Eagle’s Glory

The next day, Count Litwinsky, the Russian ambassador, was summoned by Prime Minister Metternich and came to his official residence.

The ambassador, tall and aggressive, was as menacing as the Russian empire behind him.

The Russians have always been both friendly and wary of Prime Minister Metternich.

During the Peace Conference in Vienna, Metternich and Emperor Franz were talking sweet words to the Czar, while secretly uniting with Britain and the Bourbon family that had just been restored in France, preparing to take a joint stance to jointly deal with the ambitions of the Russian Empire. , to prevent Russia from rapidly growing in Europe.

However, God was unfavorable. On March 1, 1815, while the Congress of Vienna was still in full swing, Napoleon suddenly landed in France from his exile on the island of Elba, quickly marched to Paris, and regained the throne.

Napoleon, who returned to the throne, knew that he was bound to face another anti-French alliance. In order to buy time and alienate the enemy, he deliberately sent all the secret messages between Austria and Bourbon France to the Czar.

However, although he was very angry after learning that his smooth-talking ally was secretly preparing to deal with him, Tsar Alexander I did not forget what the most important goal was, so he burned the secret message in front of Metternich. Then he told him that he could forget the past and that as long as everyone could put aside their past grudges and destroy Bonaparte together, they could still be friends in the future.

Metternich also walked down the steps and immediately became a loyal ally of Russia. He followed the allies to destroy Napoleon, and the previous conspiracy fell to nothing.

Although more than ten years have passed since this incident, the Russian Ambassador, as one of the witnesses at the time, naturally remembers all this clearly.

After the two people exchanged polite greetings according to diplomatic etiquette, Count Litvinsky asked directly.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, may I ask what announcement you have specifically made to summon me here?"

"I have heard some rumors recently. I summoned you just to clarify my doubts." Metternich did not beat around the bush, but immediately got to the point.

"Excuse me, what is the rumor?" There was not much surprise on the ambassador's face, as if he had expected what he would say.

"It is said that His Majesty the Tsar's troops are gathering in Ukraine and the Caucasus, preparing to march into Turkey. Is this nonsense? Or is it really true?" Metternich asked, staring at the other person's face to express his opinion on the matter. of serious concern.

"It is true that the army must be mobilized, but the main purpose of our government is to prevent unexpected events.

The ambassador was well prepared and answered him immediately, "There is currently serious unrest in Turkey, and our country must respond appropriately." "

"This is a surprising response!" Metternich raised his eyebrows slightly sarcastically, "According to the normal logic I know, if a person's enemy is in trouble, this should be a blessing for him. It’s a good thing, because that means the enemy’s pressure on us will be reduced—how come it’s completely the other way around here? Is a weak Turkey more worthy of His Majesty the Tsar’s worries than a strong Turkey?”

Metternich's sarcasm caused a flash of embarrassment on the ambassador's face, but as an experienced diplomat, he certainly would not be tripped up by such a small problem.

"In a sense, that is indeed the case -" he replied with a smile. "After the Turkish Empire fell into chaos, the sultans and ministers would fall into panic, and the panic would intensify their already brutal rule, and they would The bloody butcher's knife will be used against those Orthodox Christians who rise up to resist - Your Excellency, I am not talking about a conjecture, but a reality that has already happened."

"So, do I think that His Majesty the Tsar is gathering the army not for the safety of his own country, but for the safety of foreigners?" Metternich went straight to the point.

The question was equally sharp, but the ambassador resisted.

"Although those Christians who rose up against tyranny are not citizens of the Russian Empire, they share the same faith as us, the spiritual bond between us is unbreakable, and our hearts beat with them-"

Interestingly, your heart does not beat for the oppressed serfs in your own country, but suddenly it beats for the Greeks who have never seen it in the distance - Metternich mocked in his heart.

Of course, such words were too sharp and he would not say them.

Obviously, the so-called "protection of Orthodox Christians" is just an excuse for the Tsar, but since it is said, it is true.

One side is interests, the other is justice. Powerful countries always want both, no matter how hypocritical the means.

Metternich himself had played similar tricks countless times, so he was naturally not surprised.

"I understand the Tsar's insistence on faith, and I also sympathize with the plight of the Christians in the Balkans." He softened his tone slightly, and then continued to ask, "Since you said so, then I want to believe that the Tsar mustered an army It is just to scare the Turks not to go too far, and has no intention of starting a war; but I have another question - if you cannot scare the Sudan, what are you going to do next? Continue the confrontation or withdraw the troops?"

The ambassador hesitated.

"Sir, both of our countries are members of the Holy Alliance and have the same determination to safeguard Europe's most precious legitimation. Because of this, we should treat each other with openness and honesty." Metternich pressed again. He said, "I have nothing to hide about our actions, so if your country really plans to take action next, then I think I should also know about it. This is the basic respect for our allies, isn't it?"

The ambassador remained silent.

If he really decided to keep his mouth shut, no matter how much Metternich urged, he could reply with a 'no comment'.

However, he had received domestic instructions before, and the Tsar believed that under the current situation, it was necessary to take the opportunity to test Austria's attitude.

Of course, neither the Tsar nor he would believe a word of Metternich's rhetoric, but in any case, the arrow was now on the line, and it was time to gradually reveal his true intentions.

"If the Sultan continues to act arbitrarily and uses bloody butchery to deal with the suffering Christians, then it is logically difficult for His Majesty the Tsar to sit idly by and ignore it." So he finally decided to relent a little, "Under certain circumstances, the imperial government really cannot The possibility of taking further measures is ruled out.”

Metternich felt awe-inspiring.

The ambassador's words are tantamount to admitting that the Russian Empire is going to use war to solve the problem.

And the war was so imminent that they didn't bother to hide it.

Although he felt very unhappy, years of experience had already made him develop the habit of keeping his emotions and anger a secret. His expression did not change at all, as if he had already expected the ambassador's answer.

"If that's the case, then I can only say that I am very sorry." Finally, he made an evaluation indifferently.

"Please understand that it was Sudan, not us, who made the situation deteriorate to this point." The ambassador immediately defended his country's position, "Since the outbreak of the war, we have given him a lot of time and opportunities, even if he is now If you are willing to change your mind, it is not too late. The Tsar only regards military means as a last resort. Since you are a devout Christian and Austria is the defender of Christendom, you should understand our country's sentiments."

"Oh! Christian, of course I am full of sympathy!" Metternich spread his hands, "But mere sympathy cannot be higher than the responsibility we shoulder for the entire era - none of us have forgotten it, and no one can Forget how bloody the era that just passed was, and how much blood and price we paid to finally put an end to the endless fighting.

Where did those fights come from? It is because of France's endless ambitions, and because a certain person thinks he is equal to God, and wants to shake the whole of Europe with power and iron fist! We have seen all tragedies, so we all know that in order to prevent them from happening again, we should take precautions and restrain our ambitions from the beginning. "

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, you actually compare His Majesty the Tsar with that lawless invader! This is too rude." The ambassador stood up and protested loudly to Metternich, "His Majesty the Tsar only has devotion to God and devotion to Christ in his heart. It is only the mercy of the disciples, and he has no ambitions."

"Ambition is not reflected in words, but in actions. I evaluate facts by actions." Metternich was unmoved by the ambassador's protest. "And please make it clear that I am not blaming anyone. Instead, I am giving advice from the standpoint of an ally and friend—I think you should convey it for me, so that the Tsar can listen to the advice of an old guy like me."

Before the ambassador could answer, he continued talking.

"Compared to the era that was blasted away by shells, today's era is like a silk package, delicate and beautiful, worthy of careful care by each of us." Metternich smiled slightly, as if between friends "I am not saying this from my own perspective or from Austria's perspective. For the whole of Europe, including your great Russia, the peace established in Vienna in 1815 is a most precious treasure - So, anyone who tries to break this peace may eventually find themselves a victim. History has proven this to us unequivocally before.”

The ambassador frowned, feeling angry.

He has discovered that Metternich is constantly putting the responsibility for "breaking the status quo" on Russia, and is accusing the tsar of trying to break the status quo because of his own ambitions, both covertly and covertly.

"Don't forget, there is a person who is displaying his ambition in Greece right now. If there is anyone who is breaking the calm, the person who started it happened to be him." After a moment, the ambassador asked Metternich, "Why are you so obvious to me?" Turn a blind eye to his wanton actions, but accuse our country?"

"Are you referring to the Duke of Lechstadt?" Metternich still smiled. "He is personally supporting the Christian cause. What can we do? Since you keep saying that you sympathize with those Greek Christians, Then you should applaud his courage now instead."

"You guys provoked all of this!" the ambassador retorted angrily. "If we all stand aside and watch the Bonaparte family cause trouble, then sooner or later the whole of Europe will be cast into a shadow again. Is there anything wrong with the Tsar trying to quell the chaos?"

"If I remember correctly, your government has never issued any document requiring our country to treat Duke Lechstadt as a criminal; similarly, your tsar has not given me similar instructions, so I There is every reason to conclude that your government has never regarded him as a criminal or dangerous person before." Metternich replied unhurriedly, "So, your country has no regard for his legal status and legal actions. Why are you going to such a big fight? Could it be that he did something you agreed with, but yet he has to take responsibility for your rash actions?"

Although this was obviously a strong argument, the ambassador found it difficult to refute it.

"I remind you, and your Majesty the Tsar, that any deception, threat, or intimidation is meaningless in front of me, because I have seen too many things." Metternich said with a pride that was almost indifferent. , said to the ambassador, "Please don't forget, it was me who was in Dresden that year, watching Napoleon furious for several hours, and then stood in front of Napoleon and told him that he was finished. If you talk about it, Regarding the position of the Bonaparte family, I am no weaker than anyone else. But I know that one thing is the same, and you can't use a hot-blooded young man as a shield, can you?"

The ambassador only felt angry. He knew that Metternich's position had been very clear - he firmly opposed the Tsar's invasion of Turkey and did not welcome the empire to break the status quo.

"I'm sorry that you treat your allies with this attitude." He shook his head regretfully, "But I can only tell you that maybe you don't like it, but our government must act in accordance with its own interests. "

"Then I can only tell you that our government must act in accordance with its own interests." Metternich replied in the same words.

Although the two of them were still polite and polite until now, in essence, they were already at war with each other.

The Ambassador said nothing more, stood up and saluted His Excellency the Prime Minister, then turned to say goodbye and left.

After the Russian ambassador hurriedly left, the Prime Minister's secretary and right-hand man, Mr. Friedrich Genz, walked into Prime Minister Metternich's office.

As soon as he came in, he found that the Prime Minister's expression was frighteningly gloomy, so he cautiously asked.

"Your Excellency, did your talks with the Russian Ambassador not go well?"

"More than unsatisfactory? It's simply unpleasant." Prime Minister Metternich sneered, "It seems that the young Tsar has made up his mind to show his prestige in front of his subjects——"

Friedrich Genz was speechless.

Since the complete destruction of Napoleon in 1815, Europe has finally entered a rare period of peace. Although there have been occasional conflicts, major powers have never taken the initiative to launch wars. Instead, they have resolved their conflicts of interests through international coordination.

This time, the Russian Empire took the initiative to launch a war against Turkey. Even though the division was famous, it was definitely the first of its kind.

If it's just Russia teaching Turkey a lesson, it doesn't matter, but what happens next? If a delicate balance is destroyed, it will take countless efforts to correct it again.

"He will pay for his folly, even if not now, but in the future." Friedrich Genz sighed. "Then how do you plan to respond? Will you stand with Britain and France to support Turkey?"

"No, in what name do we support Turkey? Do we praise the Sudan for massacre of Christians? Or do we firmly commend their bloody rule? If we do this, it is tantamount to actively pushing public opinion to the side of the tsar, and this is his most The result you want to see." Metternich shook his head.

Then, he looked at Mr. Gentz.

"Go to Turkey. I want to appoint you as ambassador to Istanbul."

Mr. Genz was startled again.

"What tasks will you give me?" he then asked.

"Fully responsible for Eastern affairs," the Prime Minister replied immediately. "No matter what, we want to prevent the worst situation from happening. The Tsar's fleet must not pass through the strait."

Then, he added in a low voice, "——If necessary, we may have to find the lovely Duke Lechstadt."

Mr. Genz finally understood what the Prime Minister meant.

If Austria was unable to appear in person, the Duke of Lechstadt would be an excellent agent.

Although the Duke's willful behavior greatly angered His Majesty the Emperor and Metternich himself, they were not impulsive people, and the current development of the situation made him no longer care about the previous things.

What's more, Princess Theresa is by his side now. In any case, Princess Theresa is definitely willing to have good relations with her mother country - since the situation has evolved to this point, she might as well take advantage of it.

After thinking about this, Mr. Genz no longer hesitated.

"Okay, I understand. I will pack up and take office immediately."

The Prime Minister made a gesture, and Mr. Gentz ​​resigned.

After his confidant left, Metternich still frowned and thought.

"Is this everything you were expecting? Is this everything you expected?" After a moment, he whispered to himself.

Obviously, what Duke Lechstadt did was definitely not a whim, but a move after careful consideration. As far as the current results are concerned, he also happened to hit the most important drumbeat.

So, this young man who lives in a secluded palace has actually thought so deeply in addition to his usual pastimes, and has the courage to carry it out without hesitation.

Assuming he was not the person involved, he would be willing to applaud the achievements of his students.

He watched this young man grow up.

His feelings for this young man are also extremely complicated—except for his surname Bonaparte, this young man is almost the most ideal member of the royal family in his mind.

If he was willing to stay in Vienna, what a good result it would be... In the end, he could only sigh regretfully.

Dreaming out of the palace reminds you: ask for collection () after reading, and it is more convenient to read again.