Struggle in Russia

Leaving aside Nicholas I's ever-changing thoughts, let's talk about Nesselrode. The poor old Prime Minister returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion with his head down and his face full of frustration. Thinking of this trip to the Winter Palace, he was really angry.

All his good deeds were messed up by Paskovich, an old man. If it weren't for this bad old man, Nicholas I would have agreed to fully assist Austria without any political requests.

And now? Not at all. Nicholas I wanted Wallachia and Moldavia, which was completely out of the question. How could he explain to Metternich and his Austrian friends?

It has to be said that Nesselrode is really biased on the Austrian issue, probably because of his nature as a German, he likes Austria very much, the leader of the German states.

In particular, he had a close personal relationship with Metternich and admired him so much that he almost tended to myth Metternich's ability. So as long as the Austrian issue is involved, his starting point is not to safeguard the national interests of Russia, but to safeguard the interests of the alliance between Austria and Russia.

This was the case during the European revolutions of 1848, and it was still the case when there were conflicts and disputes between Austria and Prussia after that. In a sense, Nesselrode's inclinations and preferences influenced the overall situation of Russia's diplomacy, leading to very bad and bad influence.

Of course, before the Crimean War, because Nicholas I’s inflated ambition was no longer restrained by him, in order to keep his own status, he had no choice but to adopt an adventurous policy and put all his eggs in one basket. A lifetime of coordinationism has brought Russia into the abyss.

"Your Majesty has a new request. We must do our best to improve the relationship with Austria, so that Austrian friends can support us in obtaining special status in Wallachia and Moldavia! Be sure to be very comprehensive, and everything must be done properly!"

When he said this, Nesselrode almost gritted his teeth, and not only he gritted his teeth, but also his confidants, because almost all of them were Germans and they all had a good impression of Austria. It can be said that they are almost all the shadows of Nesselrode.

"Prime Minister? What's the matter? How did His Majesty suddenly have such an idea! Doesn't he know that this will destroy our good relations with Austria and destroy our alliance?"

Nesselrode replied angrily: "It's not the idea of ​​that bastard Alexander Gorchakov! This guy is so bad, he only wants to destroy our previous achievements, just to destroy the Holy Alliance. This person has lost his mind and there is no cure for it!"

Immediately there was a unanimous denunciation of Alexander Gorchakov in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nesselrode and his disciples and grandchildren were very sensitive to this non-German alien in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They have been suppressing and repel.

How can they not be angry now that they learned that this alien ruined their good deeds! How can you not get angry!

"It should be recalled immediately!"

"Yes! Change to a more reliable ambassador to Austria! Alexander went to Austria these days. Didn't do any useful work, only looking for trouble!"

"Prime Minister, you can no longer hesitate and connive. Removing him is the best choice! Don't let him spoil the overall situation!"

If possible, Nesselrode naturally wanted to call Alexander Gorchakov back to idle or dismiss him. The problem is he can't!

Because Nicholas I may not be particularly smart, but the emperor has a lot of mind and wrist, and he is very good at balancing. He will never allow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become Nesselrode's private land, so although he doesn't like Alexander Gorchakov very much, he appointed him as the most important ambassador to Austria. The purpose is to contain and balance Nesselrode.

But now it seems that this trick is working. Even though Nesselrode hates it, he knows that it is impossible to remove Gorchakov. So he stretched out his hand to stop the subordinates who were filled with righteous indignation, and said very seriously:

"For the time being, this is impossible. His Majesty appreciates his suggestion and has decided to adopt it. He also ordered us to do our best to implement it perfectly. We are not allowed to bargain, let alone refuse!"

Coax! Nesselrode's disciples were blown up, and for them it was a colossal defeat, meaning they were overwhelmed by Alexander Gorchakov. For the proud Germans, how can this be tolerated!

Immediately someone suggested: "Prime Minister! We must never surrender easily! We must never implement this wrong policy, which will lead to a series of unpredictable disasters! It will destroy the achievements of our previous thirty years of hard work! This It will be a disaster for Russian diplomacy!"

Nesselrode replied sullenly: "I know, and I tried my best to stop it! But the army sang against us, and His Majesty is determined to want Wallachia and Moldavia! If you can't achieve this For one purpose, I'm going to pack up and get out!"

There was another bang. Nesselrode's words were like an atomic bomb, completely blowing up the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His disciples and grandchildren whispered to each other, all of them looked like mourners.

This made Nesselrode very unhappy: 【Nimma, I am still alive! Why are you howling, are you crying with this face! 】

"Be quiet! Be quiet!" Nesselrode yelled: "The situation is very bad! But we must not sit still. Although there is no way to oppose His Majesty's decision for the time being, we still have to do what we should do. We want to get things back on track as much as possible, we must maintain the stability of the Holy Alliance, this is our duty and mission!"

This loud roar had some effect. Anyway, the disciples and grandchildren of Nesselrode found the backbone again, united around Nesselrode, and looked at him with hopeful and expectant eyes, hoping that they would The boss told them what to do.

It's just that Nesselrode really didn't know how to resist, because Nicholas I's words had already been left there. He only wanted the result, and if the result was not satisfactory, he would fix him. As for Nesselrode's encouragement just now, it was more about wanting his subordinates to help them work together to come up with countermeasures, rather than letting him work alone.

After staring wide-eyed and narrow-eyed for a while, Nesselrode could not wait for a word. He could only encourage again: "Gentlemen, think about it carefully. How can we prevent His Majesty from angering our diplomatic department, and then destroy that bullshit strategy. Think about it, and you can talk about it in any way." !"