Chapter 1276 Alcohol
This is actually quite understandable. At this time, Russia was at war, and Russia was one of the most backward countries among the imperialist countries. Naturally, the residents on the Russian front lines and in occupied areas also had the most miserable living conditions.
In the past, the Tsarist government had to requisition food from the occupied areas. After the Allies occupied Ukraine, they also had to requisition local food. Moreover, the military discipline of both Tsarist Russia and the Allies was not very good, especially the Bulgarian troops. In addition, due to the previous war, Local agricultural production activities have been greatly affected.
During this time, Ukraine and other occupied areas of Tsarist Russia were in dire straits, not to mention **** on earth.
So don't underestimate a small cookie, they can quickly stabilize these Russian refugees who have been in a state of famine for a long time.
As for their life in the Basra refugee camp, although they were far away from the war zone, the Ottoman Empire was obviously not a charity, so it basically guaranteed that they could survive.
…
"Liberty!"
The so-called Liberty is an old-fashioned sailboat docked on the Persian Gulf south of the town of Fao.
Dozens of small boats have been moored on the beach between Fa'ao town and the Persian Gulf. Because Fa'ao town has no port, large ships have no room to berth and can only float on the sea.
To get to the Liberty, you need to pass these boats, row to the side of the Liberty, and then climb onto the boat via the ladder.
The refugees were divided into groups of ten and boarded the boats one after another. There were three East African personnel on each boat, who were responsible for maintaining order and operating the boats to float in the direction of the Liberty.
On the shore, East African personnel will perform the final disinfection operation, holding spray bottles filled with disinfectant to do the final cleaning work for the refugees.
"Kumoyev, what did the East Africans spray on us? It seems like white wine?"
Sitting on the boat, Lebriya put his sleeves on his nose and took a deep breath.
A young man with an obvious Slavic appearance said: "It should be alcohol. East Africans are really luxurious. This kind of thing should also require a lot of food to make. Put it on the front line. This is a life-saving thing."
The young man is Kumoev, from a Russian village called Ananyev.
Since the outbreak of World War I, Nicholas II promulgated a prohibition on alcohol, which also made the Russians who were addicted to alcohol very dissatisfied.
The reason for the promulgation of this alcohol ban is that during the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian army was addicted to alcohol, which prevented logistical materials from being supplied to the front line in time. Some media even reported that it was not the Japanese army that defeated the Russian army. It was alcohol that defeated the Russian army, so learning from the previous lesson, Nicholas II issued a ban on alcohol.
As for other reasons, as Kumoev said, a large amount of food is consumed in the brewing process of wine, which is a very luxurious behavior when the national food is tight during wartime.
Before the outbreak of the war, Russian conservatives actively supported the measures initiated by the authorities to combat alcoholism. They carried out anti-alcohol propaganda and made the public aware of the dangers of alcohol through speeches and publications.
All in all, there are a large number of people who support Prohibition in Russia, and this group of people is quite influential in the Russian government.
After all, the Russian army is the most dangerous existence when it is sober. Alcohol is conducive to numbing the fear and panic of the Russian soldiers at the bottom of the war.
Moreover, from Ernst's perspective, no country has ever succeeded in prohibiting alcohol, whether it was the United States or the Soviet Union, both ended in failure. Of course, the overall intention of Prohibition is good. Excessive drinking is indeed extremely harmful to health. However, in a country like Russia where the people at the bottom live in such a difficult life, the so-called health is completely nonsense.
The effect of the Russian prohibition on alcohol is also very obvious, that is, alcohol is sold at high prices on the black market, and the lower class people in Russia are actively looking for alternatives to vodka, such as medical alcohol, and even methanol, brighteners and varnishes.
So when the East Africans took out alcohol spray bottles and disinfected these Russian refugees, the Slavs were shocked again.
Lebulia smelled the fragrance of alcohol floating on her clothes, as if she was afraid that the smell would disappear and said, "It brought out the alcohol bug in me."
"Before the war came to Petri Suka, even though life was very difficult at that time, I still bought alcohol from the black market twice, diluted it with water to a low concentration and relieved myself. This made me miss the time before the war broke out. The days before Prohibition.”
"At that time, my father had not been forcibly drafted into the army, the family was living a comfortable life, and the price of vodka was not as high as the unscrupulous businessmen. Thinking about it now, even though life was difficult at that time, it was nothing like the three years of the war. Compared to this, it’s already considered heaven.”
Lebrya was only sixteen years old. Tsarist Russia also expanded its army through voluntary registration at the beginning of the war, but soon turned to compulsory conscription. In the process, many peasants and civilians were forced to leave their homes. Join the fight.
However, before Russia organized a new round of recruitment activities, Lebulia's hometown fell. And Lebulia's age is actually very dangerous. It can be said that whether he will be forcibly recruited depends entirely on the local recruitment officer. mood.
And youth was also the reason why the Allies sold him to East Africa after occupying Petry Fuka, Lebulia's hometown.
In this "new triangular trade" organized by East Africa, East Africa is just like the American farmers of the last century. They don't accept the older ones at all, and they don't accept those who are too young. But people like Lebulia who are about to become adults are not accepted. of the most popular.
Being young means being healthy. Even after being moved to the Nanyang region, they can continue to work for East Africa and help the East African government transform them.
Although the Labor Party is currently active in Russia, this does not affect East Africa's recruitment of immigrants from occupied areas. After all, the areas where the Labor Party is active are urban areas in Russia, rooted in sensitive areas such as factories or barracks.
The countryside was basically ignored by the Russian Labor Party, a tradition that would later be inherited by the Soviet Union. Naturally, people like Lebrya, who was born in a rural area of Russia and whose ancestors were serfs, could not become the target of the development of the Labor Party.
The number of Labor parties in Russia is only a few hundred thousand. If it were cities such as St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Kiev, East Africa would definitely not ignore the risks and recruit immigrants from these cities just for such a small number of immigrants.
And even if immigrants are recruited from these cities, they will not be able to retain them after arriving in Nanyang. After all, Russian cities and rural areas are completely different worlds, and the quality of life of urban residents far exceeds that of Russia's vast peasant group.
Kumoyev sighed and said: "You can see from the fact that the East Africans used alcohol to disinfect us, as well as the biscuits distributed to us yesterday, the car we took, and the dinner we had yesterday, that East Africa is much richer than us in Russia."
"This is also good news for us. The conditions in 'Southern Ocean' mentioned by the East African officer before should not be very bad, at least compared to Russia, they will not be much worse."
The living standard in East Africa has always been good, at least above the world average. With the passage of time and the development of East Africa's industry, the living standards of East African people have become equal to those of other powerful countries in recent years.
Even because of the long-term slavery system, the people of East Africa have surpassed the general powers in some areas. In the world, there are only a few countries such as the United States, Britain, and France that can compare with the people of East Africa.
Kumoev is obviously a meticulous and thoughtful Russian young man. He has determined his future just from some of the details he has come into contact with so far.
Of course, the colonies in East Africa cannot be compared with the mainland, but what the colonies lack is developed industry and economy. Other aspects such as laws and systems are basically not much different from the mainland.
(End of chapter)