CHAPTER 524: CHAPTER 516: SETTING FIRE TO THE WAREHOUSE AND BORROWING GRAIN WITH GHOST SOLDIERS

"Odessa x3"

After the interpreter translated Mayor Kasina Cheyev’s words for them, the three present shouted in unison and simultaneously looked at Mayor Kasina Cheyev.

"Exactly! As long as the French Empire has enough money, there will be as much grain as needed!" Mayor Kasina Cheyev confidently stated to the three present.

The interpreter hurriedly translated Kasina Cheyev’s words for them.

"Mr. Mayor, it’s not that we don’t want to believe you! But isn’t the idea of obtaining grain from Odessa somewhat childish? We are at war with the Russian Empire, why would they sell grain to us?" Major General Conrobel said to Mayor Kasina Cheyev, clearly filled with concerns about him.

The Russian Empire is at war with England and France, yet some illegal merchants within Russia dare to transport supplies to enemy states at this critical moment. How many heads do the officials of Odessa have that are enough for the Tsar to behead?

"Major General, this is where you misunderstand the Russian Empire! In the mindset of Russian Empire officials, there is no such thing as an enemy state. If it is profitable for them, they will plunge into it recklessly; making money is their goal!" Mayor Kasina Cheyev spoke with a trace of sarcasm, "Rather than calling them officials, it’s more fitting to call them merchants. They will use every means to turn things that don’t belong to them into things that do.

Exchanging grain for francs is simply a very fitting trade!"

"Aren’t they afraid of being discovered by their Tsar?" Conrobel expressed shock to Mayor Kasina Cheyev.

Although corruption also exists within the French Empire, no one dares to carry out crimes openly.

Anyone who chooses to act recklessly without cover is invariably imprisoned by Jerome Bonaparte in the debt prison or handed over to the military court.

"Discovered?" Kasina Cheyev chuckled, speaking leisurely, "How far is Moscow from Odessa! His Majesty the Tsar’s reach doesn’t extend here!"

"But the Tsar could send envoys to inspect! What if they find out, wouldn’t that be disastrous?" Major General Conrobel questioned again.

"Disastrous? Impossible! The envoys appointed by His Majesty the Tsar would ultimately return in failure. The officials of Odessa’s capital absolutely won’t allow the Tsar’s envoys to uncover anything; they’ll use various means to bribe and fabricate for the envoys! Just as I said earlier, His Majesty the Tsar is in Moscow, he has no understanding of what’s happening in Odessa, and the information he receives is just some false news from the envoys’ mouths! Over the years, the officials of Odessa have thoroughly studied all of His Majesty the Tsar’s actions, and to them, he doesn’t have any secrets at all!" Mayor Kasina Cheyev replied confidently to Major General Conrobel.

"So when you put it like that, Odessa is like a completely sealed barrel! However, I don’t believe there isn’t at least one or two envoys who would refuse the Odessa officials’ benefits," Major General Conrobel questioned.

"Major General, from what I know! So far, no one has escaped Odessa’s corruption!" Mayor Kasina Cheyev earnestly responded to Major General Conrobel, "Even if there are, they have a second plan!"

"What plan?" Major General Conrobel asked Mayor Kasina Cheyev.

Although the three of them already knew what kind of plan could keep envoys silent forever, they still wanted to hear if Kasina Cheyev’s plan differed from what they imagined.

"Silencing through murder! Burning warehouses!" Sure enough, Mayor Kasina Cheyev said the plan they had in mind.

The simplest method is to set fire to the warehouses; a sudden fire can smooth over all accounts shortages, making it a beneficial act both for the country and for the officials of the Russian Empire.

"I’m very curious, how do you know so much about the internal affairs of Odessa!" Major General Conrobel looked at Mayor Kasina Cheyev with a faint smile, "How did a mayor like you even get involved with Odessa on that side!"

"Major General, actually, I’ve been helping the officials in the Odessa area with... hmm! Selling some items, so I have some understanding of their situations! Some of them were even my comrades in the past!" Kasina Cheyev said to Major General Conrobel.

"Since you say so, then, on behalf of the Allied Command, I grant you full authority to resolve the grain issue for 30,000 people! However, you must first prove to us that you have the capability to do so!" Major General Conrobel said to Mayor Kasina Cheyev.

"Rest assured!" Mayor Kasina Cheyev responded to Major General Conrobel.

Afterward, Major General Conrobel took out 500,000 francs in bearer bonds from the Bank of France from his pocket, telling Kasina Cheyev that the Allied Forces now needed 3 million francs worth of grain, and the 500,000 francs was the advance deposit. The remaining money would be paid in full when the grain arrived, and the mayor could redeem an equivalent amount of gold with these bonds.

However, certain specific banks within the Russian Empire were required for redemption.

Kasina Cheyev tremblingly received the bearer bonds from the Bank of France handed over by Major General Conrobel. He understood that for the officials of Odessa’s capital, the continuously devaluing paper rubles were completely worthless, while the bonds issued by the Bank of France and the Bank of England were truly reliable.

From a certain perspective, these unnamed bonds have already exceeded 500,000 francs in value within the Russian Empire.

"Rest assured, I will ensure the prompt delivery of the grain you need!" Kasina Cheyev solemnly assured Major General Canrobel.

"As quickly as possible!" Major General Canrobel reminded.

Early the next morning, Mayor Kasina Cheyev departed Yevpatoria Town on a merchant ship.

In the days that followed, Kasina Cheyev had not returned, and the grain supply for the 90,000 troops of England, Italy, and Turkey continued to dwindle.

Despite this, the French Empire allocated portions from its supply ships to aid them, and Yevpatoria Town also transported significant amounts of grain.

On the morning of May 30, which marked the third week’s first day after the Allied Forces landed on the Crimea Peninsula, several merchant ships flying the Russian Empire’s flag boldly approached Yevpatoria Town, and soldiers guarding the coastline immediately reported this to Brigadier General MacMahon.

MacMahon promptly issued orders to the Zuav Corps to be prepared for battle, and then Brigadier General MacMahon personally led a team to investigate at the docks.

"The binoculars!" MacMahon extended his hand to the soldier beside him, who quickly handed the binoculars to Brigadier General MacMahon.

Holding the binoculars, MacMahon observed the approaching fleet near Yevpatoria, and on one of the ships, Brigadier General MacMahon spotted Kasina Cheyev.

"Not enemies, everyone can stand down!" Brigadier General MacMahon put down the binoculars and gently waved his hand, causing the surrounding Zuav Corps soldiers to disperse.

Once the fleet had docked at Yevpatoria port, bags of rice were unloaded from the ships, filling the previously empty warehouses, with excess grain placed in open spaces.

Upon seeing this, Brigadier General MacMahon hurriedly ordered his soldiers to assist these "merchants" in unloading the rice from the ships, both sides tacitly avoiding revealing each other’s identities.

It took over three hours to finally unload all the grain from the four ships.

After the unloading was complete, Mayor Kasina Cheyev brought over a person claiming to be the captain of the fleet.

The aura emanating from this captain suggested that he was likely a soldier from Odessa, and his rank was not low.

A soldier personally escorting grain for an opposing nation highlights the intricate workings within the Russian Empire.

Even though Brigadier General MacMahon recognized this supposed captain as a soldier, he still followed through with the agreement and handed over 1.5 million francs worth of unnamed bonds to this captain.

"I hope we can continue our cooperation next time!" The captain, upon receiving the unnamed bonds, extended a hand to Brigadier General MacMahon, speaking in a standard Parisian accent.

"Certainly!" Brigadier General MacMahon nodded in response, knowing that this transaction was only just beginning.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the "captain" left Yevpatoria Town, and Brigadier General MacMahon watched their departure.

Only after the fleet sailed away did Brigadier General MacMahon inquire of Kasina Cheyev about the true backing behind them.

"It’s said to be the former Governor Voronov!" Mayor Kasina Cheyev responded to Brigadier General MacMahon: "After being reassigned from the position of Crimea Governor by His Majesty the Tsar, Voronov did not accept the position of Caucasus Commander-in-Chief from His Majesty the Tsar and instead requested retirement! It’s hard to rule out any lingering resentment!"

"Party conflicts have even infiltrated the army!" Brigadier General MacMahon commented gloatingly and then ordered Ivanov to load a portion of the grain onto trucks.

"Still load more?" Ivanov responded to Brigadier General MacMahon.

"Load!" Brigadier General MacMahon firmly replied to Ivanov.

Ivanov had no choice but to follow Brigadier General MacMahon’s orders, loading all the grain outside the warehouse onto carts, and then MacMahon dispatched two battalions of Zuav Corps troops to personally escort them, with orders to mercilessly shoot anyone who dared approach the grain trucks.