Struggle in Russia

Grand Duke Constantine clearly expressed his disdain for Alexander II. He thought that what his brother did this time was a bastard. If it were him, he would never be so incompetent.

So is Grand Duke Constantine’s contempt justified?

It should be said that there was. As I said before, the reason for the incident was that Alexander II did not take corrective measures when the incident occurred. This caused the incident to continue to ferment and finally became out of control.

If only he could have dealt with it earlier and decisively, there would have been no trouble at all.

Not only was there a problem with the handling of the incident at the beginning, Grand Duke Constantine also believed that Alexander II's handling of the incident after the incident was even worse.

He said to Viscount Prozolov: "My brother thought he could use this to put pressure on Nikolai Milyutin and me, but why didn't he think carefully about it? Is it really that simple? He thought we would Are you going to let him do whatever he wants?"

Viscount Prozolov did not speak, but he agreed with Grand Duke Constantine's judgment in his heart. Even when the reform trend was unstoppable, Alexander II still tried to suppress it with such small actions. It was really because the old man was tired of eating arsenic.

In fact, just after the imperial meeting ended this morning, a large number of reformists gathered at the residence of Grand Duke Constantine and Nicholas Milyutin to discuss countermeasures. The result of the discussion was that we must unite to deal with this situation. M..

Grand Duke Constantine stole the show a lot in this conference, and he finally looked like the big brother taking the lead.

Of course, this is mainly because his acting skills are not bad and he is shameless and unlimited.

Why do you say that? Because at the meeting, Grand Duke Constantine first admitted that he had made strategic prediction errors before the outbreak of the Crimean War. He reviewed his mistakes in tears and pretended to be a saint who corrected his mistakes and repented of his past mistakes. .

Then, he changed the topic and briefly criticized his father Nicholas I. He also said that Nicholas I died suddenly because he blamed himself too much.

Why did he say that? The reason is also very simple. He just wants to make a sharp contrast with Alexander II. You all see that I have the courage to admit my mistakes, and I even have the courage to admit my mistakes for myself, but what about my brother? He is simply stubborn and stubborn and refuses to correct his mistakes. He is stubborn and stubborn to the end. He is simply hopeless.

As a result, his popularity naturally skyrocketed, and Alexander II was almost single-handedly nailed to the pillar of shame.

This trick was indeed effective and vicious, but it was Alexander II who asked for it. As long as he did not want to use his strength to deal with the reformists, this stone would not hit his feet.

Anyway, Grand Duke Constantine was quite proud. He felt that this was the most comfortable and enjoyable day since he returned to St. Petersburg. He was so angry that he even said shamelessly: "My brother has always been so unhappy with his mother-in-law and mother-in-law. Things have already happened, and he is still worried about this and that. At this time, we can only cut the knot quickly!"

"Either start reforming quickly, or stay conservative to the end. Sitting on the fence is doomed to displease both sides and achieve nothing in the end! If I were him, how could I be so entangled and hesitantly miss the best opportunity? If it were me, I would have done it sooner Just start the reform without hesitation, how can you be so passive!"

Does this make sense? You can say yes, you can say no. The reason is that reform is not that simple. It does not mean that you, the Czar, can just wave your hand and start doing whatever you want. Do you really think that the conservative forces in Russia are clay Buddhas and paper tigers?

Grand Duke Constantine said that to put it bluntly, he just wanted to stand and talk without pain in his back, or to act like a child without feeling heartache. He did not sit on the throne of the Tsar and could not feel the complex situation and tremendous pressure Alexander II faced. Naturally, he did whatever he wanted.

But Alexander II was different. The Romanov family's two-hundred-year legacy was in his hands. How could he be careless?

Is it true that Grand Duke Constantine is so messy and his family fortune is ruined? Can Grand Duke Constantine become a sinner in his place?

Obviously not, so there is nothing wrong with him being careful and cautious. But Grand Duke Constantine was right about one thing. His judgment of the future was indeed inaccurate. Reform and modernization are unstoppable trends. If you don't follow this trend, you will be eliminated by the general trend. From this aspect, Alexander II It's indeed a bit undecisive, which really makes people anxious!

"His Majesty still hopes for stability," Viscount Prozolov smiled and analyzed: "Maintaining stability must be the first priority for His Majesty. As long as stability continues, he will be able to control the overall situation sooner or later, so he is definitely not willing to take risks. Already..."

At this point, Viscount Prozolov laughed again and continued his analysis: "It's just that he didn't realize how serious the problem was at all. As far as the current situation is concerned, if His Majesty refuses to reform, he can rudely conclude that the situation will If major changes occur, turmoil may break out!”

Grand Duke Constantine snorted coldly: "Yes, he didn't realize how big the problem was at all. He thought he could fool things and solve the problem by making some so-called reforms that didn't look like anything at all... But this was simply wishful thinking. If we really do this, I'm worried that something more serious than the Decembrists will break out... Sigh..."

The sigh of Grand Duke Constantine was really a bit worried about the country and the people, but no one knew his true thoughts in his heart. Maybe he was eager for turmoil to break out. After all, he had been coveting the throne for a long time.

"Let's not talk about these disappointing things!" He sighed and changed the topic. "The most important thing for us now is to unite more supporters of reform. I believe that as long as we can get their support, we can usher in a new era. possible!"

In fact, Grand Duke Constantine originally wanted to say that it was entirely possible to seize power, but considering that it was too red-hot to say so, he changed his words to a euphemistic way.

As for Viscount Prozolov, he naturally pretended not to hear it. He smiled and agreed: "Yes, according to my observation, the majority of people support the reform, especially the military, whose opinions are very strong. If you With their support, nothing is impossible!”

After hearing this, Grand Duke Constantine sighed again, because he felt that he had misjudged the situation before. If he had known that the country's situation was like this when he first came back, how could he be willing to bow to Alexander II?

Even if he couldn't sit in the highest position, he still had to let Alexander II know that he was not someone to be trifled with!