Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 155 012 Von Paalen’s acting skills are full of flaws (Part 2)

"You are right. Under this arrangement, adult members of the royal family are separated according to their families, and they have to go to their own palaces at night. The guards are not subordinate to each other. Once someone really rebels, they will not be allowed to rebel. The thief served it in one pot."

This is how the old Count Stroganov praised Solovyov after he reported back.

This happened in February. Paul, Alexander and Constantine all lived separately. Paul's escort work was mainly carried out by the General Regiment, while Alexander and Constantine were respectively carried out by the Semyonovsky Regiment and Ismailov Regiment. The leader of the group, it is their duty to have their own bodyguards.

At the same time, it should be noted that coming out of Mikhailovsky Palace, to the north is Mars Square. In the northwest corner here is the station of the Pavlovsk Grenadier Regiment. Although they are not a Guards regiment, they are Paul single-handedly picked out the soldiers.

In terms of military structure, it is the same as the Guards. They are selected rather than recruited. Therefore, although only the Chasseur Company has been on the battlefield, the training has been very good. The performance on the exercise field is such that The troops can also be seen to be no less elite than the Guards.

This regiment is stationed at No. 2 Million Street, just opposite the Marble Palace, which is Constantine's home. This place is also guarded by a company of the Ismailov regiment every day, which is relatively safe.

At that time, Solovyov was still with Paul, so he created a non-responsible guard plan and separated the three most important adult males in the royal family to avoid being blamed if something went wrong. The three fathers and sons are really kind and filial, brothers and sisters, and they would not kill each other first. The Russian royal family is different from other places. The only regular drama retained is the battle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Usually, the mother-in-law bullies unilaterally. little wife

"Father, what should we do next?"

"We are also related to the royal family. Pasha, your grandmother is from the Naryshkin family. Although our family comes from a wealthy businessman, when it becomes prosperous, it is more or less related to the royal businessman. Never mind that the emperor is Everyone must serve carefully and not make any mistakes. Moreover, becoming a personal friend of the monarch is more conducive to our sacred mission of turning Russia into a progressive and enlightened monarchy. Do you understand?

When you joined the Jacobins in Paris, why did Her Majesty the Queen summon you, Prince Golitsyn, and dozens of young nobles in Paris? I'm just afraid that you might fall into the trap and be incited by others. Now it seems that when the world is disrupted, the British are always there. Things in Paris have nothing to do with them. In Vienna, Berlin, Rome, Lisbon, Naples, and even here in Petersburg, their shadow can be seen. The more the British muddy the waters and make things messy, the better it will be to their advantage. If it is a stabilized country, it will be unprofitable for them. "

"Father, why do you suddenly start talking about the British?"

"The Emperor sent one of his own escort officers to His Highness the Crown Prince. It was an unintentional move. He was about to hand over the Courland groom to the general. Pasha, tell me about this Solovyov and date him. What were you talking about?"

"We were all talking about art, but when it comes to politics, Misha doesn't have a strong dislike for any country, but he is not very friendly towards the UK."

"This kid is a continentalist at heart, and he pursues continental balance, which is what Her Majesty the Queen has always pursued. But the British don't want Europe to be stable. The more things get messed up, the more they treat them across the strait. Advantageous. If Count von Palen succeeds, no matter what the outcome, he feels that he can call the shots Order, and then become friendly with Britain. But, he doesn't understand His Highness, our Crown Prince, and only a few of your confidants can tell the truth to him. This time, he will not tell the truth. If you really pull off a coup and successfully seize power, it will not be a big deal without real support from the royal family and close ministers! "

"What should we do?"

"Your Majesty doesn't move, and we don't move either. It's just a pity that such a monarch, if he wasn't so paranoid, would be an ideal monarch. It's just a pity that he has been trying to prove himself since he was a child, and he likes to confront others, so it is inevitable We, the ministers in the palace, are good at admonishing others. It's not that easy, that is, he discovered the shortcomings, but always had to deal with it in his own way, which led to such a chaotic situation today. As for His Royal Highness, he is good at everything, but he lacks determination and patience. The emperor has no patience. "

Both the earl and his son were enlightened liberals who advocated reform, but as they were wealthy and aristocratic, they could only carry out reforms by influencing the monarch himself, and other methods were not feasible.

"Father, this won't solve the problem."

"We can only wait and hope nothing happens. But when someone takes a desperate risk, Pasha, when you are with the prince, you must ensure the reliability of the servants in the Winter Palace and the guards."

"Father, it doesn't matter. The General Attendant is not only by His Majesty's side, there is always one beside His Highness."

"Who is the general on duty these days?"

"Your Majesty, there is Bagration. Your Majesty, there is Kologrivov of the Guards Hussars."

"If someone really wants to take action, I'm afraid they will take action against the general on duty on His Majesty's side. We must ensure that Prince Bagration can issue orders as a general on duty. The Guards Chasseur Regiment under his command was brought by His Majesty from Gatchina, and the deep relationship is not comparable to ordinary troops. As long as this unit can move, even if they are stationed outside the city, they must be able to quickly enter the city."

And there is another more fatal thing, that is, the only unit in the Russian army that uses all new guns is this regiment. Bagration is the leader of this regiment and is absolutely trusted.

As for the specific arrangements, as the leader of the nobles, the old count who has no military power can't say anything. He can only ensure that some of the generals on duty are not affected by the coup and can calmly mobilize troops.

Another hope is probably General Kutuzov in Vyborg. Although he is an old sly guy, he is still very loyal to Paul. At the critical moment, he may become the key to victory or defeat.

Soloviev was still unaware of Count Stroganov's palace counter-coup arrangements. After all, if Count von Palen really wanted to do it, he would go directly to the Mikhailovsky Palace. Without the Tsar's clear order, even if he exposed this guy, he could not be arrested.

Paul seemed unwilling to believe that his confidant who had followed him since the Empress's time would rebel, so he did not take action.

Soloviev had no choice but to return to the Winter Palace to report.

After seeing him come back, Alexander also knew some details of Paul's questioning of Count von Palen.

"Your Highness, that's about it. I was next door at the time and heard it very clearly."

"You did a good job, leave."

Alexander was going to summon Count Stroganov and his son again. Only they and Kochubey were the civil servants who could give advice on this matter.

However, Kochubey himself was demoted for resisting Paul's arranged marriage. In a rage, he took his fiancée to Dresden and was not here.

The remaining one is Novosiltsev, Count Pavel's cousin, who used to be Alexander's attendant, but he has recently traveled abroad and is not around.

"Your Highness."

"You came at the right time. I want to tell you the truth now. Count von Palen is probably really involved in the rebellion. But without the order of my father, we can't take any action."

"Your Highness, I don't know if it's appropriate to say it at this time."

"Alexander Sergeyevich, you are an old minister. You have been in the court since the time of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. You are also knowledgeable. Every word you say is a valuable suggestion."

"At this time, if someone wants to take action against the emperor, I am afraid you must participate, or at least acquiesce to their actions. Your Highness, you must not agree to them, and you must also prepare early. If these people take risks, what All possible means can be used!"

"You mean."

"All possible means, Your Highness. At this time, if someone comes to you, you must be careful and don't agree to anyone, unless it is an order with the emperor's seal and personal signature, or an order brought by His Majesty's confidant. You can't believe any edict from the palace. "

Although the old count has lived a rich life all his life, he has experienced a coup. There are even rumors in St. Petersburg that this amateur chemist poisoned his first wife Anna Vorontsova and Peter III - although this is nonsense, it is true that the count has encountered several coups and conspiracies, and he still has some experience.

"Alexander Sergeyevich, this is it"

"Your Highness, only this way can guarantee your safety and reputation. Count von Palen is the military governor of St. Petersburg and the Minister of Posts. He can even bypass the Attorney General and the Minister of Police Prince Kurakin to read all the correspondence between the nobles, including the memorials to the emperor. At this time, it is hard to guard against anything. Only the edict of your Majesty himself, with a signature, is the most effective order. But if they really want to force your Majesty to abdicate, or take further measures to imprison members of the royal family, it will be hard to say."

The old count himself could not speak too deeply, just to remind Alexander. Although he had no patience, he was very smart and understood it at once.

If such a thing happened, Alexander's own considerations would also be crucial, but he did not like these favorites of the Imperial Grandmother and the Emperor's father too much. Whether it was Count Zubov or Count von Palen, he actually didn't like them.

"In this case, if someone comes to see me, unless it is an order brought by my father's confidant with complete signatures, it cannot be moved."

"That's it, Your Highness, you need to decide what to do next, and we are just your loyal servants, providing you with advice."

Speaking of this, Count von Palen wanted to visit the Winter Palace. When he came here, he actually brought something that Alexander and the count and his son could not have imagined.

"This is the emperor's edict, to arrest you, His Highness Constantine and Her Highness the Queen, and imprison them in Shlisselburg on Lake Ladoga, Peter and Paul Fortress and Arkhangelsk respectively, and we, the confidants and close ministers, will go to the guillotine and the gallows."

"No way?"

Alexander felt that it was too sensational when he heard this, but judging from the wording and the seal, it was indeed Paul's edict. However, the old count told him to pay attention to whether the signature was issued by Paul himself, which made him alert.

"If your highness doesn't believe it, such an order will be issued soon. His Majesty has gone crazy. He sent someone to summon me to his office today and asked me whether I participated in the conspiracy group. Then I got such an order from the attendant. After all, no one wants to lose their head. Your highness, I risked stealing a copy of such an edict. Please understand. His Majesty is really going crazy and wants to destroy this country."

"Okay, I know, you can go, don't mention this to anyone."

Alexander just used body language to indicate that he knew, nodded to indicate that Count von Palen could leave, but did not make any verbal promises.

After all, the crown prince himself is an actor, and he knows very well what will happen.

The Count thought that Alexander had acquiesced, after all, he had watched this prince grow up, but he did not expect that Alexander's complex personality was so difficult to guess.

"Then, let's prepare"

"There will be a performance in the palace tomorrow, March 10."

Alexander interrupted von Palen. He could guess that the Count was planning to take action tomorrow, but it would be stupid and let the whole of Petersburg know that it was a coup.

For Alexander himself, he would not end it easily. This kind of coup is very tricky whether he informs Paul or directly participates in it.

When he said this, Count von Palen knew that it would definitely not work tomorrow. He regarded this as Alexander's promise to acquiesce to his actions, but Alexander himself would not express his opinion.

After all, the final right of interpretation belongs to the company, and he does not want to see the worst situation.

Count von Paalen set the time for launching the new coup at the late night of March 11. The real action was to be carried out in the early morning of March 12 in the Russian calendar. Paul would also be asleep at this time, and it was the time when the palace was changing guards at night and was relatively relaxed, which was also convenient for the operation.

However, he himself did not notice that Alexander had already played him, and secretly submitted a memorial requesting Paul to strengthen the palace's vigilance.

At this moment, Count von Paalen still looked like he was counting money and preparing for the victory settlement, and even felt that the advantage was on his side.