Dawn

Tsar Nicholas II and German Emperor William II seemed to be serious!

This scale of military force was completely sufficient to conquer any small country in this era.

And now, with 350,000 soldiers gathered, this scale of military force had completely torn off the facade, thoroughly exposing their true intentions.

"We are going to invade you!"

The deployment of such a massive force sent an extremely dangerous signal.

The British Empire Government and the French Government were holding overnight meetings, discussing the hidden meaning behind the Russian Empire and Germany's troop movements.

The world situation cannot be viewed solely through the lens of profit, nor can it be viewed only in the short term.

When the British and French governments previously dispatched 20,000 troops to America to harass and probe, they were still playing the role of a troublemaker.

Even after their defeat, when the Van Der Linde Government refused their request to return soldiers and warships, they did not escalate the matter to the level of war.

In their minds, at most, it would be like the East, occupying a small area of America, making them open to trade and exempt from tariffs. This way, they would have endless money to earn.

There was no need to launch a so-called large-scale war.

The United Kingdom and France just wanted to do business! This was their greatest dream!

But no one could have imagined why things had suddenly reached this point.

It seemed that after the German Second Reich Empire entered the fray, the entire situation completely spiraled out of control!

So what now?

To prevent their countries from falling behind in this plunder, they had to find a solution!

On February 18, 1901.

Edward VII, the dashing king, was pulled from the bed of Lord Alifoster's wife by his attendant, Lord Alifoster.

As the saying goes, when in doubt, ask the King. In Britain, the King is the most convenient scapegoat.

If you don't want to bear the blame when starting a war, then please let His Majesty the King step forward.

At that time, the King bears the blame, and capital gains the benefits. These are the most common tactics. Then, a few years later, capital uses newspapers to whitewash the King, and shares a portion of the profits with the King, making everyone happy.

At the request of the British Empire Government, Edward VII, a romantic king who learned nothing but loved to sleep with women, issued a statement.

'Dutch Van der Linde's actions are an insult to the British Empire! We cannot swallow this humiliation; we must bravely advance!'

Under the call of Edward VII, on that very day, the United Kingdom Government expressed its hostile intentions to the press.

And to position themselves as victims, thereby rallying public support, they even used the newspapers to exaggerate the Van der Linde's Guard's defensive actions, portraying them as a provocation to the British Empire! As contempt for Europe!

They already considered themselves superior; they already looked down on the United Kingdom as country bumpkins!

As soon as this rhetoric was released, even the United Kingdom workers, who toiled twenty-four hours a day in factories, injecting animal medicine, were completely enraged!

You can say that we in the United Kingdom have no human rights, you can say that we in the United Kingdom are troublemakers, you can say that we in the United Kingdom are a group of elegant bandits, but you cannot say that we in the United Kingdom are a group of country bumpkins!

This was the greatest insult to their British Empire! The greatest humiliation to these proud United Kingdom workers!

For a time, public sentiment in the British Empire was inflamed, and the desire for battle grew stronger.

On February 20, 1901.

The British Empire and the French Empire announced almost simultaneously.

To retaliate against the Van Der Linde Government's previous armed actions of shelling British/French military bases, they are now officially declaring war on the Van Der Linde Government!

Accompanying the declaration of war, the French Republic and the British Empire immediately began to conscript millions of soldiers.

These millions of soldiers were truly millions of soldiers.

Because these two countries had too many colonies, during World War I, the colonial troops they mobilized for war amounted to over a million.

Now, fighting in America, they were aggressively conscripting colonial forces to serve as their front line.

Under the manipulation of the British Empire, the India colony responded to the call to arms.

Two hundred thousand Indian colonial soldiers boarded steamships, military ships, and various other vessels.

Australia also dispatched 100,000 troops, allowing their old father, the British Empire, to personally command them, sailing towards America.

The United Kingdom itself also sent 200,000 British troops, majestically crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards the American East.

The French Republic even conscripted 100,000 Vietnamese and African legions, and the mainland dispatched 350,000 naval personnel, majestically following behind the British fleet, heading towards the American East.

And when His Majesty the Tsar saw these two powerful nations conscripting so many soldiers, he immediately became anxious!

His original purpose in conscripting 200,000 soldiers was to highlight the strength of his country, deploying more troops than the German Second Reich Empire, thereby showcasing his might.

But now, France and Britain are sending more troops than I am; isn't this highlighting the incompetence of my Russian Empire!

Reinforce! Must reinforce!

On February 25, 1901.

While the British Empire and the French Empire were raising soldiers, Nicholas II rose in fury and once again conscripted 150,000 serfs from within the country, having them travel by ship to join the first batch of soldiers in the war.

It is worth mentioning that Nicholas II was also somewhat cunning.

The industrialization scale of the Russian Empire was truly not good at all at that time, so to avoid affecting urban development, he directly bypassed the cities for conscription and went straight to the countryside.

This was to ensure the normal development of the cities.

One must say, even a fool's thousand thoughts will yield one gain!

On February 28, 1901.

The Russian Empire army, which had already departed for nearly a month, finally arrived at the American border after a long voyage.

At the same time, the Germany navy, whose sailing distance was half shorter than theirs, had not yet reached the American border.

No, not only had they not arrived, but they had also gone to Mexico!

On February 29, 1901.

A piece of news, arguably the biggest joke of the century, was published in newspapers around the world.

The Germany navy expeditionary force, known for its meticulousness, actually veered 500 miles off its intended course because the lead ship misread the compass direction, taking both personnel and ships into Mexican waters!

Furthermore, the Germany naval unit, due to an overwhelming desire for combat, even shelled and destroyed a large Mexican fishing boat with artillery.

The Mexican government lodged a strong protest against the Germany navy's seemingly brainless actions.

At the same time, Germany completely became the laughingstock of Europe.

The most rigorous empire committing such a foolish mistake—this was the biggest joke of the century, and the greatest scandal for the Germans from now on!

The British Empire workers were even more smug, feeling as if it were Christmas, their hearts filled with boundless joy.

Hey, you still claim to be rigorous? Not so rigorous now, are you?

Germany's laxity was widely spread, even reaching Mr. Van der Linde in the far-off American West.

"Davari!"

Mr. Zirnovsky, a Russian serf dressed in the special modified labor uniform produced by the Van der Linde Garment Factory, queued up with his food plate and came to the serving window, not forgetting to greet the serving staff with a smile in his native language.

Davari was a word taught to them by the VDL Party's ideological workers.

The Russian Empire did not yet have the word Davari, and coincidentally, this word was born in the years before World War I.

However, it was previously produced in the Russian Navy, and now it is produced by Mr. Van der Linde.

"Hahaha, Davari, only by eating your fill can you have the strength to work!" The Russian serf responsible for serving the food took Zirnovsky's plate with a beaming smile, then placed two large loaves of bread in it, and used an iron spoon to ladle a full portion of meat porridge and vegetable salad.

"Oh, there's meat to eat again today?" Zirnovsky looked at the meat porridge in his plate, smelling the aroma from it, and his mouth was almost watering.

"Of course. Mr. Van der Linde said that only by eating and drinking well can you have the strength to work. Only with the strength to work can we reform well!" The Russian serf serving the food was full of smiles.

"Oh, I love Mr. Van der Linde!!! I love Mr. Van der Linde so much!" Tears welled up in Zirnovsky's eyes.

A month ago, they were escorted as prisoners to New Hanover in the American West.

As serfs in the Russian Empire who could be arbitrarily beaten and killed, their hearts were utterly despairing at the time.

Everyone knew that prisoners of war would not have a good end; being a laborer was already the best outcome, and a greater possibility was being directly beaten to death.

The Geneva Convention of this era did not include a provision for treating prisoners well.

Therefore, before arriving in New Hanover, their hearts were filled with extreme helplessness and fear.

But this fear and helplessness ended on the first day they arrived in New Hanover.

Zirnovsky can even now remember everything that happened that day, and remember Mr. Dutch Van der Linde, who immediately struck one as charming.

Zirnovsky never thought that the dignity he had never experienced in his entire life would be found in the leader of an opposing gang.

"Gentlemen, I know you are filled with fear now, and I know you don't trust me yet! But that doesn't matter.

The meaning of our VDL Party's existence is to give everyone a happy life!

I don't care if you are farmers or soldiers in your own country, I don't care if your family is poor or rich, I only have one request of you.

That is to work hard, reform well, live well, and live like a human being!"

Mr. Van der Linde's speech was brief and powerful.

It was just right for these low-cultured, bottom-level people who couldn't understand too much.

Compared to the brief speech, the subsequent treatment and current life were the reasons why these prisoners completely surrendered.

In order to allow them to reform well, there was no beating or abuse in Mr. Van der Linde's prison.

After they came in, each person was first given a new set of clothes, and then everyone was gathered together to eat a full meal.

After the meal, the VDL Party's reform management staff gave each person a red book and outlined their two-year reform project.

Collective labor.

Mining or planting or breeding. Each person can earn five dollars a month in salary, and after saving one hundred dollars after two years.

They will then have a residence permit and identity card for the Van der Linde area.

From then on, they could obtain the identity of a normal person, a free house, a high-paying job from Mr. Van der Linde, free education for their children, the identity of a VDL Party member, a free train ride once a week... and most importantly, the chance to live like a human being!

When had these Russian serfs ever seen such treatment?

When had they ever been treated as human beings?

What Mr. Van der Linde said about letting them live like human beings seemed not just talk, but was truly being implemented in that direction, and they were truly regarded as people of equal status!

It is difficult for people not of this era to understand the hardships of this era.

But similarly, it is difficult for people not of this era to feel how great Mr. Van der Linde was to them.

It can be said that the God praised in the Bible did not have a brighter future for them than following Mr. Van der Linde!

Zirnovsky wolfed down his food with his bowl, then trotted out of the restaurant and walked towards the farmland with his reform hoe.

He had never experienced such a life since childhood. So he cherished it especially, he was reluctant to waste even a little bit of labor time, lest Mr. Van der Linde think he was slacking off and cancel his reform quota.

That's right, the reform quota has now become a good thing in their eyes.

These managed reformers not only did not suffer the pain of losing their freedom, but instead feared that they would lose their reform quota.

It is laughable to say that although he was nominally liberated when he was in Russia and could no longer be called a serf, he was still no different from a serf.

Working non-stop all year round, the grain he grew and the livestock he raised had no share for him at all.

He had never walked on any bridges in his life, because serfs were not allowed to leave their owners. But he had been building bridges all his life.

He had never lived in any intact houses in his life, but he had been building houses all his life.

He had been working since childhood, but he had never eaten his fill since childhood.

This was still because he was a laborer in the family, and his mother and sister reduced their food to let him eat more.

The first time he ate his fill in his life was on the territory of an enemy country.

In order to prevent the country from disintegrating, Tsar Alexander II signed the decree abolishing serfdom in 1861, while trying to protect the interests of the noble landlords as much as possible.

What's the use of this damn bullshit decree?

Zirnovsky quickly picked up his hoe and ran towards the farmland, but after only two steps, he was suddenly stopped by a supervisor who appeared out of nowhere behind him.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

The supervisor's voice was extremely stern, causing Zirnovsky to stop abruptly, followed by fear and panic.

Damn it, was he still eating too slowly? But today's meat porridge was really delicious...

Mr. Zirnovsky turned around nervously and fearfully, looking at the supervisor who had already walked over with a register, and pleaded: "Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Today's meat porridge was so delicious, I couldn't bear to drink it all at once.

I'll go to work now, sir, please don't fire me!"

The supervisor walked over angrily and cursed: "Oh, damn it! It's lunchtime now, what stupid thing are you doing?

Hurry up and go back to your room to rest!

Mr. Van der Linde has long said that forced labor should not be carried out in a way that harms the health of workers, and everyone should have a reasonable rest time!

You actually don't obey Mr. Van der Linde's orders! What's your name?

I will punish you to study Mr. Van der Linde's quotations for half an hour more tonight!"

Zirnovsky was stunned.

Mr. Zirnovsky was in tears.

"Yes, Davari!"