Struggle in Russia

Menshikov's suspension and Mesadov's corruption case are like a breeze, and they can't bring too many waves to the viscous cesspit of Russian politics. Less than a week after the intense and exciting imperial meeting, the nobles continued to dance, watch the show, play and have fun, and returned to the previous rhythm.

In fact, most of the influence of individuals on society is like this. No matter how powerful the energy is, it cannot withstand the baptism of time. Time can wash everything away, power, status and money cannot match the power of time.

It's just that under this calm is an undercurrent. Grand Duke Konstantin took the opportunity of Menshikov's suspension to develop his power in the Admiralty, which meant that Menshikov would be emptied.

And Menshikov simply and completely fell to Crown Prince Alexander, and cooperated with the Crown Prince to use his years of management in the Ministry of the Navy to continuously resist the mad attack of Grand Duke Constantine.

The battlefields of the two sides spread all over the entire Admiralty, from the top generals down to the captain and regiment commander were all involved. For a while, the gunpowder filled the air, and the inside of the navy was even more panicked.

There is only one exception, and that is the 748 regiment.

Grand Duke Constantine is indeed ready to turn against Li Xiao and others. But he had no chance at all. According to the old Adlerberg's instructions, Crown Prince Alexander instructed the Second Minister of the Navy Rumyantsev to reject the proposal of Grand Duke Constantine and cut off his black hand extended to the 748 regiment. Immediately after Duke Mikhail's emergency operation, without waiting for Grand Duke Constantine's objection, Leonid took office as the new head of the 748 regiment.

As a result, Grand Duke Constantine has nothing to do with the 748 regiment for the time being, he can only watch Li Xiao happy. Of course, he is not particularly anxious. He always feels that he now has the support of Nicholas I. Let alone a small Admiralty, he must become the crown prince in the future. It is the best policy to concentrate on more important things .

So what is the more urgent matter that Duke Constantine called? Naturally, for those companies facing huge losses, the most important thing is to quickly save their own pockets. These damn companies have taken too much of his funds, and he urgently needs to withdraw the funds.

The so-called return of funds is naturally a fuss from the navy budget. According to Menshikov's previous plan, the key project of the Russian Navy is still the traditional sailing battleship. The old eunuch, an old-fashioned sailing battleship with 100 cannons, ordered as many as four in one go.

This is the budget for a Navy appropriation year. According to the old eunuch's plan, next year, that is, in the 1849 budget, four more orders will be placed. Prepare to order up to twenty first-class battleships with one hundred guns in the next ten years.

When it came to Grand Duke Constantine, it was naturally impossible to order so many old-fashioned ships that he despised. The four sail battleships in 1848 were cut in half. The specifications have also been cut from a 100-gun battleship to a second-class sailing battleship with 75 guns.

Don't underestimate that there are only about 20 artillery pieces missing, which are completely the product of two specifications. The former is more powerful, and the latter can only be regarded as a second-class product.

These saved funds will all be invested in the construction of new steam ships. Under the instruction of Grand Duke Constantine, the Navy ordered six 1,000-ton steam cruisers in one fell swoop. A total of nearly 30 boilers and 12 steam engines are needed, and there are even more other iron plates and iron components.

All in all, this huge order was all given to the factory he ran. Achieved unprecedented profitability in one fell swoop. Preliminary calculations can bring him tens of thousands of rubles in profit.

Anyway, Grand Duke Constantine is full of ambition and refreshed. He seems to see the brightest future, and feels that under his leadership, the Russian Navy will usher in an unprecedented spring!

It's just that there are not many people who are as optimistic as him. For example, Li Xiao is quite pessimistic about his shipbuilding plan.

"It's so unrealistic, the plan is a mess!"

Vishniak was surprised, and asked: "Andreka, aren't you very optimistic about steam ships? Now the Grand Duke is vigorously developing,

Why did you pour cold water on it? "

Li Xiao said unhappily: "He is a ghost's vigorous development. It is completely out of selfishness!"

"I've visited his dilapidated boiler factory and steam engine factory. They are just two crude workshops. The production is all done by hand, and the efficiency is ridiculously low. Thirty boilers and steam engines can be produced by them!"

"Besides, I also went to talk to the workers. They are basically illiterate, and there are only a few foreign technicians. The level is probably the same as that of apprentices in the UK... The basic measuring tools and process are in a mess, and the tolerances of the parts produced It's so big that you can't imagine... the quality of the parts is a mess!"

"Anyway, the gadgets produced by his factory can only be regarded as defective products abroad, and basically fail to meet the design performance. There are many problems and the life span is touching!"

"Think about it, what will it look like when such a thing is loaded on a battleship?"

Vishniak imagined for a while, and suddenly felt that the guys who received those steamships in the navy would be very pitiful. A huge black pot will fall from the sky, making them unable to take care of themselves.

Obviously, if something goes wrong with these inferior boilers and steam engines. It is absolutely impossible for Grand Duke Constantine to admit it, let alone be responsible. Based on his understanding of the Grand Duke, it must be the user's problem!

Well, Vishniak observed three seconds of silence for the poor Navy officers. He asked again: "Isn't this a disaster for us? With the personality of His Majesty, and the grudges that old ministers like Menshikov have for Grand Duke Constantine, they will absolutely shoot at the steamship. Woe to all who advocated steamships in those days!"

Li Xiao pouted, he also thought of it. At that time, it was really a great irony. Grand Duke Constantine, who had always advocated and advocated steamships, put a coffin on the development of Russian steamships.

However, such painful things are not uncommon in history. There are too many precedents of seemingly good intentions but actually doing bad things. Grand Duke Constantine was just one of them.

Li Xiao sighed and said, "So I have to do something in advance? I have to make a patch first!"

Vishniak asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Warn him!"

As he said that, Li Xiao spread out the letter paper and began to draft the manuscript. He scribbled and filled the paper with French, expounding in detail his hidden worries about Grand Duke Constantine's ambitious shipbuilding plan, and publicly warned:

"The development of new ships must follow objective laws and facts. The fact is that Russia's own technical strength is far from enough... It is best to take a gradual approach of introducing technology, equipment, finished products, and then gradually localizing."

"The most taboo is to blindly build more ships and increase the number blindly from the beginning. Our level is far from enough to support such construction behavior. We should be more cautious, more careful..."