Chapter 686 The conflict between Austria and Russia depends on France
While Duke Golitsyn was intensively planning a plan to seize power, Foreign Ministers Neserrodie and Gorchakov, who were responsible for serving as representatives of the peace talks, were also escorted by tens of thousands of Russian troops and braved the cold to move toward
Crimea is close.
Both Neserrodie and Gorchakov understood that if the peace talks failed this time, the troops accompanying them would be put into battle as soon as possible.
The imperial government's finances will gradually deteriorate during the war. The 10 million US dollars spent selling Alaska is indeed a lot for an individual, but as far as this war is concerned, it is simply a drop in the bucket.
Once the war starts again, the imperial government will have to find ways to survive this severe cold.
Otherwise, the Russian Empire may witness Pugachev-style uprisings blooming across Russia in the spring of next year.
However, compared to the worried Gorchakov and Neserrode, the Russian army in the Crimean Peninsula did not feel the impending crisis at all.
They have been enjoying a peaceful life in Bakhchisarai and Simferopol for nearly a month. Their exhausted bodies and wills that are about to collapse are slowly recovering in the long-lost peace.
However, the shortage of supplies in the Russian army has not been properly resolved. Instead, it has become more difficult because of the sudden snowstorm some time ago.
This forced Russian soldiers to endure hunger and cold. Almost every day, several Russian Imperial soldiers died in the streets due to various problems.
However, these soldiers are obviously insignificant compared to the nearly 180,000 Russian troops.
The British and French armies located opposite the Russian Empire did not experience serious combat attrition as in history because Jérôme Bonaparte had prepared cotton uniforms in advance.
Instead, they took advantage of this opportunity to continuously send additional troops to Crimea.
In mid-October, nearly 20,000 French soldiers and more than 10,000 British soldiers landed in Sevastopol.
The number of French troops in Sevastopol exceeded 100,000, which is equivalent to about one-fifth of the entire French standing force.
Of course, it was not only soldiers who appeared in Sevastopol with a large number of soldiers, but also many engineers who came from afar. They followed the orders of Jerome Bonaparte and arrived in Rimea with the purpose of building a road from
Small railway on the northern shore of Sevastopol, also on the Alma Heights.
Once the peace talks face failure (actually doomed to fail), Jérôme Bonaparte will use this short-distance railway to transport a large amount of supplies and siege guns, trying to capture Bakhchisa as quickly as possible.
Lai and Simferopol.
In order to complete the construction of this railway, the southern residents of the Crimean Peninsula (whether they were Tatars, Greeks, or Slavs, Jerome and Bonaparte regarded them as workers) were recruited by Jerome.
Bonaparte mobilized forcefully. Under the temptation of francs with Napoleon's face printed on them (here refers to the new version of the Bank of France notes), the residents of the south slowly began to accept this from their initial reluctance.
an employment relationship.
At least they can get some money by working for the British and French armies. When they worked for the Russian army, not only could they not get any money, but they would also have their money taken away by the Russian army.
As far as the Russian Imperial Army is concerned, whether they are Tatars, Greeks, or their Slavic compatriots, as long as they have no power behind them, the Russian Army will rob them without distinction.
Although Britain and France also carried out plunder, their plundering methods were much more civilized than those of Russia.
From mid-to-late October, with the joint efforts of nearly 50,000 residents of the Crimean Peninsula, construction of a nearly 10-kilometer railway began at a speed of 800 meters per day.
During the period of railway construction, the Cossack cavalry troops stationed in Bakhchisaray often rode their horses and looked at the busy construction site from a distance.
The Cossack cavalry, who had never seen a railway, was very curious as to why the British and French troops laid wood (to be precise, sleepers) and steel on the ground.
So, the excited Cossack cavalry secretly put on ordinary people's clothes and sneaked into the crowd building the railway to inquire.
After learning some information about the railway, the Cossacks quickly left and reported the news to Alexander II.
Commander Gorchakov and Alexander II, who received the news, also had ugly looks on their faces when they heard that Jerome Bonaparte was building the building in full swing.
They knew that Jérôme Bonaparte built this railway in order to get rid of them more quickly when negotiations broke down.
However, they could do nothing, because once they chose to attack the railway, it would mean that the Russian army would completely break up with Britain and France.
Attacking Britain and France in this freezing weather is tantamount to courting death.
Not to mention, Alexander II himself had great hopes for peace talks with the French Empire.
He would never allow anyone to destroy the soil for peace talks, so from the time when Alexander II heard the news to the completion of the construction, the Russian Empire had been in a state of marginal obscurity.
After the construction of the railway from Sevastopol to Alma was completed, nearly 20,000 French troops were stationed in the Alma area to guard against surprise attacks by the Russian Empire.
After the railway construction was completed, the 3rd and 2nd divisions in the Inkermann Mountains and Ferdogin Hills were ordered by Jerome Bonaparte to move and station near the Alma and Cacha rivers to prevent
The Russian Empire took desperate measures to destroy the railways along the route.
Part of the supplies originally stored in the Sevastopol warehouse were transferred to the Alma Heights by rail.
After everything was ready, Jérôme Bonaparte wrote an invitation letter to Alexander II who lived in Bakhchisaray. He hoped that Alexander II could arrive at the Alma Highlands and accompany him to participate in the railway expedition.
completion ceremony.
Alexander II felt an unspeakable humiliation when he received the letter. Jerome Bonaparte's words in the letter revealed a condescending aura, as if the entire Crimean Peninsula had surrendered to him.
Under the hand.
However, humiliation is humiliation, Alexander II still wanted to see how much transport capacity the railway built by France could carry.
After all, only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you be victorious in every battle.
So Alexander II, Gorchakov, Count Orlov, and Ivanov Gorchakov left Bakhchisaray.
When Alexander II arrived near the Alma Heights, the person in charge of welcoming him was Canrobert, the commander of the 1st Division.
"Your Highness!" Canrobert said humbly to Alexander II.
"Where is His Majesty Emperor Jerome now?" Alexander II immediately asked Canrobert.
"Your Highness, please come with me!"
Under the leadership of Canrobert, Alexander II met Jerome Bonaparte.
At this time, Jerome Bonaparte was standing at the terminal station of the railway directing the loading and unloading workers. The people standing next to him were the Austrian Ambassador to France Richard Metternich and several other people.
An officer wearing the uniform of the Austrian Empire.
Why are they here?
Alexander II looked at Richard Metternich doubtfully, and couldn't help but reveal a trace of doubt and nervousness in his heart.
In Alexander's eyes, both the French Empire and the Austrian Empire were about to put on a pair of trousers. He had reason to doubt whether the appearance of Richard Metternich meant that once the peace talks failed, the Austrian Empire would follow the French Empire.
The steps were taken to attack the Russian Empire from the Danube principalities.
Thinking of this, Alexander II couldn't help but become even more nervous. The expressions of Gorchakov and Orlov, who were standing next to Alexander II, also changed when they saw Richard Metternich.
Extraordinarily solemn.
Richard Metternich and several Austrian Imperial officers who were beside Jerome Bonaparte also realized something was wrong the moment they saw Alexander II.
Richard Metternich quickly turned his attention to Jerome Bonaparte. At this time, Jerome Bonaparte was still looking at Richard Metternich with a smile and asked calmly.
: "Mr. Richard, why do you look at me like this?"
"Your Majesty, why did Crown Prince Alexander appear here?" Richard Metternich asked with an unusually serious expression.
"It is not a normal thing for Alexander to appear here!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Richard Metternich with a shrug of his shoulders.
"The French Empire and the Russian Empire are at war, so you are not afraid..." Richard Metternich couldn't help but say.
"Afraid?" A sneer appeared on Jérôme Bonaparte's face, "Why should I be afraid? Can the Russian Empire still defeat us? Even if they can defeat us by chance, they will still be defeated by us in the future! This
This war is not just a war between armies, but a competition between countries in terms of comprehensive strength!"
After hearing Jerome Bonaparte's speech, Richard Metternich had nothing to say.
The fact is as Jérôme Bonaparte said, even if Russia were lucky enough to defeat France and occupy the terminus, they would not be able to drive Britain and France out in the true sense. Britain and France would make a comeback with a mobilization capacity that was several times greater than that of the Russian Empire.
, beat up the Russian army.
"Your Majesty, will our standing with you cause any misunderstanding to Crown Prince Alexander?"
Richard Metternich became worried again. He was afraid that the Austrian Empire would go to war with the Russian Empire because of himself.
"What's the misunderstanding? Do you still expect the Russian Empire to shake hands and make peace with you after the war?" Jerome Bonaparte frowned and asked Richard Metternich.
