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, we stayed at Gatchina Palace for dinner as usual. Yasan took the initiative to ask about the situation in Vladivostok. George did not hide anything and told everything, including Little Nikolai's telegram.
Even if George didn’t say anything, Korff would definitely report to the Tsar.
"Are all those prisoners dead?" Ya San seemed to be casual, but George understood what he meant.
“Yes, they are all dead——”
It’s impossible not to 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? , it depends on the specific situation.
After all, Tsarist Russia also has its own national conditions.
There were many things that the Tsar could not settle with just one word.
“The railway construction has already started in Vladivostok, when will it start in Chelyabinsk?” Nikolai is obsessed with the Siberian Railway.
Several editions of the design drawings of the Trans-Siberian Railway have been made, and the European part will be built starting from Chelyabinsk.
Building a railway 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 install 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. Everything costs money, and Yasan sometimes wants to borrow money from George.
When George and Nicholas 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 5 million rubles.
This is just the profit of cosmetics in Russia.
George also has a factory in France, and the profits from cosmetics are only much higher than those in Russia.
Asan knew that George installed the telescope on the rifle, which effectively increased the range of the rifle.
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 is not counting the local specialties that George brought from the Balkans.
Including Vladivostok’s development speed, it also surprised Ya San.
Before granting Vladivostok to George, Ya San 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 is 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 required.
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 Yasan hadn’t watched George grow up, Yasan would have doubted whether George was a magician.
"Counting on Posiete, the Trans-Siberian Railway will never be started." Nicholas did not like these so-called important ministers of the empire, they were too inefficient.
If there was no George as a comparison, then Nicholas might have believed 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 can’t be repaired, it can’t be repaired, and it has to wait.
George waits.
The empire does not allocate money to 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 too many lice but was not 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 is struggling hard. He is a steel factory and Vladivostok University. Why, it is obvious You can be patient.
George had already been mentally prepared.
Sue, sue at will, as long as George and Jane are in the emperor's heart - as long as the brothers are of the same mind, George will not be 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’d like to think—can I afford it?” George curled his lips. Workers in St. Petersburg really couldn’t afford it.
Don’t talk about workers.
George hired veterans from Russia and Europe, and the cost per person was equivalent to 10 rubles.
How much does it cost to hire people from the Qing Empire?
Just 2 rubles.
The difference is so big, 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, this cannot be blamed on the workers in St. Petersburg.
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 even pigs. Not as good as anything.
If it were George, George would have pulled the pole to rebel.
"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. He dared to file a black case against me. How brave!
"George——" The Tsar did not 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 brink of collapse. It would be fine if the Japanese were willing to be lonely, but the Japanese are high-spirited. Proud, small stature but big ambition, so Japan will become our main opponent 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.
The think tank of Yasan indeed thinks so.
So Korff telegraphed George's judgment and sent it back to St. Petersburg, causing an uproar that makes Ya San feel frightened when he thinks about it now.
How should I put it?
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’s okay to be uneducated and incompetent, but to be alarmist is really just childish talk.
After selling off state-owned assets, Japan's Meiji Restoration has become a joke. It seems that the salaries of soldiers 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 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 death.
“What do you know?” Ya San knew that George had his own news channel.
George was doing business with the Japanese in Vladivostok.
Mikhail also sent people to Japan to illegally hire labor.
It is normal if George knows some news that St. Petersburg does 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 quite believe George’s judgment, because Japan had no ability to threaten Russia.
George couldn't explain it.
Let’s wait and 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 undefeated record and easily defeated The other two participating teams once again stole the show.
George brought gifts to each of Demeter, 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 did not forget to tell a few people not to drink too much at one time, otherwise the body will not be able to bear it.
“In the two years you have been in Vladivostok, you have just worked hard to do this?” Vasily was heartbroken 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)