This is actually what everyone in the imperial study room is thinking.
It is also true that everyone Nicholas I trusted was too old and too old to be useful.
But those who are good at fighting now are "too" young and are not trusted by Nicholas I.
What's more, even these young generals who are good at fighting, such as Baryatinsky, may not be sure that they can withstand the heavy pressure of the British, French and Turkish coalition forces.
Naturally, no one is suitable for such a pull!
But, Nicholas I had to answer what he said. With the temper of this tsar, he would never give up.
Rather than being remembered and talked about by him, it is better to comply with his wishes!
This time Count Rostovtsev got ahead and said: "Your Majesty, I think Prince Menshikov is the most suitable candidate."
"He is experienced, loyal and reliable. He is also the Minister of the Navy and is familiar with the navy. There is no one more suitable than him!"
Everyone was dumbfounded as soon as this statement came out, because no one expected that Count Rostovtsev would recommend Menshikov. It’s not that Menshikov is particularly unsuitable, but that Count Rostovtsev recommended him a little bit.
strangeness.
how to say?
Count Rostovtsev would never recommend people casually. Especially when it comes to such important matters as coordinating the overall situation and commanding operations, he would not interfere randomly.
Normally, Xu Shu would enter Cao's camp without saying a word, but today he took the initiative to recommend Menshikov, which was strange enough.
Moreover, many people in the Imperial Study Room know that Count Rostovtsev actually doesn’t like Menshikov very much. Moreover, the two of them have absolutely no friendship at all. Why do you suddenly recommend that old eunuch?
thing?
Others found it strange, but Nicholas I was not surprised. He thought it was normal for Count Rostovtsev to recommend Menshikov, and it would be abnormal if he did not take the initiative to recommend him.
Because he has repeatedly emphasized that candidates must be mature and reliable, this excludes Baryatinsky from being a young man. In other words, he can only choose from veterans.
And who among the veterans is the only one who can wield a sword and a gun? Who among them is the only one who is truly reliable?
Although he didn't say it explicitly just now, the hint was already obvious. It was obvious that Menshikov was the only one!
Nicholas I spent a long time trying to figure out the secret. In fact, he just wanted someone to come forward and recommend Menshikov. Now he only trusted the old eunuch.
As expected, Count Rostovtsev stood up first. Can you tell me that he can't be happy?
Sure enough, he is the minister he likes, he is very smart and smart!
Nicholas I was very satisfied with Count Rostovtsev's performance. What was even more satisfactory was that the reasons he came up with were very sufficient. As the Minister of the Navy, the old eunuch was not the superior of Kornilov and others, so he was sent to coordinate the work.
As for the overall situation, Kornilov probably wouldn't dare to have an opinion.
Moreover, the navy would not have any objections. On the contrary, it would be inappropriate to send an army general to Crimea, and the navy would be very unhappy.
Although Menshikov, an old guy, has stretched his crotch a bit in the war, he is the best candidate to balance the forces in all aspects, not to mention that there are Kornilov and Nakhimov in Crimea.
Nicholas I is still trustworthy and there will be no problem with his ability.
According to his idea, let Menshikov take the lead, and then let Kornilov and Nakhimov assist. Crimea should be safe.
Is it safe?
Count Rostovtsev did not think it would be safe, because although Menshikov was the Navy Minister, his level as a Navy Minister was in shambles, and he was not recognized by knowledgeable people in the navy.
People like Kornilov and Nakhimov actually didn't like him, so sending Menshikov there could only be said to sound good in name, but in fact it might have the opposite effect.
Moreover, Count Rostovtsev knew the old eunuch very well. He looked like a pet dog raised by Nicholas I even if you didn’t look at him. But this old man was very obsessed with fighting for power. He went to Istanbul for work before.
After failing to get it done, war broke out later, and even though he, the Lord of the Admiralty, had a high status, he could only sit aside and idle.
If you say he doesn't have anger in his heart, do you believe it?
With his character, he must try every means to prove himself, probably holding his breath to win a battle, so that Paskovich, Prince Mikhail and the like can see that Menshikov is not a loser!
Just imagine, what would such a Menshikov do after he obtained the command? He might be holding back his energy to fight to the death with the British, French and Turkish coalition forces, right?
In this case, the question arises, is it really okay for Menshikov to do this?
Can he really defeat the coalition forces with his level and strength?
If something goes wrong, wouldn't it be dangerous?
Hey, Count Rostovtsev is just looking forward to danger, or rather looking forward to Menshikov's defeat.
Just imagine, if Menshikov had not failed, how would he have greatly weakened the strength of the conservatives, and how would he have damaged the prestige and confidence of Nicholas I?
Count Rostovtsev calculated very clearly that holding the Danube defense line at the level of Duke Mikhail should not be a big problem. With the level of heavy military confrontation there, it will not be easy for Britain and France to open up the situation.
Moreover, after listening to Duke Mikhail's battle report, he was planning to build fortifications on a large scale, almost turning Wallachia into a fortress group.
This makes it even more impossible for the coalition forces to break through the defense line and severely injure the Russian army.
On the contrary, there are many variables in Sevastopol. First of all, Kornilov's troops are insufficient. Thanks to Paskovich, the Black Sea Fleet's naval infantry has suffered relatively large losses, and the coalition's strength advantage is relatively large.
If something goes wrong, problems may arise.
If Menshikov, the troublemaker, were to take command of the overall situation at this time, think about how he would mess with it. It would probably be a disastrous defeat. And as long as Stopol outside the Great Wall fell, Nicholas I would be desperate to save face.
The character must have been severely damaged.
At that time, Britain and France must have become increasingly unwilling to give up. Even if Nicholas I wanted to negotiate an end to the war with dignity, it would be impossible.
Nicholas I could either hold on to the end, or break his undefeated streak since he ascended the throne with a humiliating defeat.
As long as he loses, Russia's conservative forces will inevitably be severely damaged. As long as he tries to sow discord, it is not a dream to reverse the balance of power between Russia's conservatives and reformists in one fell swoop.
Everyone in the imperial study room, including Nicholas I, probably did not expect that Count Rostovtsev had this plan. Even Count Uvarov, who has always been shrewd, did not expect that at this moment he was endless
regret!
He regretted that he was half a beat too late and allowed Count Rostovtsev to get ahead of him. If he could recommend Menshikov first, it would surely change Nicholas I's bad impression of him...