Struggle in Russia

The arrival of winter caused the two opposing armies to unanimously choose a truce. The British and French forces were busy preparing for the winter, but the top brass of the Russian army were quarreling.

Why the quarrel?

Not just for the next step, Menshikov was very confident before, thinking that he could eliminate or drive the coalition forces into the sea. But after a fierce battle, his confidence was blown away like a punctured balloon.

At this moment, the old eunuch was full of frustration and was not generally pessimistic about the prospect of war. He believed that the coalition forces were simply invincible. The best way for now was to abandon Sevastopol quickly, or even abandon Crimea for strategic contraction.

According to his idea, the best way to defeat the enemy is to take a big step back and make concessions like he did against Napoleon in 1812, and then use the January generals and February generals to drag down the coalition forces to win victory.

Not surprisingly, this proposal was unanimously opposed. For example, the two grand princes Mikhail and Nicholas who came to supervise the war fiercely criticized Menshikov, saying that he had an escapeist mentality. I think the current situation is completely different from that of 1812, and there are nearly 100,000 troops in Sevastopol. Why should we abandon this fortress and escape?

These two young and energetic princes believe that although the Russian army suffered heavy losses in the previous stage, the casualties of the coalition forces will not be small, and their supplies in away games are very problematic. The Russian army should not only not escape, but should also continue to take the initiative to attack the coalition forces. Take a look at some color.

They believe that as long as they can win one or two battles, the coalition will probably collapse, so they should continue to take the initiative to teach the coalition a lesson.

The opinions of the two Grand Dukes Mikhail and Nicholas were actually the opinions of Nicholas I. The Tsar was very dissatisfied with the results of the battles around Menshikov and Sevastopol and believed that the old eunuch had completely failed him. He had lost his trust and was completely controlled by escapeism. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't find a replacement for a while, Nicholas I really wanted to replace the old eunuch immediately!

However, even if he resisted this impulse, Nicholas I could not tolerate the argument of giving up Crimea and Sevastopol. He believed that the situation had not deteriorated to that point yet. If he could win one or two battles, it would still be possible. To save the situation, he tasked his two sons to put pressure on Menshikov and the Crimean generals to see if they could manage to continue the attack.

It’s just that this requirement is difficult to achieve, because anyone who is not blind can see that the Russian army is not an opponent of the coalition forces at all. It is far behind its opponents in terms of equipment and morale. And with the arrival of coalition reinforcements, even the number The Russian army has no advantage anymore, so how can we take the initiative to attack?

On this point, even Kornilov and Nakhimov, who advocated sticking to Sevastopol, did not agree with the opinions of the two grand princes. They believe that there is no possibility of defeating the enemy at present, and continuing to blindly launch an attack is simply suicidal.

"The only solution for now is to defend Sevastopol and use the strong city defense to deal with the enemy. We should continue to step up the construction and renovation of fortifications and reserve more supplies, especially food and medicine. If we can hold on for one or two Years can definitely defeat the enemy!"

Menshikov and the two grand dukes could not agree with the suggestions of Kornilov and Nakhimov, because they felt that it was too passive, and they would not be heroes if they persisted. What's more, Russia's current economic and international situation is in a mess. What if it waits for change and the bad news comes again?

This worry is not unfounded, because the international situation is indeed quite unfavorable to Russia. First, Austria, Britain and France seemed to be on the verge of forming an alliance.

This made Russia both painful and angry, because anyway, it was Russia's help that got the Habsburg family out of trouble a few years ago, but as soon as they turned around, the Austrians stabbed themselves in the back.

If we say that we pretended to be neutral before and secretly stationed a large number of troops on the border to contain Russia, it was a bit sneaky. Nowadays, the direct exchanges with Britain and France are not shy at all.

Nicholas I was so angry that he almost overturned the table. Anyway, he no longer trusted the Austrians and vowed to recover this blood debt from the Austrians.

It's just that Russia does not have this ability for the time being. As long as the Austrians can maintain the status quo, they will be happy.

But how could the Austrians maintain the status quo? They were also angry with Nicholas I before, and the Balkans had been their focus for hundreds of years. They were very angry when Wallachia was stolen by Russia. Now that they have the opportunity to make a comeback, how could they let it go?

As a result, the Austrian ministers to Britain and France were not as busy as usual. They were busy discussing alliance matters with the foreign ministries of Britain and France every day.

However, there is a saying that the Austrians thought about the alliance between Britain and France and were not really prepared to do anything to Russia. They also know very well that Britain and France are not good enemies. Once Russia's power in the Black Sea and the Balkans is greatly weakened, Britain and France will definitely take advantage of it.

Their purpose is to weaken Russia to a certain extent and interrupt Russia's arm extending to the Balkans. At the same time, they do not completely offend Russia. It is best to act as a peacemaker and use the military pressure of Britain and France to force Russia to submit and regain its interests in the region. Then he began to mediate disputes and persuade them to make peace.

However, the Austrians did not expect that the methods they thought were fair and reasonable would be deeply resented by Nicholas I and Russia. There was no possibility of reconciliation between the two royal families and the conflicts between the two countries. Talking about restoring relations and becoming friends, but not directly declaring war, it was because Russia was suppressed by Britain and France and had no choice.

Anyway, Nicholas I and Russia have already remembered this debt. It’s not that they won’t pay it, it’s that the time has not come yet.

In addition to Austria, another traditional ally of Russia, Prussia, was also hooking up with Britain. Not long ago, Frederick William Nicholas Karl, the unlucky Frederick III who did not reign for two days, just The engagement of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, greatly brought the relationship between the two countries closer.

Considering that the news was announced at this sensitive time, in a sense it was also a rejection of Russia. This former little brother in the Holy Alliance was really ready to start his own business. The traditional friendship between the two countries was not forgotten. It exists, but it has also deteriorated.

Anyway, when Nicholas I looked around, he didn't have a single friend in the whole of Europe. The pressure at home and abroad was getting bigger and bigger. Any changes would be the straw that broke the camel's back!