In Saint Petersburg, the unceasing stream of bad news had become more than Alexander II could bear. The Russian Empire's decline was laid bare for all to see, and the prestige it had built during the Near East War was being steadily worn away.
The international situation was only a minor problem. The greatest trouble lay within. From the beginning, Alexander II had been using the war to divert internal conflicts, hoping to quell domestic strife through military expansion and the plundering of benefits.
As the situation on the battlefield deteriorated, so did conditions at home. This time, it was not a struggle between the Conservatives and the Reform Party—the common people at the bottom were on the verge of breaking.
With the sea routes blockaded, Saint Petersburg faced a severe shortage of daily necessities, while prices kept climbing. If even the capital was like this, the surrounding cities needed no mention.
At the Winter Palace, Alexander II said murderously, "I don't care what methods you use. You must bring prices under control as quickly as possible and ensure the supply of goods in Saint Petersburg. If you can't do it, I'll replace you with someone who can.
"This is a critical time for the Russian Empire. Any individual or interest group that stands against the Empire will be punished without mercy!"
Alexander II was not so easily fooled. The shortage of supplies was real, but the endlessly rising prices were absolutely abnormal.
At the very least, grain prices could not possibly be this outrageous. As the capital of the Russian Empire, how could Saint Petersburg have no grain reserves?
The capitalists were shrewd men. As early as the outbreak of the Polish uprising, they had tacitly begun hoarding grain.
Nor had the Tsarist Government been completely unprepared. More than