The Imperial Office was an institution that did not exist in Russia before Nicholas I. In January 1826, less than a month after Nicholas I quelled the Decembrist uprising, this institution that later had monopolized power suddenly suddenly
was born.
As the engine of Nicholas I's dictatorship, the Imperial Office established five departments at the beginning. The first department was responsible for drafting decrees for the emperor. The second department was initially led by the famous Count Speransky and was tasked with drafting laws.
Text. The fourth department is in charge of royal charity activities, the fifth department manages the country's serfs, and later a sixth department was added, mainly responsible for Caucasus affairs.
It's just that the five departments just mentioned are actually not as famous as the third department that was not mentioned: the third department of the Imperial Office, the original leader was Count Alexander Benkendorf. This count and the department he led
The department's main mission is to "gather intelligence on all incidents, dangers, and suspicious persons," which translates to the secret police or secret service.
The third department, under the leadership of Benkendorf, annexed the military police agency originally belonging to the War Ministry. He himself served as commander of the military police. From then on, "reassuring" military police officers wearing bright blue uniforms appeared in the empire.
Throughout the territory, he was widely "awed and respected" throughout the country, and countless "enemies" of the empire and emperor were eliminated.
Benkendorf is a natural conspirator and the most competent lackey. His flexible, bold and obedient personality has made him "a lot of achievements" in the secret industry. The most famous one was to get rid of Pushkin, the father of Russian literature.
.
That perfect action made everything look like a tragedy caused by jealousy, but everyone who knew the inside story knew that the action of Frenchman Dantes was ordered by Benkendorf. The reason was not only Benkendorf himself and his friends
Uvarov couldn't stand Pushkin, and more importantly, Nicholas I was also fed up with Pushkin. He increasingly needed to get rid of this annoying trouble, but he couldn't get his hands dirty.
Then Benkendorf took action. He planned a perfect love killing, settled the annoying trouble, and made Nicholas I extremely satisfied. From then on, Benkendorf and his conspiracy department became Nicholas I.
It is an indispensable part of life and rule. In the words of Benkendorf's deputy Maxim von Falk: "Anyone who sneezes in his own home will be reported to His Majesty within an hour."
To the delight of Russian progressives and the great disappointment of Nicholas I, Benkendorf, an extremely loyal old dog with a keen sense of smell, has been dead for several years. The only person who misses him in the whole of Russia is Nicholas I (Nicholas I).
King Gula I placed a plaster bust of Benkendorf in his office).
In 1847, the third department was led by Count Alexei Ordorff, another loyal dog of Nicholas I. Although this count was equally loyal, he was far behind Benkendorf in terms of conspiracy ability.
His style of doing things was far from satisfying Nicholas I.
It's just that Nicholas I couldn't change people, because his ministers were almost all cut out of the same mold - those who were not wise enough would only serve him conscientiously.
So as Nicholas I and the enemies of his beloved autocracy gradually began to learn to evolve and become more and more difficult to deal with, and after the third film gradually became bloated, bureaucracy and corruption, the pressure on Ordorff was
It's getting bigger day by day, and the old man really feels that it's a bit too much for him.
"Chief, this is the latest trend at St. Petersburg University and Moscow State University. There are some traces of secret activities worthy of attention."
"Chief Commander, there is also intelligence in Omsk showing that the rebellious party has strange traces, and the local department has requested to strengthen monitoring."
"General Commander, Bucharest and Belgrade are requesting support. Your Majesty's great cause needs more investment, especially the local anti-Ottoman armed forces need more support."
"General, there is some news in London and Paris that is worth noting. Some gossip is being circulated, which seems to be detrimental to our country's reputation. Please also inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ask them to cooperate with us in carrying out relevant clearance work."
All this messy information poured into Ordorff, completely engulfing the poor old man. He was just a Russian general who was better at military affairs, and better at solving problems with bayonets and cannons. Let him take the lead in the third part.
It's like asking a bear to embroider and a dinosaur to thread a needle. It's really powerless.
"Is there any information that is particularly urgent and requires special attention?" Ordorf asked weakly, pinching his forehead.
Several department heads immediately rushed to say: "These are extremely urgent information that requires special attention!"
This is also one of the things that gives Ordorff a headache. When the third part becomes more and more bloated, strife between various departments also occurs one after another. In order to grab more funds, more credit and more power, these division chiefs
They are particularly good at infighting and attacking each other. When serious, they constantly hold each other back, making work efficiency worse than a snail.
Sometimes Ordorff really wants to drive away all these bastards with a wave of his hand, but obviously this is all he can think about. Even though Ordorff is the director of the third department, he seems to be in charge of this powerful organization, but only
Only then did he know that he had no actual control, and the third part always belonged to Nicholas I.
In order to prevent this terrible institution from becoming the enemy of the Tsar, His Majesty the Emperor was very good at striking a balance within the third department. Several department heads did not deal with Ordorff and secretly assisted Nicholas I to monitor his every move.
, I’m afraid that before Ordorff’s order to remove them could be conveyed, the small report from these guys would have been sent to Nicholas I’s desk first.
Therefore, in addition to trying his best to support, Ordorff tried his best to reconcile. He would not offend anyone and would not easily express his opinions. Everything was done according to the instructions of Nicholas I. Even as the emperor grew older, he was more and more greedy for power and vanity.
The growing intensity of his heart and religious fanaticism resulted in many orders being incomprehensible and mindless, but he followed them without fail.
"I will inform His Majesty of the information you fed back immediately, and everything is waiting for Your Majesty's Holy Judgment!" Ordorff angrily took the thick pile of information together, and then changed hands and threw it to Nicholas I. Anyway, this is
Your Majesty likes to know everything and control everything, so just wait for his orders, why bother yourself and offend others?
It's just that Ordorff didn't know when Nicholas I would see this thick information and when he would give instructions. Because there were too many matters that needed to be handled personally by His Majesty, such information
It is normal to wait for ten days and a half.
But he never imagined that there was actually a fatal danger hidden in these messy information. He had not noticed it yet. Of course, even if he saw it, his dull nerves would not be able to realize the danger, because the focus of his attention was on another major event.
"Has the problem of Grand Duke Andrei Konstantinlovitch been solved? Your Majesty is already impatient, why hasn't it been solved yet? Do you still need me to teach you how to handle such a simple case?"