Chapter 18

I did not accompany my parents for the signing of the historic agreement in Helsinki. It was a significant achievement for Czarist foreign diplomacy and marked the beginning of my father's future fame as the guardian of Europe, It was a title that his historical counterpart had earned by working to maintain the status quo in central Europe, providing support to the Austrians during their victory against the Hungarian rebels in 1848.

I remained in Moscow, organizing my next steps, at this time, most groups were relatively peaceful, with the exception of the Poles who were discontented due to the loss of their market to my cheaper products.

Despite their fiscal incentives, they were experiencing decreasing profits, It was only a matter of time before their dissatisfaction accumulated and erupted into a revolt, the spies of the Gendarmerie were already reporting on the movements of certain external groups operating in the shadows.

The absence of major external conflicts is causing a surplus in grain production within the countries, according to the law of supply and demand, grain prices are decreasing, the noble landowners are facing challenging years in terms of profitability. However, the only agricultural producers who are making fortunes are the Orthodox Chechens and Caucasians, who have prospered with my support and your strength, blood and steel.

The conflicts against the Muslim Azerbaijanis were numerous, and the "blood cotton," as it became known, was considered white gold that grew on trees, the greed of the Orthodox believers was relentless, and they didn't hesitate to massacre any non-believers who stood in their path to prosperity. Their immense wealth did not go unnoticed by the hungry bears who were seeing your diminishing profits from wheat and rye, however once the Chechens and Caucasians tasted the blood and riches, it became nearly impossible to disturb their pots of gold, they no longer cared about killing to protect their precious cotton fields

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The biggest lobby that is being made within the empire is being made, by the nobles they are asking for a war against the small Khanates of central Asia, in search of more land suitable for a culture as profitable as cotton, the nobles want a slice this cake so profitable and lucrative, While the nobles may be focused on their own interests this would be a great opportunity for me to try to pass without many discontents, an essential reform for the future development of the parents, the abolition of serfdom.

The Khanate of Khiva, the Emirate of Bukhara, and the Khanate of Kokand were three Islamic tribal states that inhabited the regions now known as Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, they shared a significant border with the empire in the southern region known as the Kazakh lands.

This territory extended from the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea to the western Himalayan mountains, which were under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, to the north, it reached the Russian-controlled Kazakh lands, while to the south, it bordered the Afghan mountains and the Kashmir mountains under the control of the British East India Company.

The conquest of Central Asia had to be postponed for now, that region was highly sensitive, and if the empire approached too closely to India, the British would become agitated and create internal conflicts, therefore, resolving the issue of serfdom was of utmost importance before engaging in any war.

However, I wanted to take this step slowly and meticulously, causing the least amount of disturbance possible. The first step I initiated was conducting a census—a population count—to determine the exact affected portion, a census would also be crucial in quantifying distinct cultural groups and the overall population size of the empire, It would aid in bureaucracy and taxation, ultimately increasing Russia's fiscal revenue, however conducting a census is a two year a proces slow but necessary, and this process end in 1828.

Other important steps were also taken to work together towards the abolition of serfdom. The high-ranking nobles were already whispering in the corners that the new czar was too liberal, establishing factories and turning small nobles into wealthy bourgeoisie, however, with my father's assistance, we initiated two major economic projects that would be decisive for the empire's future advancement.

The second project was scheduled for next year, 1827, but the first one could already be implemented, and the remaining six months of this year would be sufficient to successfully conclude this plan, the project entailed the creation of a state central bank an institution responsible for minting currency, regulating and supervising financial institutions, and ensuring the stability of the ruble as a medium of exchange.

The central bank would guarantee market stability and serve as a basis for the establishment of private banks, which would no longer fear being looted by powerful nobles, the creation of the Royal Bank in Moscow and the transfer of the mint from St. Petersburg to Moscow were carried out without any problems, based on my experience and the guidance of my consultant professors of economics at the universities of the capital and Moscow, in the creation of the already successful and thriving Moscow stock exchange.

As I went about my business at home, my uncle's ship was approaching its new destination in the city of Amsterdam.