Chapter 1377: Convergence
Twenty minutes later, Kishchenko left the small cabin with a heavy heart.
He had just seen the original document of 'Paul's Curse'.
It was said that Tsar Paul, on his deathbed, wrote it in his own blood on a piece of his garment and then tucked it into a chair cushion. Later, a servant from Gatchina Palace discovered it when ordered to burn the furniture and secretly handed it to an officer loyal to Paul.
Of course, this was all fabricated by the Security Bureau.
After Alexander I ascended the throne, he dismissed a large number of former Gatchina Palace servants, several of whom had in recent years died due to various accidents.
The Security Bureau selected one person from among them and attributed the act of 'bringing out Paul's Curse' to him.
If anyone grew suspicious and investigated this person's background, they would find no flaws. Moreover, he had accidentally drowned, which would lead people to suspect the Tsar had ordered his silencing—in reality, he had merely drunk too much and fallen into the river.
Paul's death was already shrouded in mystery, and many who saw the blood-written document immediately believed it, even naming it 'Paul's Curse'.
With the backing of this item, Chadov's 'Vengeance Squad' quickly grew. Now, weekly secret gatherings even required drawing lots to decide participants, to prevent too many people from attending and being discovered by the Secret Police.
Chadov originally didn't want to deal with these noble lords, but 'that gentleman' believed they could cooperate with them, which led to today's encounter.
Yes, according to Joseph's plan, by repatriating prisoners of war from the 'Vengeance Squad,' 'Liberal Reformists,' and even the 'Anti-War faction' back to Russia, and providing various forms of assistance, they would help them take root and grow.
To avoid arousing Russian suspicion, the Security Bureau did not deeply involve itself; all funding was provided by Olivier, the owner of the Donbas ironworks.
Only 'that gentleman' was a Security Bureau agent.
Now, after more than half a year of development, both the 'Vengeance Squad' and the 'Liberal Reformists' had gained significant influence. 'That gentleman,' under instructions from Paris, began to advance the second phase of the plan—
uniting the forces of the various factions to present a grand gift to the Tsar.
In the desolate, wind-swept outskirts, Kishchenko, treading on snow, suddenly turned his head and asked, "Did you serve in the Imperial Guard before?"
"No, in the Novgorod Legion."
"You're all veterans, aren't you?"
"Yes, many of us are."
Kishchenko said with some excitement, "We need the bravest people. Join us!"
Chadov stopped, "What do you plan to do?"
Kishchenko hesitated for a few seconds, glanced around at the snow-swept landscape, before lowering his voice and saying, "'Paul's Curse' has given us the best reason."
"We will gather like-minded Imperial Guardsmen, swiftly occupy the Peter and Paul Fortress, and then the Winter Palace."
The Peter and Paul Fortress is Saint Petersburg's largest armory, located at the mouth of the Neva River. Once controlled, it could blanket half the capital with artillery fire and cut off avenues for outside reinforcements to enter the city.
Chadov, however, pursed his lips and continued walking, "It's impossible to succeed. We've discussed this repeatedly."
Kishchenko said somewhat smugly, "You probably don't know our strength..."
"Hmm, let me guess. A few hundred Imperial Guard gentlemen, some of whom might even be officers."
"We are confident we can persuade more Imperial Guardsmen..."
"Alexander can mobilize tens of thousands of troops at any time, including elite cavalry and artillery," Chadov stated. "You will be routed within hours."
As a junior officer who had only served as a Second Lieutenant, he naturally couldn't have made such detailed calculations, but Joseph knew very well.
Historically, when the Russian 'Decembrists' revolted, Saint Petersburg didn't even have a Tsar. Even so, the rebel officers gathered over three thousand soldiers and marched into Saint Petersburg's Senate Square, but were quickly surrounded by over ten thousand Conservative troops, and ultimately suffered heavy artillery fire, leading to their defeat.
Nowadays, Alexander's power was stable; neither the eligible successors Konstantin nor Nikolai had any thoughts of a coup. A rebellion started by merely a few thousand young soldiers would be suppressed in at most half a day.
Not only would it cause no substantial harm to Russia, it could even boost Alexander I's prestige.
Kishchenko frowned, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Chadov recalled 'that gentleman's' words and said, "Do you know the situation near the Dnieper River?"
"That, I'm not entirely sure."
"'The military settlement system' has driven everyone there mad. The Cossacks are discontent with their continuously weakened autonomy and the heavy casualties on the battlefield, and have also accumulated immense resentment."
Chadov glanced at the young noble, "There are also many officers who share similar ideas to yours."
"Only by gathering all these forces together is there a chance for Alexander to seriously consider your demands."
The 'military settlement system' he mentioned was the latest system Count Arakcheyev had proposed to the Tsar to solve issues like insufficient troop recruitment and logistical difficulties in a two-front war.
All serfs in the 'settlement districts' would be organized into 'standing armies,' undergoing military training during peacetime and farming the land when not training.
The settlers would be strictly managed according to military models, enforce military discipline, turn over all harvested grain to the state, while their clothing and food would be provided by the state.
According to Arakcheyev's idea, this would ensure adequate training, and during wartime, the settlement districts could provide local logistics; it was simply perfect.
However, the serfs found that after farming for an entire year, they wouldn't keep a single kopeck. While they were previously only exploited by landlords, now they also had an officer lording over them. Before, only a select few were chosen for war; now, no one could escape it.
Who could endure this?
Consequently, various small-scale serf uprisings never ceased.
Historically, the Decembrist uprising in Saint Petersburg was more famous, but in reality, the most violent disturbances were caused by the Decembrists' 'Southern Society'—these areas currently upstream of the Dnieper River—and their insurgency lasted for several years.
Kishchenko frowned, "Are you suggesting we cooperate with those settlers and Cossacks?"
"They number in the tens of thousands but lack experienced military officers to lead them," Chadov said. "In any case, it's better than you dying needlessly in Saint Petersburg."
...
In France, on the square of Notre-Dame de Paris, under the blessing of Archbishop Beaumont and two other cardinals, Joseph placed a ring on Alexandra's ring finger.
Archbishop Beaumont smiled and gestured, "You may kiss the bride now, Your Highness."
As the two young people embraced and kissed, the entire square immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
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