Struggle in Russia

When Alexander II was the crown prince, he may not have been so concerned about the sanctity and seriousness of imperial power. Naturally, although there is no support for the reform, there is no strong resistance either.

At that time, he probably felt like watching a play. It was quite leisurely to sit there and watch his father Nicholas I turn his hands to make clouds and rain.

But after he sat on the throne, the feeling was completely different, and he took the power in his hands very seriously. He deeply understands how important power is, and how abominable it is to ask him to decentralize power!

Naturally, the reformists who have been clamoring for reform and changing traditions must not have a good impression.

According to his idea, reform should be carried out as long as it can be postponed.

But now it seems like I can’t put it off anymore?

Alexander II looked at Count Rostovtsev, who looked solemn. Even this veteran minister who tended to be conservative now told him that he must make a decision. One can imagine how bad the situation was.

Of course, he would not believe Count Rostovtsev so easily, but asked calmly: "Why did you mention this all of a sudden? Did you hear some news?"

Count Rostovtsev replied seriously: "Your Majesty, Count Neserrodie is gone, some things must change, otherwise..."

At the beginning, Alexander II didn't understand what the relationship between Neserrodie's departure and reform or no reform had.

Fortunately, he had grown tremendously over the past year, and after a few more turns in his mind, he finally figured out the reason.

On the surface, Neserrode's departure does not seem to have anything to do with the reform or not. But this person is actually a conservative in the strict sense. He is definitely one who supports maintaining Russia's traditional order.

It's just that his conservative position is not as obvious and strong as that of Count Uvarov, but his departure is actually a loss of conservative power.

In other words, the reformists have one less opponent, and the indirect reformists are stronger!

And this means that if there is another conflict between conservatives and reformers, the reformers are likely to have a greater advantage.

Don't underestimate this advantage. Even Alexander II would not dare to say that he was 100% sure of suppressing the reformists.

In other words, when the reformists strongly demand reform again, Alexander II still wants to confuse things vaguely, but I am afraid he will not be able to do so!

What should I do if I can’t fool him?

Naturally, this will make the reformists extremely angry and dissatisfied. Previously, they were targeting the conservatives. Once they feel that the real enemy is the tsar, what will happen?

Maybe there will be another Decembrist incident, and I'm afraid the reformists will raise their swords and go to Luo to punish them.

Even if Alexander II was confident that he would deal with them again just like before, how would it end?

Although Nicholas I finally won an overwhelming victory in the Decembrist incident that year. But the whole country actually sympathized with the Decembrists and worshiped them as national heroes.

From the point of view of people's hearts, the Decembrists did not lose. They used their tragic experiences to awaken Russia's path of reform and innovation. Generations after generations of Russian revolutionaries almost all regarded the Decembrists as their idols. From this point of view, Nicholas I stood firmly on the opposite side of history, and his image was not generally bad.

If Alexander II behaves like this again, it goes without saying that his image will definitely not be any better than that of his father. He might lose people's hearts all of a sudden, and no matter what he does next, he won't be able to win a good review.

What's more, the strength of the reformists this time is not ordinary. They almost represent the most elite existence in Russian officialdom. To clear these people out in one go is almost equivalent to stabbing the already shaky Russian Empire again.

It is really possible that the world will be in chaos!

After thinking about this, Alexander II's face suddenly became ugly, because he realized that he seemed to have done another stupid thing by driving Neserrode away.

The sad resignation of this old prime minister represents a complete imbalance in the strength of the reformists and conservatives. He personally broke the balance that was barely maintained. Unless he immediately supports a conservative prime minister who can calm the situation, he can only act honestly Accept the demands of the reformists!

Alexander II felt ashamed of his hindsight. Look at him, he was secretly proud of driving Neserrodie away. He felt that he had driven away a nasty person without any effort and squeezed money from the treasury. How awesome it is!

Who would have thought this turned out to be a trap!

Alexander II regretted it and felt that the millions of money obtained from the Ministry of Finance were not good at all. For such a small amount of money, he actually changed the balance of power that had been maintained with great difficulty, and personally released the tiger of the reformists from the cage!

If Alexander II was given a chance to regret, he would definitely let Neserrodie go, no matter how annoying the old guy was!

It’s just that it’s too late now, it’s hard to stop the flood!

The way he looked at Count Rostovtsev changed. This man's level was really high! No wonder he didn't speak when the conservatives and reformers besieged Neserrodie. I'm afraid he had already seen the problem, but he just couldn't explain it clearly.

After the incident happened, he reminded him to make a decision as early as possible. If he didn't make preparations in advance, once the reformists started making trouble, there would be no way to end it!

Alexander II's love and respect for Count Rostovtsev invisibly reached a new level. He was secretly grateful that his old father had left him such a sober veteran, otherwise he might not have known about the reformists' uprising. Woolen cloth!

"What do you think can be done now to minimize the impact?" Alexander II asked with a grimace.

"Your Majesty, the rise of liberal elements is inevitable. Forcibly suppressing them is probably not the best strategy. In my opinion, it is better to block them than to remove them. I can only let them try..."

Alexander II also knew that this outcome was probably inevitable, but Count Rostovtsev's words still made him feel heavy. He was just trying to save his face. The reality was that he couldn't be stopped at all!

However, there is a skill in how to sparse. Alexander II asked again: "In which areas do you think I should make concessions?"

Count Rostovtsev said flatly: "If you must reform, please start with the army and navy!"

Alexander II was shocked. In his opinion, concessions to the reformists should start from the most insignificant department, and the military department is the backbone of the country. If you let this hole open at the beginning, wouldn't it be courting death?