A little more about the situation (October-December, 1872).

Central Asia: Ili]

The Chinese initiative to overthrow Yaqub Beg was a failure, preventing the Xinjiang region from being re-integrated into the Qing dynasty during those years. This meant that the regions of the defunct Sultanate of Ili would continue to be under Russian occupation until further notice, which meant the division between the aforementioned factions (to annex the region or not).

On the other hand, in the Ili valley and the Tekes river, a large settlement area administered by the Russian army had been formed, where around 15,000 inhabitants (and increasing) of various ethnic groups were concentrated.

In this community, due to the need to communicate with the administrative forces (the army also acts as a police officer) there was already a part of the population that learned basic elements of the Russian language. The increase in schools where courses (not compulsory for adults or children) began in Russian helped enormously.

An increasing part also due to the cooperation between General Gerasim Alekseevich Kolpakovsky with the natives.

The old roads were kept safe, at least in the designated western parts of the territory, where there were guards, fortifications, and barracks. Eliminating the problems of criminals who will try to attack the region or merchants who came to the region closely controlled by Russia.

Economically speaking, although the place was growing demographically, it was still a region dependent on agricultural-livestock production, although the number of merchants was increasing considerably.

By order of the Russian government, mineral searches were carried out (as in other northern regions of Russian Turkestan) and continued to be carried out. In the Ili region some deposits were found, motivating the founding of the mining and metallurgical industry.

A factory was built, which motivated the migration of Russian citizens to the region, and citizens from the east of the former Ili Sultanate to join the project in the region. This settlement would receive the name of Zharkov.

The region was a multi-ethnic settlement with significant Kazakh and Uighur populations, but the migration of Russians was increasing, as was that of other minority peoples of the former eastern Ili.

Many were beginning to take Russian citizenship seriously, a number that was increasing thanks to Kolpakovsky's efforts in promoting infrastructure.

Farms (lavender, horticulture, radishes, livestock, etc) and schools grew, the local economy diversified when the dairy industry also joined the region. Local pheasants began to be raised, etc.

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[Central Asia: As a whole]

If the small region of western Ili could grow in such a way, it was obvious that the government of Alexander III was not going to neglect the rest of Central Asia in the full Russian economic boom.

In southern regions and the vassals of Russia (practically another extension of the Russian state), electrification was extended, a considerable achievement for the region.

Metallurgy continued to grow, considerably in the north. In the north and southwest the textile industry was beginning to grow (after the mining industry and agriculture-livestock), although the southeast regions were still quite underdeveloped during that time (mainly due to geographical complications).

Russian commercial agencies were beginning to grow as well.

Central Asia still depended heavily on the area of the country for industrial material and technical assistance in various industries.

Despite all the increased work and construction projects encouraged migration to the more developed settlements and some rural areas, most were from the European peoples of Russia. However, a process of semi-sedentarism also occurred among the peoples of the region that were more cooperative with Russia.

The Russian army also began to be a problem for the criminals of the roads, the desert and the steppe, the threat of slavers diminished day by day, etc.

Semi-sedentarism increased not only because of the economy, but also because von Kaufmann offered jobs and parcels of land (enough to support a family) to the ex-slaves.

Slavers who continued the business and were caught were executed, forcibly nipping the slave business in the bud.

The Persians were able to return home (as long as they did not want to take Russian citizenship) and other natives of Central Asia could return to their home regions or take Governor Kaufmann's offer.

These ex-slaves became mainly farmers and builders, the difference is that now they were paid and had new rights and responsibilities (taxes, being able to join the army or be recruited, etc).

In essence, the level of crime was decreasing little by little. The diversification of the economy and the scope of technology was increasing.

Russian logistics and infrastructure in the region was also on the rise, the Kazakh steppe was becoming more connected with the Russian regions in the north and the heart of Russia. Communication between the military in the region was increasing, etc.

Local government-trained administrators were proving useful in managing native populations (keeping them in check and calm).

Although of course Central Asia had not yet reached the peak of its economic development, although there were many possibilities open once Russian rule was fully established and border problems were eliminated (the Turkmen, a mission that was being planned by General Mikhail Skobelev).

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[Sports Culture: Latest]

Finally the last teams of the first Russian Soccer League are chosen, the Russian excitement for the sport in particular begins to rise through the skies due to the cities.

* Yuriev: The capital of Russian Estonia, a team dominated by Baltic Germans and some natives, supported by the wealth precisely of upper-class Baltic Germans.

* Perm: The Russian city of Perm has become an important center due to plans for the region (the Trans-Siberian), these plans leading to its growth that includes a fan base for the sport. Supported by the city of Perm and industrialists.

* Warsaw: The team of Russian Poland, the former capital of the independent Polish state, was victorious, and is obviously supported by the undisputed majority of Poles from the Russian Empire. Supported financially by the Polish nobility and some of the Lithuanian in particular.

* Kiev: The southern team of the heart of Russia, a growing city among one of the largest agricultural and industrial regions of Russia. Supported by an association of middle class and industrialists.

In total, 16 teams have been formed for the first league, which begins the following year.

* Smolensk.

* Arkhangelsk.

* Kharkov.

* Novosibirsk.

* Chita.

* Helsingfors / Helsinki.

* Saint Petersburg.

* Omsk.

* Vladivostok.

* Moscow.

* Murmansk.

* Riga.

* Yuriev.

* Warsaw.

* Perm.

* Kiev.

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[Telecommunications]

With the Russian economic boom, it is obvious that communication in Russia, state and partly private, has increased considerably since the beginning of the reign of Tsar Alexander III.

Russian telegraph lines ran from the heart of Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) in various directions, mainly north and south. A process that began as early as 1870.

Bessarabia, Malorossiya and Novorossiya, Crimea, the heart of Russia proper, Finland, the Baltic and Poland were connected. In areas farther from the European center of the Empire the organization was much more strategic.

Military fortifications, important railway lines, and economically important sites received priority over their advancement in telecommunications.

This can be understood as that the telegraph expanded primarily between routes such as the construction of the Trans-Siberian and important cities on this route, important military forts on the border, and native economic centers, etc.

At least the telecommunication developed by the state, the private telecommunications companies followed the strategies simply more profitable economically for their own companies.

Telecommunications in Russia, however, would take a few decades to reach its peak.

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[Russia in the European wars]

"So, we are not going to interfere in these wars either." Minister Alexander Gorchakov exclaims, not very surprised at this point.

"The dynastic struggles of western Europe are of little concern to us, we will not give an official resolution until the conflict ends." Tsar Alexander III exclaims. "But I think I have some ideas."

"I hear you sir."

At the end of 1872 and the beginning of 1873, in Russia the refugee act took place, where Russia offered asylum to various Spanish and French who wanted to escape the wars at home. Regardless of which side they belonged to, their religion or profession.

Offer that would last until the end of these wars (where later they could stay in Russia or return home), and 3 years after the end of these wars ("the reconstruction period" as mentioned in the Ukaze or edict of Tsar Alexander III ).

What could be seen as an act of goodwill (and in part it was), also had other various reasons, Russia absorbed certain capital and population from these wars.

The migrants generated by the Third Carlist War and the Bonapartist-Legitimist Civil War moved in different directions: Latin America, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia were the main destinations (not necessarily in that order).

The first wave of upper-class French people moved to Saint Petersburg, with its most western and artistic essence, where other nobles appreciated French culture.

Rural French and Spanish people generally preferred the drier and warmer summers in southern Russia.

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[War games]

In the Russian Empire under the war ministry led by Dmitry Milyutin, he carried out the first war games for the Russian imperial army. Carried out in various locations throughout the last months of the year, such as in the Ural Mountains, the Pontic-Caspian steppe and Russian Turkistan.

In these games the first results of the Russian military reform were verified, of course there were mixed results of the first generation of the army.

Because most of the reforms were meant to change Russia in the long term, not the short term.

There were some promising officers and soldiers who deserve to continue in the military service and rising, there were some average ones who deserve to follow and perhaps develop potential in the future, people who would serve better in administration-logistics, and people who had to leave due to gross incompetence.

Normally in the Russian army people join voluntarily by tradition and / or by promotion socially and politically (both positions usually held by the nobility). But now there was fresh talent starting to add up.

It would take years (and probably decades) to fully mature, but they existed, and that was the important thing.

Speaking of notable events, the railroad was widely used to move troops from various parts of the Russian Empire to others while traveling to the locations where the games were being held.

This was a multipurpose tool, practically training the army and commanders in this, accustoming them, and discovering which civilian administrators were particularly useful in this task.

It is here that Emperor Alexander III himself sets his sights on a young man from the southern Russian railways who was particularly talented at mobilizing troops, Sergei Witte.

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[International]

In the United States, Ulysses S. Grant and Horace Greeley compete for the position of president of the country, however due to the death of Greeley in November, the votes of this candidate are divided among other minors, who lose de-facto to Grant.

Grant repeats for a second term.

There is little to say about the Third Carlist War, their campaigns will become somewhat different in later periods but during 1872 they focused mainly on the Carlist successes in the north of the peninsula (Navarra and the Basque Country).

Regarding the war in France, in the eastern urban areas rebel groups of radical republicans and socialists (inherently radical for the time and the monarchical system) began to face the forces of Henry V (and to a lesser extent Napoleon IV by geographical location) in eastern France.

These groups, financed at the time with German arms, lived mainly in the urban environment, between upper-middle class neighborhoods and lower-middle class neighborhoods / working class neighborhoods.

The Austro-Hungarian expedition is transported to western France to meet with the Loyalist-Bonapartist armies.

Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger begins to rise seriously in the Legitimist-Orleanist ranks due to his participation in border battles against the Bonapartist forces.

However, during this last period there are no major political or territorial changes between the opposing sides.