Struggle in Russia

Kornilov and Nassimov's urgent battle reports were naturally sent to Paskovich and Duke Mikhail immediately. But Paskovich obviously didn't particularly care about the appearance of the British and French Expeditionary Forces.

As a purebred landlubber, Paskovich was a defender of complete continental army doctrine. He always believed that the navy was only an auxiliary to the army, similar to a crutch. Therefore, he looked down on the navy from the bottom of his heart, thinking that these saltwater ducks could not fight at all, and did not think that the navy could play a key role in a fateful war.

Naturally, he felt that there was nothing scary about the British and French Expeditionary Forces. His poor brain capacity believed that the so-called British and French Expeditionary Forces that arrived in Turkey were just a small group of troops sent by Britain and France to show off. Just to wave the flag and cheer for the Turks.

He didn't think that these small forces could have any big effect, so naturally they didn't need special attention.

It can only be said that Paskovich is a bit wrong. Britain, which has fully industrialized, and France, which is rapidly industrializing, surpass lagging Russia by a level in terms of mobilization capacity and shipping capacity.

When the Black Sea Fleet was struggling to transport troops to Ineada like ants moving, the shipping capabilities of Britain and France allowed them to transport troops to Turkey in batches and on a large scale.

This determined that when Paskovich finally transported 100,000 people to Ineada, which was "close at hand", the British and French expeditionary forces twice his size were also transported to the battlefield at the same time. Therefore, it is impossible for him to expect any strength advantage.

On the contrary, as time goes by, it is Britain, France and Turkey that have the advantage in military strength. In other words, his surprise attack plan has turned into a life-threatening plan that slowly kills people!

Paskovich didn't know or care about this danger, but Duke Mikhail was relatively sober, and even Menshikov, who had just stepped down as special envoy, had a certain awareness.

"Your Excellency, have you seen the battle report between Kornilov and Nassimov? The British and French expeditionary forces have arrived on the battlefield, and the situation has further deteriorated!"

Menshikov looked at Duke Mikhail. He was mainly practicing these days. This negotiation trip to Turkey surprised him greatly. Not only was he under a lot of pressure, but more importantly, the constant wrangling about order drained the last drop of fuel in his tank. After returning to Sevastopol, he fell seriously ill and was sent to Simferopol for recuperation, which lasted three full years. It took more than a month to recover.

According to the original plan, he should have returned to St. Petersburg as soon as possible, but such an illness delayed him. But it was okay. If he had set off directly to return at that time, the bumpy road would probably kill him.

Nicholas I was naturally very concerned after hearing that Menshikov was ill. Although the old eunuch failed to fulfill his instructions, the main responsibility for the breakdown of the negotiations did not lie with him. In Nicholas I's opinion, it was all the British and French who were causing trouble. , if they didn’t encourage Turkey, how could the turkey be so stubborn?

Therefore, even if Menshikov has no merit, he still has hard work. Since he cannot come back for the time being, he should cultivate himself well and help him keep an eye on Duke Mikhail and Paskovich.

Nicholas I once again appointed Menshikov as the plenipotentiary imperial envoy, responsible for supervising the battlefield situation and mediating the conflicts and disputes between Duke Mikhail and Paskovich when necessary.

In fact, the old eunuch's main responsibility is to mediate conflicts. If he hadn't helped smooth things over for more than a month, Duke Mikhail and Paskovich might have become anxious.

"I understand your concerns very well," Menshikov smiled palely and replied thoughtfully: "The arrival of the British and French expeditionary forces on the battlefield is naturally bad news, but it does not mean that their main force has arrived on the battlefield. If the Iraqi If Fan Fedorovich moves faster, he should be able to catch them off guard, right?"

Duke Mikhail curled his lips and said: "What's the use? What is the purpose of our landing? It is to capture Constantinople and disrupt Turkey's rear. This is the main purpose. But once it is dragged away by the British and French forces, Come on, where do we start talking about this?”

Menshikov was silent, because he did not have much confidence in Paskovich. The British and French armies were not the rabble of Turkey. As long as the number of British and French coalition forces was not particularly small, and with enough Turkish cannon fodder, they could really hold Russia back. Military.

In that case, let alone capturing Constantinople, I am afraid that as long as Turkey can stabilize its position, the landing troops will be in danger.

Although Menshikov is not a famous general, his only advantage with mediocre military ability is that he does not think too highly of himself or deceive himself. He still knew the combat effectiveness of the Russian army, and it was impossible to quickly defeat the British and French expeditionary forces against the Turks who were as numerous as locusts.

In other words, it can now be concluded that the main purpose of the Paskovich landing operation has been unable to be achieved. Continuing is nothing more than a waste of supplies and a waste of lives.

"You mean to terminate the operation? Transport the troops back?" Menshikov asked, staring directly at Duke Mikhail.

"It would be best if we could do this!" Duke Mikhail was also very direct, "But we all know that this is unlikely. Neither Ivan Fedorovich nor His Majesty will give up halfway and want to convince them. almost impossible!"

Duke Mikhail's words surprised Menshikov. He thought that Duke Mikhail's purpose in finding him was to persuade him to persuade Paskovich or Nicholas I to give up the landing operation. Close hand.

To be honest, if this was Duke Mikhail's request, Namenshikov would refuse it outright because he knew it was simply impossible. Only as a close confidant of Nicholas I do you know how much expectations he had for this war. How could it be possible for him to give up halfway?

As for Paskovich, he was also a stubborn donkey. How could he accept the result of returning in vain after he had done such tricks for this landing operation?

Under the current circumstances, it is absolutely impossible to expect these two people to stop, even if Menshikov or even Count Uvarov, Count Rostovtsev and Crown Prince Alexander take action together!

Originally, Menshikov was prepared to reject Duke Mikhail's request directly, and even went so far as to do the Duke's job and tell him that there was nothing he could do. Instead of wasting energy, it was better to focus on his own work and think about how to break the deadlock.

But now Duke Mikhail has this realization himself, which saves him trouble and worry. Why is he not surprised, and why is he not relieved?

After thinking for a while, Menshikov asked slowly: "Then what do you mean by coming to me?"