Internal Affairs

After the establishment of the provisional cabinet, Ferdinand purged dissenters in the name of anti-corruption and vigorously cultivated his own confidants, striving to dilute the influence of the Liberal Party. Boris Kristov contributed significantly to this effort.

As a great contributor and head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Boris Kristov was now busy to the point of exhaustion, feeling both happy and miserable. His ideals had been realized, but his leisurely life was gone forever.

He was now seen as a righteous official in the eyes of the public and a butcher in the eyes of the bureaucrats. Ferdinand gave Boris Kristov his full trust; once he set his sights on someone, few could escape.

He was impartial and incorruptible, refusing to show mercy to anyone who pleaded for leniency, Ferdinand included. Even the intelligence personnel under Hoover were caught in the crossfire, with a few unlucky ones who had sticky fingers ending up in prison.

Hoover simply went with the flow, letting them infiltrate the prisons to monitor the inmates and perform service to atone for their crimes. As Bulgaria was currently engaged in massive infrastructure construction, most of these criminals would be sent off as manual laborers.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau led by Boris was now sending people to court every few days, with a truly astonishing efficiency. This forced the Bulgarian courts to organize a separate temporary tribunal specifically for the trial of corrupt officials.

The media even bestowed upon him the flattering title of "Official Butcher," and Boris Kristov became the most popular person among the Bulgarian populace.

Boris Kristov's efforts were not in vain; besides netting a large number of corrupt officials, the public had also regained their trust in the government.

To better develop the economy, Ferdinand merged the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Economy, making economic development a key indicator for the promotion of local officials.

Ferdinand combined the Department of Health and the Ministry of Education based on the actual situation in Bulgaria. He also transferred the Department of Water Resources, which had previously belonged to the Ministry of Interior, to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Benefiting from the massive legacy left by the Stam Cabinet, Bulgaria's long-term financial crisis was resolved. This gave Ferdinand sufficient confidence to accelerate the promotion of Bulgaria's industrialization.

In agriculture, due to the impact of the "Mihu Massacre," a large amount of ownerless land was reclaimed by the state. At the same time, some hidden land was uncovered and forcibly confiscated by the government, causing the landlord class to collapse once and for all. The government now directly controlled one-third of Bulgaria's land.

To alleviate class conflicts, Ferdinand stipulated that the maximum land rent tax could not exceed thirty percent, and the landowner was responsible for paying the agricultural tax.

Ferdinand decided to gradually establish farms in the plains, adopt mechanized operations, and promote the technological upgrading of the agricultural industry.

At the 1889 year-end ministerial meeting, Konstantin-Itolov said with a glowing face, "Your Highness, the domestic economic development is excellent. In the last six months, new investments have reached as high as fifty million Lev!"

Ferdinand nodded with a smile, signaling him to continue. He thought to himself, Excellent my foot. More than half of that is my own investment or government investment; the actual private capital is negligible!

Konstantin continued, "From June until now, there have been 1,035 new factories of various sizes nationwide. Among them, there are twelve large-scale factories with capital exceeding one million and employing more than one thousand people!"

"Government investment totals 12.85 million Lev, mainly used for the Grand Railway Project, supporting road construction, and some infrastructure development! At present, the overall progress is smooth!"

"Next year, we will continue to promote industrial development while also preparing to increase government investment in basic projects. The main items are to continue completing the railway plan and urban supporting construction to create favorable conditions for the development of industry and commerce!"

Ferdinand knew he was laying the groundwork for the budget battle next year, so he smiled and said, "Good, the government's work is worth affirming!"

After speaking, Ferdinand cast his gaze toward the Minister of Defense, Sava Mutkurov. To control the military, Ferdinand had made major adjustments to the army, and most of the former high-ranking military generals had been promoted into the Ministry of Defense.

Sava Mutkurov became the Minister of Defense by virtue of his seniority and early allegiance. In Ferdinand's view, military officers from the Ministry of Defense were at least more professional than those from civilian backgrounds; it was a way to make use of waste.

Sava Mutkurov was still very grateful to Ferdinand. Even though he was also a member of the Liberal Party, the position of Minister of Defense had always been filled by civilians, and there was simply no room for him.

Understanding Ferdinand's intent, Sava Mutkurov immediately spoke up, "Your Highness, our army has just undergone a major reorganization. The current problem is that our weapons and equipment are mostly outdated. Not to mention the European powers, even compared to Greece and Serbia, there is a gap in firepower!"

"Currently, our military industry is still lagging behind. The machinery and equipment in the arsenals are outdated and urgently need to be updated. Furthermore, we can only produce firearms, ammunition, and small-caliber artillery."

Ferdinand thought for a moment and said cautiously, "The problem with the arsenals does indeed need to be solved urgently, and it can be given priority in next year's fiscal budget. However, you must tighten the military training and build an elite force as soon as possible!"

"Rest assured, Your Highness! We will handle the training issues well!" Sava Mutkurov guaranteed.

James-Pedinov knew it was his turn to speak and said, "Your Highness, due to the fluctuations in the first half of the year, agricultural production was somewhat affected, and the cultivated area decreased by 3 percent compared to previous years."

"However, with the promotion of new agricultural technologies, the yield per acre has increased, and in some areas, the output has even increased by more than 8%! Overall, it is on par with last year."

Ferdinand smiled and said, "Not bad! Keep working hard and strive to reach a new level this year!"

The last person to stand up and speak was Chekhov. Although the Minister of Education had the lowest authority, his ranking in the cabinet was the exact opposite.

This was Ferdinand's art of power: using the small to control the large. Konstantin, who held the most real power, could not even enter the cabinet, while Chekhov, who had the least real power, ranked highest in the cabinet.

Chekhov cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness, the development of education this year has been very rapid, and the second batch of university students has successfully enrolled. In addition, five new vocational colleges have been added in the country and have already begun enrollment, including two normal colleges, one medical college, and the remaining two are comprehensive technical colleges! They can basically meet Bulgaria's educational needs."

"The literacy education promoted to society is also progressing very well, and the total number of illiterate people has dropped by ten percentage points. It is expected that illiteracy can be basically eliminated within ten years!"

Ferdinand nodded with satisfaction. Chekhov lacked autonomy, but his execution was truly impeccable.

Finally, he had managed to avoid it.