Struggle in Russia

St. Petersburg.

The Imperial Office is an institution that did not exist in Russia before Nicholas I. In January 1826, less than a month after Nicholas I had quelled the Decembrist uprising, this institution, which later became a monopoly, was suddenly born.

As the engine of Nicholas I's dictatorship, five departments were established at the beginning of the Imperial Office. The first department was responsible for drafting decrees for the emperor, and the second department was initially led by the famous Count Speranski. The task was to draft laws text. The fourth department was in charge of royal charitable activities, the fifth department was in charge of state serfs, and a sixth department was added later, mainly responsible for Caucasian affairs.

It's just that the five departments mentioned just now are not as famous as the third department that was not mentioned: the third department of the Imperial Office, the original leader was Count Alexander Benkendorf. The main task of the earl and the department he leads is to "collect information about all events and dangerous and suspicious persons", which translates to the secret police or secret service agency.

The third department under the leadership of Benkendorf annexed the gendarmerie that originally belonged to the Ministry of War. He himself served as the commander of the gendarmerie. The whole territory, which is widely "respected and respected" by the whole country, has wiped out countless "enemies" of the empire and the emperor.

Benkendorf is a born conspirator and the most competent dog leg. His flexible, bold and obedient personality made him "a lot of achievements" in the secret industry. The most famous one was to get rid of Pushkin, the father of Russian literature.

That perfect action made everything look like a tragedy caused by jealousy, but anyone who knew the inside story knew that the action of the Frenchman Dantes was instructed by Benkendorf. The reason is not only that Benkendorf himself and his good friend Uvarov can't understand Pushkin, but more importantly, Nicholas I is also very tired of Pushkin. He needs to get rid of this annoying trouble more and more, but he can't be dirty. own hand.

Then Benkendorf made a move. He planned a perfect love killing, settled the annoying troubles, and satisfied Nicholas I very much. Since then, Benkendorf and his conspiracy department have become an indispensable part of Nicholas I's life and rule. In the words of Benkendorf's deputy Maxime von Falk: "Anyone who sneezes in his own home will report it to His Majesty within an hour."

To the delight of Russian progressives and to the great disappointment of Nicholas I, Benkendorf, an old dog with a keen sense of smell and loyalty, has been dead for several years. The only person in Russia who misses him is Nicholas I (Nicholas I) Gula I kept a plaster bust of Behnkendorf in his office).

In 1847, the leader of the third part was Count Alexei Ordorf, another loyal dog of Nicholas I. Although the earl was equally loyal, he was far behind Benkendorf in terms of conspiracy, and his style of doing things was far from satisfying Nicholas I.

It's just that Nicholas I couldn't change people, because his ministers were almost all carved out of the same mold-not wise enough to serve him conscientiously.

So as Nicholas I and his favorite enemies of the autocratic system gradually began to learn to evolve and become more and more difficult, and after the third book gradually became bloated, bureaucratic and corrupt, the pressure on Ordorf was Getting older day by day, the old man really felt a little overwhelmed.

"General Director, this is the latest movement of St. Petersburg University and Moscow University. There are some traces of secret activities worthy of attention."

"Chief, there is also intelligence in Omsk showing that there are strange traces of the rebel party, and the local department has requested to strengthen monitoring."

"Chief, Bucharest and Belgrade request support. Your Majesty's great cause requires more input, especially the local anti-Ottoman armed forces need more support."

"Master, some news from London and Paris is worth noting,

Some gossip is spreading, which seems to be detrimental to our country's reputation. Please also inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to let them cooperate with us in carrying out relevant removal work. "

These messy information flooded into Aldorf, completely drowning the poor old man. He is just a Russian-style general who is better at military affairs, and is better at solving problems with bayonets and cannons. Letting him lead the third part is like making bears embroider and dinosaurs thread needles.

"Is there any information that is particularly urgent and needs to be paid close attention to?" Aldorf pinched his forehead and asked weakly.

The directors of several departments immediately rushed to say: "These are extremely urgent and require special attention!"

This is also one of the things that caused Ordorf a headache. When the third part became more and more bloated, the strife among various departments was also one after another. In order to grab more funds, more credit and more power, these directors They are particularly good at attacking each other due to internal strife, and when they are serious, they constantly hold each other back, making their work efficiency worse than that of a snail.

Sometimes Aldorf really wants to drive all these bastards away with a wave of his hand, but obviously this is just a matter of thinking. Even though Ordorf is the chief of the third department, he seems to be in charge of this powerful institution, but only he himself knows that he has no actual control, and the third department always belongs to Nicholas I.

In order to prevent this terrible organization from becoming the enemy of the tsar, the emperor was very good at balancing the third part. Several directors did not deal with Aldorf, and secretly assisted Nicholas I to monitor his every move. I am afraid that the small report of these guys will be sent to Nicholas I's desk before Ordorf's order to replace them is conveyed.

Therefore, in addition to trying his best to support Aldorf, he tried his best to make peace. He did not offend anyone and did not express his opinions easily, and everything was done according to the order of Nicholas I. Even if His Majesty's desire for power, vanity, and religious fanaticism became more and more intense as the emperor got older, many orders were inexplicable and thoughtless, and he did not miss it.

"I will inform His Majesty immediately of the information you fed back, and everything is waiting for His Majesty's holy order!" Aldorf took the thick stack of information in a low voice, and then threw it to Nicholas I. Anyway, this Your Majesty likes to understand everything and control everything, so wait for his order, why bother yourself with headaches and offend others?

It's just that Aldorf didn't know when Nicholas I would see these thick information and when he would be able to give instructions. Because there are too many affairs that need to be handled by His Majesty personally, it is normal to wait for such information for ten days and half a month.

But he didn't expect that there was actually a deadly danger hidden in these messy information, and he hadn't noticed it yet. Of course, even if he saw it with his dull nerves, he wouldn't be able to realize the danger, because the focus of his attention was on another major event.

"Has Grand Duke Andrei Konstantinlovich's problem been solved? His Majesty is getting impatient, why hasn't it been solved yet? Do you want me to teach you how to deal with such a simple case!"