In the end, Duke Alexander chose not to say anything because he suddenly remembered that Alexander II was already the emperor after all, not the crown prince he once was. Perhaps Alexander, who was still the crown prince, could still be persuaded, but Alexander who had become the tsar was not so easy to deal with.
Already.
As the emperor, doesn’t he know about Russia’s current internal and external troubles? Doesn’t he know that there is no way out without reform?
He probably knows everything, but he still chooses to do nothing to maintain the status quo, which fully illustrates his tendency.
Duke Alexander saw through Alexander II in an instant and understood that this was definitely not a hero with lofty ambitions. He could not do what Peter the Great could do back then. He was just a man who wanted to linger and maintain the status quo day after day.
Just a monk from Zhong.
It is meaningless for you to tell such a person the urgency and necessity of reform, and he will not listen at all. The only thing he wants to know now is how to maintain his rule and continue to be his emperor!
So don't talk about reform, and don't expect him to take the initiative to stand up and do things. His principle is to muddle along as long as he can!
Thinking of this, Duke Alexander sighed quietly, not only worried about the future of the country, but also worried about his next task.
As the ambassador to Austria, his most important task at the moment is to try to negotiate a peace truce. Before, he had wondered why Alexander II only asked him to test the attitude of the Austrians and Britain and France, and no substantive contact was allowed.
Before, he thought that Alexander II was obsessed with saving face, but now that he thought about it, it was probably not just because of face, but also because Alexander II himself had not made up his mind to end the war.
Anyway, as long as Sevastopol can hold on for one day, he will act like an ostrich and will never take the initiative to give in and seek peace. Maybe there will be miracles in this world?
Duke Alexander did not believe in miracles. Even in the most difficult moment of 1812, he did not think it was a miracle that helped Russia defeat Napoleon. Russia relied on its vast strategic depth and strong walls to clear the country, not any miracles.
In his opinion, the defeat of Crimea was inevitable, and the war started by Nicholas I could only be swallowed by Alexander II. The best way now is to cut off the strength of the warrior and stop the loss in time.
The best policy is to end the war quickly and go back to clean up the situation before the conflicts at home and abroad completely break out, and then find a place to recover after recuperating.
It's just that with Alexander II's personality, he probably didn't have such courage, nor could he afford to accept the bitter consequences of failure, nor did he have the determination to find ways to seek revenge after realizing his shame.
He is just a powerful man who has just sat on the throne and is insecure about anything. He only thinks about how to secure his position.
It is useless to say anything to such a monarch. You can only let him accept the beatings from society and slowly accept the reality. If you want to speed up this process, it is best to help his enemies whip him a few times!
Alexander II spread out the letter again and started writing to Alexander II again. This time he did not mention any words about reform. What was written between the lines was the cruel reality, telling him that the Austrians had bad intentions, and telling him that the British and French lions
Open your mouth and tell him that the coalition forces are still increasing troops in Crimea, and tell him that the coming winter will be particularly difficult!
After writing this heavy-hearted letter, Duke Alexander breathed a sigh of relief, and then wrote a letter to his brother, Duke Mikhail, telling him that he could worsen the situation on the front line if necessary, describing the enemy's power and domineering power.
The scarier is better. You can even give up some lines of defense when necessary to create a precarious atmosphere.
At the end of the letter, he suddenly mentioned Li Xiao and Alexei again, asking them about their attitudes towards the future, hoping that Duke Mikhail would tell him as soon as possible.
Duke Mikhail was really a little confused when he received the letter, because after the coalition focused all its attention on Sevastopol, the pressure on his side was really relieved. He was still able to deal with a few Turks.
It was easy, since the confrontation for so long never allowed the Turks to take any advantage.
Suddenly Duke Alexander asked him to create tension and exaggerate terror. To be honest, he was a little confused. After all, he was a soldier. It was an honor to lead an army of 700,000 people to fight on par with millions of others. It was an honor, at least to tell the truth.
Not shameful.
But now Duke Alexander asked him to deliberately retreat, which is really a bit embarrassing, okay? Where did he put his old face when this news came back to St. Petersburg!
He resisted this from the bottom of his heart, and he didn't understand why he did it. As for Duke Alexander's opinion of Li Xiao and Alexey, he helped him to ask.
"The situation?" Li Xiao replied disdainfully, "Isn't the situation obvious? We will definitely lose!"
Well, Duke Mikhail suddenly felt a little unhappy. Although he admitted that the situation was very bad, was this conclusion too arbitrary? After all, he still had 700,000 troops here!
Li Xiao curled his lips and said: "Your 700,000 soldiers can't move a single soldier. After the fall of Sevastopol, the coalition forces can march straight in from Crimea. What can we do to stop it?"
Duke Mikhail immediately fell silent. Everyone knows how empty the country is now. If the hundreds of thousands of coalition troops were really allowed to kill them, they would really have to burn down the walls of Moscow and clear the fields like they did in 1812.
It's just that the cost of doing that was too heavy, and after what he had experienced, he was never willing to do it again.
"There will always be a way!" he insisted firmly.
hehe!
Li Xiao sneered: "Then I'll wait and see what can be done!"
It was a bit cold, and Duke Mikhail felt a little embarrassed to get off the stage, but he also knew that Li Xiao didn't mean to antagonize him. In fact, even he wanted to antagonize others when the battle got to this point.
He asked patiently: "What do you think we should do?"
Li Xiao spread his hands and replied: "Isn't this obvious? Before Sevastopol falls, hurry up and negotiate a peace to end this war at the minimum cost. The longer it takes, the greater the cost!"
Duke Mikhail frowned. He felt that Li Xiao's attitude was similar to that of Duke Alexander, except that his brother was closer to him and some of his words were more straightforward. He not only meant to negotiate a peace quickly, he could even make
Some sacrifices were made to force Alexander II to make peace.
It’s just that Duke Mikhail is at a loss about this, because he feels that even if this is the case, a peace agreement can be reached at the minimum cost, but what happens after that? How to erase this huge shame? Pretend not to see it?