Struggle in Russia

Prince Mikhail's reply was sent to Ineada a little later. He was indeed not sarcastic but also cleverly "declined" Paskovich's request.

"Your Excellency, in view of the current tense situation and the increasingly severe situation on the Danube River front line, I cannot mobilize too many troops to support you. I can only do my best to mobilize 3,000 people... I hope you can fulfill His Majesty's instructions as soon as possible. If things fail, Yes, please make a decision as soon as possible."

Duke Mikhail gave Lao Qiu 83,000 people, but in Paskovich's opinion, it was better not to give these 3,000 people. Because not only did these troops have no effect, but it also gave him no reason to complain to Nicholas I.

Because once he starts to complain, Duke Mikhail will innocently say: "Your Majesty, it's not that I didn't intentionally not support His Excellency the Prince, but it's just that my side is too tight, and I have tried my best to mobilize troops to support... Do you think His Excellency the Prince was too optimistic when he made the battle plan and miscalculated the strength of the enemy and ourselves?"

Paskovich believed that if he dared to complain, Prince Mikhail would definitely disgust him with these words.

Is that disgusting enough?

The effect is definitely impressive. Maybe Nicholas I also knew that Duke Mikhail's so-called efforts to support must be watery. But no matter how good they are on the surface, and the Danube River line is indeed under great pressure, it is okay not to mobilize troops to support you. As long as they are mobilized, it will be a sign of affection, so you have to admit it and show gratitude.

What's more, Nicholas I was not stupid. Ineada was beaten like this. If you think about it with your butt, you will know how optimistic he was when he first formulated the plan. He did not have an in-depth understanding at all, let alone fully weigh the possibility of British and French intervention. sex.

In the final analysis, there is indeed a big problem with this plan. This is definitely Paskovich's fault and cannot be shaken off no matter what.

In fact, Nicholas I received the latest report from Paskovich in St. Petersburg. After seeing the words that the main force of the British and French forces had arrived on the battlefield, the Tsar's face was not ordinary ugly.

Paskovich's cowhide was burst, or a colorful soap bubble was ruthlessly popped.

Anyone with the most basic military qualities will know that it is impossible to capture Constantinople with the few men and horses Paskovich has in hand. Even if he can bring those men and horses back, thank God.

But what made Nicholas I the most angry was not this. He knew very well that plans often cannot keep up with changes. No matter how good the plan is, accidents will happen. If everything on the battlefield can go according to your plan, that's not the case. The enemy is too useless and you are writing a novel.

Nicholas I was well prepared for unexpected surprises during the execution of the plan, and even he was vaguely aware of the loopholes in Paskovich's plan. As the core city and symbol of Turkey, Istanbul or Constantinople How could Dingbao be captured so easily!

No matter who it is, they will heavily fortify the capital and key node cities with extremely important geographical and strategic locations. It is indeed a bit arrogant to rely on a mere 100,000 troops to achieve the goal.

At that time, Nicholas I's idea was that even if Paskovich could not capture Constantinople, he could still stab the hinterland and ribs of Turkey, which would greatly reduce the pressure on Duke Mikhail on the Danube line.

If they can confuse the Turks and make them hurriedly mobilize troops from the Danube River line, then Duke Mikhail may be able to take the opportunity to open up the situation, and maybe the whole situation will be revitalized at once.

From this perspective, Paskovich's plan still had merit, so Nicholas I was willing to take the gamble with him.

The problem is, it's now very clear that the gamble failed. Not only is Turkey protecting the area around Istanbul very tightly, but more importantly, the British and French forces arrived too quickly. Under such circumstances, it would be a fool's errand to continue to leave a heavy army alone overseas.

The correct approach is to stop immediately and start retreating. Anyway, it is not difficult to come to this conclusion with the half-baked military literacy of Nicholas I, the military judge. How could Paskovich not know what to do with his rich combat experience? ?

But what greatly disappointed Nicholas I was that Paskovich did not do this. He only sent an urgent letter and battle report to report the situation, and he only said that because the main force of the British and French coalition forces of more than 200,000 people had arrived, The battlefield made the original plan unfeasible, and he requested St. Petersburg to give him the latest instructions on how to act!

This made Nicholas I unbearable. He had obviously given all authority for the landing operation to Paskovich and told him that everything was up to him. Isn't this obvious enough? Why write such a letter asking what to do?

It was obvious that Paskovich was playing tricks. This old Qiu Ba probably felt that the landing operation was impossible and would inevitably fail, but he did not want to bear the corresponding responsibility, so he made a vague report, which seemed to respect Nikolai. The will of the whole life, but in fact it is just trying to pass the blame.

It is not difficult to imagine that after seeing his report, unless Nicholas I had something in his mind, it would be impossible to continue trying to capture Istanbul, so retreat was inevitable. It’s just that the order to retreat will be issued by Nicholas I, and Paskovich can pretend to be helpless and shrug:

"It's not that I'm not strong enough, it's that His Majesty ordered me to retreat. I'm very sorry and helpless!"

Nicholas I saw through Paskovich's little calculation at a glance and knew what the old man was up to. And this made him furious!

From the perspective of Nicholas I, there is indeed reason to be angry. As his most trusted general, it was you who single-handedly pushed for this action, and I, the emperor, also gave you the greatest support against all the opinions. trust.

But at the critical moment, is this how you treat my trust?

It's a very simple and obvious thing, but you actually do this little trick just to protect your own reputation? It’s simply not a thing!

Count Kleinmicher immediately discovered that something was wrong with Nicholas I's mood. Although the Tsar's face was calm, he could see that there was a volcano about to erupt in his chest.

This made him a little strange. He didn't understand how Paskovich, who had always been loved and admired by Nicholas I, offended this Supreme Being. Could it be that the frontline operations were not going smoothly? Or was it a huge defeat?