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Chapter 271 Dark Clouds

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    With the approval of General Gorchakov, the Russian army and the French army reached a temporary truce agreement at an extremely fast speed. The two armies will use this rare opportunity to lick their wounds and take in those unfortunate prisoners.  Paoze, the originally fierce battlefield on the Crimean Peninsula suddenly fell into a rare calm.  Although the bad weather made the officers and soldiers of both armies extremely miserable, the temporary truce made the weather less bearable. Except for the necessary security forces, people suspended their combat missions one after another and went to work on their own.  Rest in the camp and enjoy the rare leisure time without facing the danger of life and death.  As time went by, General Gorchakov¡¯s report was passed on by messengers one by one, and finally reached the nerve center of the Russian Empire.  It is still the middle of winter, so compared to the Crimean Peninsula, Petersburg is even colder. Snow has fallen continuously recently, and the temperature has become extremely low. Even locals who are accustomed to severe cold weather are still  Complaints abound about the recent weather.  What they complain about is not just the weather. The recent rising prices and the increasingly chaotic public security situation have also become residents' complaints. Since the autumn, the shortage of supplies has been very serious. The soaring prices have tortured the general public.  They are miserable.  The root of all problems is this war that has been going on for a long time. It is precisely because of the war that a large amount of materials were requisitioned and transported to the front line, and there was a shortage of food and other materials supplied to the capital. It is precisely because of the war that a large number of troops  and reservists were also transferred to the front line. As a result, security in various places declined to varying degrees. For Russians, the war has begun to have a negative impact on all aspects of life.  If everything goes well on the front line, the price that has been paid can be considered an acceptable price, but the news coming from the front line now cannot comfort these residents.  Since the outbreak of the war, although the Russian army initially gained an advantage on the battlefield against Turkey and once entered the Principality of Wallachia, after several fierce battles, the Turkish army retreated into the fortress and resisted desperately, so the army  The march was delayed. They besieged these fortresses and paid a huge price, but achieved very little.  If such a result can be considered unsatisfactory, then everything that happened next can be said to be a disaster. Shortly after the war between Russia and Turkey, the Western European powers suddenly began to intervene with force, first the French and then the British.  They issued ultimatums to Russia and then declared war. Although their excuse was to maintain peace in the Near East, everyone knew that they were deliberately making excuses just to suppress the Russians.  Their actions naturally aroused anger in Russia. For a time, people were furious. People were demanding a life-and-death war with Britain and France. And everyone was very confident. They all believed that the Russian army that had defeated Napoleon could defeat these despicable people without any suspense.  of enemies.  But as the war progressed step by step, the blind confidence in people's hearts gradually disappeared, because the Russian army suffered defeats again and again, first in Wallachia, then in Odessa, and finally the British and French allied forces actually attacked Kerry directly.  The Mia Peninsula has landed.  Then, these invaders marched all the way and defeated the opposing Russian troops several times. They marched all the way to the gates of the Sevastopol Fortress and besieged the fortress. Although their several attacks on the fortress were defeated by the defenders of the fortress,  It was forcibly resisted with great sacrifice, but the defeat of the Russian Empire was certain.  Such a huge country was actually attacked at its doorstep by Western European invaders from afar and then suppressed and beaten. This really made the proud Russians feel very angry and uncomfortable, and the pain caused by this war became even more uncomfortable.  got up.  At this time, news from the front line slowly spread to the rear. The huge casualties and pain suffered by the soldiers were also known to the people in the rear, which intensified the pain in the hearts of people everywhere.  For these residents, they themselves are enduring the torture of the war, and their soldiers are now suffering on the front line. They cannot but feel pain and complain about this.  The enthusiasm with which they initially supported the war has disappeared in the face of the pain of life. Now people just look at the war with a numb attitude, and everyone hopes that it will end soon.  And in the darkness of every corner of the city, there are people secretly propagating that the reason why the war has reached this point and why Russia has suffered the current humiliation is precisely because of the mistakes and incompetence of the Tsar and his government.  Due to diplomatic mistakes, Russia is faced with the dilemma of being embattled on all sides on the European continent; it is precisely because of the government's incompetence that the army's equipment and supply conditions are greatly inferior to those of the invaders, leaving frontline personnelThe soldiers suffered huge losses.  As the war became more and more unfavorable, in this cold winter, such propaganda, driven by thoughtful people, spread like fire throughout the city and even the entire country, and the flames of anger began to burn in the hearts of many people.  Of course, this fire in the darkness has no way of burning into the Winter Palace at this time. His Majesty Tsar Nicholas I, who is in this luxurious palace, can still order the entire empire with his supreme status, even though he has felt  It's extremely cold this winter.  At this time, His Majesty the Tsar was receiving an audience from two ministers in the small conference room next to his bedroom.  Although the room is splendid, even though the fireplace is burning brightly, sending warmth to every corner of the room, the expressions of the three people are very serious, as if winter snow has fallen.  And just outside the window, the oval square in front of the Winter Palace was deserted, and the cold wind howled in this empty space, exacerbating the desolation.  In front of such a gloomy His Majesty the Tsar, neither of the two ministers dared to speak. The cold silence continued, but everyone knew that silence alone could not solve the crisis the empire was currently facing.  "Don't you have any opinions on the recent proposals of the French?" Perhaps impatient with the silence of the ministers, His Majesty the Tsar finally spoke.  At the moment, although the tsar is wearing a military uniform, he looks very poor. His tall body is a bit stooped, and perhaps because he often stays up late, his physical condition is not as good as before, and his figure has become thinner.  A lot of hair, and the corners of his eyes are also covered with wrinkles.  This sudden war is torturing the Russian Empire, as well as His Majesty the Tsar¡¯s mind and body, and no one knows when this pain will end or how it will be relieved.  "Your Majesty, we should seek peace as soon as possible." After a moment of silence, a middle-aged man wearing a diplomat's uniform spoke. His voice was sharp, so his enunciation was very clear, and he had a gentle and elegant feeling.  "I think that since the French have made such a suggestion, it is a good opportunity. We should seize this opportunity to make peace as soon as possible and end this futile war as soon as possible, even if we pay some price." This middle-aged man's name is  Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, he is cousin to General Gorchakov, the current commander of the Russian army in Crimea. As a famous aristocratic family in the empire, the Gorchakov family  Naturally, he also occupies a high position in the court. This Mr. Gorchakov entered the diplomatic circles of the empire and had a prosperous official career. However, because he was outspoken, he often angered his superiors and caused unreasonable disasters. In the end, don't delay your official career.  for a long time.  He used to work in the Austrian embassy before. He opposed the Russian Empire and Austria getting too close. He believed that this weak Austria could not bring any help to Russia and could only drag Russia down. This angered Foreign Minister Neshe  Your Excellency Alfredo.  Perhaps because he was a German, this minister had always been friendly to Prussia and Austria, and believed that Prussia and Austria, both monarchies, were natural allies of Tsarist Russia. It was he who urged His Majesty the Tsar to send troops to Hungary in 1848.  The Austrian Empire suppressed the Hungarian rebellion and resolved the unprecedented crisis.  In hindsight, this decision made the Tsar regret it, because the Austrians did not appreciate the favor of the Russians at that time, but instead moved closer to Britain and France.  Gorchakov, who was hostile to the ministers, was sent to a small country as minister. However, after all, he was from a famous family and had outstanding talents, so he was remembered by His Majesty the Tsar.  The minister did not disappear because he was thrown into disarray. He clearly opposed the current Russian foreign policy and reminded the tsar several times not to neglect France, not to alienate Western European countries, and not to rashly launch a war to avoid being discredited. However,  His advice had no effect. The tsar and his ministers launched the war confidently, believing that the war would be limited to Russia and Turkey. The Western European powers would not go to war with Russia just to help the notorious Turks.  .  However, their wishful thinking ultimately came to nothing, and the Western European powers finally launched a war of intervention against Russia, which was nothing less than a huge disaster for Russia.  After Britain, France and Russia went to war, he was recalled to Petersburg by His Majesty the Tsar and was consulted as a diplomatic adviser. This was a great progress in his career. For him, his motherland paid such a high price to obtain  This kind of progress really makes people unhappy.  ¡°Moreover, he was still outspoken in front of His Majesty the Tsar. He believed that the most important thing in being loyal to the King was to truthfully provide one¡¯s opinions, and not to flatter His Majesty in order to please the Tsar.  and usualIn this way, his words stung His Majesty the Tsar, causing him to frown slightly.  "I am not opposed to making peace with Britain and France, but are they trustworthy?" At this moment, Foreign Minister Nesserrodie spoke. The already senile minister spoke weakly, so his words were a little unclear, "Don't forget, they  If they are just trying to use lies, we shouldn't invest too much energy. "If we refuse to negotiate with them because we are afraid of their deception, how can we end the war?"  Ambassador Gorchakov asked the minister, "Your Excellency, under the current situation, I think we don't have much choice anymore. Even if we are dealing with a group of liars, we must stay with you to the end." Such rude words, let Neshe  Lord Errodie was a little unhappy, but he did not have an attack, he just lowered his gaze sadly.  Letting Russia be dragged into a war with Britain and France will undoubtedly be the biggest stain on this government. Although it cannot be said that all of it is his responsibility, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he is naturally the best scapegoat.  Since His Majesty the Tsar recalled Gorchakov, who had always opposed him, to Petersburg, Minister Neserrode knew that his political career was coming to an end and it was time for him to prepare for retirement.  Therefore, he had no time to be angry. Even when he attended state meetings, he just listened listlessly.  However, even so, this old man who has been loyal to the imperial government for half a century still wants to fulfill his final obligation in front of His Majesty the Tsar.  "If we beg for peace, then peace will never come. We must let the French know that we are not afraid to continue." He said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the French are testing us." The eyes of the two ministers,  In an instant, the focus was on the silent His Majesty the Tsar, waiting for his decision a
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