Duke Alexander, who is far away in Vienna, is in a much more complicated mood than Duke Ordorf. Duke Ordorf only has to worry about domestic affairs, while he has to worry about both domestic and international relations, trying every means to gain a more relaxed position in Russia.
International Environment.
To be honest, this is not easy, and it can even be said to be the most difficult challenge Duke Alexander has faced since he entered politics.
The situation in Vienna was too complicated. He had had contact with the British and French ministers in Vienna, and it was very difficult to talk to them. They were tough both in and out of their words, as if they were determined to defeat Russia.
Of course, he knew that this so-called toughness did not really mean that Britain and France wanted to defeat Russia. It might be a pretense to force Russia to make concessions, or it might be a political show.
Duke Alexander is aware of the situation in London and Paris. Although the upper-class elites of the two countries are very firm in their stance and must teach Russia a lesson. However, the attitude of the middle- and lower-class people has changed from one-sided support at the beginning of the war to continuous opposition now.
The noise was loud.
After all, it is the husbands, sons or brothers of these middle- and lower-class people who really go to the battlefield. Their tragic situation in Crimea has attracted widespread attention, especially when batches of wounded soldiers with missing arms and legs returned to the country by boat.
, this call has become stronger and stronger.
Many newspapers have carried the slogan "Let the children go home". Although the simple wishes of the lower class people can hardly really influence the decision-making of the upper class elites, as the war dragged on longer and longer, especially in Sevastopol, it became
After getting a pure meat grinder, they had to think a little more.
Anyway, hard-core anti-Russians like Lord Palmerston, who clamor for dismemberment of Russia, are becoming less and less popular. The upper class elites have begun to realize that it is unrealistic to expect one or two victories to defeat Russia, and they still have to
Make long-term plans.
But even so, Duke Alexander's job is still very difficult, because giving up completely dismembering or solving Russia does not mean that the British and French elites will loosen the noose they have tied around Russia's neck.
They were still trying every possible means to weaken Russia, and Duke Alexander was filled with indignation at the various harsh conditions. If the situation was not stronger than the people, he would really like to leave.
It is a pity that weak countries have no diplomacy since ancient times. Although Russia cannot be considered weak, Russia's enemies are too strong, so the space left for him to move is too small. What makes him most annoyed is that there is still a troublemaker.
Stick Austria is stirring things up inside, making things more complicated.
Duke Alexander naturally knew what the Austrians had planned, and they just wanted to take advantage of Russia's deep passive situation to seize the interests of the Balkans!
It's not that Duke Alexander thinks that Austria is wrong to do this. As a member of the great powers, it is natural for the weak to prey on the strong. The only thing he cannot accept is that Austria's ambitions are too great. These grandsons actually want to replace Russia's position in Wallachia. You
Tell me how this is possible!
You must know that even the million-strong coalition army could not do anything to Duke Mikhail. He did not take advantage of Wallachia at all. You are neither a member of the coalition nor have you contributed anything, so why should you take this piece of cake?
Big cake.
The most important thing is that the Austrians are still very proud and indifferent. Thinking that a few years ago these grandsons were crying and shouting for Russia to help them, Duke Alexander, makes them very angry.
In a private letter to Alexander II, he expressed angrily: Austria is a group of white-eyed wolves. These ungrateful bastards are not Russia's allies at all. We should cut off relations with Austria as soon as possible and even settle accounts with them if necessary.
That's the wisest thing to do.
Of course, these angry words can be said in private, or even done secretly, but on the surface, you still have to compromise with the Austrians.
As an old diplomat, Duke Alexander naturally understands this trick. Isn’t it just pretending to be a grandson when he is down and out? Who wouldn’t!
Think about the time when the Austrians were beaten so hard by Napoleon that they even lost the title of Holy Roman Emperor and had to send their princess to get married. Isn’t it miserable enough?
But in the blink of an eye, after defeating Napoleon, he was still showing off again. Duke Alexander believed that there was no reason why the Russians couldn't do what the Austrians could do, not to mention that Russia was far from the predicament that the Austrians were in back then, so he temporarily bowed his head and surrendered.
, secretly gathering strength to make a comeback, let you see the power of Hedong in thirty years and Hexi in thirty years!
But speaking of this, Duke Alexander is a little secretly worried. From Duke Ordorf's letter, it is not difficult for him to see what the situation is in Russia. Faced with this unfulfilled fiasco, the country has begun to reflect on the situation that was previously suppressed.
The long-established reformists are now thriving like mushrooms after a rain.
The conservatives who had previously been in control of the situation suffered a huge loss in strength, especially the sudden death of Nicholas I, who had strongly supported them, which dealt them a heavy blow. They would definitely not be able to recover for a while.
Reform is almost a certainty. The tragic defeat in Crimea shows that a large number of gray animals that are like cannon fodder have no fighting power at all. It is no longer possible for Russia to expect to kill powerful enemies like it did in 1814.
Today's powerful enemies can completely drain Russia's last drop of blood by relying on the power of science and technology. Russia must catch up no matter what, otherwise the fate of the country will be unpredictable.
But at this time, Alexander II did not express his attitude, and kept doing Tai Chi vaguely. As long as you are not stupid, you can see that he is going to fool things and is not very willing to reform.
This is really terrible. If we can’t even unify the will of the higher-ups, how can we reform it?
As a relatively well-known liberal, Duke Alexander supports reform and believes that the only way for Russia to stand up again and to avenge its disgrace is through reform.
But now the tsar's ambiguous attitude really made him feel uneasy. What if Alexander II was confused and refused to reform or pretended to be confused and maintained the status quo?
Although the Decembrists failed last time, in a sense it was a glorious defeat, which allowed them to win widespread recognition and in a sense spread revolutionary ideas.
This time there will be another group of violent Decembrist sympathizers. If they learn their lesson and do it again, I'm afraid it won't end as well as last time.
Even one bad move will cause Russia to fall into civil strife. If there are strong enemies outside and unrest within, the country will be destroyed!
Thinking of this, Duke Alexander was so anxious that he wanted to rush back to St. Petersburg immediately to give advice to Alexander II. He even wrote a long letter, discussing in detail the correctness and necessity of the reform. However, just when he was about to seal it, he directly wrote