Tsar of the Sphinx

Chapter 3
Ekaterina II remembered the potato chips that Alexander asked the cook to make last time, so she couldn't care less about continuing to entangle with Paul about Alexander's desire to form an army by himself.Immediately asked: Alexander, if there are no potato chips this time, your homework will be doubled tomorrow.

Well, don't worry, grandma, this time there will be not only new dishes, but also potato chips.

When Paul heard it, he asked, "Alexander, are there any potato cakes this time?"The potato pancakes you made last time were delicious.

When Ekaterina heard it, okay, Alexander hasn't done it for me yet, so if you haven't done it, you haven't done it. You actually ate it first. Do you still have me as a mother in your eyes?
Thinking of this, Ekaterina raised her leg and kicked Paul hard.

Paul was still reminiscing about the last potato cake when he suddenly kicked his mother.

Paul immediately thought that his old mother was angry at him for not expecting to let her eat it first.

Before she thought of making an excuse, she heard Ekaterina say: That's it!So Paul, wait for the first half of the year for the expansion of your Gatchina Legion.

When Paul heard it, oh well, it's over, and he was thinking about expanding the army, which is good, and the direct funds are gone.

OK OK.Grandma, come with me to the restaurant.Father, come quickly too.Alexander smoothed things over with a smile, then took Ekaterina's hand to the restaurant, not forgetting to greet Paul.

As they walked, Paul suddenly pulled Alexander's neckline, and Alexander understood and said to Ekaterina: "Grandmother, you go to the restaurant first. My father and I will go to the chef's place to see how the dishes are doing."

As soon as Ekaterina heard it, she let go of Alexander's hand and said: "Then you go, I will wait for you in the restaurant."By the way, Paul, give up your petty thinking, and don't try to use the taxes from Alexander's territory to expand your legion. I have other uses for the taxes from Alexander's territory.

After speaking, he took a step towards the restaurant.

Don't worry, mother, this is impossible.Paul made a promise with a flattering smile.

After his mother left, Paul asked Alexander: Dear son, I told you that after looking through the war records in the past few months, you came to borrow my military reform regulations.Today, the idea of ​​​​reviving the Eastern Roman Empire was proposed in front of the Privy Council, the Senate, and the Turks.What the hell are you trying to do.You tell me first, and it will be convenient for me to make preparations when the father and son are punished.

After listening to his father's words, Alexander smiled slightly and said: Dear father, I may not be punished, but you will definitely be punished.As for what I want to do, my father and grandmother will talk about it at the dinner table.

Seeing that his son didn't want to finish talking, Paul didn't force it. In his mind, at most, his family's genes were finally inherited by his son.Not to mention that this son is too good, he can not only express his opinions on some simple political affairs, although he is immature, but after being perfected by his mother and many ministers, he can also implement it.

For example, in the place where Pugachev was rampant, it was thought that the royal family would buy and exchange the serfs and territories of the local nobles with money.The nobles in the country not only could not oppose the expansion of royal territory and serfs by the royal family, but also had to publicize for the royal family on social occasions. Although this wave changed a number of lands that were ravaged, these lands were like a blank sheet of paper, allowing the royal family to Some small reforms are being carried out wantonly here.Moreover, the aid at that time was no longer directly distributed to the management departments at all levels, but was directly provided in a way called relief for work, which not only prevented the aid from corruption, but also allowed these places to be exchanged to the royal family. It took less than two years to recover to the level before the uprising, and this wave of work-for-relief also made these serfs richer, and when they were rich, they were more willing to spend money, which not only made the royal family reap Some territories have been acquired, and the royal tax has also increased.

Alexander saw that his father did not speak, so he waited and said: Father, please go to the chef to see first, I will wait for you in the restaurant with my grandmother.After speaking, he ran away in a hurry.

This kid is getting more and more skinny, Paul shook his head and said with a smile when he heard this.

In the Winter Palace, in Alexander's own small restaurant, there are three people who control the present and future destiny of the empire.

Ekaterina looked at the food that was brought in, then at Alexander and Paul who were sitting next to her, and then said, "Now that Alexander has all the dishes, you can talk about it now."

Seeing that the maid had retreated consciously, Alexander said, "Grandmother, as far as you are concerned, do you feel that there are fewer and fewer domestic troops that can be controlled by the royal family?"Moreover, after the last war with the Turks and the pacification of the Pugachev uprising, the domestic army has gradually been unable to support various actions of the empire.Coupled with the information brought back by my father's trip to Western Europe and the purpose of the Turks to start another war, I can be sure that Europe in recent years and even the beginning of the next century will not be peaceful.Do you think that a national army that cannot really be controlled by the royal family can support the empire in the next period of time?Can it sustain the royal inheritance?
What was the purpose of Peter the Great reforming the military system at that time, I believe you will not forget, grandma, that is to strengthen the imperial power, and to strengthen the rule, you must have a national army that truly belongs to the imperial power, rather than a group of ragged conscripts with the emperor and the emperor. The elite of the nobility.If the royal family has a national army that is really at their disposal, do you think the Turkish war can be dragged to the point where the country can hardly bear it?If we have this kind of army, do we still need to compromise with those short-sighted nobles to counter Pugachev?

After listening to Alexander's words, Catherine II thought for a while and said: Although what you said, Alexander, is very tempting to me, without a strong threat, the nobles in the country will not agree to any proposals of our royal family. Reform, and even if it only reforms the military, what should the military be reformed into?Is it like your father's army of junk snacks?
Paul was enjoying the joy of stuffing potato cakes into his mouth, but he didn't expect his mother to give him a heavy blow. Cough, cough, cough, Paul finally swallowed the potato cake stuck in his mouth, so he opened his mouth quickly Justified: Mother, my legion is doing well, why did it become a waste snack in your mouth.

Ekaterina understood it at a glance. This son of resentment probably didn't go to his own legion in the past six months, and he didn't know how his own legion had been corrupted.

Ekaterina then said: "What have you been doing for the past six months? Have you been asking for funds from me? Didn't you go to your legion to take a look?"If Potemkin hadn't told me that your legion had been corrupted by the nobles in the country, I didn't know that the royal army was so easily corrupted.

Paul was completely dumbfounded. He had handed over the army to the guards he had trained since he was a child, but he was corrupted after not being in the army for half a year.

Paul thought for a while, and then said: This is impossible, although I haven't been to the legion in the past six months, but every month at the beginning of the month, my little guard will bring the generals in the legion to see me in Pavlovs Palace?

Ekaterina couldn't help being furious: The nobles in the country are almost corrupting your legion, leaving only the name of the legion innocent, you don't even know it, and you still expect me to expand your legion like this, why not Disband early.

After his grandmother finished speaking, without a strong threat, the nobles in the country would not agree to any reforms of our royal family, so he fell into thinking, and suddenly raised his head and said: "Grandma, this is an opportunity, an opportunity to set off reforms, I believe His Excellency Potemkin can report that the domestic nobles corrupted the Royal Legion, that is, there is absolutely evidence that the domestic nobles corrupted the Gatchina Legion formed by his father.Then why did we take this opportunity to declare to the outside world that the crown prince's legion is no longer useful and needs to be reorganized, and Grand Duke Vladimir also wants to form a legion. In this case, the domestic nobles will not have a positive excuse to interfere with us. Reform of the royal army.After we have established my father's and my army, we can promote it to the royal army step by step, and slowly penetrate into all armies, and we also need to establish a complete military personnel training mechanism.

After Alexander's speech, Catherine II stopped arguing with her resentful son, and listened carefully to Alexander's words.

After hearing this, Paul hurriedly said: So where does the money come from? The current national tax system cannot support this.

Ekaterina also agreed: Although your father can't spit ivory out of a dog's mouth, this sentence is still right. The country's finances can't support your reforms.

After hearing this, Alexander stood up and supported the table and said: That's simple. Didn't the royal family get a large amount of land and serfs in the exchange a few years ago?We will release the serfs and let the serfs create wealth. If the serfs become rich, won’t the royal family’s taxes be able to support them?

Before Alexander finished speaking, Ekaterina said: The nobles will be angry and opposed.

Paul nodded beside him and said: Yes, the nobles will definitely not agree.

Before the two of them finished speaking, Alexander interrupted: As for the anger and opposition of the nobles, in my opinion, as long as we give them enough benefits, win over the centrists among them, and attack the power of the opposition in the country, I believe that in this case In this matter, grandma has a lot of experience.At worst, we will directly give up the interests of the royal family in Zaporozhye and Crimea in exchange for their compromise.No matter what, there will always be nobles who agree with us, and we are not carrying out reforms in their territories. As for Zaporozhye and Crimea, as long as our reforms are successful, they will not obediently eat what they have today. Spit it out.

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One of the new French military ideas: Advocating universal military service, requiring all healthy citizens to serve for 5 years. The army should give good treatment to grassroots soldiers, and should not rely on birth decisions when promoting officers.

Abandon the ancient medieval siege tactics, and instead restore the ancient Roman legion's fast marching and field combat tactics.And strengthen the endurance and physical training of soldiers, and even learn from the experience of Rome to add vinegar to soldiers' drinks to relieve marching fatigue. A new type of army formed by mixing engineers and supplies.

Ekaterina's reform: vigorously strengthen the autocracy, centralization and aristocratic privileges, and stabilize the domestic situation.The Privy Council established during the Peter I period has become a bastion for nobles to intervene in politics. Catherine II issued a decree in December 1763, dividing the Privy Council into six houses, and directly presided over three powerful houses—the Army Academy and the Navy Academy. And the Diplomatic Council, set up the post of Prosecutor-General who is directly responsible to her, and the Prosecutor-General supervises and handles the affairs of the Privy Council on behalf of the Tsar. In November 12, the decree on the management system of the provinces of the All-Russian Empire was issued, canceling the original three-level (province, state, county) management system and replacing it with a two-level (province, county) management system. There are 6 provinces in the country, senior officials And senior officials are appointed directly by the Tsar.Provinces and counties have parliaments, and members of the council are representatives of nobles.Representatives of the nobility had the right to present their demands to high officials, up to the Tsar.In order to prevent high-level officials from monopolizing power and self-respect, the tsar appointed several governors to govern two to three provinces.The governor is not only the supreme officer of the local garrison, but also the chief executive of the local area. He is also a member of the Central Privy Council.The result of the reform was that the tsar's personal dictatorship was greatly strengthened, the centralization system was strengthened, and the tsar was able to control the central and local governments more directly and powerfully through the Privy Council, various chambers, senior officials, and provincial assemblies.

Catherine II knew very well that the social basis of her rule was nobles and serf owners, so she tried her best to meet the requirements of nobles and serf owners in terms of politics and economy.Special promulgated the "Russian Noble Rights, Freedoms and Privileges Edict", which legally determined that the nobility is a privileged class in Russia. This class does not undertake any state obligations, and is not subject to any legal restrictions and punishments except for the crime of plotting against the Tsar. .This policy was welcomed by the nobles, and Catherine II was honored as the "Queen of the Nobles". Her 34 years in power were called the golden age of aristocratic dictatorship.

Paul I's reforms: Given the depravity of the Russian nobility, he was determined to make them disciplined and hierarchical like a medieval order of knights.The nobles in the court who violated his views on knights were deprived of their positions or lost their land. The seven marshals and three generals were punished, which made Paul supported by the Polish people and had a deep impression on him. tribute.

Paul gave the military prosecutor a lot of power, even equal to the power of the head of government, the Ministry of Justice of the Ministry of the Interior and part of the Ministry of Finance combined.

It also ordered that without the approval of the Privy Council, service members of noble origin in the army are prohibited from changing jobs, and people of non-aristocratic origin are prohibited from obtaining noble status.In addition, noble children were not allowed to study in Europe, and it was also forbidden to import European goods, including books and even music scores.

There are many regulations like this, which are nothing more than trying to turn the entire aristocratic class and the entire Russia into a paramilitary tame tool.Paul had tried several unusual but unpopular military reforms and started the so-called Prussianization. First, he clarified the military discipline rules in the military drill ceremonies, and made strict regulations on the dress, words and deeds of soldiers.

(End of this chapter)