Chapter 728: Riots in Petrograd
"Boss! The young master and his wife!" Jesla pushed the door open and greeted William Rockefeller and Margaret Carnegie.
"Hello, Uncle Jack!" Margaret Carnegie poked William Rockefeller and greeted him politely, "What do you want to talk to father about? Then we will leave first."
"That's right, it's Mr. Morgan and Mr. Rockefeller." Jesla replied with a smile, "I think they're looking for the boss."
"Then let's leave first!" Margaret Carnegie nodded and was about to pull her fiancé out, but Sheffield stopped her and said, "There is nothing worth hiding. When you take charge of the steel company, there will be a lot of such things."
Margaret Carnegie nodded and pulled William Rockefeller to sit aside. After a while, Rockefeller Jr. and Morgan Jr. came together and met the young couple who were about to get married. Margaret Carnegie and William Rockefeller stood up to greet them.
"You guys are here too! I heard you got married a while ago. Time flies." Little Morgan smiled and started talking in a confusing way. Sheffield couldn't listen any more. "Even if it's learning, it takes time."
"Oh, William, don't be so excited. People will become what they hate sooner or later. When I was young, I also hated to be talked like this, but that doesn't stop me from being the same now." Little Morgan raised his eyebrows and sat down directly. "Isn't this also the purpose of letting the two children sit here?"
Pah! The slave owner lit up his cigar and took a puff. He said intoxicatedly, "I don't deny it."
Young Rockefeller was much more normal when greeting the two young men. In the past, when Edith Rockefeller was not in Chicago, she always left her sons at the Rockefeller Manor for care, so it was naturally her responsibility as their uncle.
"He and I came here to discuss the National Bank." After greeting the two young men, Rockefeller Jr. sat down and said to Sheffield, "We have communicated with the bankers in New York several times. Now we are discussing this issue with you. As you know, it is not easy. I hope we can't delay it any longer and let Morgan talk to you."
Ahem! After hearing what Rockefeller said, Morgan Jr. cleared his throat and said, "We must admit that there will be some differences between the North and the South on this issue. There are still many misunderstandings between the two sides. From an objective standpoint, I still believe that there are objective gaps in this world, but this cannot become an obstacle to cooperation between the two sides. We must focus on the future, seek common ground while reserving differences, strengthen communication, and protect our own interests, and of course, the interests of the citizens of the entire country. Regarding the national bank, we will of course balance the interests of all parties and make comprehensive considerations to reflect the equality of regions, citizens, and all parties."
Listening to Morgan's words, the slave owner's eyes widened, and he finally couldn't help interrupting, "I think what you said is absolutely right. Just like the current war, we must ensure that our interests are not harmed, and at the same time, we must ensure the legitimacy of our actions, rather than putting personal interests above world peace like the current European belligerents. Such a war is immoral and cannot happen, so I have been committed to preventing the United States from expressing its willingness to join the war."
"Come on, why did you mention the war?" Little Morgan interrupted, "It has nothing to do with each other, right?"
"Did you step on my tail? You bankers in New England, including New York, Boston, and Pittsburgh, have loaned billions to the Allies. Are you afraid that the Allies will lose the war?" Sheffield chuckled, "So why are you trying to find common ground with me and make comprehensive considerations? Just tell me, can Dallas have the same voting rights as New York? Why are you beating around the bush?"
In this round of verbal confrontation, Sheffield and Morgan Jr. stopped at the right time. Rockefeller Jr. held his forehead with his hand and felt a headache. He glanced at the two young men who seemed to be listening to a foreign language. They were simply corrupting the children.
"We have also talked to many people, including Lowell, Adams, the Mellon family in Pittsburgh, the DuPont family who switched to banking, the McCormick family in Chicago, and so on. We know that you are fighting for permanent voting rights for the South." Rockefeller Jr. had to speak up. "We have been busy with this matter for the past few months, and finally got their understanding. William, you should know that it is not easy to get these families around New York to make concessions. It took a lot of effort to persuade the Stillman family."
"Is it another important shareholder of Standard Oil?" Sheffield nodded and said, "That's your problem. It's so difficult to convince shareholders. It won't be that difficult for me to convince McHale and others."
"This is because the families in the South don't have much power, with the exception of yours. If they were all tobacco tycoons like the Duke family, you would know how difficult it would be to convince them." Little Morgan rolled his eyes and said, "If it weren't for you, how could Dallas fight for a permanent vote?"
"I see, this matter has been settled." Sheffield nodded, "Finally, you said something valuable. If you continue like this, I can only talk to you about the origin of paleontology."
"We should avoid using the name 'bank' directly. I think the name 'Federal Reserve System of the United States' is a good one." Morgan Jr. stood up and took a glass of whiskey from Sheffield's cabinet. He poured a glass for the three of them and said, "I don't know how many years this idea has been in my mind. Today, it finally has a good result. I can't tell you how I feel right now."
"Why are you feeling sentimental? Good times have just begun." Sheffield took the whiskey and the two clinked glasses. "Now you have achieved what you wished for. You have control over the banking industry."
"Don't say that. It's the same with you. You make it sound like I'm the only one who got the advantage." Little Morgan said tacitly, "Now is the time for us to make an effort to get the federal government to agree to this proposal. What excuse do you have?"
"Lending large amounts of money to the belligerent countries requires an exchange rate settlement system!" Sheffield, who had already put his wine glass to his lips, said without thinking, "Excuses can be found everywhere if you think of them. How difficult is that?"
"Good idea!" Rockefeller Jr. praised generously, saying that it was perfect to let the external environment facilitate this matter.
This time, the Federal Reserve was established under the pretext of settling loans for the belligerent countries. The three men immediately began their own lobbying activities. Sheffield found Robert Parker to take the lead, and he did not forget to find President Wilson's son-in-law. President Wilson himself had no sons, but three daughters. One of the sons-in-law had a good relationship with Gail and often traveled to Puerto Rico.
In the blink of an eye, it was already 1917. Sheffield, who was working for the Federal Reserve, had been paying attention to the situation in Europe. He calculated that it was time for the February Revolution to break out.
The Russian Empire collapsed in just eight days during the February Revolution. This historical event, known as the February Revolution, not only changed the fate of the Russian Empire, but also changed the course of the entire world. Every powerful political party attributed the merit of this revolution to itself, but the real February Revolution was like a mystery. Not only did the authorities not understand it, but later researchers were also unable to understand many things in it.
At this time, various parties and associations distributed some propaganda pamphlets, held red flags and slogans, sang revolutionary songs, and demonstrated everywhere. At this time, workers had guns and other weapons in their hands, and frequently clashed with the police force that maintained order. There were also acts of looting shops and food stores.
The situation in Petrograd suddenly became tense, as more and more people participated in rallies and marches, and the mood became more and more excited. Some people in the march even held sticks and iron tools, and the crowd gradually lost control, starting to smash stores and loot food in stores, and conflicts with the police occurred in many places.
But this time it was completely different. A similar situation as mentioned above did occur in Petrograd, but it was quickly quelled. Even Nicholas II publicly declared, "There is no revolution. As long as the bread supply returns to normal, everything will be settled."
After Nicholas II paid personal attention to the small riots in the capital of Imperial Russia, they did not attract the attention of others. The slave owners were of course an exception. They knew that the Imperial Russia was on the verge of collapse. Although the reason was unknown, there is a basic truth in any crisis: it is better to guide than to block. The later a crisis breaks out, the greater its power will be.
The reason is that historically, the Minister of the Interior in charge of Petrograd was Protopopov, who was recommended by Rasputin. This person had a very good relationship with Rasputin, and Rasputin in Sheffield's world had been killed long before the war, so naturally he had no chance to make dazzling adjustments to the political institutions within the Russian Empire while Nicholas II was away.
Now the Minister of the Interior of Petrograd, after reporting the intelligence to Nicholas II, together with the Petrograd Commander Khabarov, eliminated the riots and strangled the people's dissatisfaction in the bud.
This riot was so minor that it did not even attract the attention of Britain and France, the allies of the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire was still preparing to face the attack of the Central Powers and tried to fight back to continue the war.
But Sheffield suddenly remembered a saying: a single spark can start a prairie fire. The fleeting spark of the Russian Empire this time might be the beginning of a huge fire that would send the Russian Empire into the course of history.
The war is still going on, and the imperial Russian soldiers on the front line are still squatting in the trenches, accompanying the war, unaware that there has been a riot in the capital behind them. For them, the war is still the top priority.
(End of this chapter)
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