St. Petersburg, with the assassination of Alexander II, the atmosphere in the whole city became tense.

The military and police were constantly dispatched to arrest members of the Revolutionary Party. The prisons are almost overcrowded, but the culverts behind the scenes have not yet surfaced.

The Winter Palace, according to the custom of the Russian Empire, from the time of the death of Alexander II, Alexandrovich presided over the situation as crown prince.

Perhaps stimulated by his father's assassination, Aleksandrovich went to the other extreme, staying at home and not going out.

Staying at home doesn't interfere with the office. The arrest of the murderer does not require the crown prince to go into battle in person, and there are people below who want to take this opportunity to rise to prominence.

……

Aleksandrovich asked: "Has the person found it?" ”

The Minister of Police, Nicolás Federo, replied tremblingly: "I found it, but unfortunately our people were a step late, and the suspect is dead."

On the surface, he died by suicide, but after careful examination, we found that the deceased had done a fierce psychological struggle before his death, and he should have been forced to commit suicide. ”

He couldn't help but be nervous, such a big case happened, and he, the Minister of Police, could not escape the blame. It's not terrible to go home and farm, but the terrible thing is that you can't get a result for a long time, and you will be dealt with by the new tsar as a rebel party.

Nothing is impossible, there are too many doubts about the assassination of Alexander II, and we must come up with a reasonable answer and give everyone an explanation.

Politics is cruel, and if you can't find out the real culprit, it's not impossible to find someone to top the tank.

Everyone knows that the Minister of Police, Nicolas Federo, was a close confidant of Alexander II and could not have planned the assassination, but he was the one who was able to complete the cover-up.

The police department was responsible for guarding the perimeter of the Tsar's trip, and on the day of the incident, there was a large-scale violent smashing in the vicinity, and Alexander II ordered the police to stop it, creating an opportunity for the Assassins.

This responsibility must not be borne by Alexander II, and the Ministry of Police must shoulder it. A large number of suspects "committed suicide" in the back, and the police department, which is responsible for investigating the assassination case, is even more responsible.

As the boss of the police, Nicolás Federo is practically unable to get out. Unless the real culprit can be found, his suspicion will not be cleared.

Aleksandrovich glared at him fiercely and scolded: "Waste! The insiders have committed suicide one by one, and you haven't even found a clue, did you also commit suicide one day, and you only knew? ”

Nicolás Federo's face turned blue, and his body trembled constantly, as if he could fall down at any moment.

"You too committed suicide" means so much. Nicolás Federo admitted that he was scared and that if the crown prince began to suspect him, it would be over.

Evidence?

That's just overthinking, and there are many things in this world that don't need proof. When it comes to the murder of the monarch, as long as there is a suspect is enough, it does not matter whether there is evidence or not.

Looking at the performance of the Minister of Police, Aleksandrovich breathed a sigh of relief for no reason. It's right to know that you're afraid, and if the Minister of Police is unmoved, then there's really a problem.

There was no way, Alexander II went too suddenly, and Aleksandrovich was not at all ready to succeed to the throne.

Keeping his father's previous team was also a last resort. Now even if he wants to make a substitution, Aleksandrovich doesn't know who to replace.

Is the Minister of Police, Nicolás Federo, really incompetent? Obviously not, if it were a waste, it would not be possible to be in a high position. The performance is unbearable now, and it is frightened by the current situation.

As the implicated person in this murder case, if you can still deal with it calmly, you will either have a heart like a rock, or you will be unscrupulous.

Either way, it would be a threat to Alexandrovic, who is about to succeed to the throne.

After a pause, Aleksandrovich continued: "Since you can't find it, let it be handed over to someone who has the ability to check it!" I've invited detectives from all over Europe, and you're in charge of cooperating. ”

Aren't you afraid of losing face if you ask for foreign aid?

The answer is: not afraid!

The emperors were all assassinated, and the tsarist government had long since lost its face. For Alexandrovich, he couldn't sleep until he found out who was behind it.

Compared to one's own safety, face is not so important. In this assassination case, it was obvious that domestic interest groups were involved, and Aleksandrovich did not know who was reliable, and he was forced to find foreign aid.

Of course, this is all on the surface, deliberately done for the outside world to see, so that everyone thinks that he is poor in skills as the crown prince.

Secretly, Marshal Ivanov really rushed back with meritorious men to receive the reward, and these people were the real foundation of the tsar.

It's not that there are no more loyal subjects in St. Petersburg, the problem is that Aleksandrovich can't tell who is loyal and who is traitorous, and for the sake of safety, he can only transfer troops back.

Whether or not the real culprit can be found, a purge is indispensable. Unlike the last time Alexander II purged the country, this time it was bloody.

In a sense, after the First Russo-Prussian War, Alexander II's purge, on the grounds of anti-corruption, laid the foundation for the reforms that followed.

It also laid the hidden danger for his own assassination, and from 1871 onwards, Alexander II lived a good life with assassinations every once in a while.

Over the years, more than four figures of Assassins have been hanged by the Tsarist government, and it has not stopped the enthusiasm of those whose interests have been damaged to move forward.

There were so many assassination cases that broke out in the era of Alexander II, but very few of them could find the real culprit, and basically they were all revolutionaries or patriots.

If you can't find out the real culprit, you can actually speculate. Whose interests have been damaged and need to take revenge? Who most wanted Alexander II to die?

These two types of people are caught together and checked slowly, and they can always find out something. Even if it has nothing to do with this assassination, finding the real culprit of the previous assassination is also a good gain.

Rest the peace, that doesn't exist. The Russo-Prussian War had just ended, and Alexander II was in the prime of life, and without a satisfactory result, Alexandrovich could not explain to his countrymen.

……

The assassination of Alexander II was the first to be affected by the Pud-German negotiations. The Berlin government really panicked, and its original position of not conceding an inch on the territory has also softened.

Now the main transaction price disputed by the two parties, at this point, has actually been settled.

In London, the breakthrough in the Pud-German negotiations was cleared, and the first obstacle to the establishment of North Germany was removed, but Chancellor Benjamin was not happy.

Things went so smoothly and beyond imagination that it felt unreal.

Putting down the draft contract in his hand, Prime Minister Benjamin: "Sir Edward, didn't Austria make a move?" ”

Foreign Secretary Edward: "No, the Austrians struck. It's just that they reacted a little slowly this time, and the intensity of their interference was very small.

Perhaps they thought they could rely on the Reichstag of the German Federation to veto the deal, so they did not rush to do so.

Of course, the sudden assassination of Alexander II is also one of the reasons. According to the information from the embassy, the Vienna government was now concentrating most of its energies on the Russian Empire. ”

These reasons are still somewhat untenable, and no matter how much energy is concentrated, it is impossible to put all of them into the past, and the scattered traces can also increase the difficulty of the Pud-Germany negotiations.

Waiting for the Reichstag to veto it is too passive, not like the Austrian style. Moreover, the Reichstag of the German Federal Diet can also be avoided.

The plans of the North German Reich were also step-by-step, with the Prussian-German merger being the final step. It was only now the beginning, and it was Hanover, not the Federal Government of Germany, that was negotiating with the Kingdom of Prussia.

Under the unique system of the Federal Empire of Germany, the states had independent diplomatic powers, including the right to conclude treaties with other countries, and transactions between Hanover and Prussia did not require the approval of the Reichstag.

The first step was a territorial deal, the second was an alliance between Hanover and the Kingdom of Prussia, the third was the establishment of the United Kingdom by Prussia, and the last step was the establishment of the North German Empire.

In fact, when Prussia was merged, the Kingdom of Prussia had already entered the German Federal Empire, and the Reichstag did not even have the power to block it.

After creating an established fact, it is much less resistance to force the Imperial Diet to agree.

Theoretically, something similar could be followed by Austria, but in practice it is simply impossible.

In order to survive, the Kingdom of Prussia could put down its body and lose face, establish a dual state with Hanover as the mainstay, and jointly dominate the next North German Empire, not Austria.

Franz couldn't afford to lose him, and the Austrian people couldn't tolerate it. A big country must have the appearance of a big country, and it cannot do everything.

Prime Minister Benjamin nodded: "I hope so!" Let them speed up the negotiations and create the established facts as soon as possible, so as not to cause further complications. ”

Doubts are doubts, at this point, even if they know that there is a pit ahead, the London government must jump.

If you retreat at this time, you will contribute to the unification of the German regions by Austria.

The human heart is the most complicated thing, and the London government was able to convince Prussia and Hanover precisely because everyone was not optimistic that Austria would be able to unify the German regions.

If the British retreat at this time, everyone's thinking will change. Many people will think that the London government is afraid of Austria and does not dare to confront them directly.

Once this idea arises, the question of whether Austria has the strength to unify the German region will have to be reconsidered.

The core of unification lies in the idea, and if all Germans believe that Austria has the strength to unite the German regions and is willing to join the great unified empire, then no one can stop them.

In essence, the reason why the Viennese government did not dare to take this step was that it feared that it would be besieged by the European countries before it had time to integrate the German region.

Internal instability, and the threat of external enemies, no one can withstand it. What Napoleon did not accomplish at that time, Franz did not think he could accomplish.

If everyone thinks about reunification, then don't say anything. The countries of Europe do not even have the incentive to intervene, because it is useless to interfere, and they will still be unified no matter how they are divided.

Now the British are able to divide themselves, and the most important thing is that everyone does not think that Austria has the strength to unify the German region, and even many people think that reunification is a dead end.

Even if there are more pro-Austrian factions in various countries and they know the benefits of great reunification, no one dares to take such a step. It was against this background that North Germanism developed.