Crown Prince Alexander excitedly rushed into the Tsar's office, waving a copy of a telegram in his hand and shouting. Having returned to Petersburg from the East, the crown prince tried to put the reform of the abolition of serfdom at the forefront. However, Nicholas I wanted to take advantage of Russia's "favorable opportunity" after the successful intervention of the Hungarian Revolution to expand into the Balkans and Asia Minor, trying to destroy the Turkish Empire in one fell swoop!

And just when Nicholas I was eagerly awaiting the right moment. Louis of France. On December 2, 1852, Bonaparte was finally crowned Emperor of France, Napoleon III. In order to curry favor with the powerful Catholic Church in France, Napoleon III forced Turkey to cede the protection of the holy city of Jerusalem to France.

This was the perfect excuse for Nicholas I to go to war against Turkey – just look at the number of wars of religion fought in European history. The question of religion has always been a pretext for war in European countries, and the liberation of the Orthodox Christians oppressed by the Turkish Empire is the loudest slogan shouted by the pan-Slavists.

In addition, in the eyes of the Tsar, Napoleon III was, after all, the nephew of Napoleon I, and Napoleon I's throne was actually taken out by the endless anti-French alliance of the British. So Napoleon III could not have been a real pro-British, and his purpose in currying favor with Britain was only to sit on the emperor's throne. It will not really be for the benefit of Britain to send hundreds of thousands of French to fight against Russia. And what can the French gain from this war with heavy casualties? Will the British agree to France cutting some flesh from the Turkish Empire, or will they spit out a little of the colonies that were snatched from the French?

As for the British, although their navy is very strong. But it did not pose much of a threat to Russia's land forces. Their pocket-sized army simply can't stand the attrition of a big war. Moreover, there is a growing trend of liberalism and anarchism in the UK. It would also seriously weaken Britain's ability to fight abroad.

Therefore, immediately after Turkey handed over the protection of the Holy City to France, Nicholas I sent Prince Menshikov, Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, as a special envoy to Istanbul to negotiate with the Sultan, in fact, an ultimatum to the Turkish Empire. However, Nicholas I did not expect the Sultan to accept the Russian ultimatum, he wanted a war.

However, just as Prince Menshikov arrived in Istanbul, there was a revolution in Negoro (Montenegro), the territory of the Turkish Empire. Turkish troops drove into the door of Negro to suppress, and in order to avoid Russian interference, Sultan Abdul. Mejid I made all necessary concessions on the right to protect the Holy Land.

"Father, it's time to end the battle for the Holy City with dignity." The Russian crown prince loudly suggested.

"But...... Alexander. Nikolaevich. Why should we let Turkey go? The Tsar looked at Alexander with some puzzlement, "The time has come for the Turkish Empire to come to an end, and now is the time to realize the dream of the Slavic peoples for hundreds of years, what are you waiting for?" ”

"Father, you have ignored the danger in the East." Crown Prince Alexander said worriedly, "The Ming Empire is a formidable opponent, and their Emperor Guangfu is a great monarch, under his rule, China has rapidly become a civilized country, with a constitution, a parliament, a new army, a financial system, and countless machine factories all established in just a few years!" If you want to compare him to a certain tsar in the history of our Russia. I think only Peter the Great can match it, no. Peter the Great couldn't even do as much as he did! This is an extremely dangerous enemy! ”

The tsar looked at his son quietly, and he didn't know how long it took for Lu Dao to shake his head slightly, and said with a smile: "My child, I know that Lu Dao Zhu Jishi is a very remarkable person, but he has not completely unified China yet, and even if he has unified the country, it will take time to stabilize the interior." I think it will be five years before the Chinese threat becomes more real. By that time, however, the Russian Empire was already the hegemon of the world. ”

Nicholas I paused for a moment, and then continued: "Moreover, even if Zhu Jishi is desperate to start a war in the East, what can he do? What do we have to lose? The land north of the Amur River? That was originally Chinese. Alaska? In addition to the snow and ice, there are seals. Kamchatka? It was also a land that was too cold to be inhabited by humans. Even if all these lands were taken away by the Chinese, there would be nothing. It will be enough for us to take the Balkans, take Asia Minor, and enter the Middle East. ”

The tsar is right when he says that Eastern Siberia and Alaska are really of little value to Russia at the moment. Alaska is not even Russian territory, but a real estate operated by a Russian-American company, whose main business is the sale of furs. As for the oil, gold, coal mines and so on in Eastern Siberia, Sakhalin and Alaska, nothing has yet been discovered. The only exploitable ones are the silver mines near Nebuchu, but these are not comparable in any way to the Balkans and Asia Minor.

As for the agricultural value of Eastern Siberia, there is one for China. Because the land in southern Eastern Siberia is fertile, similar to that of Northeast China. The climate there allows for a season of wheat, potatoes or soybeans to be grown, and the yields are high and do not require much labor. However, it is not of much value to Russia, because Russia is already vast and sparsely populated, and there is still an endless amount of undeveloped land in the European part and Western Siberia, who would not have the trouble to travel thousands of versts to go to Eastern Siberia to farm?

"Of course, I won't let the Chinese stay proud in the East for too long. After we have defeated Turkey and brought the Balkans and the Near East under the protection of the Russian Empire, we will turn back to China...... Even if I can't regain the territory east of Lake Baikal, I will take China's Xinjiang and western Mongolia and, if possible, Tibet. ”

The more the Tsar spoke, the higher the door grew, and his face flushed with excitement.

"The last and the last is to pluck the pearl from the crown of the Queen of England and put it on the crown of the Tsar! Russia needs a rich colony, and India is the ideal choice, as long as it has India's wealth, Russia's reforms will be much easier...... There will be a constitution and a parliament, serfdom will be abolished, and our country will become the richest, most prosperous and most powerful empire in the world! ”

Listening to the words of the Tsar, Crown Prince Alexander felt bitterness in his heart, his father was always so fond of fantasy, always thought beautifully, and regarded his opponents as fools......

"Father, I want to go to Vienna once with Franz. Joseph I spoke openly and honestly. Wallachia and Moldavia (Romania) were very important for the Austrian Empire, and if we were to occupy there, at least get Franz. The consent of Joseph I. ”

The tsar sneered: "Can he still disagree?" Without my support, the Austrian Empire collapsed in 1850 and would not have been where it is today. ”

"But...... Why not go once? "If the Austrian Empire can stand on the side of Russia, the victory will be 100% Russia!" ”

"Alexander. Nikolaevich, do you think Austria will be on the side of Turkey? "If Austria dares to do this, I will unite Prussia, France, and Sardinia to war with Austria. Joseph I's empire will fall apart in less than a month! ”

"But what if...... What about France also on the side of Turkey? Crown Prince Alexander hesitated, "Or may I go to France and come to some agreement with Napoleon III?" ”

"What can France get from Turkey?" The tsar stubbornly waved his hand, "Don't worry about Napoleon III, he is not a fool and will not do such a stupid thing!" All he wants now is to tear up the Vienna system, and I'm doing it for him. As soon as Russia became the ruler of the Balkans and Asia Minor, Britain would devote all its strength to encircling Russia, and Napoleon III would have no trouble breaking the Vienna system's shackles on France. You say, "Why does he want to fight?" (To be continued......)