Struggle in Russia

The weather gradually warmed up, and with the arrival of spring 1857, the streets and alleys of St. Petersburg became more lively and no longer seemed so lifeless.

Even though the winter snow has not completely melted, people's hearts are already ready to move. Thousands of eyes are fixed on the St. Petersburg District Court, where today the judgment on the "Voice of Liberty" case will be made.

This case has touched the hearts of too many people, and anyone with a little political sense will know what the verdict means.

If the editors are found guilty, then Grand Duke Constantine will have a lot of fun, and even Alexander II will be severely embarrassed.

And if the editors are found not guilty, it will be a major blow to the reformists, which will almost mean that the reform curtain has just begun and will come to an end.

"What do you think Umerov will be sentenced to?" Little Adlerberg asked Shuvanov in a low voice.

Shuvanov replied absently: "Does it matter how he decides?"

Little Adlerberg was stunned. Isn't the verdict important?

Shuvanov sighed and said: "In my opinion, no matter how he decides, His Majesty and Grand Duke Constantine have already lost!"

Little Adlerberg suddenly stopped talking. He understood what the other party meant. This case was extremely unfavorable to Grand Duke Constantine from the beginning. It was not that Judge Umelovla was biased, but that the editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief of the "Voice of Freedom" had just taken the initiative to Pleaded guilty!

This was like a bolt from the blue, not to mention the many onlookers, even Alexander II and Grand Duke Constantine were stunned.

These two people's initiative to plead guilty means that most of the facts of the case have been confirmed. Is there a need for a trial next?

The defense strategy prepared by Alexander II and Grand Duke Constantine failed from the beginning. The hurried defense lawyer spent a lot of effort not to be taken away in a wave.

However, this beginning was too damaging, directly disrupting the defense's rhythm and strategy, and causing many of their subsequent ideas to go bankrupt.

Sure enough, in the subsequent court debate, the defense was riddled with loopholes and was so beaten that it was almost unable to fight back.

Seeing that something was going wrong, Alexander II and Grand Duke Constantine finally put aside their previous differences and worked together. They mobilized various relationships and connections and used countless means to prevent their loss from being particularly ugly.

This result shocked St. Petersburg. Who would have thought that the emperor and the archduke could only get such a result?

Is this still Russia where the Czar's family dominates?

This climax came so fast that many conservative leaders did not react. By the time they came to their senses, the court hearing had already come to an end. There wasn't much room for them to play at all.

Only then did they realize that something was wrong, and they all tried to save the situation. Some put pressure on Umerov and the local court, and some tried to manipulate public opinion to confuse right and wrong.

However, these methods did not work, because the people of St. Petersburg were sharp-eyed and could naturally see who was right and who was wrong.

Shuvanov clearly saw the struggles of these so-called bosses and was secretly amused at their helplessness.

To him, this case is not important, nor is it important who wins or loses, nor does it matter whether conservatives will be defeated.

Because he believed that he had broken away from that narrow factional concept. He was no longer a conservative or a reformist. He had a new perspective and opened up a new future!

In Shuvanov's view, it doesn't matter who wins or loses in this game, so what if the reformers win? They had long lost the trust and love of Alexander II. They won for a while but lost in the long run.

Once their strength declines in the future, Alexander II will definitely liquidate them and tally the old and new accounts.

As for whether the conservatives will be devastated if they fail, Shuvanov doesn't care. Anyway, his relationship with the conservatives is no longer as close as before. He is considered a marginal person within the faction and does not rely on the conservatives for support.

Naturally, does the life and death of conservatives have much to do with him?

He is now completely convinced by Count Rostovtsev. Look at his state, that's great!

Whether the reformists or the conservatives came to power, his glory and wealth were indispensable. More importantly, the tsar also liked him and made him his confidant.

If you want wind or rain, you can live a free and unrestrained life!

Shuvanov believes that people should live like this, so his current role model is Count Rostovtsev, and his style of doing things is infinitely close to him. I plan to be a detached master from now on, who is unfazed by honor and disgrace and turns his hands to make clouds and rain!

Watching this lawsuit with him is like watching a child play house. In his opinion, it is simply a farce. The reformists and conservatives who participated in the competition are all acting as buffoons. No matter who wins or loses in the end, it is actually a farce. is a loser.

However, he is still looking forward to the follow-up development. He wants to know whether the conservatives can fight back and turn things around. It is not that conservatives have not experienced similar crises in the past few decades, but every time they can turn defeat into victory at the critical moment and create miracles. .

If this miracle can continue, the blow to the reformists will be unprecedented. If they still lose despite having all the advantages, I am afraid that their spirits will collapse and a tree will fall and the hozens will scatter!

He will be very disappointed if this situation occurs, because it means that Russian officialdom will be a stagnant water in the next 20 to 30 years. It’s still a boring situation where the conservative family dominates!

Is Count Shuvanov drifting? Don’t you want to see the conservatives win?

The answer is of course no.

The reason why he has such an idea is that his butt still determines his head.

If the conservatives win, it means that the model of Baryatinsky Prince Gapobedonostsev can meet all challenges.

Naturally, all personnel in Russian officialdom in the future will have to revolve around them. And Shuvanov is not among the confidants of these two people, so of course he can't be reused!

But if the reformists win, the situation will be completely different.

At least it can prove one thing: the cooperation model of Baryatinsky and Pobedonostsev is not enough to meet the challenges of the reformists.

Naturally, conservatives need a more powerful model that can cope with challenges. Future staffing cannot just revolve around those two people.

In this way, Shuvanov will naturally win the opportunity to perform.

Anyone who is not a fool knows how to choose, right?

Little Adlerberg sitting next to him did not know the little thoughts of this "companion". In fact, he was still shocked by Shuvanov's analysis just now.

It's not that he can't accept the failure of the conservatives, but that Count Shuvanov has such a sharp vision! It fully shows how powerful this person is. In time, this guy may be his biggest enemy in the future!