The train finally left Kazan and headed southeast to Ufa.
How far is it from Kazan to Ufa? Five hundred kilometers!
"Haha, it's a long journey again. The ideal situation is to arrive at the destination on the 11th. Now it seems that if we can reach the destination on the 12th, we will be very happy!"
Yang Mingzhi sat beside the bed and continued to look at the desolate scenery outside the window.
After the train started, the conductor described the upcoming itinerary in detail. It was said that the military train had added enough water and coal in Kazan, the food reserve of the dining car had also been replenished, and even some fresh ingredients were obtained.
After departure, the military train will not stop until it arrives in Ufa. The military train may be "racing" pulling thousands of tons of cargo at an average speed of 40 kilometers. As for when it will arrive in Ufa, the train conductor feels that,
At least I have to see the sun on the morning of September 10th.
It is said that there are two railway lines entering Kazan. Starting from Kazan, the railway is divided into north and south lines. The train Yang Mingzhi took took the south line, and the railway track became a one-way street.
A lonely train roared across the vast land with its whistle roaring.
To the east of Kazan, it is difficult to see the fertile scenery. There are almost no wheat fields in this area, and there are only large areas of grassland. Grassland and forest echo each other, and the Kama River, a tributary of the Volga River, nourishes the land on both sides.
It is because of the characteristics of more grasslands that the Turkic Mongols who made an expedition here, and even the Pechenegs who fought with Kievan Rus and the Eastern Romans for hundreds of years, are willing to live in this area.
But these nomads never thought that there was a large oil field underground in the land they occupied!
Kazan is a city built on an oil field. As the Baku oil field's production volume struggled to cope with the consumption of the Soviet army, and now the oil field faced the threat of being occupied by the German army, the Soviet Union had to step up the development of other oil fields.
Oil was discovered in Kazan in the 19th century. Shortly after the founding of the Soviet Union, oil fields were explored in Kazan. The first barrel of crude oil was ejected in 1999. Later, the construction of the Kazan oil field gradually slowed down. However, as the war turned into a complete war of attrition
, the Soviet Union officially launched large-scale excavation. The efforts of oil workers were fully reported, and the crude oil production in the Kazan region far exceeded experts' expectations. Although the crude oil here is relatively viscous and contains high sulfur content, its oil quality is really average.
Based on the principle that diesel and gasoline are good oil, several new refineries were built on the outskirts of Kazan and put into operation in February 1944. By September, production capacity was still expanding.
The military column has already left Kazan. If Yang Mingzhi had the opportunity to understand this city in depth, he would definitely discover its fate in the petrochemical industry.
Even if he knew the secret of Kazan Oil, he would never be surprised.
What is Baku? What is Kazan? The current Soviet people would never imagine that there is a super-large oil field in the vast Siberia, near Tyumen... No! It can no longer be simply called an oil field. It is a scale
The huge oil depot area, once discovered, will completely change the fate of the Soviet Union.
Tyumen is also a city that prospered due to the construction of the Siberian Railway. In the wilderness near it, a deep well can be dug down eight hundred meters, and the oil can be pumped out. Although the oil products in the Tyumen oil depot area are average, other
The reserves are really amazing.
As long as the international oil price is at a mid-to-high level, the Soviet Union's medium-quality fuel can still be sold at a good price. However, the Soviet Union's profits from oil dumping have become capital for GF Welfare in Brezhnev's hands. At first glance, the Soviet Union
Productivity has reached its peak, and the great cause dreamed by Lenin has been successful.
Success is based on high oil prices. With the collapse of Iran, the era of high oil prices suddenly ended. The economic winter caused damage to the Soviet Union, which was like fighting another World War II.
Sooner or later, the Soviet Union would discover the Tyumen oil depot area, and Yang Mingzhi also knew that digging a well at that location would have a high probability of digging out crude oil.
He has made up his mind that for his own safety, this matter will never become his capital to claim credit. After all, there are already too many suspicions against him.
There are thousands of chimneys in Kazan that are spewing pollutants into the air like crazy. In winter, the whole city is shrouded in a light haze, and there is a hint of burnt smell in the air. Yang Mingzhi once felt that it was like burning coal to make steel.
, in fact, the air is still mixed with the smell of oil refining.
Finally the military column left, but he never imagined that the situation in Ufa was no better than in Kazan.
The Bashkirs recognized Russian rule, and the Grand Duke built a castle here to declare his rule. Ufa and Kazan have many similarities. Both were once the territories of nomadic peoples, and both were conquered and annexed by the Russians. There are also
One similarity is that both have oil underground.
The huge Ufa refinery is located in the city. In order to improve the current situation of insufficient supply and demand, the new Ufa refinery is being built as soon as possible.
Today's Soviet Union can no longer afford to follow the bad route of pollution first and treatment later. In order to win the war, the refinery must produce at maximum efficiency!
Ufa itself is an industrial city. It has also absorbed a large number of skilled immigrants from the west. While the production capacity of various industries has increased, the discharge of sewage and waste has also reached new heights. If there is no wind, the city will be trapped in smog for a long time. A large amount of sewage passes through
It was simply treated and discharged into the river on the outskirts of the city, so that the tap water smelled like petroleum, and deep well water became the new favorite of citizens.
Yang Mingzhi was about to stop in such a city for a while. He was not mentally prepared at all. At 7 o'clock in the morning on September 10, the military train arrived at the important station - Ufa calmly.
Do you need to get out for some air? No! The windows must be closed tightly. Whoever wants to get out of the car is a fool.
Yang Mingzhi gently opened the curtains of the box and looked out the window with an unhappy expression.
"This is Ufa? The world is gray. Could it be... No, I can't go down."
"What are you mumbling about?" Yang Tao's eyes widened, and she leaned closer to her husband and said with a smile: "Finally, we parked the car. From yesterday afternoon to now, it has been more than ten hours. I stayed in the car like
Go to jail. Let’s go out and get some air.”
"You...just forget it."
Yang Mingzhi looked embarrassed, which really puzzled Yang Tao: "What's wrong? Are you still afraid that I'm cold?"
"No! I'm afraid you have to get up after you get off the car. Look outside, I'm afraid the PM.5 is almost 400."
"What? What the hell? Does your stomach feel uncomfortable?"
"Bah! Bah! I'm talking nonsense. My dear, if you insist on going down, I won't stop you. You have to come up right away anyway."
As if being provoked, Yang Tao deliberately curled up his lips, "Oh? Do we want to bet? I promise I won't come up right away."
"But pull it down! I'm sad if you show off as you are. Forget it, let's go down and have a look. I also want to experience what they did to pollute the air to such a degree."
It was early in the morning and the dining car was still cooking breakfast, so it would take some time to start the meal.
The train finally listened. The long journey made everyone feel sore all over, and the narrow carriage was like a cage. The train finally listened, and everyone had the same idea. Go out and stand for a while.
Of course, the men's idea was very simple. They went down to smoke a cigarette to relax, and then came back to eat.
Yang Mingzhi held his wife's hand, followed by the two officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The thick car door opened, and as expected, the couple was greeted by an overwhelming air-conditioning. Fortunately, they were wearing very thick clothes, so the air-conditioning was nothing.
Until now, everything was normal. The two of them ignored the gray world and just jumped onto the platform and walked up and down on the concrete.
But what was supposed to come came back, a cough without warning, but it surprised the originally happy Carambola.
"Ah! Do I have a cold?!"
"Dear, what's wrong with you?!" Yang Mingzhi put his face close to her and asked urgently.
"No...nothing. I just took a deep breath and felt a sudden discomfort in my stomach. I seemed to smell something, like..."
"What is it?"
"It smells a bit like the smoke of a battlefield. Also, it smells like burning coal. And it also smells like the bad exhaust from a car."
"Sigh... So I don't want you to come down. This seems to be Ufa. I didn't expect that this city was seriously polluted in 1944. Let's go, let's go back."
Youdao is that the first meeting is very important, so what Wufa gave Yang Mingzhi was the worst meeting.
Yang Mingzhi had no intention of smoking at all. He felt that if he stood outdoors, as long as he stayed for a while, he would be smoking with three or four cigarettes in his mouth. If he is a heavy smoker, he may be able to adapt to the dirty air here.
, but as a low-level smoker who uses smoking as a flavoring agent, it is a kind of torture.
After getting in the car, Star Tao continued to go back to the box to rest and finished his breakfast in the box.
Yang Mingzhi didn't have much appetite. He gnawed a piece of bread, then sat by the car window again, crossed his legs and complained to the two idle Ministry of Internal Affairs officers: "The air in Ufa is very dirty. Is the great alliance here?"
Do we want to move closer to the British in terms of quality? We must not follow the old capitalist path of pollution first and governance later!”
"Ah! You are right, but..." Feliudov spread his hands, "But our tanks need fuel. The oil refinery in Ufa is working around the clock, and the enemy's air force cannot attack here, so we can maintain stable production.
Fuel."
"I know there is a refinery here, and I also know the importance of gasoline. But I know even more that dirty air will destroy a healthy body."
"Alas! This is a double-edged sword. Many machines in the army or factories, and even power stations require a large amount of fuel. Refineries everywhere must produce large quantities of fuel, even at the expense of the health of workers. I believe they can endure all this.
.”
"Really?" Of course Yang Mingzhi didn't believe it. Who doesn't like beautiful scenery? Besides, even if the war is over, will the Soviet Union really make great efforts to save energy and reduce emissions? No, absolutely not.
He was silent for a while and then said: "I heard that Ufa was once the territory of the Tatars. I guess the wool processing here must be very good. I hope that after we win the war, I will come here as a tourist to buy wool blankets. Then
It’s time to have fresh air.”
"Don't worry, it must be so."
The military column stopped in Ufa for a few more hours, only for necessary equipment inspections and the usual refueling of water and coal.
Yang Mingzhi got off the car once and never went out again. The car was a little stuffy, but it was much better than the filth outside.
The petroleum products dug out from the oil fields in the Ural region are of average quality, so pollutants are discharged during refining.
In any case, the fuel situation of the Soviet Union is better than that of Germany. Germany only has large oil fields in Silesia and Romanian oil fields. Germany has to develop synthetic fuel to supply the army. Among all the countries participating in the war, the only one with a unique advantage is the United States.
The United States has huge oil fields in Texas and California, followed by the Soviet Union, which has two major oil fields, Baku and Ural. Kazan and Ufa both fall within the scope of the Ural oil field.
The Soviet Union was characterized by its vast territory and sparse population. The Soviet system also emphasized the concentration of labor, so-called concentrating strength to accomplish big things. Ufa had a population of more than one million, and its significance in the war was equivalent to Ploies in Romania.
Ti Refinery. The largest industry in Ufa is the petrochemical industry, which produces large amounts of gasoline, kerosene, diesel, heavy oil, asphalt for road paving, paraffin for candles, and even plastics with narrow temporary uses.
How many people are engaged in oil-related industries in the city of Ufa? Three hundred thousand!
If it is good light crude oil, there will not be much smoke during refining. However, the oil in Ufa is not good. The high viscosity can be improved. The sulfur content is high, but it requires a complicated desulfurization process. Of course the Soviet Union has technology in this area.
However, if it is fully implemented, the output will decrease. People can still survive just inhaling the stinky gas. For this reason, lung cells are sacrificed in exchange for more fuel. More energy supply means that all Soviet armored vehicles and fighter jets have
Stronger combat effectiveness.
These sacrifices are all worth it. However, the common people are not that noble. They do know that smoking smog is bad for their health. Soviet officials have almost no negative publicity in this regard. More importantly, the black smoke from chimneys symbolizes productivity.
The more smoke there is, the more it proves the superiority of the system.
As a result, complaints about the dirty air are just complaints. What the people are most concerned about is the problem of food during the war and when the men who go to the front will return home in triumph.
The three locomotives provided three times the power, and the military column's chimneys emitted black smoke. It left the smoky Ufa with majesty, and its next stop was Chelyabinsk.
After leaving Ufa, the dirty air seemed to gradually disappear. The train stopped at Ufa Station for more than two hours, and now at noon, it is really sunny outside.
Today's lunch was nothing special. After serving his wife's meal, Yang Mingzhi continued to take his notebook and got into his box to paint.
At least, my wife will never interrupt her work.
Because, Star Fruit was holding a large piece of American military ration chocolate, chewing it with great effort, but he couldn't stop chewing it.
"Oh, it is obviously the worst quality chocolate. You have never tasted this in your life. Take your time and taste the deliciousness. From now on, when the Soviet Union imports Cuban cocoa beans on a large scale, you will know what is delicious." He glanced at her a few times and said,
The two looked at each other and smiled, and Yang Mingzhi focused more on outlining the lines on the firearm drawing. (To be continued)