Agriculture - Inspection

After dismissing James, Ferdinand leaned back in his armchair with a sigh of helplessness, while Alice gently massaged his temples with great understanding.

"Small temples have unruly winds, and shallow ponds are full of turtles!"

This saying perfectly described the current state of Bulgaria, and this was even after having already purged a large group of parasites.

The problems existing in Bulgarian agriculture were far from as simple as they appeared on the surface, nor were they merely a matter of corruption or embezzlement. The core issue was that agriculture simply had not received the attention it deserved from the bureaucrats.

The Five-Year Plan was unfolding in full swing, with the most difficult and highly prioritized project being the "Railway Plan."

Up to this point, no major issues had emerged; even during the most chaotic phase of the Stambolov era, it had remained unaffected.

Local governments were supporting railway construction with all their might. Whether it was land requisition, demolition, or material transport, many local authorities organized manpower to help without charge. In any case, Ferdinand had yet to discover anyone who dared to drag their feet.

As for the deeply ingrained ideological concepts of the bureaucrats, Ferdinand could not think of a way to change them overnight.

Seeing that Ferdinand was in a foul mood, Alice, who served as both secretary and maid, was also anxious. She suggested, "Grand Duke, why not go out for a walk?"

"Go out for a walk? Yes! It is time to go out for a walk!" Ferdinand said, overjoyed.

The remark awakened the dreamer; the bewildered Ferdinand had suddenly found a solution.

In the history of the original timeline, the Soviet Union had faced this exact same problem when implementing its first Five-Year Plan.

It was not until the first half of 1929 that Stalin personally inspected the countryside to supervise the work, which allowed the socialist collectivization of Soviet agriculture to fully unfold.

In just two months, ten million Soviet households joined the collectives, accounting for half of the nation's farmers. Although many problems arose in the process, the Soviet agricultural reform was, on the whole, a success.

Bulgaria's problems could not possibly be as severe as those of the Soviet Union! Ferdinand only intended to carry out agricultural reform; he was not touching the system of private land ownership, so there was no risk of harming class interests.

Feather-like snowflakes fell from the sky, covering everything in white. Only the pine trees remained vibrant green, with specks of snow drifting onto them like tiny white flowers.

In February 1891, Ferdinand set out from Sofia, braving the bitter cold to begin a three-month tour of the country.

Heading northwest, Ferdinand departed with a grand entourage of one thousand guards, with Vratsa Province as his first stop.

Vratsa was a city in northwestern Bulgaria and the capital of Vratsa Province. It was situated on the northern slopes of the western Balkan Mountains, where the Leva River flowed into the plains.

With its superior geographical location, it boasted industries such as natural gas, chemicals, cement, cotton textiles, silk weaving, iron casting, copper smelting, fertilizers, and timber processing. In terms of agriculture, it was rich in wheat and oats.

The importance of Vratsa Province to Bulgaria went without saying.

In the parallel timeline of 1974, Vratsa Province accounted for 96% of Bulgaria's total urea production, 24.8% of its pulp, and 23% of its cement.

In agriculture, the province's wheat and oat production ranked third in the country, poultry and egg production ranked fourth, and milk production ranked eighth.

Especially worth noting was the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, built by Bulgaria near Kozloduy Village in Vratsa Province, which was the first nuclear power plant in the Balkans and the entire Southeast Europe.

Ferdinand could not help but attach great importance to it, though Vratsa Province was not yet as glorious as it would be in later generations; its industrial development had only just begun, and its agricultural development was lagging severely behind.

Ferdinand's surprise visit stunned the bureaucrats of Vratsa Province. Since it was only a few days' journey from Sofia, they had very little time to prepare once they received the notice.

Ferdinand was not there to find fault with them this time. As he toured, his pace was naturally slow. At every stop, he sent people to inspect factories and went into the countryside himself. When he encountered problems, he brought them up directly and ordered the local government to resolve them.

What were bureaucrats? The Ferdinand of his past life had seen plenty of them. Without pressure, there was no motivation, and catering to the political demands of superiors was their primary driving force.

The Governor of Vratsa Province, Vezhin Ivanov, was a new-style bourgeois bureaucrat. Since he took office, the industrial development of Vratsa Province had grown rapidly, maintaining an annual growth rate of over 10%, and he had been commended by the government multiple times.

Therefore, even though he was from the Liberal Party and a staunch supporter of Stambolov, he had not been replaced by the new government.

Vezhin Ivanov said sternly, "Alright, gentlemen, go and prepare now! The Grand Duke will arrive in a few days, and I do not want him to see a dirty and chaotic Vratsa. If problems arise, no one will have an easy time!"

"Rest assured, Governor, we will handle it!" the group replied in unison.

One could see his prestige; if Ferdinand had seen this scene, he would surely have shouted "factionalism!"

On February 18, Ferdinand arrived in Vratsa with his large entourage and was warmly welcomed by the public. The first impression the city gave him was that it was clean and tidy.

If this were the 21st century, Ferdinand would not have found it strange. But this was the 19th century, and cities all over the world were the same: dirty, chaotic, and poor. There was even the saying "perfumed carriages and fine wine, but stinking London," as cleanliness and hygiene had not yet been valued by the people.

It had to be said that Vezhin Ivanov had flattered him correctly. Since Ferdinand's ascension, he had issued political orders regarding cleanliness and hygiene multiple times, but currently, it had only been fully implemented in Sofia.

Ferdinand received Vezhin Ivanov with a pleasant expression and attended the welcome banquet they organized.

Of course, he only made an appearance and spoke fewer than ten sentences before leaving in a hurry. After all, the gap in status was too great; it was difficult to have a pleasant time together.

"Vezhin Ivanov, you have done very well!" Ferdinand summoned Vezhin for a private audience.

Vezhin Ivanov replied repeatedly, "I dare not take credit; I only acted according to the Grand Duke's orders and simply performed my own duties well!"

In later generations, Westerners were very confident, expressive, and direct, and did not like to be humble. However, in the 19th century, their self-confidence had not yet exploded; at least when facing those of higher status, they still maintained a sense of awe.

Ferdinand smiled and said, "To be able to execute my orders perfectly makes you a talent! However, what I see now is only a part of it; I look forward to your performance in other areas even more!"

Vezhin Ivanov was first delighted, then startled. Regarding the central government's orders, Vezhin believed he had completed them quite well! But whether he could meet Ferdinand's requirements was another matter. He secretly regretted it in his heart: "If I had known the Grand Duke was coming to inspect earlier, I certainly would have done even better."

Why did so many leaders in later generations have to go around inspecting everywhere? Was it not better to stay in the office? Before he transmigrated, Ferdinand did not quite understand it, thinking it was merely for show. After being a king for more than two years, Ferdinand discovered that putting on a show was also necessary; at the very least, it could apply sufficient pressure on those below!

Suddenly realized the draft was finished.