In other words, the meaning of sending Crown Prince Alexander to express condolences is more clear based on the situation. If Crown Prince Alexander says that the Prime Minister is okay, then there is no need to change the Prime Minister. If he says that the situation in Neserrode is very bad, then the selection of a new Prime Minister will be started. program of.
This is very different from directly sending a servant. If it is the latter, the ministers outside will definitely form a clique to try to seek the position of prime minister immediately. The former will let them wait and see for the time being, and then make a decision based on the specific situation.
Although it may only be a slight delay, it can still maintain the current stability and buy Nicholas I a little more time.
What are you doing to gain time?
Naturally, he was considering who would be Neserroddie's backup. Nicholas I did not intend to take matters into his own hands on such a major matter. He wanted to listen to the opinions of several ministers first to see if they were the right ones. What's the meaning.
So who were the ministers of Nicholas I? In fact, there were not many. There were only three people he could really trust and rely on, Count Rostovtsev, Count Uvarov, and It was Prince Peter Volkonsky who was recovering from illness.
The first two of these three people are resourceful enough to help him analyze the pros and cons of all aspects, while the last one, although his intelligence is average, is more mature and prudent. The influence of the Volkonsky family in the political arena is extraordinary, which can be regarded as the spirit of the aristocratic class. leader.
What makes Nicholas I feel very sorry is that Peter Volkonsky may not be able to come. This old guy is very ill. Let alone coming to see him, he can't even get out of bed. I don't know if he can. Get through this winter.
Therefore, the only ones who could be called to discuss countermeasures were Count Rostovtsev and Count Uvarov. And these two people told the truth, which made Nicholas I feel a little bit pained. Earlier, for the purpose of selecting the governor of Ukraine, these two People insisted on their own opinions and refused to give in to each other, which made them very unhappy.
Nicholas I doubted that the two men would continue to quarrel over the choice of prime minister. What would he do if the two men held different opinions?
In the past, there was Prince Peter Volkonsky who helped make the final choice, but now...
Thinking about it gave Nicholas I a headache, but he still had the guts to invite the two earls to the royal study.
"...Now there is such news that the Prime Minister seems to have a physical problem. In order to ensure stability, who do you think is suitable to take over temporarily when the Prime Minister is temporarily unable to govern?"
Nicholas I said he was acting temporarily, but Count Rostovtsev and Count Uvarov both knew that this was actually asking who could replace Count Neserrodie as the new prime minister.
Regarding this sudden news, Count Rostovtsev and Count Uvarov had completely different reactions. The former was very calm and not eager to give his advice, while Count Uvarov was a little impatient!
Why is Count Uvarov impatient?
Because he is actually the one who hopes that Neserrodie will be fine the most. He hopes to maintain stability the most. Even if the society has no development, as long as stability is maintained, his interests can be protected.
And once Neserrode fails, the prime minister must be changed, which will inevitably cause turmoil. It would be okay if the prime minister is replaced by the same prime minister as Neserrode, he can accept it, but if he is replaced by another prime minister, he will not be able to deal with it. Or someone with conflicting interests may become prime minister.
It is conceivable that the existing order in Russian officialdom will definitely be greatly impacted, and relevant interests will have to be reshuffled. For Count Uvarov, the largest vested interest now, this is definitely unacceptable.
Naturally, when he heard that something had happened to Neserrodie, Count Uvarov became a little anxious. He even felt that the house was leaking and it rained all night. How could he feel that something was wrong?
In order to ensure that his own interests would not be damaged, Count Uvarov felt that he had to nominate one of his own as prime minister. So he immediately started thinking and racked his brains to find a spare tire.
With his level of intelligence, it would not be too easy to find such a candidate, so in the blink of an eye he answered first: "I think the only people who can temporarily take over the prime minister's job in handling government affairs are Prince Menshikov or Duke Paskovich.
.They are both mature and prudent and are the most suitable candidates!"
The two people recommended by Count Uvarov are both conservatives. Moreover, both Menshikov and Paskovich are the most trusted people of Nicholas I. There is no risk in recommending these two people.
And it was all acceptable to Nicholas I.
Count Uvarov felt that these two candidates were probably the only ones that Nicholas I liked. Apart from them, the others were either not qualified enough or were not veterans he liked, so they had no hope of taking over as prime minister.
Anyway, he felt that he would be foolproof by recommending these two candidates, and if those two people knew that he had recommended them, they would probably only be grateful to him, which would also help stabilize his position.
Count Uvarov even felt that if this matter were accomplished, it would be more beneficial to him than if Neserrod was currently Prime Minister. At that time, he and the new Prime Minister complemented each other, who would dare to make a mistake?
Is Count Uvarov's calculation correct?
It can only be said that it is neither right nor wrong. If those two people really take over from Neserroddie, it will naturally be a major benefit to him and have no harm at all. But the problem is, on the issue of who to choose as prime minister.
You can’t just consider your own interests, right?
After all, this country belonged to Nicholas I, he was the Tsar, and who should be chosen as prime minister should be in his best interests first.
Maybe Count Uvarov wants to say that choosing Menshikov or Paskovich would also be very beneficial to Nicholas I! There will definitely be no problem!
But Nicholas I didn’t see it that way! As an emperor, he first had to balance the power among his ministers. It was impossible for one faction to dominate. But now if Menshikov or Paskovich were to become prime ministers, then
What is absolutely certain is that the group of people headed by Count Uvarov is extremely powerful and can almost cover the sky with one hand.
This was by no means what Nicholas I wanted to see. The reason why he was not satisfied with Neserrodie but still kept him as prime minister was because Neserrodie was not exactly the same as the conservatives.
Neserrodie was able to keep Russia's political scene stable while preventing the conservative forces headed by Count Uvarov from becoming dominant.
This was the situation that Nicholas I most wanted to see. If he had to change a prime minister, even if he couldn't do it as well as Neserrodie, he also hoped to have similar effects. But Menshikov or Pablo
Could Skovic's rise to power have a similar effect?
Obviously there was none, so Nicholas I was naturally not interested in Count Uvarov's suggestion. He turned around and asked Count Rostovtsev: "What's your opinion?"