朱劲松 glanced at the intelligence report, his expression darkening. "Young Mustache Art Student suddenly deployed troops into Polish Old Neighbor's territory and allegedly dropped large numbers of corpses onto their land. Russia also suddenly declared war on the Ottomans, who in turn sought an alliance with the Habsburgs and purchased vast quantities of firearms and artillery."
Following Zhu Jinsong's words, the assembled bigwigs, including Zeng Cheng, fell into a stunned silence.
Where was the script?
Why was no one following it?
What happened to Young Mustache Art Student and Russia joining forces to carve up Polish Old Neighbor? Why had it turned into Russia attacking the Ottomans, and Young Mustache Art Student dropping corpses everywhere? xxs.
Furthermore, Emperor Zhu had just spoken of inciting Russia and the Ottomans to war, pinning the blame on England and the Habsburgs. Now, the Ottomans were actively allying with the Habsburgs and buying vast amounts of firearms and artillery. What about Emperor Zhu's plan?
This was seriously off-script!
As Zeng Cheng and Liu Heming, among other top officials, exchanged bewildered glances, Ke Zhiming, the Grand Commander of the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, took the intelligence from Emperor Zhu. After a brief perusal, he concluded, "Your subject suspects that Young Mustache Art Student and Alexander may have reached other agreements, abandoning the plan to partition Polish Old Neighbor."
Zeng Cheng's expression also grew increasingly grim. "Alexander's sudden deployment of troops against the Ottomans must have other ulterior motives. As the Tsarevich of Russia, he couldn't possibly be unaware of who their oil is sold to. And yet, he dares to move against the Ottomans, knowing their oil's destination..."
Zeng Cheng suddenly let out a cold laugh, remarking meaningfully to Ke Zhiming and Liu Heming, "Perhaps your Embroidered Uniform Guard's reputation overseas isn't sufficiently renowned? Or perhaps the deterrence of your Military Affairs Commission overseas is insufficient?"
Ke Zhiming merely smiled in response, offering no reply. Liu Heming, however, was not as composed as Ke Zhiming.
After a quick review of the intelligence, Liu Heming immediately rose and bowed, "Your Majesty, your subject requests permission to station troops in the Ottoman concessions to protect our Great Ming citizens!"
Zhu Jinsong, however, shook his head with a smile and retorted, "And then what? Don't forget, Alexander is still only the Tsarevich of Russia. The true power in Russia lies with Paul I. And where did Paul I get the courage to attack the Ottomans?"
Challenged by Zhu Jinsong's question, Liu Heming and the other officials of the Five Military Commissions were struck dumb.
Others might not know the strength of Russia's army, but Liu Heming and the other officials of the Five Military Commissions were well aware of it. While they could certainly crush the Ottomans, as the Ottomans were indeed the notorious "Sick Man of Western Asia," they were no match for Russia, one of the "Five Benefactors of the Small Pot."
The crucial point was that Paul I was well aware of the Ming Dynasty's military strength. Without the Ming Dynasty's permission or implicit consent, how could Paul I dare to attack the Ottomans?
As Liu Heming and the others stood frozen, Zeng Cheng furrowed his brow and said, "Does Your Majesty mean there has been some change in Russia?"
However, upon reflection, Zeng Cheng felt something was amiss.
If there had been a change in Russia, corresponding news should have arrived. Moreover, if Russia had experienced a change, what reason would Paul I have to deploy troops against the Ottomans?
Even considering the possibility of an issue with Paul I, with Russia now being led by Alexander, and given the distance between the Ming Dynasty and Russia, the time required for message transmission would be considerable. This led to another consideration: Alexander, as the Tsarevich of Russia, had visited the Ming Dynasty and had some understanding of their military strength. Where did he get the nerve to provoke the Ottomans?
Or perhaps, provoking the Ottomans was one thing, but to provoke them when the Ming Dynasty already considered the Ottomans as meat in their bowl was akin to snatching meat from the Ming Dynasty's bowl.
That was rushing to death without even trying!
Zhu Jinsong also shook his head and said, "Don't worry if you can't figure it out. I can't either. Also, what is the deal with Young Mustache Art Student throwing corpses onto Polish Old Neighbor's territory? Can anyone explain it to me?"
No one could explain this to Emperor Zhu.
Emperor Zhu, Zeng Cheng, and Liu Heming saw through Young Mustache Art Student's intention of throwing corpses into Polish Old Neighbor's territory – he likely wanted to provoke epidemics in Polish Old Neighbor's territory through this tactic. Such tactics had appeared countless times in the history of the Central Plains faction.
The problem was, according to the theory taught by Jiang Xinlong to Young Mustache Art Student, Young Mustache Art Student should now be focusing on heavily targeting Austrian Jews and Jewish farmers, improving the living standards of Austrian civilians to win their hearts, not playing corpse-throwing tactics like this.
After pondering for a long time without any resolution, Emperor Zhu simply shook his head slightly and said, "Send more people to gather intelligence and see what has happened with Russia, the Ottomans, and the Habsburgs."
...
While Emperor Zhu, Zeng Cheng, Liu Heming, and other top officials were studying the European situation, Alexander was writing a letter to his sister Catherine. "My dearest Catherine, I swear I have no idea what this coup is all about. You must believe me... Father has suddenly fallen gravely ill, and I am also heartbroken... Withholding news is naturally for the stability and future of Russia... I've been under a lot of pressure lately. How I wish I could relax sweetly in your arms... Loving you like a madman, Alexander."
Writing letters when both were residing in the imperial palace was one of Alexander's few small hobbies.
After sealing the letter and arranging for a servant to deliver it to Catherine, Alexander turned his attention back to the assembled officers. "Gentlemen, the facts have proven that the Ottoman army is no match for our Russia. What we must do next is to continue to strike the Ottomans hard and completely take down the Ottomans before Young Mustache Art Student eliminates Polish Old Neighbor. This will be more in line with Russia's interests!"
However, Dmitri Ustinov, the current leader of the Russian army, tentatively stated, "You know, Your Esteemed Tsarevich, our concern is not the Ottoman army, but the Great Ming Empire behind the Ottomans. Although the Great Ming Empire does not have troops stationed in the Ottoman Empire, everyone knows that the Ottomans are a piece of meat in the Great Ming Empire's bowl. Rashly attacking the Ottomans could be considered a provocation by the Great Ming Empire, and this is precisely why the European countries have not attacked the Ottomans."
After a moment's thought, Dmitri added, "You once accompanied His Majesty Paul to the Great Ming Empire. You should know their military strength?"
Alexander shrugged, his face full of indifference. "Of course, I know the military strength of the Ming Dynasty. Their army is indeed very strong, and I also know that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty regards the Ottomans as a delicacy in their bowl, because they value Ottoman oil very much."
Speaking of which, Alexander's tone suddenly shifted, and he looked at the assembled Russian officers, asking, "But what does this have to do with us attacking the Ottomans?"
As Alexander's words fell, the assembled Russian officers were stunned.
You know that the Great Ming Empire's military strength is very strong, and you also know that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty greatly values Ottoman oil, yet you still want to attack the Ottomans?
However, as Dmitri and the other Russian officers were mentally grumbling, Alexander continued, "You haven't been to the Ming Dynasty, so you've all been fooled by the Ming people's newspapers! The Ming Dynasty is nowhere near as powerful as you imagine. The Ming people are not as loyal to their emperor as the newspapers say, and the Ming Emperor does not possess unlimited power and authority as the newspapers claim!"
Dmitri and the other Russian officers erupted in a clamor. Dmitri frowned and asked, "Your Esteemed Tsarevich, I am not questioning your words, but I would like to know through what channels you obtained this information?"
Alexander snorted, his face filled with confidence and pride. "I have been to the Ming Dynasty! All of this is a conclusion drawn from my observations! Let me tell you, the Ming Dynasty is nothing but a paper tiger!"
Dmitri's face was filled with disbelief. "This is impossible! Your Tsarevich, if the Ming Dynasty is truly a paper tiger as you say, then why do the other four great benefactors of the Small Pot bow to the Emperor of the Great Ming Empire? And how do you explain the recent灭国 of Banggasi?"
Alexander snorted coldly. "Banggasi? An unknown small country in the Western Kunlun region. If it hadn't been destroyed by the Ming people, who among you would have heard of Banggasi? Furthermore, Khamis of Banggasi publicly accused the Ming Emperor of being the world's greatest executioner in the Small Pot, yet the Ming Emperor couldn't do anything to Khamis? He even listened to Khamis's entire speech patiently!"
"Also, do you know how the common people of the Ming Dynasty describe the Ming Emperor? A lavish spender, a prodigal emperor, an emperor as playful as an emperor named Zhengde in history, an extremely lazy emperor who is too lazy to even choose beauties... and a series of other messy titles and remarks, none of which are positive."
"The common people of the Ming Dynasty are always complaining, complaining that the Ming Emperor is starting new construction projects, be it railways or roads, but never his own mausoleum. How ridiculous! Even the common people of the Ming Dynasty wish for him to finish his mausoleum sooner, perhaps hoping he dies sooner?"
"Moreover, the Ming Emperor is also constrained by their cabinet. Everything they do must be discussed by the cabinet. Their treasury officials always refuse the emperor's requests to go out and play or wage war, citing that the Ming Dynasty's treasury is out of money!"
"Also, the Ming Dynasty's army is complaining about insufficient budgets. The last time I went to the Ming Dynasty, I happened to witness a training session. Do you know what weapons they were using? Gentlemen, their weapons are not the advanced firearms and artillery mentioned in the newspapers, but spears, sabers, and matchlock guns. Even flintlock guns are rare!"
"Most hilariously, I heard that their army has been injured by civilians, not just once or twice. Therefore, their army has to travel cautiously at night whenever they pass through areas with many civilians."
At this point, Alexander's tone suddenly shifted, and his demeanor softened. "Gentlemen, there's no need to worry about the Ming Dynasty, really. I can assure you, the Ming Dynasty is nothing but a paper tiger. All their strength is exaggerated by the newspapers. They won't bite!"
The assembled officers looked at each other in astonishment.
If this were true, what about Siberia and Central Siberia that their Russia had ceded to the Ming Dynasty? Wouldn't that have been a pointless cession!
However, before the officers could bring up the matter of Siberia and Central Siberia, Alexander continued, "This time, I intend to launch an attack on the Ottomans to expose the true face of the Ming people!"
Alexander declared with great confidence, "Since they want Ottoman oil, I will insist on keeping the Ottomans in our Russia's hands, and make the Ming people exchange it for Siberia and Central Siberia! Not only that, but I will also collect taxes by positioning myself between the Ming Dynasty and Europe!"
The assembled officers were immediately stirred up. Only Dmitri, Alexander's confidant, reminded him with a grim expression, "Your Esteemed Tsarevich, by doing this, you are completely overturning the rules set by the old Tsar. If the old Tsar recovers..."
Alexander immediately snorted, his mind constantly calculating.
As the saying goes, a mute eating wontons knows his own mind – the old Tsar Paul I was not gravely ill at all, but was imprisoned in a cold palace by Alexander, who leaned towards conservatism and enjoyed luxury, to await his death. The guards loyal to Paul I had also been sent to meet their maker by Alexander.
However, Alexander, who had essentially taken control of all of Russia, dared not be careless. There were still a large number of officers in Russia loyal to Paul I. If these people were not suppressed, Alexander truly would not dare to kill Paul I for some time.
This meant that Paul I could "recover his health" at any moment, and once Paul I regained power, it would likely be Alexander's turn to face trouble.
The war launched against the Ottomans this time was Alexander's way of boosting his prestige through a victory, thereby suppressing those officers loyal to Paul I, and simultaneously legitimately succeeding to the throne.
After a moment's thought, Alexander looked at Dmitri and said, "Perhaps those rebels who want to remain serfs are dissatisfied with the old Tsar? And they just happened to find out where the old Tsar was recuperating..."
Dmitri nodded subtly.