Struggle in Russia

Crown Prince Alexander's words were a bit domineering and unreasonable, even a bit rude. It's just that Peter Petrovich or the bureaucrats in the Russian officialdom still follow this trick.

Those guys are hard-nosed. If you think you are a ruler who is easy to talk and bully, it is a routine operation to push your nose and face, and it is possible to murder your father and rebel.

It was only in recent years that Crown Prince Alexander learned that he must not treat his subjects with softness. After all, hardness and softness are combined. For example, although Peter Petrovich usually respects him and follows his baton, at this critical moment he tries to If you want to make a name for Nesselrode, you must beat him hard to let him know who is the boss.

Sure enough, after Crown Prince Alexander forced him back, he immediately became honest, and he whispered respectfully: "Your Highness, you know that the Prime Minister has always respected you, and this time there is a reason for it, and the doctor also said He is overworked and can't stand the toss... He has no other intentions, just want to rest for a few days to catch his breath..."

Well, Crown Prince Alexander immediately understood that Nesselrode's illness was indeed famous. According to Peter Petrovich, the old fox might indeed be ill, but it was by no means particularly serious. The old guy was just trying to get away and find a chance to breathe.

After figuring this out, Crown Prince Alexander had a solid idea in his mind, but he was a little hesitant about how to repay his father. To be honest, it is the simplest, but the result may not be ideal.

Think about it, to be honest, Nesselrode is deliberately pretending to be dead to make a name for himself, so Nicholas I will not blow up. It is conceivable that with his personality and temper, he would give Nesselrode a hard lesson.

The question is, is it really appropriate to teach Nesselrode a lesson at this time?

Crown Prince Alexander understood Nesselrode's situation very well, knowing that the old fox was also forced into a corner, otherwise it would be impossible to come up with such a damaging move. And from his point of view, what happened in Bulgaria this time was that Nicholas I went too far.

Crown Prince Alexander is not as ambitious as his father, and he is not prepared to swallow Bulgaria in one go and threaten Istanbul. He felt that this was a bit too risky. After all, the United Kingdom and France had already stated their attitudes, not only did not support it, but they strongly opposed it.

Although this strong opposition does not necessarily mean that Britain and France will support Turkey by force, there is such a risk after all. In the eyes of Crown Prince Alexander, it is unwise to take such a big risk to offend Britain and France for the sake of a mere Bulgaria.

So generally speaking, he does not support Nicholas I to take risks on the Bulgarian issue. Although Nesselrode's set of methods did not achieve Nicholas I's goal for the time being, it did force Turkey to do so. There was a concession.

From a diplomatic point of view, it was actually fruitful, but Nicholas I was simply not satisfied with his insatiable desires.

So Crown Prince Alexander still sympathized with Nesselrode. Although he didn't have the courage to say anything to Nicholas I in person, he could at least understand Nesselrode's difficulties.

Once he bluntly reported to Nicholas I that Nesselrod had pretended to be sick, it would be like adding insult to injury, which he really couldn't bear.

It's not just a matter of unbearable, teaching Nesselrode a lesson at this time will only further damage his prestige and plunge the country into turmoil. If Nesselrode is really in a hurry and gives up the pick, it will be a lot of fun!

Speaking of which, Crown Prince Alexander is more sympathetic and understands Nesselrode, and may be willing to speak good words for him, but if you ask Crown Prince Alexander to help Nesselrode lie to fool Nicholas I, then he is not that stupid .

After all, Nesselrode and Nicholas I can still tell who is the elder and who is the younger Crown Prince Alexander. The latter is not only his father but also the one who can decide whether he can be the tsar. No one who offends the Crown Prince Alexander will dare to offend Nicholas. Gula I was not.

He could only sigh and said to Peter Petrovich: "I can understand the situation of Your Excellency the Prime Minister, but things are not done this way. I can only help the first one to talk, and the rest can't be helped!"

In fact, Peter Petrovich also knew that it was wishful thinking to expect Crown Prince Alexander to completely stand on their side. It is very rare for the other party to help to say good things, and naturally he is very grateful.

At the end, he said: "Your Highness, the affairs in Bulgaria are far more complicated than you imagined, and the people and things involved are far beyond your expectations. Your Majesty's wish is good, but sometimes... hey, so Let me tell you, the situation is quite complicated, and now there is a group of people in St. Petersburg who are promoting this blindly, without putting Russia's interests first!"

Crown Prince Alexander just nodded, as if he had heard it, but he didn't seem to hear anything, not only because he was cautious not to express his position indiscriminately, but more importantly, he knew that Peter Petrovich's words were true.

There is indeed a powerful force in St. Petersburg that is promoting this matter, and this force includes him. Although he did not take the initiative to participate, whoever made Bariatinsky and other military confidants are very enthusiastic about it, he is the leader You can't pour cold water on yourself, no!

Naturally, Crown Prince Alexander was caught in the middle. Intellectually, he could understand Nesselrode's concerns, but out of consideration for his own interests, he had to help put pressure on the old prime minister. The rivers and lakes can't help themselves!

During the conversation, the Prime Minister's Palace arrived. Under the leadership of Peter Petrovich, Crown Prince Alexander met Nesselrode unimpeded. At this time, the old fox was lying on the hospital bed tightly wrapped in velvet.

To be honest, although he had only seen him for a day or two, Crown Prince Alexander still felt that the Nesselrode in front of him was very different from the Nesselrode he was familiar with before.

The old man's face was sallow, dark circles under his eyes almost occupied half of his face, bones could be seen on his thin cheeks, and his lips were pale. He really looked like he had just recovered from a serious illness.

But these are not the most important thing. The most important thing is that Crown Prince Alexander feels that Nesselrode's spirit has changed. He used to be more energetic and energetic, at least it can make people feel that he has a lot of energy.

But now he is like a deflated ball, or more directly like a wilted old loofah, without energy. If you want to say that he will lose his temper in the next second, it may not be true, but it is by no means like being able to continue to be the prime minister and deal with a myriad of troublesome matters in a country.

In short, Nesselrode is a bit out of control, and I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on anymore!