I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 728 April Fools' Day Prank

America in 1921

Not to mention 1921, there is child labor in the United States in 2021.

Not only is there child labor, but there is also child marriage.

In some states in the United States, polygamy is legal.

The slavery system in the United States was not completely abolished until 2013. However, as a widespread social problem in the United States, black labor will probably last as long as the United States as a country.

Although the United States has numerous problems of its own, most Americans feel good about themselves, especially those wealthy people who can afford 15 cents to buy a newspaper. They have more complicated feelings towards European countries.

On the one hand, these wealthy Americans admire Europe and hope to be recognized by Europe.

On the other hand, it tries desperately to discredit Europe in order to prove that the United States is advanced and developed.

You can doubt the stance of rich people, but don’t doubt their IQ.

In the United States in early 1921, Wilson was seriously ill and unable to handle government affairs, and Harding had to wait until March to take office.

The 400 million American soldiers who returned from Europe were idle, penniless, and wandering around the city, becoming the most serious threat to public security.

After the economic crisis broke out, workers lost their jobs, farmers' incomes decreased, and all industries and sectors fell into depression. Rich people were afraid to invest their money or even deposit it in banks.

God knows when the bank will go bankrupt.

Rich Americans like to invest in emerging economies the most. Before the rise of Russia, Germany was the country most favored by American capital.

Before The Atlantic published Russian news, American capitalists had already begun investing in Russia.

After The Atlantic published the Russian news, Russian bonds issued in the United States suddenly became enthusiastically sought after by the market.

To boost bond sales, Russian bonds were previously issued at 90 percent of their face value.

Just one day later, not only did Russian bonds return to normal prices, some people were even willing to buy them at a premium.

After several months of fermentation, the influence of The Atlantic has expanded beyond New York, and this issue of reports on Russia has been widely circulated among students at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

During the economic crisis, even Harvard graduates had a hard time finding jobs.

Although Harvard is very famous and students have high expectations, Harvard's top students will not look down on jobs that pay poorly.

After the economic crisis broke out, even large companies like Rockefeller and Dolgorukov reduced employee salaries and cut costs and increased efficiency.

This is relatively good, at least there are no layoffs.

Those who have lost their jobs, are unemployed at home, and have no way to make a living are the most miserable.

That’s not right. The ones who suffer the most should be the owners of small and medium-sized enterprises who run out of funds, sell off their property, try all sorts of methods, but ultimately still end up going bankrupt.

Unemployment is not scary. As long as the economy improves, you can still survive by finding another job.

When a boss goes bankrupt, not only does he lose all his property, but he also has to bear a lot of debt, and he will never be able to recover in his lifetime. Many people, unable to accept the reality, jump off the roof.

Since employment outcomes are not as good as expected, many Harvard graduates choose to stay in school to continue their studies as a way to escape reality.

James, from California, and his roommate Billy agreed to stay on campus together.

But one day in March, Billy suddenly received an invitation from a Russian company and decided to go to Russia to work.

"why?"

James is very sad. This kind of goodbye may mean forever.

"Don't you realize it yet? For ordinary people like us, Russia is the best choice."

Billy was very calm. The book "Empire Nirvana" in his hand was a special issue published by "The Atlantic" for Russia.

As sales have grown, The Atlantic has increased from once a week to twice a week, and has also produced special issues for European countries.

"The Atlantic" is a special issue produced for European countries. It uses higher-grade coated paper. Its content includes travel notes written by travelers and large color photos taken by professional photographers. Each copy is priced at as high as US$2.5 and is still in short supply. Many old European immigrants have rushed to buy the "Special Issue" to ease their homesickness.

Due to the different histories of European countries, The Atlantic produced a special issue for Russia with as many as 125 pages. At $2.5, it would definitely be a loss, but The Atlantic magazine increased the quantity without raising the price, and won unanimous praise from readers.

"Russian tycoons are coming to the United States to do business. America is the future!"

James has unshakable faith in America.

“America is indeed a paradise for the rich, but it is hell for us poor people.”

Billy's longing for Russia is greater than his love for America.

"Billy, you are a Harvard graduate. You have left the poor class and are about to become - no, you have already joined the elite class."

James felt sorry for his friend and wondered what wrong medicine Billy had taken.

"The United States used to be my dream country, but now it is not. I am now absolutely sure that my dream can only be realized in Russia."

Unlike James, Billy is a new immigrant from France. He came to Harvard to study because of his recognition of the United States, and now he has given up the United States for the same reason. Billy's favorite books are Plato's "Republic" and Thomas More's "Utopia". He is deeply attracted by the scenes described in these two books.

After arriving in the United States, Billy finally realized the true nature of the United States: there is no such thing as freedom or democracy here.

That’s right, how could a country founded by the Puritans be democratic and free?

"You are wrong. Only in the United States can we realize our ideals! Russia is nothing more than a feudal country in the guise of democracy. What you see is all an illusion."

James was emotional and his disgust towards Russia reached its peak.

"If what you said is true, then the United States is a slave country in the guise of democracy!"

Billy was determined to leave and would rather give up his studies for this.

Like Billy, countless young people come to Russia, determined to pursue their dreams throughout their lives.

Also in March, Russia's Sibirbank and Germany's Deutsche Bank reached an agreement, under which Sibirbank injected 10 billion rubles into Deutsche Bank to help it stabilize the value of the mark.

When Siberian Bank acquired 20 percent of Deutsche Bank's shares, it also sent people to supervise Deutsche Bank's operations.

After the Siberian Bank injected capital into Deutsche Bank, Russian capital led by the Yuriev Group and the Yusupov Group increased its investment in Germany.

On March 3, with the assistance of the Yuriev Group, Benz Automotive and Amur Automobile Group reached a cooperation agreement to establish a joint venture factory in Germany for joint operations.

Felix has set his sights on investing in the German transportation sector.

After two years of hard work, Russia's railway network has basically returned to normal. Next, the Russian government will build a road network connecting all cities.

By repairing railways, Russia has accumulated an engineering team with strong professional capabilities, and its design and construction capabilities are world-class.

After the repair of the Trans-Siberian Railway, railway construction in Russia will come to an end, and the engineering team can be transferred to Germany to contribute to Germany's reconstruction.

It was only then that Britain, France and the United States noticed that Russia was clearly trying to swallow up Germany.

Everyone knows that Germany's post-war reconstruction will be related to the fate and future of Europe.

Russia had previously reached an agreement with the German government to exchange grain exports for German labor, which initially solved Russia's labor shortage.

Germany joined the Free Trade Organization last year, laying the foundation for further cooperation between Russia and Germany.

Now that Russia and Germany have signed an investment agreement, if Britain, France and the United States do not take action, Germany will completely turn to Russia.

Once Germany completely turns to Russia, Britain, France and the United States will face unprecedented pressure.

Before the outbreak of the World War, knowledgeable people in Germany and Russia asked what would happen if German technology and Russian resources were combined?
For Germany and Russia, this is a match made in heaven.

But for Britain and France, if Germany and Russia formed an alliance, it would be tantamount to a disaster.

The impact on the United States is not significant, at most it will just lose the German market.

But for American capitalists, this is simply a death sentence.

On March 3, Harding officially moved into the White House and became the 4th President of the United States.

The day after Harding entered the White House, he initiated an initiative to Britain and France to re-examine Germany's compensation capacity and discuss a more appropriate compensation plan.

Germany has now made it clear that the 1320 billion gold marks stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles far exceeds Germany's ability to repay, and if the Allies do not amend the agreement, Germany will refuse to pay reparations.

The French were overjoyed: Okay, okay, if you don’t want to return it, then don’t return it. Whoever regrets it will be a dog.

The British were hesitant: If Germany doesn't pay it back, then the money Britain owes to the United States will be written off.

Little Nicholas laughed wildly. Russia had reached an agreement with Germany. Once Germany had the ability to repay, it would give priority to repaying the reparations to Russia.

That is why Sibirbank is regulating Deutsche Bank.

Harding never expected that he would face such a difficult situation just after becoming the President of the United States.

At the critical moment, it was the shrewd Clemenceau who came to the rescue.

Clemenceau warned London and Paris that if the plan was not revised, it might lead to the emergence of an unprecedentedly powerful alliance between Britain and France in the north.

Lloyd George's teeth were broken.

During the Paris Peace Conference, the person who took the toughest stance against German reparations was Clemenceau.

Now Clemenceau is speaking out again.

You are the only one who can say whether the relationship is good or bad.

Although Clemenceau showed signs of senility, his warnings attracted the attention of London and Paris.

On April 4, Lloyd George invited Harding, George, and French President Alexandre Millerand to convene a London Conference to reassess reparations to Germany.

When George received the invitation, he couldn't help but wonder if this was an April Fool's Day prank.

(End of this chapter)