Chapter five hundred and forty-four primary and secondary issues
Neserrodie, Uvarov and Count Rostovtsev were all silent about Nicholas I's demands.
Because there is nothing to say about something that is impossible. Instead of wasting energy thinking about these useless things, it is better to think about how to continue this war!
Count Rostovtsev took the rare opportunity to be the first to say: "The top priority is to strengthen the defense of Kronshtadt. As long as Kronshtadt does not fall, the Royal Navy, no matter how powerful it is, will not be able to threaten St. Petersburg!"
This is the truth. Kronshtadt Fortress or naval base is the strongest and most critical barrier outside St. Petersburg. As long as Kronshtadt Fortress is there, no one can threaten St. Petersburg from the sea.
Of course, Nicholas I knew this very well, but it was too embarrassing for him to stick to being passive and being beaten. He didn't like being beaten on the head but couldn't do anything. It felt too bad.
"Your Majesty, everything has its own priorities. For us, the most important thing is the battlefield of Wallachia. As long as we wholeheartedly attack the Turks in Wallachia and defeat them, then even if the Royal Navy or the French Navy attack Kron
So what if the tower can show off its power?"
"On the other hand, if our attention is distracted at sea, even if we can temporarily defeat the enemy's arrogance, will it be of any help to deal with the Turks?"
"The top priority is to send more troops to Wallachia and use all our strength to defeat the Turks as soon as possible. At that time, no matter how arrogant Britain and France are at sea, they can only look back and sigh!"
Count Rostovtsev's proposal was immediately supported by Dukes Chernyshev and Ordov.
"Your Majesty, what the count said makes sense. The most important task at the moment is to defeat the Turks, and then everything else will be easy to handle!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, as long as Turkey is defeated, all problems will be solved! Don't be distracted at this time!"
Nicholas I hesitated. Although he did not like this suggestion, the three heavyweight ministers unanimously agreed that he must consider it more.
Thinking about it, he turned to look at Neserrode. Now he wanted to hear the old prime minister's opinion, because in recent times, this old guy has proven to be reliable.
Neserrodie naturally saw the longing look in Nicholas I's eyes, but he was really not particularly interested in participating in this discussion. Because according to his opinion, this war should not be fought at all. He should quickly retreat and then fight with
The right way to stop losses is to make peace with Britain and France.
So now, whether it is to follow Nicholas I's wishes and send a fleet to confront the Royal Navy, or to follow Count Rostovtsev's advice and ignore it and focus on killing the Turks, it is a bad idea!
Since it's all a bad idea, what's there to say? It's better to shut up and save some saliva!
Neserrodie really didn't want to speak, but Nicholas I kept staring at him, which made it impossible for him to pretend to be blind. In desperation, he could only reply: "In view of the huge advantage of the Royal Navy, what happened with it
Head-on conflict is extremely unwise, I advise caution!"
In fact, the subtext of this sentence refers not only to the things at sea, but to the war itself. Nicholas I can also hear it, but how do you ask him to stop now?
So he could only pretend not to fully understand, sighed and asked: "It's easy to strengthen Kronshtadt's defense, but what about the Far East? Just abandon it?"
As a land-enclosure madman, Nicholas I's passion for land was beyond imagination. He could not afford to lose any inch of his land. He could not accept it if he was asked to leave the Far East alone and let the British do whatever they wanted.
This time, the one who gave him a blow was Count Uvarov. This old and cunning Count said bluntly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, the core and focus of our country is in the direction of Europe. Although the Far East is vast, it is of great significance to our country.
It’s not particularly big.”
"Not to mention that only a few British ships were discovered this time. Even if the British really went on an expedition and sent a large number of troops to capture our country's Far East, we should not take it too seriously."
"We must first solve the Turkish problem. After defeating Turkey, we have enough time and troops to slowly teach the British in the Far East a lesson. I even judge that those British do not need our too much attention at all. Sooner or later, they will be succumbed to the harsh climate and barrenness.
The land is defeated and we can only leave in despair!"
Nicholas I also knew this very well. Although the Far East was large, its significance to the Russian Empire was really pitiful. Otherwise, it would not be used specifically to exile prisoners. But he just accepted that the country could not be lost. When he thought of himself
It made him feel uncomfortable that there were damned British people roaming freely on his land.
"No matter what?" Nicholas I asked with some displeasure, "Just let them do whatever they want there? Where is the face of the empire?"
These words made several ministers in the royal study secretly laugh. The empire's face is probably your own face, right? Only you, who is obsessed with face, would care about such a trivial issue.
It’s just that you can’t say this clearly. To say it openly is to slap Nicholas I in the face, so you can only tell the tsar tactfully that now is not the time to save face!
"Let the British be arrogant for a while!" Duke Ordorff advised, "Once we have solved Turkey, we will let them return all their capital and profits! At that time, they will be the only ones who lose face!"
"Your Majesty, now is not the time to worry about these face-related issues. As long as the final winner is us, are we afraid that we can't make the British pay the price?"
After a while of persuasion, everyone gave up Nicholas I's bizarre idea of sending troops to the Far East to teach the British a lesson.
"Okay, since that's what you all mean, then I'll listen to you and let Muravyov deal with the British on his own, teach them a lesson as much as possible, and let them retreat as soon as possible!"
Nicholas I was able to throw away the blame, and in an instant he passed all the responsibility for the possible passive situation in the Far East to a group of ministers.
To be honest, this is really a bit out of style. However, these people in the royal study all know that he is such a guy. Everything that has credit and honor is his. If there is a problem, it is the fault of the ministers and others.
But these few people don't care about this. As long as Nicholas I is not stupid and confused about priorities, then let him be happy! The most important issue now is Turkey, and Duke Mikhail's military strength alone is probably
It is not enough. Reinforcements must be sent. It is best to defeat the Turks as soon as possible and end this troublesome war...