Chapter 423 Fight for the Empire!
The situation in the Russian Empire is very special. It cannot achieve real combat effectiveness unless its life is hanging by a thread.
During the Russo-French War, Napoleon once captured Moscow. According to European standards, the capture of the capital marked Russia's defeat.
The Russians did not admit defeat. They fought hard on Russian soil and fought bloody battles with the French. When the 600,000 French troops withdrew from Russia, only 30,000 were left.
Losing the 9th Russo-Turkish War was not the end of the Russian Empire. Nicholas I could have done so and avenged his shame, but he committed suicide, which proved the tenacity of the Russians.
The bloody spirit of Nicholas I has disappeared from Nicholas II.
For the vast majority of Russians, they would rather have a Niyi who brings disaster to the country and the people than a peace-loving Yasan.
What’s more, Ni Er is a man with great ambition and little talent.
The Russian Empire, which had been hit hard, seemed to be at the end of its rope, and even the Tsar had surrendered.
The Russians did not accept this result. Although St. Petersburg stopped its reinforcements to the Far East, all the train stations along the Siberian Railway were crowded with Russians who volunteered to fight in the Far East.
After the war broke out, St. Petersburg carried out 4 mobilizations.
The news that Japan and Russia have begun negotiations in Washington is the strongest national mobilization signal for the Russian Empire since the war began.
Voznesensk in Ivanovo Region is the largest textile center in the Russian Empire. In May, a general strike involving more than 70,000 people broke out in Voznesensk, paralyzing the entire city.
During the strike in Voznesensk, the first workers' representative committee in Russia was established.
As the only member of the committee who actually came from a textile factory, Anton Milchuk had great popularity among Voznesensk textile workers.
At the beginning of the strike, the textile workers' demands were only for higher wages and reduced working hours.
The reason for increasing wages is that the income of textile workers simply cannot meet their basic living needs.
The reduction in working hours is because textile workers work up to 12 hours a day and are miserable.
These demands were all legitimate, so Anton Milchuk took the initiative to communicate with Ivanovo city officials and factory management on behalf of the workers, and achieved good results.
However, what happened next made Anton Milchuk unexpected.
After the Ivanovo city government and factory management agreed to the workers' demands, the workers' committee did not resume work, but demanded higher wages, paid vacations, workers entering management, equal pay for equal work, etc.
Let’s not talk about higher wages and paid vacations.
The so-called workers entering management certainly does not refer to front-line textile workers, but to members of the representative committee.
Equal pay for equal work is even more unacceptable to Ivanovo city officials.
Factory managers are professional managers hired by factory owners with high salaries. Most of them have high education and profound backgrounds. It is impossible for them to receive the same salary as front-line textile workers, otherwise the social order of the entire Russian Empire will be subverted. .
The attitude of the Representative Council was simple.
As long as the demands are not met, the strike will continue.
In early July, news of the start of negotiations between the Russian Empire and Japan reached Voznesensk, and the representatives of the Committee escalated their demands again, demanding that the Tsar be held responsible for the defeat.
To put it simply, I hope that Nicholas will follow Nicholas' example and commit suicide to apologize.
Anton Milchuk became confused.
Someone has to be responsible for the Empire's defeat.
Okay, the Tsar committed suicide to apologize.
But what happens after the Tsar commits suicide?
Crown Prince——
The Crown Prince is still young, less than one year old. It is impossible for him to work hard like Ya Er and lead the Russian Empire to avenge its previous disgrace.
"Russia is the Russia of the Russians, and power should be handed over to all Russians!"
The words of Murillo, the first member of the committee, were resonant, and he was worthy of being a newspaper editor who had worked in the UK.
But as the editor-in-chief of a British newspaper, shouldn’t you organize British reporters and editors to go on strike? At the worst, you should organize British textile workers to go on strike. Why do you go all the way to Voznesensk to support textile workers? For welfare.
Is the Voznesensk textile worker your father?
Murillo has become a British citizen. According to his theory, how the power of the Russian Empire is transferred is none of his business.
The strike that broke out in May had lasted for two months by July.
After the strike, the entire city was paralyzed. The reason why the people of Voznesensk did not starve to death was because the Sunshine Foundation from St. Petersburg distributed free food.
As a committee member, Anton Milchuk is not short of food, but he is also very grateful to the Sunshine Foundation.
After a day's work, Anton Milchuk returned home and unexpectedly found Lekinsky, who worked for the Sunshine Foundation, as a guest at home.
During this period, Anton Milchuk had a lot of contact with Lekinski due to work reasons. The two had a good relationship and truly regarded each other as friends.
"Anton, my friend, I have come to say goodbye to you."
Lekinski was in a low mood.
“Where are you going?”
Milcuk was surprised and did not realize the seriousness of the problem.
“I’m going back to Amur to join the war—no, I should say, I’m going back to Amur to join the war!”
"Return? Aren't you from St. Petersburg?" Only then did Milchuk realize that he didn't know his friend at all.
“I was born in St. Petersburg, but Amur is my home, my destination!”
Lekinsky’s eyes lit up when he mentioned Amur.
“Negotiations have begun, the war is over——”
Milchuk frowned. Lekinsky was a top student who graduated from St. Petersburg University. War was too far away for people like Lekinsky.
"No! Grand Duke Yuriev has not given up yet! Amur has not given up! The war is still going on! Victory will eventually belong to the empire!"
Although Lekinski is smiling, Mirchu But Ke felt that Lekinski's whole body was burning.
Milcuk has only seen this kind of firm and fanatical belief in the most devout ascetics.
"Saint Petersburg has already begun negotiations——"
Milchuk never expected that there would still be people persisting.
And it’s not just one person, there are thousands, dozens or millions of people.
"Amur soldiers are still fighting on the front line, and workers and farmers are working hard to support the front line-"
Lekinsky's words were not intended to hurt Milchuk.
Amur workers working hard——
What are the workers in Voznesensk doing?
“——Duchess Yurievskaya and Grand Duchess Yuriev are raising funds for frontline soldiers. Even students who have not graduated have left school early to join the army. All Amur people working outside are in At this most critical moment, you must take the initiative to return to Amur and fight alongside Grand Duke Yuriev!”
“Must—Grand Duke Yuriev force you?”
Milchu? K hopes that Lekinski will have his own attitude.
“No, no one forced me——”
Lezinski's whole being was glowing.
"——I am a Russian. When Russia is invaded by foreign enemies, I should dedicate everything I have to Russia!"
Milcuk frowned, when will Kantong be? From the Russian Empire?
After the Siberian Fleet forcibly rented Port Arthur, St. Petersburg unilaterally declared the establishment of the Kanto State. Except for the Russian Empire, all countries did not recognize the legitimacy of the Kanto State.
But as a Russian, from the standpoint of the Russian Empire, Milchuk could not say anything against it.
"This battle has not been limited to the Far East. It is about the honor of the empire and the interests of every Russian. I'm sorry, my friend, but I can't sit back and watch."
Laikin Skye had made up his mind.
“But if you leave, what will happen to the work of the Sunshine Foundation?”
Milcuk finally realized this problem. Lakinsky was the president of the Sunshine Foundation in Wozniak. The person in charge of Sk.
“You may not know that the Sunshine Foundation was originally established by Grand Duke Yuriev——”
"How is that possible?!"
Milcuk was completely shocked.
There are different opinions in Voznesensk about the legend of the Sunshine Foundation.
Some people say that the Sunshine Foundation was founded by the young father, the Tsar, some say that it was founded by the Queen Mother Maria, and some even say that it was founded by a British philanthropist.
Milcuk never thought that Grand Duke Yuriev, who was far away in Amur, would actually care about the textile workers in Voznesensk.
This——
It’s not difficult to explain.
The editor-in-chief of a British newspaper can care about the textile workers in Voznesensk, why can't Grand Duke Yuriev.
Milcuk suddenly felt that there was a huge vortex above Voznesensk, sucking everyone into it.
“How is this impossible? The headquarters of the Sunshine Foundation is originally in Vladivostok——”
Lezinski opened his hands to Milchuk.
"My friend, I am here to say goodbye to you. If you die on the battlefield, please don't be sad for me. As a Russian, this is my choice and my fate!"< br>
Before Milchuk could open his hands, his 12-year-old son Antonovich suddenly shouted.
"Uncle Lakin, please take me with you, I also want to fight for the empire!"
Milcuk turned around, and then his wife Snilova and their four children, They were all standing at the top of the stairs.
"Nonsense! You are not an adult yet, you should be studying in school -"
Milchuk remembered mid-sentence that the school in Voznesensk had been closed.
Moreover, school closures were not carried out spontaneously, but by order of the workers' council.
“It’s not nonsense at all, you are the ones who are fooling around. Now Voznesensk is in a mess by you. Workers don’t work, students don’t go to class, farmers don’t farm, and there is no food sent by Lakin. We have long since starved to death. Although I am a woman, I also know that without the empire, there would be no life for us. If Grand Duke Yuriev wants a woman, I will also fight for the empire!”
In Snilova's blood, the traditional strength and toughness of Russian women are awakening.
(End of this chapter)