Dominate the Country

Talleyrand's personal visit to Russia this time was ostensibly an ice-breaking trip to deepen the relationship between France and Russia, because before this, Russia had never sent a real senior government official to Paris. After the Russo-French War of 1812.

Whether it was the internal disputes in France, the struggle between the moderates and the radicals, or Napoleon's silence, Talleyrand's visit to Russia was the result of a fierce political contest. As a representative of the European policy moderates in French politics, Talleyrand was frequently attacked by radicals. And the latter's existence also perfectly met Napoleon's current needs.

Napoleon was unwilling to stay in his current position for a long time. Although France was the second most powerful country in Europe, his political status in Europe was not as strong as his Austrian father-in-law and Alexander I of Tsarist Russia. There was also Frederick William III of Prussia. Even though he had just rejected the constitutional proposal of some people in the country and strongly stopped the constitutional movement in the country, Frederick William III's voice and importance in the European Grand League Parliament were still not weaker than Napoleon. It can be said that nowadays, even Prussia's political weight is not weaker than France.

This is a shame, a huge shame.

When did the glorious France fall to the fourth place in Europe? Not only weaker than Britain, but also weaker than Russia and Austria?

Austria's stupid Franz I actually sold his son-in-law out completely for his own benefit, and united Britain, Prussia and Russia to suppress France firmly.

Moreover, Russia and Prussia formed a holy alliance, and Napoleon's Austrian father-in-law was also ready to move. Judging from the feedback from Vienna, Napoleon can't stop it for too long.

Although the European Union has been established, for many countries, the secret alliance agreement signed between countries is still the most trustworthy.

The European Union is very powerful and very broad. And it is precisely because of this breadth that the European Union has weak binding force on member states, and member states are not close to each other. Naturally, these member states lack trust in Europe.

After the end of the Sixth Coalition War in 1813, Napoleon hid his minions and endured for two full years. His empire has regained its strength. Now it is time to let other European countries know the threat of France. And Napoleon, who can restrain this threat, will never be weaker than the Prime Minister of the British Cabinet, but far better than Franz I, Alexander I, and Frederick William III.

Therefore, Napoleon did not restrain the spread of radical speech in France.

At the same time, Napoleon, who has recovered, also needs to weaken Talleyrand's power.

Talleyrand is an extremely smart and clever man. He is happy to cooperate with Napoleon to recover power. His ambition is never to usurp the throne. Talleyrand also needs to use his actions to make Napoleon trust himself more.

Therefore, various reasons are mixed together, which together led to this visit to Russia led by Talleyrand himself.

Although Talleyrand was responsible for the visit to Russia, he was not worried at all. Russia and France hit it off on the road to normalization of diplomatic relations, and the remaining loan matters were handled by other professionals.

The only role played by the Napoleon government in this matter was to stand up for these capitals.

Although French capital would certainly encounter major obstacles to enter the Russian market, as long as there was one thing above, the rest was to find an excuse. As for what kind of excuse it was, it was actually not important. What was important was: this would be a leap forward in Russia's national strength.

A large amount of capital poured into Russia, which would add fuel to Russia's new industrial revolution, and it could be said that it would help Russia become stronger. This essentially denied the intentions of the radicals, and the rhetoric and promises on the lips were much more real.

But Talleyrand himself did not think so, and the factional struggles in Russia could not be underestimated, especially the reformist leader Speransky, who made a comeback. This reformer who was honest and selfless was like a clear stream in the mudslide among the corrupt Russian noble officials. Moreover, his reform plans targeted the nobility in many places, which made his enemies all over Russia.

Even among the reformists, there were many opponents of him. This man's outstanding talents, vision and extraordinary means should not be underestimated, but his style of not seeking personal gain is incompatible with the era of aristocratic politics in Russia today.

It was just that after experiencing the tragedy of the War of 1812, and the subsequent restart of the Sino-Russian War and the Russo-Turkish War, Alexander I did feel inconvenienced until now.

This time Speransky returned to the political stage of Russia. Although he did not immediately start the reform trend again, Alexander I must have this intention.

Speransky advocated the granting of certain civil rights, the protection of new industries, and a set of plans for four-level administrative divisions, local self-government and central legislative bodies provided a far-sighted framework for the future development of the Russian Empire. If these reforms can be truly and thoroughly implemented, the future Russia may really have a day of rebirth from the ashes.

But Speransky's return also caused the reformists in Russian politics to fall into a state of division, because in the years since the former left the center stage of Russian politics, the reformists have already had their own new leaders and policies...

Coupled with the aristocratic power and military power in Russian politics, the political struggle within Russia is not only no easier than that of the French government, but more complex and intense.

And just like there are many people in the French army who cannot forget the glory of the past, there are many people in Russia who are deeply impressed by the tragic war of 1812. These people have a very bad impression of France, even if there are some people in it. Because of the actual situation, the war suppressed hatred towards France, but when more people mentioned France, they gritted their teeth with hatred.

Talleyrand subconsciously felt that his mission was just a superficial effort. If French capital wants to truly enter Russia, it must follow Russian rules and use money to pave the way. As for how great the results of this mission will be, he really doesn't have much confidence.

But no matter what, he had to make this trip.

While Talleyrand was looking at the endless fields in a daze, an entourage walked out of the carriage.

"Your Excellency, we are only half an hour away from Warsaw Station. It's time for you to tidy up your appearance."

Talleyrand came to his senses, walked back to the carriage silently, took off his loose thick leather robe, and put on a thin and straight French tuxedo while Madame Dorothea waited on him. A black tuxedo with a long front hem, matched with black velvet shorts, looks elegant, noble and classy. Then Talleyrand put on the thick leather coat again. Even though it was the skin of a polar bear, he still felt cold.

An attaché handed over the compiled documents, and Talleyrand flipped through them one by one. This is not to understand the situation in Warsaw, but to do a final review. Talleyrand remained silent, even when he read the last piece of information about the Polish Assassin organization.

But then Talleyrand really changed his mind when a new piece of news was delivered to the train. An assassin attack had just occurred in Poland. Three Polish nobles and members of parliament died tragically on the street. The last one was just yesterday. Talleyrand sighed:

"This assassin organization is very dangerous and difficult to deal with. We must always be vigilant about this organization." Although Talleyrand has not yet come into contact with relevant intelligence, he believes that he must have become the latest target of this terrorist organization.

After listening to Talleyrand's words, an attaché said: "Your Excellency, Warsaw is the home base of the Poles, and many nobles are inextricably linked to the Assassin organization. We should remind the Russians to raise their alert level." The attaches I also became nervous.

This assassin is quickly taking over the glory of the Polish Legion in France. More and more Poles are placing their hatred of Russia on this assassin organization hidden in the shadows.

Talleyrand hesitated and did not answer directly.

Things are not that simple.

The temporary reminder to the Russians to increase their alert level is a distrust of the Russians and their dominance in Poland.

Several whistles sounded, the train slowed down and slowly entered the Warsaw train station.

Talleyrand sat in his chair with his eyes closed, thinking about the greeting he had given to Archduke Konstantin Pavlovich, the head of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, and how to open a gap for French capital to enter Russia. .

Poland is an area that French capital focuses on. It is a backward agricultural area. British capital is all located in Russia, but there is nothing in Poland. This gave French capital an opportunity to take advantage of.

Moreover, Poland itself is not short of mineral resources. Poland is one of the countries with relatively rich mineral resources among European countries. Its coal reserves, sulfur reserves, lead, zinc reserves, and copper reserves of approximately 15 million tons all rank first in Europe, or are among the best in Europe.

This area is allowed to be developed and will soon become a new smelting center for Russian iron.

But it was not just the French who wanted to enter Poland, there were also Prussians and Austrians.

Fortunately for Prussia, its problems mainly have the same result as the Napoleonic government. The government's finances are tight and it will not be able to come up with enough funds to enter Poland for a while. At this time, the Prussian Junker aristocracy were just a bunch of scavengers, not consortiums or big factory owners. However, the Prussian government has also stated that they are happy to participate in investment in Russia and are happy to support Russia.

The key is the attitude of the Austrian government. Austria's national strength and economic level are still acceptable. The Austria of 1815 was not the Austria of 1848. Although Franz I did not have great abilities, he was much stronger than his stupid and incompetent son Ferdinand I. At least he His empire, which was on the verge of collapse, was straightened out, and he stepped out of the turmoil caused by Napoleon, and regained influence among the German states.

Moreover, Austria did not participate in the Sixth Anti-French Alliance War. Although they had confrontations with the Ottomans, the two sides were more at odds, which to a considerable extent allowed the Austrian Empire to accumulate some strength.

Today's Austrian Empire is the key to Napoleon and the British fighting for it. Francis I also took this opportunity to re-spread Austria's influence among the German states.

Although the Austrian Empire today can no longer have the majesty of the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Dynasty did not have a real revival. Franz I more curbed Austria's slide into the abyss. .

But with such Austria, coupled with Austria's traditional influence in southwestern Poland, Talleyrand had to regard Vienna as a powerful enemy.

So, Talleyrand also had a headache. However, he believed that France still had an advantage over Austria in Poland, because there was Germany between France and Poland.

The train stopped with a loud whistle.

Talleyrand stood up and took the hat handed over by an attendant. Madame Dorothea took off his thick leather coat and put on a relatively thin velvet cloak instead.

Then he adjusted his scarf in front of the mirror and followed the attendant out of the carriage.

There were already many people waiting for Talleyrand on the platform, some of whom were French government staff in Warsaw and a small number of French businessmen, and the rest were all Russians.

It was normal that Talleyrand did not see the Grand Duke at the scene.

Since the assassination, the Grand Duke has begun his secluded lifestyle.

The person who came out to welcome Talleyrand on behalf of Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich was Constantine Czartoryski, the younger brother of Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, who was the commander of Warsaw's city defense.

There were not many welcoming crowds organized by the Russians at the station, for safety reasons.

Nowadays, the Polish people are very opposed to the normalization of diplomatic relations between France and Russia, and Talleyrand's trip to Warsaw was particularly low-key.

Adam Jerzy Czartoryski and his younger brother Constantine Czartoryski are representatives of the Polish noble parliament faction, and they can be regarded as pro-Russian factions. The political philosophy of this group of people is to first let Poland win partial independence through peaceful struggle, just like Hungary and Austria. Among them, Adam Jerzy Czartoryski has returned to Alexander I, and Constantine Czartoryski has also been entrusted with important tasks by Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich. Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich did not come in person today, which was indeed a bit under the standard, but apart from this, the Russians were still very careful in their preparations.

Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich was not a coward. He was brave on the battlefield and performed well on several occasions. But no matter how brave a person is, he would not want to die meaninglessly at the hands of an assassin.

So Constantine Pavlovich would not easily appear in public before the Polish Assassin Organization was dealt with, or at least severely damaged.

Although this was a little inappropriate for diplomatic etiquette.

But there had just been an assassination attack in Warsaw, Constantine still put safety first. He was not a reckless man. He was brave, but never reckless.

Among the people sent by Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich, Constantine Ciartorres was the most eye-catching. This was not only because he stood in the middle, with a certain amount of space between him and the people on his left and right, but also because this guy, in addition to the White Eagle Medal, was wearing a medal on his chest that was very difficult for a Pole to obtain within the Russian government - the Andrei Pervozvani Medal.

This was the highest medal in the Russian Empire, and even his brother had not received it.

Constantine Czartoryski, who had always been hidden in the shadow of his brother, seemed to have an extraordinary experience.

A military band nearby played music when the train entered the station. When Talleyrand got off the train, the platform was bustling.

Talleyrand saw Constantine Czartoryski at first sight, and the two sides smiled cordially at each other, and the live music was playing, and the atmosphere was great. But just when Talleyrand and his young wife Dorothea had just walked a few steps towards the target, the welcoming crowd on the platform suddenly sounded a startled sound, and a man rushed out from the crowd. Before the surrounding guards could come to their senses, he threw a tin can with flames emitting from it to Talleyrand's side.

"Long live Poland, long live independence..."

The tin can looked like a hand warmer from the East. In the winter in Northern Europe, many people fell in love with this.

"Pah! Pah!..."

The crackling sound of gunfire rang out, and the assassin fell down.

But Talleyrand, who was over 60 years old, could not avoid the hand warmer. Although he and Dorothea had already started to exclaim, the shock brought by the sudden change made them weak and unable to move for a short time. The surrounding entourage and members of the delegation also took the initiative to distance themselves from Talleyrand because they wanted to highlight Talleyrand's status before. Moreover, the hand warmer had just fallen on Talleyrand's body and exploded before it rolled to the ground.

It was about the same time as the time when he was hit by random gunfire and fell to the ground.

"Ah..." screams were heard one after another, and the platform was in chaos instantly.

Talleyrand, the French Prime Minister and the head of the French delegation to Russia, was assassinated in Warsaw, a key location of Tsarist Russia?

Konstantin Czartoryski was dumbfounded. This was not just a slap in the face of Russia, this was a big trouble...