Chapter 20

-- pov Mc -Alexandre Nikolaevich Romanov, Tsarevich of Russia.

I had received intelligence that the proposed agreement with the Dutch had been successful, my uncle was proving to be quite efficient in this diplomatic journey, and my father was pleased to see his bohemian brother working for the benefit of the empire, I believe my uncle will be rewarded accordingly for his services rendered, and my father could be rough, but he was a fair man.

The establishment of the Royal Central Bank was progressing rapidly, aided by the expertise of economists who had previously been involved in the creation of the Moscow Stock Exchange. This facilitated the process of establishing the bank and implementing the necessary laws for economic security.

The first part of my economic plan was successfully nearing completion, in the middle of the following year 1827, I intended to initiate the second part of the plan, which would be more complex and time-consuming to implement, however once completed, it would unlock the full economic potential of the entire empire.

For the development of the state, I provided some ideas to my father, who was receptive to the manipulations I carried out in conjunction with my mother, I was undoubtedly my mother's favorite child, and the vacation trip and gifts she received last year in 1825 resulted in the addition of another member to our family, I gained a another little sister named Alexandra Nikolaevna, named in honor of my late uncle the former Tsar. As the only boy in my mother's life, I took full advantage of the privileges that came with this status and wielded them to my advantage.

A man like my father, simple and rugged, seeks certain things in life that I could use to my advantage, the pursuit of great achievements to leave a mark in the annals of history is what drives my father, alongside his love for his family. Without a war in sight, I suggested to my father a grand feat that would be highly beneficial for the country at present, and its accomplishment would be far more enduring than any war, I proposed the construction of a city and an important canal that would contribute to the development of the economy.

The canal between the Volga and Don rivers would be a decisive factor in the country's development, enabling a much more efficient transportation of resources from Moscow city to the Don River, which flows into the Black Sea.

The canal was originally envisioned by Tsar Peter I but could not be completed due to the escalating conflicts of the Napoleonic era, completing a project that was originally conceived by his father would enhance the new Tsar's prestige among his subjects, and establishing a city at the site of the canal would strengthen the empire's control over the project and cement the emperor's name in history.

My father had a terrible sense of naming, he wanted the city to bear his name as Nicolasburg or reflect the majesty of the Tsars by naming it Tzargrad, however, with much persistence and warning him about the sin of pride, I managed to convince my father to name the city based on the name of the river.

The name Volgograd was much more beautiful than the ones chosen by my father, I never thought I would say this, but I have never been so grateful for my father being a religious fanatic as I am at this moment, and all those endless Orthodox religious cults were worth it, if only for this moment.

The city of Volgograd would grow alongside the construction of the canal, the canal was expected to be completed in 5 years, and while the distance was relatively long at 101 km, but it would pass through several small lakes, reducing the overall excavation required.

The flat terrain also made the project easier to execute, to fund the city and the canal, I decided to raise funds from the nobles and bourgeoisie, offering privileged locations in the planned city, and I also offered reduced taxes for those willing to invest in this project.

The workforce consisted of newly liberated serfs who were willing to work in exchange for food and a small piece of land to be gained as collateral, the other portion of the workforce would be comprised of prisoners, who would work under forced labor to serve their sentences, with this strategy, I began the process of agrarian reform and reconditioning the prisoners for cheap labor.

The same process could be applied to the new city I was planning at the mouth of the Uda River, on the border with the Qing Dynasty, It would serve as a significant milestone in strengthening Russian presence in the Pacific and the initial step in colonizing the East, the chosen location was ideal for establishing a military fortress and a commercial port.

The Uda River marked the current eastern border of the empire, the Russia would later acquire the territories of the Amur Krai after the First Opium War between the Chinese and the British, and the territories of Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island after the Second Opium War.

These acquisitions were achieved through treaties imposed by Russia on the Chinese without the need for military engagement, however, the Kuril Islands and Alaska were already under the ownership of the empire, which solidifies Russia's undeniable sphere of influence in the northern Pacific.

The process of creating the city would involve first relocating the headquarters of the Eastern Military Region to the area and financing the construction of a military fortress by the empire, and the colonists would be sent to the region with the guarantee of land, which would be slightly larger than the plots offered to workers in Volgograd, in order to incentivize major migration to the area.

With the fortress built and a strong military presence, security and stability would be ensured for the location, however, the true growth would come with the arrival of trade with the Dutch East Indies in the city, and my uncle had a few more stops planned, which would make this location one of the most attractive to live in.

The city was already beginning with the construction of the military fortress and would be named Udograd.