Struggle in Russia

Ermolov naturally knew that the few words he said to Count Rostovtsev were of no use other than to satisfy his appetite, so naturally enough was enough.

"Come on, what do you want to see me for?" Ermolov asked solemnly.

Count Rostovtsev was amused by this question, and he asked back with a smile: "General, why do you think I have something to do with you?"

Ermolov rolled his eyes at Count Rostovtsev, snorted and said, "You are definitely a night owl. It is not a good thing to come to your door. You came to me in 1826 and asked me to take care of those exiled Decembrists. The result? I was soon reported and lost my job!"

Speaking of this matter, Count Rostovtsev's face tightened, and he immediately explained: "General, I have explained it to you countless times, and I am definitely not the one who reported you!"

Ermolov said angrily: "It's not who you are, how can such a coincidence happen!"

Count Rostovtsev sighed: "General, it is indeed not me. I have been looking for someone to report you all these years, but I can swear that it is definitely not me!"

Ermolov snorted again: "I swear, hum, tell me who is the father who gave birth to a son and accused him of having sex!"

Count Rostovtsev sighed: "I don't know. The only thing I can find out is that the person who reported you back then was the one who reported it to His Majesty himself. You did it in such a secret that no one knew about it!"

Ermolov gave Count Rostovtsev another look, blew his beard and stared, "That means you haven't found anything after more than twenty years, right?"

Count Rostovtsev was a little dumbfounded. He didn't have the current status back then, and he couldn't see the secret report of the third part, so he really didn't know who made the small report. Of course, he can also be sure that the person who made the report back then should not be Ermolov's subordinates, and he may not even be an official in the Caucasus. It is very likely that Ermolov sheltered the Decembrists through hearsay. The incident was then reported to Nicholas I.

"Cut!" Ermolov turned his head in disgust, and said disdainfully: "Of course I know that it is impossible for my young men to do it, they are all good, and it is impossible to betray their companions like someone else! "

If someone else made such insinuations or had something to say in the words, Count Rostovtsev would definitely explode and let him know how powerful Rostovtsev's iron fist is. But when he met this old Buxiu, he really could only smile wryly, not because of anything else, but because he only had admiration for Ermolov.

Yes, don't look at the old man looking preoccupied in front of Count Rostovtsev,

But the old man didn't say anything bad about Count Rostovtsev when he was dismissed and after he was dismissed, nor did he say anything bad about him. He has always been so open-minded, even if his friends or subordinates have guessed about Count Rostovtsev for some reason, the old man has always defended and explained Count Rostovtsev.

You said, can you hate such an old man? What's wrong with being sarcastic to his face?

"Forget it, I don't bother to mention these old things," Ermolov waved his hand and said, "You should tell me what you want to see me for!"

"By the way!" Without waiting for Count Rostovtsev to speak, the old man added, "It's better if it's a good thing. If it's an unlucky thing like twenty years ago, don't look for me. Most of my body is buried in the ground." , but the puppies who can't stand the third part continue to toss!"

If it was someone else, I am afraid that they really thought that they should not go to Ermolov when they had problems with the revolution or the revolutionary party. But Count Rostovtsev knew the old general too well. Don’t look at what he said in a serious manner, but he didn’t mean it. He said he didn’t want it, but he really wanted it. The true translation of what he said just now is:

"The problem of revolution is to come to Lao Tzu. If Lao Tzu is not afraid of death, what is there to be afraid of!"

Count Rostovtsev nodded with a smile, and said, "General, I came to you this time to talk to you about Grand Duke Andrei Konstantinovich."

Yermolov was taken aback, because he had thought that Count Rostovtsev had come to him for something more important or dangerous. But a certain Grand Duke doesn't seem to be that dangerous, does he?

"The Grand Duke is not dangerous, but I think His Majesty's actions against the Grand Duke are really too much."

Ermolov snorted, and said contemptuously: "Isn't this normal? People in the Romanov family are all such ghosts. They say that they don't want to be emperor, and they don't value the throne at all. But the head can't wait to sleep with that stool in its arms."

Ermolov disliked Nicholas I very much, thinking that he was a hypocrite. Back then, when he had not succeeded to the throne, he acted coldly and contemptuously towards the throne, making the world think that he really didn't want to be emperor. But what about after becoming emperor? Hold this position tightly, not to mention that other people want to get their hands on it, just looking at it twice will make him furious.

This kind of inconsistency made Yermolov particularly contemptuous, anyway, he would satirize Nicholas I whenever he had the opportunity.

Count Rostovtsev did not answer this question, because it was not easy to answer, and there was no need to answer it. As Nicholas I's confidant, he has seen the emperor for more than 20 years, and he thinks that he has a relatively thorough understanding of Nicholas I.

It is true that Nicholas I valued the throne more than anything else, but he really never thought about becoming emperor before he succeeded to the throne, and he really didn't care much about the throne of the emperor. This person is the kind of being who, once possessed, refuses to let go. What's more, his stubborn and old-fashioned personality also required him to use the strongest posture to defend the throne of the Romanov family. In a sense, Nicholas I was also a helpless wretch.

Count Rostovtsev directly explained the purpose of his visit: "General, I hope you can go to the Black Sea to help take care of the young Grand Duke."

Ermolov was taken aback immediately, looked at Count Rostovtsev again in surprise, and asked solemnly, "Why?"

Count Rostovtsev replied frankly: "Some things must be prepared in advance, otherwise you will be in a hurry when things happen!"

"Prepare early? What preparation?" Ermolov asked seriously.

Count Rostovtsev was still so frank: "Your Majesty's attitude towards the revolution is established, and I don't think it will change much... and the princes of Your Majesty, please forgive me, whether it is revolution or I'm afraid they all look like their father in reform..."