Nikolai Milyutin's head was full of question marks. He didn't understand why Count Rostovtsev suddenly started to pay attention to Neserrodie's life and death. You must know that Count Rostovtsev didn't like that old guy.
I think the old guy is quite a hindrance. It is precisely because of his existence that the conservative rule of Nicholas I became as stubborn as an iron barrel. Why did the style of painting suddenly change?
Count Rostovtsev did not answer Nikolai Milyutin's doubts, but said to himself: "If Neserrodie falls, who is more likely to succeed as prime minister?"
Nikolai Milyutin was stunned. Isn't this question too big a jump? They haven't fallen yet? What's the use of thinking about this?
Count Rostovtsev rolled his eyes at him: "My friend, you must have a longer-term thinking. Don't always be attracted by some superficial phenomena of the moment. You need to look further! Otherwise, you will never be able to do anything in the future.
If you look at the overall situation, you will be led by the nose!"
Nikolai Milyutin was full of complaints in his heart, because in the past, when he thought about the future, Count Rostovtsev would say that he was too ambitious and asked him to move forward step by step. Now that he is practical, the other party said that he does not have a long-term vision.
Planning and vision. The pros and cons of the co-author are all said by Count Rostovtsev. He is wrong no matter what!
So he didn't bother to argue, because he knew that he could never defeat the other party, and it would be better to have one less problem than one more thing!
"Tell me, who do you think will be the first choice to succeed the prime minister?" Count Rostovtsev asked again.
Nikolai Milyutin sighed in his heart, and replied a little reluctantly: "Probably one of His Majesty's most trusted confidants!"
This answer is not actually an answer, because the prime minister of Nicholas I must be the person he trusts most, so this answer is equivalent to no answer. However, Count Rostovtsev did not take it seriously and smiled calmly:
"Indeed, the new Prime Minister must be His Majesty's most loyal confidant... So do you think this new Prime Minister will be of the same mind as us?"
Nikolai Milyutin was stunned for a moment, then he realized what he was doing, and replied with a frown: "Count, you mean that replacing Neserrodie may not necessarily be beneficial to us, right?"
Count Rostovtsev smiled slightly and said: "Of course, look at the ministers that His Majesty favors, whether it is Menshikov, Chernyshev, Ordov or Uvarov, who are these people?"
One willing to reform?”
Nikolay Milyutin was silent. Indeed, there is almost no reformist in the current cabinet. Neserrode is indeed an old-fashioned man, but a new prime minister may not only be old-fashioned but thorough.
Conservatives, I'm afraid the political atmosphere will be even more suffocating by then.
Suddenly he blurted out: "That's why you want to protect Neserrode! Is that so?"
Count Rostovtsev rolled his eyes at him again: "Who told you that I want to protect that German guy?"
Nikolai Milyutin was stunned for a moment, and his mind was a little confused. He didn't understand what Count Rostovtsev was making. If he didn't want to save Neserrodie, why bother talking about it?
"A conservative one and a more conservative one, whoever is on stage doesn't do us any good, so the best thing to do is..."
Nikolai Milyutin interjected: "Tell them to get out together?"
Count Rostovtsev shook his head and said: "My friend, can't you be more insightful? If we can easily let them get out together, how about we remain dormant?"
Nikolai Milyutin stopped talking immediately, looking like he was thinking hard, and then asked after a while: "Count, can't you just reveal the answer to the mystery?"
Count Rostovtsev shook his head again and said: "My friend, if I am no longer here in the future, who will easily help you uncover the answer to the mystery? Can't you think more about it?"
Nikolai Milyutin was speechless again for a while, knowing that it was impossible to expect the count to speak well, so he could only try his best to guess what he was thinking, hoping to get it right.
"From what you say, I don't like Neserrodie nor His Majesty's loyal lackeys, and it's impossible to get them all out. Then the only thing I can do is to try my best to guide Neserrodie.
To achieve some of our goals, right?"
Count Rostovtsev smiled, patted his shoulder and said: "I like the word guidance, but do you think Neserrodie will accept my guidance?"
Nikolai Milyutin was immediately speechless, because how could a cunning and cunning guy like Neserroddie be willing to be manipulated? At least he had never seen that old guy being easy to deal with.
【Did I guess wrong?】
Nikolai Milyutin was immediately confused. Countless thoughts were running through his head, and he couldn't grasp any clues from all the threads.
Four or five minutes passed like this, and Count Rostovtsev next to him sighed: "My friend, when will you become more confident?"
Nikolay Milyutin immediately couldn't laugh or cry, knowing that he had been tricked by Count Rostovtsev again. This old fox always took pleasure in playing tricks on him. It was really evil.
"It is difficult to guide a cunning guy like Neserrode," Rostovtsev finally became serious and said seriously: "It is better to force him than to go to all the trouble to guide him!"
"Force him? How?"
Nikolai Milyutin felt that it would be more difficult to force the old fox than to guide him. It would be difficult for the old guy to submit, okay?
"It's not as difficult as you think!" Count Rostovtsev replied confidently, "As long as we follow the trend and force him into a desperate situation."
Nikolai Milyutin still couldn't imagine what kind of desperate situation would make the old-fashioned Germans submit.
"Almost!" Count Rostovtsev seemed to be lost in thought, murmuring: "Menshikov and Chernyshev have already assisted us once, we just need to let the military start a bigger carnival.
Enough!"
【A bigger carnival?】
Nikolai Milyutin did not understand what Count Rostovtsev was talking about anymore. He was about to ask for a clear answer, but the count got ahead of him: "Nikolai, your brother Dmitry
What have you been busy with lately?”
Nikolai Milyutin was stunned again. He didn't understand why Count Rostovtsev asked about this. Could it be that forcing Neserrodie had something to do with Dmitry?
But before he could figure it out, Count Rostovtsev had already directly ordered: "Make an appointment with Dmitri for me. I need to have a good chat with him..."