The defeat in the winter campaign made Alexander II finally steel his resolve. If the war did not end soon, the Russian Empire would be finished.
Rebels wreaked havoc within, while powerful enemies watched from without. Alexander II had not forgotten that the true enemy of the Russian Empire was the mastermind behind this war.
If this war was not brought to a swift end, then apart from the Constantinople front, where they could rely on Austria to procure strategic supplies nearby and thus had a better chance of victory, there was no hope anywhere else.
Without logistical supplies from the Moscow Region, the complete fall of Central Asia was inevitable; without support from the rear, there was no point hoping for anything from the Far East front either.
There was even less need to mention Poland. After this defeat in the campaign, Belarus and the Baltic Sea region would both become battlefields. Their fall was only a matter of time.
If Sweden stabbed them in the back, they might not even be able to hold Saint Petersburg. Mobilizing troops took time as well. If the Russian Empire was hanging by a thread, who knew whether the British would continue kicking them while they were down?
They would not need to pay much of a price. So long as the Royal Navy entered the Baltic Sea, the Russian Empire would truly be finished.
Siberia had not yet been developed in this era. The core of the Russian Empire was Saint Petersburg and Moscow. Moscow was now in rebel hands; if he lost Saint Petersburg as well, then his days as Tsar would be over.
"Cleanse the ruler's side, execute the corrupt ministers." The key was still executing the corrupt ministers. Once all his trusted confidants were killed, would the Tsar