Struggle in Russia

"Can the emperor do whatever he wants? Can the emperor despise the code of conduct that all upright gentlemen must abide by? Can the emperor arbitrarily override all his subjects!" Leonid asked three times angrily, and then roared : "What's more, he's not the emperor yet! He's just the crown prince, and that's all for the crown prince. What about the future?"

Alexei Speransky smiled wryly. He didn't expect his friend's reaction to be so strong. The three questions of the soul pointed to the core of the problem—the tsar's power must be limited. Family background made Alexei very inclined to limit the power of the tsar, but his father's experience and the warnings at the end of his life always echoed in his ears:

"One step forward is called reform; two steps forward is called revolution; three steps forward is called destruction!"

Alexei's father, Count Speransky, did not want to destroy Russia. In his later years, he even opposed two steps forward. Huge setbacks and countless opposition made him realize that a radical revolution would only intensify contradictions and make the opposition To counterattack frantically, the final result is to destroy itself or Russia.

So in his later years, Earl Speranski chose to compromise, no longer talking about revolution or reform, but more about suggesting improvements. He hopes to move forward in small steps like ants moving house, and boil the Russian toad in warm water with gradual improvement.

Alexei was deeply influenced by his father, and felt that a long but silent improvement was better than a revolutionary storm of lightning, thunder, squalls and torrential rain. He said to Leonid earnestly: "The emperor is the emperor, even if he is only a prince, his dignity must be maintained. This is the reality of Russia. Without the support of the emperor, all our reforms and reforms are rootless and without source. Therefore, my dear friend, put away your resentment! What you have experienced is nothing at all. If you want to do things in Russia, especially the right things, you must learn to compromise with the emperor. This is what my father taught My most important life philosophy. And today I will pass it on to you, hope we can encourage each other!"

Leonid was silent. Count Speransky was the person he admired the most. As a pioneer of reform, he once suffered huge setbacks, and was even exiled to a barren land to suffer. But he never gave up his ideals, and worked hard in his own way to the end. Regardless of the outcome, his efforts are always admirable.

Leonid asked dejectedly, "Did your father ever think about killing himself at that time?"

"Never!" replied Alexei flatly. "Not when he was exiled in 1812, nor when he was forced to punish those Decembrists who were slandered and attacked in 1825. He always believed that living There is hope, and if you die, you will have nothing! Living with a heavy burden is more meaningful than a quick death, more like a man!"

Leonid thought about the situation faced by Count Speranski after the Decembrist uprising in 1825, how difficult and painful it was!

Nicholas I deliberately handed over the task of punishing the Decembrists to Count Speranski. You must know that almost all the Decembrists admired Count Speranski, were all his followers, and even decided to After the victory of the uprising, the power to reform and rule Russia was handed over to a group of advanced nobles headed by Earl Speranski, who felt that only the earl could lead them to a bright future.

Although Count Speranski did not know about the uprising and did not participate in it, the Decembrists were like his children and students. How cruel it was that the cruel tsar asked him to kill his students and children with his own hands. and pain!

Speransky had to satisfy Nicholas I's will and imposed the harshest punishment on the Decembrists. If his plan was followed, blood would flow into rivers. Of course, this plan was rejected in the end. Nicholas I "extremely merciful" and "magnanimous" changed the execution of more than a hundred people to hang five people, but at the same time he despicably leaked Count Speranski's plan , for a moment, the famous earl instantly stinks the street,

Rejected by all progressive nobles and Decembrist families.

Obviously, Nicholas I did it on purpose. His purpose was to strike at the Russian liberals who dared to resist the tsarist autocracy, destroy the idols of the liberals from the root, turn Speransky into a despicable villain, and make his believers Total disappointment and give up, to settle the matter once and for all.

It's an insidious, nasty trick, but it works. Count Speranski's reputation was indeed discredited, and the Russian liberals were for a time dismantled. Nicholas I was happy and satisfied. He deliberately humiliated Count Speranski as a state adviser and court minister, and flogged his corpse to his heart's content.

"My father was also in pain at that time, and he could hardly sleep. He told us that we could see the five warriors who died tragically as long as we closed our eyes. He hated himself for not being able to change the bad reality, and hoped that he was the one who was hanged on the gallows. , not those warriors..."

Alexei recalled heavily: "But my father knew better that the matter has come to an end, and it is meaningless to continue to fight against the emperor, and it will only increase bloodshed and sacrifice. So he is willing to give up his reputation and reputation and become a despicable villain to live on." Come down, he will continue to work and continue to promote the cause of reform, this great cause must not be ruined!"

Alexei smiled bleakly and said: "You know what happened later. Father has been working hard, trying not to stimulate those conservatives to complete reforms, and has achieved certain results. He believes that as long as we continue to work hard , the result must be ideal. My friend, don't you want to see that day? You just encountered a little bit of setbacks, and complained about it? What is it? If you are a man, at this time You should be strong and keep working hard, just like my father!"

Leonid was encouraged, and felt that his previous performance was indeed a bit sloppy. This little setback was nothing. The man must become stronger with more setbacks!

Leonid thanked him very solemnly: "My friend, thank you for your sincere advice, which will benefit me throughout my life. If I can achieve a little success in the future, it must come from your advice and your father's teachings !"

"Now, I need more advice from you. You also know the problem I am facing now, how should I go about it?"

Alexey thought for a while and replied: "The root of your problem is that Grand Duke, I am also a little interested in this bold and reckless Grand Duke, why don't we go and see him first, and see how he is in that terrible 748 regiment. What are you doing, and then we will consider your choice, how?"