Struggle in Russia

Alexander II was stunned. The purpose of asking Count Rostovtsev for advice was actually to hope that the count could give him an idea to deal with the reformists so as to get rid of the matter.

Who would have thought that Count Rostovtsev told him without hesitation that it was no longer possible without reform, and even asked him to directly start a pilot reform? This is completely different from what he thought, okay?

However, Alexander II was more surprised than dissatisfied. He thought he was familiar with Count Rostovtsev's temperament and believed that the count was a firm supporter of tradition. He would never let him start the reform unless he had no other choice. of.

Has the situation gotten so bad?

This was Alexander II's first thought after hearing Count Rostovtsev's words, but he was immediately attracted by Count Rostovtsev's subsequent words.

"...Ukraine is undoubtedly the best pilot area. The previous rebellion has completely destroyed this lovely place and wiped out the local nobility...To put it bluntly, Ukraine is now the area with the weakest aristocratic power in the empire, and there is no such thing. one!"

Of course Alexander II understood what this meant. Fewer nobles meant less conservative power. Naturally, launching a pilot in Ukraine would not cause a strong backlash. For conservatives, Ukraine has been beaten to a pulp anyway, and it doesn’t matter if it gets any worse.

From this perspective, it is indeed appropriate to make Ukraine a pilot for reform. Anyway, it is already a bad card. No matter how bad it is, it will not cause greater losses to conservatives.

But Alexander II was a little unwilling. Do he really want to hand over Ukraine to the reformists? No matter how bad it is, it will still be Kievan Rus!

Count Rostovtsev sighed and said: "There is nothing we can do about it. If we don't give those free elements an explanation, they will really become manic, and maybe they will take risks regardless of everything. Then it will be even more difficult." To clean up... it is better to take a step back, appease their emotions and buy time to regain their strength..."

Alexander II did not speak. Of course he knew that the most important thing for the conservatives was to gain time to regain their strength, but were things really irreversible?

Rostovtsev sighed: "It's not irreversible, but it's more rational to make reasonable choices!"

Alexander II murmured: "Is this really reasonable?"

Count Rostovtsev replied loudly: "Of course it is reasonable! Your Majesty, you must understand that you cannot be willful in governing the country. We must make compromises and concessions when necessary, as long as such compromises and concessions can make us better." !”

Alexander II raised his eyelids and glanced at him, sighing. Although it could be seen that he was still reluctant, he had already accepted Count Rostovtsev's opinion.

“Okay, designate Ukraine as a pilot, and then what?”

He asked with a grimace: "What if they do a good job in Ukraine? What will happen then?"

Count Rostovtsev bowed and replied: "I believe that even if they can do a good job in Ukraine, it will take a long time. A lot can change in three to five years, right?"

Alexander II silently calculated that if he lost Ukraine, he could gain three to five years of breathing time, which was undoubtedly acceptable.

But what he is worried about is what if the reformists are greedy enough to cause trouble in Ukraine while promoting their fallacies in St. Petersburg?

Count Rostovtsev replied calmly: "Of course this situation may happen, and this requires you to integrate those who are willing to respect tradition as soon as possible, and you cannot let them be scattered again!"

Alexander II sighed in his heart. Of course he understood the truth, but things were not that easy to do. There were many factions within the conservative faction, and the major forces refused to obey anyone. He was determined to support Duke Baryatinsky as the new leader. A generation leader.

But not all the older generation buy it, especially the people of Count Uvarov. These old people always hang on and refuse to leave, which is really annoying!

He raised his eyes and looked at Count Rostovtsev. Sometimes he hoped that the count would stand up and give Count Uvarov and his gang a heavy blow and make these mangy dogs go away immediately.

But he knew he couldn't do this, and Count Rostovtsev would never agree.

The reason why he can't do it is that if he does, the future leader of the conservative conservatives will definitely not be Baryatinsky, whom he likes, but Count Rostovtsev. Although the count was very satisfied with what he did, he also knew that the conservatives could never be handed over to the count.

That means that Baryatinsky will never be able to get ahead, and it also means that the power in the hands of Count Rostovtsev will be too heavy and will become too big to lose!

As for why Count Rostovtsev would not agree, Alexander II felt that the count was a very smart man, and he would certainly not put himself in a position where the Tsar would doubt and fear him ~www.readwn.com~ Nor would he He wanted to gain Baryatinsky's hatred for no apparent reason.

Alexander II sighed in his heart and said sadly: "This is not easy. Some people are always attached to power and refuse to let go. Others always stick to the old ways and refuse to change. It is even harder to convince them than to climb to the sky. !”

Count Rostovtsev did not answer his words, but suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I think you should recall Duke Baryatinsky as soon as possible. You need him in the current situation!"

Alexander II was stunned. He did not expect that Count Rostovtsev would propose such a solution. Logically speaking, Baryatinsky was in a competitive relationship with him, so wouldn't he be worried about someone competing for his favor?

What's more, the Caucasus has not yet been completely smoothed out. Wouldn't letting Duke Baryatinsky come back half way?

Count Rostovtsev replied: "I don't think the problem is big. His Excellency the Duke has basically straightened out the relationship there. As long as the successor does not change his strategy casually, there will be no mistakes!"

At this point, he suddenly reminded in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Duke must be brought back now, otherwise Count Dmitry Milyutin will be in trouble!"

Alexander II was stunned. He didn't even think in this direction at first. What does this have to do with Dmitry?

But he immediately realized that the counter-insurgency in Ukraine was complete, and Dmitry's contribution was not small. To put it bluntly, his performance was outstanding. In just a few months, he only invested a small amount of troops. With so little money, the mess in Ukraine was settled.

This kind of merit is not enough to bring him a first-class military rank and a title. With such a huge reputation, if no one can suppress him, it will be really troublesome!