Russian

The original plan to withdraw troops was forced to a halt because Ivan Ivanov, the supreme military commander of Lemoyne, came over himself.

It was still Henry Manor, and still the familiar living room.

Dutch sat on the sofa, looking at the bearded man sitting opposite him, feeling a bit novel.

Because this guy was from the Russian Empire.

This was the first time Dutch had seen someone from the Russian Empire in America. After Russia elevated the title of Tsar to Emperor in 1721, their designation became the Russian Empire, not Tsarist Russia.

During the Age of Discovery, while others had already completed their voyages, Russia was still searching for an outlet to the sea. Russia missed the initial opportunities of the Age of Discovery, and even though it vigorously pursued afterward, it only caught a tail end. This also led to a pitifully small number of people from the Russian Empire in America at this stage, even fewer than the Chinese who had emigrated. Of course, this also has a lot to do with its small population.

It was not strange to see Russians in America, but it was very rare for this Russian to hold such a high position.

"Oh ho ho, Mr. Ivanov, I'm delighted by your arrival. Arthur, have someone bring the wine!" Dutch shook hands with Ivan in front of him, a wide smile on his face.

"Oh, Mr. Van der Linde, I've heard much about you! In fact, after your Veteran Club came out, I noticed you. I also heard rumors about the Saint Denis incident recently, and I thought you might need some personnel support at this time, so I came over." Ivan, with a full beard, gripped Dutch's hands tightly, appearing warm and excited.

His words were a bit ambiguous; he came over as soon as something happened in Saint Denis, which gave the impression that he was here to take advantage of the situation.

However, he came alone this time and did not bring an army, so it was clear he had no intention of taking advantage, but genuinely wanted to side with Van der Linde.

This made Dutch somewhat curious.

Dutch looked at the bearded, burly man in military uniform and asked, "Oh, I am very grateful for your help, Mr. Ivanov. But may I know why you are helping me so much? We don't seem to have any dealings with each other."

"Mr. Van der Linde, helping you is not just my intention, but also the intention of my soldiers.

Your Veteran Club has given my soldiers hope for their future lives. You might not know how highly you are regarded in our barracks right now.

Let me put it this way, Mr. Van der Linde, if you and I were to issue commands to my troops right now, these soldiers would only listen to your orders!

Hahaha, under such circumstances, it seems I had no choice but to come, even if I didn't want to.

Of course, I personally have a very good impression of you! Besides, when I retire, you might also become my boss.

As for these damned dignitaries of Saint Denis, they only cut our military budget year after year, euphemistically calling it saving costs for Lemoyne, and for the past two years, they haven't even issued bonuses to retired soldiers. If it weren't for our existence still being able to restrict those damned Lemoyne Raiders, they would probably wish to disband us on the spot! But even so, we still have to hunt ourselves to improve our daily lives!

As for why I became the supreme commander of the Lemoyne forces, it's a bit laughable to explain. I am actually a lucky beneficiary of political balance, Mr. Van der Linde. The major families of Saint Denis are all maintaining a balance with each other, and the army is undoubtedly a fundamental condition that could break that balance. In order to ensure this balance is not broken, they can only compromise with each other and decide to choose someone who is not a figure from any of the parties to become the supreme commander of the Lemoyne army, thus ensuring their political equilibrium.

Under these circumstances, I was very fortunately chosen by them to become an independent force in Lemoyne, ensuring that I would not side with any party.

As for me, I am actually a true American, because my parents came to America before I was born. So I grew up and lived in America as a genuine American, just with a slightly different name."

Ivan, with a bitter smile, disclosed all his information.

He came to seek refuge with Mr. Van der Linde; there was no other way, he couldn't survive otherwise. America has a separation of powers and political checks and balances. The means to limit politics is to prevent them from controlling the army, and the means to limit the army is money.

And now that the Lemoyne Government's Saint Denis dignitaries have been rounded up, the Lemoyne army has lost its source of funding. Their food supplies are almost exhausted, and if he doesn't come over, his soldiers will mutiny.

So he could only come over and surrender himself.

Compared to Lemoyne, New Hanover was different. The New Hanover Government was not in New Hanover, so its government had not yet been overthrown and arrested by Dutch, so money could still be disbursed, and the army would not actively surrender to the Van der Linde Gang.

But it would be soon, because New Hanover's tax revenue had been completely cut off by Dutch, and Mr. Cornwall's major tax-paying industries in New Hanover had been completely taken over. If Mr. Cornwall didn't pay up, the New Hanover army would disband on the spot.

Listening to Mr. Ivanov's narration, Dutch nodded.

This was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

The army actively surrendering was much better than him having to recruit them, especially highlighting the importance of his Veteran Club idea.

So next, he would have to deeply bind himself with the Lemoyne forces.

Looking at Ivanov in front of him, a smile appeared on Dutch's face: "I see, Mr. Ivanov.

I am deeply honored by your choice, and of course, honor is not just spoken, but demonstrated through concrete actions.

I have always greatly respected soldiers! The Veteran Club is one of the expressions of my respect.

And now, you have come all this way to side with me, so of course, I must give you the treatment you deserve!

Mr. Ivanov, what is the current pay and benefits for the soldiers in the army?"

"Thirty cents a day, Mr. Van der Linde. Before, it was fifty cents a day, but a year ago, the Saint Denis councilmen, in order to cut expenses, claimed that it was peacetime, so military pay should be reduced, and they directly cut it to thirty cents... Alas, the Lemoyne forces can hardly be called an army now, because they can't even reach the level of one rifle per person. Those joining the army recently even need to bring their own bedding and clothes, because the Saint Denis Government doesn't allocate funds, and military equipment hasn't been maintained or purchased for a long time. (Don't find this too abstract; actual America is even more abstract, for example, soldiers have to buy their own body armor because the issued ones aren't bulletproof due to environmental concerns... And if modern times are this abstract, I can't even imagine how abstract it was in this era, and in this era, the main reason American soldiers joined the army was because they couldn't find food, so the proportion of Black people among soldiers was particularly high because Black people were still discriminated against and had difficulty finding work.)

Moreover, a Saint Denis senator proposed a bill some time ago to charge enlisted soldiers thirty cents a day for meals and lodging, which would mean these kids' wages would have to be paid back, leaving them with no money at all. Fortunately, it didn't pass." Ivanov sighed, covering his head.

In reality, the purpose of this bill was to threaten the army into confronting the Van der Linde Gang, and the reason it didn't pass was because Dutch had rounded up the Saint Denis dignitaries, causing the bill to be shelved.

The reason he actively came to surrender was to make a good impression and secure more benefits for his soldiers.

At the very least, he would be happy if the daily pay returned to the previous fifty cents.

At the very least, these children who joined the army because they couldn't afford food would be able to save enough money after serving for a few years to have a fund to ensure their temporary survival when they returned to society, allowing them to look for work during that time, instead of leaving with no money and not even receiving their retirement pay, making even basic living a problem.