Struggle in Russia

St. Petersburg, Royal Library of the Hermitage.

Alexander II was not as "diligent" as his father Nicholas I, but as the rebellion in Ukraine intensified, he had to spend more time listening to relevant reports and making corresponding decisions.

To be honest, when that series of bad news was placed on his desk, he felt the blood vessels in his forehead beating. For the first time, he had the urge to kill someone.

This certain person naturally refers to Ukrainian bureaucrats, big and small, and the first among them is Governor Ulanov.

In his eyes, Ulanov was already synonymous with trash. If some very influential senior ministers had not been helping him explain and put in good words, he would have been furious and ordered him to be dismissed on the spot and escorted back to St. Petersburg for trial.

But Alexander II was in a pretty good mood today, because the good news of Dmitry Milyutin finally arrived. After seeing the news of Chernihiv's recovery, he was greatly relieved. It had been several days since he finally got decent good news!

"The recovery of Chernihiv is a turning point in this counter-insurgency war!" Alexander II immediately set the tone. He praised highly: "Count Dmitry Milyutin performed well and completed it well. He has accomplished the task I gave him and will give him a commendation. I hope he will continue to work hard and strike while the iron is hot to regain more lost ground as soon as possible and quell the rebellion as soon as possible!"

For all the imperial ministers, this topic has the proper meaning, and they will certainly not object foolishly. However, they would also keep an eye on the situation as it unfolded, and would certainly try to intervene if Alexander II showed any worrisome tendencies.

Alexander II continued: "According to Count Milyutin's feedback, the scale of this rebellion and the number of rebels far exceeded previous expectations. According to his statement, the conservative estimate of the rebels is more than 300,000. , the troops in his hands alone cannot quickly quell the rebellion...which means we must mobilize more troops to the counter-insurgency battlefield!"

As soon as this statement came out, the ministers caused a sensation, especially the recently appointed Finance Minister Bungi, who immediately expressed opposition: "Your Majesty, if more troops need to be mobilized into Ukraine to counter the rebellion, the national treasury will be exhausted immediately! Considering the current extremely severe situation, With fiscal deficits and tax revenue expectations for years to come, this behavior will bankrupt us!"

Prime Minister Neserrodie wasted no time in expressing his opposition: "Not only is it not economically feasible, but considering the harsh winter traffic conditions, large-scale military mobilization at this time is tantamount to suicide, even for people without military knowledge. I know it’s not advisable to do this!”

Alexander II frowned. He had heard enough about the lack of money these days. Because of the fiscal deficit problem, he has had to cut many traditional expenditures, making the royal family increasingly shabby and poor.

But we still have to listen to the words of the Chancellor of Finance, otherwise what will happen if people give up the job immediately? He also expected Bunge to use his good personal connections to issue public bonds in Frankfurt to raise money!

But the rebellion in Ukraine cannot be left alone. Dmitri made it very clear that the rebels in Ukraine are already ready to expand and develop. Once this group of people comes towards Belarus or Moscow, what will happen? manage?

Do you want to watch them mess up everything?

He pondered for a moment and suddenly asked: "Prince Mikhail, as Minister of War, what do you think of this?"

Mikhail Gorchakov knew Alexander II's thoughts very well, and as Minister of War he had to speak for Dmitry Milyutin both emotionally and rationally.

But this is not easy to say!

After thinking for a while, he replied: "Your Majesty, it is an established national policy to put down the rebellion as soon as possible, but it is also a fact that finances are tight. The current plan can only be coordinated as much as possible and raise as much funds as possible..."

There is nothing new in this. To put it bluntly, it is meaningless and correct nonsense.

Anyway, Alexander II wanted to roll his eyes when he heard this. He was very disdainful of Prince Mikhail and felt that this veteran was really old and confused.

What's the point of having a dime with Ni Ni at this time? You think Neserrodie and Bunji will understand and appreciate it, but they will only think you are talking nonsense and will despise you, okay?

To take a step back, as the Minister of War, you should also stand on the side of the Tsar and must speak to the Tsar. If you don't resolutely safeguard the interests of the Army at this time, what is the use of you?

Alexander II was just about to hit Prince Mikhail, but who would have thought that he would continue: "Counterinsurgency is the most important matter at present. If the rebels are allowed to wreak havoc, more land will be affected in the future, and it will be even more difficult to control the rebellion." If you don't pay taxes, you can't get money... This is a vicious cycle. The more money you don't use to counter rebellion, the more raging the rebellion will be, and the tighter the national treasury will be in the future..."

Alexander II swallowed back the words that came to his lips. Prince Mikhail had already explained the truth thoroughly. If the rebellion cannot be quelled as soon as possible, the finances will only become more tense in the future. If this vicious cycle continues, the country will be finished!

Of course, this possibility is quite small, but Alexander II felt that the logic was good. At least it could block the bad faces of Bungi and Neserrode who kept talking about things with money.

But Bunji was not easy to mess with. He immediately retorted: "You are right, but it is also true that the national treasury is tight. I can't conjure money for you without money!"

Bungie came up with his trump card, which was to ask for money. Anyway, if you don’t have money, what can you do to me?

This move made Alexander II speechless, because every time he forced Bunji to ask for money, he always did this, and there was nothing new at all!

It's just that he has no idea about this move, because when pressed, Bunji will give up his choice. Who will be able to block this trap at that time?

He opened his mouth and was speechless. Seeing that his goal was achieved, Bunji was about to sit down when he heard Duke Alexander Gorchakov suddenly say: "You keep saying that the finances are tight, but how tight are the finances? How much money is left in the treasury?”

Without waiting for Bunji to speak, he said to himself: "Where will the bulk of the Ministry of Finance's expenditures be in the future? Why don't you explain it carefully, and let's see if there is any way to reduce expenditures. After all, it will only take a moment to quell the rebellion. No delay!"

Bunge was stunned. As Neserrodie's fellow countryman and ally, the reason why he kept talking about financial constraints was that although there were indeed factors of financial constraints, he mostly tried to help Neserrodie. The reason for the overlapping purpose.

Only by creating an atmosphere of financial tension would Alexander II dare not make large-scale personnel adjustments, and Neserrodie's position as prime minister could be preserved. This is the consensus of the German party members!