mage in the late qing dynasty

Chapter 1035 Contemporary Tyrant
In the central area of ​​Sakhalin Island, just as Matsudaira Kunyang had worried, there were guard posts and roadblocks in Smirnykhtun and the Japanese village of Sane in the south.

But once the Japanese and Russian sides withdrew from the Varonai Valley, Zhao Chuanxin asked Levitan to lead people to inform both sides: "Remove the roadblocks and let the pedestrians pass."

Smirnykh's Russian guard said viciously: "You'd better not interfere in our affairs."

Levitan glanced at his bandaged thigh with disdain: "Why, do you want to hurt your left leg too?"

The Russian soldier's expression changed, and the fear of having his thighs dominated struck his heart: "You, don't mess around."

Levitan warned him: "You are just a sentry. Unless the superior comes, let the passers-by pass. Otherwise, you'd better turn a blind eye when you sleep at night."

The Russians had no choice but to give in and open the roadblocks humbly.

In the south, the Japanese were even more patient.

Levitan made traffic between the north and the south possible without any effort.

For the fugitive exiles from North Island, the last stop before the Peacekeeping Bureau turned out to be the easiest part.

But the Peacekeeping Agency has little appeal to Japan to the south.

The Peacekeeping Bureau can never absorb enough population, mainly because there are too many projects to be built.

This attracted a large number of people from the north, and even the Kiryaks came with their elderly and children.

These Kiryaks originally surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. When Tsarist Russia came, they were wiped out in large groups due to various viruses carried by the Tsarist Russians, including smallpox. The rest probably survived because they had stronger antibodies.

These people are strong and sturdy, of medium or even short stature. Because it is inconvenient for them to move around in the dense forest, only the short ones can survive under the natural selection.

They have strong bones, and all the coronoid processes, vertebrae and tuberosities are particularly developed to fix the tendons.

They are thin and muscular, and seem to have no subcutaneous fat, as if all the fat is used to compensate for the low temperature and resist the severe cold.

They eat the fattiest meat of seals, salmon, and sturgeon, and they also eat whale fat, usually with blood and eaten raw.

Their teeth are badly worn out because they eat raw meat, dried fish and frozen meat.

But they like bread. When I came to the Peacekeeping Bureau, I often saw Kiryaks walking around with bread under their arms.

They would also follow the fashion and buy the prison uniforms of Russian exiles to wear, which was a spectacular sight.

When it comes to the Kiryaks, no matter whether they are Russians, Japanese or Chinese like Neng Chengwen, there are at least two things they cannot tolerate.

First, their body odor is too strong, a smell like stinky salted fish that can be smelled in the wind for three miles.

Second, their attitude towards women is even worse than that towards their own hunting dogs. They can kill them at will, which is similar to the Ainu people.

After hearing the news, Zhao Chuanxin told Neng Chengwen: "Give them two choices: either return the same way you came. If they want to stay, first they must take a shower and wash their clothes. Second, they cannot kill women in their tribe. As long as women go to work, they will enjoy equal rights in the Peacekeeping Bureau. We have too few people. As long as they are human beings and labor, they must be respected."

Kuroda Toshiyoshi has been visiting the Peacekeeping Bureau recently to observe Zhao Chuanxin's policy implementation strategies.

After seeing how Neng Chengwen treated the Kiryaks and Ainu people, he curled his lips and said to his followers: "Zhao Chuanxin is insidious, cunning and hypocritical. He does not really value gender equality. He just wants to absorb the labor force of the entire island for his own use. Look, what was built first? It was a tavern, a filthy tavern with prostitutes and gambling tables. The craftsmen worked hard all day and finally spent all their money on these dens of money..."

Zhao Chuanxin's various "inhumane" demands persuaded some Kiryaks to withdraw.

First, he required everyone to go to public toilets, and defecation at designated locations made many people uncomfortable.

Secondly, the public bathhouse he built before the weather got cold was always filled with steam and smoke, and the boiler workers took shifts burning coal day and night and had no time to rest.

As for garbage, it must be placed in trash cans and then sorted by people. Metals are recycled, while bones, fish bones and mollusk shells are thrown into the sea.

Finally, Zhao Chuanxin required everyone to dress neatly and cleanly, which was the most unbearable thing.

The Kiryaks never wash their fur coats and coarse cloth jackets in their entire lives, but when they come here they wash them every few days.

But the Koreans and Japanese from the South Island were surprised to find that running a laundry was a good business.

Originally, the efficiency of the Peacekeeping Bureau's series of construction should not be very high.

But what Kuroda Toshiyoshi could not understand was that all kinds of materials were always in sufficient supply, and the work would never be interrupted or the construction period would be delayed due to lack of materials.

The craftsmen, who used to smoke a bag of Turkish tobacco after working for a while, now worked desperately and were exhausted. At night, they had to go to the pub to eat, drink, gamble and have sex, and then go to work with dark circles under their eyes the next day.

It's intriguing that they work so hard even though they are about to collapse at any time, just to lose a few more rubles at night.

In this regard, someone explained to Kuroda Toshiyoshi: "It was Zhao Chuanxin who cast a curse on them..."

Kuroda Toshiyoshi scoffed at this.

But he decided to examine it carefully from the perspective of Russian craftsmen.

Sakhalin has 365 days a year, and half of the time it rains and snows, which is very bad.

The weather is gloomy today, with some small snowflakes falling. If you work outside, your hands and feet will become numb from the cold unless you move around.

He saw a craftsman laying the barracks floor. There was a deep pit under the floor and someone was laying pipes in it.

He asked the translator, "What are these pipes for?"

The Russian craftsman looked up and ignored him.

Kuroda Toshiyoshi took out a Mitsui Cigarette Company's Ladies Pai Gow Pattern cigarette and handed it over.

Sure enough, this time the craftsman grinned and said, "Master Sato said that part of the water pipe is to connect to the water tower next year, and part of it is to dig drainage pipes next year to connect the sewage channel. Praise the Virgin Mary, praise Master Zhao Chuanxin, and curse the damn F.O. Kononovich for never coming up with so many good ideas..."

"Where did you get the slaked lime?"

"There is no slaked lime. We used burnt mirage ash mixed with the yellow clay from the valley. The bricks were given by you, and the stone bricks and hollow columns were brought by Lord Zhao Chuanxin."

It is the ash made from burning oysters and various shells on the seashore, which is used as a substitute for cement.

If there is not enough mirage ash, add yellow mud to it.

Sometimes walls are built by mixing yellow mud with chopped hay.

The craftsman said, "This is what Master Zhao Chuanxin taught me. Praise him and curse that damned V.O. Kononovich."

Kuroda Toshiyoshi was shocked. Why did these people always curse Vladimir Kononovich when they spoke?

So he began to inquire about the reason.

It turns out that various versions of conspiracy theories were circulating among craftsmen and exiles.

For example, Vladimir Kononovich was a hypocritical man who didn't want anyone to get rich, so he limited the income of each class so that they would just spend all their money and work forever.

For example, he would let some patients with infectious diseases of unknown origin stay among the crowd, deliberately spreading the disease, and then let doctors treat them in order to win people's hearts.

For example, in order to preserve the physical strength of the exiles and prevent them from lingering on women's bellies, syphilis was spread so that they would not dare to mess with women who sold their bodies, so that the prisoners would do physical labor to the utmost.

These rumors are often just right and are very common in Beidao. It’s okay to say they exist or not, and no one can explain them clearly.

But exiles and craftsmen preferred to blame their poverty on these "conspiracies".

Kuroda Toshiyoshi was horrified when he heard this.

What a damn vicious method.

When it came to Vladimir Komonovich and the Russian authorities on the northern island, the craftsmen and exiles cursed.

Speaking of Zhao Chuanxin and the Peacekeeping Bureau, they spoke in gentle and emotional tones, with sacred expectations on their faces: "Hello, Lord Zhao Chuanxin, all glory belongs to the Holy Lord who dominates everything and Lord Zhao Chuanxin. Lord Zhao Chuanxin built barracks and some residential houses this year, and will build more next year. He promised that the money we earn is enough to buy these beautiful, solid, dry and warm brick houses, and we will no longer suffer from the erosion of rain and snow. A family lives in a house like this. Just think about it, the house, women, children, livestock, courtyard garden and vegetable plot, this is comparable to life on land..."

After hearing this, Kuroda Toshiyoshi remained expressionless, but sneered in his heart.

Sure enough, he watched the craftsmen work until evening.

He discovered that whenever these craftsmen were tired and wanted to rest, they would take a look at the stone tavern with hollow columns not far away, and the department store, restaurant and clothing shop next to it, and their bodies would be injected with an inexplicable energy, and they would get up and continue working.

At night the overseer came.

The supervisors were the men of Levitan, the executive officer of the Peacekeeping Bureau. They checked whether today's progress was satisfactory by writing and drawing on a notebook, while the craftsmen nodded and bowed beside them.

After the supervisors had inspected the work and settled the bill, the craftsmen and exiles left happily.

Some people went to clothing shops to buy new clothes, some went to restaurants to have a big meal, and more people went to bars.

Kuroda Toshiyoshi followed the daytime craftsman, whose destination was clear - the tavern.

The craftsman said to Kuroda Toshiyoshi: "This is the Paris of Sakhalin. There are ways to make a living here, and it is also a place to make friends. It is noisy and lively. You can have a drink to relieve your fatigue, or try your luck at the gambling table. If you have enough money, you can hug your Japanese geishas. Their bodies are softer than our Russian women and are very beautiful..."

Kuroda Toshiyoshi remained calm and followed him into the pub.

He wanted to order a glass of vodka for the craftsman, but the craftsman said, "I've been used to drinking a kind of liquor called tequila recently. Please order that for me."

Kuroda Toshiyoshi also tried it and felt he couldn't get used to it.

When these exiles and craftsmen got off work, the tavern suddenly became lively and crowded.

The gambling tables were occupied, the drinking tables were packed, and even the open spaces were crowded.

God knows how this "unruly" wood, elm, was made into a bar counter with such unique patterns.

There is also a song-ordering machine on the bar, and each song costs 10 kopecks, which is not cheap.

But there are a lot of records, stuck in a wooden slot. No matter what song you order, the Japanese bartender will skillfully find it.

The Dutch stove in the corner was unlit, for the heat from the breath alone made it impossible to wear a short coat.

The geishas here are different from those in Japan. They don't paint their faces as white as ghosts, nor do they paint their teeth black. Instead, they apply a little red on their faces to make themselves look healthy.

Their lips were painted with a kind of lipstick, which was bright but not gaudy, making people want to kiss it. It was said that this lipstick was sold in the department store next door and was very expensive.

They wear bright kimonos, high heels, take small steps, exude various fragrances, and always have sincere smiles on their faces as they move among the crowd. To the Maozi, they are full of exotic charm.

But no one dared to touch them without permission, because there were guards in the tavern watching them closely and they might be whipped.

There was a gambling table surrounded by people. When Kuroda Toshiyoshi looked at it, his brows couldn't help but frown.

It turned out that he was familiar with several people at the table.

Peacekeeping Army training sergeant Sato Masayoshi, Peacekeeping Army company commander Neng Chengwen, Peacekeeping Army executive officer Levitan, Kitajima's betrayer Boyarkov, and... Kuroda Toshiyoshi's old acquaintance, lawyer Jiang Taoliu...

These people gathered at a table and played a card game called Shitos, which was played only by low-class Russians.

In front of each of them was a pile of ruble silver coins, Japanese silver dollars, Lugang Town female generals' money and a kind of beautiful paper money.

The number is staggering.

When Kuroda Toshiyoshi saw that Jiang Taoliu won, he rang the bell next to him.

When the bartender saw this, he went to Jiang Taoliu to get the money and shouted, "Mr. Jiang Tao won 38 rubles. This round is on Mr. Jiang Tao's behalf!"

There was a sudden cheer in the tavern, but no one was surprised, except Kuroda Toshiyoshi.

His frown deepened.

In his impression, Jiang Taoliu was a dignified and meticulous lawyer. How could he do such a frivolous and wasteful act?

When the bartender finished shouting, the pub became frenzied and gamblers at other tables squandered their money as if it was not their own - that was all the money they had earned through hard work during the day.

The craftsman told him: "This tavern is still too small. There is another, larger tavern being built next to it. It is said that it will have a ventilation structure with return air. The furniture will all be Viennese furniture. The floor will be painted, and the outside walls will be painted red. People can party day and night. It will be a paradise on earth."

Kuroda Toshira thought: This looks like hell on earth to me.

Soon, Boyarkov lost all the money in front of him. He pushed the cards away and said uninterestedly: "I don't want to play anymore. It's boring. God is not on my side today. I will continue tomorrow."

So the game was over.

Kuroda Toshiyoshi hurriedly said goodbye to the craftsman and followed Jiang Taoliu.

"Jiang Tao, wait a minute."

Jiang Taoliu turned around and saw it was Kuroda Toshiyoshi, so he stopped and waited.

"Mr. Kuroda, what's going on?"

"Why do you want to gamble?"

Jiang Taoliu said with a serious face: "Mr. Kuroda, I am working for Mr. Zhao now, so it is not convenient to reveal more."

In fact, this sentence reveals something.

But Kuroda Toshiyoshi was still not satisfied and asked, "What on earth are you doing?"

Jiang Tao looked around, pulled him to a secluded place, and whispered, "It's okay to tell you, but don't spread it. In fact, we are acting. The money is fixed. Every day, the four of us have to buy at least two rounds of tequila. When one person loses all the money, the gambling will end."

"To make the people in the tavern go crazy?"

"Exactly."

"But why would Zhao Chuanxin do this? Is he crazy about money?"

"No, this is for the efficiency of the project and to divert conflicts. That's all I can say. Kuroda-kun, I still say that I am working for Mr. Zhao now."

Kuroda Toshiyoshi wanted to ask more, but Jiang Taoliu left without giving him face.

From this, it can be seen that Jiang Taoliu has become so happy that he has completely stood in Zhao Chuanxin's camp.

Kuroda Toshiyoshi hardly slept all night.

The next day, he went to the construction site and tried to tell the craftsmen the truth.

"Zhao Chuanxin is fooling you..."

"Fuck your mother, I think you are asking for a fight. Compared to the north, this life is already like heaven..."

Kuroda Toshiyoshi: “…”

He observed for three consecutive days and discovered more phenomena.

For example, some Russian merchants "smuggled" into the Peacekeeping Agency to resell the prison uniforms of the exiles, and then sold them to the Kiryaks who wanted to keep up with the fashion, or sold them to the hard laborers in the Duer coal mine at a higher price.

There are also some Russian usurers who want to lend money here at high interest rates, charging a 10% daily interest rate.

Gamblers flocked to it, but soon these Russian loan sharks lost all their money because the Peacekeeping Agency not only did not protect them, but instead protected the lenders.

Because the laws that Jiang Taoliu formulated for the Peacekeeping Bureau clearly stated that usury is not protected by law, but the free people of the Peacekeeping Bureau are protected by local laws and cannot be harmed by those people.

Zhao Chuanxin used this radical method to eliminate the rampant usury.

If you want to get a loan, you have to go through the formal process and go to the newly built Lubinfu Bank of the Peacekeeping Bureau.

Some gamblers thought they could take advantage of a loophole and did not repay their loans. As a result, they were punished by being sent to dredge rivers where they soaked in the icy river water every day. They would soon get sick and in serious cases die, which was equivalent to a direct death sentence.

No one can tell whether the peacekeeping agency, which claims to be the Paris of Sakhalin, is a paradise or a hell.

Kuroda Toshiyoshi also had to admire: "Zhao Chuanxin is indeed the most shining hero of this era."

……

Zhao Chuanxin has basically bid farewell to his previous "idle" style.

Reality forced him to keep moving forward.

Zhao Chuanxin was holding a dogtail grass in his mouth, wishful thinking that he could use it to reduce the amount of cigarettes he smoked. "Jiang Tao, remember this: the Ainu people are protected by law, and no one can bully or enslave them. The Ainu people are free citizens of the Peacekeeping Bureau. According to the 'Rice Law', any grain store or department store under the jurisdiction of the Peacekeeping Bureau must sell rice that the Ainu people love, and they must sell it at a fair price. This kind of waste that is protected by the Peacekeeping Bureau will probably disappear if we don't protect it anymore."

The Ainu are a strange race.

They are different from other indigenous neighbors in Sakhalin. Their body hair is sparse, but the cute slaves have very abundant hair.

Even the Russians call them Maoren.

The Ainu people are also short and strong, but they are not aggressive and extremely hate violence. They are a people who are very easy to conquer, enslave and exclude.

The Japanese were best at bullying them, but the Tsarist Russians would protect them to a certain extent.

As a result, despite all the protection, the number of Ainu people has been decreasing over the years, which makes Zhao Chuanxin worthy of the title of "first-level protected waste of the Peacekeeping Bureau".

Jiang Taoliu was stunned when he heard this: "Are we going to add the Peacekeeping Bureau's first-level protected waste to the law?"

"Have you gone crazy from acting these past few days?" Zhao Chuanxin spat out the dogtail grass, took out a cigarette and lit it up, cursing in annoyance.

Jiang Tao bowed six times: "I was wrong."

"You are good at correcting mistakes. You are also great. Remember, figuring out the essence of a problem is like a ten-month pregnancy, while solving a problem is like giving birth in one day. Einstein said: If I am given one hour to solve a problem that determines my life or death, I will spend 1 minutes figuring out what the question is asking. Once I know what it is asking, the remaining 55 minutes are enough to solve the problem."

"Uh...ok."

Jiang Taoliu thought: Who is Einstein?
In any case, as long as there is rice, the Ainu people can be retained.

The Ainu were the most obedient labor force.

In the blink of an eye, autumn goes and winter comes.

Representatives from Lubin Prefecture, Yanbian, Sakhalin Peacekeeping Bureau, Hong Kong Island, Macau Island, and Hankou went to Lugang Town for a meeting.

In the past, there were only Hong Kong Island and Macau Island, but this year four more places have been added. After all, they have all formed a certain scale.

When Neng Chengwen heard that he had the opportunity to return to the inland as a representative of the Sakhalin Peacekeeping Bureau, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several days.

On the day of boarding, those who saw them off included Sato Masayoshi, Jiang Taoliu, Levitan, a group of junior officers and a Japanese female clerk.

The Russians in the Peacekeeping Bureau were very excited because before coming to the Peacekeeping Bureau, Chengwen was still an exile.

But now he had the identity card of a free citizen of the Peacekeeping Bureau, and his past crimes were forgiven, and he could travel freely between the inland and Sakhalin. It was so exciting.

Boyarkov was equally excited, because it was a complete surprise that he was able to serve as an attendant who could write this time.

However, when they were about to board the Baikal, the crew stopped them with a Russian soldier and said, "You cannot board the ship with this ID. I need to see your previous ID."

Everyone was so excited that they felt as if they had been slapped hard in the face.

Neng Chengwen said angrily: "I am a free citizen of the Peacekeeping Bureau. Listen carefully, it is the Peacekeeping Bureau."

The other party said forcefully: "I said, it depends on your previous identity!"

Levitan said coldly: "Do you know who you are dealing with?"

The other party also sneered: "I only know that the Baikal is a Russian merchant ship, owned by Russian merchants, and we have the right to choose who can board the ship."

The Peacekeeping Bureau members were shaking with anger.

If they were forbidden from boarding the ship, it would be equivalent to never being able to set foot on land again.

At this time, a voice came: "Whether you can go or not, the Peacekeeping Bureau has the first say. Whether Sakhalin is in chaos or not, the Peacekeeping Bureau has the final say..."

(End of this chapter)