The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 308: Candidate Emperor Nicholas and Grand Duchess Natalia (Please vote, please subscribe)
Winter Palace, Petersburg, Russian Empire, November 1853.

Winter came early this year in St. Petersburg, and the whole place was covered in silver. Heavy snow was still falling, fluttering down from the leaden sky, landing on the magnificent buildings of the Winter Palace, covering the Neva River which was already covered with a thin layer of ice, and fluttering over the vast Russian land.

The Tsar's Winter Palace is so luxurious that it dazzles the eyes. The magnificent palace with more than a thousand rooms is filled with a wide variety of decorations and artworks, each of which is worth a lot of money. Walking in this dazzling palace, you can hardly see a blank wall. The masters of the Russian Empire in successive dynasties wanted to decorate every corner of the Winter Palace with glittering gold or beautiful things, so that every guest who visited the Winter Palace would know that the empire he or she ruled was the most powerful, vast, and of course the richest in the world!
Nicholas I is the Tsar of the Russian Empire, which is now at the "peak of its national life". This 57-year-old man is still full of charm. Although he is a little bald, his figure is still maintained like a young man. He is tall and strong, with a very beautifully trimmed beard, handsome features, and a majestic demeanor.

He always wore a neat military uniform, maintained the best military style, had almost no bad habits, was energetic, worked more than ten hours a day, and managed the entire empire in an orderly manner.

There is no doubt that he was still a tsar deeply loved by the Russian people, because whenever he was in St. Petersburg, he would take some time every day to take a walk outside the Winter Palace. Sometimes he would be alone, and sometimes he would bring a few followers with him, walking with firm steps on the busiest Winter Palace Square in St. Petersburg or along the Neva River.

Because his portraits were hung everywhere, and he always wore a sky blue, neatly decorated Guards uniform and a Napoleon-style three-cornered hat. If it snowed, he would add a cloak, like he did today.

So people who met him on the street could often recognize him as the great Tsar at a glance. But no Russian would attempt to assassinate him in the Winter Palace Square because he was so loved and respected.

"Long live the Tsar, long live Russia!"

The Tsar, walking alone outside the Winter Palace, heard people cheering him, and he nodded to the person - an elderly man, probably a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars.

The Tsar waved to him and shouted: "Victory to Russia!"

"Oh my god, that's our emperor!"

Someone else recognized the Tsar. It was a young noble woman wearing a fur coat, with a doll-like little girl beside her. She waved vigorously to the Tsar and shouted "The Great".

Nicholas I is not the Great yet but he will be soon!

Because he is leading a war that will make Russia greater, the ninth Russo-Turkish War, and victory is in sight!

In July of this year, his invincible Russian army marched into the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia, vassal states of the Ottoman Empire, and captured the two countries almost without bloodshed.

It was not until three months later that the cowardly and incompetent Turkish Sultan, with the support of Britain and France, demanded that Russia return the two principalities. It was really a fantasy. How could Russia spit out the territories it had swallowed?
Today's Russia is the overlord of the European continent and has the most powerful army in the world!
Moreover, Nicholas I's goal in provoking this war was not the two small principalities at all. How could these two small countries satisfy Nicholas I's appetite? He was destined to be remembered by future generations of Russians as the "Great Emperor".

In his opinion, there is only one military achievement that can make him the "Great Emperor", and that is to "recapture" Constantinople, the former capital of the Eastern Roman Empire!

To achieve this goal, Nicholas I's invincible Russian army had to sweep all the way along the Balkan Peninsula, and the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia were just two appetizers.

So after receiving the Ottoman Empire's request to take back its vassal state, Nicholas I decisively declared war on the Ottoman Empire on October 10.

Although the Turkish army performed slightly better than expected after the full outbreak of the war, unexpectedly crossing the Danube on October 10, and defeating the hastily arrived and under-supplied Russian army in Oltrica a few days ago, small setbacks would not shake the Tsar's confidence in victory. As a military emperor, he was proficient in war and knew that the key to the success or failure of the Ninth Russo-Turkish War lay in the Black Sea.

As long as Russia's powerful Black Sea Fleet can defeat the Turkish navy and seize control of the Black Sea in one fell swoop, Russia's army in the Balkan Peninsula will be able to obtain sufficient supplies and reinforcements.

In this way, victory will be easy!
And his naval generals assured him that the powerful Black Sea Fleet would be able to defeat the Turkish naval fleet. Over the past hundred years, the Russian navy has always won against the Turkish navy, and there will be no surprises this time.

Therefore, the Russian army in the Balkans does not need to be anxious. They can wait until the Black Sea Fleet wins and then launch an attack, and victory will be certain.

Nicholas I estimated that he would be able to spend next Christmas in Constantinople.

Recovering Constantinople has been the dream of many generations of the Russian Empire, and Nicholas I will soon become the great tsar who realizes this dream. After reconquering Constantinople, he will be called Nicholas the Great like Peter the Great and Catherine the Great!
This man who is about to become the great emperor is of course the most popular in the Russian Empire at that time.

Nicholas I, the "candidate emperor" of Russia, had finished his daily routine walk and walked back to his palace alone. When he entered the palace, he politely greeted the guards at the gate, appearing to be so approachable.

When the Tsar entered the main entrance of the Winter Palace, he saw one of his attendants standing on the Jordan Stairs, which was covered with red carpet and decorated with gold and granite sculptures.

"Your Majesty!" The attendant ran down the stairs quickly and came to the Tsar. He took off his cloak and brushed the snow off his hat. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Grand Princess Natalia Mikhailovna are waiting for you in the office."

"Oh, Natalia has come to Petersburg from Warsaw. Well, I haven't seen her for four years, since the funeral of Mikhail Pavlovich. She must be seventeen years old this year, right?"

The usually serious Tsar couldn't help but smile when he thought of his eccentric little niece, and his steps became more brisk. He climbed up the Jordan Stairs as fast as a young man in his twenties, then entered a wide corridor, passed through the magnificent St. George Hall, and soon entered an office with a window that could enjoy the snowy scenery on the Neva River.

The office was very spacious and bright, but there were not many decorations or artworks. There were no priceless paintings hanging on the walls. Instead, there was a huge map of the Russian Empire and a situation map of the Balkan battlefield.

A burly man in his thirties with a beard and wearing a military uniform, who looked very dignified and solemn, was standing beside a long table and talking in low voices with a girl who was wearing a white dress, had a figure that was a little too graceful, had extremely delicate features, and looked like a porcelain doll.

Hearing the sound of the servant opening the office door, the two turned around and saw the Tsar walking quickly. The girl ran towards the Tsar like a child, hugged him, and said in a voice as sweet as a silver bell: "Uncle, I am so happy to see you. You are still the same as four years ago, without any change at all."

The Tsar kissed his niece on the cheek and laughed, "Haha, Natalia Mihaylovna, you have changed so much! You have grown up in the blink of an eye! Has your mother started to arrange a marriage for you?"

"Not in a hurry yet, I'm still young." Speaking of her marriage, the girl blushed and was a little embarrassed. "I still hope to spend more time with my mother." She pointed at her cousin next to her. "And Alexander Nikolayevich said it's best to wait another one to two years. By then, the Russian Empire will become the most powerful empire in the world. And I, I will become the most eye-catching princess in all of Europe."

"Yes, that's right!" Nicholas I nodded and said confidently, "Next year's Christmas, we will spend it in Constantinople!"

(End of this chapter)