Menshikov's suspension and Mesadov's scandal were like a breeze, which could not bring too many waves to the sticky cesspool of Russian politics. Less than a week after the tense and exciting Imperial Council, the nobles were
Dance and dance, play and play, have fun and have fun, and return to the previous rhythm.
In fact, most of the impact of individuals on society is like this. No matter how powerful the energy is, it cannot withstand the baptism of time. Time can wash away everything, and power, status, and money cannot be compared with the power of time.
However, beneath this calmness was an undercurrent. Grand Duke Constantine took advantage of Menshikov's suspension to aggressively expand his power in the Navy Ministry, with the intention of ousting Menshikov.
And Menshikov simply and completely fell in love with Crown Prince Alexander, and cooperated with the Crown Prince to use his years of management in the Admiralty to continuously resist the mad attacks of Grand Duke Constantine.
The battlefield between the two sides spread throughout the entire Navy Department, and everyone from senior generals to captains were involved. Smoke filled the air for a while, and people within the Navy were even more panicked.
There is only one exception, and that is the 748th Regiment.
Grand Duke Constantine was indeed prepared to fall out with Li Xiao and others. But he had no chance. Crown Prince Alexander followed the instructions of old Adlerberg and instructed Second Navy Minister Rumyantsev to reject Grand Duke Constantine's proposal.
, cut off the black hand he had extended to the 748th Regiment. Immediately after Duke Mikhail's urgent operation, without waiting for Grand Duke Constantine's objection, Leonid took office and became the new commander of the 748th Regiment.
As a result, Grand Duke Constantine had nothing to do with the 748th Regiment for the time being. He could only watch Li Xiao live happily. Of course, he was not particularly anxious. He always felt that he now had the support of Nicholas I.
Talking about a small navy, he will definitely be the crown prince in the future, so it is best to concentrate on more important things.
So what is the more important thing that Grand Duke Constantine calls? Naturally, his several companies are facing huge losses, and the most important thing is to quickly save their own pockets. These damn companies have already occupied too much of his
With so much money, he urgently needs to withdraw the funds.
The so-called withdrawn funds naturally come from the navy budget. According to Menshikov's previous plan, the key project of the Russian Navy is still the traditional sailing battleship. The old eunuch, an old sailing battleship with 100 guns, ordered four in one go
So much.
This is still a budget for a navy appropriation year. According to the old eunuch's plan, four more orders will be placed in next year's 1849 budget. It is planned to order up to twenty first-class battleships with one hundred guns in the next ten years.
When Archduke Constantine arrived, it was naturally impossible to order so many old-fashioned ships that he disdained. The four sailing battleships in 1848 were cut in half. The specifications were also reduced from a 100-gun battleship to a second-class sailing battleship with 75 guns.
.
Don't underestimate the fact that there are only 20 or so artillery pieces missing. This is completely the product of two specifications. The former is more powerful, while the latter is really only second-class.
All these saved funds will be invested in the construction of new steam ships. Under the instruction of Grand Duke Constantine, the Navy ordered six 1,000-ton steam cruisers in one fell swoop. A total of nearly 30 boilers and 12 steam engines were needed.
, there are more other iron plates and iron parts.
All in all, this huge order was all given to the factory he ran, achieving unprecedented profits in one fell swoop. Preliminary calculations can bring him a profit of hundreds of thousands of rubles.
Anyway, Grand Duke Constantine was satisfied and refreshed. He seemed to have seen the brightest future and felt that under his leadership, the Russian Navy would usher in an unprecedented spring!
It's just that there are not many people who are as optimistic as him. For example, Li Xiao is quite not optimistic about his shipbuilding plan.
"It's so unrealistic. This plan is a complete mess!"
Vishnyak was surprised and asked: "Andreka, aren't you very optimistic about steam ships? Now that the Grand Duke is making great efforts, why are you throwing cold water on it?"
Li Xiao said angrily: "His Dali exhibition is a ghost. It's all for his own selfish reasons!"
"I have visited his shabby boiler factory and steam engine factory. They are just two simple workshops. Production relies entirely on workers' manual work, and the efficiency is incredibly low. It only takes them years and months to produce thirty boilers and steam engines!"
"Furthermore, I have also talked to the workers. They are basically illiterate. There are only a few foreign technicians, and their level is probably that of apprentices in the UK... The basic measuring tools and processes are a mess, and the tolerances of the parts produced are
It’s so big that you can’t imagine it…the quality of the parts is even worse!”
"Anyway, the gadgets produced by his factory can only be regarded as defective products abroad. They basically fail to meet the design performance and are riddled with problems. Their lifespan is impressive!"
"Think about it, what would it look like if something like this were loaded onto a battleship?"
Vishniak imagined for a moment, and suddenly felt that the guys in the Navy who took over those steamships would be very pitiful. A huge black pot would fall from the sky, making them unable to take care of themselves.
Obviously, if there is a problem with these inferior boilers and steam engines, Grand Duke Constantine will never admit it, let alone take responsibility. Based on his understanding of the Grand Duke, it must be the problem of the user!
Well, Vishnyak mourned three seconds of silence for the poor naval officers. Then he asked: "Isn't this a disaster for us? With the personality of His Majesty and the character of Menshikov,
The grudge of the old ministers of mankind towards Grand Duke Constantine will definitely be aimed at steamships. At that time, everyone who advocates steamships will be in trouble!"
Li Xiao curled his lips and thought about it. At that time, it was really a great irony. Grand Duke Constantine, who had always advocated steamships, covered the exhibition of Russian steamships with a coffin board. It was simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!
However, such painful things are not uncommon in history. There are too many precedents of people who seem to have good intentions but actually do bad things. Grand Duke Constantine is just one of them.
Li Xiao sighed and said: "So I have to do something in advance? I have to apply a patch first!"
Vishniak asked: "What are you going to do?"
"Warn him!"
As he spoke, Li Xiao spread out the letter paper and began to draft a manuscript. He filled the paper with French words and elaborated on his hidden concerns about Grand Duke Constantine's ambitious shipbuilding plan, and publicly warned:
"The development of new ships must follow objective laws and facts. The fact is that Russia's own technical strength is far from enough... It is best to follow a gradual path of introducing technology, equipment, finished products, and then gradually localizing it."
"The most taboo thing is to blindly build more ships from the beginning and blindly increase the quantity. Our level is far from enough to support such construction behavior. We should be more cautious and cautious..."