Struggle in Russia

From Vorontsov's perspective, there is nothing to be happy about when Alexander II promoted him to military rank this time. On the contrary, it feels a little pity for him or a last resort.

So it's normal for him to be in a low mood and not take it seriously, especially when he knew about the previous assassination. Although Li Xiao nipped all the hidden dangers in the bud, he must have felt very uncomfortable in his heart, especially when he knew about the assassination. After being associated with promotion to military rank, he would have a feeling: Did your Alexander II give me a sweet date and then give me a stick?

Anyway, after such a fuss, he felt even less grateful to Alexander for being promoted to military rank.

"If you don't give it to the marshal, I won't give it to you," the old man said with a sly smile. "Just in case someone pokes you in the back, saying that I, the marshal, got here by relying on my old skills and pretending to be old!"

Does anyone dare to say such gossip?

Don’t tell me, it’s true. After all, Duke Vorontsov has been in semi-retirement for the past few years. Even at the most critical moment of the Crimean War, this man was not pushed back to the front line. He was just organized in his hometown. The so-called volunteer army.

So when Alexander II suddenly wanted to promote him, there must have been people who said weird things, especially those conservatives who had long disliked him, and the words they said in a weird and strange manner were not ordinary unpleasant.

Li Xiao immediately smiled and said: "If you are promoted to marshal, it is pitiful to rely on your elders and pretend to be old, then what does it mean when Menshikov was promoted to general and Paskovich was promoted to marshal? Are you lucky?"

These words scratched the itch of Vorontsov. What he disliked the most in his life were these two guys. Paskovich was relatively good and had some military exploits, but Menshikov, the navy minister And where did the titles Admiral and Prince come from? It’s really annoying!

When the old man was happy, he patted Li Xiao on the shoulder and laughed: "Yes, what you said makes sense. Compared with those shameless guys, I am a well-deserved marshal!"

At this point, the old man suddenly sighed and said: "Then again, even if I am a marshal, it doesn't make much sense now. I can no longer go to the battlefield with my old bones. It is of no use at all." …”

Li Xiao quickly comforted him: "Duke, you are wrong. Your promotion to marshal is expected by everyone, and who said you are useless? In my opinion, you are still strong and useful!"

Vorontsov smiled sadly and said: "You don't need to comfort me, I know my own business."

Li Xiao shook his head and said seriously: "I am not trying to comfort you. Think about it, the top priority now is reform. In my opinion, not only the political economy needs reform, but the military also urgently needs change... After the above After this war, it is not difficult to see that our army is no longer the invincible lion that could dominate the European continent. On the contrary, it has fallen far behind the times. If we don't catch up, we may be further and further behind!"

Vorontsov nodded slowly. Although he had been semi-retired for a long time, this did not prevent him from examining the current situation of the Russian army. To put it bluntly, the performance of the Russian army this time was really bad, whether it was command, organization or equipment. It was all a mess, even more chaotic than when Napoleon was beating him.

How could such an army compete with Britain and France? So reform is indeed very necessary!

But Vorontsov is also self-aware. He knows the difference between himself and famous generals like Suvonov. He does not think that he is a famous general. To put it bluntly, he is just the eldest son among short men. It is okay to despise Menshikov and his like, but it is impossible for him to go down in history like Suvonov.

What's more, he has been away from the army for too long and does not have a very intuitive and specific understanding of the problems existing in the Russian army. Reform is most about details. How can he be helpful to reform if he does not understand the details?

"You can't say that," Li Xiao shook his head and said, "As far as the current situation is concerned, reform is not a question of how to do it, but a question of whether to change it... You probably don't know that after going through this It was a disastrous defeat. Some of our generals still stubbornly believe that the failure is not a technical problem, but an objective factor caused by insufficient troops and insufficient morale. They believe that the Russian army does not need to change and that it is best to maintain the status quo..."

Vorontsov was just a little stunned. Obviously he was no stranger to this argument. He said disdainfully: "Just like before, some people always refuse to change. No, it's not that they refuse to change, but they are unwilling to give up their own bottles. I'm afraid my own interests will be damaged!"

At this point, he snorted coldly: "Is it because Paskovich and his gang are saying weird things?"

Li Xiao chuckled and said, "That's not true. He is currently living in Warsaw and is very honest. It is said that he is very ill and seems to be unable to speak."

Vorontsov suddenly lost consciousness, because Paskovich and him were both figures of the same era. They both came from the Napoleonic era and experienced the cruel test of 1812.

Although he later rose to great heights thanks to his better relationship with Nicholas I, and overtaking at a corner came to bear on him, he was still a little sad to hear that Paskovich was dying. People of his generation were dying. Withered, it is really a generation replacing the old!

It took him a while to come back to his senses and asked: "It's not Paskovich, is it Menshikov who is unwilling to be lonely again?"

Li Xiao shook his head and said: "No, he was quite honest in Kronshtadt and basically didn't interfere with anything."

Vorontsov was surprised now and asked puzzledly: "Who is that?"

"Prince Baryatinsky."

Vorontsov was really shocked when he heard this name, because he knew a little bit about Baryatinsky. At least he thought that this person was different from Menshikov and others, so he accused him of being in the Caucasus. His performance, not to mention being a famous general, is at least qualified in terms of ability. He should be one of the outstanding generals in the current Russian army.

How can such a person say such ignorant things and think that the military does not need reform? Isn't this a joke?

After thinking for a while, Vorontsov replied sadly: "He must have had no choice. After all, he is His Majesty's man, and it is impossible for him to say good things for the reform!"

But Li Xiao doesn't particularly agree: "I don't necessarily agree. Although he opposes reform because his butt determines his head, I think he has always been conservative and does not agree with reform from the bottom of his heart, so he opposes it." I’m afraid the reform also comes from the heart!”

Vorontsov suddenly stopped talking. Through Li Xiao's words, he thought of more things and gained a new understanding of the problems faced by the reform, which made him worried...