Cutting 1719

Chapter 581 Overthrowing the Russian Empire

Although St. Petersburg is the capital of the Russian Empire today, it is not a city with such a long history. On the contrary, it is young and terrifying—since Peter the Great expanded St. Petersburg in 1703, it is only 23 years old now.

Of course, St. Petersburg has always been extraordinary in the hearts of the Russians. It was developed on the basis of the original Peter and Paul Fortress, and the Peter and Paul Fortress was created as an outpost for Russia's Northern War with Sweden. It was also created by Peter the Great himself. Supervised the construction of the Great Northern City, and witnessed the magnificence of the Great Northern War here.

For Peter the Great, who was eager to get rid of the shackles of the conservatives in the empire, the memories Moscow brought him were all kinds of bad. Therefore, after the Peter and Paul Fortress was built, St. Petersburg was developed logically, and he chose to move the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1712 .

As 15 years of wind and rain have passed, Peter the Great has been buried in the earth for three years, and the successor of the emperor, Ekaterina I, has also died. Now the owner of St. Petersburg has been replaced by the 11-year-old Peter II, and As anyone in St. Petersburg knows, the real power behind the city is Marshal Alexander Danilovich Menshikov.

Marshal Menshikov, who is currently the highest power in the Russian Empire, has a legendary background and can be said to be the most typical case of civilian counterattacks. It is quite interesting that the deeds of this marshal are quite similar to those of Lord Wei. , so it can also be said to be the Russian version of "Wei Xiaobao".

First of all, the backgrounds and opportunities of the two are very similar. They both came from very humble backgrounds. For example, Wei Xiaobao was the son of a prostitute, while Menshikov was a boy selling cakes.
Wei Xiaobao made his fortune because he was taken to the palace by Mao Shiba, and became a fake eunuch by mistake, so he met Emperor Kangxi. Menshikov's experience is also legendary enough. Wrong account, when he was arguing with Kremlin soldiers, he was seen by Peter the Great at the time, and then he hit it off and took him to the palace. .

Secondly, the two are also very similar in their greedy and lustful personalities.Needless to say, Wei Xiaobao’s experience is all about greed and lust, and Marshal Menshikov is no exception in this regard. During the period from 1703 to 1712 when he was ordered to build St. Petersburg, he took advantage of his position to establish a brick and tile factory. Various enterprises, such as wood processing factories, glass factories, saltworks, fishing grounds, wineries, etc., also supply food through the land they embezzled, which can be described as a big fish.

Later, when Peter the Great was in power, an investigation team was set up to investigate Menshikov’s corruption. It was found that his assets amounted to more than 150 million rubles, which was equivalent to three times the total annual expenditure of Russia. Known as the richest man in Europe, of course, because Peter the Great had a deep relationship with him, this matter disappeared later.

In terms of lust, Marshal Menshikov not only had many mistresses, but the wife of Peter the Great, Yekaterina, was a military prostitute favored by Menshikov before meeting Peter the Great, so the two The relationship between the two is also quite complicated. Katerina was able to take the position at the beginning, thanks to the help of her old lover. In this regard, Marshal Menshikov can be regarded as quite powerful.

Of course, Wei Xiaobao is a fictional character after all, but Marshal Menshikov is a real person. Now he is not only the Field Marshal of the Russian Empire, but also not only the Count of the Holy Roman Empire, but also the leader of the entire Russian Empire. actual rulers.

Today's Marshal Menshikov monopolizes power and is full of ambitions, so he confers on himself the highest military rank in Russia-the Russian Grand Marshal, but even Tsar Peter II looks at him.Therefore, in some difficult corners of St. Petersburg, many people even called him "half emperor".

In the summer palace in St. Petersburg, the young Peter II is sitting peacefully on a high seat, and beside him is another slightly shorter chair, on which is sitting the current Russian Empire Generalissimo Munch Cove looked smug.

As for the lower part of the palace, there are many important Russian ministers. They are basically members of the Supreme Privy Council, such as Field Marshal Duke Golitsyn, who is the commander of the Ukrainian garrison, Duke Dolgoruky, Foreign Minister Count Lizin, etc. , all together.

The so-called Supreme Privy Council is the highest advisory body set up by Empress Catherine I, usually with seven to eight members, and now it has become the highest authority in the entire Russian Empire, deciding all major state affairs, and Menshikov The Marshal dominates state affairs by leading the Supreme Privy Council.

As usual, the ministers of the Privy Council began to report on their work in turn. Among them, internal affairs, foreign affairs, or the statutes of various ministries were deported, and the ministers discussed and agreed on them, while Menshikov made the final decision. , but most of the people present were Menshikov's cronies, and many things had already been agreed upon, so it was just a cutscene, and the whole process seemed extremely monotonous and boring.

After a while, when the little emperor Peter II was yawning, the old Marshal Duke Golitsyn opened his sleepy eyes and said in a low voice: "I heard that the governor of Eastern Siberia, Sayelov, just gave a report. When I arrived in St. Petersburg, I had heard about it more or less in my heart, and it seemed that the development of the Far East was hindered, but today I don’t know why it has never been mentioned.”

After the words of the old Marshal Duke Golitsyn, it was as if a stone was thrown in the silent summer palace, and everyone's attention was immediately focused, even the little emperor Peter II was quite surprised. Wei looked at Duke Golitsyn with interest, and then at Marshal Menshikov who said nothing, as if looking full of expectation.

The same is true of everyone. Although they dare not watch the excitement as openly as the little emperor, everyone understands a truth in their hearts. Since the death of Peter the Great, many people have objected to Marshal Menshikov. Among them, the old Marshal Duke Golitsyn was one of them. Not long after he returned to St. Petersburg, he began to fire at Marshal Menshikov.

Everyone knows that Earl Sarawula, who is currently in charge of Far East affairs, was originally a young and strong officer from the Imperial Guard, and belonged to the direct line of Marshal Menshikov. He only became the governor of the Far East in name, and also gained the power to deal with the affairs of the Far East.

But in this way, Earl Saraula became an excellent vane for attacking Marshal Menshikov, but whenever someone wanted to attack Marshal Menshikov, he would take the matter of Earl Saraula in the Far East Pull it out and talk about it.

But even so, the big guy was more or less surprised. Judging from Marshal Menshikov's current power in the empire, even if the old Marshal Duke Golitsyn came to attack, it would be of no avail-just in May. At that time, the little emperor Peter II had just held a wedding with Marshal Menshikov's daughter Maria.

Marshal Menshikov took a deep look at the old and steadfast Duke Golitsyn in front of him, and then said softly: "Sayelov's presentation has indeed come, but it has been pushed behind, and I haven't had time to open it yet. In this case, please read it aloud, Mr. Anatoly."

Anatoly was also a member of the Supreme Privy Council, and he quickly checked out a letter from the box containing the governor's report, with Sayelov's name written on it.

". Mikhail Yuliyev, a member and general stationed in the border city of Nerchinsk in Siberia, recently reported that Chu State attacked all parts of Mobei Mongolia in July. Although the land of conquest has not yet affected our troops However, we need to beware of Chu State’s intentional surprise attack. If so, the safety of the Far East will be difficult to guarantee, and the empire’s eastward strategy will suffer a setback for a century. Please handle it according to your majesty’s discretion.”

After Anatoly read all the words, everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, and looked at Marshal Menshikov for a moment. Obviously, some things in this memorial were not conducive to Marshal Menshikov.

Marshal Menshikov was not moved at all, he just sneered and said, "Don't get excited, why don't you read it together?"

"Yes, Master Marshal."

Anatoly turned to the other side of the presentation and began to whisper: "Governor Sarawula has made relevant preparations. He has already built the fortified city of Vladivostok and stationed more than [-] troops along the way. The Chu army marches on a large scale, and it is difficult to completely conquer the fortresses along the way, but they can hold on until next winter, and please Your Majesty and the Generalissimo gather reinforcements as soon as possible to save Siberia and the Far East."

After reading a memorial, everyone's expressions changed slightly. They really didn't expect that this memorial was really not to attack Sara Wula, but to ask for reinforcements to support the Far East?

The old marshal, Duke Golitsyn, snorted coldly, and said: "If it weren't for Sara Wula's short-sighted strategy in the Far East, the empire would not have such a big obstacle in the Far East. Now the Qing Dynasty has been destroyed, but the newly emerged Chu Kingdom But it is even more difficult to deal with, he still wants the empire to put more power into the Far East, but how can the empire's logistics keep up?"

To put it bluntly, the power of the entire Russian Empire in Siberia is still very weak, and the number of people who can provide support to the Far East is at most tens of thousands of people, and only 2 or [-] of them can afford guns. Support, logistics alone can't keep up.

However, the words of the old Marshal Duke Golitsyn are destined not to arouse everyone's agreement, because in the current Russian Empire, the defense force against the eastward strategy is very strong. After all, the vast land of Siberia and even the Far East is What all Russians dream of, they will do whatever it takes to preserve it.

Therefore, the members of the Privy Council quickly launched an attack on the old Marshal Duke Golitsyn, and Duke Dolgoruky even thought that the old Marshal Duke Golitsyn was old, and perhaps he should go back to recuperate earlier.
But in this ups and downs, Marshal Menshikov squinted his eyes and looked at everyone all the time. He didn't take this opportunity to make up the knife, but waved lightly: "Okay, the reinforcements are still here!" To be dispatched, I have decided to dispatch a Cossack regiment to the east, and they will cooperate with Sara Ula in the Far East to force the Tatars to sit back at the negotiating table."

After saying this, Marshal Menshikov looked at Duke Golitsyn with a smile on his face, but there was not much victor in his expression.

"Duke Golitsyn is also worried about state affairs, and his mood is understandable. However, Ukraine still needs the Duke to sit in the town right now, so let's go back as soon as possible."

"Yes, Marshal."

Duke Golitsyn was kicked out of the Supreme Privy Council just like that, but he himself didn't feel much lost. He just narrowed his eyes and slowly left the summer palace.

Everyone looked at Duke Golitsyn, who had been deposed from the Supreme Privy Council, and felt chills in his heart. Perhaps such an end could be regarded as the best.

But everyone didn't know that there were two people watching all this with complicated eyes. One was Duke Dolgoruky who asked Duke Golitsyn to go home to recuperate, and the other was the current His Majesty Peter II, Emperor of Russia.

Above the temple, there is the height of the temple, and below the rivers and lakes, there is also the beauty of the rivers and lakes.No matter how fierce the turmoil in the Summer Palace was, it could not reach ordinary people after all. However, in the city of St. Petersburg, a rumor has recently begun to circulate that Marshal Menshikov is no longer willing to be the Supreme Marshal of the Empire. He wants to usurp the throne , Be the emperor!

It has to be said that this news has been spread with nose and eyes. After all, when it comes to the current Russian politics, it can be called a mess. People still remember the coup d'état that took place in the Imperial Guards two years ago. , which made Ekaterina become Her Royal Highness, and Marshal Menshikov, who is now in power, does not seem to be so difficult if he wants to be emperor.

What's more, at this time, Marshal Menshikov was also creating public opinion everywhere, and even drew his own genealogy tree to prove that his ancestors were also a branch of the Rurik family, as if he was clearing his identity for the future superior obstacles
Of course, for the people in St. Petersburg, whoever becomes the emperor doesn't seem to affect anything, but because Marshal Menshikov's reputation is too bad, more people still hope that His Majesty the Emperor can punish the traitors as soon as possible and succeed in governing.

It's just that the little emperor Peter II is only 11 years old now, and it will take at least five years before he can be in charge of the government. That is to say, it is not an easy task to eradicate the traitor Menshikov.

However, when the gossip was spreading wildly, in a residential house in the city of St. Petersburg, two Russians with high nose bridges and eyes like blue pearls were meeting in private, and the content of their conversation was enough to make the entire St. Petersburg people tremble. ——

Because they are doing one thing, and that is subverting the Russian Empire!
(End of this chapter)