It had to be said: the Russians were truly abysmal negotiators. Every time, they began by exposing their own bottom line—a rookie mistake utterly unimaginable in the Austrian Empire.
If Franz had been present, he would certainly have agreed to the British armistice proposal. The longer it lasted, the better; only then would Franz have enough time to resolve the problems at home.
But the British had long since realized that Franz was difficult to handle, so they bypassed the Austrian Empire and spoke directly with Russia.
Besides, on one hand Russia was the instigator of the war and, on the surface, the leader of the Holy Alliance. On the other hand, this was also meant to divide and dismantle the Holy Alliance, making Russia, Austria, and Greece suspect one another.
This time, Nicholas I abandoned the idea of holding the peace conference in Saint Petersburg. The previous failed conference, coupled with the British-Ottoman Alliance's repeated reversals, had made him feel as though he had been played for a fool.
This time, he decided to hold the peace conference in Constanza, Dobruja. And the methods the British had used were methods Russia could use as well.
Taking advantage of the negotiations, Nicholas I urgently reinforced Bulgaria. On one hand, he feared the British would repeat their old tricks; on the other, he wanted to try his luck. What if the British-Ottoman Alliance let its guard down?
Moreover, Russia's forces in Bulgaria truly were far too weak, and Russian high officials had reported the Austrians' actions to the Tsar.
Training militias to help patrol and defend local areas seemed perfectly reasonable. But some of the Austrian army's actions inevitably gave people the impression that they were buying hearts and minds, or competing with Russia for influence.
None of the parties could