Struggle in Russia

The coronation ceremony of Alexander II is about to be held, and Moscow has not been so lively for many years. The last time there were such lights and colorful gongs and drums was the coronation ceremony of Nicholas I.

Anyway, since Peter the Great actually moved the capital to St. Petersburg, Moscow has really become a large rural area. Except for some dilapidated nobles who have to stay in this desperate city, nobles with a little connections will find ways to go to St. Petersburg to camp.

All in all, Moscow has the title of capital, but its actual status is not very good.

At least Li Xiao's first impression of the city when he walked out of the station was very ordinary. The bumpy roads and the mottled and dusty walls all showed the decay of the city.

The only thing that shines are those onion-topped domes. They are like fig leaves, shining like fig leaves, tenaciously holding up the last face of Russia.

Li Xiao did not have manors or villas in this city. Although his cheap father did leave some such properties to him, he immediately disposed of them and replaced them with real ones after taking them back from Nicholas I. Jin Baiyin invested in the factory.

So Li Xiao was a little embarrassed at this time. Because of the enthronement ceremony, the whole of Moscow was overcrowded. All kinds of nobles from all over the country poured in and occupied all the hotels in the city.

And thanks to Alexander II's procrastination, he couldn't reserve a seat in advance, so he had nowhere to go after walking out of the station.

"If I had known better, I should have left a manor..."

Sitting in Alexey's carriage, Li Xiao sighed and smiled a little awkwardly at his good friend.

The latter didn't mean to laugh at him, he just felt that Li Xiao was a bit too reckless. Although investing in industry was the general trend, it would not mean that all the manors would be sold. In a place like Moscow, at least one villa must be left, otherwise This is a loss of status in the aristocratic circle.

"Why don't you go to Prince Vorontsov's estate? Wouldn't the prince welcome you there?"

Li Xiao sighed and said: "We must be self-aware. It is already a huge favor for the Duke to take me to Moscow on a special train. If I go to live in his manor again, what will His Majesty think if I find out? Although the Duke said he doesn't care, But I won’t cause him too much trouble, right?”

Alexey smiled and asked: "Then you are not afraid of causing trouble to me?"

Li Xiao smiled and hugged his shoulders and replied: "Our relationship is different, and His Majesty has already known that we wear a pair of pants, so what trouble can it cause? This means that you are not afraid of being bitten by lice!"

Alexey was speechless, and was drunk by someone's shamelessness. However, although someone's words may not sound good, the truth is still the same. He is indeed not afraid of being bitten by lice. It is impossible for Alexander II not to know his relationship with Li Xiao. If this is the case, then don't try to deceive him by keeping a distance. Alexander II is not stupid.

"Aren't Vishnyak and Boris here?" Alexey asked.

"No!"

Speaking of this, Li Xiao became indignant. There was nothing he could do if Boris couldn't come. After all, his status meant that he was not qualified to watch Alexander II's induction ceremony up close.

But as the deputy commander of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, and as the de facto imperial guard of the Tsar, Vishnyak was actually fully qualified to come.

But because Alexander II hated Li Xiao, he hated Wu Jiwu for deliberately finding an excuse to let Vishnyak stay in St. Petersburg to guard the Winter Palace. Naturally, he couldn't come.

To be honest, this was done in a petty manner, and his petty style was really disgusting. For this reason, Li Xiao even went to Vishnyak in person to apologize. Fortunately, the latter didn't care at all whether he could watch the enthronement ceremony. In fact, he didn't care about it. He had no problem with not going. Probably, it would be better for the love saint to stay in St. Petersburg and have a few more girls if he had time to watch Alexander II walking with his monkeys.

Alexei naturally knew this too. He shook his head and said, "You used to say that His Majesty's family was stingy. I thought you were a bit biased at that time, but now it seems that their family is not stingy at all. It's just petty chickens." You will definitely be repaid, okay!"

Will Alexander II’s anger be punished?

Certainly, Austria severely sided with Russia during the Crimean War, and Alexander II always kept this hatred in mind.

When Prussia was preparing to unify Germany, he found an opportunity for revenge. When Austria's military pressure was at its greatest, he also sent hundreds of thousands of troops to the border with Austria, making it impossible for the Austrian army to deal with Prussia wholeheartedly. The Habsburg family completely lost its orthodox status in Germany.

To be honest, this operation is not impossible, but anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is revenge for the past.

Because telling the truth and letting Prussia replace Austria to unify Germany would have a great impact on Russia's interests.

To put it bluntly, the roots of the two subsequent world wars lay here, and the ambitions of Germany or Prussia grew out of control from that time on.

In fact, the more correct approach is to let Prussia and Austria maintain the status quo and let the two hold each other back, so that they can be firmly trapped in the three-thirds of land in Central and Eastern Europe.

Alexander II's choice seemed very satisfying, but the result was not wonderful. Prussia unified Germany and instantly had the confidence and foundation to become a world power.

Moreover, Alexander II's manipulation of the relationship with Austria made it even worse. There was no possibility of reconciliation between the two parties and they could only become enemies.

Prussia and Austria came together quickly because they share the same roots and have the same interests. It is like saying that after a lot of trouble, Russia failed to get good results from both Austria and Prussia. Isn't this a toss-up!

From this point of view, it is true that national interests cannot be mixed with too many personal feelings, especially that they cannot be done at will based on one's own likes and dislikes.

Look at Alexander II's revenge on Austria, but in the end a more terrifying enemy, Germany, appeared out of nowhere. He hated Turkey and launched the 10th Russo-Turkish War in order to avenge Crimea. Although he felt bad, in the end he had to give up a considerable part of his interests due to lack of strength.

And because this battle completely exposed its intentions towards the Balkans and Turkey, it made all major powers, including Austria, deeply fearful. This also laid a fuse for the First World War.

All in all, all of Alexander II's dirty tricks were to lay a trap for future generations. It's really like a man who has no mercy for his descendants...