March 7, 1903.
The capital of Russia Saint Petersburg.
Crow, the East African ambassador to Tsarist Russia, was at Saint Petersburg to see off the last batch of imported talents from East Africa.
"Everyone, this round of talent introduction work in Russia has come to an end. On behalf of the country, I would like to express my gratitude for your contribution. After all, you have suffered a bit in a country with harsh climate conditions like Russia."
"Ambassador Crowe is very polite. He is serving the country and the people. The worst conditions in Russia are in the Far East, but there are not many of us there. In the past two years or so, our gains are the most gratifying. We have recruited nearly a thousand talents for the country. After these talents land in East Africa, they should be able to greatly promote the development of all walks of life in East Africa, so our gains are huge."
In 1903, the most difficult period of Russia's economic crisis had basically passed. In the past two years or so, East Africa had introduced more than 1,200 highly educated or technical personnel from Russia through various means.
The total number of high-level talents introduced by East Africa in the past three years from all over the world is more than 3,600, which means that Russia alone accounts for one-third of the talents introduced by East Africans.
Therefore, the introduction of talents from East Africa to Tsarist Russia can be said to be frenzied. Now, as the impact of Russia's economic crisis has slowly weakened, Russia's potential has basically been drained, so East African government decided to stop early.
Crowe: "Well, our country's industrial construction is now being vigorously promoted. The results of your work over the past two years have been of great help to us First Five-Year Plan. It has provided a large number of talents to all walks of life in East Africa. And during the Second Five-Year Plan period, I can't even imagine how far our country will develop."
"Before I took office, industrial and agricultural construction was underway in various parts of the country. I estimate that when you return home, the East Africa you will see is very different from what it was two years ago."
At present, nearly half of the First Five-Year Plan in East Africa has been implemented. Various projects and factories have been implemented in East Africa, which has greatly improved the industrial level of East African cities. This improvement is visible to the naked eye. Every city has built several factories of considerable size.
"Ambassador Crowe, this is our honor. In contrast, Russia's development has been very unsatisfactory. In the past three years, the economy has been severely restricted by the economic crisis, and social order has been turbulent, and social security has seriously collapsed. The energy of my visit to Russia this time made me deeply feel the difference between East Africa and Russia."
"On the streets of Moscow, there are petty thefts everywhere, many people are hungry, and homeless people cannot survive the winter. The government bureaucracy is seriously corrupt and extremely inefficient. The country's industrial development is slow. Compared with Europe, the United States, and even East Africa, it is slightly insufficient. This is still in the relatively developed Moscow. I can't imagine what other regions in Russia are like."
Ambassador Crowe nodded and said, "This is normal. Russia's economy is already relatively poor. Moreover, due to the economic crisis, the unemployment problem is extremely serious. Many people have difficulty in supporting their families. In addition, the weather conditions are harsh, so the problems you mentioned are normal for Russia."
"But these have nothing to do with us in East Africa. Each country has its own situation, and the level of development is restricted by various conditions. Now Russia just has not found a path suitable for its own development. We don't need to worry about Russia. Building our own industry better is the most important thing."
The man agreed and said, "Ambassador Crow, you are right. After all, we are not Russians."
"Well, that's the best thing to think about. I wish you a smooth journey back home," Ambassador Crowe said.
"I also wish you a happy work in Russia." East Africans The staff who had just introduced the plan waved goodbye to Crowe.
As they board the ship bound for Germany, this also means that this round of East African talent introduction plan in Russia has officially ended.
Crowe's work is obviously not over yet. As soon as he returned to the East African Embassy in Saint Petersburg, he welcomed a group of new guests.
"Ambassador Crow, when you were going to the dock to see you off, Count Kadel from Russia came to visit."
Crowe said, "Where is he now?"
"He's in the reception room. He probably has something urgent to ask you, so he didn't leave, so we prepared some tea for him."
Crowe waved his hand and said, "I'll be there in a moment, you go ahead and do your work first!"
Reception room.
"Ambassador Crow, long time no see!"
"Count Kadel Long time no see!"
Crowe was quite surprised by the arrival of Count Kadel, because a month ago, the country had told him to pay attention to the movements of Russian government, especially the exchanges between Russian and East African diplomats.
Now Count Kadel came to the door, obviously something was wrong. After all, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon, and he would be off work soon.
"Count Kadel I wonder what's the point of visiting?" Crowe asked.
"Ambassador Crow, I am here to discuss some important matters with you in East Africa on behalf of Your Majesty." Count Kadel said straight to the point.
Crowe: "Count Kadel, are you here to borrow money again?"
It can be seen from Ambassador Crowe's words that Tsarist Russian government often does this kind of thing. In fact, during the economic crisis, Russia tried every means to borrow money from other countries. The largest donor was France, but Russia also borrowed money from other big countries, including East Africa.
From the time Ambassador Crowe took office until now, Count Kadel has borrowed money from East Africa on behalf of Russian government, so Ambassador Crowe and Count Kadel can be considered "old acquaintances" in a sense.
Count Kadel said cheerfully without changing his expression, "My friend, you still understand me. Although our economic situation in Russia has improved, we still need more funds to stabilize social order, so this is also the purpose of my coming here."
"How much do you need this time?" Crowe asked.
"Of course, the more, the better." Count Kadel said.
Crowe did not refuse immediately, but continued, "Count Kadel, as you know, we are currently undergoing industrial construction in East Africa, so the government expenditure is very large, so the funds we can provide to your country may not be much. If it is a few million rubles, it should be no problem. If it is more..."
Count Kadel said, "A few million rubles is far from enough. Now our government's finances are tight, so we hope to get at least 20 million in quota."
Crowe shook his head and said, "This is too much. We have provided loans of more than 8 million rubles to Tsarist Russia in the previous two times. Twenty million this time is too much!"
East African government is not too keen on lending to Russia. After all, Russian government's credibility is relatively low. Of course, it is not impossible to get the money. East Africa's family wealth is very strong and its financial situation is relatively good. As long as the interests of the country can be ensured, there is no problem if it is not just a few million rubles, but even hundreds of millions of rubles. But obviously East Africa will not do this.
At present, East African government believes that it is more cost-effective to invest money in industrial construction in the country than to lend money to Russia. After all, most of Russia's high-quality capital has been pocketed by French.
Count Kadel said, "Ambassador Crowe, don't refuse in a hurry. Russia's repayment ability is definitely there. The current economic crisis is over, Russia's situation is improving, and we have abundant resources that can be used as collateral."
"I think you absolutely need our Russian oil resources. East Africa has always been our largest oil consumer in the past, so we can use part of Baku's oil field mining rights as collateral. I wonder what Ambassador Crowe thinks of this proposal?"