Chapter 1482 Spring in Moscow (Second update, please subscribe)

Moscow.

It was Li Bai's first time to visit Moscow, so when he stood on the side of Arbat Street, feeling the severe coldness of the northern land, and watching the gorgeously decorated carriages passing by on the snow-covered street, the crisp sound of the copper bells made him feel only the absurdity of a certain era - since the Ming Dynasty invented the car in 1862, in the next decade or so, cars became popular all over the world, and European cities were dominated by cars, with almost no carriages to be seen.

Even in Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire, there were no horse-drawn carriages on the streets. Most of the cars running around on the streets were cars. Among those cars, there were many famous brands such as BMW and Chiji produced in the Empire, while ordinary brands such as Maxima, Volkswagen, and Fuwo were not very common. But after arriving in Moscow, there were horse-drawn carriages everywhere!

Even on the busiest street, Tverskoi Street, there were horse-drawn carriages running on the streets!

Occasionally only one or two cars passed by on the street.

Noticing that the guest from the Ming Empire was staring at the carriages on the street in a daze, Colonel Kondrachenko, the staff officer of the Sixth Legion of the Roman Empire who accompanied him to Moscow, said to him somewhat embarrassedly:

"Moscow is different from Constantinople. Constantinople is fashionable and modern, but here in Moscow people still maintain a traditional lifestyle. They breed horses, keep horses, and use horse-drawn carriages..."

Tradition is the best excuse to cover up everything. What tradition? It’s just poverty.

"No, Colonel Kondrachenko, only when I saw these beautiful carriages did I feel that I had truly arrived in the great and unique Russia. Although St. Petersburg is perfect, it is too European. Although Constantinople is great, it is too Turkish and too modern. Only in Moscow can I think of the stories described by Pushkin and Tolstoy, and feel the rich history of this land."

Faced with cover-up, Li Bai gave direct compliments.

That's what Russians are like!

They may talk all day long about how backward their country is and how ignorant the people are, but if you say a few words of praise for the so-called "greatness of Russian culture", they will all hum with satisfaction like cats being stroked.

A simple flattery made Colonel Kondrachenko's face full of pride. He patted Li Bai's arm enthusiastically and said:

"Lieutenant Colonel, our train must be late. We will go to the Eliseyev store in a while. It is the best store in Moscow. It has all kinds of goods. It even has a branch in Constantinople."

He came to Moscow this time to help Russia train pilots and to show support for the Roman Empire. Two weeks ago, the Empire said it would provide them with aircraft and machinery worth 2 million yuan, a total of 800 aircraft!

Even the aid to France was not so great. Li Bai and his teammates were originally scheduled to go to France, but they never expected that just after they arrived in Congo, a telegram sent them to the snow and ice of Moscow.

Of course, the Russians did not pay a price - fifteen days ago, the Fourth and Fifth Armies of the Roman Empire invaded East Prussia and marched towards the capital of Königsberg. Despite Germany's defenses, the Russian army successfully entered Germany until three days later when the German Eighth Army launched a counterattack. In order to defeat the Russian army, the German army designed a trap to allow the Russian Fourth Army, which was heading south, to enter Germany in advance, but the German army implemented a pincer attack from both wings of the army and encircled and annihilated its main force. The commander of the Russian Second Army committed suicide after his defeat. Three days ago, after paying the price of 130,000 casualties and 150,000 prisoners, the Russian army abandoned the entire mission.

Although the Russian offensive failed, they succeeded in forcing Germany to send more troops to the Eastern Front, which greatly relieved the pressure on France. This was also the fundamental reason why the Empire was willing to provide assistance.

Although he hated shopping, he thought of his wife and children at home, so he turned around and agreed:

"Well, I was thinking of buying some Russian handicrafts to send to my wife and children."

In fact, this is the only thing he can do for his wife and children on the front line.

“I think they will like it very much…”

When Li Bai said this to himself, he suddenly found himself feeling a little homesick. In fact, who wouldn't miss home and family?

Li Bai still remembers his son's reluctant expression when he personally sent his youngest son to kindergarten when he left home a month ago, and his wife holding on to his shoulders as she tried to hold back her tears.

"What can I buy later?"

Just when Li Bai was thinking about what to buy for his wife and children, Colonel Kondrachenko patted him on the shoulder as he was in a daze.

"Let's go to the Yeliseyev store first..."

The two of them walked along Tverskaya Street. On the street, people could tell at a glance that Li Bai was a foreigner, even though he was wearing the same fur coat and fur hat as the Russians. But he took every step carefully. After all, there was a thin layer of ice on the ground, and he would fall if he was not careful while walking. He had fallen once before.

Tverskaya Street leads to Tver. Manezh Square in front of the Kremlin is the starting point of Tverskaya Street. From here, it passes through Tver and extends to the ancient city of St. Petersburg in the northwest. As the most prosperous street in Moscow, there are not only shops on both sides of the street, but also financial institutions such as banks.

Just as they were walking forward cautiously, suddenly, a rapid electric bell rang from a bank on the side of the road.

What's going on?

Before Li Bai and Colonel Kondrachenko could figure out what was going on.

Li Bai heard someone shouting something in Russian.

What are they shouting?

What society, what...

He looked up and saw a large number of leaflets flying out from the front. Amid the leaflets that looked like snowflakes, two men leaped out of the bank shouting. One of them shot a policeman who arrived at the scene with a shot from a shotgun, and the other man kept shooting at the sky with a pistol. Just then, a car rushed over, and as soon as they got in the car, it drove away quickly into the distance.

"This is... robbery..."

The scene before him left Li Bai dumbfounded.

"Thugs, they are all a bunch of thugs..."

When Colonel Kondrachenko was shouting excitedly, Li Bai saw a leaflet blowing in the wind and falling to his feet. He picked up a leaflet, took a look at it, and his brows couldn't help but frowned.

"Stop this unjust war between imperialists!"

(End of this chapter)