Whether they could uncover the mastermind behind it or not, life had to go on. After several scapegoats were dealt with, the "Heden Massacre" was, on the surface, considered settled.
The harsh beatings of society could not only make people mature; they could also make them paranoid. Nicholas II was like this now. The Heden Massacre remaining unsolved for so long had caused him to lose faith in the government bureaucrats.
This in itself was nothing unusual. There were plenty of emperors who distrusted bureaucrats. In a sense, distrusting the integrity of the bureaucratic clique was also a necessary factor in a monarch's success.
The trouble was that Nicholas II could not rein in his emotions. Before finding enough replacements, he had exposed his true thoughts.
In this respect, Nicholas II was much like Chongzhen. When he trusted someone, he trusted them without reservation; once he discovered he had been deceived, he swung to the opposite extreme.
Facts proved that the bureaucratic clique was not to be trifled with either. No one wanted to be the first bird to stick its head out and directly clash with the Tsar. But when it came to making trouble for the Tsar elsewhere, everyone was well versed in the practice.
In the days that followed, demands for local autonomy, open parliaments, relaxed elections... drifted onto Nicholas II's desk like snowflakes.
Paris, Russian Army Headquarters in France.
General Okinets hung up the telephone with a frown. Another call pressing for supplies. Recently, logistics had nearly driven him mad.
As the person directly responsible for the Russian Army's plundering of local areas and the resulting loss of control over the situation in France, General Okinets was now in the stage of redeeming himself through meritorious service.
In order to make up for his mistakes