New Shun 1730

This letter, or the idiom "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron", really became the last straw that broke Elizabeth's back in her determination to launch a coup.

It's not that she didn't want a coup. She had been forbearing for nearly ten years since her parents died, and she had been looking for an opportunity.

It's just that not long ago, several lieutenants of the "Jinyiwei" were just hanged. Although they didn't give her up, they did recruit people for her in the army.

After this incident, Elizabeth had to be more careful because she was sure that the other party might have noticed something.

However, she had previously put all her strength on the "Jinyiwei" Corps created by her father. As the letter said, if the enemy took advantage of the background of the war between Sweden and Russia and naturally pulled the Jinyiwei Corps to the front line, what should she do?

At that time, once the enemy took action, even if she wanted to resist, what power would she have?

She had no military power.

And some powerful people did not support her, but just did not oppose her. The "orthodox" identity of Peter the Great's offspring can only make those powerful people stand by and watch, which is enough face.

Being locked up in a monastery and spending a lifetime with rats... just thinking about such a scene is enough to scare off the powder on your face.

He hesitated for a long time holding the letter, threw the letter into the fireplace and burned it, looked at the court doctor who delivered the letter with a sharp eye, and said directly: "Count Lestock, I trust Hannibal. As for the Chinese marquis, since Hannibal thinks he can be trusted, then he can be trusted."

This sentence did not say the previous clichés, but simply and straightforwardly made it clear that he had made up his mind.

"But the letter tells a very scary story. What if those people in the court transferred the Preobrazhensky Corps to Finland? However, we are not ready now, and the previous hanging incident also proves that those who are hostile to me have been keeping an eye on the Preobrazhensky Corps. The timing is still not good."

Count Lestock hurriedly said: "From the information I have learned from the court, there is no plan to transfer the Preobrazhensky Corps to Finland for the time being."

He did not say all the words. In fact, the Swedish ambassador had already contacted these French people before, especially in the context of the current war between Sweden and Russia, the Swedish ambassador actually supports the Russian coup.

Apart from anything else, the coup can also cause chaos in Russia for a while.

The Swedish ambassador can certainly help in the war between Russia and Sweden, at least taking some diplomatic fraudulent means can alleviate this possibility.

But he obviously cannot understand what "cutting off the firewood from the bottom of the cauldron" means.

If the war requires, transferring the Preobrazhensky Corps to Finland is not called a conspiracy to cut off the firewood from the bottom of the cauldron, but an accidental one.

But if it is obviously not needed in the war, even if Russia wins a great victory in Finland, it does not mean that the Preobrazhensky Corps cannot be transferred away "justifiably".

In the current situation, it is not yet certain whether Elizabeth will launch a coup; but if Elizabeth launches a coup, she will definitely use the Jinyiwei Corps created by her father. This is inevitable.

As long as this corps is transferred away, even if she wants to, she will not be able to launch a coup.

This is the key.

At this moment, Razumovsky, the princess's secret husband who had been silent, reminded her: "Your Highness should remember the scene when the Duke of Qi of China visited Moscow last time. They are not a European country, and they also have completely different etiquette from European countries. Therefore, they can bring a 300-500-man entourage and ceremonial soldiers, which is tacitly permitted between the two countries."

"It is also reasonable for a special Chinese envoy to bring hundreds of soldiers."

"If they really support it, this matter will be more likely to succeed."

"If the Preobrazhensky Corps is not transferred, then the help of these Chinese can only be limited to diplomatic recognition and diplomatic support as soon as you ascend the throne."

"If the Preobrazhensky Corps is transferred, then these Chinese and Hannibal's Cossacks can be used as a force to help you attack the Winter Palace-Hannibal is a Russian and your father's secretary. People who miss your father will not think he is a foreigner."

This sentence hits the point. Elizabeth recalled the scene when the Duke of Qi came to attend his nephew's coronation ceremony, and thought it was indeed the case.

The cultural differences between the two sides are huge, and the distance is too far. Even though there have been Chinese envoys stationed in St. Petersburg since then, these envoys are only ceremonial, not real ministers.

When real envoys come from China, especially those of noble origin or high-ranking officials above the third rank, they will bring a large entourage.

The French embassy can only have a dozen guards at most. This is the unspoken rule of European countries. It is impossible to allow a foreign army of hundreds of people to be stationed in the capital of their own country.

But China is special. Because the unspoken rules they formed before did not involve China. Dashun did not recognize these unspoken rules and did not want to understand them at all.

The envoys of three to five hundred people are just a simple configuration.

In fact, the last time the Duke of Qi came, there were two or three hundred people who were officials but not clerks. Counting the soldiers and grooms who were guarding, the number was really not small.

It was also explained at that time that when tribute missions from North Korea and the like came to Beijing, the scale would be large enough including those who bought and sold people and goods. As the Celestial Dynasty, Dashun's visits to other countries, as long as they were on a formal scale, would inevitably involve fewer people.

Now Liu Yu and Hannibal are willing to provide help, which is indeed a double insurance for this coup.

Once the Imperial Guard Corps is transferred to Finland, the soldiers from the Dashun Mission can still take over.

Elizabeth absolutely trusts Hannibal. When Hannibal was exiled, she was concerned about him and asked him to wait patiently.

Moreover, the two had a good relationship when they were young. As Peter's night secretary and godson, Hannibal was often involved in Peter's family life.

After not seeing each other for so many years, the letter still uses "you" instead of "you". The title in the letter also calls her "Liza" when the feelings are strong.

As for the interference of "foreign forces", that is not a problem.

Elizabeth was convinced of her ability to continue on her father's path and make Russia a trembling power in Europe.

Whether it is the French ambassador, the Swedish ambassador, or the Chinese Marquis, they are just tools for mutual use.

The only thing to consider is whether Liu Yu, a person with a very bad reputation among Petersburg's upper class, will take this opportunity to ask for some special benefits?

At most, the French ambassador hopes to purge the pro-German faction. Between Russia and France, there are still Austria, Poland, and Prussia standing in the way.

Dashun borders Russia, not to mention the kind of oppression that drove old Count Tolstoy to death more than ten years ago. Even on the issue of the Northwest Boundary Treaty last year, Dashun insisted that Dzunggar was an internal affairs counterinsurgency. This legal principle persisted and reached Omsk in one bite.

The disgusting part is that Dashun can take a bite every time when Russia is unable to fight back. Either he was busy with the War of Polish Succession or the Fourth Russo-Turkish War. Even if there is a fight, if you lose, you will lose. At the very least, it will deplete Dashun's national power. But Dashun was empty-handed these two times. The envoys stationed in the capital all said that this visit A marquis is the person at the helm of Dashun's diplomacy.

It wasn't that she was afraid that Liu Yu would force her to sign a treaty or something like that. This was Petersburg after all, and strong dragons could not overwhelm local cowards.

Was she afraid that Liu Yu would use her as a bargaining chip?

If necessary, sell her to Dashun in exchange for some land?

It's no wonder she thinks too much. In fact, Liu Yu's reputation is not very good here in Petersburg. He is extremely cunning and good at using tricks.

And this thing is a bit of a coincidence. Hannibal could have returned from Siberia before, but he did not come back.

It takes at least a year to travel from Dashun to Europe, and the message transmission is calculated in two years. How come it seems like she had already guessed that Queen Anna would die?

Judging from the time, when Queen Anna died, it was likely that the ship of the Dashun Mission had not yet left East Asia.

Is this just a coincidence?

Although she didn't trust Liu Yu, she still trusted Hannibal. Obviously, most of what Hannibal did was allowed or even supported by Liu Yu, otherwise it would not have been possible to lead some of the captured Cossacks back from Dashun so easily.

You need at least a reason to help her.

Either out of love, or out of geopolitics, or out of national interest, or out of her intoxicating pomegranate skirt.

After hesitating in her heart for a moment, Elizabeth suddenly thought of the diplomatic relations between China and France, and asked angrily: "Did the Marquis of Lachetadie tell others these things? Was it information provided by France to China?"

Earl Lestock immediately denied it.

"Your Highness, please rest assured about this. Even we have only been considering the coup out of concern for your safety. After the death of Queen Anna, we were worried about your life and safety."

"In fact, one month before the death of Empress Anna, the whole of Russia, and even the whole of Europe, thought that you would become the heir. No one expected that the empress would adopt Ivan of Mecklenburg before she died. , and designated him as his successor.”

"And it is precisely because of little Ivan of Mecklenburg that the people of the secret committee have a legitimate reason to exclude you from the succession list. This... is an accident that no one could have imagined."

Elizabeth, who had been a little impatient just now, gradually calmed down, and when she thought about it, that was true. The little tsar was only a month old when he was appointed heir.

At the beginning, Peter the Great and Ivan V were co-tsar and ruled together. Little Ivan is the grandson of Ivan V and himself the daughter of Peter. Unless the French knew astrology, there was no way they could have known that little Ivan would be born.

If little Ivan had not been born, she would have the right to inherit the throne no matter what. There was also Elizabeth's nephew, but this nephew, the grandson of Peter the Great, was already in his teens and could not even speak Russian. He basically could not speak Russian. Don't think about it.

Those in power can tolerate the German Party, but they are unlikely to tolerate the Queen's lover becoming the Tsar of Russia.

Besides, Anna made people angry, forcing the old party and the new party to unite and become the Russian orthodoxy - conservative or westernized, it was a battle of lines, and it was not the turn of a group of foreign Germans to occupy the magpie's nest - according to common sense For example, Anna was dying and she had no heirs. Normally, she would call Elizabeth over, ask her to recognize her as her adoptive mother, sign a promise not to harm his lovers, and pass on the throne.

But no one expected that, just before she was about to die, her niece actually gave birth to a boy. This was a pure accident among accidents.

Unless one could predict the future, no one would have thought of such an accident. But according to the time, when the Dashun envoys left Dashun, Queen Anna might not have died yet, and the news could not have spread so quickly.

"Hannibal, of course it's for me. But this Chinese marquis doesn't recognize me. What does he want?"

He muttered to himself, and then thought again, no matter what he wants, if the coup succeeds, he will be the emperor of Russia.

In the end, what he wants still has to be obtained from himself.

Isn't it okay as long as he doesn't give it?

Just like the Marquis of Lachetadi, isn't he also for the interests of France? He thought I could be controlled. But he is just a handsome man. What's the difference between thinking this way and those women who think they can control politics by being beautiful?

Just like the Swedish ambassador, he has been trying to contact me, isn't it because he thinks that the coup may make the Swedish-Russian war develop in a direction that is beneficial to Sweden? But how can you guarantee and supervise that I will do what I say?

She knows all these things, but pretends not to understand.

Her mouth is on her body, and her hand holding the Russian Tsar's seal is also on her body. As long as she doesn't agree, everything these people want is just a fantasy.

Since they are all using her, why don't she want to use them?