Chapter 75 Matters in Office

In the Winter Palace, Alexander sat in his office. Standing in front of him is a group of journalists with their notes and pen poised, ready to write down whatever Alexander has to say.

“One of my many initiatives, when I rose to power, is to fix Ruthenia from inside out. The first step of that was to change the way of life of Ruthenia by abolishing the aristocracy in favor of a government where people have a voice and say in their government. It’s why the Imperial Council was founded, made up of elective representatives in each administrative region tasked to work for the best interest of their constituents and the Empire. The second one is the Infrastructure Law which aims to rebuild our country, nationwide,”

As Alexander paused for a moment, one of the journalists raised a hand.

“Your Majesty, you mentioned the Infrastructure Law. We are wondering how you’re able to raise such an exorbitant amount of money. 114,477,800,150 Ruthenian Rubles to be exact,” the journalist asked.

“That’s a good question, sir. I’ve already anticipated this to be asked in this interview, hence, I was able to come up with an answer a day earlier,” Alexander chuckled before continuing. “First, I must say that the cost of rebuilding our massive empire is a lot. But I found a way around the Imperial Council with a public-private partnership combining federal, local, and private resources. Twenty percent of which came from the Imperial Family, fifteen percent from our business partners in the Francois Republic and the Kingdom of Norway, which are our steadfast allies as well as trading partners. 10 percent from a consortium of wealthy Ruthenian families and the rest are from the government,”

After answering the first journalist’s question, another one raised a hand.

“Yes, sir?” Alexander prompted.

“What kinds of projects will be built under this Infrastructure Law?”

Alexander hummed in thought before responding.

“Pretty much everything,” Alexander said simply. “From roads, bridges, dams, ports, schools, railways, airports, water plants, power plants. The Ruthenian Union of Engineers has also given me a list of 5,000 roads and bridges in this country that they feel are structurally unsound. So, not only are we building but rebuilding as well. If you want specifics, I’ve planned ten megaprojects so far. Four of them are hydroelectric plants and the other four are canals. The remaining two are the National Highway and Railway System. I have a vision in Ruthenia that in ten years it will be self-sufficient. We can achieve this through infrastructure initiatives. Because I believe strong infrastructure is vital for national defense.”-.

As Alexander concluded his statement, the last one of them raised a hand.

“Your Majesty, we’ve received word saying that you’re modernizing the military. Can you tell us why?”

“Modernizing the military is an essential…or should I rather say crucial step for protecting the national interest and security of the Ruthenia Empire. We can’t defend ourselves using outdated equipment against technologically superior foes. So It’s just common sense,” Alexander replied. “Any questions?”

The journalist shook their heads, indicating that he had answered enough questions to satisfy them. He rose to his feet and walked over to them. As he neared their chairs, the journalist stood and bowed their heads.

“Thank you for your time, Your Majesty. Your answers were quite insightful and informative. We wish you all the success in your upcoming project and the future prosperity of Ruthenia,” one of the journalists announced as the others nodded in agreement.

Alexander offered a handshake to each one of them, expressing his gratitude.

Once the journalists left the room, Alexander went back to his desk. He took a seat and leaned on his chair. He closed his eyes for a few moments and sighed. When he opened them, his gaze went to a large window at the back of his office. He gazed outside of it and watched snowflakes floating in the air. In the distance, snow covered the ground like white sheets of frosting adorning the streets below him. On the horizon an orange glow lit up the sky, signaling that dusk was coming soon.

He turned away from the window and returned to his stack of papers. After a few seconds, he began reading through them.

However, just as he was about to read the second line, a knock on the door disrupted him. A middle-aged man entered. It was Sergei, his Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“Your Majesty, is this a perfect time? I can return later if it’s not convenient…” Sergei said.

Alexander waved a hand dismissively in dismissal. “No no, please sit. What brings you here, Minister?”

Sergei smiled slightly and sat down across his table.

“Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty accepted our offer of acquiring the region of Manchuria. All it needs now is payment,”

“Really…that was easy. Reach out to the Ministry of Finance and settle this at once…” Alexander said as he resumed reading the paper in his hand.

“But sir, may I say something?” Sergei implored, causing Alexander to stop reading and look back at his minister. His expression softened.

“Go ahead, Minister,”

“There will be major implications once this acquisition is done. We made this offer in secret and no other nation except the two parties knows about this. If we go public with this, the Britannia and Yamato Empire will be royally pissed,” Sergei said.

Alexander tilted his head to the side, quizzically “Why?”

“First of all, the Britannia Empire is our geopolitical rival and our expansion in the Han Dynasty would surely trigger a response, saying that our expansion is a threat to the national security of their colonies. Secondly, the Yamato Empire is looking to expand their sphere of influence in Manchuria after it successfully made the Kingdom of Choson a protectorate…”

“Wait…the Kingdom of Choson became a protectorate of the Yamato Empire?”

“The conclusion of the Rutho-Yamato war has earned the confidence to take an imperialist route and began expanding, starting from Kingdom Choson under the Eulsa Treaty signed in Hanseong. Now, Your Majesty, this take over could spark a regional conflict with the Yamato Empire and the chances of our country going to war again with them are high.”

“It’s that bad huh?” Alexander bit his lower lip after realizing what could happen if they pushed forward with this deal.

However, Alexander stood firm.

“Let’s prevent that from happening. We’re gonna have to find a concession that will satisfy the two empires. I’ll take care of the Britannia Empire since their princess is here to get her treatment from and they’d be grateful for my deeds and be willing to meet our terms amicably,  you handle the Yamato Empire. We’ve already sold thousands of guns in the Han Dynasty and even offered them our outdated warships. We have invested too much to back down now.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. I will do everything in my power to keep the Yamato Empire at bay,”

“Good, make sure to keep me updated,” Alexander said.

“Of course sir, will that be all?” Sergei asked.

“Hmm…will this be a good time? I’m sorry Sergei I’m kind of feeling guilty here for overworking you,” Alexander apologized.

Sergei waved a hand off the apology. “It’s alright, Your Majesty. How can I help? Do you have something you want me to look into?

“There is one, Sergei,” Alexander pulled his drawer open and pulled out a thick folder, and then handed it to Sergei.

Sergei sifted through it briefly “A new bill?” Sergei’s eyes flickered back up to Alexander, who nodded affirmatively.

“The Infrastructure Bill has started effectively since the first day of the year but a problem arises concerning who would handle it. It’s a nationwide construction effort that involves meticulous planning and effective management. There’s not a Ministry in Ruthenia right now capable of taking such an arduous task. Thus, I would like to introduce a new bill that creates a new Ministry capable of the job. I call it the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development.

“They’ll be responsible for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructure and other public works in accordance with our national development objectives,”

“Do you have a candidate in mind, Your Majesty?” Sergei asked as he read through the first few pages of the folder.

“Well, I’d like it to be handled by an Engineer who knows what they are doing. Someone who can give me advice on anything related to his Ministry.” Alexander said.

“I will look for someone who fits your criteria, Your Majesty,” Sergei said and continued. “Will that be all, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, that will be all, Minister, you can go now,”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Sergei bowed his head once more before turning and exiting the room.

As Sergei shut the door behind him, Alexander’s telephone rang loudly. He glanced toward the desk before picking it up. As he lifted it to his ear, a voice came from the other end.

“Alex!” Alex recognized her voice immediately and smiled.

“Hello, hon.”  he responded, “What is it?”

“Nothing…I just want to tell you that Diana has arrived and is in Peterhof Palace right now,” Sophie informed.

“Is that so? That’s great, I’m looking forward to meeting her anytime soon. I’ll head there as soon as I finish my work here,” Alexander said.

“Okay, see you soon then, I love you,”

“Aww…love you too, hon. Bye,”

After hanging up, Alexander returned to his work.