Struggle in Russia

Paskovich still didn't care much: "Sarnia, you just think too much. I know His Majesty, and I know that old man Menshikov better. You think he is the kind of person who will be easily defeated. ?"

Before Chernyshev could answer, Paskovich waved his hand and continued forcefully, "Unless Menshikov suffered a major defeat or rebelled, His Majesty would never take him down easily." of."

"You can rest assured that Menshikov will be fine. The navy will not jump out of our palms if he is fine. Everything will remain the same. The pillars of the empire can only be us. Military expenditures and personnel are all based on us. Lord, you can't turn the sky!"

"If you have the time to worry about these things, you might as well think more about Wallachia and Moldavia. Haven't you noticed that His Majesty is becoming more and more impatient?"

Chernyshov was taken aback for a moment, he was still a little worried about Menshikov. After all, the old eunuch's opponent was Grand Duke Constantine, who was Nicholas I's favorite son after all. Moreover, he knew that the Grand Duke was inclined to reform. Once the Grand Duke was allowed to control the Ministry of the Navy, the whole navy would inevitably undergo a comprehensive reform. What if Nicholas I felt that the revolution in the navy was very good and it was extended to the army?

This is what Chernyshov is most worried about and most afraid of. It doesn't matter whether Menshikov is dead or alive or whoever becomes the Minister of the Navy. Anyway, it doesn't matter as long as it doesn't affect his interests!

It's just that Paskovich is Nicholas I's closest veteran after all, and his understanding of Nicholas I is beyond ordinary people. He said that Menshikov is fine, so there should be a guarantee, right?

Chernyshev sighed and said, "Even so, you still need to be more concerned and tell His Majesty when you have time, don't let that hairy kid like Grand Duke Konstantin mess around. Otherwise, if His Majesty thinks it's very good , Let the army follow suit, I will be very embarrassed!"

Paskovich finally put away his indifference, and said slightly moved: "Okay, it makes sense. Don't bother if you can. The army can change whatever they want, and it's fine now!"

At the end, he warned again: "You should also pay more attention to the affairs of Wallachia and Moldavia, this is a fat job!"

Chernyshev naturally agreed wholeheartedly, and he also knew that Nicholas I would focus on that place in the future, and the benefits involved were immeasurable, but he also had some contempt for his father:

[Half of his body is buried in the ground, and he still wants to make military achievements. This is because the Turks are easy to bully. Are you going to get yourself a prince title too! 】

Chernyshov was well aware. Two years ago, according to Nicholas I's instructions, the Finnish Parliament added a princely title to Menshikov, which made my father envious and jealous. The Ukrainian old blind thinks that his military exploits are 10,000 times better than the old eunuch who beat Turkey and was bombarded with his younger brother. But the old eunuch has become a prince, and he is only the Duke of Warsaw. The father who wants to save face really can't bear to lose to an eunuch!

Chernyshev was also willing to fulfill Paskovich's ambitions, but things were not so simple in Wallachia and Moldavia. That ghost place is poor, rotten and chaotic, and the empire's repeated military deployments are always a lot of constraints. It took a lot of effort to turn Wallachia and Moldavia into "autonomous" principalities subject to Russia. It was ten thousand miles away from the Balkan "paradise" that Nicholas I expected to establish the Orthodox Church and the Slavs.

Especially since 1846, as incidents at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem intensified, relations between Russia and France, Russia and Ottoman Turkey, and Russia and Britain have declined in an avalanche.

Especially the relationship with France is terrible, both sides revolve around the door key of the Church of the Nativity (Greek priests who believe in the Orthodox Church are the managers of the Church of the Nativity, but the manger church behind the Church of the Nativity belongs to Catholicism, and to enter the Church of the Manger must pass through the Church of the Nativity, So the Latin priest headed by France also holds the door key of the Church of the Nativity,

The Greeks expressed strong dissatisfaction), the key of the Nativity Grotto (the grotto is located under the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus is said to have been born), and the silver star inlaid by the French in the Nativity Grotto (the French inlaid it on the grotto floor in the 18th century. A silver star, engraved with the French coat of arms and Latin inscriptions, was stolen in 1847 by what the French believed to be the work of hostile Greeks).

Foreign Minister Nesselrode had to summon the French ambassador to Russia to protest in person almost every now and then. The French side also often mentions the Russian ambassador to France to vent their anger.

So much so that now France and Russia are not in the same way, and they will spit and curse at each other whenever they have the opportunity. Fortunately, the two countries do not border each other, otherwise the angry believers would definitely fight to the death.

To make matters worse, these religious nonsense greatly stimulated the nerves of Nicholas I. The emperor who claimed to be extremely devout to his heavenly father and the spokesperson and guardian of the Orthodox Church could not tolerate repeated provocations from France, which he hated the most, and had an idea to solve the religious issue once and for all.

The tsarist once and for all is actually war, the so-called "jihad" by Nicholas I. He was tired of the Ottoman Sultan not honoring the treaty signed with Russia, and he was tired of the infidels still occupying Jerusalem, and even more tired of the same despicable The shameless French gossip endlessly.

Nicholas I wants to use a hearty victory to declare to the world that he is the guardian of Christ and the saint who acts on behalf of the Father's will on earth. He wants to destroy Turkey and recover Constantinople, and he wants to organize a new crusade to recover the Holy Land!

Nicholas I's grand aspirations led to almost irreconcilable contradictions between him and France and Turkey. But now it is no longer possible for the Duke of Wellington to act as a peacemaker to force Turkey to make concessions like when he just took the throne, because the British are also extremely impatient with his ambitions, and they are eager to find a chance to teach him a lesson.

It's just that in 1847, Russia's illusory power was still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Nicholas I arrogantly believed that he was the head of European kings, and destroying Turkey was as easy as pushing against a broken wall.

According to his request, Chernyshov began to mobilize military forces in the Black Sea region. On the one hand, he stockpiled supplies, and on the other hand, he vigorously developed and agitated the Leading Party in Wallachia and Moldavia, constantly creating friction and conflicts. dispute.

These tasks are cumbersome and complicated, taking up too much energy of Chernyshov. If it weren't for Menshikov's big business, he really wouldn't be able to spare energy to "nosy". Now that Paskovich has assured Menshikov that there will be no major incidents, he is also happy to relax, and hurry to get busy with business, so as not to delay the schedule and make Nicholas I dissatisfied...