Chapter 151 Misunderstanding

One sentence from Nicholas I revealed his truest thoughts. In the final analysis, he still didn't take Britain seriously, and still wanted to eat alone in the Balkans. The so-called giving Britain a little face was nothing more than an etiquette cutscene.

Probably he thinks it is better for the British not to agree, so that he can save the cake for the other party. Of course, if the British suddenly become smarter and agree to his request, he, the leading brother, will reward the British with three, three melons and two dates depending on the situation.

It can only be said that this man has gone crazy. The main reason is that the British performed too badly on the Wallachia issue last time, which gave Nicholas I a wrong impression, making him think that the British are just a bunch of mouths. The cannon rats didn't dare to do anything to him. So this time he was a bit unscrupulous on the Bulgarian issue.

In fact, Nicholas I himself was not the only one who was unscrupulous. Menshikov, the special envoy he sent out, was actually a bit unscrupulous, or strictly speaking, he was domineering. After arriving in the UK, whether he met with the British Prime Minister or the leaders of the House of Commons, he always had a sense of superiority, as if he was much more noble than others.

He spoke in a bossy way, as if the British did not follow what he said would be a heinous crime. Such an attitude is naturally unpopular, not to mention that the British ruling and opposition parties didn't like him, let alone Nicholas I and Russia behind him. Naturally, they had a very bad impression of him as a special envoy, and the London newspapers directly nicknamed Menshikov the "disgusting vulgar man".

That is to say, Queen Victoria has maintained a certain degree of politeness to him for the time being, but it is by no means that Queen Victoria likes him or Russia. In fact, Queen Victoria's feelings about Russia are the same. Definitely not like it.

Let's put it this way, the biggest role of Menshikov's activities in London is to successfully make the British have a worse impression of Russia, thinking that Russia is an insatiable polar bear.

Driven by this impression, anti-Russia has almost become the consensus of the British ruling and opposition parties. If a referendum is launched in the UK to decide whether to declare war on Russia, the probability of passing it will definitely be more than 60%.

The only uncertain factor that restrains the British's hatred of Russia is the fear of the Russian army's combat effectiveness. The British ruling and opposition parties generally believe that the Russian army has a large number of people and is not afraid of death, so its combat effectiveness is still considerable. Cannon fodder is not worth mentioning, but to solve the problem through diplomatic means, it is better not to engage in such bloody price comparisons.

Let's put it this way, the only thing that restrains the emotions of the British is the fear of war, and once this fear is used by someone with a heart and repackaged, it is likely to become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

It's just that neither Menshikov nor the British themselves were aware of this possibility at the time.

After staying in London for a week, Menshikov received a urging from Nicholas I. He knew that it was meaningless to stay in London. Although he was not a standard diplomat, he could still understand the diplomatic rhetoric. According to his interpretation, the British seem to have no intention of expressing their attitude for the time being. Maybe they are more resistant to Russia's proposal, but they don't have the courage to completely reject it. They can only dawdle for time and wait and see the changes.

Menshikov didn't care about this, because according to Nicholas I's account before his visit, the main purpose of his trip was actually diplomatic blackmail, whether it was against Turkey or Britain. To put it bluntly, it is bluffing to scare people.

To frighten people, one has to look frightening. All he needs to do is bark his teeth and scream, not to mention that Menshikov hates boating, even though he chose a traditional sailing boat and sat in the best cabin. But the wind and waves at sea still made him feel sick, and he even wanted to vomit whenever he smelled the fishy smell of the sea. If you can stay on land for two more days, you can stay for two more days, why bother to suffer!

In fact, someone suggested that he take a steamboat before, because a steamboat is much faster than a sailboat. It takes one month to travel from St. Petersburg to Istanbul by sailboat, but it only takes half a month by steamboat. This is twice as fast and can save a lot of money. torture!

But this proposal was flatly rejected by Menshikov. The stubborn old man taught angrily: "Steamboat, what the hell is that thing! This kind of sensational thing is totally deviant. As the Minister of the Navy, it is my task Just abide by the tradition and resolutely not resist this kind of ghost thing. Oh, in order to save a little suffering from the journey, I took a steamboat, and the word spread that those bastards are going to chew their tongues and make wind and rain again! Set me up Sailing, sailing is the best! No one!"

In a sense, this is also a typical case of desperately trying to save face. Of course, Menshikov is not completely desperate for face. It should be said that he still has a lot of official experience. He knows that if he takes a steamboat, he will definitely be attacked. Kang Grand Duke Standing will definitely make a big fuss when he hears the news, and he will indeed say a lot of nasty things as he said.

So he didn't sit at all, preferring to suffer less. Of course, there is another reason for this. As a professional existence of flattering Nicholas I, Menshikov must keep in touch with him all the time. The master agrees, since his master hates steamships and new things, then he must hate these things even more than the master, and he has to show the world how loyal and understanding he is to the world.

It should be said that flattering is a talent to be able to do this, but as the saying goes, Xiao He can fail Xiao He, and Menshikov's ultimate art of flattering is actually a little bit meaningless.

why? Because for Nicholas I, he sent Menshikov out on this trip, and the most hopeful thing is that he successfully deterred Britain and successfully made Turkey surrender, which is the most important point.

And if you look at Nicholas I's anxious mood, he must be hoping that Menshikov can complete the task as soon as possible.

So this is the most critical factor. But Menshikov obviously didn't understand this point. He still acted according to his many years of experience, and still insisted that the situation was more important than practice.

So what if Menshikov went on a steamship visit this time? Do you think Nicholas I really didn't know that steam ships are faster than traditional sailing ships? When Nicholas I visited England, he took a steamboat!

Menshikov’s actions may be considered to please Nicholas I and a manifestation of loyalty, but in the eyes of Nicholas I, this is completely nonsense and he just doesn’t understand what he means, so he is actually a bit bored. Shkov's move...