Arkhangelsk is a Russian coastal city located far north, very close to the Arctic Circle. Before 1703, it was Russia's only outlet to the sea, and it was frozen for half of the year. As a result, the opening of St. Petersburg led to the rapid decline of this important seaport city.

But now, this seaside city is exuding endless life.

Because of the Danish harassment in the Baltic, they were supported by the French, and although they could not defeat the Grand Fleet of the British on the sea, they were able to harass the merchant ships and transport fleets of the British. In order to ensure reinforcements to Russia, a large part of the British merchant ships would bypass Scandinavia and enter the White Sea from the Arctic Ocean in the summer, the latter like a heavy dumbbell, and its southernmost point went directly into the northwestern interior of Russia.

Arkhangelsk has been revitalized.

Logging and animal husbandry have been reborn here, and the British need this timber, as well as Russian dairy, meat and grain.

At the same time, there was a new catastrophe for the serfs here - they were required to do military service.

Arkhangelsk Oblast, where Arkhangelsk is located, is a very remote small place in Russia, and the glory of more than 100 years ago has long been a thing of the past, just like Kaifeng in China in the 21st century, the glory of Bianliang, Tokyo thousands of years ago can only be forever recorded in history.

And now, while prosperity has made the inhabitants and the government more earned, they must also contribute more soldiers to Russia.

In August or September each year, a tsarist conscription decree is sent to local officials in Russia, and then citizens and official representatives form a conscription committee under the leadership of the conscription officer. Usually the conscription decree will specify how many people need to be levied, for example, in a serf district of 500 people, 1 to 8 people should be levied.

Of course, this is not certain, when Russia fought the Sixth Russian-Turkish War, it had conscripted soldiers three times in a year, which is equivalent to 10~20 people in a serf area of 500 people, on the grounds that the country is in the middle of a war, and the conscription system must be changed. But this change is several years, and the conscription rate is increasing year by year. And this year's Russia will also send more conscripts throughout the year, and it is only April, and the first conscription has already begun.

Conscription committees in Russia plan conscription based on the poll tax and the number of local residents and farmers. Tramps, criminals, and servants (sent by their masters) are often sent to serve in the army as punishment, and many unlucky people are dragged into the army by their parents who support conscription, and many more families have to have a difficult time choosing a member to serve, and usually the chosen person must be the least important in the family. In addition, the work of the conscription committee will also be very careful, because Russia also needs serfs to pay taxes and cultivate the fields, so it is easy not to destroy a family. For example, if there are two or more adult males in a family, the family will elect one of those men to serve in the military. And in a sparsely populated place like Siberia, you can levy less and levy less, without destroying the local population.

Taxes that need to be paid can also be replaced by military service, which can also be avoided by bribery, and a rich farmer will "buy" a poorer person to replace his service. This behavior is recorded in many provinces of Russia, and the price is stable at 360~500 rubles.

The total population of the Arkhangelsk region is only a few hundred thousand people, and although the area is large, it is sparsely populated. In previous years, as in Siberia, it was neglected by St. Petersburg. But not this year, with a population of more than 100,000, you can still draw out the strength of two regiments with your heart. Russia must now do everything possible to recruit enough soldiers to come.

They will not be immediately put on the battlefield, but they will also need to hurry up and train, as the general reserve of Russia. Who made Russia have the greater enemy of Ottoman and Chen Han in addition to Napoleon, a dangerous enemy.

Russian soldiers were paid very little, and the British lobsters were at least ten times as high, but this allowed Russia to maintain a large number of active troops at a very low cost.

The serfs and ordinary people of Russia did not support the tsar, and every conscription was a disaster for a family.

Every family wants to be free to choose an 'insignificant' person to serve in the military, but the reality is not always satisfactory. In the Azov Infantry Regiment, 50% of the conscripts were married, and now this percentage has risen to 60%. It's good to be free to choose someone to serve in the military, but not just anyone can join the army, and you have to be tall and old to meet the requirements. After the end of the Seven Years' War, the minimum height standard for Russian soldiers was 1.6 meters, and the age was between 17~35 years old. After the end of the Sixth Russo-Turkish War, the minimum age rose to 19 years; But now the minimum height standard in Russia has been reduced to 1.50 meters, and those between the ages of 15~40 are eligible.

At 15 years old, it was still a child.

So in some large cities of Russia, some even put advertisements in newspapers "in lieu of service". For example, in 1793 the St. Petersburg Gazette published an advertisement: "Half-sold, half-give, 22-year-old adult male, trained tailor in women's clothing, can also serve on behalf of others." Scalping substitutes were not uncommon, with merchants buying farmers from landlords and reselling them to people who had a headache for military service. However, in order to suppress this behavior, merchants can only buy one farmer at a time (not black), and Russia also stipulates that no slaves or farmers can be bought or sold for three months after the conscription decree is issued.

In a pasture at the foot of the mountain, a small town with rough houses has been erected in the original barren grass, which looks not much different from any pioneer new town, but the circle of wooden fences on the periphery of this town, and the bands of soldiers parading back and forth, show the difference of this town.

This is a Russian garrison infantry battalion, a garrison relatively close to Arkhangelsk, not far from this military town, a real town towering over a small river, where a total of seven or eight hundred people live. In the entire jurisdiction of the city of Arkhangelsk, there are less than 30,000 people, 4,500 families.

Outside a house in the town, a man in a gray coat, a felt hat, and long leather boots, who looked like a soldier, spoke in a stern tone to a woman leaning against the door, her head bowed.

"Lilia, you are a smart man, Sergei meets the specifications for conscription, his name is already written on the list. Although your father is sick and your brother is dead, everyone is sympathetic to your family's plight. But this is God-given suffering, and you should not complain. ”

The conscription committee is a good errand, not only to get a lot of rubles, but also to take the opportunity to take revenge.

The Ivanov family did not have any enmity with Govorov, the head of the committee, but who let Ivanov's house have a beautiful lily. [Lilia means lily in Russian]

"That's Chief Govorov, after all. No matter how much you are unwilling, you can only give in, otherwise what will be the fate of your family? Gray Coat continued.

"Gorbachev is just a poor boy, what good life is there with him? Commander Govorov was the town's recruiting officer. If you follow him, you will soon be able to move to Arkhangelsk, and possibly even to St. Petersburg. Chief Govorov really loves you. ”

The words of the gray coat were even frightened, and Lilia, a young girl, was already six gods and no master.

The gray coat didn't say anything harsh, and Govorov, who instructed him, didn't let the thugs who were waiting in the distance directly rob people. Because Govorov believed that his prey would be able to bring his prey to its knees with his own might alone.

No matter how important the lover is, is it important to have her own brother? Does it matter to have her family? No matter how stubborn a person is, he will bow his head in front of reality.

Whoever caused the Ivanov family to suffer a disaster, and encountered a wild wolf while hunting deer, the two of them were still lucky, although one was ruined, and the other was disabled. But it's better than someone who dies in the wolf's mouth, right?

After a few days, the commotion throughout the town subsided. Six people left the town with the lead of the conscription officer Govorov. Each of them had their forehead hair and beard shaved off, and for the next six months, they had to maintain that image.

Recruits were initially given a set of recruit uniforms, which consisted of a gray or white soldier's jacket, trousers, a cap, a black scarf, a pair of lacquered boots, and finally a backpack for their personal belongings. But it's worth noting that these uniforms are not free, and the cost of the journey, as well as the 1.5 roubles that each soldier will be given on the way to report, comes from taxes paid by the soldier's village or town.

This was much better than before, when Russian recruits were each given a farmer's long-sleeved shirt, trousers, and a pair of shoes, which they wore until they were issued with official uniforms. They are then shackled (to prevent them from escaping) and handed over to escort eight to ten men until they arrive at their infantry group; Members of the same squad will also take care of each other on the way (training has already started on the way).

But with the popularization of new rifles, the Russian army has also begun to improve the treatment of new recruits.

Perhaps St. Petersburg thought that precious guns should be owned by more 'noble' soldiers.

Under the watchful eyes of several hundred people, the six recruits walked out of the town step by step, and together with the escorts, they headed for Arkhangelsk to the west.

There was a whimpering sound in the crowd of people seeing them off, and many people had red eyes and shouted the names of their relatives one by one. Everyone knows that Russia is going to war, and it is a war, and this is most likely goodbye......

Another ten days.

More than 2,000 recruits gathered in Arkhangelsk.

Such a scene is still being played out frequently in many parts of Russia.

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