Nicholas I's anger was so urgent and so terrifying that no one dared to say a good word for the old eunuch. However, most of the old officials had another thought in their minds - accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger, and God's grace is unpredictable
, this His Majesty is really difficult to serve!
Yes, most people are actually a little grievances for Menshikov. Although no one dares to say it openly, everyone knows in their hearts that the reason why Menshikov did not develop steamships is not because of Nicholas I.
There.
Who made you hate steamships and refuse to build such ships again and again, even if Grand Duke Constantine kept lobbying you but you were unmoved. If it weren't for you being so stubborn, why would the old eunuch strongly oppose it?
Now it's good that you put all the responsibility on Menshikov, as if it was all his fault. Isn't it so shameless of you to do this?
Anyway, everyone is murmuring in their hearts, according to your plan, will we all end up like Menshikov in the future?
Nicholas I, who was in a rage, did not realize that his courtier had other thoughts. He was so angry that he only focused on venting his anger, and he no longer had the sensitivity of the past.
All of this was seen by Count Rostovtsev. His mood was very complicated, including the joy of watching Nicholas I come to an end and worries about the future fate of the country.
Although the current situation was in line with his expectations, it was only when he got to this point that he realized that he was actually very worried about the future, and he was not as calm as he had shown before.
But now that the ship is done, he can't stop it even if he wants to. The only thing he can do is to do his job well and try his best to make this old and dilapidated Russian ship move forward according to his command.
After a moment of reflection, he said to Nicholas I: "Your Majesty, in addition to allocating troops to continue to reinforce Sevastopol, the top priority is that there is another issue that needs attention! This is crucial to our next battle!"
Count Rostovtsev's words finally made Nicholas I come out of his furious mood. He stared at his two red eyes and asked: "What's the problem? Count."
Count Rostovtsev replied loudly: "The problem of firearms. According to the response from the front line, the reason why our soldiers are not the enemy's opponents is that the enemy is equipped with new breech-loading rifles. Their rifles fire faster and hit harder."
It’s accurate, and it can launch attacks outside our range every time, leaving us with no way to fight!”
Nicholas I's eyes suddenly lit up, and he seemed to have regained some of his energy. He asked eagerly: "Is this true?"
Count Rostovtsev pointed at Chernyshev and said: "The Minister of War should have data in this regard. I have seen feedback from many generals, and the general response is that our rifles are not the enemy's opponent at all!"
Nicholas I stared at Chernyshev viciously and asked grimly: "Is it true?"
Chernyshev swallowed hard and replied tremblingly: "Some generals responded to rifle problems, but I think..."
Before he finished speaking, Nicholas I slapped the table again and said angrily: "Why didn't you say it before! How did you become the Minister of War? You knew clearly that there was a problem with our weapons, but you didn't say anything and just watched.
Watching our soldiers being killed by the enemy, won't your conscience hurt?"
Chernyshev was on the verge of tears. Did he know that weapons were inferior to humans? Of course he did, but it was not his turn to take the blame. After all, Nicholas I thought that his troops were strong enough before, so what new rifles were completely useless?
unnecessary.
This is the attitude of His Majesty who has always disliked new things. He only dared to go to the Army to promote new rifles because of his heart. What's more, Russia doesn't have that much money. It would take millions of troops to replace their weapons.
How much does it cost?
What's more, everyone used the old-fashioned rifles very well before. Who would have thought that Britain and France would suddenly replace them?
Was Chernyshev unjust? Of course, somewhat. Nicholas I used the weapon issue to trouble him, which is the same as using steamships to anger Menshikov.
But if you want to say that he was unjust, he actually deserved it. Li Xiao, through his connections with Prince Mikhail, actually suggested to the Ministry of War to partially replace the rifles with new ones, but Chernyshev flatly refused.
.
Although he refused under the guise of Nicholas I, in fact everyone can see that the fundamental reason why he opposed the replacement of new rifles was that the 1852-style muskets he strongly admired were being equipped with the Russian army.
You can calculate how big the benefits are with your butt.
So now he deserves the beating!
Chernyshev quickly made some excuses, such as the new rifle needed to be tested, there was a problem with funding, or the production could not keep up. But Nicholas I was very cute sometimes, and when he was stubborn, he didn’t even listen to your nonsense.
, he just wants results.
"Then why don't you respond to me!" Nicholas I asked angrily, "If you can't solve these problems, then let me solve them myself. When will a rifle be able to stump Russia!"
Nicholas I's words were very threatening. If you Chernyshev can't solve the problem, then I will solve it for you. Anyway, Chernyshev was frightened, and he hurriedly said that he would do it immediately and resolutely
Let frontline soldiers use new weapons as quickly as possible.
Seeing this, Nicholas I's expression softened a little, and after beating him a few more times, he turned to Count Rostovtsev:
"Earl, you have done a good job in responding to key issues in a timely manner. We cannot make any more mistakes in this war!"
It can be seen that Nicholas I was serious when he said this, probably because Count Rostovtsev gave him the most comfortable step. Because the most unacceptable thing for him is to be inferior to others. Now Count Rostovtsev
Tell him that the reason for the failure was actually a weapon problem, which can cover up a lot of dirty information about the Russian army.
Such as military discipline, such as military quality, such as morale, such as officers fearing the enemy like a tiger.
And these problems are the most critical. Anyway, if they are these problems, it can only be said that there is something wrong with Nicholas I's leadership.
And if there is a problem with the weapon, it is a result of a strange skill or a moment of negligence. Maybe our Russian army can change its previous eye-catching performance by replacing it with a new rifle?
Anyway, Nicholas I paid great attention to such small problems. As long as there was no problem with his leadership, it means that Russia is still great. The temporary failure is just a small problem of individual people. It can be solved with a little correction!
Naturally, he likes Count Rostovtsev, a courtier who can discover the fundamental problems!