Eight hundred and twentieth chapters can not hold back
Alexander II has never been a strong-willed person. Compared with his father's decisiveness and neatness, he was capricious and procrastinating on many things, and it was always difficult to make up his mind and stick to the end.
For example, when he was traveling around Europe when he was just an adult, he suddenly fell in love with Queen Victoria. He was very fond of the future Queen of England and even wrote to Nicholas I expressing his feelings for the queen.
love.
But he was soon beaten by Nicholas I, because Nicholas I would never allow his eldest son to go to England to become a royal husband.
Faced with his stubborn father, Alexander II quickly backed down and went to marry a German bride as his crown prince.
Although this is a trivial matter, it is enough to illustrate his character.
Ever since he was a child, he has always been ambiguous and always wavering in his stance. It is hard to say whether it is a good thing or a bad thing for such a person to be the tsar in charge of Russia.
The good thing is that he will not be as controlling as Nicholas I, always trying to dominate the entire country by himself. It is very likely that he can listen to opinions and can change the conservative and barbaric Russia a little.
It needs to be modernized.
But the bad thing is that as long as he encounters problems and troubles, he may waver and give up his ideas and persistence. Moreover, he is prone to being "soft-eared" and will scratch his head and beard for both good and bad opinions.
This makes his governance a mixed bag, which makes people feel mixed.
But at the moment when Nicholas I died, Alexander II's indecision turned out to be an advantage.
At this moment, Russia is sitting on the crater of a volcano, and any drastic action may cause this country to be completely destroyed.
Regardless of whether Alexander II advocates reform or conservatism, if he makes his attitude clear as soon as he comes to power, it is likely to light the fuse, causing reformers and conservatives to merge, and plunge the entire country into turmoil.
"Sasha, I think the most important thing for you right now is to stay calm and maintain stability. Don't do anything else, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous!"
In the royal study, Grand Duchess Elena bluntly expressed her opinion to the frowning Alexander II. To be honest, her statement surprised Alexander II because he had always known that this aunt
He is an unswerving reformer who has been running around and shouting for reforms. He originally thought that Grand Duchess Elena would firmly demand that he start reforms immediately!
"I remember," Alexander II asked in confusion, "I remember that you have always supported reform, right?"
Elena squeezed out a bit of a smile and replied: "I do support reform. To this day, I still think that the only way out for Russia is reform, but..."
"but what?"
"But supporting reforms does not mean that I think reforms should be started immediately!" Grand Duchess Elena replied.
Alexander II blinked, he could not understand Grand Duchess Elena's words more and more.
"Reform also depends on timing," Grand Duchess Elena replied, "and now is undoubtedly the worst time. We are facing huge difficulties both internally and externally. At this time, we must be cautious and maintain stability first.
, Starting reforms hastily will not only bring no good results, but may intensify the problem and make our situation even more difficult!"
Alexander II understood now. To be honest, Grand Duchess Elena's knowledge far exceeded his expectations. He began to re-examine his aunt and found that this woman was much wiser than he imagined.
To be honest, Alexander II was actually not clean when he was hiding in the Winter Palace these days. The pro-reform and conservative forces always found ways to infiltrate into the Winter Palace, constantly trying to lobby and test his attitude.
These guys always muttered in his ears in a roundabout way: "Reform! Reform quickly!" or "No reform! Reform is a dead end!"
He was almost driven crazy by these chattering noises. These guys always forced him to express his attitude immediately and always tried to put him on fire. This was especially the case with relatives and friends who were once very close to him.
This made him very tired!
But Grand Duchess Elena did not do this. She very considerately stood in his perspective and helped him think about countermeasures. She was impartial and based entirely on the facts and for his own sake. This is really rare!
Alexander II felt tears welling up in his eyes. He was really moved. Apart from his Queen Maria, Elena was probably the second relative who was so kind to him!
"Thank you for your advice, it is very important to me... At this difficult time, you made me feel the rare family affection, which is so precious to me!"
When walking out of the Winter Palace, Grand Duchess Elena let out a long sigh and said to Nikolai Milyutin in the carriage: "Sure enough, it is exactly as expected by the Count. He does not want to reform immediately..."
Nikolai Milyutin's face also collapsed, because he once still had hope for Alexander II's sway. He believed that the reason why Alexander II swayed was that he had realized the necessity of reform. As long as he actively
If you work hard, it may be possible to kick off the reform process.
But now, this hope has been shattered. Alexander II's attitude is to maintain the status quo. Maintaining the status quo is tantamount to no reform.
Even if Grand Duchess Elena said that Alexander II might support reforms in the future, who can say for sure what will happen in the future? It is very likely that he was just perfunctory.
"This is not good news," Nikolai Milyutin said with a solemn face, "But the count makes us wait again, why are we waiting!"
Grand Duchess Elena sighed and said: "The Earl should have the Earl's consideration. Since he has already guessed His Majesty's thoughts, there will definitely be targeted arrangements. He cannot let this opportunity pass by!"
Nikolai Milyutin also sighed, and now he can only think like this, but he still doesn't understand why Count Rostovtsev can stay calm so much, when he would have exploded a long time ago!
Some people can hold their breath, but others cannot. While Count Rostovtsev was waiting for the opportunity calmly, Count Uvarov could no longer bear it. He asked old Adlerberg to help him contact Alex.
Queen Mother Sandra, he was going to work hard on this Queen Mother to open a breakthrough.
"Count Uvarov?" Queen Mother Alexandra didn't expect Count Uvarov to come to him. She didn't even understand why the count came to her, but seeing that the other party was an important minister of the country and old Ade
For the sake of Lebesgue, she agreed unconventionally: "Then please invite the count in!"