Duke Ordorff's judgment is correct. Nicholas I is definitely a master who does not rub sand in his eyes. If you treat him carelessly, you may be able to get by with ordinary small things, but you can fool him about such a big thing?
It can only be said that Chernyshov and Menshikov have spent half their lives as officials. They have never thought that honestly admitting their mistakes is the right thing to do. As long as the two brothers try to fool things, they don't even have to
Nicholas I took action, and just one Neserrodie could make them lose face.
In fact, Neserrodie also saw this. He knew the temper of Nicholas I too well, and knew that Menshikov and Chernyshev were playing with fire and self-immolation by messing things up, so he was naturally happy to see it happen.
Just waiting to add insult to injury at the critical moment!
For a time, the eyes of all the bosses were focused on Menshikov and Chernyshev, and they all wanted to see how they would perform at the imperial meeting.
On that day, the Imperial Council was about to begin. As usual, Nicholas I was the last one to make a grand appearance. However, as soon as he appeared today, everyone felt something that made their hearts palpitate.
When the emperor was angry, millions of people were buried dead. This was really no joke. Menshikov and Chernyshev suddenly felt the pressure increased by three points, especially Chernyshev, as the Minister of War, as the most important person involved.
, he is always the best no matter what!
"How is the fight against the rebellion going?" Nicholas I asked calmly.
Chernyshov suddenly became excited and hesitated a little, but he still answered bravely: "Duke Paskovich's battle report said that we are basically ready for battle, and the entire army will soon be deployed to enter Hungary and pacify it."
Rebellion.”
Having said this, Chernyshev raised his head and glanced at Nicholas I, who was above him, and replied a little hesitantly and uneasily: "In order to find out the authenticity of the Hungarian rebels, the Duke also organized a fire reconnaissance. Unfortunately,
It was because the rebels were well prepared that they failed to break through the rebel defense line in the Thousand Mountains of Balkha."
This is really a bit artistic. At least based on what he said, one would have thought that Paskovich really just conducted a fire reconnaissance, and then failed to do his full work because the enemy was well prepared!
Who would have thought that this bunch of words are all fluffy marshmallows, with no real content, and it is just whitewashing.
After finishing speaking, Chernyshev looked up again. He had to see clearly the expression of Nicholas I to see what his majesty's attitude was.
What made him feel a little relieved was that Nicholas I's expression was very calm, and he seemed to have accepted Chernyshev's words. This gave him a little confidence, allowing him to continue to introduce the war situation in Wallachia:
"Duke Mikhail has made great progress. An army of hundreds of thousands has penetrated deep into the hinterland of Wallachia and Moldavia. It has basically broken through the obstacles of the Thousand Mountains of Balka and is rapidly marching into the hinterland of Wallachia.
Although we encountered a strong counterattack by the rebels early on, the Duke quickly stabilized the situation and I believe the rebellion will be put down soon!"
If you want to say that there is something wrong with these words, at first glance, there is really no problem, but it is still reporting good news rather than bad news. He emphasized the good news about Prince Mikhail and said that the disastrous defeat he encountered earlier was brushed aside and completely ignored.
After saying that, Chernyshev seemed to be really relaxed, because he had played all his cards, and now it was about how to deal with Neserrodie's counterattack. He had done everything he could do, and there was nothing left to think about.
significance.
So he said simply: "Your Majesty, as for the naval situation, Prince Menshikov knows better, so he will introduce the situation."
It can be seen that Chernyshev is also a thief, because he also knows everything about the navy, and he can report it together, but he insists on letting the old eunuch speak, just to let others know that he and
The old eunuch was in the same group, so he asked the old eunuch to endorse it for him.
At that time, even if there are blind people who want to question and criticize them, Chernyshev will not be the only one to bear the burden. Menshikov will have to help share the burden to some extent.
Menshikov naturally knew what someone's intentions were, but he had no choice. In the previous imperial meetings, his performance was not very good, and he was not able to help Crown Prince Alexander much, and he had already let him down.
The crown prince had some complaints. This time it involved the Caucasus issue. He had to do his best to help, and he must not let Neserrodie get in the way.
So he stood up immediately: "Your Majesty, the navy performed well, and the Black Sea Fleet escorted..."
It’s just that Nicholas I didn’t want to listen to his nonsense at all. He was not interested in confronting the transportation captain of the Black Sea Fleet. He only heard him wave his hand and said: “There is no need to introduce these situations in detail. Let’s talk about the losses since the war started.
situation!"
These words immediately made Menshikov and Chernyshov's hearts skip a beat, because Nicholas I asked about the damage as soon as he came up. He must have heard the news, maybe it was Neserrodie.
A small report made behind the back.
Suddenly, the two brothers kept cursing Neserrode in their hearts, wishing they could just become villains and get acupuncture.
It's just that Nicholas I has already asked, and they still have to answer, especially Menshikov who is standing now. He is talking about Chernyshev while thinking of countermeasures.
Why are you complaining about Chernyshev? Because Menshikov is not the one to answer for the army’s battle losses! It’s obviously Chernyshev’s fault. It should be that bastard who stood and was tortured, but now
He has become a prominent figure. What do you think this is?
Menshikov did not want to take a bullet for Chernyshev for nothing, and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, the naval losses are minor and not worth mentioning at all. Except for some new sailors suffering from seasickness, there are no other losses.
.”
After saying that, Menshikov glanced at Chernyshev, then sat down calmly, and then began to look at his nose and heart, as if it had nothing to do with him.
You can imagine how wonderful Chernyshov felt at this time. Because he was a little proud just now. Fortunately, he turned the pot in time and threw the hot potato to Menshikov. Imagine that this old guy is really
He didn't act like a son of a man, and deliberately pretended to be stupid to get the matter over with, and then the hot potato was still left to him.
It can be imagined that Chernyshev must have been full of criticism, but it was of no use, because Nicholas I had already looked at him and said: "Then count, please tell me about the losses of the army!"
Chernyshev stood up reluctantly, glanced at Nicholas I, and then glanced at Menshikov who was pretending to be stupid, and then focused on Neserrodie, the old fox.
Looking at him with gloating, he looked like he was ready to add insult to injury...