Struggle in Russia

Chapter 168 Storm

bucharest. Headquarters of the Romanian Brotherhood.

In this cold winter day, the hearts of Romanians are warm. Since Russia ended its "protection" of the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia in 1834, the anti-Russian independence movement has flourished with the secret support of Britain and France.

For the Romanian national liberation movement, the tsar was not more liked by them than the Turkish sultan, although Wallachia and Moldavia got rid of the control of Ottoman Turkey to a certain extent with the support of the tsar. But the tsar's desire to control the two duchies was no weaker than that of the Turkish sultan, and even worse.

For example, the governors of the two principalities are completely puppets of the tsar, and the "Organizational Regulations" of the constitutional nature of the two principalities are basically the embodiment of the tsar's will. There is no democracy and no self-government, and some are just centralized rule.

For the members of the Romanian Brotherhood who grew up in Paris, the French-style revolution and freedom were more in line with their tastes, and they hated the barbaric and backward Russians, so this spring, they took some action.

"Do it?" Cavour asked.

Strathford Canning took out his pocket watch with a smile on his face, looked at it, nodded and said, "We've already done it!"

Cavour breathed a sigh of relief, stood up excitedly, walked back and forth a few times, and said, "Are you sure?"

Canning replied confidently: "Very big!"

Canning is indeed right about this point. The Romanian Brotherhood’s uprising is indeed very confident. The tsar’s rule in Wallachia and Moldavia really made the Romanians very uncomfortable, and now the British have acquiesced. The French are also against Russia, and could there be a better time?

With the sound of a trumpet, the people of Bucharest poured into the streets and began large-scale demonstrations. They surrounded the official residence of the governor, the Russian puppet Prince Georgi Bibescu, and threw everything they could find at the palace, including and It's not limited to rocks, rotten eggs, rotten leaves, and poop.

The poor puppet prince was terrified. Under the protection of a few guards, he hid in the palace and did not dare to show his face. He could only send his entourage to the Russian consulate in disguise to ask for help.

But at this time, the situation of the Russian Consul General was not much better than that of the prince, or even worse. Angry Romanians also surrounded the Russian Consulate General and surrounded it with water. Soon after, the Romanian soldiers, who were heart-warming to the people, brought in cannons and set up their positions. It seemed that they might attack the Consulate General at any time.

"What are these bloody bastards trying to do?"

Viscount Beolgi, the Russian consul general, was terrified by the sight outside the window.

He paced nervously around the office like a restless dirt dog.

"Where are our troops?"

The Consul General asked hysterically, and when he learned that the nearest troops were still in Kahur and Bolgrad, he immediately collapsed.

"Must retreat immediately! Immediately! Immediately!"

Viscount Beolgi frantically gave orders, but where to flee? Is there a safe place in Bucharest? It is said that the whole city has rioted. Anti-Russians guard all major intersections and arteries, check every passing carriage, and declare that they will hang all Russians.

Viscount Beolgi didn't want to die, let alone die in this ghost place of Bucharest. In St. Petersburg, he still has a beautiful wife, beautiful concubine, and a luxurious villa. The huge family property is still waiting for him to enjoy. He doesn't want to be sent to the gallows by Romanian mud legs.

"To the Austrian Consulate! Yes! To the Austrian Consulate!"

In a panic, Viscount Beolgi thought of the only reliable ally in Bucharest, only the Austrians are reliable, right?

In a hurry, Viscount Beolgi and his entourage fled to the Austrian Consulate General under the cover of guards and "killed a bloody path". He was so impressed by this narrow escape that he returned to St. Petersburg a few months later to publish a book, Adventures in Bucharest, about how he heroically led his men to survive.

Of course, the real scene isn't that scary. There was no survival. The Romanian demonstrators showed great restraint. Apart from shooting into the sky to scare the Russian Consul General who was desperately trying to escape, they almost watched him flee into the Austrian Consulate General.

All of this was arranged. The Romanian Brotherhood was not stupid. They didn't plan to hang Viscount Beolgi on a lamppost, so doing it would not do any good except to completely anger Nicholas I.

The Romanians tended to scare away the timid Viscount Beolgi, so that he could not give any support to Prince Georgi Bibescu who was isolated in the palace. When the prince does not have the support and reassurance of Russia, it is conceivable that he will not last long.

"pretty!"

Cavour gave a heartfelt admiration. The British played their tricks really well. They actually scared the Russians away by just peaceful demonstrations. Unsurprisingly, the situation in Romania will soon deteriorate.

In this way, the attention of Nicholas I must be attracted to the past. With the temper of the self-willed tsar, there must be a reaction, and as long as he reacts, the Austrians and the French will also have a chain reaction, especially the Austrians, although as allies of Tsarist Russia, the relationship between the two countries is extraordinary , but in the face of national interests, the Austrians probably won't let the Russians do what they want, and the fun will definitely be good at that time.

"What's the next step?" Cavour asked.

Canning replied with a smile: "Of course, everything is going well, why not business as usual?"

The two looked at each other with a smile, and lightly clinked their wine glasses, looking forward to everything that would happen next. When the powder kegs of the Balkans are lit, everything will be completely different!

Indeed, everything will be different. But this difference is not exactly in line with what Canning and Cavour envisioned. They may not have imagined what kind of storm will come next!

St. Petersburg, the Hermitage!

Nicholas I's face was ashen. In front of him, Prime Minister Nesselrode dropped his hands, because the news was really embarrassing. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister had no idea that the situation in Bucharest would deteriorate so quickly!

Almost overnight, the Romanian mob paralyzed the entire city, scared away Viscount Beolgi, and threatened Prince Georgi Bibescu to abdicate. A new constitution was promulgated in a flash, and a Republic!

"Republic!" Nicholas I yelled at Nesselrode, "They dared to establish a republic. This is a provocation! It is a provocation! This is a replica of the French Revolution! They are declaring war on us! Absolutely intolerable!"

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