When Alexander II was the crown prince, he may not have had a strong sense of the sanctity and seriousness of imperial power. Naturally, although he could not support the reform, he was not strongly opposed to it either.
At that time, he probably felt like watching a play. It was quite leisurely to sit there and watch his father Nicholas I turn his hands to make clouds and make rain.
But after he sat on the throne, the feeling was completely different. He took the power in his hands very seriously. He deeply understood how important power was, and how disgusting it was to share power with him!
Naturally, I definitely have no good impression of the reformists who have been clamoring for reform and changing traditions.
According to his idea, reform should be delayed as long as it can be postponed for one day.
But now it seems like I can’t put it off anymore?
Alexander II looked at Count Rostovtsev, who looked solemn. Even this veteran minister who tended to be conservative now told him that he must make a decision. One can imagine how bad the situation was.
Of course, he would not believe Count Rostovtsev so easily, but asked calmly: "Why did you mention this all of a sudden? Did you hear some news?"
Count Rostovtsev replied seriously: "Your Majesty, Count Neserrodie is gone, some things must change, otherwise..."
At the beginning, Alexander II didn't understand what the relationship between Neserrodie's departure and whether he should reform or not reform?
Fortunately, he had grown tremendously over the past year and after thinking about it twice more, he finally figured out the reason.
On the surface, Neserrode's departure does not seem to have anything to do with reform or not. But this man is actually a conservative in the strict sense, and he is definitely one who supports the maintenance of Russia's traditional order.
It's just that his conservative position is not as obvious and strong as that of Count Uvarov, but his departure is actually a loss of conservative power.
In other words, the reformists have one less opponent, and the indirect reformists are stronger!
And this means that if there is another conflict between conservatives and reformists, the reformists are likely to have a greater advantage.
Don't underestimate this advantage. Even Alexander II would not dare to say that he was 100% sure of suppressing the reformists.
In other words, when the reformists strongly demand reform again, Alexander II still wants to muddle things through vaguely, but I'm afraid he won't be able to do so!
What should I do if I can’t get fooled?
Naturally, this will make the reformists extremely angry and dissatisfied. Previously, they were targeting the conservatives. Once they feel that the real enemy is the tsar, what will happen?
Maybe there will be another Decembrist incident, and I'm afraid the reformists will raise their swords and attack Luo.
Even if Alexander II was confident that he would deal with them again just like before, how would it end?
Although Nicholas I finally won an overwhelming victory in the Decembrist incident that year, the whole country actually sympathized with the Decembrists and worshiped them as national heroes.
In terms of people's hearts, the Decembrists did not lose. They used their tragic experiences to awaken Russia's path to reform and seek a new path. Generations of Russian revolutionaries almost all regarded the Decembrists as idols. From this point on,
In one word, Nicholas I stood firmly on the opposite side of history, and his image was not generally bad.
If Alexander II behaves like this again, it goes without saying that his image will not be much better than that of his father. He may lose people's hearts in an instant, and no matter what he does next, he will not be able to win a good review.
What's more, the strength of the reformists this time is not that strong. They almost represent the most elite existence in Russian official circles. To clear them all out in one go is almost like giving another stab to the already shaky Russian Empire.
It is really possible that the world will be in chaos!
After understanding this, Alexander II's face suddenly became ugly, because he realized that he seemed to have done another stupid thing by driving Neserrode away.
The sad resignation of this old prime minister represents a complete imbalance in the strength of the reformists and conservatives. He personally broke the balance that was barely maintained. Unless he immediately supports a conservative prime minister who can calm the situation, he can only act honestly.
Accept the demands of the reformists!
Alexander II felt ashamed of his hindsight. Look at him, he was secretly proud of himself after driving Neserrodie away. He felt that he had driven away a nasty person without any effort and squeezed money from the treasury.
How awesome it is!
Who would have thought that this turned out to be a trap!
Alexander II regretted it and felt that the millions of money obtained from the Ministry of Finance were not good at all. He actually changed the balance of power that had been maintained with great difficulty for such a small amount of money, and personally released the tiger of the reformists.
Out of the cage!
If Alexander II was given a chance to regret, he would definitely let Neserrodie go without hesitation, no matter how annoying the old guy was!
It’s just that it’s too late now, it’s hard to stop the flood!
The look in his eyes when he looked at Count Rostovtsev changed. This man is really high-level! No wonder he didn't speak when the conservatives and reformers besieged Neserrodie. I'm afraid he had already seen the problem.
, but there is no way to explain it clearly.
After the incident happened, he reminded him to make a decision as early as possible. If he didn't make preparations in advance, once the reformists started making trouble, there would be no way to end it!
Alexander II's love and respect for Count Rostovtsev invisibly reached a new level. He was secretly glad that his old father had left him such a sober veteran minister, otherwise he might not have known about the reformists' uprising.
Woolen cloth!
"What do you think can be done now to minimize the impact?" Alexander II asked with a grimace.
"Your Majesty, the rise of liberal elements is inevitable. Forcibly suppressing them is probably not the best option. In my opinion, it is better to block them than to block them. I can only let them try..."
Alexander II also knew that this result was probably inevitable, but Count Rostovtsev's words still made him feel heavy. He was just trying to save his face. The reality was that he couldn't be stopped at all!
However, there is a skill in how to sparse. Alexander II asked again: "In which areas do you think I should make concessions?"
Count Rostovtsev said flatly: "If you must reform, please start with the army and navy!"
Alexander II was shocked. In his opinion, concessions to the reformists should start from the most insignificant department, and the military department is the backbone of the country. If you let this hole open at the beginning, wouldn't it be courting death?