Chapter 152: Gold everywhere
It is the German suggestion to lure Russia into the water at the expense of military ports.
This thing itself is weird.
Mu Linde is a German. He is not a German diplomat, but an aide of Li Zhangtong. He was personally sent to Goryeo by Li Zhangtong to assist Goryeo in handling taxes, instead of accepting the assignment from the Qing Empire.
Then the problem arises.
After Li Zhangtong's staff arrived in Goryeo, they did not focus on taxation, but they always encouraged Goryeo's independence and actively sought a protectorate for Goryeo.
What does Mu Linde want to do?
Want to be the regent of Goryeo?
Until he understood the whole story, George could not figure out Mulind's motives. The cruise ship "Dolgorukov" arrived in Cyprus. , picked up Ekaterina who was waiting in Cyprus, and headed to Vladivostok together.
Boarding the "Dolgorukov" with Ekaterina was another large number of machines, including the latest improved generators from Siemens in Germany and several boxes of carbon dioxide from the United States. filament light bulb.
The appearance of the light bulb made George overjoyed.
In St. Petersburg, even the Gatchina Palace is lit entirely by candles. Not to mention light bulbs, there is no electricity.
The carbon filament light bulb was invented by American Edison. It can be lit for 1,200 hours in the laboratory. Although its lifespan is reduced in actual use, it has practical value after all.
The carbon filament light bulb was not invented by Edison, but by Henry Goebbels. Henry Goebbels invented the carbon filament light bulb in 1854. At that time, it could already light up for 400 hours, but Henry Goebbels Goebbels did not apply for a patent, so someone took advantage.
George can’t make a light bulb.
But George knew that future light bulbs would use tungsten filaments.
So——
Think about how big the lighting market is around the world.
This is another business with unlimited prospects.
"Your Yuriev Palace has been built. This winter, we will install electric lights in Yuriev Palace to illuminate every corner." Ekaterina was very excited. So much better than candles and safer than oil lamps.
"I think we need a hydropower station." George was deeply impressed by the rich hydropower resources around Vladivostok.
Vladivostok is just a small piece of flat land surrounded by mountains.
The hydropower resources around Vladivostok are very rich. There are several famous rivers, which fully have the potential to develop hydropower.
George wants to start industry in Vladivostok, which cannot be separated from the power supply. Water and electricity are cheap and environmentally friendly, and he can make huge profits. George has no reason to refuse.
“What is a hydropower station?” Ekaterina didn’t know what a hydropower station was. Otherwise, given Ekaterina’s character, she would have to buy one for George.
"Hydropower stations use water resources to generate electricity. The principle is similar to Siemens' generators." George's explanation was a bit general, but it was enough.
Ekaterina held George's head, kissed him happily on the forehead, and praised loudly: "My son is smart!"
George can only say that you are always happy. good.
The cruise ship was not slow either. It passed through the Strait of Malacca via the Suez Canal and entered the Sea of Japan. George specifically ordered it to pass by Jeju Island and Jumun Island.
Although the Siberian Fleet obtained the authority to build a military port on Jeju Island, a year has passed and the construction has not yet started.
This efficiency is very Russian.
The British moved very quickly, and there were already military camps and water forts on Juwen Island.
What’s disgusting is that Jumun Island is located further north than Jeju and closer to the Koryo Peninsula. This is indeed a thorn in the Siberian Fleet’s throat.
"What, I thought the British were so smart. If they occupied Jumun Island, wouldn't they be flanked by Jeju and Vladivostok from the north and south?" Ekaterina felt that she was too Smart, George must have inherited his intelligence.
This is true in theory, but if it is to be put into practice, it depends on who has more ships and whose ship is bigger.
The Siberian fleet only had gunboats.
The British Far East Fleet consists of battleships and cruisers.
The "Dolgorukov" did not stop at Jeju or Jumun Island, but went directly north to Vladivostok.
Compared with when I left at the beginning of the year, Vladivostok has changed a lot.
When George arrived in Vladivostok last year, Vladivostok was still a white land, with nothing around the port.
This year, large tracts of wooden houses have been built around the port. These wooden houses were all built for Cossack veterans.
Among the large wooden houses, a two-story red brick building is particularly eye-catching. This is the Vladivostok Port Authority.
With the Port Authority, ships entering and leaving the port of Vladivostok will have to pay taxes, and George's own ship is no exception.
Mikhail still greeted George and Ekaterina on the pier. Behind him were 600 Cossack soldiers, who were the first batch of soldiers in Vladivostok.
A group of Cossack soldiers from the Guards retired in the middle of the year. After George's mobilization, nearly 2,000 Cossacks chose to visit Vladivostok.
Veterans' travel to Vladivostok is free of charge. They can eat, drink, have fun and get paid in Vladivostok. How can such a good thing be possible? But in fact, after arriving in Vladivostok, these Cossacks not only had good food and accommodation, but also had 50 kopecks of pocket money every day. So after two months, nearly 1,000 Cossacks chose to stay.
George didn’t know what the Cossacks who finally left Vladivostok thought.
But these Cossacks who choose to stay will one day be grateful for today's decision.
Not all the Cossacks who stayed chose to join the army.
George could understand and accept it. As long as he was willing to stay, whether it was farming or working in a factory, George would welcome him.
Of course, if you join a factory, the salary will not be so high.
There is no salary at all for farming.
The person responsible for training these Cossacks was Panchenko, a retired officer of the Siberian Fleet. He did not return to Europe after being discharged like other retired officers of the Siberian Fleet, but chose to stay in Vladivostok.
This is also a horse bone. Even if Panchenko doesn’t know anything, George will keep him.
The troop's camp was next to the Siberian Fleet sailors' dormitory. George arranged for Yeroshin and Panchenko to take the troops back to the camp first, and he and Yekaterina got into the carriage and went to Yuriev Palace.
"There are too many things. I can't handle it alone. I need a vacation. I need a rest. Even a mule must take a break." Mikhail was unhappy. The year has been so busy.
The Chinese workers who left Vladivostok before winter last year actually brought more workers to Vladivostok this spring, and some even brought their families with them, preparing to settle here.
It goes without saying that the settlement part is about providing a house and land immediately. Although the house is not big, it is enough to house a family.
Although the land is not large, the property rights are always privately owned.
In addition to houses and land, Vladivostok officials also gave free food, clothing, and even fuel so that they could survive the first winter smoothly.
The power of role models is endless. This year, more than 100 Chinese households in Vladivostok applied for naturalization. They became the first batch of official residents of the new Vladivostok and were dispersed into four farms.
The construction of the factory is also going very smoothly. With the addition of new workers this year, the number of foreign workers in Vladivostok has reached 30,000. Many of them will not leave Vladivostok this winter. Most of the workers will The money earned this year will be sent to my family through the post office.
Last winter, out of distrust of Vladivostok officials, many people chose to return to their hometowns to test the attitude of Vladivostok officials.
Vladivostok officials not only did not stop them, but after paying their salaries in full, they also sent people to protect these workers from returning to their hometowns and ensure that they arrived home safely.
This behavior has been recognized by foreign workers. Since the money earned can be sent home, many workers really choose to stay in Vladivostok to celebrate the New Year in order to save ferry tickets.
This year has not been in vain. Now there are many factories in Vladivostok that need workers, and you can get paid even if you work in the factory.
"Don't complain, Dalia will come to help you, and the situation will get better and better." George knew that Mikhail had worked very hard in the past two years, but there was nothing he could do.
Industrialization is not easy to achieve. It requires the persistent efforts of one generation or even several generations to see the results.
The situation here in George is much better. After all, George has very profitable factories in his hands, and the rate of primitive accumulation of capital has been greatly accelerated. In a few years, Vladivostok will become the leading industrial city in the Far East.
In fact, there is no need to wait a few years, Vladivostok is already here.
At the moment in 1885, Japan’s ironworks were still an empty shell and could not make iron at all.
The Qing Dynasty did have steel mills, but they were inefficient, with backward production capacity and poor technology. They could not compare with George's steel mill.
Vladivostok can now not only make guns, but also produce smokeless gunpowder. For this alone, Vladivostok is unrivaled.
"Great, I'm going to have a good sleep, no one should disturb me." Mikhail really started to snore, he was so tired.
There are guards stationed at the foot of the mountain where Yuriev Palace is located. There are guard residences next to the palace, and even bunkers and forts.
George looked at the bronze cannon on the fort, feeling a little dazed and didn't know where it was dragged from.
"Last year the Siberian Fleet decommissioned a gunboat. This is the artillery that was removed from the gunboat. It is no longer usable -" Mikhail steeled himself and introduced the Yuriev Palace to George.
The heavy machine gun in the bunker is real. This gun was not sent from St. Petersburg, but made by the weapons factory.
While in St. Petersburg, master Igor and his apprentice used crude robotic hands to rub heavy machine guns.
Now that there are more advanced machines, Master Igor and his apprentice have not given up on their craftsmanship.
Although the heavy machine gun uses paper shell bullets, its propellant is smokeless gunpowder. Its performance is not bad, and people can still be killed.
The decoration in Yuriev Palace has also been completed. The carpets in George's study and the decorations on the chairs are all banned materials that cannot be written on.
These materials were obtained by the guards of Yuriev Palace while hunting in their spare time.
George couldn't help but said: "Where are the bones?"
Although George doesn't need that thing yet, he can get it back to St. Petersburg and sell it to the grand dukes. They will definitely need it.
(End of this chapter)