Chapter 302 The woolly bear growing cotton
Before 1860, the Russians had to pay the price for a long time because of a major mistake in the location of cotton planting areas.
In the territory of the Russian Empire that stretches across the Eurasian continent, Central Asia is an ideal base for the development of the cotton textile industry. However, at this time, this land has not yet been completely held by the woolly bears.
What's more serious is that because they designated Moscow and its surrounding areas as cotton cultivation areas, their mistakes and negligence resulted in extremely low yields and forced them to import from abroad.
Nicholas I, who had an evil tiger in his chest, was on the verge of going berserk. His cold and sharp eyes glanced at Ilarion, which made the overwhelmed latter feel deeply uncomfortable. He had no choice but to call the Minister of Agriculture Yevgeny Golilik.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my presumptuous words. The report submitted by the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture shows that there is no cotton there, only grain."
"You stupid guy, what are you thinking about? Are you so stupid that you can't even understand a simple and clear question like whether you can grow cotton, and you still need your czar to answer it for you?"
Nicholas I snorted coldly and said that the fat-headed loser in front of him was simply not worthy of staying in this important position that controlled the lifeblood of Russia. It was time for him to go to the Urals or Siberia to sober up.
"I'm sorry, my Majesty, I really don't deserve your trust. I really don't know." Yevgeny, a veteran official in the officialdom, replied calmly.
Because the tsar disliked civil servants, he did not pay much attention to the construction of the official system under his rule, so he rarely personally intervened in the appointment and dismissal of officials.
The ruler's inattention naturally allowed many smooth and mediocre bureaucrats to take advantage of the loopholes, including Mr. Yevgeny, who had a body like Hermann Meyer.
His deceptive strategy of "ignoring every question and pretending to be stupid" naturally failed to satisfy his immediate superiors, and the consequence was to make Nicholas I even more distrustful of the civil service group in St. Petersburg.
"Who among you can answer the question of whether cotton can be cultivated on the land of Astrakhan and Stavropov?"
Embarrassingly, no one answered him in the entire Winter Palace's reception hall, which made the tall tsar furious, but he couldn't continue to get angry in front of distinguished guests.
"I'm very sorry, my friend. Although my officials don't seem to be good at cotton cultivation, as long as there is a suitable place for the growth of this crop, I can guarantee that the local output can be used to trade with your country. You Are you satisfied?"
Archduke Karl nodded involuntarily,
"Okay, Your Majesty. Our country's agricultural scholars and consultants are optimistic about the prospects of cotton trade between our two countries. It can not only make Russia's agricultural layout more reasonable, but also increase your country's income."
Increasing fiscal and tax revenue was something that was close to Nicholas I's heart, because Russia was so poor that the first thing he thought of in return was his daughter.
Of course, there are also political factors to consider, but it also illustrates Russia's economic difficulties from the side. In fact, the quality of Russian cotton is far inferior to that of the United States and Egypt, but it is superior to large quantities and adequate management.
Moreover, the reason why Franz spared no effort to help Russia, apart from the political need for allies, was that Russia's industry was almost blank and they could not consume so much cotton.
At this time, opening up trade became an inevitable choice, so Austria could import cotton from Russia and sell it to the Russians.
Exporting cotton to Austria will become an important industry for Russia for a long time, but their textile industry is basically finished, which completes the first step of economic colonization.
Don't think it's ridiculous. There have been cases in history where European merchants purchased wheat in Russia, then ground it into flour and sold it back.
In fact, promoting cotton cultivation in southern Russia, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus will also help Russia stabilize its domestic situation. After all, the rebels also need to eat. No matter how wild and untamed they are, they can't stand up if they're hungry.
Of course, there is no way of knowing whether the Tsar himself could have thought of this level or whether he would do so.
Trade with Austria will indeed bring considerable benefits to Russia, but more of them will be benefits to the government and nobles. Even the lives of serfs may be improved, but businessmen and the bourgeoisie will not necessarily make profits. Probably due to the massive entry of Austrian goods it was a complete failure.
After the success of cotton cultivation in Russia, the Ottoman Empire was bound to increase its cotton planting area.
At the same time, with the development of trade, the importance of the Strait to Russia will become higher and higher, which will further deepen the contradiction between the two major groups in the Near East.
"Oh my God, Karl. You are my savior! All my civil servants are idiots compared to you. They should all be sent to Siberia to dig potatoes."
The relieved Nicholas I finally couldn't help but tell the truth. In his eyes, only people with military background are the most trustworthy. For example, the important position of Russian Foreign Minister is held by Neserlov who has a military background.
"Your Majesty, you are exaggerating. Russia and Austria are allies of the Holy Alliance. The friendship between the Habsburg and Romanov families has a long history, so we should support each other."
Although they were all polite words, they spoke to Nicholas I's heart. The latter always likes to hear this kind of polite politeness.
Coupled with the previous gifts, the leader of the European Gendarmerie has become more determined to maintain and consolidate the Russian-Austrian alliance.
After that, there was an interactive session between a military enthusiast and an expert. Nicholas I consulted the latter on many related issues.
As an excellent commander, Archduke Karl naturally had unique insights into the current situation. He believed that Russia should maximize its strengths and avoid weaknesses as much as possible and avoid direct combat with powerful enemies at sea. Instead, it should adopt a strategy of luring the enemy deep into the country and attack from land at the same time.
Firstly, it is to take full advantage of the Russian army's huge military advantage, and secondly, it is to do everything possible to weaken the enemy's effective strength.
Once you gain an advantage on the battlefield, you should immediately adopt a step-by-step strategy to continue to erode the enemy's will to fight, and finally achieve the goal of forcing the opponent to the negotiation table.
No matter how much the pro-British faction under his command tried, they could not shake the fact that Russia's imaginary enemy was Britain. Therefore, Archduke Karl's suggestion was a first-class feasible plan in terms of feasibility and operability.
But this plan was soon forgotten because of two words - "profit". After Nicholas I received huge orders from the cotton trade of his western allies, he became more confident to reject the Anglo-Saxon Channel Agreement.
The Russians' assertive attitude irritated London, which did not want the behemoth to the east to retain Black Sea supremacy because, as one politician explained in the Palace of Westminster.
“This is the biggest threat and challenge to ‘peace’ and ‘freedom’ in the Near East.”