NOVPUBThe upper echelons may not care, but that doesn’t mean the people at the bottom feel the same. Being in a high position and part of the elite, Argent was virtually untouchable, even if he offended people.
The junior staff, however, couldn’t afford such liberties. Don’t assume that it’s only the top brass who are involved in taking bribes and benefits. In fact, most of the gray market transactions are handled by those lower down the chain.
As the Logistic Minister, Argent wouldn’t stoop so low as to personally step in for a matter as trivial as the freight for a few train carriages.
After all, if the underling profited from a kickback, the boss wouldn’t be left out. The deal continued because everyone was in the same boat.
...
Lately, Brittany McLean’s state of mind was on edge since a shipment headed for Moscow was unloaded in Samara.
Alright, he acknowledged that military supplies destined for the front lines were critical, and the railway had been requisitioned by the military well in advance. But surely that couldn’t stop everyone from making money, right?
Time is money, and money is life. Although the Russian Empire’s commerce primarily relied on backing, Brittany wasn’t without his own support.
However, business is business. Now that the goods were unloaded, if no new train carriages were arranged to transport them and he failed to deliver on time, he would have to pay a penalty for breach of contract.
"Director Vickhill, I need a reasonable explanation as to why my goods were unloaded?"
"Do you realize how much money we lose for each day of delay?"
"Who is going to cover these losses?"
"Don’t forget, you’ve already been paid. Breaking the deal suddenly now, do you think I, Brittany, am easy to bully?"
"Or do you think that since Marquis Kristanval has stepped down, his influence has waned, and you can manipulate as you please?"
Watching an infuriated Brittany, Director Vickhill felt helpless.
Suddenly breaching the contract was not his desire, but he had no choice; a strict order had been issued from above to ensure the supply of front-line materials, and failing to meet this task could result not only in losing his position but possibly his life.
"Mr. Brittany, I am really sorry. A strict order has been issued from above to ensure timely supply to the front lines, and currently, all vehicles have been dispatched there.
Your cargo can wait another half month. By then, I will make sure to prioritize your train carriages."
This explanation clearly did not satisfy Brittany. It was bad enough dealing with delays and penalties.
Though Samara was a transportation hub, that didn’t necessarily mean that there were enough storage facilities locally, nor that all supplies could be stored.
If left outdoors for half a month and if God was not merciful, this batch of agricultural products might end up as fertilizer.
Even if the weather remained fine every day, half a month was enough for potatoes and corn to sprout, leaving him no choice but to sell them cheaply to the working class.
"Director Vickhill, are you joking? You know what this shipment is. If it could wait half a month, why would I even come to you?
Anyway, you decide, but if you think Marquis Kristanval is easy to bully, just leave it as it is!"
Brittany was not looking for an explanation but a solution to his problem. He knew well the nature of the Russian bureaucracy – to get things done, one had to either spend money or use connections to pressurize.
The money had been spent; Brittany wasn’t foolish enough to pay again and break the unwritten codes. It was time to leverage his connections.
Vickhill’s face changed drastically. Even though he knew Brittany was merely bluffing, the likelihood of Marquis Kristanval getting involved in such matters at this time was extremely low. Explore new worlds at freewebnovel.com
But not getting involved now didn’t mean there would be no future repercussions, especially since it involved meddling with someone else’s finances.
Marquis Kristanval may have retired, but as a former Finance Minister, his network within the government was nothing to scoff at.
Perhaps the top officials could withstand the pressure, but Vickhill, a mere director, could not afford the turmoil.
"Mr. Brittany, to be honest, it wouldn’t matter who intervened."
General Okinets issued a warning to the logistics department that if they could not ensure the timely arrival of logistical materials, he would report to His Majesty the Tsarist about our misappropriation of military trains.
Once the matter was exposed, not even the logistics department, including you merchants, or even Marquis Kristanval, could escape.
"Money or life, which is more important? You weigh it yourself! For the sake of Marquis Kristanval, we can refund the shipping costs.
"But once this money is taken back, everyone will go their separate ways, and the logistics department will never cooperate with you again."
When it finally came to a head, it was Brittany’s turn to have a headache. The issue now was no longer that Vickhill took the money and did nothing, but that he dared not do anything.
Knowing Vickhill, the bloodsucker, money was his life. As long as enough money was provided, he could do anything.
She had initially thought he merely wanted to take advantage by escalating the price to extort money, but the issue had now involved high-level political conflicts.
If the money was indeed taken back, both sides would tear apart their faces. "The common man does not fight the official," which applies everywhere, and even with support, Brittany still felt weak.
After hesitating for a moment, Brittany slowly said, "Mr. Vickhill, can’t we think of a solution? To ensure the material transportation to the front lines, we can afford a few extra train cars.
"If we need to hurry, you could recruit more laborers and utilize more livestock; it could definitely be done.
"You know this batch of goods cannot be delayed. To tell you the truth, agricultural products are only on the surface, there is also a part…"
The higher the value of the goods, the more troublesome it becomes, and Vickhill was troubled too. If it were only agricultural products, even if some were spoiled, the loss would be limited.
"But there was also a batch of special ’medicine,’ which was a different matter altogether. This kind of trade was clearly not something Brittany could handle on her own; behind her, there definitely was a group of bigwigs waiting for their share of the spoils.
Disrupting these people’s money-making would surely bring about retaliation, and Vickhill, as the person involved, could likely become a scapegoat.
After hesitating for a moment, Vickhill, frowning, said, "Alright, Brittany. Stop thinking about the military trains.
"The military is watching closely now, and if something unexpected happens, we are all done for, including the people behind you.
"If you really are in a rush, I could allocate some civilian laborers and carts for you, but the rest is up to you to manage.
"By the way, we recently imported a batch of large trucks from Austria; if you want, I can lend them to you.
"However, these costs must be calculated separately, since you did not inform beforehand, and the shipping costs for special medicine and agricultural products are different."
Knowing that this was the bottom line, Brittany did not continue to harbor hopes for the military trains. She did not want to get involved in the struggle between the logistics department and the military—not if it meant risking complete destruction.
"That will do, but you must help coordinate the local authorities to help repair the roads, otherwise the trucks won’t run."
Vickhill nodded, "Don’t worry, the roads have been repaired already. As long as you don’t take shortcuts, most of the road sections are passable for vehicles."
Being mostly passable meant that some sections were not. However, this was not a concern for Vickhill; being able to transport even part of the way was enough.
If vehicles could not pass, then switch to carts; if carts failed, then rely on human labor; after all, the logistics system of the Russian Empire was built this way.
Indeed, if it weren’t for the high-ranking officials from the Tsarist Government who observed the military value of trucks during a visit to Austria, the logistics department would never have made the purchase.
It wasn’t that these trucks were not useful, but rather they were unsuited for the Russian Empire.
Not to mention the poor infrastructure, what was more troublesome was the difficulty in maintaining them afterward. Importing spare parts was one thing, even hiring mechanics required outsourcing.
If these challenges were surmountable, then the harsh winter was truly lethal.
At temperatures of a few degrees below zero, external heating might manage to ignite the engine; at minus thirty or forty degrees, insulation was necessary to prevent the engine from freezing up and potentially becoming inoperative.
Given this performance, these were still anti-freeze vehicles specially produced for Russians by Austria; if it were ordinary trucks, they would simply fail in the Russian winter.
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