Saint Petersburg, Winter Palace.
Nicholas I looked coldly at Prime Minister Chernyshev, making the latter's spine go cold.
"You incompetent fool! The Poles and the British are at fault! Why should Russia make concessions?"
"This..."
Prime Minister Chernyshev truly did not know how to answer. Fortunately, Duke Uvarov spoke up just then.
"The Poles couldn't possibly have this kind of ability. Someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes. At most, those foolish commoners would be riled up enough to rush into shops, smash the windows, and snatch a few loaves of bread.
Attack City Hall? Conquer cities and seize territory? That's simply impossible for them!
If the Poles can find the British, then why can't we call upon the Holy Alliance?"
Nicholas I had always greatly admired the young man before him, and Duke Uvarov's words now suited his own thinking very well.
The Poles had been severely weakened by the previous uprising, and many so-called elites and leaders had been executed. It wasn't hard for an organization to recruit people; the hard part was bringing them together.
Now, uprisings had broken out all over Poland, even spreading into the Baltic Governorates. Such an astonishing ability to organize was obviously beyond the reach of one or two ordinary people.
That meant the whole affair pointed straight to Britain. No other country besides the British Empire wielded enough influence to stir up such a massive upheaval in Poland.
The British hardline stance also made it seem as if everything had been planned in advance. After all, the British didn't seem to have any reason to shed blood for the Poles.
However, calling upon the Holy Alliance would be rather undignified for the Tsar personally.
He felt that asking Prussia and Austria for help would be humiliating. It would cost