Struggle in Russia

Leonid almost ran away, his nerves were as determined as he lost his composure. One can imagine what the real person involved, Grand Duke Constantine, was feeling in his heart. I'm afraid he was full of criticism.

But Li Xiao was very happy, thinking about what Grand Duke Constantine said in the Privy Council Square that day. Look at his heartfelt admiration just now, and finally look at his shit-green face now, he doesn't even have the pleasure of pretending, okay?

Li Xiao even wished that Leonid would walk a little slower or simply stop dissuading Grand Duke Constantine, so that he would show his real body gorgeously when this guy bowed his head, I'm afraid it would scare this guy to death!

【Ha ha ha ha! 】

This is Li Xiao's heartfelt voice, he tried his best to hold back his smile, pretending to be a gentleman who is indifferent to fame and fortune. But those who are familiar with him, such as Vishniak and Boris, can tell that someone is already happy.

Of course, in fact, the two brothers are quite happy in their hearts. It's just like the happy crowd watching the melon-eating crowd happily. They wish they could have more fun.

Grand Duke Constantine really wanted to cry, but he never thought that today would be so unlucky. According to his original plan, visit Author A and then use the domineering charm of the Grand Duke of the Empire to convince the other party, so that the other party will bow down and follow him. Then he has an extra senior staff member who is a naval technical expert, and then he can wrestle with the old eunuch Menshikov to recover the old debt in one fell swoop.

But now, it's not like that at all, okay? Even if he convinced Li Xiao with the domineering charm of the Grand Duke of the Empire, Grand Duke Constantine would not dare to accept Li Xiao as his younger brother, okay? His father is holding back to kill someone right now, so accepting someone as a younger brother isn't the same as playing against his own father and looking for trouble!

Grand Duke Constantine is not tired of life, let alone the hobby of dying. He will never do such stupid things. What's more, he knows very well that even if he has the domineering charm of the Grand Duke of the Empire, the dwarf on the other side is not so convincing!

Grand Duke Constantine knew very well that this cousin was a stubborn ass since he was a child, and he hated their family so much, how could he turn his enemy into a friend and sell himself to join him?

So his so-called perfect plan is really nothing, that is to say, his trip today is meaningless except for being a laughing stock and being ridiculed by Li Xiao and others.

Immediately, Grand Duke Constantine's complexion became unsightly, and he felt like turning his face on the spot.

At this critical moment, Li Xiao stepped forward to save himself and his little friend: "Kostya, what do you want to talk about when you come to see me? Are you also interested in the modernization of the navy?"

These words immediately curbed the ruthless heart of Grand Duke Constantine, and made this careful and thoughtful Grand Duke constantly weigh the gains and losses, calculate and entangle, and remained silent for a long time.

At this time Li Xiao spoke again, and he made a gesture of invitation: "Then come in and talk! It's so cold outside, even if you have nothing to say, it's not too late to have a cup of hot tea to warm you up before leaving!"

Grand Duke Constantine still did not speak, he scanned Li Xiao again, and then walked in with difficulty.

Grand Duke Constantine's choice made Li Xiao secretly heave a sigh of relief. He was really worried that this guy would just walk away in a rage, which would be a bit bad. Although Grand Duke Constantine didn't say anything now, and his face was still ugly, staying can explain a lot of problems.

"Boria, take out the Darjeeling black tea I bought last time, and the box of cookies from Viscount Petrovic's house. Grand Duke Constantine likes cookies, so we must use the best!"

Boris was stunned, he didn't understand why Li Xiao was so "enthusiastic". He saw it in front of the Bronze Horseman last time. The relationship between these two cousins ​​was in a mess. How could they become like a family again in the blink of an eye?

Boris was dumbfounded and just about to ask what happened, when Vishniak behind him kicked his calf involuntarily and urged: "Don't be dumbfounded,

fool. Hurry up and get ready, Your Excellency the Grand Duke is a distinguished guest, you can't neglect it! "

Boris left in a daze, while Li Xiao and Vishniak enthusiastically welcomed Grand Duke Constantine in. So why are they so enthusiastic?

The reason is very simple. Li Xiao and Vishniak are not idiots like Boris. Although they won a victory before, and although they defeated Messadov's plot just now, the overall situation is still extremely difficult for them. Adverse.

To put it bluntly, the strength of Li Xiao and the others is too disparate compared with the strength of the enemy. It is basically a duel between an adult professional boxing champion and a minor polio patient. The balance of victory was completely tilted to the opponent's side, and they couldn't see any possibility of a comeback.

In such an extremely bad situation, it is very important to divide and disintegrate the enemy and unite all forces that can be united to strengthen ourselves.

And Grand Duke Constantine is obviously the one who can be united. Yes, the Grand Duke, like his father and elder brother, hated Li Xiao very much, and wished he could be killed quickly.

But his interests and those of his father and brother are not exactly the same. The grand duke was ambitious and single-mindedly sought for a higher position and greater power, and it was impossible for his father and brother to fully satisfy him.

Neither Nicholas I nor Crown Prince Alexander wanted someone who could threaten the imperial power, even if this existence was his own son or younger brother. As long as Grand Duke Constantine does not give up his ambition, those two will always guard him and suppress his ambition.

From this perspective, Grand Duke Constantine is actually hostile to Nicholas I and Alexander. It's just that this kind of hostility is hidden very deeply and subtly, and it cannot be revealed until the critical time.

But both Grand Duke Constantine, Nicholas I and Crown Prince Alexander knew in their hearts that they had potential conflicts of interest. So this pair of father and son brothers is also a plastic father and son brotherhood. As long as core interests are involved, they will definitely turn their backs on each other.

Not only is there a shadow hidden between father and son, but also between Grand Duke Constantine and Menshikov. The old eunuch greatly hindered his money-making plan, and he didn't pay much attention to him. He even held the power of the Admiralty and never let go of it, making it impossible for the Grand Duke Constantine who wanted to do things and show himself .

This is also a deep hatred, okay?

In this way, the enemies of Grand Duke Constantine are, in a sense, the same as those of Li Xiao and the others. In other words, the two sides have a basis for cooperation. Although this basis is very weak and loose, cooperation can be discussed if there is a basis. It is nothing more than a trade-off and exchange of interests, isn't it?