Struggle in Russia

In other words, the meaning of sending Crown Prince Alexander to express condolences is more clear based on the situation. If Crown Prince Alexander says that the Prime Minister is okay, then there is no need to change the Prime Minister. If he says that the situation in Neserrode is very bad, then the process of selecting a new Prime Minister will begin. program of.

This is very different from directly sending a servant. If it were the latter, the ministers outside would definitely immediately form a gang and try to seek the throne of prime minister. The former will allow them to wait and see for the time being and make decisions based on specific circumstances.

Although it may only be a slight delay, it can still maintain the current stability and buy Nicholas I a little more time.

What are you buying time for?

Naturally, he was considering who would be Neserroddie's backup. Nicholas I did not intend to act arbitrarily on such a major matter. He wanted to listen to the opinions of several ministers first to see if they were What's the meaning.

So who were Nicholas I’s ministers? In fact, there were not many. There were only three people he could really trust and rely on, Count Rostovtsev, Count Uvarov, and Prince Peter Volkonsky who was recovering from illness.

The first two of these three people are resourceful enough to help him analyze the pros and cons of all aspects, while the last one, although his intelligence is average, is more mature and prudent. The influence of the Volkonsky family in the political arena is extraordinary, which can be regarded as the spirit of the aristocratic class. leader.

What makes Nicholas I feel very sorry is that Peter Volkonsky may not be able to come. This old guy is very sick. Let alone coming to see him, he can't even get out of bed. I don't know if he can. Get through this winter.

Therefore, the only ones who can be called to discuss countermeasures are Count Rostovtsev and Count Uvarov. And these two people told the truth, which made Nicholas I feel a little bit pained. For the selection of the governor of Ukraine, the two men had different opinions and refused to give in to each other, making them very unhappy.

Nicholas I doubted that the two men would continue to quarrel over the choice of prime minister. What would he do if the two men held different opinions?

In the past, there was Prince Peter Volkonsky who helped make the final choice, but now...

Thinking about Nicholas I gave him a headache, but he still had the courage to invite the two earls to the royal study.

"...Now there is such news that the Prime Minister seems to have a physical problem. In order to ensure stability, who do you think is suitable to take over temporarily when the Prime Minister is temporarily unable to govern?"

Nicholas I was talking about temporary replacement, but both Count Rostovtsev and Count Uvarov knew that this was actually asking who could replace Count Neserrodie as the new prime minister.

Count Rostovtsev and Count Uvarov had completely different reactions to this sudden news. The former was very calm and not in a hurry to give his advice, while Count Uvarov was a little impatient!

Why is Count Uvarov impatient?

Because he is actually the one who hopes that Neserrodie will be okay the most. He hopes to maintain stability the most. Even if there is no development in society, as long as stability is maintained, his interests can be protected.

And once Nesselrode fails, the prime minister must be changed, which will inevitably cause turmoil. It would be fine if he were to be replaced by a prime minister like Nesselrode, and he would accept it. Or someone with conflicting interests could become prime minister.

It is conceivable that the existing order in Russian officialdom will definitely be greatly impacted, and relevant interests will have to be reshuffled. For Count Uvarov, the biggest vested interest now, this is definitely unacceptable.

Naturally, Count Uvarov became a little anxious when he heard that something had happened to Nesselrode. He even felt that the house leaked and rained all night recently, so why did he feel a little inappropriate?

In order to ensure that his own interests would not be lost, Count Uvarov felt that he must nominate one of his own as prime minister. So he immediately started thinking and worked hard to find the spare tire.

With his level of intelligence, it would not be too easy to find such a candidate, so he replied in the blink of an eye: "I think the only ones who can temporarily take over the prime minister's handling of government affairs are Prince Menshikov or Duke Paskovich. . They are both mature and prudent and are the most suitable candidates!"

The two men recommended by Count Uvarov are both conservatives. And both Menshikov and Paskovich were the people Nicholas I trusted most. There was no risk in recommending these two men, and both were acceptable to Nicholas I.

Count Uvarov felt that these two were probably the only candidates Nicholas I liked. Apart from them, the others were either not qualified enough, or they were not veterans he liked, and had no hope of taking over as prime minister.

Anyway, he felt that it was safe for him to push these two candidates forward, and if those two knew that he had recommended them, they would only be grateful to him, which would also help stabilize his position.

Count Uvarov even felt that if this matter was accomplished, it would be more beneficial to him than the current Prime Minister Neserrod. At that time, he and the new prime minister complemented each other, who would dare to make a mistake?

Is Count Uvarov's plan correct?

It can only be said that it is both right and wrong. If those two people really take over from Neserroddie, it will naturally be a great benefit to him. But the problem is, when choosing who to be prime minister, you can't just consider your own interests, right?

After all, this country belongs to Nicholas I, he is the Tsar, and whoever is chosen as prime minister should be in his best interest first.

Perhaps Count Uvarov would say that choosing Menshikov or Paskovich is also very beneficial to Nicholas I! Absolutely no problem!

But Nicholas I didn't see it that way! As an emperor, he must first balance the power among his subjects. It is impossible for a certain faction to dominate the family. Now if Menshikov or Paskovich is the prime minister, it will definitely be Earl Uvarov. A group of people is so strong that they can almost cover the sky with one hand.

This is by no means what Nicholas I wanted to see. Why he was not satisfied with Nesselrode but still let him remain the prime minister was not because he was not exactly the same as the conservatives.

Nesselrode was able to maintain the stability of the Russian political arena while avoiding the dominance of the conservative forces headed by Count Uvarov.

This is the situation Nicholas I most hoped to see. If it is necessary to change a prime minister, even if he cannot be as good as Nesselrode, he hopes to have a similar effect. Can Menshikov or Paskovich come to power to have a similar effect?

Obviously not, so Nicholas I was naturally not interested in Count Uvarov's suggestion. He turned around and asked Count Rostovtsev: "What's your opinion?"