Chapter 429: Tricked by Others
Vienna. As a good neighbor, Franz had always kept a close eye on the Russians' civil war. Looking over the intelligence in his hands, he knew that the Tsarist Government was about to yield.
To ensure domestic stability, Alexander II had restrained himself from acting. As a result, the rebels' power had snowballed, already threatening the Tsarist Government's rule.
At this point, any shrewd monarch would choose to safeguard his own rule first. Alexander II had to end the war before he could carry out an internal purge and use political means to dismantle the rebels.
Even a dog would leap over a wall when cornered. If he acted before ending the war, and these parasites colluded with the Kingdom of Prussia, Saint Petersburg itself might not be saved.
To mislead these people, Alexander II had already dealt with several scapegoats, making it appear as though the matter had passed.
This muddling-through approach achieved nothing besides buying time. For a country, such compromise was nothing but slow suicide.
Franz had met Alexander II and knew full well that he was no mediocre ruler. Back in Nicholas I's time, Alexander II had already proposed reforms to the social system.
Unfortunately, Nicholas I had already pushed through one round of reforms, and it had ended in failure. In his later years, Nicholas I lacked the courage to smash the cauldrons and sink the boats; he did not dare risk breaking with the domestic interest groups.
By Alexander II's era, reform had become vastly more difficult. He lacked Nicholas I's prestige and could not suppress the various factions at home.
Comprehensive social reform had shrunk into limited social reform. Following the same path as the original timeline, Alexander II adopted a gradual approach to advancing social reforms.
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