"It's easy to replenish the army, the difficult thing is how to transport them to the east, because the railroad hasn't reached there yet." Alexander III said, "And now that the main forces of our navy have been transferred to the east, if the British threaten the empire at this time, we will have to rely on the fortresses and batteries on the coast to confront the enemy, and those remaining gunboats can only become targets for the enemy." ”

"That's right, Your Majesty, so this crisis needs to be ended as soon as possible." Witt said with his head bowed respectfully.

"You finally understand, Sergey." Alexander III smiled and held out a finger in front of Werther, "I noticed that you used the word 'crisis'. ”

"Hokkaido is now like a tempting piece of meat with bones to the Empire, which has reached the mouth, but is stuck in the bones and difficult to swallow." "But if you give up, it's a pity, after all, it is a victory that sacrificed the lives of many Imperial soldiers and cost a lot of money, and if you give up, the conspirators in the empire will definitely take the opportunity to incite it, which is not conducive to the long-term peace and stability of the empire." ”

"So, have you ever wondered how you can eliminate this crisis? Sergei? Alexander III sighed, picked up a report from the table and handed it to Werther, "This is the latest report from that guy Butzer on the situation in the East, he intends to use our fleet to make a military threat to the Qianguo and force the Qianguo to recognize the dominance of the empire in Hokkaido, although what he said makes sense, I am afraid that he will not succeed because of the Qianguo's back. It's British. And he doesn't seem to realize it. ”

Witte took the report from the Tsar. After reading it carefully, the Tsar sat down in his chair and waited quietly for him to finish the report.

After a short time, Werther finished reading the report and silently placed it on the Tsar's table.

"Don't have any advice for me? Sergei? Alexander III asked.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellency Bützer's plan is feasible, but I think it is very likely that he will not succeed." Werther looked at the Tsar, carefully organizing the language. "The Qianguo Navy is different from the army, Governor Li Shaoquan is a very difficult person to deal with, they are likely to force the Qianguo government to adopt a tougher attitude, Britain will undoubtedly support the Qianguo, but if war really breaks out, Britain should not directly intervene, but even so, it is difficult for the empire to hold on to Hokkaido, even if the imperial navy and army finally defeat the Qianguo, the originally insufficient military strength will be further reduced. The end result was that the fruits of victory would fall into the hands of Britain and France. ”

"You're right. Sergey, most likely, this is how it turned out. The Tsar nodded in agreement with Werther's words, "So, do you have a solution?" ”

"Your Majesty, I think that if we can properly divide the bones in this piece of meat, it may help us to eat this piece of meat." Witte did not give a specific solution, but cleverly followed the metaphor just now, reminding the Tsar.

"That's a great thing you said, Sergey." The Tsar clapped his hands happily, "This is indeed a brilliant solution to our current crisis. ”

"Let's see which bones to throw at our enemies." Alexander III excitedly looked at the map of the Hokkaido region of Japan on the table, "We are in the East, and what we need most is an excellent port that does not freeze in winter......"

Saying that, Alexander III suddenly remembered something, looked up and asked: "By the way, Sergey, do you know Stepan?" Ospovic's news? ”

"Your Majesty, I have heard that he was tried by a court-martialed for the sinking of the mine-strike ship 'Demolition' and sentenced to two years in prison, and is now serving his sentence." Witt replied calmly.

"Oh, yes, it's the Demolition, who led the Demolition' in an attack without any orders, and was sunk." The Tsar patted his forehead, "This guy ...... But if he does sink the target, I don't think it's a big deal, Stepan? Ospovic is a very talented man, and now we are in great need of someone who understands naval tactics, and I think he should be given a chance to make amends. ”

"That's right, Your Majesty." Witt was happy for Makarov in his heart and said with a smile.

"Well, then, I'll sign an amnesty......" the Tsar picked up a quill, dipped it in an inkwell, and wrote on a piece of paper, "If there are people like him, I want them to be pardoned, for we are short of talent......

Thinking that Makarov would soon be released from prison, Witt's heart was a little excited, because he knew what it would be like for Makarov to stay in prison.

"Roman? Isidorovich, how's that? You okay? ”

In prison, seeing Kondrachenko, who was rudely pushed into the cell by the jailer, Makarov couldn't help but grab the iron barricade of the cell door and asked with concern.

"I'm fine, they just asked me questions, dear Stepan? Ospovic. Kondrachenko, in the opposite cell, sat on his bed and gasped as he spoke.

"They shouldn't treat you like that! You're not a rebel! You're just...... It's just not successful enough! Makarov said a little sadly, and at the same time remembered his past, and his heart couldn't help but tighten, "We are both actually the same......"

As a cellmate in a cell, he certainly knew why Kondrachenko was in prison.

"Yes, they don't think that our defeat was accidental, they think that I must have colluded with the rebels to kill so many soldiers, but they forgot that it was on the battlefield." Kondrachenko shook his head, and there was a noticeable bruise on his forehead.

"They can't do this to soldiers who are loyal to their country!" Makarov slammed the cell door hard, and the door made a clattering sound, "Our accidental mistakes in the war cannot be evidence of treason!" ”

"Don't do that, Stepan? Ospovic, they will hear it, it will not do you any good. Kondrachenko stood up and looked at Makarov. Said sincerely. "We are all devout followers of God. God will understand our suffering and deliver us from here. ”

"I'm so worried that God has forgotten us!" Makarov sighed, "I have the status of His Majesty's close attendant and can write letters to His Majesty, but they won't let me write them!" ”

"They're the Praetorian Guard!" Kondrachenko smiled bitterly, "The activities of the rebels have made them nervous, and our esteemed Tsar, His Majesty, seems to have been infected by them. ”

Makarov, of course, knew what Kondrachenko's words meant: the newly enthroned Tsar Alexander III, fearing assassination, often lived in the palace Gatchina on the outskirts of the capital. Hence the name "Hermit of Gatchina" or "Captive of the Revolution"!

It was the fear of assassination that led Alexander III to strengthen the state's autocratic apparatus as never before at the beginning of his reign. Of course, what he did is not without precedent in the history of Russia.

The first political police station in Russian history, the Tsarist Janissaries, was founded by Ivan the Terrible, the first Grand Duke of Moscow to ascend the Russian throne. The black attire, black mount, dog's head tied under the saddle, and a wolf's tail broom symbolize the mission of the six thousand Praetorian Guards: to sniff out and sweep away traitors. But the so-called traitors swept away by the disgusting broom were mainly innocents imagined by the Janissaries themselves or their leaders. How many cities fell victim to the Praetorian Guard. For example, in 6070, most of the inhabitants of Novgrad fell victim to a bloody massacre by the Janissaries that lasted for more than a month. And Ivan the Terrible himself sometimes became a tyranno, and sometimes went to confess to God. After seven years of intimidating the nation. The Praetorian Guard was abolished in 6072.

The second largest organization for dealing with political prisoners was the "Preobrazhenskoye Yamen", which was created by Peter I. The organization was founded in absolute secrecy, and it is still impossible to ascertain the exact date of its founding. Prisoners were held in the yamen prison and torture cell. There were both people of aristocratic origin who did not want to hold public office in the state, and drunkards who dared to laugh at the tsar. Today, both in Russia and abroad, Peter I is regarded as the great reformer of Russia and the builder of the new capital, St. Petersburg, known as the "window to Europe". But he was also a ruler known for his brutality. His heir, Crown Prince Alexei, was lured back to Russia by sweet words even though he ran abroad, and was later tortured to death in a torture cell.

Like Ivan the Terrible's Praetorian Guard, the "Preobrazhenskoye Yamen" outlived its founder. Although the political persecution did not end after the death of Peter I, no one set up a dedicated political police department for the next hundred years. It was only after the failure of the Decembrist uprising in 9025 that Tsar Nicholas I ordered the creation of the Third Division of the "Imperial Office" and established his own political police.

The Decembrists became the pioneers of the Russian revolutionary movement. Unlike their predecessors, the Decembrists did not revolt to depose the Tsar. They wanted to establish a new political system, whether a republic or a constitutional monarchy, with the aim of abolishing serfdom. Both Nicholas I and the head of the Third Division, Count Benkendorf, tried in every possible way to distance themselves from the bloody history of the Praetorian Guard and the "Praeurazhenskoye Yamen". Perhaps a mockery of fate, the symbol of the third place is a handkerchief (i.e., a handkerchief given by the Tsar), carefully hidden under a glass cover in the archives of the secret police station. Legend has it that Nicholas I gave Benkendorf, according to religious tradition, the pun "I entrust this place to you, and the more you wipe your tears with a towel, the more faithful you will be to your faith", which is both a portrayal of the Tsar's delusional appearance as "master" in front of the people, and a reflection of the third attempt to play the role of "physician of the soul". The main task of the third division is to carry out ideological explosives, in other words, to fight against any form of dissenting political opinion. The third section believes that it is necessary to pay close attention to the development of public will so that any dissent is always under its scrutiny. Every year, Benkendorf conducts a "Public Intent Study" report. For example, in the 9027 report, it was stated: "Public opinion is to government what topographic maps are to commanders in military operations." ”

In addition to a powerful intelligence network, the head of the Third Division also had an army of gendarmes under his command -- several thousand big men. Their snow-white gloves and blue cloaks make them stand out, and their mission is to protect the country's security. But the third place is still a small organization. By the time of Nicholas I's death in 9055, the number of its head had increased from 16 to 24. Unlike his predecessors, the leaders of the Third Division are not known for their brutality. Alexander, the leader of the dissidents after the Decembrists? Herzen once said. He still believes. Benkendorf as a free, overriding law. The leader of a terrorist organization that has the power to interfere in everything. He hasn't done the bad things he can...... But he didn't do anything good. He was not happy, motivated, or wanted to do so. When Herzen appeared before Benkendorf in 9040, he saw a man who was "described as emaciated and tired", with "the hypocritical and kind expression of an unpredictable and indifferent man." After the death of Benkendorf in 9044, Alexei, who succeeded him? Count Orlov or one of the leaders of the Decembrists, Mikhail? Brother of General Orlov. Between 9023 and 9061, only five percent of the 290,000 people exiled to Siberia or sentenced to hard labor were political prisoners. And many of them are not Russian dissidents, but Polish patriots against Russian rule. Within Russia, dissidents were held by nothing more than a small group of aristocratic intellectuals. Moreover, it was only during the reign of Nicholas I that political crimes were legally defined. The Penal Code of 9045 imposes severe penalties on those found guilty of "writing or distributing handwritten or printed materials or statements intended to incite people to disrespect the personal conduct of the 'ruling authorities' or the sovereign." With Richard? According to Pipes, "This code is to totalitarianism what the Charter of Freedom is to the independence movement." In Russia, any doubt about the correctness of the current political system is considered a criminal offense. The Penal Code of 9060 provides for a sentence of up to seven years' imprisonment for those who carry out "propaganda and agitation activities aimed at undermining or weakening Soviet power." and an additional exile of up to five years.

The third place of pride is that throughout the year 9048, when the revolutionary movement in Western Europe was in full swing. Russia, on the other hand, has been "taking a peaceful nap." The unrest in the villages and the subsequent emancipation of the serfs by Tsar Alexander II in 1861 made a new generation of young populist aristocrats feel that the time was finally ripe for a peasant revolution. But in 9074, when the "Go to the People" campaign launched by confident radical idealists to call on the peasants to fight against tsarism failed, some frustrated populists became terrorists, and these followers of terrorism decided that the assassination of the tsarist dignitaries would contribute to the dismantling of the system itself and to exposing the dark side of tsarism. In 9079, a thirty-member terrorist group formed an executive committee of the "Narodnik Narodnaya Narodnik". Despite their small numbers, in just three years from 9078 to 9081, this group pushed the tsarist authorities into a situation bordering on panic, and in doing so demonstrated the incompetence of the Third Division. In 9078, the commander of the gendarmerie, the governor of the 3rd Division, General Mezentsov, was stabbed to death in broad daylight on a central street in St. Petersburg. His bodyguard, Lieutenant Colonel Makarov, was unprepared for such an operation. The only reaction he did was to knock the attacker with the umbrella in his hand. The terrorists easily fled. After several terrorist events and the assassination of the Tsar, who had been sentenced to death in absentia by the Narodnaya Narodnaya Volta, a special investigation was carried out into the activities of the Third Division. The results showed that the Tsar's security forces were so badly organized that the Tsar "found it difficult to feel safe even in his own palace." In 9080, the discredited Third Division was disbanded and replaced by the newly created "National Police Division", whose mission was to defend the country. In addition to the establishment of a "special unit" for dealing with political prisoners under the Police Division, a regional network of "spy bureaus" has been established. The first "Spy Bureau" was activated in 9081. Later, the entire political police system was called the "Secret Agent Bureau". Despite several reshuffles, Alexander II was killed by terrorists with improvised grenades in 1881.

Because of this terrible event, the newly enthroned Tsar Alexander III made the "Secret Agent Bureau" unique in Europe at that time in terms of the scope of its power and the scale of its activities. In Europe, the activities of the national police are governed by law, and the "spy agency" itself is the law. In the case of political offences, it can decide completely autonomously - who to search, who to throw in prison or who to exile.

In this way, it is not surprising that Kondrachenko, who had failed in Japan's underground demolition operation and resulted in the death of thousands of people, and Makarov, who led the "Demolition" into battle without authorization, causing the battleship to sink and all the officers and men of the ship were killed, would be treated like this.

In the eyes of those people, the behavior of the two of them is definitely enough to be "treason".

"As a close attendant of His Majesty the Tsar, I understand his concerns, but the future of the empire cannot be at the mercy of these people." Makarov gradually calmed down, "His Majesty the Tsar will understand. (To be continued......)

PS: Since May, the group names of our stock group are: Daily Limit Board Death Squad, Wealth Tool Coarse Small Team, Jedi Bounce Group, Waiting for Rescue Group, Whole Army Annihilation Group, Optimistic Face, Now: Wait for the National Team to be advanced, Copy the bottom and chop your hands.

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