When Gorchakov and his lieutenant arrived near the hotel, they immediately found two soldiers of the Imperial Guard in green breasted military uniforms and tall green military caps standing at the entrance of the hotel.

Commander Gorchakov and his adjutant of the Guards troops turned over and dismounted, and then walked to the gate of the hotel on foot.

"No other guests are accepted here!" Since Commander Gorchakov was wearing an ordinary military uniform, the Guards soldiers subconsciously thought of him as a veteran with little power (although there were few colonels in the Russian Empire, but not impossible), and they responded to Gorchakov with their heads held high.

"You ......" The adjutant couldn't help but want to come forward to theorize, but was stopped by Gorchakov with his hand.

"I am Mikhael, appointed by His Majesty Nicholas I to the Crimean Peninsula as Commander-in-Chief of Crimea. Gorchakov, can you go in and report on it! Gorchakov smiled and told the two guards that he was going to come home, and pulled out the medal in his pocket.

After listening to Gorchakov's self-introduction, the two Guards soldiers glanced at the medal in Gorchakov's hand again, and their originally arrogant expressions turned into flattery in the next second.

O Commander-in-Chief of Crimea! This is an existence that can crush them with any effort!

"I'll report it right away!" The Guards soldier guarding the left side of the gate hurriedly spoke, then turned and entered the hotel.

The soldier on the right side of the gate still had a flattering smile on his face, and explained in a low voice: "Your Excellency, Commander, we really didn't know you were here! Please be here for a moment, and I'm sure His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will invite you over soon! ”

"I see!" Gorchakov didn't mean to be angry at all, he still smiled and nodded: "Thank you very much!" ”

"It's my pleasure to be able to serve you!" The Guards soldier nodded and replied to Commander Gorchakov.

After a while, the soldiers of the Guards guarding the gate on the left side appeared in front of Gorchakov and reported: "General Gorchakov, His Highness invites you to enter!" ”

"Okay!" Gorchakov bowed slightly, then followed the soldiers into the hotel, where he stopped on the second floor.

"Your Excellency, Your Highness is inside! That's what I'm going to do for you! The Guards soldier pointed to the hotel and said to Gorchakov, then turned to leave.

Gorchakov, who was standing at the door, knocked lightly on the door of the room, and the voice of Crown Prince Alexander II came from the room: "Please come in!" ”

Gorchakov entered the room, and on the sofa near the windowsill in the room, he saw Crown Prince Alexander with the emperor's adviser Marshal Yomini (Marshal of the Russian Empire).

"Your Highness, Your Excellency the Marshal!" Gorchakov responded to Alexander and Jomini as he gave a military salute to Alexander and Jomini.

"Commander Gorchakov, you're here!" Alexander II spoke in a kind tone, he stretched out his hand and invited Gorchakov: "Come and sit!" ”

"Yes, Your Highness!" Gorchakov straightened up and walked in front of Alexander II with steady steps.

Sitting on the sofa, he still straightened his body, and placed his hands on his laps, staring ahead with a serious expression.

"Commander Gorchakov, do you smoke?" Seeing that Gorchakov couldn't let go, Alexander II asked Gorchakov.

"Smoke occasionally!" Gorchakov responded without the slightest delay.

Alexander II immediately took out a cigarette and a match from his pocket, then threw it to Gorchakov and said: "Smoke! ”

"Your Highness!" Gorchakov took one out of the cigarette case and lit it with a match.

White smoke wafted from Gorchakov's fingertips, and Gorchakov's face showed a look of relief, and then he respectfully handed the cigarette to Alexander II.

"It's all for you!" Alexander II waved his hand, then took out a box of cigarettes from one of the agents, took two out of it, and gave one to Jomini.

In a few moments, the entire room was filled with smoke.

Alexander II, who had half a cigarette in his stomach, also began to communicate with Gorchakov, and he first briefly explained the purpose of his visit: "Commander Gorchakov, I am here on the orders of His Majesty Emperor Nicholas, in order to assist you in handling the affairs of the army (to put it mildly), I hope that the two of us will cooperate happily in the coming period!" ”

After Gorchakov heard this, there was a trace of resentment in his heart.

Why did Menshikov not only have no constraints when he was the commander-in-chief of Crimea, but also both.

When it was his turn to be commander-in-chief, not only was the Caucasus no longer under his control, but he was also sent Crown Prince Alexander.

Of course, Gorchakov did not blame Alexander, he just felt that Nicholas I really lacked trust in him.

Complaining is complaining, Gorchakov will not give the face that should be given, if he does not give face to Alexander II, then he himself may be difficult to have face again.

So, with a warm smile on his face, Gorchakov said: "Your Highness, on behalf of the Russian Imperial Army in the Crimea, I welcome you!" I am sure that the army of the Crimean peninsula, under the command of you and His Excellency Marshal Jomini, will defeat the coalition forces and recover Sevastopol! ”

"Gorchakov, the command of the Crimean army is still you! Marshal Jomini and I will also be at your command! Alexander II hurriedly corrected: "The reason why I chose to meet you here in advance is to avoid misunderstanding!" ”

Gorchakov nodded, and the slightest hint of resentment gradually subsided under Alexander II's explanation.

Subsequently, Alexander II asked Gorchakov whether the real state of the Russian Imperial Army would be able to attack Sevastopol in late August.

"For now, the army should be able to attack, but it's better to wait a while......" Gorchakov said euphemistically.

"So, it's not ready!" Alexander II said bluntly to Gorchakov, and then said with relief: "Don't worry, I am not urging you on behalf of His Majesty Nicholas, I am willing to solve the problem with you!" If it really doesn't work, I can write to St. Petersburg and ask His Majesty Nikolai to postpone the offensive! ”

"With your words, I'm relieved!" Gorchakov breathed a sigh of relief, and then said to Alexander II with a wry smile: "Your Highness, in fact, what I said just now is some scenes, our army is not ready to attack immediately at all!" ”

"Not prepared at all?" Alexander II asked with a solemn expression: "I remember that you have not been preparing for two months, why are you not ready?" ”

"Your Highness, although His Majesty the Emperor has given us two months, there is still tremendous pressure on our supplies and personnel. Especially after the empire lost its sea transportation channels, they could only rely on land transportation! You should know that the wear and tear (euphemism) of land transportation costs more than sea transportation. At present, the Russian Imperial Army on the entire Crimean Peninsula has a total of 260,000 people, but the amount of weapons, equipment, food, and even the army supplied is not half of it. Commander Gorchakov complained to Crown Prince Alexander II: "Even if I send my soldiers to raid the Tatar villages in the Crimea, the supplies I can get will not be enough!" ”

"What about the Odessa region? I think they must have a couple of big granaries there! That food should be enough! Alexander II asked Commander Gorchakov.

"Odessa says they need to supply food from Bessarabia and the Caucasus, so there is no extra food to supply us!" Gorchakov said to Alexander II.

"Bessarabia? Caucasus? Alexander II frowned, "I remember when the Ministry of War was assigned, it should be ......"

"Your Highness, distribution is distribution!" Marshal Jomini, who had not spoken for a long time, opened his mouth to remind.

Alexander II immediately understood what Jomini meant, and after the task of the Ministry of War was issued, it did not mean that everything was all right.

The bureaucracy of the Odessa region can also exert its "subjective initiative" and covet a part of the grain in the name of loss, which is the unspoken rule within the Russian Imperial Army.

"What a bunch of moths! They also don't look at what time it is? Alexander II couldn't help but curse.

As the crown prince, he longed to go to Odessa and put all the bureaucrats who had made war money into the gallows, but reason told him that this method would not work.

The imperial government's control over the southern regions was far less than that of St. Petersburg, and the Odessa bureaucracy dared to set fire to the Chincha.

Besides, even if a group of people are killed, will the rest of the people be fine after they go up? I'm afraid it's hard!

"Your Highness, my army is now suffering from hunger and disease, and the amount of training in the army is far from enough, with an average of only 1 bullet per person per day for live firing!" Gorchakov then said to Alexander II: "If you attack rashly, you will probably repeat the mistakes of the past!" ”

"Okay! I know! Alexander II frowned and replied to Gorchakov, "I will report to His Majesty Nicholas what you said truthfully!" By the way, can you write down everything you said! ”

"Absolutely!" Gorchakov nodded and said to Alexander II.

"Alas! I really didn't expect the situation in the Imperial Army to be so bad! Alexander II sighed, "It's a good thing Your Majesty didn't force it to come, otherwise it would have ......"

Gorchakov hurriedly asked Alexander II if something had happened in St. Petersburg? Why is Your Majesty coming?

"Nothing happened in St. Petersburg, but here in Crimea something happened!"

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