Struggle in Russia

Nikolai Milyuting's shocked look made Li Xiao sigh. This was a manifestation of the foreigner's background.

In official circles or politics, it has always been about interests. As long as the interests are big enough, anything can happen.

Take Duke Alexander as an example. He is indeed a liberal. Even Benkendorf was not very popular during the era of Nicholas I. It can be said that he was "idiosyncratic" to the extreme.

How could such a staunch liberal not move towards the reformists, and how could he support Archduke Constantine, a birdman?

Nikolai Milyutin fell into this thinking trap. He thought that Duke Alexander was a liberal, so he would naturally support reforms, and he would naturally stand firmly on the side of the reformists.

But that's not the case for Li Xiao. No one stipulates that liberals must support reform, right? What's more, Prince Alexander, a liberal, has always been known for his pragmatism.

He never openly supported the reforms, otherwise he would not have survived in the era of Nicholas I.

In other words, he is very liberal in words or when interests are not involved, but when it comes time to act in earnest, he will be very cautious and will make "reasonable" decisions based on the situation.

Historically, Nikolai Milyutin and Grand Duke Constantine fell successively. However, he, the liberal prime minister and foreign minister, still stood and was always trusted and reused by Alexander II.

You must know that this was in the context of Alexander II's reverse course. It stands to reason that all important ministers who supported the reform would be liquidated, but look at what happened to him.

If you look at it this way, do you think he is still a die-hard supporter of the reformists and will definitely defend the interests of the reformists?

Obviously he is not this kind of person. He will only defend his own interests. At most, he can protect the interests of the reformists as long as it is appropriate and does not harm his own interests.

Looking at the current environment, it is a critical moment for the confrontation between reformers and conservatives. It is also a moment when Alexander II always has doubts about reforms.

As the newly elected Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, he will definitely weigh all aspects to make a choice.

"Is that so?"

Nikolai Milyutin was a little skeptical because he still had a good sense of Duke Alexander. As a friend for many years, he felt that Duke Alexander's character was trustworthy and he was unlikely to betray his friends and ideas.

Li Xiao's explanation for this is: "At critical moments, such as when we conservatives are fighting a decisive battle, I believe that Duke Alexander will stand on our side conditionally. But this is not the case now. To put it bluntly, we and The conflict between Grand Duke Constantine is at best an internal disagreement, and Duke Alexander will definitely not stand on our side at this time!"

After glancing at Nikolai Milyutin, he continued: "What's more, as the new Prime Minister who has just taken office, he must give His Majesty face no matter what. It is impossible to directly oppose His Majesty as soon as he takes office!"

Nikolai Milyutin became more and more entangled. He wanted to say that Duke Alexander was not that kind of person, but he was in the position of Duke Alexander. Faced with this situation, he would be more or less concerned about Alexander II. attitude, it is indeed impossible to be on one side's side.

Seeing that he had been persuaded, Li Xiao immediately continued his work: "Count, our great cause has reached the most critical moment. Every decision we make must be carefully considered and all possibilities must be considered. We must not put our hopes at risk." We rely on the weakness of our enemies and the understanding and support of our so-called friends! Historical experience tells us that we can’t rely on anyone but ourselves!”

Nikolai Milyutin was shocked because he had no such awareness at all, but if he thought about it carefully, these words still made sense. The lessons of the Decembrists were there. If others can rely on the history of Russia It has been rewritten long ago.

Even if he didn't completely agree with Li Xiao's words, he had to admit that it was more reliable to rely on himself. At least he didn't have to worry about being held back by his pig teammates!

After thinking for a while, he asked: "The problem is that Duke Alexander has expressed nothing now. We can't attack him just because he may support His Majesty and Grand Duke Constantine, right?"

Li Xiao smiled and said: "Of course this is not advisable, but we can also clarify our position with him straight to the point to find out his attitude... I think we should go to the Duke immediately and have a frank talk. After the chat, I believe you You won’t be so confused anymore!”

Nikolai Milyutin blinked and felt that this was indeed a good idea. He directly showed his cards to Duke Alexander to see which side he would help. Even if the worst happens and Duke Alexander sides with Alexander II, they can be prepared in advance.

He immediately replied: "Okay, we'll go right away!"

Duke Alexander had no idea that Nikolay Milutin and Li Xiao would come together, UU Reading www.uukanshu.net, but he knew that the other party would definitely come to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, so how to deal with it may be very crucial!

For a moment, he wanted to avoid them, because even with his little brain, he knew that these two people were looking for him for only one thing, and that was to ask him to help deal with Archduke Constantine.

And he definitely didn't want to do this favor, which meant that Nikolai Milyutin would definitely have a problem with him. Of course, this didn't matter!

The important thing is that after Nikolai Milyutin knows his attitude, he is likely to take measures against him in advance, and this also means that his role in this incident will be weakened!

This is not the most critical thing. What is even more terrible is that Nikolai Milyutin is likely to change his attitude towards him, which means that in future reforms, the reformists are likely to have opinions about him as prime minister!

This will greatly affect the relationship between the two parties. It may be impossible for Duke Alexander to get the reformers to accept his opinions and policies as easily as before!

In short, this will greatly affect his relationship with the reformists. Maybe the two parties will turn from allies who work together to angry and hostile enemies!

But Duke Alexander can't avoid seeing him, because not seeing him is actually an attitude. Nikolai Milyutin is not stupid. He must know that he has something up his sleeve, so will he not be careful?

Even doing so will be counterproductive, and it will be bad if it angers the other party!

"Invite them to the living room!"

After thinking for a long time, Duke Alexander knew that there was no way to avoid the disaster. Since there was no way to avoid it, he could only face it directly. Maybe he could do Nikolai Milyutin's work and make him give up challenging the Grand Duke Constantine?

If we can do this, we can directly resolve this storm invisibly, which will probably make Alexander II take a high look...