Struggle in Russia

Alexander II finally understood this time. Count Rostovtsev supported Dmitri's opinion. Good guy, this made him feel that his world view was not enough.

Because in his opinion, Count Rostovtsev is still relatively traditional. Although he is not comparable to those particularly stubborn conservatives, he still pays more attention to Russian tradition.

But it is obvious that such a person who values ​​tradition openly supports opinions that go against tradition, which is really unbelievable to him!

"You will support, this is simply... simply..."

Alexander II obviously didn't know how to describe the feeling at this time, but Count Rostovtsev looked calm and replied calmly: "I support any strategy that can solve the problem and maintain stability, even this The strategy is not in line with tradition. I think that before tradition and reality, reality is more important! If the great Russian Empire no longer exists, what is the meaning of those traditions?"

Alexander II nodded, admiring Count Rostovtsev even more. In the past, he actually attached great importance to tradition and felt that only by acting in accordance with tradition can the country maintain stability.

But over the past year or so, he has been troubled by all kinds of weird problems. He found that those so-called traditions could not help solve the problems, and even those who kept emphasizing tradition continued to create problems for him. New problems and troubles overwhelmed him.

So, although he still emphasizes tradition, he actually doesn't take tradition seriously anymore. If there weren't so many people clamoring to stick to tradition, he might not even bother to do this superficial thing.

However, this does not mean that he intends to accept Dmitry's suggestion and implement it immediately. As a tsar and the master of nearly 18 million territories, he is not so impulsive.

It was meaningless for him and Count Rostovtsev to agree on this matter. The old diehards who kept talking about tradition had to also agree. To be honest, he had no idea about this at all.

But now that Count Rostovtsev is here, he doesn't have to worry about it alone. He can just ask others if they have any good ideas!

"...I have a headache now on how to convince those who insist on tradition. It is conceivable that they will object fiercely. Maybe there will be another turmoil. The last thing we need now is a turmoil... Earl, what do you have to say about this? Any good advice?”

Count Rostovtsev raised his head and asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, why do you think there will be fierce opposition? I don't think this will cause any trouble!"

Alexander II was dumbfounded. Wouldn't it cause an unprecedented backlash? This is to pardon the rebels, but also to award them with honors and even knighthoods! Don't those old guys always talk about the ease of the nobility and keep emphasizing that blood is more important than anything else?

Count Rostovtsev calmly replied: "I think you are worrying too much. Most of us who serve you understand the current difficulties... It is only natural to pay a certain price to solve these problems... After all It’s good for everyone to solve these troubles, right?”

Alexander II, however, had no confidence and did not think that each of his ministers was so enlightened.

Count Rostovtsev smiled and said: "If you are really worried about this problem, then I suggest you take a break and prepare to raise taxes..."

Alexander II was stunned. What was this idea? Why raise taxes first?

Will raising taxes make those old stubborns give in?

Count Rostovtsev nodded solemnly and said: "Yes, as long as you announce that you have an idea to raise taxes, and then come up with Count Dmitry Milyutin's suggestion, I think most people will accept it without hesitation. the latter!"

I see!

Alexander II suddenly understood and nodded. This move was too sinister. With the personalities of those old misers, they would definitely be unwilling to raise taxes and take money out of their pockets. Compared with raising taxes, Dmitri's free proposal was naturally easier to pass.

Why can't they object to both, you ask?

It's possible, but no Russian nobles or bureaucrats dare to go against the Tsar again and again. If you want to oppose it, you can only oppose the one who has the greatest impact on your vital interests.

Alexander II felt that he had done the right thing by calling Count Rostovtsev over on this trip. If you look at his level, he would give you some guidance. Follow their strategies and this matter will be solved in minutes!

Sure enough, we still have to listen to the opinions of these mature and prudent officials!

If Count Rostovtsev knew what Alexander II was thinking, he would probably laugh.

He just understands human nature better than Alexander II, and he understands the bad temper of Russian aristocratic bureaucrats better than Alexander II.

When those guys stick their butts out, he knows exactly what to do and has ten thousand ways to make them submit.

On the contrary, it was Li Xiao who made him unable to see through. This young man could always exceed his expectations. Originally, according to his estimation, the rebellion in Ukraine would not end well. Even if Dmitry went there in person, he would not be able to get a good outcome. .

According to his estimation, Ukraine will probably turn into a mess and continue to bleed Russia.

Although he doesn't like the result, in order to solve all the problems in one step, the price is still worth bearing.

But what he didn't expect was that Li Xiao actually found a new way to use bandits to control bandits, preparing to recruit the rebel army to deal with the rebels, and quickly regained Chernihiv with a set of tactics including elimination and elimination. It really impressed him.

If Li Xiao and Dmitry can really quickly promote this method, it is really possible for them to solve the rebellion in Ukraine. In other words, if he does not speed up the pace, his planned plan may be disrupted by these two guys.

After thinking about it, he said to Alexander II: "Your Majesty, given the current situation, the most important task is not to quell the rebellion in Ukraine, but to resolve the ideological chaos in St. Petersburg. We cannot allow all parties to attack each other and hold us back. This will continue. If the chaos continues, even if the rebellion in Ukraine is suppressed, there will be rebellions elsewhere... If we want to make Russia great again, we must unify our thinking as soon as possible!"

Alexander II was stunned. Count Rostovtsev caught him off guard. Even he felt that he had to unify his thoughts as soon as possible. One can imagine how chaotic the current situation was.

But he always had concerns. Although the conservatives were a little useless, their loyalty was not a problem. At least the set of things they insisted on did not harm the emperor's authority, but the reformers were different...