shadow of britain

Chapter 672 The Power of the Tsar

The ladies talked a lot about the great impact that the Tsar's visit to Moscow had on the city, but their observations were ultimately not as good as those of Sir Arthur Hastings, who focused all his energy on intelligence.

The closure of the Moscow Telegraph, the subsequent fire in Moscow, and the attack on British diplomats caused panic among the series of chaos that had accustomed to a comfortable life in Moscow.

Nicholas I's admonition to the Moscow government in the Kremlin was just an appetizer; the Tsar soon gave the ancient Russian capital a taste of the traditional Russian iron fist.

The Tsar was not only dissatisfied with the Moscow authorities' interrogation of liberals, dissatisfied with handing them over to the public police, dissatisfied with the failure to find the arsonists who had been plaguing Moscow for a long time, but also angry that the arsonists dared to commit crimes in the Moscow Theater and committed crimes under his nose. The open attack on British diplomats in the streets made him lose face in diplomatic occasions.

In short, Nicholas I was dissatisfied with everything in Moscow, and rumors were brewing privately in the Moscow officialdom that "His Majesty the Tsar might consider rebuilding the political ecology of Moscow."

For a time, everyone in the Moscow authorities, from top to bottom, was in danger. From the head of the Moscow government, Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, to the most insignificant clerk who sharpened quill pens in the government office, everyone looked at their future with deep concern.

Starting from the early morning of the second day after the Tsar arrived in Moscow, police stations in Moscow were lined with sentries, and a company of light cavalry was stationed in the yard of each police station.

The parade ground of the Krutits military camp was filled with various cannons that had been wiped clean enough to reflect the light. The garrison soldiers began training before dawn, and their shouts and screams as they practiced with bayonets could be heard at 4:30 in the morning.

In the evening, cavalry and infantry patrols rampaged through the streets.

The usually lazy police chiefs also rode on horses, leading the Cossacks and gendarmes to check back and forth along the main roads of the city day and night.

The Governor of Moscow, Prince Golitsyn, also took the lead in this regard. He was surrounded by his adjutants and rode a horse to inspect the city gates in person.

Peaceful Moscow suddenly became as if facing a powerful enemy, with people in panic and in a state of panic.

The Tsar's majesty not only cast a shadow over Moscow, but even foreign officials like Arthur also felt the work pressure that spread from the general mood of unease.

Because he had just learned that the group of liberal elements arrested some time ago had been transferred from the Moscow police to the Third Bureau in accordance with the Tsar's instructions.

The Tsar brought from St. Petersburg not only his own illusory imperial demeanor, but also the director of the Third Bureau, Benkendorf, one of the most capable spy chiefs in St. Petersburg, Alexander Fedorovich Golitsyn, who was a relative of the Governor-General of Moscow and the Dean of Moscow University, and several interrogation experts carefully cultivated by the Third Bureau.

As a former intelligence agency leader, Arthur would never underestimate the capabilities of his Russian counterparts.

His many years of experience in government departments also told him what kind of results would be obtained if this group of people came to investigate the case with a clear purpose under the order of their superiors.

Such cases not only appeared in the Fouché memorandum that he read in France, and not only heard from the former head of the Paris Security Department, Vidocq, but Arthur also personally experienced the case of Congressman Bernie Harrison and the Liverpool bombing.

Draw a conclusion first and then slowly look for evidence. This method of investigating a case is very simple and does not require much effort. The biggest problem is just to get the criminal to admit to crimes that he may not have committed. And this biggest problem should not be considered a problem for the interrogation experts of the third bureau.

At this moment, Arthur could only hope that Herzen really remembered what he said that day.

As for another rare piece of good news, it may be that the Second Moscow Trial Committee appointed by the Tsar did not include a single local Moscow official.

Although Nicholas I often took various measures to declare to his subjects that the Tsar's power in Russia was unlimited.

And in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg, he came close to achieving this.

But don't forget, this is Moscow, the gathering place of traditional Russian old aristocracy.

The Tsar's policies could be implemented without any pressure in the bureaucratic city of St. Petersburg, but in Moscow, a city that retained most of the ancient Russian traditions, even the Tsar had to make concessions to the city in some aspects.

For example, even though the capital of Russia is St. Petersburg and the Tsar has lived in that most modern city in Russia all year round, the coronation ceremony of each Tsar must be held in the Kremlin in Moscow.

Because this is the rule in Russia. No matter whether it is the Rurik dynasty or the Romanov dynasty, no matter what the tsar's name is, he must respect and abide by it.

In the seven-member list of the second interrogation committee, even though the Tsar's confidants occupied four seats and the chairman of the first committee, Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, was replaced, he was replaced by a Moscow official - Prince Sergei Golitsyn, the proctor of Moscow University, and the chief judge was General Staal, the commander of the Moscow city defense.

Even these four confidants of the Tsar may not be considered real confidants, because one of them is Arthur's old friend - the loyal gendarmerie colonel Shubinsky.

In the list of the interrogation committee, Arthur had a good relationship with the chairman, Prince Sergei Golitsyn, and Colonel Shubinsky. He had a close relationship with the former because of the legendary lecture at Moscow University, and he had a friendship with the latter because they had committed crimes together. As for General Staal, he was a straightforward soldier and a veteran who participated in the Patriotic War of 1812. Moreover, Arthur remembered that when he first met Herzen in Leipzig, the young man mentioned that this enthusiastic old general had covered for the young people in Moscow University who sympathized with the exiled student Sungurov and helped them transfer the donations raised by the students for Sungurov.

And judging from the fact that Herzen, Ogarev and others continued to go to school and work safely afterwards, General Staar should have never betrayed these young people.

Therefore, in this case, he might have been biased towards Herzen and others.

Sure enough, when Arthur turned the topic slightly to the newly established interrogation committee, the ladies told him an exciting piece of good news.

"Dear Ekaterina, do you know what happened at the interrogation committee yesterday?" Madame Ziensky covered half of her face with an ivory folding fan, and her eyelashes inlaid with peacock feathers trembled in the candlelight: "I heard that General Staal stabbed his saber through the parquet floor yesterday, and the wood chips splashed higher than the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral!"

The hem of Miss Semyonova's silk skirt embroidered with gold thread rustled, and the ladies gathered in a tacit understanding, forming a tighter circle.

"My brother said that although the old general is old, his mind is still clear. When he analyzed the case, it was like dissecting a quail, splitting the case in half with the tip of the knife. After reading the files, General Staal said that the case should be composed of two aspects. The part about reciting obscene poems to ridicule the emperor at the banquet should be punished by the police. But the other part, God knows why they were arrested. All their evidence is nothing more than some opinions that have not been clearly expressed, at most a collection of some books that are commonplace abroad. It is not only difficult but also ridiculous to convict them based on these. Dear General Staal said something very well - you can't destroy all the bird nests in the city just because sparrows stole bread crumbs from the church!"

After hearing what Miss Semyonova had said, Madam Hovlina shared her own experiences in return. "I heard that when the young Prince Golitsyn from Petersburg heard what General Staar said, he was furious like a lynx whose tail had been stepped on. He said that even if the group of young people had nothing to do with the banquet poem, they could not be ruled out for their connection with the arson. Guess what General Staar said to him?"

Arthur coughed repeatedly when he heard this. His pale lips trembled and he showed a forced smile. "Don't keep me in suspense. If God intends to call me to serve immediately, you should at least let me hear the end of this story."

Mrs. Ziensky also scolded: "Maria, it is very rude to tease the patient."

Mrs. Hovlina smiled and said, "Well, if it were someone else, I would never give in. But you are a patient, and since you want to listen, I will finish it in one breath."

Mrs. Hovlina moistened her throat with a gold-rimmed porcelain cup. "When General Staar heard that little Golitsyn had contradicted him, he could not get angry on the spot because he was sent by the Emperor. So he sarcastically said to him: I have looked through the Russian Empire Code, which was just revised this year, and I can't find a crime like ideological arson. Unless you can persuade the Emperor and Speransky to add this article to the code, I will definitely not sign the verdict again."

"And what was little Golitsyn's reaction?"

Madame Hovlina told the story so vividly that it seemed as if she were watching it all.

"Little Golitsyn's nose was crooked with anger. He pointed at General Stahl's nose and asked him if he was going to encourage young people to imitate the mob in Paris and become the Lafayette of Russia. Upon hearing this, General Stahl drew his saber in anger and stabbed it through the floor. I swear to God, the general's saber was stuck three inches from Little Golitsyn's feet!"

Madame imitated the posture of stabbing with a saber, and her silver bracelets jingled against the silver samovar. "The old general opened his collar, revealing the bullet marks from the battle with the French, and said: The French didn't teach me fear with their artillery shells, but now the nonsense written in the diaries of a few children has become a scourge? Alexander Fyodorovich, I have died countless times with the late emperor in Austerlitz and Borodino! Napoleon never made me bend my knees, and you, a dandy, are unworthy to talk to me about serving the country!"

Mrs. Ziensky could not help but cover her mouth with her ivory fan. "It's horrible! Is this really something General Staal could do? Everyone knows how easy-going and kind he is. He must have been mad at Golitsyn."

Miss Semyonova stirred the already cooled tea with a silver spoon, the glazed teacup reflecting the sarcastic curve of her mouth, and she added the details she had learned from her brother.

"If you ask me, little Golitsyn has picked up the bad habits of the capital's bureaucracy in St. Petersburg. Has he forgotten? The sparrows in Moscow all built their nests on the dome of the Kremlin. The birds here can never be caged. As soon as General Staal got angry, the interrogation committee that had just been arguing fiercely became as quiet as a cemetery. Some people shut up out of fear, while others shut up out of respect for the old general. Before leaving, General Staal made a harsh remark to little Golitsyn: Instead of harming lives, I think you might as well ask the emperor to close all middle schools and universities in the country to prevent others from continuing to suffer. You can do whatever you want, but I can't follow you in committing evil. From today on, I will never step into the committee again."

Although Arthur had never met General Staal, based on this incident alone, he could tell that he was indeed a powerful general.

Staal's tigerness is not only reflected in his bravery in fighting on the battlefield, but also in the fact that his action not only slapped the third round in the face, but also helped Moscow to win back a point in front of St. Petersburg.

And because he was in the right, not only did Moscow officials and their wives support him, but once the news got out, most of the citizens of Moscow would also stand on his side.

After all, due to this series of events during this period, the citizens have long been disgusted with the police's large-scale hunt for arsonists and political prisoners. Now General Staal's temper tantrum in front of the interrogation committee is objectively venting the citizens' anger.

However, Arthur was also worried that the veteran's behavior seemed a little too bold.

After all, Golitsyn the Younger not only represented the power of the Third Bureau in the interrogation committee, but also represented the will of the Tsar. To turn against him in public could, to some extent, be tantamount to challenging the Tsar.

Arthur asked softly, "What an old hero. But judging by the character of the gendarmes, if he doesn't give face to the third round, they will inevitably report him to the Tsar."

Mrs. Hovlina sighed and said, "Who says it's not true? Someone reported this matter to the emperor on the same day. When General Staal went to the Kremlin to report, the emperor asked him why he didn't want to get involved in the committee again? General Staal gave the reason. After listening, the emperor immediately rebuked him and said: What nonsense! You are old, look at your white hair, and you quarrel with a young man like Golitsyn. Aren't you ashamed? I hope you will go to the committee as usual in the future.

But General Staal was unwilling to compromise. He replied: Your Majesty! Please have mercy on my gray hair. I have lived to this age without a stain on my body and have never done anything to let down the country and the people. Your Majesty knows my loyalty. My blood and the rest of my life belong to your Majesty. If you allow me, I am certainly willing to continue to serve you and Russia until the day I am buried in the grave. But this matter concerns my reputation and honor. My pure conscience does not allow me to continue to stay in the committee and do what the little Golitsyn hopes to do. "

(End of this chapter)