Under Pushkin's own eyes, the Russian Imperial Army marched toward the hinterland of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
For the Russians, perhaps they need a reason to fight any other country, but they do not need a reason to fight Turkey. Since the Romanov dynasty began to rule this country, they have been at war with this opponent almost all year round.
For more than two hundred years, almost every tsar has gone to war with it, and today's war with Tsar Nicholas I means that the Eighth Russo-Turkish War has officially begun.
It was precisely by relying on fighting Turkey that the Russian Empire achieved brilliant victories one after another, seized large tracts of territory, and pushed its national borders toward the Danube River and the Caucasus. However, this was not enough for the greedy Russian Empire.
The end is in that Roman capital, in eternal Constantinople.
Although due to various reasons, the tsar's flag has never been able to fly on Hagia Sophia, they believe that one day, the empire's long-cherished wish will be realized.
This time, they once again embarked on the journey to realize their long-cherished wish.
And their march naturally shook the whole of Europe.
The Austrian Prime Minister Prince Metternich, who was far away in Vienna, was also troubled by this unexpected advance.
In Europe at this time, there was no telegraph network covering all parts of the country, and it was naturally impossible for information to be transmitted instantly across thousands of miles. However, for Prime Minister Metternich, who was well-informed and good at judging, it was not easy to guess the day of the march.
What a difficult task.
However, it is not important to guess this day. What is important is how to deal with this inevitable day?
Now that the army has been dispatched, the Tsar's iron hooves are bound to roll forward, crushing Wallachia and Bulgaria all the way, and heading straight towards the ancient Byzantium, and this also means that endless troubles are also coming towards him.
.
These troublesome things must also make him sleepy and sleepless.
Part of the reason is that he is obsessed with the new European order he created in Vienna and does not want to see the European balance of power that was finally formed broken again.
But the more important reason is that he cannot tolerate the Russian Empire conquering the entire Balkans and then taking control of Constantinople and the Bosporus. This means that from now on, this huge and greedy empire will
There will be unobstructed access to the hinterland of the European continent and the Mediterranean.
Constantinople is now in the hands of the pagans, which sounds unpleasant but is not terrible to the European powers; but if it falls into the hands of the Russians, who are also Christian brothers, it will have disastrous consequences
, it must not be allowed to happen.
Whether it is for the benefit of his own country or the need for the balance of power in Europe, he needs to push back the tsar's claws as soon as possible and restore everything to the original state as much as possible.
However, although he hoped to stop it, he absolutely did not dare to take the risk of confronting the Tsar. After experiencing the previous bloody years, he knew the truth of war and danger, and it was difficult for Austria to compete with the Russian Empire on the battlefield.
Besides, even if you can compete, what's the point? In the end, it just makes the onlookers next to you cheaper.
Therefore, he needs to use as roundabout means as possible to achieve his goal.
He looked at Europe in a small area, moved vertically and horizontally, and began his plan, as calmly as a spider spinning its web.
He has seen enough big things in the world, and even endured Napoleon's final rage. For him now, everything is just a small scene worth mentioning.
At this time, he was looking with interest at the well-dressed gentleman in front of him, Lord Robert John Talbot, the British Ambassador to Austria.
This Lord's hair is gray, and his face is as stiff as almost all British people, with an unhealthy blue color. In addition, he also has a gray mustache, which makes him look lackluster.
However, considering that the issues they need to discuss today are very serious, the Prime Minister does not care about the other party's face.
"Mr. Talbot, I regret to see that all our diplomatic efforts have ended in failure." After exchanging greetings, he said to the other party in fluent French, "The Tsar's determination to march into the Balkans has no hope."
Stoppable, and he may have already done so."
"I share your regret, and even feel sad." Lord Talbot's face, which was already livid, has now become even more ugly. "I can only say that the young Tsar has done some untimely and stupid things with overconfidence."
"Stupid thing! It is true." Prime Minister Metternich sighed regretfully, "But what is even more stupid is that we poor people have to find ways to make up for the stupid things of young people."
"On this point, our country is as enthusiastic as yours." The ambassador replied in a stiff tone.
Metternich nodded secretly, which meant that Britain was willing to stand with him on this matter.
This gave him a lot of confidence. After all, since the War of Spanish Succession, everyone who stood with Britain was the final winner, and he hoped that this time would be no exception.
"So, what is your country going to do for this?" Then Prime Minister Metternich asked again.
The ambassador did not answer immediately, but spread his hands helplessly.
"Nothing?" Metternich asked.
"Nothing," the ambassador replied with a wry smile. "The big men in London must deal with domestic affairs at the moment. Although the Tsar's advance is objectionable to them, it is not an imminent threat."
Metternich was not surprised in his heart, but he showed a disappointed expression on the surface. "In other words, your enthusiasm is only in words, but you hope that others will stand up and turn the tide for you!"
The ambassador's expression became even more ugly. "This is not Britain's wish, Your Excellency Prime Minister, but... we are indeed facing quite a lot of difficulties."
On April 12, 1827, not long after Aigron arrived on the island of Monte Cristo, George Canning, a great diplomat and a strong figure in the Tory party, took over the post of Prime Minister from the post of Foreign Secretary.
Aged 57.
Although everyone at home and within the party expected this prestigious figure to show off his talents, unfortunately, at this time, George Canning was already seriously ill and dying, and could only survive by taking laudanum.
.
Less than four months later, on August 8, this great man sadly passed away.
His sudden death disrupted the British political world, and almost no one made arrangements for it. After a period of chaos, the king was disgusted with some big figures in the Tory party, so he decided to appoint moderates in the Tory party and senior political figures.
Frederick John Robinson, Viscount Goderich, became Prime Minister.
However, the Prime Minister is not a strong leader, and even within the Tory Party, there is no clear answer. Although he was granted the power to form a cabinet by the king, his cabinet was fragile and came to power in a hurry. People at the time generally believed that this cabinet
It will definitely be a short-lived cabinet. Even the Prime Minister himself holds this view.
Since the cabinet is destined to be a short-lived cabinet, the chaos in the political arena will naturally not end abruptly with the birth of the Prime Minister. Not only the traditional infighting between the Tories and the Whigs continues, but also within the Tories, the moderates and conservatives
The disputes over the Corn Laws even ignited the lower classes, and the whole country fell into fierce quarrels.
Under such circumstances, it is indeed a bit difficult to expect the big shots in London to devote much attention to matters in the Balkans.
Metternich had to praise the Tsar for finding a good time.
However, he knew that the great Britain would not sleep because of this. It still had those unshakable patron saints, and these patron saints were enough to give him enough help to help him turn the tide.
"So, what does the Duke of Wellington think?" he asked the other party in a low voice, "I have no intention of interfering in your internal affairs, but I heard that within your country, there is a growing demand for the Duke himself to come forward to stabilize the situation at home and abroad.
…”
After hearing the Prime Minister's question, the Ambassador's originally stiff face relaxed a little, and even his eyebrows raised a few times.
"There is indeed such a call." Finally, he nodded and gave Metternich a sufficient response.
"If that's the case, I think it's a blessing for Europe." Metternich nodded, "Although I didn't get along with the Duke of Wellington for a long time, I will always remember his style. He is a giant.
A giant who is enough to stand above our times, I believe that if he speaks, even the Tsar will have to think carefully."
When the cabinet and political circles are in turmoil, people instinctively want to seek a kind of stability. In the British Empire, only one person can provide this much desired "stability".
That man was naturally the Duke of Wellington, the great man who defeated Napoleon's best marshals in Spain and completely ended Napoleon's empire at Waterloo.
Only this great man could use his iron will to continue to helm the British Empire and continue to sail proudly across the four oceans with this giant ship loaded with loot.
[In the original historical line, half a year later, it was indeed the Duke of Wellington who succeeded Viscount Goderich as Prime Minister in 1828.]
"I thank you for your compliments to the Duke of Wellington. I will convey these words to you in person when I return to London." The ambassador replied calmly.
Metternich thought for a moment and believed that the time had come.
"So, Mr. Ambassador, what does the Duke of Wellington think of my previous proposal?" he asked the other party solemnly.
After getting in touch with Aiglon and reaching a tacit understanding, Metternich began to seek the support of the Western powers. Considering that the French Bourbon family would never cooperate with the Bonaparte family, he began to seek the opinions of the British side. At present,
, Britain has fallen into political disputes due to various accidents, so the people with the most weight are naturally the king and the Duke of Wellington.
The ambassador hesitated for a moment, seeming to choose his words.
Then, under Metternich's gaze, he revealed the answer.
"Although the British government has misgivings about the Duke of Lechstadt, if the Duke of Lechstadt himself does not seek the throne, then the British government is also happy to see the Greek people get the independence and freedom they deserve."
Although the ambassador's tone was steady and full of British formulaic rigidity, to Metternich, it was nothing short of a wonderful voice.
This was the answer he wanted to hear.
Yes, the British government, like him, was unwilling to see the Tsar get out of control, but it could not risk direct confrontation, so it was naturally a wise move to take advantage of the young man.
Although they all have some historical grudges with the Bonaparte family, the British don't care about this as much as he does.
"So, what does the Duke of Wellington himself think of the Duke of Lechstadt?" Out of habitual caution, he continued to ask.
During the conversation, both men deliberately avoided the surname "Bonaparte" and deliberately called him Duke Lechstadt in order to deliberately downplay the previous historical conflict.
"The Duke of Wellington greatly admired the Duke of Lechstadt," the ambassador replied in a low voice. "He privately said that the Duke was better than our own next generation, all those little guys who only make noise in public schools.
All strong."
After hearing this, Metternich was a little surprised at first, and then burst into laughter.
"The Duke of Wellington was always so tolerant of the Bonapartes!"
He clearly remembered that after the great powers captured Napoleon, the Prussians proposed that the lawless usurper should be shot. It was the Duke of Wellington who insisted on opposing the execution of Napoleon, and thus changed the situation to exile.
"It's more about respect than tolerance." The ambassador whispered, "After all, to him, there are not many people in the world who are worthy of taking a high look."
After a pause, he added, "The Duke of Wellington is very optimistic about Duke Lechstadt, and he believes that this young man will definitely achieve something in the future."
"Is this a good thing?" Metternich asked, "Has he forgotten what we faced back then?"
"The Duke believes that the old Napoleon and the young Napoleon are two people, and they cannot be confused. Britain cannot forget reason because of hatred." The ambassador shook his head slightly, "In addition, he believes that the greatness of Britain lies in its courage to face any enemy and its
Friends, if we are afraid of the future, we are not worthy of controlling it."
"This really sounds like what the Duke of Wellington said." Metternich nodded to express his admiration for him. "I am convinced that Britain will continue to prosper in his hands, and he will also be healthy.
longevity."
Then the Prime Minister said a friendly farewell to the Ambassador.
In this brief conversation, he got what he wanted. The British government, and the Duke of Wellington himself, acquiesced and supported what he was doing.
And this made his confidence several times stronger.
Whether on the big stage of Europe or the small stage of Greece, he has prepared his chess pieces, and then he can use his brains to solve the troubles caused by the young and energetic Tsar.
After watching the ambassador leave, he picked up his pen and began to write a letter.
According to the conditions proposed by Princess Teresa, he needs to write a letter of apology.
When he first heard this condition, instead of being angry, he almost laughed out loud.
Apology letter! How could someone like him care about apologizing? If necessary, he could apologize to everyone on earth at the same time without batting an eyelid.
This kind of boring battle of emotions is just like a child acting like a spoiled brat.
However, now he had time to use the young couple, so he was happy to meet this condition.
"My dear Franz:
I never expected to have a good impression in your mind. I admit that I was a little mean and indifferent to you before, for which I must apologize to you.
But you must have been able to tell since childhood that I have always valued you very much. I once sincerely hoped that you could become the pillar of the empire and believed that you had this potential and talent.
It can be said that without my full support for Princess Louisa’s marriage to your father, you would not exist in the world. From this point of view, although I am not your godfather, I have always been spiritually your godfather.