Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 757 The Queen's Last Hours ([-])

Since the day when the "Cossack Emirate" concocted by Zhao Xin was born three years ago, Ekaterina II has hated Zhao Xin.

The war that lasted for nearly four years caused nearly 2 Tsarist Russian officers and soldiers to fall into the sand, and lost half of the country. More than [-] captured officers and soldiers served hard labor in desolate Siberia.

The source of goods for the fur trade was gone, and the trade of tea and rhubarb between the East and the West was interrupted, so it could only rely on smuggling; domestic finances were tight, ruble banknotes depreciated, and serfs in the Ural Mountains rushed to flee. The current situation in the Russian Empire is terrible.

However, as the supreme queen of the Tsarist Russian Empire, in her 60s, she does not yell at ministers every day, jumping around like a shrew, but gnashing her teeth and swallowing, trying to calm down the turbulent situation.

As an opponent she has never met, in order to study her enemy, Catherine II asked the court painter to draw a bust of Zhao Xin according to Suvorov's description, and put it in her study. He would look at it carefully, and even took out Suvorov's memoir of the only meeting he had with Zhao Xin and read it over and over again, trying to explore the opponent's character and inner world.

The reason why she spends so much time researching the opponent in the east is that besides the fact that the opponent is a sworn enemy, there is also the event that caused a sensation in Paris two years ago, the sister, son and daughter of Louis XVI. He was robbed from Temple Tower Prison, and his whereabouts are still unknown.Coincidentally, the delegation from Beihai Town was in Paris at that time.

Zhao Xin thought he did it without anyone noticing. Although all the luggage was checked by the French on the return trip, nothing was found.But the Russian side believes that the Chinese did this!

When all impossibilities have been eliminated, what remains, however irrational, is fact.

But why did Zhao Xin send people all the way to Europe to save Louis XVI's family?There seems to be no other explanation than meddling in European affairs.This speculation made European countries nervous for a long time, especially Catherine II.Because she knew very well that the fastest way to get from Beihai Town to Europe was by land.

At the beginning, Zhao Xin told the Russian envoy that he would fight to Kazan.

So while she was busy dividing up Poland with Prussia and Austria, she transferred most of the domestic troops to the front line of the Ural Mountains, and at the same time sent envoys to try to find out the intention of Beihai Town through repeated negotiations.

Last year, the Military Council of the Tsarist Russian Empire submitted a detailed report to Catherine II regarding the two wars with Beihai Town.Regardless of whether the various data about the Beihai Navy in the report were collected or imagined, in short, the final conclusion is that unless more than 50 troops are invested at one time, it will be difficult to defeat Beihai Town.

50, that is the power of the whole country.This is the total number of Tsarist Russia's army today.After reading the report, Catherine II's heart became cold, and this battle could not be fought.

Now it is 1794, the 33rd year of Catherine II's reign, and the queen knows that if she wants to take Siberia back, she will be hopeless in her life.As for the successor. Her useless son must not be counted on.

For three years, internal and external sufferings from the military and politics have greatly changed her appearance.Although she still exudes vitality in public, the false teeth in her mouth make outsiders mistakenly think that her teeth are still intact; she still maintains the nobility and elegance of a king in her gestures, holding her head high in the face of the public, talking to friends, ministers and servants Nodding with a friendly smile.But the increasingly bloated body, completely white hair, and blue eyes that are no longer bright and clear are telling the people around her that the queen is old.

Some people say that it was Potemkin's sudden death that hit the queen deeply; but those who know the inside story know that the queen will become like this, except for Zhao Xin who is far in the east, and who was supported by him "Cossack Emirate", especially that fake "Son of Pugachev".

In fact, in the history of the Romanov dynasty, it is not uncommon for big liars to pretend to be fake. The turbulent history of the Tsarist Russian Empire is often intertwined with fake "tsars".

For example, in 1605, an adult man claimed to be Dimitri, the son of "Ivan the Terrible". In fact, Dimitri died before he reached adulthood, but he still successfully completed the rebellion. He even stole the Tsar's throne for a year.

When Peter the Great passed away in 1725, as the successor of the Romanov dynasty was always vacillating, there were endless counterfeit goods in Tsarist Russia who falsely claimed to be Peter II or Ivan VI.There were a few such crooks in the first decade of Catherine II's reign, but they were all arrested before they made a big impact.

We are not afraid of counterfeit products, but what we fear most are counterfeit products supported by powerful external forces.

In the eyes of the old lady, Krutogorov who was pushed to power by Zhao Xin was far more dangerous than Pugachev back then.That's right!Although the fake Grand Fairy tried his best to disguise his face when he appeared in public, he was recognized by his fellow countrymen and sold the news to the spies for fifty gold rubles.

You must know that Pugachev more than 20 years ago was just a pleasure-seeking and illiterate gangster, but the Cossack Emirate had a clear program and laws.Wherever they went, they liberated serfs, distributed them land, and carried out public executions on Cossacks who participated in burning, killing and looting, so as to stabilize the hearts of the people in the occupied areas.

To do all this, there must be an iron-handed ruler who is well versed in politics, otherwise the Cossacks, who are accustomed to being free and loose, will not become so disciplined.Catherine II did not believe that a Cossack who was once illiterate had such a great charm, and there must be someone behind him.Combined with the letters sent back by the missionaries stationed in Beijing, she was convinced that the only one who could make the Cossacks obey was that cold-blooded heretic, the oriental man whom the Cossacks called "the most honored ataman", Zhao Xin.

If Zhao Xin knew that Catherine II had "admired" him so much, he would definitely blow a kiss to express his "sentimental thanks".

On August 1795, 8, at 27 o'clock in the morning, the queen wrapped in a silk nightgown got up from the bed.When she moved, the three puppies who were sleeping on the pink satin recliner beside the bed woke up too.The old lady likes these three dogs very much, and she never uses her hands for food and daily life.So she walked slowly to the garden door, and opened it to let the dogs out.

After a few maids help her change her clothes, the old lady will drink four or five cups of black coffee, and then start to deal with official or private letters.Now her eyesight is so blurred that she has to wear glasses when reading, sometimes with the help of a magnifying glass.

At 9 o'clock, the queen put down the pen in her hand as usual, and then shook a small bell on the table.The long morning began, and civil servants, military generals and government officials who had been waiting for a long time began to meet one by one.

When receiving two scientists from the Royal Academy of Sciences, the Queen took off her glasses, rubbed her eyebrows and said, "Gentlemen, how is your research on the communication methods and machines used by the Chinese?"

"I was about to report to you, my lord. This...sorry, we have no clue. Unless...unless I can see it with my own eyes."

Since Catherine II ascended the throne, she has been plagued by problems such as lack of government orders, poor communication with the bottom, and inability to get timely feedback. This is also the most troublesome thing for every powerful monarch.

However, according to the report of the spies sent by the Russian army to Siberia for reconnaissance, Beihai Town's decree can be quickly conveyed to every region.The most obvious example is that the notices signed by Zhao Xin in recent years have appeared in more than a dozen towns such as Irkutsk, Yeniseysk, and Tulun on the same day every time.It is not impossible if it is deliberately arranged, but it requires a lot of preparation work in advance.It's okay to say it once or twice, but it's unbelievable to say it dozens or hundreds of times.

Hard work pays off. After two years of investigation and the loss of several spies, the Queen finally learned that Beihai Town has a very mysterious and special means of communication. , also allows orders to arrive within the same day, and verbatim.

terrible!What the Orientals have, the empire must have too!

So she summoned scholars from the Royal Academy of Sciences and asked these people to conduct research. However, two years later, the scholars had no clue except that the instrument might be related to electricity.

In fact, it is not easy for these scientists to infer "use of electricity".We must know that electricity throughout the eighteenth century was still in its infancy, and the main research direction was electric charge.The most famous example is the story of Franklin dying in a thunderstorm.

The most advanced communication system in Europe in this year is the "Chap telegraph system" invented by the French. It is actually a signal transmission system visible to the naked eye, which transmits coded visual signals through signal towers separated by 5 to 15 kilometers.Sounds amazing, right?To put it bluntly, it is a beacon tower that does not need to be ignited, but the amount of information transmitted is much more than that of a beacon tower.The historical Chapp system was later introduced into the Navy and was used by the British until the late nineteenth century.

At 12:[-] noon, the last person the Empress saw was Alexander Suvorov who had just returned from Poland.Since Potemkin's death, Suvorov, who fought against the North Navy, has become her most important general.

When Suvorov walked into the room, he immediately saw the portrait of Zhao Xin on the easel on the right side of the empress. He was arrogant, cold, handsome and cute in the words of the old lady.He quickly adjusted his gaze, bowed three times to the statue of the Madonna of Kazan hanging on the wall, then knelt down in front of the queen, bent down and tried to kiss her hand.

"For God's sake, don't you feel ashamed?" Catherine II was dumbfounded by the other party's pilgrimage-like behavior every time.

Suvorov retreated calmly and sat down across the table, and said sincerely: "Little mother, please allow me to go to the Eastern Front."

"You want to go back to Siberia that much?"

"No one knows them better than I do." Suvorov's eyes were firm.

According to the information recently received by the Russian Military Council and the news sent back by missionary missions stationed in the Qing Empire, most of the forces of the Northern Navy are currently concentrated in Central Asia and the eastern part of the Qing Empire, and a war that will affect the unification of the entire Qing Empire The war is about to break out. At present, the total strength of the Northern Navy in Siberia is only more than 7000 people, and they are scattered everywhere.

In the eyes of Ekaterina II, this is an opportunity. She intends to gather forces to deal with the Cossack emirates in West Siberia, bring the front back to the Ob River line, and win more bargaining chips for the negotiating table.

Since three months ago, the Military Council has secretly mobilized the "Ekaterina Army" and the "Ukrainian Army" to gather in Tobolsk, where 5.5 infantry, 6000 cavalry, and 217 artillery pieces are currently assembled. huge force within.

"Well, you have begged me several times, and if you don't agree, it will appear that I am too unreasonable." After thinking for a while, the queen finally spoke.

"Thank you! Little mother." Suvorov was overjoyed and stood up excitedly, trying to go around the table and kiss the other's hand.

"Don't come here!" The empress pretended to be bored on her wrinkled face, and then took a blank piece of paper to write down the order.

After seeing off Suvorov, Catherine II left the office and returned to the dressing room, where she changed into a gray silk dress for lunch.There are more than a dozen people who have lunch with her today, all of whom are her personal friends, nobles, high-ranking officials and her favorite ambassadors to Russia.

For some reason, she didn't have the slightest enthusiasm for today's food, and she didn't have any appetite at all. After taking two sips of soup, she put down the tableware.She didn't eat, and everyone present didn't dare to continue eating, so lunch ended early.After the queen left, the guests all ran to the rooms of the courtiers living in the palace and continued to enjoy their lunch.

The afternoon is reading time, and the old lady has no habit of taking a nap.She either reads by herself, or asks her courtiers to read a few passages to her when she is a female celebrity, and when she is tired, she goes for a walk in the garden and drinks some afternoon tea when she comes back.

But a sad thing happened during my walk today.Since the gardens of Tsarist Village are open to all well-dressed people, when Catherine II and the noble ladies were resting on a bench tired from walking, a passing man glanced at the two elderly women, Not recognizing that one of them was the queen, she whistled and walked away.The female officer was very annoyed by this, but Catherine II said indifferently: "This kind of thing would never have happened 20 years ago, but now we are all old, and we can only blame ourselves."

The female officer was a little stunned, this was the first time she heard such words from the other party, so she quickly said: "Little mother, you are not old."

The old lady shook her head and looked at the distant sunset expressionlessly.For some reason, the female officer felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Because today is Thursday, there will be a small party at the Hermitage Palace in the Tsar's Village as usual that night.It wasn't a dance, just close friends getting together to listen to music, watch a play, or play whist bridge.

The old lady was in high spirits, during which time a guy was playing a clown and making her rock and roll.But she quit before nine o'clock, and she told everyone that she laughed too much and needed to go back to rest.

The next day, August 8, Catherine II got up on time at 28 am and drank two cups of black coffee.At 6 o'clock, she told the waiter Qiu Erning that she wanted to be alone, and then went to the dressing room.According to her usual habit, she would come out after staying in that room for at most 9 minutes, but today she did not come out after half an hour.

The chief attendant, Zotov, felt that something was wrong, so he knocked on the door and entered the dressing room.There was no one inside!After being stunned for a while, he thought of going to the bathroom next door to take a look, but of course when he knocked on the door and tried to push the door, he found that the door was stuck from the inside, and he could only push it open a crack. less than.

Zotov called a maid, and the two pushed the door open with a joint effort, but they were frightened immediately. The 65-year-old queen fell unconscious on the ground, her body pressed against the door, her face was purple, her eyes were closed, and there was a creaking sound in her throat.

"Go and call someone! Tell Qiu Erning to find Dr. Rosen!" Zotov said to the maid, and then gently lifted the old lady's head, and at this moment she heard a low moan.

Not long after, two personal attendants and maids of honor came, and everyone sweated profusely after lifting and dragging, and finally moved Catherine II to the bedroom.Originally, Zotov wanted to carry the empress to the bed, but the old lady was so lifeless that she could only put a mattress on the ground and move her up.

Not long after, the court doctor from England arrived.While listening to Zotov's hurried narration, he examined it.However, the situation was not optimistic. The old lady's head hit the bathroom table first, and then hit the ground.

Speaking of which, if a person who has been trained as a "country doctor" in Beihai Town was present, it would be easy to infer from the other party's moist rales and speechlessness, that Catherine II had a stroke, and an anomal Bezoar. By the way, not yet.

Then have a bowl of clearing phlegm soup, use ginger-made southern star and soup to wash pinellia for two and a half qian each, stir-fry aurantium citrus with bran for two and a half qian, peeled poria cocos for two qian, orange red for one and a half qian, calamus and ginseng for one and a half qian each, bamboo rutabaga Seven cents, licorice for half a cent, and five slices of ginger are used as medicine primers, fried repeatedly with civil and military fire, two bowls of water are boiled into one bowl, and it is OK to pour it down!

The question is what is the current situation of European medicine?A barber who can't do bloodletting is not a good doctor!
Rumyantsev has been played to death, can Ekaterina II escape?The experience of Washington before his death in a few years is even worse.

So the blood vessels on the old lady's arm were cut open, and then the British doctor took a medicine called "Spanish fly" from the medicine box and gave her it.Don't be surprised by the name of the drug, because the recipe for this thing really has Spanish flies in it.

YUE~~~
　Historically, the telegraph system in Europe has gone through four stages of development from the late eighteenth century to the nineteenth century, namely, the "optical signal telegraph system" of the French Chap during the French Revolution, and the "light signal telegraph system" invented by the Russian Pavel Sirin in 1828. Six-pin telegraph system", the "five-pin and five-wire system" invented by the British Cook and Wheatstone in 1837, and the single-wire system invented by Americans Morse and Weil - later known as "Morse code system".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)