Chapter 5 The Old Prime Minister's Final Efforts (Part 1)

Did Alexei really absorb French capital? It can be said that there is, but it can also be said that there is no. The so-called French capital is actually a skin of Li Xiao and others. They have amassed a large amount of wealth through their fake identities in France. Naturally, this money cannot be left to go moldy, and must be reinvested and operated again.

But they can't use it directly, so I really can't explain where the money came from. So it can only continue to wear the French skin, and this time investing in the railway, David Leboeuf will act as a shareholder. In fact, most of the money belongs to a few of their friends.

Of course, the details of this must not be talked about with a big mouth, so Kogalnicianu actually only knows that Alexei has absorbed French capital. But he will not know exactly what is going on. Anyway, as long as he can collect money, he is too lazy to care about French capital and British capital. He doesn't care about the money invested by Jan Constantine and others. .

It's just that, who would have thought that Vladimir would be so caring? He can be regarded as a blind cat catching a dead mouse and hitting it right!

"Listen up, you all, continue to pay attention to the French investment, and try to bribe those who know the inside information. I want to know which French people paid the money and how much! As long as you do it, it will be indispensable Your benefits!"

With Vladimir's encouragement, Konstantin Gika and Kristin Stilbey were naturally very excited. This matter is actually not particularly difficult for them. Isn't it just spending money to inquire about the news, and it is not an international secret. They have nothing to do about it, but it is really easy to inquire about this information. They believe that as long as they wave the money, no one will say no!

One great play was about to be played in Wallachia, and another was about to begin in St. Petersburg. The small study room of Nicholas I in the Winter Palace was full of important figures. Prime Minister Nesselrode looked older and older, with a few strands of black hair no longer visible on the top of his head, and his face drooping. When he fell down, his eyes were swollen like a goldfish.

The old man has had a hard time in the past two years. Since Paskovich became a prince, Duke Mikhail and Peter Volkonsky were successively promoted to marshals, his position as prime minister has been seriously threatened.

Perhaps Paskovich has no interest in being prime minister, nor did Prince Mikhail and Peter Volkonsky. But with the improvement of their status, the right to speak must also increase. Even if they are not interested in being the prime minister, they can still run Nesselrode enough.

Anyway, the old man felt more and more that he couldn't speak well in the past two years, and more and more people started not to show his face. Sometimes he feels like he's just a rubber stamp.

No one likes to be a rubber stamp, especially after being the real power prime minister for so many years, Nesselrode is completely addicted to power, and he can't live without it for a moment. So he has been trying to get back everything he lost.

But how easy is it?

But today he thinks it is a chance!

"Your Majesty, regarding the issues related to Bulgaria, I think we should take more active actions and put more political pressure on Turkey!"

This statement surprised Chernyshov, Ordov, and Uvarov, because it was completely out of character with Nesselrode. He has always been relatively conservative on the Balkan issue, and rarely approves of aggressive measures. Why did he suddenly take the wrong medicine today!

It wasn't that Nesselrode took the wrong medicine, it should be said that he was forced to do nothing. With Russia's victories in Wallachia, Moldavia, and Hungary in 1849, Nicholas I's ambitions swelled wildly.

He is no longer satisfied with the petty profits of Wallachia and Moldavia, and hopes to solve the problem of the sick man of the Near East once and for all.

In the eyes of Nicholas I, Russia is rich and strong, and it is the most powerful country in the world, while Turkey is a country run by a group of sick men, all of them old and weak. If Turkey can be completely wiped out and these damned heretics are expelled from Europe and Asia Minor in one fell swoop, then the recovery of the Holy Land and the coveted access to the Mediterranean Sea for Russia can be achieved in one fell swoop!

What's more, in the past two years, both Prussia and Austria have been very respectful to him, and there is a vague meaning that he is the only one to follow. The Holy Alliance has never been so consistent, and it can completely challenge Britain and France, okay?

With all the positive signs, it is not surprising that Nicholas I chose to continue taking risks, and it was enough restraint that he only aimed at Bulgaria.

Nesselrode felt that since Nicholas I would take risks no matter what, then what is the use of his arms to block the traffic, it is better to push the boat to make Nicholas I happy, and take the initiative to take action against Bulgaria by the way. to hand.

If he, the prime minister, can take the lead in the related actions, he can make the soldiers of the military be more honest. By the way, he will beat the increasingly dishonest Duke Alexander. That bastard has dared to help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in front of him. A faction, just don't take him seriously, okay!

That's why Nesselrode took the initiative this time, and that was to let Nicholas I entrust the matter to him, so that he could once again command the heroes with a chicken feather as an arrow.

This calculation is very shrewd and very attractive to Nicholas I. In fact, he is not a war madman. Military threats are more of a means for him to scare people. If he can scare the Turks through diplomatic channels and let them If he is soft, he may not insist on using force. After all, fighting costs money, okay? The last time he quelled the European revolution almost emptied his old base, and it took him two years to catch his breath, okay?

"Yes, but we must let Turkey understand our determination and let them know that we firmly defend the legitimate rights and interests of our Bulgarian brothers!"

Nesselrode was waiting for these words, and he immediately said, "Your Majesty, if you want to force the Turks to submit, you must get the cooperation of the military. Do you think..."

Nicholas I glanced at Nesselrode, and after pondering for a moment, he replied: "I will tell Marshal Paskovich to cooperate with you in the operation!"

This answer actually did not satisfy Nesselrode, because what he wanted more was that Nicholas I authorized him to command the military, rather than the so-called cooperation of Paskovich, because the word cooperation It's too subtle, can you guarantee that the old thing will really cooperate well!