Russian peasants have given people the impression of hard work and honesty for hundreds of years. So much so that Nicholas I, the father of Tsar Alexander II, believed that Russian peasants were good at enduring oppression and could continue to support the obviously outdated serfdom.

System. Although Alexander II realized that the serfdom must be abolished, his basic understanding of Russian peasants was like his father, believing that they were the most solid foundation of the Russian Empire - a person who was determined to follow the path of Western European capitalism

The Russian Tsar stubbornly believed that Russian peasants were more reliable than the bourgeoisie, which was a bit ridiculous. However, this view was very common in the era of Alexander II.

"Father, if the Ming Empire will inevitably collapse in the future, then should we... be prepared?" Prince Nicholas coughed twice, and as the weather turned colder, his body became a little uncomfortable again.

"Or why don't we sign the "Russia-China Demarcation Agreement" with them?"

Now Zeng Guofan and Zeng Jize and his son are negotiating the demarcation issue with Russia in Constantinople - the two sides have reached an agreement on the issue of "transfer" East Siberia and Southeast Kazakh Grassland. The Ming Empire will exchange rails worth 10 million pounds for this

The ownership of the two territories. However, negotiations are still needed to be made on the specific demarcation of the boundary line, because the military demarcation line between the two sides is a little blurred. After all, this demarcation line has exceeded 10,000 miles, and most of the less important areas do not have any troops stationed.

The army on both sides are stationed in some more important strongholds, and usually uses patrol teams to show "sovereignty".

"The agreement still needs to be signed. Zhu Jishi is only 47 years old this year. It is said that he is in very good health and never gets sick. I am afraid he will not hear his death within 20 years." Alexander II glanced at his son with some depression - Emperor Zhu

He can live for about twenty or thirty or even forty years... But what about his prince? His tuberculosis is an incurable disease!

"The Siberian border line must be roughly bounded by the Yenisei River and the Sayan Mountains... Well, you can use the west bank of the Yenisei River as the boundary, or you can make another 20 rile from this basis. As for the Sayan Mountains, you don't have any more.

I asked for a shared ownership and I could give it all to China." Alexander II frowned and thought.

Russia's defensive situation in Siberia is now extremely unfavorable. Because the Ming Empire has built the railway to Yesai City west of the Yenisei River (the Bergal Lake Ring Railway has not been completed yet), it is roughly the original place in Russia's Krasnoyarsk

.While Russia does not have an inch of railway in the west and east of Ural. This has caused the Russian army to deploy troops west of the Ob River very empty. If the Ming Empire is willing, it can seize this land at any time.

"But the large tract of land east of the Ob River must be in the hands of the empire, but it will not be developed. It is a barrier to the area west of the Ob River." Alexander II emphasized his tone, "This is the bottom line that must be adhered to, otherwise the Chinese will be the ones who will be the Chinese.

Once the rails are laid on the banks of the Ob River, Western Siberia is in danger.”

"Okay, I will stick to the end in the negotiations." said Prince Nikolai. The negotiations with Zeng Guofan were chaired by him and Duke Gorchakov. Like Zhu Jishi, Alexander II was also training the successor.

people.

"In Central Asia, we must adhere to the Guriyev-Akmorinsk line and we must never take a step back." The Guriyev mentioned by Alexander II was Atlau, an important town in Kazakhstan in the northern part of the Caspian Sea,

This was an important stronghold of the Russian army. Akmorinsk was the later Astana, also a large Russian fortress. The Russians drew a straight line in these two fortresses as their bottom line in Central Asia

Although most of the Kazakhs in later generations belonged to the Ming Dynasty, what the Russians left in their hands was the essence of the time.

"I will definitely stick to the end, too!"

"Very good." Alexander II nodded and turned the topic to the Russian rural commune. "Nicolah, in addition to diplomatic negotiations, you should also care more about Russian farmers. Take the time to inspect the countryside and see the reforms.

How will the rural commune develop in the future? We must especially care about the situation of rural commune autonomy. Whether the Mir Conference is authoritative, whether it can truly reflect the opinions and requirements of the vast majority of farmers, and whether the land of the commune can be distributed truly and reasonably.

Several points will directly affect whether farmers can become a support for the stability of the empire for a long time.”

Alexander II carefully explained to his son several key factors in the rural issues in Russia - the top priority is to improve the autonomy of rural communes. Russian rural communes have always existed, but before it was aristocratic landlords and theirs.

The housekeeper controlled. Similar to the Chinese gentry landlords, these Russian aristocratic landlords with thousands of serfs were rulers of the Russian rural areas before the reform. After the abolition of the serfdom reform, a large number of aristocratic landlords moved to the city to live, among which

Some began to transform into the bourgeoisie. This was of course the original intention of the Tsarist reform, but the problem also arose. Who will control the Russian peasants?

So the Tsar and the Tsar's consultants thought of strengthening the rural commune and using the rural commune, which was originally controlled by the landlords, as a tool to restrain farmers, but at the same time, the Tsar could not send countless officials to manage the rural commune, and the Tsar's government was not that

There is more money to pay the officials' wages. So Alexander II and his ministers came up with a very good way - commune autonomy, and it's really a real thing! After the reform, the Russian rural commune was a de facto grassroots regime

, it was voted by all the heads of the commune households at the Mir Conference (Commune Conference), and it was a universal suffrage of one household and one vote. It was a very democratic basic election, and even Britain did not have such elections at this time.

At the same time, the Tsar and his ministers stubbornly believed that the peasants were the pillars of the country's conservative power and the most solid support for the Tsar's rule, because peasants never wanted any democratic elections...

...

Hong Kong, Ang Chuanzhou Military Port.

The huge hull of the Chisse ironclad ship is leaning against the port's dock. Hong Kong is now one of the busiest ports in Asia. Kowloon Port, Macau Port and Helena Port (Victoria Port) are full of various types all year round.

Merchant ship. Only this Ang Chuanzhou Military Port located on the west side of the Kowloon Peninsula is empty all year round, but it is rare to be lively here today.

The military band played a farewell tune on the dock, and the Ming army stationed in the Ang Chuanzhou military camp was neatly lined up to accept the review of the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty who was about to leave. Well-known people from all walks of life in Hong Kong also gathered at the dock to see him off.

After staying for a few days, Zhu Guoxiong and his brother Zhu Guojie got closer. As the heir to the throne of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Guoxiong admired his brother's method of governing Hong Kong very much. Now the real estate developers in the Ming Dynasty are in trouble.

...

At this moment, the farewell ceremony has ended. The two brothers and Zhu Guojie's wife Helena were walking on the dock while talking in a low voice.

"Brother, your governance method in Hong Kong is indeed very good. But there is no way to replicate it in the entire empire. My father has scolded me with a telegram, saying that I don't know the difference between a big country and a small country, saying that you are a small country here and a widow.

The people are easier to manage, and the problems of the Ming Dynasty are too complicated..."

"It is indeed difficult to control big powers. Just look at the United States and Russia." Zhu Guojie nodded.

"The same is true in Britain, and it is very difficult to manage." Princess Helena interrupted. She spoke Chinese. After marrying Zhu Guojie, she began to learn her husband's mother tongue. Like all European princesses or princes who married foreign monarchs.

, She also abides by the principle of following a husband (wife) when she gets married and regards herself as the monarch here in Hong Kong. She frowned slightly, "Now, adding an American empire is really a headache."

Zhu Guoxiong pondered: "A great country is indeed difficult to cure... The father also said that in every country, there must be one or several classes that can be relied on. In the Ming Dynasty, the aristocrats, bourgeoisie and rich peasants were the foundation of the empire.
Chapter completed!