The departure of Marshal Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine made the originally relaxed atmosphere suddenly become serious.
"Commander Gorchakov, what do you think?" Alexander II asked Gorchakov.
"Your Highness, I still stick to my previous view!" Commander Gorchakov replied categorically to Alexander II: "Even if we and France cannot reach an agreement in the end, we can take advantage of the negotiation period to rest and wait for the next step.
The beginning of a war!"
"Yes!" Crown Prince Alexander nodded to express his understanding, then glanced at Ivanov Gorchakov and said, "Major Ivanov, what do you think?"
"Your Highness, I agree with Commander Gorchakov! No matter what the result is, you still have to try!" Invanov Gorchakov responded immediately.
"Okay! Got it!" Crown Prince Alexander also expressed his opinion, "I also agree with Commander Gorchakov! Regardless of whether this thing is successful or not, we must try it!
If it succeeds, Russia will be able to get out of its current predicament immediately!"
Then, Alexander II asked Ivanov Gorchakov and Jerome Bonaparte if they had any new demands!
Ivanov Gorchakov told Alexander II: "Emperor Jerome Bonaparte once said to me that if we are interested in peace talks, we need to send someone with a status comparable to his.
Match the people involved in the peace talks!”
"Does the identity match?" The first thing Alexander II thought of was his father Nicholas I.
Now Nicholas I was seriously ill and was unable to reach the Crimean Peninsula. Jerome Bonaparte was simply forcing himself to do this.
"That's right!" Ivanov Gorchakov nodded slightly, and then changed the subject and said to Crown Prince Alexander: "However, later Emperor Jerome Bonaparte didn't seem to think that His Majesty Nicholas I would arrive.
The Crimean Peninsula is communicating with him, so he has lowered his demands and hopes that you can be present during the peace talks!"
"Me?" Crown Prince Alexander breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Jerome Bonaparte asked him to go to peace talks. At least Jerome Bonaparte didn't know about the condition of his father Nicholas I.
.
Count Orlov's face showed a pensive expression. As a secret policeman, he always felt that Jerome Bonaparte's target was the crown prince from the beginning.
Of course, Count Orlov didn't think much about it. He only thought that Jerome Bonaparte had to be present because of face issues, so Crown Prince Alexander had to be present.
"Um!"
After all issues were discussed, Crown Prince Alexander ended the meeting.
After leaving the room, he decided to go to Marshal Jomini's room and persuade Marshal Jomini to stay for the Russian Empire.
When Crown Prince Alexander arrived at Marshal Jomini's room, he saw Jomini packing his luggage. He hurried into the room to stop Jomini and apologized to Marshal Jomini on behalf of Grand Duke Constantine.
"Your Highness, it's really nothing!" Marshal Jomini shook his head, "I think His Excellency the Grand Duke is right! I am a Frenchman!"
"Teacher, your love for Russia is obvious to all of us!" Crown Prince Alexander replied to Marshal Jomini.
"Your Highness, the fallen leaves will return to the earth one day! I do not want to be reviled by my compatriots and become a pillar of shame in France during the last journey of my life (in fact, Jomini is technically a
Swiss, but they think they are French)!" Marshal Jomini said to Alexander II.
"No! No! This is just for everyone to do his own thing!" Crown Prince Alexander shook his head and argued to Marshal Jomini.
"They don't think it's their own business!" Marshal Jomini responded to Crown Prince Alexander with a wry smile and shook his head.
"Then teacher, you can stay in Russia and enjoy your old age!" Crown Prince Alexander looked for a way out for Marshal Jomini.
"Your Highness, I love Russia, but my home is in France, so..." Marshal Jomini bowed to Crown Prince Alexander, "I'm sorry, Your Highness!"
Crown Prince Alexander thought for a moment. He felt that if he kept Marshal Jomini by his side, he would not be able to continue to perform his duties!
After all, the cultural attributes of France are much stronger than those of Russia. (Alexander II is too subjective here)
Alexander believed that if he were Marshal Jomini, he would have the same reaction as Marshal Jomini.
"Okay!" Crown Prince Alexander still chose to let go, "But, teacher, you must agree to one condition!"
"What conditions!" Jomini asked Crown Prince Alexander.
"I have a letter that I will send to my father soon. I hope that when you leave, you can give it to my father!" Crown Prince Alexander responded to Jomini solemnly.
Marshal Jomini did not choose to refuse Crown Prince Alexander's request. He nodded and said to Crown Prince Alexander: "I will deliver the letter on time!"
"Thank you very much!" Crown Prince Alexander shook hands with Marshal Jomini again, then closed the door and left.
After leaving the room, Alexander II was still walking through the corridor, and soon he met Grand Duke Constantine.
At this time, Grand Duke Constantine was like a child who had done something wrong, standing uneasily in front of Crown Prince Alexander.
"You...you!" Crown Prince Alexander sighed again and responded with an ironclad tone: "I have told you long ago that you are no longer a child! You need to be responsible for your words!"
"I know I was wrong!" Grand Duke Constantine apologized to Crown Prince Alexander in a low voice, and then suggested to Crown Prince Alexander: "How about I apologize to the teacher again, I really didn't think so much at the time!"
"It's too late!" Crown Prince Alexander replied to Grand Duke Constantine, and then pointed at Grand Duke Constantine and said: "After a while, you and Teacher Jomini will return to St. Petersburg!"
"Ah!" Archduke Constantine shook his head vigorously and said, "My father asked me to come here to take over your position. Now that you haven't left yet, I have left. This is not good!"
"You still want to succeed me? Don't you think it's chaotic enough?" Crown Prince Alexander raised his voice and replied to Grand Duke Constantine.
"I..." Grand Duke Constantine wanted to say something, but found that he seemed to have no reason to argue.
"Okay! It's settled!" Crown Prince Alexander replied to Grand Duke Constantine without hesitation: "You must return to St. Petersburg!"
"Yes!" Grand Duke Constantine responded as if he were mourning his heir.
…
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. During these two days, Sevastopol and Bakhchisarai had another exchange.
Alexander II wanted to allow the French Empire to relax its policies on the Black Sea. However, Jérôme Bonaparte did not agree to Alexander II's request. He still insisted on the original conditions.
Alexander II had no choice but to make temporary concessions, and the terms of the peace talks were basically reached by Alexander II.
Subsequently, Alexander II wrote a letter to St. Petersburg.
In addition to Jerome Bonaparte's conditions, the letter also contained Alexander II's own views.
Alexander II believed that there was not only no substantive conflict between France and Russia, but also that the two sides could reach consensus on a certain aspect (referring to the British issue), so he hoped that Nicholas I would consider peace talks.
After all, the longer the war between France and Russia goes on, the more conflicts there will be between the two sides.
At that time, as long as Britain instigates it, it will be difficult for Russia to seek peace.
…
After writing the letter, Alexander II solemnly handed it to Marshal Jomini, who was about to leave for St. Petersburg to report on his duties, and saluted Marshal Jomini.
Marshal Jomini also returned the salute to Alexander II, then got on his horse and
Grand Duke Constantine, who was standing next to Jomini, also followed Alexander II's instructions.
Under the biting cold wind, Marshal Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine left Bakhchisaray, and that night, they crossed the pontoon bridge leading from the peninsula to the mainland and continued to move forward.
Finally, after nearly five days of non-stop running, Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine arrived near Moscow, and took a train from Moscow to St. Petersburg that night.
The train rushed all the way, and after nearly half a day and one night of driving, it arrived at Tsarskoe Selo outside St. Petersburg.
"Damn weather!" Archduke Constantine, who had just gotten off the train, could not help but curse in a low voice while rubbing his body with his hands.
After staying on the Crimean Peninsula for a long time, he had long forgotten the temperature in St. Petersburg, so much so that he even forgot to change into cotton clothes before getting off the car.
Although Marshal Jomini, who was standing next to Grand Duke Constantine, was wearing a thin coat like him, he did not tremble like Grand Duke Constantine. Instead, he stood there calmly, waiting for the car.
The arrival of the rack.
After a while, a simple black carriage with the tsar's logo appeared in front of Grand Duke Constantine and Jomini.
The person who got off the carriage was one of the stewards in the palace of Nicholas I. He first bowed slightly to Marshal Jomini and Grand Duke Constantine, "Marshal, Your Excellency the Grand Duke, I have kept you waiting!"
Then he opened the door, Grand Duke Constantine quickly entered the carriage, and Marshal Jomini also walked into the carriage step by step.
The carriage closed and the carriage started slowly.
When Jomini left the train station and came to the vicinity of Tsarskoye Selo, he was surprised to find that a bunch of soldiers had appeared on the streets of Tsarskoe Selo.