"Since you have said so earnestly, I have nothing more to say......" As if moved by the words of Count Litwinsky, Charles placed his cigar directly on the ashtray and looked at him with interest, "Well, even if I am willing to do something for the sake of friendly relations between the two countries, then what shall I do?" ”

"There's not much you need to do, but it's crucial—" Seeing that the other party had already got to the point, the Count began to become serious and put down his cigar, "It is well known that you have the trust of His Majesty the Emperor of your country, and that he is a very valuable advisor, and if you could explain to him clearly the importance of friendly relations between the two countries, I would like to ...... I think some of the ice that currently exists between our two countries will also melt soon. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ”

"Undoubtedly, I hope that the ice between our two countries will melt as soon as possible, but ...... From what I have seen and heard, it is your Tsar's Majesty and your court that are not very willing to deal with us, not that we are unwilling to deal with your country. Charles smiled and explained the fact to the other party, "We have always extended a hand of friendship to your country, but every time we are sorry that we have been defeated by your country." ”

Because there was some kind of sarcasm hidden in these words, even with the earl's old age, he couldn't help but be a little embarrassed, but years of experience as a diplomat had already worn out his personality and cultivated the indelible temperament of joy and anger, so he quickly hid this little embarrassment in the depths of his heart.

"You're not telling the truth, Your Excellency. As a matter of fact, our Government has always attached great importance to France's status as a great power, and it is also the will of our Tsar that we will always maintain friendly relations with such a great power. He has no ill will towards His Majesty the Emperor of your country or dignitaries like you. "In the past, our government kept a little distance from your country, but it was only because the political situation in France at that time was so disorderly that we felt at a loss, so we had to wait and watch for the time being......

Ignoring Charles' slightly sarcastic look, he continued, "You have to understand us, we are a monarchy in Russia, and we advocate monarchy and orthodox principles, which are incompatible with a republic, and at that time, a revolution unfortunately broke out in France, and we, as a monarchy, will of course feel that dealing with a republic is really difficult, so please understand our hesitation. Fortunately, God finally blessed France and made France a monarchy again, so I don't think there is any misunderstanding between our two countries anymore, and we welcome the inclusion of the Bonaparte family in the sacred family of European monarchs......"

Although he said this in a very good tone and full of flashy diplomatic rhetoric, the essence of it was still clear to Charles - we did not deal with you because we hated you, but because France is a republic, and now that the republic has been destroyed by you, then we can deal with it well.

Charles knew it might not be true, but at least he had given Louis Bonaparte and him a step down, and he was happy to walk up it.

"Holy monarchy! Yes, that's what we want. He applauded softly, and secretly praised the flawless rhetoric, "Mr. Ambassador, can I understand your words as Russia appreciates the present system of France, and agrees to approve of the Bonapartist rule over France, and is no longer willing to pursue a policy of hostility or exclusion against it?" ”

"We respect the choice of God and the French people, and we will not have a say in this matter." The Count immediately expressed his attitude, "At the same time, our Tsar His Majesty is very keen to establish a personal friendship with the Bonapartes, and he thinks that the two empires should join hands-"

"His Majesty the Emperor will be very pleased with your statement." Charles looked at the other party in some consternation, as if he did not understand why the other party had suddenly expressed his courtesy so clearly.

You must know that only half a century ago, these two families were still bitter rivals. Even if you plan to change course now because of the needs of the situation, you should be more reserved......

Count Litwinsky, of course, could not hear Charles's muttering, for in fact he now had a great task on his shoulders, and he could not afford to play with the French, but only to quickly persuade them to follow the Russian pace.

"It's not just Your Majesty who is happy, aren't you too?" He looked up at Charles, "I think your sister told you about our attitude when she returned to France, right?" ”

"......" Charles didn't speak, but groaned.

"yes, you should already feel our sincerity, right?" Seeing that Charles was already wavering, the Count was relieved, "And His Majesty the Tsar has told me unequivocally that as long as you are willing to be a friend of Russia and a defender of relations between the two countries, then we will spare no effort and no sparing support for you, and support you by all means we can muster." ”

Charles did not rejoice in it, but when he heard the promise, he immediately became fearful.

Because the promise is too heavy.

People give you so much in the hope of taking more from you – at least on a diplomatic level.

"I am grateful for the importance of His Majesty the Tsar." Therefore, Charles looked at the other party with a calm and suspicious gaze, "But unfortunately, I am first and foremost a minister of the French Empire, and only then can I be a friend of the Russians." ”

"Of course." The Count nodded in understanding. "But I suppose these two things are not opposites, but on the contrary they are united - your efforts for the friendship between Russia and France are not only for your own benefit, but for the benefit of all, and even of the whole of Europe."

"So, what exactly does your country want from France?" Charles asked rhetorically. "If I don't figure this out, I really don't dare to be a friend of the Russian people, after all, to be honest, there are some people among my colleagues who don't have a particularly good impression of Russia."

"Your Excellency, I have seen a speech of yours a few years ago, which also caused an uproar in Europe at that time." The Count did not answer directly, but instead avoided the topic and turned to Charles, "Although you were not in a position of office at the time, your speech was concise and coherent - you said that the existing order in Europe was being attacked, undermined, and in danger of collapsing, and that France, as a great power, had an obligation to stand up in this situation and seek a new stable order for Europe, so that the peoples of Europe could once again bask in the sunshine of peace......"

"Yes, that's what I said at the time." Charles nodded.

Of course, his words at the time were not so pacifist, but the subtext was that "France must only rise up to defend the European order if it has a peace that is beneficial to itself and commensurate with its position of strength", which is essentially murderous, but now both of them directly pretend to be confused and put the warm side on the table.

"To be honest, when I watched it before, I was very inspired and agreed with you, but it's a pity that I saw it too late!" Count Litwinsky sighed, "You are right, the existing order in Europe has been greatly shaken, and it can even be said to have collapsed. The Holy Alliance, which had been so strong, was now crumbling, and the monarchy was shaken by terrible revolutionary ideas, but it was thanks to you in France that the Republic was destroyed, and this evil frenzy was curbed and Europe was restored to peace for the time being...... However, even so, the crisis is not over, and lava is still restless under the seemingly calm volcano, ready to erupt at any time...... Therefore, we Russians believe that it is no longer possible to maintain peace in Europe as it used to be. ”

Charles didn't speak, just looked at the other man quietly, waiting for him to have a showdown.

"Now that Austria and Prussia have been greatly weakened by the previous frenzy, their ability to act has been reduced, and they themselves are in need of our help, so it seems to us that France must stand up to maintain order in Europe, and France should stand up and maintain the stability of the whole of Europe." The Count did not disappoint Charles, and at last spread out, "The position of France should be recognized, and Russia is willing to form some kind of joint force with France to maintain order in Europe and to eliminate all possible calamities, even if force is necessary." ”

"Sounds ...... It's really moving. Charles muttered for a long time, then finally nodded.

The ambassador's words undoubtedly made it clear that the Russians are now faced with the fact that the Russian-Austro-Prussian alliance exists in name only, and that they are willing to recognize some kind of order that is favorable to France, which is indeed a great concession, or rather an obvious co-optation.

"Look how friendly we are to France." The Count spread his hands rather exaggeratedly, "Your Excellency, as long as our two countries stand on the same side, then the affairs of the European continent can almost be decided, and the French can expand their influence on their own borders to their heart's content, without worrying about the faces of others......"

At the end of the day, that's what he really meant.

Previously, when the Bonaparte family took advantage of the turmoil after the revolution, out of the old grudge between the two families, out of contempt for them, His Majesty the Tsar had always deliberately coldened France, which also hit the pride of Louis Bonaparte and his comrades.

However, what he did not expect was that this group of people would stabilize the situation so quickly, allowing France to recover its calm from the turmoil and regain its strength.

What is even more worrying is that the original Tsar thought that other countries would be as contemptuous and ostracistic as him, but he was wrong, almost at the same time as Bonaparte, the British recognized this original rival, and seemed to be very friendly with the Empire, and the Austrians began to show friendship, and even the Prussians, Russia's closest allies, showed some vacillation.

Thus, His Majesty's initial move seemed to be a great diplomatic misstep, and instead of isolating France, he added an indignant opponent to himself.

Especially now, when the Russians want to make some big moves, and they are shocked to find that they are actually showing some signs of isolation, and the European countries are either unequivocally opposed to them, or they are ambiguous and unwilling to take a stand.

Thus, for Russia, the most important concern now is no longer the revolutionary plague, but a question of the collective anti-Russian front in Europe, especially the inability to unite the most powerful European countries against Russia.

Therefore, to try to pry France out of the chain of the British, to break their tacit understanding, is the main focus of Russian foreign policy today, and to this end His Majesty the Tsar is even willing to show favor to those whom he despises, and the Count of Litwinsky does not mind being deferential to Treville. (To be continued.) )