Struggle in Russia

Nesselrode was dumbfounded by this scolding. It had been many years, and he couldn't remember the last time he was scolded like this. Especially this time Nicholas I broke out so suddenly, without any warning at all, he was caught off guard!

In short, Nesselrode was stunned, and just stayed there in a daze, his eyes were as big as copper bells, and his face was full of astonishment and humiliation.

Yes, it was a humiliation. Although the monarch and his ministers were absolute superiors and subordinates, even a monopolistic existence like the tsar had to save face for the prime minister. Such a face-to-face reprimand is really an insult, and if you are too angry, you will just hang up the crown and leave.

Especially these days European nobles still have a tradition of duels, if it is between equals, facing such a shame and humiliation, Nesselrode would have to throw away his gloves. It's just that, first of all, this old man is not good at force, unlike Bismarck who likes to draw a knife for communication at every turn. In addition, he has been in the political arena for many years, and his face is not ordinary.

So the humiliation is the humiliation. He didn't choose to hang up the crown and simply resigned. He didn't even choose to argue with Nicholas I. He just sat back silently and swallowed all his grievances without saying a word. inside.

I have to say that this old guy really has two skills, at least he can stretch and bend, and he doesn't care about the momentary honor or disgrace. Such a person is the most terrifying.

Compared with this kind of tolerant old fox, the kind of reckless man who draws his knife at the slightest disagreement is not scary at all. For example, Pushkin was such a character back then. He was designed by Nicholas I and died directly. It is meaningless at all .

Only when a person is alive can he have infinite possibilities, and when he is dead, he can do nothing. In this regard, Nesselrode is indeed a genius.

And this silent performance of being humiliated without saying a word also made Nicholas I immediately feel a little apologetic. The old bastard immediately regretted it a bit. He felt that although the old man Nesselrode was annoying at times, he had been working hard all these years, and it seemed a bit too much to humiliate him like this.

See, this is the level. Nesselrode is making progress by retreating. It is better for him to endure silently and not say a word than to speak loudly. At least he has restored some of his status in Nicholas I's heart.

Of course, Count Rostovtsev saw all of this, and he was not surprised by it. He has worked with this old fox for so many years, and he is very aware of this old guy's abilities. It is completely impossible to expect this little trick to defeat him is impossible.

Count Rostovtsev was not disappointed either. The battle between him and Nesselrode was going on for a long time. Compared with the old guy who was able to control everything steadily before, now he is getting more and more powerless.

The attitude of Nicholas I today has explained many problems,

Obviously, the old guy's position in Nicholas I's heart is no longer so stable. Today, it is only because of his forbearance and restraint and Nicholas I's soft heart that he can barely pass the test, but the problem is that such blows will become more and more serious in the future. More and more frequently, he didn't believe that the old guy could pass the test safely every time.

What's more, today's goal has been basically achieved. Although Nicholas I regretted being too strict with the old fox, he was not led astray by the old fox. Austria must shed a layer of skin this time!

In fact, Nesselrode is also aware of this, but now he can only grit his teeth and worry in his heart, and dare not speak out at all. Otherwise, he was worried that he would offend Nicholas I, and that would really be a breakup.

The meeting continued, but the focus of the discussion has changed from whether to put more pressure on Austria to seek more benefits for Russia, to how to put pressure on Austria and what kind of political interests to seek.

Not only did Nicholas I have no idea about this, but his courtiers even had different opinions. It can be roughly divided into three groups, the "traitor group" headed by Nesselrode, the "military group" headed by Chernyshov and Menshikov, and the Duke of Ordorf and Peter. The "Honorous Group" headed by Volkonsky.

The intention of the "traitor group" is naturally to reduce the pressure on Austria as much as possible, and to harm Austria's fundamental interests as little as possible. Naturally, the interests that can be sought for Russia are quite limited.

"Is it possible to discuss with Austria to promote the real independence of Wallachia or Moldavia from the Turkish rule as soon as possible? In this way, our protection of Wallachia or Moldavia will be more thorough and can be comprehensively Consolidate our country's interests gained in this military operation."

The abacus of the "traitor group" is very simple. Since Wallachia and Moldavia are inevitably separated from Austria, and since Austria's losses in this direction are inevitable, it does not matter if the losses are greater up.

If such a petty profit can be used to dispel the greed of Nicholas I, it can be regarded as a kind of protection for Austria. In this way, Austria will not hurt the fundamentals, and the geopolitical map of the region will not undergo earth-shaking changes. Overall, the original relative balance can still be maintained, and naturally coordinationism can still play a role.

It's just that, Nesselrode's plan is good, but the "military group" and "honorary group" are not fools either, as soon as he opened his mouth, he knew what this old fox wanted to do, and it was not easy for them to persuade Ni Gula I, how could he be satisfied with such a small profit?

Such a little thing is not enough to get between the teeth! You old fox has a bad conscience! Never agree!

The "military group" and "honor group" immediately jumped out to strongly oppose, and their reasons are quite good.

The Duke of Ordorf said: "We have already reached an agreement with Austria and Turkey on issues related to Wallachia and Moldavia. How can we change the order overnight? If the original agreement is suddenly torn up at this time, it will be very serious. Damage to our country's reputation, and tearing up the agreement at this time is likely to affect our upcoming military operations, it is really not worth the candle!"

Chernyshev also strongly objected: "Even if you can re-convince Austria and Turkey, Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, is too courageous. According to your proposal, Wallachia or Moldavia will be able to gain independence, that is, One of the two, we have spent so much effort, bearing the infamy of violating the agreement, but we can only allow one of the two duchies to gain independence, this is simply a joke!"

Nicholas I suddenly changed his face. Obviously, the speeches of Duke Ordov and Chernyshov touched his heart, and he was also dissatisfied with the proposal of the "traitor group"!