After the abolition of serfdom in Tsarist Russia, a lot of manpower and capital were freed up, and they were invested in Moscow's economic market. The key heavy industries were expanded to enterprise scale, which also made the economy stronger.
So there is even more heavy industry in Moscow than in St. Petersburg.
However, compared to the poor canyon-like urban architecture of the Imperial Capital of Britannia, the streets here are relatively empty and there are no such tall chimneys.
So there isn’t that much fog here, and the air is relatively okay.
Of course, this is relative, and the air here still cannot be said to be good.
Char is happy that some historical buildings are still preserved here.
Because in another world, this city once suffered a devastating blow.
In 1812, exactly a hundred years after the capital was moved, Napoleon of France launched a war against Russia, marched straight in, and occupied Moscow.
However, the destruction of the city was not caused by the French, but by their own people.
Because Tsarist Russia decided to adopt a scorched earth policy, France saw a useless empty city after entering Moscow. At that time, winter was approaching, and the empty city could not provide supplies to the French army, so Napoleon quickly decided to retreat.
However, Napoleon obviously did not come forward because of Britannia's existence, and the flapping wings of Arthur, the butterfly, also affected this side.
"Россия! Россия!"
At the front of the street, a crowded crowd was approaching them. They were dressed in different clothes. Some were wearing overalls, with soot on their faces, and holding hammers in their hands.
Some people were dressed like farmers, holding sickles and pitchforks in their hands. They were waving their fists in the air and shouting the name of the country.
As they passed, they skirted around pedestrians and other people in what looked like a stream of water flowing across a pebbly beach.
Some people even handed some newspapers to Xia Ya and Alicia.
The newspaper must not be published by the official newspaper of this country, because the headline above is very eye-catching.
【An unjust war】
Then there are several relatively smaller eye-catching titles below.
"Nicholas II, why do you want to help the enemy attack our compatriots!?"
The content is roughly about the atrocities of the Tsar, his perverse behavior at home, and the non-controversial nature of the war. The first page is some anti-war propaganda.
And on the back is some propaganda promoting Messerism.
Soon, both Xia Ya and Alicia heard the sound of some relatively neat steel-soled leather boots stepping on the ground.
At the other end of the street, a group of armed gendarmes trotted over.
"Okay, okay, everyone spread out, spread out!"
The leader of the military police captain shouted impatiently to the group of marchers.
Then, he looked at the people holding newspapers around him and said angrily.
"Throw away all these newspapers!"
He has a very vicious look on his face, especially when he shouts. Everyone dropped the newspapers in their hands on the ground.
“From now on, everyone who reads this newspaper or collects this newspaper will be arrested for treason!
These are despicable methods used by foreign spies to drive a wedge between the empire! "
He shouted loudly to the people on the street, and then he looked at the group of people who were still gathering.
"What are you still doing here? I'll let you disperse!"
As he spoke, he directly raised the firearm in his hand and fired several shots into the air.
Several mechas also walked over, with thick smoke billowing from the exhaust pipes behind them, and pointed the cannonballs on their backs at the crowd.
The eyes of these people were full of resentment, but apparently they did not get angry due to the firearms and mechas in the hands of the military police.
The workers said nothing and just continued to disperse silently.
"Starting from today, a curfew is imposed in Moscow and all unapproved demonstrations are banned!"
The military policeman announced loudly.
Alicia whispered.
"Is it because of the war?"
"Fighting Beichen is not an easy task." Xia Ya said.
"Both its population and economy are much larger than the current Tsarist Russia, not to mention that their resource advantage is not much higher than that of Beichen. The only advantage is that Beichen's resource transportation is more difficult than theirs.
Military needs consume a lot of resources, but when farmers and workers are forced to go to the battlefield, who will produce? As a result, factories closed, unemployment increased significantly, and people's livelihood supplies were in short supply.
As a major industrial city, Moscow will naturally have more and more people going on strike.
When the war continues to a certain extent, this situation will become more and more serious.
The wars in this era are different from those in other eras..."
"boom!!!"
At this time, a loud noise suddenly came from one side of the street, something like a gunshot.
The expressions of the military police suddenly became alert, and then a group of people ran directly towards the place where the gunshots were fired.
Xia Ya also pulled Alicia and walked over.
In the middle of the street, there is a narrow lane between two houses. There is no sunlight in the alley all year round, but it seems that the surrounding businesses discharge some water here, making it very dark and humid. You can even faintly see some mice running in the shadows.
At the end of the alley, a dirty woman was sitting on a pile of garbage. There was a pistol hanging on the fingers of her hand that was hanging limply on one side. It seemed that gunpowder was still emitting, and it looked like it had just been fired. .
Blood mixed with brain matter slowly flowed down from the back of her head, and blood also overflowed from the corners of her mouth, but there were still some traces of gunpowder smoke.
Apparently, the woman had just committed suicide by shooting herself.
People quickly gathered around, talking and whispering among themselves.
The leading military policeman reacted and shouted to the people around him.
"Do any of you know her?"
At this time, a woman in the crowd spoke.
"I know, her name is Natasha, and she lives next door."
At this time, another person said, "Her husband was drafted and went to the front line not long ago. Someone seemed to have sent her a death notice a day ago."
"She used to work in a textile factory. Later, the textile factory closed down, and she lost her job. The rent became due, and she was kicked out by the landlord."
I was surrounded by people who lived here, so I had a clear understanding of what this woman was going through.
The crowd fell into a brief silence as they rushed to complete the short but tragic life of the suicidal woman.
They all felt sad for this poor woman, and deep down in their hearts, there was some unexplained fear.
The population of Tsarist Russia was only about 170 million, but they recruited millions of soldiers.
Among the people watching, many have relatives and friends who are in the army.
Some may still be training at the rear, while others may soon go to the battlefield.
This woman is the epitome of this war.
As the intensity of the war gradually increases, this microcosm will spread to many people...
Soon, a military policeman ran over from a corner of the street, holding a large body bag in his hand.
They went into the alley, put the woman's body in a body bag and brought it out.
The woman had no relatives, so she was burned into ashes in a public incinerator, but the final outcome is unknown.
It may be scattered in an unknown corner, or it may be collected and put in an urn by a kind person.
This is what happened to the little guys in this war.
"What are you looking at? Get out of here!"
Under the scolding of the gendarmerie captain, the crowd surrounding here dispersed in all directions.
The military police also left here with the body.
This narrow alley suddenly became quiet. If it weren't for the blood stains that were still there, perhaps no one would have noticed that someone had committed suicide here.
Except for her relatives, no one cares about the death of this woman, because she is just a small person, and the world will not change if it loses her or gains one more.
Charia pulled Alicia into the alley. They crossed the garbage pile where the woman committed suicide and walked into the corner of the alley.
The eaves of the house shielded the wind and snow, but some melted snow still dripped along the cracks in the house and fell into the alley.
So it was really humid and uncomfortable here, and there was even an unspeakable stench.
A lot of human feces can be seen here, and some homeless people should gather here or spend the night.
But soon, Char and Alicia saw a young man lying at the end of the street.
To be precise, she should be a girl. She looks to be about seven or eight years old. Her hair is shaved into a buzz cut and her face is covered with soot. I don't know if it was painted on purposely.
Her clothes also looked like they were picked up in a garbage dump. They were in tatters and dirty, and she had no shoes.
Alicia quickly stepped forward and squatted on the ground, not caring about the filth on her body, but looked at it carefully, and then raised her head to look at Xia Ya.
"It's poisoning, but I'm still angry."
As she spoke, she raised her hand, and the words Ougan appeared in the air instantly.
Powerful vitality was injected into the girl's body, and her pale-as-paper complexion gradually recovered.
Seeing her gradual recovery, Alicia slowly raised her head and looked at Char.
"Is this girl related to the woman who died just now?"
"It should be her daughter." Xia Ya said, "The group of people just said that she also has a daughter, but the group of military police didn't care."
Alicia seemed to have thought of something and murmured in a low voice, "Then the poison on her body must have been given by her mother."
Xia Ya was speechless.
Alicia also fell silent. If it were eighty or ninety years ago, she would still have asked some questions, saying how could a mother want to harm her daughter in this world.
But now that she is over a hundred years old, she is not as innocent as she used to be.
She has seen too much suffering in the world. When some third world countries were experiencing famine, she even saw people exchanging food for food.
As a mother, Alicia asked herself that she would never be able to do such a thing.
But she could also understand the mother.
In this world, poison is sometimes an antidote...
Soon, the girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at the person beside her with some confusion.
She looked beyond Alicia to Xia behind her, and looked into his eyes.
Her eyes are beautiful, as blue as the shores of Lake Baikal, like two sapphires.
Xia Ya stared at those eyes quietly, his eyes flashing, but there were no words.
These eyes resemble an old friend from his past...
(End of chapter)
