in a kingdom far away from our country, there was a town over which ruled the tsar pea with his tsaritza carrot. he had many wise statesmen, wealthy princes, strong, powerful warriors, and also simple soldiers, a hundred thousand, less one man. in that town lived all kinds of people: honest, bearded merchants, keen and open-handed rascals, german tradesmen, lovely maidens, russian drunkards; and in the suburbs all around, the peasants tilled the soil, sowed the wheat, ground the flour, traded in the markets, and spent the money in drink.