African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1466: Chapter 25: Bribery

The opportunity that Malinkov and others awaited quickly emerged. On July 15, 1921, in a hurry to show loyalty to their financial backers for more support, and based on their natural hostility towards the Russian Labor Party, the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic attempted a military probe into Russia within the year.

From an institutional perspective, historical grievances between Ukraine and Russia, or considerations of independence versus unity, the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic could never remain indifferent to Russia.

Even though Russia’s strength far exceeds Ukraine, the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic cannot choose to sit and wait helplessly. Moreover, the supportive stance of imperialist powers like Germany, Austria, England, and France towards Ukraine strengthens the Ukrainian government’s anti-Russia resolve.

Xiqueslav City.

In the mayor’s office, Filatov was giving a speech to the anti-Labor group in Xiqueslav City, or rather a reprimand.

”Leonid, you fool! I told you to arrest the Labor Party, but what were you doing in the barracks? Do you know General Malele directly called my office?”

Confronted by Filatov’s questioning, Leonid protested, ”Mr. Mayor, I didn’t want to go to the barracks either, but we received intelligence indicating that the local Labor Party may have colluded with some soldiers from the Thirty-seventh Division, so our anti-Labor group had no choice but to investigate this matter in the barracks for the security of Xiqueslav City.”

Mayor Filatov pressed his finger against Leonid’s shoulder and asked through gritted teeth, ”Did you catch the person?”

”No... no...” Leonid stammered slightly, ”We were driven out by those soldiers as soon as we entered the regiment station of the Thirty-Seventh Division, and several of our brothers were injured because of it.”

Filatov: ”Bah, you deserved it. I’ve repeatedly stressed that you should check those without backgrounds instead; wouldn’t you think regular soldiers are easy to bully?”

”The army is notorious for bandit-like conduct, emphasizing loyalty and severely clinging together. Do you think their superior officers are just for show? Scores may be internally distinct, but when facing outsiders, they always band together.”

The Ukrainian government army, termed as a puppet army by the Labor Party, bears few differences from Mayor Filatov’s description. There may be individual units with strict discipline and good conduct, but such rare squads are unlikely to be found in the whole of Ukraine.

Currently, many in the Ukrainian government army are conscripted riffraff, given the previous political turmoil caused by World War I, where the forces of lower classes most easily emerged.

Regarding these forces, the Ukrainian government adopted a strategy primarily focused on appeasement.

Of course, the armies of neighboring countries, including the Russian Labor Party’s troops, would not be much better if delved into deeply.

In truth, if carefully screened, the East African Defense Army’s level of discipline might rank first; after all, Ernst’s demand for the army is quite high, considering a previous generation as a reference.

But even under these circumstances, the discipline within the East African Defense Army poses significant issues, especially within certain colonial garrisons.

For instance, the East African military stationed in colonies such as Togoland, New Guinea, and the Kra Isthmus committed numerous crimes; however, without ruthlessness, colonialism struggles to hold ground.

Filatov said, ”It’s too late to say anything now. This matter ends here; we mustn’t touch the army, since they’re not in our system. If there’s an issue, it must be managed internally by the military. You should spend more time looking at factories and railways; anyone with eyes can see huge issues in those areas.”

Leonid explained, ”Those factory owners or officials in the railway system aren’t necessarily better than the army. Earlier this year, our actions in the steel plant were protested by Mr. Rafael, claiming it disrupted his operations, and in the end, nothing came of it...”

In Ukraine, a country rife with bureaucracy, running a factory or being an enterprise owner makes one almost untouchable, with tight, intricate networks formed with officials from Xiqueslav City.

Moreover, since Ukraine’s independence, its political system has essentially been a republic, a typical capitalist country where capitalists’ influence has considerably increased. Many in Ukraine’s upper crust government come from big capitalist backgrounds.

Regarding Leonid’s complaint, Filatov chose to ignore it and said, ”Now the government apparently plans to trouble Russia, leading to direct military conflicts between the two countries, perhaps even war.”

”As Xiqueslav City is a crucial border transport hub and military stronghold, I don’t care what means you use, you must ensure no large-scale Labor Party activities occur in Xiqueslav City over the next few months.”

”Else it risks military and national affairs, none of us will be spared. Of course, I know the difficulty you face in your work currently.”

”So, I’ll personally speak with people from factories, railways, and other enterprises and systems to make them understand our work, since they won’t be spared either if the Labor Party stirs something big in Xiqueslav.”

”I’ll also allocate some additional authority and funds to your group. Without further detail, keep a close watch on Xiqueslav City’s significant sites and regions for the next three months. Once you identify Labor Party organizations, eradicate them at an early stage.”