Eagle's Glory

Although their steps are so powerful and their military appearances are so stern, there is no fear on the faces of these soldiers. They laughed and laughed, and rushed to the battlefield with hopeful eyes, as if they were just conducting a grand battle. procession.

Pushkin knew that the army within his own line of sight was only the regiment he was in, and on the entire front, there would be many, many regiments, countless infantry, cavalry and artillery, who would embark on the same journey as himself.

This is great Russian power!Invincible power!

Although this great poet loves freedom and has never liked an autocratic and high-pressure court, when he personally blends into this monstrous wave, he is also very honored to be a member of it.

The Russian Empire would fight for the liberation of its Orthodox countrymen, marching towards Constantinople, and he would see it all and record it faithfully.

After coming to the army, although Pushkin offered to take on the task, the Shangguan knew that the great poet had an extraordinary reputation in the court, so how could he dare to order him casually?So, Shangguan arranged paperwork for him - so that he didn't have to go directly to the front line and try his luck at the scythe of death.

Pushkin had no complaints about this. While quietly completing his work, he kept a diary every day to record what he saw and heard after joining the army. Sometimes he even found time to write home letters to the illiterate soldiers in the regiment. .

For others, this is a boring thing, but Pushkin enjoys it, because he observes the most basic members of the army, understands the thoughts of every soldier, and their emotions , which will certainly enrich his vision and provide him with countless writing materials.

Although he had been in the army for a short time, Pushkin was pleasantly surprised to find that, compared to when he stayed in Tsarskoye, he was in a state where he was almost exhausted, and at this time he was full of writing and thinking, whether it was writing poems or writing—— So he often secretly rejoiced that he had found a good place for himself.

In the cool autumn wind, Pushkin breathed the fresh air in the wilderness, silently thinking about his next poem.

Suddenly, he heard a whistle from the side.

"Alexander Sergeyevich, we are finally on the march, how do you feel?"

Without looking back, Pushkin knew that the person who greeted him was his good friend Boris Petronovich Volkonsky, and he also followed him on horseback.

His friend's family was quite prominent in the court, and he was also deeply loved by the upper class. It was because of his help that he was easily allowed by the Tsar to participate in this expedition.

And it was through his operation that Pushkin was able to come to the Izmailovo Guards Infantry Regiment where he was.

After Pushkin came to the army, because he had no service experience before, he must have a lot of incompatibility. Fortunately, this friend took care of him from time to time, and he did not encounter any problems.

Because of this, he is very grateful to his friends for their help this time.

"Boris Petronovich," he said, turning his head to look at his friend. "I feel better... than I've ever felt before."

"It turns out that you are more eager for war than a veteran!" Boris Volkonsky whistled again in feigned surprise.

"No, I don't like war, and I don't like bloodshed." Pushkin shook his head, and then looked at the sparkling Danube in the distance, "But I like the feeling of being in the torrent of the times, I can feel that we are creating History, the history of our generation. . . In 1812 I was too young to be a part of it, but now, at last, I have my finger on the pulse of the times, and we are doing a great business."

Peace is of course precious, but it will inevitably bring mediocrity, but mediocrity is also the great enemy of poets, so at this time Pushkin has a feeling of "fortunately attending a grand meeting".

If it is an unprovoked invasion of other countries and deprivation of the freedom of other nations, he may feel disgusted; but the purpose of His Majesty the Tsar's sending troops this time is very justifiable, and it is a cause that is conducive to human freedom and liberation. There is no resentment-no matter how much selfishness His Majesty the Tsar has in it, Pushkin is extremely supportive of Greece's independent liberation cause.

As in the great 1812, they will once again go on a journey as liberators to free Greece from the pagan tyrants.

"Many people may have different views on freedom or liberation, and I don't make any judgments." Boris Volkonsky replied with a smile, "What I want to look for is excitement and merit, only these things can make me feel better." My blood is on fire, I just wish these bloody Turks would hold out a little longer so I can get a few more medals with my bastards!"

Pushkin could only smile wryly at this.

No matter what, the two people with different thoughts are now in the torrent of people, rushing towards their fateful destination.

The open river in the distance is filled with the blood of history, and fate is stirring and rolling in it, roaring and roaring, just waiting for the thunder that descends from the empire.

"Are you still interested in the Duke of Lechstedt?" Boris Volkonsky asked suddenly after a moment's silence.

Pushkin was quite surprised by the question, but he nodded quickly.

"There is indeed interest. Do you have any news?"

"That boy is really impressive!" Boris Volkonsky rode his horse, leaned closer, and then lowered his voice, "Let me tell you something-not long ago, he led people to lay down Mesolonghi Fortress, and accepted the surrender of the defenders."

"What? So fast?" Pushkin was slightly surprised.

Although he didn't have much practical knowledge of the war itself, after coming to the army, Pushkin also more or less did some homework, learned about the geography and humanities of Greece, and he was also familiar with the great poet Byron , so of course he understood the meaning of the news.

"This means that he has cleared the obstacles in western Greece!" After a moment, Pushkin blurted out.

"It is indeed an astonishing achievement." Boris Volkonsky narrowed his eyes narrowly. "So you should understand why the higher ups don't allow others to spread the news, right?"

Pushkin immediately understood why his news was delayed - the empire didn't want its soldiers to know how many honors the young man had won.

Since his arrival in Greece, Greece's already precarious cause of independence and liberation has ushered in a dazzling turnaround, so that the empire has not even kept up with the situation.

There is no doubt that, judging from the current situation, even without the Russian Empire's march, Greece will win the War of Independence under his leadership and help...

And this is a fact that the tsar and other important court officials are absolutely unwilling to face.

Therefore, the Tsar ordered his army to march ahead of time, that is, to forcibly take the crown of victory for himself.

Thinking of the originally brilliant liberation cause being cast so many shadows because of the political selfishness of all parties, Pushkin was a little discouraged for a moment.

"I hope our victory is brilliant enough." He could only reply dryly, "I believe we can destroy the Sultan's army."

"I believe so too." Boris Volkonsky nodded, "But, my friend, the more brilliant victories we achieve, the more we will be hated by those Western European powers, and I doubt that in the end they will Instead, I wish the Duke of Reichstedt more success."

"This is also Duke Reichstedt's plan!" Pushkin also suddenly realized.

He also saw that the Duke of Reichstedt was not afraid of the entry of the Russian Empire. On the contrary, he was happy to see the European powers quarreling over it.

Although he saw through his plot, Pushkin didn't feel any disgust in his heart, but instead had a sense of admiration.

"What does His Majesty the Tsar intend to do with him?" Pushkin asked quietly, "Boris, have you received any secret orders?"

"I'm sorry, no, at least I haven't heard of it at my level." Boris Volkonsky spread his hands, "I think His Majesty the Tsar and his important ministers also have a headache for this little guy."

Then he laughed and said, "It would be easy if those Austrians declared him a fugitive after he escaped, but those old tricksters didn't do it! So what is he now? He is still a Habsburg royal family member, the duke of Reichstedt, whom everyone recognizes, and who was not even claimed by anyone to be doing something illegal—after all, how could emancipation of Christians be called illegal?"

Pushkin also nodded approvingly. "So His Majesty the Tsar would rather ignore him for the time being."

"I can only turn a blind eye." Boris Volkonsky replied with a smile, "Of course, if the Duke of Lechstedt himself bumped into him without knowing what to do, it would be a different matter-after all, there is no one in this world. There will always be surprises, no special order from the Tsar, right? But I'm sure he's not that stupid, he looks smart."

That's true...Pushkin once again sighed in his heart.

He found himself unable to hold back his curiosity about the young man.

After all, there are people in the world who are destined to be different.

If I can find a way to meet him...

"Well, my friend, let's leave him alone until we camp tonight and let's have a good drink—" Boris Volkonsky suggested.

Pushkin immediately agreed.

The imperial army has distinct ranks. An officer like Boris Volkonsky, his salute is enough to fill several baggage carriages, which contain all kinds of dresses. Naturally, there will be caviar, cheese snacks and necessary The indispensable vodka, Pushkin is also willing to share it with him during the march.

This march will be a pleasant journey.　　

223, giant

Under Pushkin's own eyes, the Russian Imperial Army marched mightily towards the hinterland of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

For the Russians, maybe they need a reason to fight any other country, but they don’t need to fight Turkey. Since the Romanov dynasty began to rule this country, they have been fighting against this opponent almost all the year round.

For more than 200 years, almost every tsar has fought against it, and today's war with Czar Nicholas I means that the eighth Russo-Turkish war has officially begun.

It was also by relying on fighting Turkey that the Russian Empire achieved brilliant victories time after time, seized large tracts of territory, and pushed its own borders to the Danube and the Caucasus—but for the insatiable Russian Empire, this was far from enough , their end, in that capital of the Romans, in eternal Constantinople.

Although due to various reasons, the tsar's flag has not been able to fly on the Hagia Sophia, but they believe that one day, the long-cherished wish of the empire will come true.

This time, they once again embarked on the journey to realize their long-cherished wish.

And their march is naturally shaking the whole of Europe.

The Austrian Prime Minister Prince Metternich, who was far away in Vienna, was also distressed by this expected march at this time.

In this era of Europe, there is no telegraph network covering all parts of the country, and it is naturally impossible for information to be transmitted thousands of miles away. However, for Prime Minister Metternich, who is well-informed and good at judging, it is not easy to guess the day of the march. What a problem.

However, it is not important to guess this day, what is important is how to deal with this inevitable day?

Now that the army has been dispatched, the Tsar's iron hooves are bound to roll forward, flattening Wallachia and Bulgaria all the way, heading straight for the ancient Byzantium, and this also means that endless troubles are also rushing towards him .

These troublesome things must have made him restless.

Part of the reason is that he is obsessed with the new European order he created in Vienna, and he does not want to see the European balance of power that has been formed with great difficulty being disrupted again.

But the more important reason is that he could not tolerate the Russian Empire conquering the entire Balkans, and then controlling Constantinople and the Bosporus Strait, which meant that from now on, this huge and insatiable empire, It will have unimpeded access to the hinterland of the European continent and the Mediterranean Sea.

Now Constantinople is in the hands of pagans, which sounds terrible but not terrible to the European powers; but if it falls into the hands of the Russians, who are also Christian brothers, it will be disastrous. , it must not be allowed to happen.

Whether it is for the benefit of his own country or for the needs of the balance of power in Europe, he needs to push back the tsar's claws as soon as possible, so that everything can be restored to the original state as much as possible.

However, although he wanted to stop it, he never dared to take the risk of confronting the Tsar head-on. After experiencing the bloody years before, he knew the truth of the danger of war, and it was difficult for Austria to compete with the Russian Empire on the battlefield. ——Besides, what's the point of even being able to contend?In the end, it was just cheaper for those spectators next to it.

So he needs to use as roundabout means as possible to achieve his goal.

He looked at Europe in a square inch, swayed horizontally, and started his plan, as calm as a spider weaving a web.

He has seen enough big scenes in the world, and even endured Napoleon's last fury. For him now, everything now is just a small scene that is not worth mentioning.

At this time, he was looking at the well-dressed gentleman in front of him with great interest - Lord Robert John Talbot, the British ambassador to Austria.

The lord has gray hair, and his face is as stiff as almost all British people, with an unhealthy blue color. In addition, he still has a gray mustache, which makes him look lifeless.

However, considering that the issues they need to discuss today are very serious, the prime minister doesn't care about the other party's face.

"Mr. Talbot, I am sorry to see that our diplomatic efforts have all ended in failure." After greeting each other, he said to each other in fluent French, "The tsar's determination to march into the Balkans is endless." Stoppable, and he may have done so."

"I am as sorry as you, and even saddened." Lord Talbot's originally ashen complexion became even more ugly now. "I can only say that the young tsar was too confident to do some untimely and stupid things."

"Stupid! Indeed." Prime Minister Metternich sighed regretfully, "But what is even more stupid is that we poor people have to find a way to make up for the stupidity of young people."

"On this point, our country is as enthusiastic as your country." The ambassador replied in a stiff tone.

Metternich nodded secretly, which means that Britain is willing to stand on the same side with him on this matter.

This gave him a lot of confidence. After all, since the War of Spanish Succession, all those who stood with Britain were the final winners, and he hoped that this time would be no exception.

"So, what does your country plan to do for this?" So Prime Minister Metternich asked again.

The ambassador did not answer immediately, but spread his hands helplessly.

"Nothing?" Metternich asked.

"Nothing." The ambassador replied with a wry smile. "At present, the big men in London have to deal with domestic affairs. Although the tsar's march is annoying to them, it is not an imminent threat."

Metternich was not surprised in his heart, but on the surface he made a disappointed expression. "That is to say, your enthusiasm is only in words, but you hope that others will stand up and turn the tide for you!"

The ambassador's expression became even uglier. "This is not the wish of Britain, Your Excellency, it's just that... we are indeed facing considerable difficulties."

On April 1827, 4, not long after Aigron arrived on Monte Cristo Island, George Canning, a great diplomat and a powerful figure in the Tory Party, took over the post of Prime Minister from the position of Foreign Secretary. 12 years old.

Although both the country and the party are looking forward to this famous big man being able to flex his muscles in this regard, it is very unfortunate that George Canning is already dying of a serious illness at this time, and he can barely survive by taking laudanum .

Less than four months later, on August 4, the great man sadly passed away.

His sudden death has disturbed the British political circles, and almost no one has made arrangements for it. After a period of confusion, because the king hated some big figures in the Tory Party, he decided to appoint a moderate and senior politician in the Tory Party. Frederick John Robinson, Viscount Goderich, became prime minister.

However, this prime minister is not a strong leader, and even within the Tory Party, he can’t say the same thing. Although he was granted the power to form a cabinet by the king, his cabinet was fragile and came to power in a hurry. It will be a short-lived cabinet, even the Prime Minister himself believes that.

Since the cabinet is destined to be a short-lived cabinet, the chaos in the political arena is naturally impossible to stop abruptly because of the birth of the prime minister. Not only the traditional infighting between the Tory Party and the Whig Party continues, but even the moderates and conservatives within the Tory Party Pai was also arguing, and the debate over the Corn Law even ignited the lower classes, and the whole country was caught in a fierce quarrel.

Under such circumstances, it is indeed a bit difficult to expect the big shots in London to devote much energy to paying attention to those matters in the Balkans.

Metternich had to praise the Tsar for finding a good time.

However——he knew that the great Britain would not fall asleep because of this, and it still had those unshakable patron saints, and these patron saints were enough to give him enough help to help him turn the tide.

"So, what does the Duke of Wellington think?" He asked the other party in a low voice, "I have no intention of interfering in your internal affairs, but I heard that in your country, there are calls for the Duke himself to stabilize the situation at home and abroad. ..."

After hearing the prime minister's question, the ambassador's originally stiff face loosened a little, and even raised his eyebrows a few times.

"There is indeed such a voice—" Finally, he nodded, giving Metternich a sufficient response.

"If that's the case, I think it's a blessing for Europe." Metternich nodded, "Although I haven't spent long time with the Duke of Wellington, I will always remember his demeanor, he is a giant ——a giant enough to stand above our age, I believe that if he speaks, even the Tsar will have to think carefully."

When the cabinet and the political world are in turmoil, people instinctively look for a kind of stability-and in the British Empire, only one person can provide the "stability" that everyone expects.

That man, of course, was the Duke of Wellington, the great man who defeated Napoleon's best marshals in Spain and brought an end to Napoleon's empire at Waterloo.

Only this great man can continue to take the helm of the British Empire with iron will, and continue to proudly sail the four oceans with this giant warship full of spoils.

[On the original historical line, half a year later, it was indeed the Duke of Wellington who succeeded the Viscount Godrich as prime minister in 1828. 】

"I thank you for your compliments to the Duke of Wellington. When I return to London, I will convey these words to you in person." The ambassador replied calmly.

Metternich thought for a moment, and he believed that the time had come.

"Then, Mr. Ambassador, what does the Duke of Wellington think of my previous proposal?" He asked the other party solemnly.

After getting in touch with Aiglon and reaching a tacit agreement, Metternich began to seek the support of Western powers. Considering that the French Bourbon royal family would never cooperate with the Bonaparte family, he began to seek advice from the British side—— Right now, Britain is caught in political disputes due to various accidents, so the most important people to speak are naturally the king and the Duke of Wellington.

The ambassador hesitated for a moment, as if choosing his words.

Then, under Metternich's watchful eye, he revealed the answer.

"Although the British government has doubts about the Duke of Reichstedt, if the Duke of Reichstedt himself does not seek the throne, then the British government is also happy to see the Greek people get the independence and freedom they deserve—"

Although the ambassador's voice was steady and full of the formulaic rigidity of the British, to Metternich it sounded like a wonderful voice.