Chapter 545 For Rome
Prince Constantine said something, and what he said was "making trouble for half a bottle of wine", of course, does not mean that the officer made a drunken accident after getting the vodka he brought from Moscow, but rather that the alcohol ban riot broke out in Russia this year.
The ban on alcohol was an unprecedented impact for Tsarist Russia. The entire ruling class, including Prince Constantine, never expected that Russia's internal conflicts would evolve to such a serious extent.
The Crimean War was a devastating disaster for Tsarist Russia, with domestic economic corruption, famine and hunger becoming the norm. The wealth plundered by the Tsarist government was consumed at an astonishing rate. From 1853 to 1856, the national fiscal deficit reached 796 million rubles, more than twice the normal annual treasury income. In another time and space, in January 1861, the total national debt reached an astonishing 1.531 million rubles. The governor of Kurland described Russia's state after its defeat as "gold and jade outside, and fragile inside". Russia's former reputation has now plummeted.
It should be noted that the Crimean War greatly reduced the domestic labor force, production tools and farming livestock. The recruitment of recruits caused the national economy to lose 10% of the labor force. The requisition and plague reduced 13% of the farming livestock. The import and export of commodities were sharp, the export of grains was reduced to one-eighth, the oil and fat were reduced to one-quarter, the import of machines was reduced to one-tenth, and the import of cotton was also greatly reduced, which led to another round of domestic peasant movement.
According to the statistics of the Russians, there were an average of 19 peasant uprisings from 1826 to 1839, an average of 35 peasant uprisings from 1845 to 1845 before the Crimean War, an average of 63 in 1855 to 1857 during the Crimean War, an increase of 86 in 1858, 90 in 1959, and 126 in 1860. In 1861, the peasant uprisings increased to an unprecedented 1176. So a landlord in the province of Simbiers reported: "My manor was burned four times, and the setting fires here continue to occur, and there are fires every day."
In April 1854, the Tsarist government promulgated the recruitment of naval volunteers. It designated farmers from Petersburg and other provinces to form a Baltic Sea fleet for coastal defense. Anyone who voluntarily registered can be hired with the permission of the landlord. However, it is widely rumored among the farmers that all those who become volunteers can always gain freedom and tax exemption. Farmers from all over the country acted and rushed to sign up. Soon a big storm broke out, with nearly 100,000 participants. The Tsarist government hurriedly dispatched military and police to force the interception, but the farmers were disobedient and even beat the police officers.
In 1854, the order to convene militia across the country caused even greater commotion. Hundreds of thousands of farmers refused to serve in labor and announced their participation in the Cossack free people. Farmers in Kiev Province had clashes with the military and police many times, and it was heard that the army shot and killed and injured farmers. In two counties, the army killed 36 farmers and injured 57. Nearly 550 were whipped.
In the summer of 1856, a large number of farmers in the south rushed to Crimea. The cause of this incident was that there were rumors that serfs in Crimea would be free, resulting in the hundreds of kilometers of roads leading to Crimea being blocked by the farmers who left.
The end of the Crimean War, the serf uprisings were happening one after another. In 1858, the commander of the military police, Dorgoruv, reported: "The riots in many villages require the intervention of the governor, or the army." This year's ban on alcohol is a historical portrayal of this sign.
The direct fuse of the ban on alcohol movement was that the sellers of alcohol packages used inferior wines to sell high-quality products and arbitrarily increase the price. In 1859, farmers in Saratov Province first launched an attack to protest the monopoly of alcohol. At the same time, in order to resist the illegal behavior of the ban on buying and drinking, the action immediately caused response from all parties. The movement affected 23 provinces and regions. The farmers automatically established a ban on alcohol ban and passed the ban on alcohol resolution. It stipulated that those who violated the ban were fined or physically punished.
With the development of the movement, farmers directly smashed taverns, hotels, wine cellars, and beat local officials. According to statistics from 12 provinces, a total of 220 hotels were destroyed. A total of 636 riots were launched throughout the year. The commander of the military police, Dorgorukov, reported to the Tsar: "The events in China in 1859 were completely unexpected. The lower-class residents who had previously believed that they could not survive without alcohol actually began to refuse to drink spirits." The reformists in the ruling class directly said: "If there was a riot in our country for half a bottle of wine, what would happen if we cut a mu of land from the farmers?"
The riot of alcohol has not yet entered the **, but Prince Constantine, who is inclined to reform, never expected that the situation in the country would be so bad. He expressed a certain degree of dissatisfaction with the government's expansion to bet on the East.
"Yes!" Muravyov directly admitted that Prince Constantine's statement made sense: "The government invested too much resources in the Far East, and you should promote reforms to our serfdom in Moscow, but Russia can only go east if it wants to survive!"
For the Russian Empire, he had reached a limit. There was no room for expansion to Western Europe. The expansion to Turkey in the south directly brought about the devastating Crimean War. He could only choose to expand to the east. Muravyov continued: "Your Highness, you know more clearly than me what kind of person is His Majesty the Tsar!"
Of course he knew what kind of person he was the brother of the Tsar. It is true that compared to Nicholas II who died in the Crimean War, Alexander II was a much more progressive Tsar. He had the will to reform and was willing to put this willingness into action, but Alexander II was a Tsar who lacked determination and courage.
This has something to do with His Majesty's youthful experience and growth. You should know that Alexander II served as the heir to the throne for twenty-one years. He even participated in the decision-making of the country for fifteen years, but the final major decisions were made by Nicholas II himself, which developed the current Tsar's cautious attitude.
His Majesty the Tsar was not a pioneering and enterprising figure. His dictionary was never lacking in compromise and concessions. Although the Tsar was determined to carry out drastic reforms as soon as the Crimean War ended, the reform plan was not officially introduced until 1861, and the final reform plan was not even a qualified reform plan. It was completely compromised with the landlord class. In fact, it did not harm any interests of the landlord class and was considered a complete scam by Russian progressives. The redemption price of land obtained by the landlords from the serfs was even far exceeding the market land price, and the serf riots caused were even several times that before the reform.
"Governor, what is your opinion?"
"I support Russia's progress and reform!" Muravyov's voice became excited: "But Russia's reform requires our courage, efforts and sacrifices. If we fail, Russia will return to the medieval age, and if we win, there will be no applause, but Russia will enter a new era."
It was only for the first time that Prince Constantine, whom the Tsar trusted the most, understood: "You mean that only when we win can we lead Russia to a new era and completely liberate the Russian serfs!"
"That's right!" Muravyov looked south again: "Treasure land. This is the best gift from God to Russia. Here is a vast territory like Europe, the climate is as warm as Crimea, and it has fertile soil like Ukraine, naturally generated rare ore and specialties, and even a series of unfreezing ports. Now a fierce civil war is taking place within China, and the enemies we face are getting weaker and weaker. We can easily annex the entire Yellow Russia and immigrate millions of people here!"
He didn't say it, but it was something Prince Constantine could easily think of. Such a vast territory with the entire Europe could easily resolve the dispute between domestic reformists and conservatives over the reform plan.
In this time and space, even the most stubborn landlord class has to admit that Russia has reached a time when reform is necessary, but the problem is that the interests of the landlord class cannot be violated. They not only have groups of serfs, but also a large number of fertile land.
Just converting serfs into free slaves is not enough to complete the entire reform process. Land ownership is the core of the reform. The reason why Russia's reform in 1861 was not thorough. It was even a scam because it forced serfs to redeem land from landlords at a higher market price, but if Russia obtained the entire Yellow Russia.
Including the entire northern part of China, Mongolia, North Korea and Japan, and even the Central Asia region that is already under the clutches of the Tsar, such a problem will be solved. You should know that there are countless fertile fields, mines, ports, forests, grasslands, and sparsely populated areas. Not only will the original residents be naturalized quickly, but Russian immigrants will sweep these areas like locusts.
Prince Constantine had completely understood: "This is not an ordinary war, and its significance may be comparable to the Patriotic War in 1812, or..."
Muravyov said bluntly: "This is a battle for survival space, and it is the only chance for the survival of two old empires..."
Prince Constantine looked at the mountains and rivers in the south for a long time and finally said: "This is ours, this only belongs to us. Let us announce the news of the war to the generals."
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Many people regard vodka as an extremely strong liquor, which is actually quite far from this kind of India.
The degree of vodka is not particularly high. Most vodkas have alcohol content between 35% and 50%, which is lower than that of many Chinese liquors. The most common and most standard vodka alcohol content is 40%.
The vodka brought by Prince Constantine is such a standard vodka. The generals present thanked the prince for their kindness with cheers and applause. Although the vodka brewed by Siberia also has its own style, these Russian generals still like the flavor of Moscow. Sometimes it is not the difference between the quality of the wine, but an overly romantic feeling, not that this is a royal wine. Even if they are already outstanding among a group of soldiers, there are not many such opportunities in their lives.
Therefore, before the two rows of silver candlesticks, the applause of the generals and the colonels was not interrupted. Prince Constantine was also paying attention to these officers under his command. Among them were solid white-haired old men, noble children of the guards who were born, mountain people of the Caucasus, and generals of German descent. Among them were old colonels who had never experienced great wars, young major generals who had lived in the Crimean War for the rest of their lives, extraordinary experiences of climbing up from the bottom of the army, generals with mixed qualifications in offices, and even defeated generals who were exiled to Siberia. This is the reality of Russia's old empire.
But no matter what ethnic group, bloodline, experience, or class they are, now they are all standing under the tricolor flag and the double-headed eagle flag. They are all outstanding generals of the Tsar and will contribute their lives, youth, blood, courage and everything to the cause of God, the Tsar and Russia.
He had a passion of rushingness, he filled a whole cup of vodka, then raised it up and spread them all to the ground: "Remember who we are, we are the blood of Rome, and we will rebuild Rome!"
"For Rome!"
"For Rome!"
"For Rome!"
The unique national passion of the Russians was ignited by Prince Constantine's words, and the Russian officers cheered and drank the entire cup of vodka in one go.
Constantine also thought of Russia, Orthodox Church and the Byzantine Empire of New Rome. Although Western Europeans regarded the Russians as a group of Slavic barbarians, the Russians clearly knew that the Orthodox Church, the two-headed eagle national emblem and the entire Russian Empire originated from Byzantium, which claimed to be Romans. From Romulus to the 753 BC to establish his own city, from the royal era to the Roman Republic, from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, from the Old Rome to the New Rome of Byzantine, from the New Rome to Ivan III, such a civilization inheritance has never been cut off.
The Romans once built their own country by looting women, and the Russians also struggled in the wilderness, crying and fighting, but we will eventually rebuild Rome, take back Constantinople, and change it back to the old name of Byzantine. Constantine burned his blood, and he filled a cup of vodka: "Roman blood descendants, I have the honor to command you to rebuild our Rome, our Russia will be the center of the universe. I hereby declare to you the most important command since the crowning of His Majesty the Holy Tsar!"
The whole audience was quiet.
Chapter completed!