The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1359 The Art of Compromise

Alexander's words were concise and to the point, but they were very unpleasant to Nicholas I, who neither wanted to compromise with the Poles nor admit his mistakes.

As for building railways now, it is too late.

"Is this all you learned from a trip to Austria? How can a weakling like you inherit this empire? I will never compromise with those traitors!"

Nicholas I once again made his position clear.

"Father, that idiot Venbetrovsky deserved to die. If it weren't for his misdeeds, the situation in Poland wouldn't be so bad."

Nicholas I still remained dismissive of Alexander's statement.

"That fellow Venbetrovsky deserved to die, but the Poles did not deserve to be buried with him."

"Father, your entanglement is meaningless."

Alexander couldn't help but complain.

"What do you know? You have no sense of honor! The Poles still want to restore their kingdom? If they restore their kingdom, where will my face be?"

"Father, your sense of honor is worthless. If you still want to continue leading the army in person, I suggest you make a choice."

When Nicholas I was talking about leading the army in person, he could not help but feel melancholy. He really wanted to lead his troops to Constantinople to take a look, but although he did not want to admit it, this wish seemed to be unfulfilled.

By this time the Austrian Empire had emerged from the Spanish War, and the shackles on the British were about to be removed.

The British government had previously warned Russia many times not to continue its expansion and to stop its war of aggression against the Ottoman Empire.

The future outcome is likely to be that Russia will fail to conquer the country after a long siege, Britain will come to the aid of the Ottoman Empire, and the Austrians will stand idly by.

Although Nicholas I firmly believed that Franz would keep his promise, the Russian ministers did not think so. As the saying goes, "gossip can melt gold", Nicholas I also began to doubt whether Franz would sit on the sidelines and watch the fight between two tigers.

Wait until Russia, the Ottoman Empire and Britain are all exhausted before intervening to seize the final fruits of victory.

Nicholas I did not want to be intercepted like this, but it would be embarrassing not to save face on the battlefield. Now Russia is facing a very passive situation.

Just when he thought that another day would pass in such anxiety, Nicholas I received a piece of news.

The Poles wanted peace talks.

This was something that Nicholas I could never have imagined before. After all, the two sides were fighting to the point of being inseparable, and it seemed that the battle would not end until one side died.

Moreover, the Poles had finally managed to turn the tables, and now they actually took the initiative to propose peace talks. This made Nicholas I feel that the Poles were planning to repeat their old tricks.

"These despicable guys, do they think I'm as stupid as that guy Paskevich? I won't be fooled by them."

Before Nicholas I could finish his words, Alexander snatched the letter away.

"Father, don't you think this is a godsend? If we can solve the Polish problem, then you will have one less thing to worry about.

You can also mobilize more troops to conquer the Ottoman Empire."

Nicholas I snorted coldly and said nothing, which was considered as his agreement with Alexander's idea.

"We can first look at the conditions proposed by the Poles."

Alexander took a quick look and smiled. The conditions proposed by the Poles were similar to what he had expected.

"The Poles only ask to keep their religious beliefs, pardon the rebels, and cancel several discriminatory policies against the Poles." There was no mention of the kingdom issue, let alone the intention of independence, which made Alexander and Nicholas I breathe a sigh of relief. Judging from the previous conversation, Nicholas I cared a lot about the kingdom issue.

If the Poles raised the issue of the kingdom, it would inevitably anger Nicholas I and there would be no peace talks.

But Alexander felt it was a pity. If the Polish Kingdom could be restored, it would be nice to incorporate the Poles into Russia just like Austria.

Alexander's persuasion made Nicholas I somewhat moved. After all, what he always wanted was Constantinople. For this, he could sacrifice Poland and his own honor.

None of this is worth mentioning compared to the glory and dreams of the Romanov family.

However, Nicholas I could not accept the restoration of the Kingdom of Poland, because it was he who abolished the Kingdom of Poland, and he could not publicly slap himself in the face.

Seeing that Nicholas I was somewhat moved, Alexander immediately struck while the iron was hot.

"Father, what do you think? The Poles' demands are not excessive."

Nicholas I interrupted Alexander before he could finish his words.

"Not too much? They launched such a shameless rebellion and still dared to make demands on me? Should I thank them?"

Alexander didn't know where Nicholas I got the anger from, so he had to continue.

"The Poles proposed that we could hand over the names of all the leaders who participated in the planning and organization of this event to us. As long as you agree to the terms of peace, these people will go into self-exile and never set foot on Russian soil again."

Nicholas I was not satisfied with this.

"What credibility can a traitor's oath have? I will execute them publicly! And make sure you know where you stand!"

Alexander's smile froze. It was obvious that his father's character would only intensify the current conflict, and the result of intensified conflicts would obviously be more unfavorable to Russia.

Although Alexander did not think that Nicholas I's plan to invade the Ottoman Empire would succeed, he also did not want his father to have too many regrets.

Just as Alexander was lost in his thoughts, Nicholas I sighed.

"That's all you can say? You haven't made any progress!"

Alexander tilted his head to one side and returned to his usual nonchalant look. He hated Nicholas I's preaching the most.

"You can put it another way now. As long as the Polish rebels are willing to hand over the culprits, the great Tsar Nicholas I is willing to pardon their sins.

"Can't you put it another way? What's going on in your head?"

Nicholas I spoke earnestly, but still did not forget to disparage his son.

"Humph, you're a guy who goes back on his word."

Alexander didn't want to continue listening to Nicholas I's sermon. He casually grabbed an apple from the fruit plate, put it in his mouth, then turned and walked away.

Nicholas I was somewhat relieved. After all, his son finally began to participate in political affairs. If it were in the past, this guy would have run as far as he could. It seemed that he was stimulated in Vienna.

However, this was a good thing for Nicholas I. After all, there were too few people in Russia who could put pressure on Alexander, which led to the latter developing a frivolous character.

Franz Joseph I was indeed the young man he favored, and only such a man was worthy of his daughter.

But on the other hand, the Austrian Empire was very likely to become a powerful enemy of the Russian Empire, but fortunately, it had already made a plan to divide Eastern and Western Rome.

Nicholas I was increasingly impressed by his own foresight.