Industry and Transportation

On June 20, 1898, just three days after Mikhail became tsar,

A grand public trial was underway in Red Square in front of the Kremlin.

The main figure on trial was none other than the empire's former finance minister, Sergei Witte. He was unquestionably a major figure!

Many citizens had come to Red Square of their own accord to watch the public trial.

When the judge declared Sergei Witte guilty of both treason and corruption and sentenced him to be hanged, the crowd erupted in cheers.

His Majesty the tsar had even sentenced a major figure like Sergei Witte to hang. Clearly, he really did intend to clean up the bureaucracy!

When Sergei Witte was placed on the gallows, he struggled desperately and wept bitterly.

But none of it did any good.

Sergei Witte's miserable fate also left officials across the Tsarist Russian Empire trembling with fear, terrified that His Majesty the tsar would wipe them all out.

Fortunately, the empire's deputy prime minister and minister of supervision, Pobedonostsev, subsequently announced that His Majesty was willing to give them a chance to turn over a new leaf.

Imperial officials could turn themselves in to the Imperial Ministry of Supervision and voluntarily hand over their embezzled money. They only needed to surrender eighty percent and promise not to offend again, and their past offenses would be forgiven.

This undoubtedly made the officials breathe a sigh of relief.

If His Majesty the tsar gave them no chance at all, the officials of the entire Tsarist Russian Empire might well be caught in one sweep.

Turning themselves in to the Ministry of Supervision meant handing over their ill-gotten gains, but at least they could save their lives. They could also keep their positions.

What was more, to further change the atmosphere in officialdom, Mikhail had already announced that officials' salaries would rise by twenty percent a year over the next five years.

Mikhail was also doing this to promote integrity through high salaries.

After all, the empire's ministers currently earned 1,500 rubles a month. In five years, that could rise to 3,000 rubles.

That was no small sum.

An ordinary worker earned only forty or fifty rubles a month.

The salaries of officials at every level would rise accordingly.

It could be said that, after such a substantial pay increase, officials would be much better compensated.

Even if it did not make them wealthy, it would at least be enough to support a large family.

If, under such circumstances, these officials still could not keep their hands to themselves, then they truly deserved to die.

Such officials would likewise be the Imperial Ministry of Supervision's main targets going forward.

This also prompted a large number of officials to turn themselves in and hand over their ill-gotten gains.

Imperial Finance Minister Rostovsky was delighted. With imperial revenue soaring, the pressure on him would not be so great.

Of course, during this process, quite a few officials deliberately concealed things, intending to hide their ill-gotten gains.

But if such conduct was discovered, they would face the harshest punishment.

Not only would they be sent to construction sites to perform hard labor for the rest of their lives, but all their property would also be confiscated. Their families would be implicated as well. Their children and other immediate relatives would lose the right to become civil servants.

This left many officials who had originally hoped to get away with it no choice but to obediently hand over their ill-gotten gains.

Mikhail did not keep his attention fixed on cleaning up the bureaucracy.

As the saying went, if you employed someone, you should not doubt them; if you doubted them, you should not employ them. Since he had entrusted this work to Pobedonostsev and Stolypin, he naturally had to trust them.

Every week, Mikhail would listen to the two men's reports and make sure they stayed on course in the broad direction.

On June 23, Mikhail summoned Imperial Prime Minister Plehve, Imperial Finance Minister Rostovsky, Imperial Transport Minister Duke Khilkov, Trade and Transport Minister Kokovtsov, and others.

"Gentlemen, compared with the other great powers of Europe, the empire is now very backward.

"The world's leading powers today are all industrial powers. The empire, on the other hand, is still a backward agricultural nation.

"As the second industrial revolution proceeds, the gap between the empire and the other great powers will only grow wider.

"At present, thanks to its vast territory and population, the empire can still rank among the world's great powers. But as the empire falls further behind and the other powers grow more advanced,

"Will the empire still be able to call itself a world power then?

"If you fall behind, you will be beaten! That is an eternal truth!

"On top of that, the empire is now surrounded by formidable enemies.

"I trust none of you wants to see the empire invaded by numerous powerful enemy nations?"

Mikhail spoke to them with a grave expression.

"Your Majesty, the empire does indeed need to accelerate its development." Prime Minister Plehve understood this as well.

"Then, to begin with, the Imperial Ministry of Trade and Industry is to swiftly draw up an industrial development plan for the empire.

"In particular, the state can invest in heavy industries that private capital is unwilling to enter, such as steel, metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, shipbuilding, chemicals, and construction.

"I have only one requirement: within the next ten years, a comprehensive industrial system must take shape in the empire.

"Even if its technology is not the most advanced, we must have such a system, and it must be complete.

"Of course, we must also keep introducing advanced technology!

"Whether by spending money or using other methods, we must raise the level of our industrial technology as much as possible and strive to narrow the gap with the world's most advanced standards!"

Mikhail set out his requirements.

"Yes, Your Majesty. However, that will cost a great deal of money!" Trade and Industry Minister Kokovtsov reminded him.

Mikhail nodded. He had long been prepared for this.

"The Imperial Ministry of Finance is raking in money by the bucketful, so supporting the development of industry as a whole will be no problem at all. Of course, the imperial family and the Ministry of Finance can jointly fund investments in these heavy industries!" Mikhail said.

Finance Minister Rostovsky had originally worried that money would flow away like water, but his expression softened when he heard that Mikhail was willing to have the imperial family contribute funds as well.

The imperial family was extremely wealthy.

Successive tsars had amassed enormous fortunes.

The wealth accumulated by the imperial family over several hundred years was no small sum.

In another timeline, this wealth had all been consumed by war, or had fallen into the hands of the Bolshevik Party after the Tsarist Russian Empire collapsed.

Rather than let that happen, it would be better to use it to build up the country.

With the imperial family and the Ministry of Finance jointly investing in these industrial projects, there would be sufficient financial resources to support them.

"The empire's transportation is likewise very backward. Even on the East European Plain, we have failed to build dense networks of railways and roads.

"The railways do not form a system, and the roads are mostly dirt tracks.

"From now on, the empire must increase its investment in transportation.

"Once transportation improves, it will not only make travel easier for the people, but also accelerate industrial development and promote economic growth throughout the empire.

"In wartime especially, the empire's armies will be able to assemble and deploy quickly, and all kinds of logistical supplies can be transported by rail and road."

Mikhail laid out his requirements regarding the empire's transportation.