Duke Alexander Gorchakov is a handsome middle-aged man. Unlike Russians of this era who like to grow beards, which always gives people a rough look. He doesn't like to grow beards. After getting up every day, he
I will always shave carefully in front of the mirror, and I will not be satisfied until my lips and chin are shaved clean.
Not only his shave, hair, clothes, and leather shoes, every part of his body is exquisite and elegant. Wearing small round glasses, he always gives people the elegance of a university professor.
The Duke does not like to mingle with young people as much as his cousin Mikhail. In fact, he is more popular among women. Nicknamed the Old Playboy, he kills women from eighty to eighteen.
, she is really very feminine.
But this does not mean that the Duke is a pervert. On the contrary, the Duke is a passionate person, but he is also very sincere in his feelings. In his early years, he was bitterly in love with his current wife, but at that time, his wife had already married
She gave him his best friend, who is now a wife and mother.
But the Duke remained infatuated and never got married. It was not until 1825 that his good friend was exiled to Siberia for participating in the Decembrist uprising.
Of course, this does not mean that the Duke immediately took advantage of the situation. He was not that despicable. In fact, he was very loyal to his friend. During his friend's exile, he always restrained himself and observed etiquette. He only silently took care of his friend's wife and children who stayed in St. Petersburg.
After his friend died of tuberculosis in the exile, he began to pursue the love of his heart again.
You must know that the lover in his heart was no longer young at that time, and was already the mother of four children. As a Duke and a diamond king, he had better choices, but the Duke did not look back. For him, love
Above all else.
Of course, the Duke is not a good man in the traditional sense. He still has some affairs with women. He has a rather enviable demeanor of fluttering colorful flags outside and keeping the red flag at home, which is enviable!
Logically speaking, in Vienna, the capital of music, in this city where you can still dance the waltz and walk, and where singing and dancing fill the air every day, the old playboy should be happy. But today, he is not happy, because in Vienna or Austria,
The situation is very strange.
At the beginning of winter, the whole of Austria was enveloped by an extremely strong emotion. The dissatisfaction with the Habsburg family and the national policy was unprecedentedly intense. Liberals, nationalists, and constitutional monarchists all expressed their dissatisfaction with the Habsburg family.
After jumping out, the entire country was like a pot of boiling water, already on the verge of boiling.
"Another strike?" Alexander Gorchakov asked the adjutant, "Where is it this time?"
"Hungarians, they demand autonomy."
Alexander Gorchakov sighed and asked: "Is there any news from Prime Minister Metternich?"
"No, the Prime Minister is also very worried."
Alexander Gorchakov shook his head and dismissed the adjutant, and walked slowly to the window of the embassy. The street in front of him was covered with leaflets, and occasionally he could see emotional street speakers.
In the beginning, the police worked hard, arresting and driving them away, but in the past month, it has become clear that the police have begun to slack off.
This is not good news. It means that there is something wrong with the entire state machine! It means that the political situation is extremely unstable!
"Something big is going to happen!"
Alexander Gorchakov put out his cigarette butt, walked quickly back to his desk, took out the official paper, and began to write rapidly, writing in detail the latest situation in Vienna as well as his own analysis and judgment.
After a long while, he stuffed the letter into a diplomatic envelope and sealed it with paint, then rang the bell to call his entourage: "Take the diplomatic express line and send it back to St. Petersburg immediately!"
It’s just that Alexander Gorchakov knew that his analysis and judgment might not attract much attention in the country. Both Neserrode and Nicholas I stubbornly believed in the coordination doctrine and simply listened to it.
Without taking into account the opinions of others, most of his suggestions will go unanswered.
Alexander Gorchakov walked back to the window and sighed: "Just do your best and obey fate!"
So what suggestions does Alexander Gorchakov have in his letter? His suggestions are simple but also very bold. He first predicted the political situation in Austria. He believed that Ferdinand I and Metternich could no longer control the situation.
, Austria will soon be in chaos.
He also believed that the chaos in Austria was beneficial to Russia. Russia could use the chaos in Austria to realize a wish that had been unimaginable for centuries. It could use this to annex Wallachia and Moldavia, and even let Serbia
also gained independence.
"We can definitely flex our muscles in the Balkans and establish a new Orthodox Balkan new order!"
Alexander Gorchakov was not a fanatical believer, nor did he have any deep hatred for Austria. He just saw opportunities for Russia from a diplomat's perspective.
In the past decades or hundreds of years, Russia fought eight wars with Turkey. Although they achieved some gains each time, they were not decisive victories. At most, they occupied the Black Sea and touched the door to the Mediterranean.
But every time they paid a huge price, they could only make small steps forward. What was the reason? Not all Turks were strong. In fact, the Sick Man of the Near East was completely vulnerable. The only one who really forced the Russian army to stop was Vlach.
The poor geographical conditions of Asia and Moldavia, and then the constraints of big countries.
Not only are Britain and France causing obstacles for Russia, but Austria is also the one who does not want Russia to continue to expand its influence in the region.
As an ally of the Holy Alliance, the Austrians actually made many secret stumbling blocks. Every time Russia and Turkey fought, the Austrians took advantage, but in the end they turned out to be a wolf. As Russia got closer and closer to Constantinople
As the Pan-Slavic movement in Serbia becomes more and more recent, the Austrians are deeply wary of Russia's continued expansion of influence.
Alexander Gorchakov felt that if Austria was severely damaged in this turmoil, or at least hindered by domestic affairs, then Russia could attack the situation directly. He even suggested to Nicholas I:
"Is it possible to provide some form of help to Austrian liberals and nationalists? This will help Austria rely more on the support of our country. Through this, our country can expand its influence openly and will better consolidate the traditional friendship and friendship between the two countries."
Form an alliance!”
This suggestion was quite astonishing, at least to Neserrodie and Nicholas I, it was like a thunderbolt.