Bringing in Laborers

Seeing Ferdinand fly into a rage, Lauren-Holman spoke up. "Your Highness, I can answer that question!"

"Oh? Then give me a reason, Mr. Lauren!" Ferdinand said irritably.

Lauren-Holman paid no attention to Ferdinand's attitude. Calmly, he said, "Your Highness, by this point in the railway project, we've actually done a great deal of work that goes beyond the railway itself!"

"Oh!" Ferdinand exclaimed in surprise.

Lauren-Holman continued, "In fact, while building the railway, we also had to build roads first. And, of course, we underestimated the geographical challenges at the time, so we didn't realize how difficult the construction would be. All of that has added up to the labor shortage we're facing now!"

Ferdinand understood. His expression relaxed, and he said calmly, "I see. You mean that, in addition to the railway project, we've also added a network of connecting roads. And the ten-million-pound budget will have to increase substantially as well, won't it?"

Lauren-Holman answered without hesitation, "Yes, Your Highness. We estimate it will increase by about fifty percent. Of course, if we build temporary roads, the cost will be lower, but that would be a poor use of money."

Now that he understood the situation, Ferdinand's stormy expression cleared at once. "All right, I understand. Thank you, Mr. Lauren. The Bulgarian people won't forget all the effort you've put in! The government will resolve this problem as soon as possible, so you can carry on with construction without worry!"

"Of course, Your Highness. It's my duty. Since there's nothing more for me here, and I still have work to finish at the site, I'll take my leave." Lauren-Holman seemed to realize that whatever Ferdinand did next wasn't something he should be involved in, so he chose to leave.

After watching Lauren-Holman and the other two depart, Ferdinand turned to Chekhov and Konstantin. "What do you think?"

Chekhov shook his head to show that he had no ideas.

Konstantin thought for a moment, then said, "What if we bought black slaves? It would be morally questionable, but as long as it ensured the railway project went smoothly, it would be worth it!"

Ferdinand rolled his eyes and thought, What a rotten idea. What age are we living in, and you're still talking about buying black slaves? Does he think Bulgaria's ethnic problems are too simple? Just look at their skin color. Even a hundred years from now, there'd be no way to assimilate them.

Konstantin seemed to realize that his suggestion was inappropriate. He gave an awkward laugh. "Oh, that probably won't work. Black slaves are too expensive!"

Ferdinand nearly burst out laughing. So all he cared about was the money!

After a long while, Ferdinand finally sorted out his thoughts. "Since Bulgaria doesn't have enough laborers, let's look abroad! We can recruit from our neighbors, and if that's not enough, we can look to the world's most populous countries. But we have to stick to two principles: first, no nationalists; second, no religious fanatics!"

Chekhov and Konstantin immediately caught on. Bulgarian factories were springing up like mushrooms after the rain, and the government was investing heavily in infrastructure. Naturally, the country was short on labor, and workers' wages had risen along with it.

But there were plenty of workers elsewhere in the world. The Balkan countries didn't have large populations, so they probably didn't have many surplus workers. Other regions, though, had more than enough.

There was no need to mention the distant Manchu Qing; it was too far away, and aside from Ferdinand, probably few people would think it was the best place to find workers.

Even Eastern Europe had an abundance of labor in Russia and Austria-Hungary. Hundreds of thousands of people emigrated to the Americas every year. If even half that many came to Bulgaria, it would be enough.

Just then, Ferdinand thought of another way to increase the population. He said happily, "By the way, Chekhov, your Ministry of Education has more work to do. We'll need a batch of language teachers."

"As for the base wages of foreign laborers, set them a little lower than those of Bulgarian workers. Once they learn Bulgarian, raise their wages slightly. If they take Bulgarian citizenship, bring their pay up to the same level as Bulgarian workers."

Chekhov asked in confusion, "Your Highness, wouldn't that increase our expenses? And if they change their minds and leave Bulgaria after the construction is finished, wouldn't all our effort have been for nothing?"

Konstantin wore the same expression, clearly unable to understand Ferdinand's suggestion.

Ferdinand smiled. "I never expected them all to stay. Some will certainly leave. But Bulgaria's economy may not match Western Europe's, yet it's still better than our neighbors', isn't it?"

"Besides, our construction projects can be completed in a relatively short time. At least for the next ten years, we'll be facing a labor shortage. If they spend a few years in Bulgaria, many of them will choose to stay!"

Konstantin suddenly remembered something. He looked at Ferdinand in delighted surprise. "Your Highness, are you planning to use economic incentives to deal with the ethnic problem?"

Seeing that Konstantin had figured it out, Ferdinand didn't deny it. He smiled and said, "Exactly. This is just an experiment. If it succeeds, all the better. If it fails, it won't matter much—we'll only have incurred some extra expenses. As long as one in ten stays, we won't have lost out!"

Ferdinand had given them the broad strokes, and that was that. He went off to continue discussing life with the young women.

But bringing in laborers was nowhere near as simple as it sounded, especially on such a vast scale. Even in that era, when governments kept a loose rein on the public and no visas were needed, it still took considerable effort just to send tens of thousands of people to a foreign country. They also needed careful arrangements for food, clothing, accommodation, and travel along the way.

Konstantin took charge, and the government set its machinery in motion around the task. Everyone was soon working at a furious pace, and many people had their leave canceled.

Even the usually quiet Ministry of Education now sent people out in every direction to look for teachers. They no longer cared about educational qualifications; all they needed was someone who spoke several languages. Even so, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Whether they could find enough came down to luck.

Minister Metev was in a foul mood. Ever since Ferdinand decided to bring in laborers, the government had been the first to organize recruitment. Then unscrupulous capitalists joined in, trying every trick in the book, from deception to outright swindling.

Austria-Hungary and Russia hadn't noticed yet, but Bulgaria's neighbors had already suffered. Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, and the Ottoman Empire had all sent people from their Bulgarian embassies to protest.

Fortunately, people in those days didn't care much about the fate of the poor. Otherwise, the diplomatic pressure alone would have given Ferdinand a headache.

As the party in the wrong, Minister Metev had no choice but to apologize and hand over a generous stack of bribes. After going to enormous lengths, he had just barely managed to smooth things over—only for another problem to arise.