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Chapter 281 Agreement

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    When the news spread to the palace that the Tsar had appointed a provisional government to maintain order, Petersburg, which had been in chaos for a night, finally came to a halt. Under the pressure of the troops loyal to the provisional government, riots broke out quickly.  were pacified, and those troops who did not intend to be loyal to the provisional government immediately, because they did not receive any orders from the top, had no choice but to return to the military camp with doubts and helplessness.  Later that day, similar rebellions were launched in several other large cities in the Russian Empire. Some rebel soldiers who had been prepared in advance forcibly broke into the local city hall and announced that they would take over on behalf of the provisional government.  Local authorities maintained order.  Soon, after the initial chaos, word spread quickly about what had happened in Petersburg, and the explosive news left everyone who heard it stunned and at a loss.  The Winter Palace was attacked by rebels, the Tsar and the imperial ministers fell into the hands of the rebels, and the rebels established a provisional government The various news exceeded the limits of most people's imagination.  More speculations and rumors followed, and these rumors became more and more bizarre because of the nervousness of the people as they circulated. Some said that after the rebels captured the Winter Palace, both the Tsar and the Crown Prince had been killed;  Others say that they have fallen into the hands of the rebels, and the orders issued now are invalid orders under duress; others say that His Majesty has reconciled with the rebels, is preparing to reorganize the empire's cabinet, and listens to the voice of the people  , improve the suffering of the people.  Under the chaos, the entire country fell into chaos for a while, and the order in various places deteriorated significantly. Even though the interim government has been trying to maintain local order, they can only control a few big cities and surrounding areas for the time being.  Rural areas, and for the vast territory of the Russian Empire, what they controlled was only a few islands in the ocean.  However, Pierre Bezukhov, the head of the provisional government, was full of confidence. He had been waiting for this day for decades. During those decades of dormancy, he calmly and slowly prepared for the final uprising.  Make preparations and make plans for various possible scenarios.  For him, successfully launching a coup, killing the Tsar, and taking control of Petersburg and several other cities has fulfilled his long-cherished wish. Every minute and every second that follows can be said to be earned.  , he is not afraid of failure or death.  Under his supervision, the provisional government began to try to exercise the functions of the government and issue various decrees that had been prepared in an orderly manner, ranging from politics to economics to civil rights and freedoms. Although the provisional government currently controls  Due to the limited power and scope of control, these decrees cannot be fully implemented, but the issuance of the orders itself has already represented the provisional government's beginning to establish its own prestige and political power.  Of course, in addition to these idealistic moves, Count Bezukhov also made some more realistic moves. When the capital had supply difficulties due to the chaos of order, and prices began to soar in a short period of time, he  Orders were given to open government warehouses everywhere and distribute supplies to civilians as soon as possible to help them survive this difficult winter.  At the same time, the Bezukhov family's business also began to distribute supplies. As one of the few large landowners in Russia, Count Bezukhov's territory is very rich in products, and during many years of operation, the family has also established a large number of businesses.  They distribute products from their own territory, and each store also stores a large amount of supplies.  During the war, in order to undermine the prestige of the imperial government and speed up the defeat of the war, Count Bezukhov instructed his merchants to start hoarding, which caused the prices of food and firewood to rise rapidly, and soon the people complained.  The imperial government became even more unpopular as a result.  However, now that the big thing has been accomplished, the Earl no longer needs to continue hoarding. On the contrary, he took the initiative to let his business start to supply food on the market on a large scale at extremely low prices, and even distributed a large amount for free.  , prices in the capital were stabilized, and the turmoil caused by the coup quickly subsided.  Although he is an intellectual, the Earl has been ups and downs for so many years, so he also knows that if he wants to win the support of the people, it is meaningless to just shout slogans. The most important thing is to make them feel that they can get support.  The benefits are especially true now.  "In this way, with a series of efforts, the Count dropped thunders in Russia, which was originally dull and decadent, like a swamp. This country, which was a stagnant pool of water, was suddenly involved in the torrent of the times.  The pool where the boulder was thrown created violent waves, sweeping to every corner of the empire. At this time, the empire was on the front line of a fierce battle with the enemy, and the chill of early spring was strongly felt. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?The fall of the Stopol Fortress was originally a major blow to the imperial army, but when the news that a coup had taken place in Petersburg and that His Majesty the Tsar might have fallen into the hands of the rebels reached the front line, it was an even more fatal blow.  , At present, the imperial army on the Crimean Peninsula has fallen into complete chaos, and whether it can continue to fight with its original intensity has become a question.  At least, in the eyes of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, General Gorchakov, and his cousin, Ambassador Gorchakov, the chief representative of the Russian military delegation in Crimea, this stomach-churning war is no longer  There's no point in continuing anymore.  Ever since he received the news from Petersburg, Ambassador Gorchakov has been trying to meet with Minister de Treville, the negotiator of the French army. These days, his envoys have been shuttled back and forth between the positions of the two armies, and there has been no one.  stop.  But what frustrated him was that the French had been unwilling to meet him. They just accepted his letter of love and then ignored him. The reason given by the French was that Marshal Treville was seriously ill now, and the Minister  He has been taking care of him and has no time to talk to the Russians, but of course the ambassador knows in his heart that this is just a way for the French to continue to wait for a price. They want to take advantage of Russia's current situation to rip it off, but now he has nothing else  The only way is to continue to send requests again and again, waiting for the French to show mercy.  He had no choice but to do so. The empire was already in chaos. The rebels had openly occupied the palace and the capital, and issued various orders in the name of the tsar and the provisional government. If there was any further delay, the situation would become even more uncontrollable.  To solve the current problem, the most important thing is to quickly stop the war with Britain and France, mobilize the frontline troops to return to fight the rebellion, or at least occupy an area first to prepare for the next counter-insurgency. No matter what, this army  They are all vital bargaining chips and must not be damaged in the slightest. It can even be said to be the only hope for the empire at the moment.  Under such an environment, if Britain and France continue to be enemies of Russia, then this army will have no way to return to the division anyway, and it is even doubtful whether it can continue to exist.  The ambassador was so worried that he became very haggard. In the end, regardless of his own dignity, he asked for a meeting with Minister de Treville in an almost pleading tone, and promised that he could make some plans for France.  Any concession one wants.  Perhaps because his sincerity finally moved the other party, Minister Treville finally informed the ambassador and told him that he agreed to restart negotiations, and the negotiation location was still the previous chapel.  Almost impatiently, the ambassador immediately came to the church with his entourage in the early morning of the negotiation day, and anxiously waited for the arrival of the French.  But the French delegation seemed to be taking their time. It was not until noon that Minister Treville came to the church with his entourage.  Perhaps because he had to take care of the critically ill marshal, Minister Treville seemed a little haggard. His skin became sallow and his eye circles were heavy. He was no longer as high-spirited as when they last met, but his eyes were still sharp.  , enough to make people believe that he is still the vicious careerist.  ¡°Boy, you¡¯re lucky, I¡¯ll give you a big victory.  The ambassador sighed in his heart, and he didn't know whether it was jealousy or bitterness. He knew that after today's negotiations, Louis Bonaparte and the group of favored ministers around him would become famous, and perhaps they would become the whole world.  A figure revered across the continent.  The polite greetings ended immediately. The ambassador didn¡¯t want to waste a minute with polite words, so he asked questions directly.  "Your Excellency, Minister, you must have heard about the unfortunate incident that happened in our capital, right?" "We have indeed heard about it, but we cannot confirm that we know all the facts." Charles replied with reservations.  "Then let me tell you the facts I know. Just over half a month ago, a group of despicable rebels launched a rebellion in our capital, broke into the palace, and took our Tsar Majesty hostage. Now His Majesty is dead.  Unknown." The ambassador said bitterly, "Right now, this group of traitors is calling themselves the provisional government and trying to issue decrees to disrupt our country. This group of despicable traitors must be punished as they should." "We have received some from them.  The decree issued is not that sinful to be honest, at least it seems that way to us." Charles did not feel indignant like the ambassador, but replied with reservations.  Indeed, after the provisional government was established, Count Bezukhov issued a decree almost immediately. In addition to declaring that local governments would support the provisional government, he also announced that he would abolish the privileges of the nobility, abolish exorbitant taxes, and also recognized that farmers had the right to  Divide the estate of their estate.  These various decrees were almost a replica of the French Revolution, and they immediately triggered unrest everywhere. Peasants and serfs everywhere tried to fight against their lords and divide the village land they rented, while aristocratic landowners everywhere  In constant panic, some people tried to organize armed forces to protect themselves, while others simply abandoned the manor and fled.  "These decrees are also the root cause of the internal destruction of Gorchakov and other nobles. Their privileges have almost been written off. How can they sleep peacefully?  Therefore, it is normal for the ambassador to grit his teeth and want to suppress this group of rebels as soon as possible.  "As the legal government of France, do you actually want to open your eyes to the rebels?" Charles's cold reply made the ambassador a little anxious, and he immediately asked, "Don't forget, a king is currently in a life crisis.  , as a monarchy, and as his brother, the emperor of your country should also understand that the crisis of every monarch is common. " "Thank you very much for now recognizing that our emperor and the tsar of your country are brothers.  "Ciel suddenly laughed, "If you had treated us like this earlier, maybe the situation would not have ended up like today." This implicit sarcasm made the ambassador hesitate, and he suddenly felt a little embarrassed.  Indeed, since Louis Bonaparte came to the throne, the Tsar and the imperial government have always held a contemptuous attitude towards him, and have hardly interacted with him, let alone treated him as an equal. Now that he is talking about "brothers", no wonder he has provoked  People laugh.  But now, even if there is nothing he can do about the joke, he has to keep telling it.  "There were indeed some misunderstandings between our two countries before, but now, the misunderstandings have been eliminated. We welcome your emperor to eliminate the republic, maintain the sacred value of the monarchy in France, and are happy to accept your emperor into Europe.  In the embrace of the monarchy's family." The ambassador cautiously said to Charles, "Today, our country's monarch and monarchy system are in an unprecedented crisis, and your country should also see that supporting the legitimate government of Russia is a sacred principle for all countries.  "Yes, you are right, but we don't know which government this article applies to?" Charles still smiled and asked, with a little sarcasm still in his words.  "Of course it is a legal monarchy government!" Gorchakov replied loudly, "Sir, you should see that maintaining the monarchy in Russia means maintaining the monarchy in France, because Europe is a continent and republics exist everywhere.  Victory will cause turmoil in other countries So I think that our suppression of the rebellion will also be a contribution to Europe and your country. I implore your country to make it easier for us! If we don't act as soon as possible, the republican virus will spread.  It will take root in Russia and eventually bring peace to the whole of Europe. "Do I understand that you want the Russian army to surrender to us as soon as possible and then stop this war so that your army can return to quell the rebellion?" Charles asked in return?  .  ¡°I ask you for an armistice, for the sake of the monarchy,¡± the ambassador replied.  "Surrender." Charles emphasized again, "Only formal surrender can give us a reason to end the war. After all, we now have an absolute advantage. Of course, after surrender, your army can still maintain its proper organization and weapons.  There is no need to hand it over. " "Well, we surrender." After hearing that he could keep the organization and weapons, the ambassador immediately nodded and agreed. For him, this was just a name, and he had lost face anyway.  , it doesn¡¯t matter if you lose a little more.  "At the same time, I ask you to open the road after our army surrenders so that we can go north." "It depends on whether you agree to our negotiation terms." Charles was still very calm.  ¡°We agree to all the conditions you proposed last time!¡± the ambassador quickly replied.  "No, under such a new situation, the previous conditions are no longer suitable for the situation." Charles shook his head coldly, "Now we need to update the conditions." Hearing these words, the ambassador felt another pain in his heart  , he understood that he would probably leave an infamy that would disgrace his power and humiliate his country.  But now that the country is in crisis, how can we care about the infamy?  "You ask, if I can agree, I will agree." The ambassador endured the pain in his heart and answered as calmly as possible.  "The Black Sea coast must be permanently militarized, and all fleets, fortresses, arsenals, and barracks must be abandoned." Charles didn't want to waste time, so he started talking immediately, "At the same time, Russia must guarantee it and compensate France for its losses during the war.  Part of the military expenditure, the specific amount of these military expenditures will be calculated and handed over to your country later.¡±p; Military spending?  indemnity?  The ambassador was stunned, and then he shook his head suddenly.  "We can agree to the Black Sea issue, but we can't pay compensation." His words are true. At this time, the country has become like this. Where can he find compensation?  "Considering your country's current financial situation, of course we will not force you to hand over money that is impossible to collect. However, this compensation can be deducted through taxes." Charles spread his hands to show how much he has.  Reasonably, "Russia can let French businessmen go to operate its railways, mines, fisheries, farms, forests, factories and even commercial institutionsetc., etc., and the tax revenue generated will be used to offset the compensation." Listen  After meeting such conditions, the ambassador was speechless for a moment.  This is tantamount to letting Russia loosen all tariff barriers, allowing the French to conduct commercial invasions and plunder the empire's important resources and industries. The impact is even worse than the reparations.  "You are taking advantage of the situation, sir!" he couldn't help but protest.  "Yes, we are taking advantage of the situation, sir." Charles nodded.  "Since we can rob, why don't we do it?" His frank attitude made the ambassador even more angry, but he also understood that moral condemnation of such people is simply meaningless behavior.  Now, he really doesn¡¯t have many choices.  "If you insist on doing this, we can only agree to it, but you also understand that this condition is extremely harsh. Once we do this, it will put us in an extremely unfavorable position in terms of public opinion" The ambassador gritted his teeth.  Said, "And Mr. Treville, you can also see that whether the conditions we agreed to can be realized will be judged by whether we can win. If we fail in public opinion and we are defeated as traitors, then I  Even if I promise you more things, what's the point?" The ambassador's reply was beyond Charles' expectation.  But when he thought about it carefully, it made sense.  "Then what are your plans?" he finally asked.  "Our conditions remain unchanged, but France must give us a loan, so that we can relinquish various rights and interests in the name of repaying the loan." The ambassador looked at Charles with his head held high, "In this way, we will be in the public opinion  You won't be passive anymore, and you can get what you want." "The result is that we lend you money to fight the rebellion? What a beautiful idea you have!" Charles couldn't help but laugh.  "Then do you think there is any better way?" The ambassador looked at Charles without fear.  "Don't you want to win the friendship of Russia? If you are helping us in times of need, we will always be grateful to you. Even if the French expand commercially, who will say a word? This is better than taking advantage of the situation.  Beautiful, right? And what about you? You will also get a lot from it!" Under his gaze, Ciel fell into deep thought.  ¡°I will report this to Your Majesty,¡± he said at last.  "Very good." The ambassador smiled. He understood that the other party was tactfully agreeing to him.  He knows that losing power and humiliating the country is inevitable now. What he has to do is to try his best to win something for the country and at the same time create conditions for quelling the rebellion as soon as possible.  "We have another condition, that is, your country must not engage in any expansion or retaliatory war, and must guarantee Austria's protection rights over Wallachia and Moldavia." After a moment, Charles spoke again, "At the same time,  Russia is no longer allowed to send troops to Poland to ensure that the Poles enjoy their due rights" "Wallachia was originally the reason why Russia launched the war, but in the end it became a meal for the Austrians, which made the ambassador feel sad.  It's a pain.  And Poland is even more unbearably painful.  "Poland?" He looked at Charles and muttered to himself.  "Sir, if we do not station troops in Poland, what general civil rights do we grant them? How is this different from recognizing their independence?" France and Poland can be said to have been friends for generations. During the reign of Napoleon I, he also established Warsaw.  The Grand Duchy, and the Poles followed him diligently and fought with him in the war against Russia. Unexpectedly, in the era of Napoleon III, this complex actually still existed.  "They will still belong to you, at least in name." Ciel retorted.  ¡°But what if they rebel too?!¡± The ambassador certainly would not be deceived by such verbal tricks.  "Then just leave it to fate." Charles shrugged.  His implicitly sarcastic attitude made the ambassador's blood boil instantly., almost breaking out again.  But he knew that now was not the time to be angry.  And, more importantly, now that the empire is in danger, Poland itself may be difficult to preserve. After all, the people there hate the empire's rule.  Not to mention that the empire itself still needs to mobilize troops to quell the rebellion.  ¡°You may not be able to keep it anyway, so agree first and then find a way to get it back later.  The ambassador thought.  "Okay, we agree to your terms." He hissed with inexplicable pain, "In addition, in order to show friendship to the Turks, we will also withdraw our troops in the Caucasus. Sir, I still remember your last promise  , you said France is willing to provide security guarantees to Russia" Charles was stunned.  He didn¡¯t expect that the other party could actually say such things. ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? out out to say that he was taking the initiative to be friendly with the Turks, and also pulled the French over, asking the French to restrain the Turks from taking advantage of the situation.  When Charles said he would give Russia some security guarantee, it was originally to stimulate the other party, but in the end, it actually allowed him to use it to defeat the French army.  However, if you think about it carefully, this has its advantages. France originally did not want the Turks to expand in the past. Furthermore, the ambassador's request also gave France enough reason to continue to interfere in balancing Near Eastern affairs.  If that¡¯s the case, then just follow the other person¡¯s wish.  Unexpectedly, under such unfavorable conditions, the other party still relied on the few remaining chips and a realistic attitude to win so many things.  "You are really a seasoned diplomat." Charles complimented the other party from the bottom of his heart. "I admire you very much." "I am just a traitor now." Gorchakov sighed, and then said in a waning tone.  He stood up and said, "Sir, how wonderful it would be if there was no such war! I have always been against it." "At least you have made enough contributions to end it." Charles also stood up and extended his condolences to the other party.  Take action.  ¡°In this way, at nightfall, the negotiators of France and Russia completed the preliminary negotiations with astonishing efficiency, while there was still very little progress in such negotiations in the previous year.  It can be seen how much trauma this sudden rebellion brought to the Russian Empire, and how much it panicked the rulers of the empire.  At the end of the negotiations, Ambassador Gorchakov even asked France to send troops or volunteers to assist Russia in countering the rebellion, but Charles declined politely but firmly.  After all, France is now content and has no interest in getting involved in the Russian quagmire.  Furthermore, if France does not interfere, it can play both sides and wait for the bids from both sides.  For Charles, this agreement is not only a predetermined benefit, but also a tool that can be used to pressure Count Bezukhov to give benefits. In the current environment, both sides have to rely on him.  When he got the draft of the agreement, Ciel suddenly felt a sense of relief.  In this agreement, he has got everything he could hope for.  There is no doubt that, after the peace talks are over, he will once again shock all Europe, and then no one can anymore speak of the Emperor Louis Bonaparte and himself in a contemptuous tone.  No matter how much others hate him, they must admit that he is a giant.  If grandpa can be safe, everything will be perfect.  "What ifGrandpa" With sudden worry, on this cold winter night, Charles left his entourage behind and rode towards the hospital with the guards again.
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