Struggle in Russia

St. Andre Cavaliers is really good. The history of this knighthood is not long. It was formally established in 1838, but it has only eight or nine years of history.

Although the history is not long, the members are very prominent. The head is today's Crown Prince Alexander, and the deputy head is Alexander's younger brother, Konstantin Nikolaevich, and the Crown Prince's Attachment Duke Bariatinsky, then Leonid. The other members are rich or expensive, which can basically wipe out the young generation of Russians.

The Knights of St. Andrew Andre can be said to be the private team prepared by Nicholas I for the Crown Prince Alexander, bringing the Russian elite and aristocrats to the side of the Crown Prince to cultivate their feelings and lay a good foundation for the Crown Prince's future rule.

Nicholas I believed that as long as the future's most elite young people in Russia are united by the Crown Prince Alexander, the Crown Prince will never have to worry about the instability of the emperor. This fine tradition will continue in the future generations, and the monarchy of the Russian Empire will continue to grow forever. Prosperous.

Therefore, the members of the Knights of Saint Andrew are quite high in social status, enjoy various preferential treatments, the royal family grants subsidies and subsidies, and the official rank is also a priority. Even on the road, they are superior to ordinary nobles.

The treatment is good, and the threshold is naturally quite high. Only the best aristocratic youth are recruited to join, and the trial of membership is also known as the devil's journey. The elimination rate is quite high. After all, the soft eggs of waste cannot help the crown prince and maintain the monarchy system.

For example, until now, the Crown Prince Alexander had doubts about absorbing Li Xiao as a member, and he worriedly said to Leonid: "Lionia (Leonid's nickname), is this really good? Andrei. Konstantinovich has never been a tool. It is simply a waste. Allowing him to join our excellent group is simply ... it has lowered our average level. His performance has been terrible for a long time, and no one likes him ... … Before Kosga (nicknamed Constantine, his younger brother Constantine) was strongly opposed to absorbing him, thinking that his application should be rejected directly, and even the opportunity to participate in the trial should not be given to him! "

"His Royal Highness," although Leonid felt regrets in his heart, the Cavaliers' Creed told him that he should stick to his opinions: "The purpose of the Knights of Saint Andre is to absorb the best young aristocrats of Russia to safeguard the territories and sovereignty of Great Russia, Maintain the supreme monarchy and sacred religious beliefs. We have formulated the rule of absorbing new members. Any Russian aristocratic young person who has reached the age of 15 years and no more than 35 years old and has served in the service can apply to join. The Trial Trial automatically became one of us. Although Grand Duke Andrei Constantine did not perform well before, he met all the necessary conditions to join us. I don't see any reason to refuse him to join us. If we let personal preferences prevail over our purpose, then our sacred system will become empty words and jokes! Who will respect the rules and vows we have set in the future? "

Alexander was not completely convinced, he was still hesitant, or he was still very resistant, he did not like Li Xiao, and did not want his waste cousin to join his Knights.

Leonid also saw this, and he continued to persuade: "His Highness, I, like you, also quite dislike the Grand Duke. But we must maintain our sacred system. Compared with that Grand Duke, our The sacred system is more important. In addition, you also know that I tried to increase the difficulty on this trial, but the Grand Duke was able to pass the test tenaciously by his own strength, which also proves that he does not seem to be so unbearable. If he can pass It is also a good thing that our efforts turn the rotten wood like him into the backbone of the country. "

Alexander pouted, as if to say it was a dream. But from Leonid's perseverance, he knew that his aide was not subdued, and he had expectations and respect for this excellent friend. After a short while, he finally agreed:

"Liao Nia, you convinced me. Our system is really the most important thing, and of course the more important thing is that I respect the friendship between us. I am sure you will not disappoint my trust!"

Leonidon first said, "Yes, Your Highness. I will personally teach the Grand Duke, and I will not let you down!"

Alexander nodded slightly and sighed, "Well, I hope so! But that guy, hey ..."

Li Xiao didn't know this conversation, of course, even if he knew it, he wouldn't particularly care about it. For him, the Knights of St. Andrew was just a springboard. He had no dime interest in the so-called sacred system and great purpose . To him it was nothing more than Nicholas I's tool to strengthen himself and the rule of his son Alexander. UU reading books www.uukanshu. He wasn't interested in being the tool in the hands of that mean old uncle, but just wanted to use it to change his passive situation.

So Li Xiao didn't expect much to be excited about the upcoming ceremony to join the group, and even hoped to end the scene as soon as possible.

Of course, there are not many people like Li Xiao. For the aristocrats in St. Petersburg, the swearing-in ceremony of the Knights of St. Andrew's in the new year is still very interesting. Nicholas I and the Crown Prince Alexander and Kang The Grand Duke of Constantine will come to watch the ceremony. This is a good opportunity to get close to the holy driving. If the emperor and the crown prince are valued, the man will fly to Huang Tengda, and the woman will become a royal favorite. The second half of life is rich and expensive. How can this be missed!

Therefore, the Senate Square is very lively on the new day. From the afternoon, there are always young aristocratic men and women gathered here. Everyone pretended to be ridiculous, but their eyes involuntarily turned towards the Hermitage. According to the practice, the Tsar and the Crown Prince Will come from there under the guard's guard.

七 At 7:30 in the evening, the flow of people reached its peak. Nevsky Prospect and the Senate Square were shrouded in hustle and bustle and entered the festive atmosphere in advance. Li Xiao stood bored on the temporary stand in front of the bronze knight statue. He felt like a chimpanzee visited in the zoo, and the little companion who was sworn next to him was a tall and strong gorilla. It is ashamed.

Such a scene reminded him of Gogol's description in Nevsky Prospect: "Nevsky Prospect is deceiving every day and every day, but the worst thing is at night, when the whole city changed It became a hodgepodge of noise and flashing lights ... At that time the devil came down and lit every street light, it had only one purpose: to make everything appear illusion ... "