shortages also broke out in major Russian cities, and people even starved to death in St. Petersburg.
At that time, Russian people were not short of food, but there was food that could not be transported out.
Russia's current transportation situation has made great progress compared with that during the World War. As long as departments at all levels take quick action, the disaster will be alleviated soon.
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Mannerheim was fast and was the first to reach the Alexander Palace.
"How could this happen?"
Mannerheim also couldn’t believe that Russia is the breadbasket of Europe.
"The international situation in the past few years seems to have given us a feeling that Russia has won, which makes some of us forget ourselves. All of us, including me, have a responsibility."
George has calmed down now. The responsibility must be held and more introspection is needed.
"When this matter is over, I will take the initiative to resign——"
Guchkov felt heavy, and Alpha's report was like a slap in the face.
Guchkov has focused on external output in the past two years, and has indeed been a bit neglectful internally.
But to say that resignation is not that serious, at least until a suitable successor is found, Guchkov still has to work.
Little Felix also arrived quickly and read the report without saying a word.
Vasily and Peter didn't speak either, and they occasionally made eye contact.
"This is my responsibility and I should be responsible for it."
Interior Minister Grachev looked ashamed. He was the first person responsible.
"You hand over the work to Sharapov first, and we will discuss your questions later."
Guchkov initiated the accountability process and Sharapov became the first deputy minister.
"Gentlemen, we should all be ashamed, it is our disgrace!"
Guchkov's face was livid. An hour ago, he and Stimson were discussing crossing the ocean to rule the country. Unexpectedly, trouble broke out in Russia.
"Immediately mobilize food into the disaster area and conduct a comprehensive investigation at the same time."
Guchkov worked hard to deal with the aftermath, and this time he really learned a profound lesson.
After the meeting, Vasily got into George's car.
"I actually know a bit about this. Last time I went to Warsaw, I heard some news——"
Vasily's reaction did not appear in Alpha's report.
After the civil war, the liquidation of the Russian government was not complete, and there were a large number of members of the provisional government around Kiev.
Although these members of the provisional government escaped liquidation, they have always been the focus of local governments' care, and naturally became the focus of food expropriation. Therefore, the rudeness of the collectors was retaliation for these members of the provisional government.
“So, those behaviors of hanging women from the ceiling, tortured, putting ropes around their necks and throwing them into the Don River Ice Cave are all justified?”
George was speechless, even revenge must have a limit.
"George, you can't expect all Russians to become civilized overnight."
Vasily's attitude is tolerant, which is what Russians are like. It was even more excessive in the Russian imperial era. If you describe it truthfully, you will get a 404.
"Since we have promised to only punish the culprits and not correct the followers, we should do it."
George was tired. The behavior of some Russians was indeed as barbaric as the British publicized.
This is not just a problem in Russia, it is the same in all countries. To truly change people's habits, we must start with education.
"I remember you also said that you should do your best to eliminate evil——"
Vasily's eyes squinted, and he looked at you as a double standard.
"This is an internal contradiction——"
George realized mid-sentence that whether it was an internal conflict or a conflict between ourselves and the enemy, the key was how to identify it.
Those who hand over the grain are Russians, and those who receive the grain are also Russians. From this perspective, it is indeed an internal contradiction.
One side of the Russian character is that they have a clear distinction between love and hate, so the internal contradictions that George thinks are probably outright conflicts between ourselves and the enemy in the eyes of many Russians.
(End of chapter)