Dominate the Country

Tsaritsyn, Alexander I's palace.

The Russian ministers and his close ministers in front of Alexander I were in a noisy, panicked and depressed atmosphere. Those politicians and generals who were still lingering in the palace a few days ago were now all stern-faced, or arguing around the map with red faces.

The long-awaited good news from the Russians came from the Balkan battlefield. The Austrians finally joined the war. More than 100,000 Austrian troops appeared in Transylvania [now Romania], which was like a timely help, saving Russia from the water and fire.

The participation of the Austrians put a lot of pressure on the Ottoman Empire. The latter's offensive not only came to a standstill, but also began to retreat in the Ukrainian region for the first time because a large number of troops were tied up by Austria. Although the distance was less than 50 miles long.

But this made Alexander I and his men very happy. The offensive of the Ottoman Empire was curbed. In the eyes of the Russian high-level officials, this meant that the power of the Ottoman Empire had passed its peak and began to decline from the top of the mountain.

But just when Alexander I was not happy for a few days, and just when the Russian ministers and nobles were not happy for a few days, a shocking change broke out on the Volga River battlefield - Russia's Caspian Fleet suffered a great defeat and was forced to give up control of the Volga River estuary, which meant that New Astrakhan was completely surrounded by the Chinese from both land and water.

Bagration's attack under the Astrakhan Fortress failed. To be honest, Alexander I was still happy to see it. When Kutuzov was dying and would not live for a few days, Bagration, who was healthy and only fifty years old, became the banner of the Russian army, which was a threat to the Tsar. This divided the Russian military power that Alexander I had just unified in his hands!

In particular, Bagration had a good reputation in Russia and was covered with a halo of "hero of the Patriotic War".

Alexander I had every reason to believe that after Bagration was awarded the title of marshal and became the leader of the Russian army, he would definitely put a lot of pressure on him.

At that time, Bagration would be able to rise from a chess piece on the big chessboard of the "Russian Empire" to a chess player.

From an employee to a small shareholder, even if it is small, it is still a shareholder, and that is also a difference in status.

This does not depend on whether Bagration himself is willing to put pressure on the Tsar, but on whether his "strength" can. That is obviously possible.

Therefore, Alexander I was happy to see Bagration fail outside Astrakhan. This failure will greatly weaken the halo of Bagration. Of course, Alexander I is not the Qing Dynasty in the late Qing Dynasty of the original time and space, who is not a pity to pull each other's legs and ruin the overall situation. He hopes to see Bagration's failure, but he will never allow hundreds of thousands of Russian elite troops to die completely in Astrakhan.

Now, the map in front of Alexander I is a schematic diagram of the Astrakhan battlefield. On the map, huge red arrows symbolizing the colors of the Wehrmacht have completely enveloped the Russian army represented by the blue arrows from all directions.

Since the bad news reached Tsaritsyn, the entire Russian palace was wailing, and even the accompanying government officials were in a state of panic.

Everyone knew what this meant!

Bagration and his men were in danger.

And if Russia lost this army, it would be equivalent to completely losing the war. How huge would their losses be after Russia lost this war? It would be an unimaginable disaster.

Alexander I was unwilling to become a sinner in Russian history, although Russia had failed once before, losing the results of Russia's three hundred years of development in the East, which greatly damaged his grandmother's reputation. But now he wants to lose the Volga River, not Siberia. The Volga River is the mother river of Russia. Even if it is only a small section of the river, it is a great shame.

Think about the emperor of China. Which one is more stressful, losing Xinjiang or losing the Shandong Peninsula [Yellow River Estuary]?

Just thinking about this crime makes him sensitive and irritable.

So he must prevent the disaster from happening.

But Alexander I had to ask himself, should Russia continue this war? Does Russia still have the capital to continue it?

First, Napoleon's invasion, then the war against the Ottoman Empire and China, Russia has been shaken to its foundation. Finally, Austria got involved, and the British aid was sent over. Alexander I was relieved, but Russia encountered a huge crisis in the East.

Let's not talk about the southern front and the war against France, just talk about the development of the war on the eastern front. From the beginning of Meloyarsky's 50,000 people to the encirclement of Bagration's troops, at least 100,000 Russian soldiers were lost on the battlefield on the eastern front.

Even if there were no losses in the war against France, such a big defeat would have hurt Russia, let alone now.

If the Sino-Russian war continues, Russia may be completely dragged down.

Therefore, the nobles of the Russian court and the senior officials and generals of the government military were all silent in front of Alexander I. Only when Alexander I was not around. They would talk big.

Of course, it was Alexander I who was forcing them to express their opinions.

"We are not defeated yet! We have not lost yet! It will only take half a month, only half a month, and 100,000 reinforcements will reach Tsaritsyn."

"Dear Your Majesty, during this period we have gathered 30,000 new soldiers in Tsaritsyn. They can set off from Tsaritsyn now."

"I believe that Prince Bagration can persist at the mouth of the Volga River for another month, and as long as he persists for one more month, the situation will definitely be reversed. Although it is impossible to defeat the Chinese, at least there can be a draw. "

"We must persist. Otherwise, Russia will lose the core interests of the empire again after losing the achievements of the empire's three hundred years of eastward expansion."

Yes, comparing the interests in Siberia and the Kazakh steppe, the Volga River and the Caucasus are definitely Russia’s basic base.

"Dear Your Majesty, please be careful, think carefully, and make the next decision carefully." Imperial Advisor Victor Kotrube also firmly stood on the side of the main war faction. The latter faction is quite powerful, and the leader of the Guards Corps, Duke Nikolai Novostev, is the leader of this faction.

But this does not mean that there were no opponents around Alexander I. Minister of the Interior Alexander Straguenov, Chairman of the Constitutional Committee Gavril Derchavin, and a large number of Russian nobles all held anti-war opinions.

And two of Alexander I's favorites: Count Alexis Alakchiev, Minister of War, and Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky, an exile who had just been pardoned; After Speransky was exiled to Novgorod due to a cunning accusation from the Minister of Police Balashov, he was replaced by Prince Andrei Budberg. The three had thousands of connections with each other. Big figures who are inextricably connected but full of contradictions still have a neutral attitude.

But this in itself is a denial of the continuation of the war.

However, the relationship between these three people was too complicated, and the identities of their respective representatives were too obvious, so they did not dare to speak easily.

Count Alexis Alakchiev was a good friend of Alexander I who had formed a deep friendship when he was young. However, he was the Minister of War and the representative of the military at the Imperial Council. If he expressed his opposition to the war, , the impact would be too bad and would greatly reduce his already low prestige in the army. Moreover, Alakchiev also vaguely sensed Alexander I's thoughts, so it was even less likely for him to speak.

Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky was even less likely to speak.

After being exiled for more than half a year, the main reason why he could still stand in front of Alexander I was because his suspicion of having an affair with Napoleon had been cleared. Another reason was because he was a person marked by one eye. an open member of the organization among the Russian top brass. But Speransky, who was born in a family of rural priests and gained the attention of Alexander I as a reformist. During his three years in power, Speransky offended a large number of Russian aristocrats. His current status is really not good. Open your mouth.

This can easily make outsiders think that he is taking advantage of his foreign self-esteem.

Not to mention Duke Andrei Budberg. His status is the top person in charge of the Russian Council of Ministers, which is equivalent to the role of the British Prime Minister and Chen Han's first minister. He is also a traditional Russian aristocrat. To express his opinion, he needs to weigh more information.

In 1802, Alexander I established a cabinet of ministerial committees, with nine ministers reporting directly to the tsar. The head of the committee elected by the nine ministers was the top person in charge of the ministerial committee.

Speransky served as the de facto prime minister for three years from 1808 to 1812. During those three years, even Alexis Alakchiev, the Minister of War, a close friend of Alexander I, was sent to the station by him. Unsteady on foot. But Speransky made a big mistake in early 1812. Eager to know what was going on in France, he secretly read the secret documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Speransky's move was undoubtedly too reckless. No matter what his original intention was, one wrong move was enough to ruin his political future.

Police Minister Balashov took advantage of this mistake and trumpeted that Speransky was in cahoots with Napoleon and communicated information secretly.

At that time, Alexander I was facing a huge threat from Napoleon. In order to better unite the power of Russia's great aristocrats and unite all the forces that could be united, he had to reluctantly give up on him.

Speransky was exiled to Novgorod.

A reformer came to power with a spring breeze on his face, but left lonely in the cold wind. Everything was like a mirage. It seemed beautiful but was just an illusion. It made people full of daydreams, but in the end it was replaced by endless disappointment.

Fortunately, the victory in the war with France washed away Speransky's stain, and more importantly, those great nobles whose vital interests were touched by Speransky's reforms were subsequently severely punished by Alexander I.

Russia's military power and the repeated disobedience of orders by the great nobles made Alexander I intolerable. Therefore, Alexander I took advantage of the victory in the war with France. When the nobles went to St. Petersburg to attend a celebration banquet, he launched the Winter Palace Incident at the banquet, using the Guards Corps to attack the great nobles. All the accompanying armed forces were disarmed and placed under house arrest, forcing them to give up their military power and territory.

From then on, the army was no longer loyal to the nobility, but directly loyal to the tsar.

In order to make the nobles see the reality clearly, and because Alexander hated the repeated rebellions of the two historic nobles, Godunov and Olgovich, he decisively ordered the complete elimination of the two families, regardless of gender, age or status, and their in-laws were also implicated. It can be said that he used iron-fisted means to greatly reduce the hereditary territory of the nobles, and those who did not obey were all executed and suppressed. He distributed the rights of suppressing them to the middle and lower nobles who obeyed him, but these new nobles had no military power. Therefore, Alexander I was finally able to unify the military forces of all Russia and became a true emperor.

This was also the biggest reason why he was full of malice towards Bagration, who had his own halo, because after the Russian army had a new flag, it would inevitably touch the military power in the hands of Alexander I.

"Your Majesty, winning the war against the Chinese or a draw is indeed of great benefit to Russia. But I am not sure whether the loyal soldiers under Prince Bagration can wait for at least a month. They are surrounded by the Chinese and are suffering all the time. Can they really hold out for a month?"

"Besides, won't the Chinese send more reinforcements? They have already sent more once. Compared with the strength of the Northwest Military District of China, the number of soldiers on the Volga River battlefield is less than half of them. Who can guarantee that it will be the last time the Chinese send more troops?"

"The soldiers under Prince Bagration are all Russian heroes. They drove out Napoleon. We can't lose them, absolutely not."

So, peace. In this way, Russia's losses can be minimized. Alexander Stragenov said.

It is no longer a shocking thing for the great Russia to be defeated by the Chinese in the East. Losing the Caspian Sea and the estuary of the Volga River is certainly a shame and black spot that the Russian army will never wash away, but too many lice will not itch, and too many debts will not worry.

Russia and China already have more than one account to settle. There is nothing wrong with adding one more.

"My Minister, winning is the key to preserving our interests. Once we retreat, the Chinese are likely to pursue us with all their might. At that time, the consequences may be more disastrous than the destruction of the entire front, and the heroic sacrifice of the soldiers will become worthless."

"No, no, your Majesty. The Chinese are not fools. They have aroused fear and vigilance in the entire Western world. Mr. Speransky can prove this, right?"

Freemasonry is not a very mysterious organization in Europe. Although it is a religious brotherhood organization, and many leaders in the organization are not public, there are still some public members of its organization in many European countries.

Speransky is a famous person in Russian politics, so much so that he has now become one of the important sources of Russian military expenditure. He, or the organization behind him, provided Russia with a large amount of funds as military expenditure.

Although Freemasonry and Orthodoxy are not friends, there are also many Jews living in Russia at this time. At least half of the Jews in the world live in Russia.

The latter cannot completely represent Freemasonry. In the early 19th century, although money was very important, state power was obviously more deterrent than money. At any time, the one holding the knife in his hand was a strong man.

Even in Britain, where capitalism is the most developed, the power of wealth can only be reflected through the rules of the game.

However, Freemasonry, a secret organization that has been severely attacked by the Vatican since its establishment, undoubtedly has a considerable influence in many countries. Russia needs the help of Freemasonry in terms of money and politics and diplomacy.

The opinions of the two factions are completely left. One believes that if they continue to fight, the result will still be failure. If they want to maximize the interests of the Russian Empire, they must cut their losses immediately. The other one coincides with Alexander I's idea and insists on fighting. Use time and life to make the Chinese take the initiative to sit at the negotiation table. Thereby preserving Russia's interests in the Caucasus and the lower reaches of the Volga River.

As for the Caspian Sea, the Russians no longer want to look forward to it.

Speransky continued to keep silent. His current identity was somewhat awkward. If he was not careful, he would become the spokesperson of Freemasonry in Russian politics. Whether he supported war or peace talks, this role was not what Speransky, an idealistic and ambitious reformer, wanted to play.

Compared with becoming the spokesperson of Freemasonry in Russia, he hoped that he could become the favorite of Alexander I again and have the trust of His Majesty the Tsar.

So, he would never speak at this time.

Alexis Arakchiev also hoped that he could win the loyal support of a part of the army, otherwise, he would be embarrassed as the Minister of War of Russia.

Now that Alexander I has completely cleared the internal obstacles, this is a good time for him to make great plans. Arakchiev will not jump out now.

Only Andrei Budberg has the greatest autonomy among the three. But judging from the role played by the Duke in his daily life, it is obviously impossible for him to stand up against Alexander I.

So, the war continued. Various Russian reinforcements continued to gather towards Tsaritsyn. Even though Alexander I knew that many of his ministers were against continuing the war, he still chose to persist.

He was a man of strong character.

Just like when Napoleon’s 600,000 troops pressed into Russia, Napoleon thought he could ‘convince’ Alexander I and make him kneel down to him, but unfortunately, the opposite was true.

“God bless, God bless the great Russia…”