The hand Zubov had pressed to his saber was trembling slightly; he did not know whether it was because of the cold night wind or because he was too nervous.
He began to hesitate, but General Bennigsen, whose breath reeked of alcohol, immediately shoved him. "What are you hesitating for? We all need you. Come on!"
Zubov gritted his teeth and, borrowing courage from the alcohol, strode toward the palace.
His two brothers and more than twenty officers followed at once.
None of these men wore the Prussian Spiked Helmet mandated by Paul I. The heavy sideburns on their cheeks and the long Prussian braid at the back of the head had also been shaved off. If it were daytime now, they would immediately be arrested by the "Knightly Etiquette Inspector" for it.
But at this moment they did not care in the slightest, because they were going to put an end to all this absurdity.
Skalyagin carefully looked around and muttered, "We won't run into Arakcheyev's men, will we?"
Count Arakcheyev was the commander of the Royal Guard cavalry regiment and was extremely loyal to Paul I. His troops were responsible for the outer guard duty at Gatchina Palace.
Duke Yashvili slurred, "N-no need to worry. Count Pahlen already used the charge of c-colluding with the 'Austrian revolutionaries' to... have him, hic—temporarily suspended.
"And... Paul signed the order himself, haha, that fool."
General Bennigsen gestured around them. "The Guard cavalry Regiment is now under Vorobyov's command. He'll guarantee this road's safety."
Sure enough, until they arrived before the side gate of Gatchina Palace, they did not encounter a single patrolling soldier.
Several guards on the fortress-like enclosing wall noticed them and shouted, "Stop! This is a restricted area!"
After Paul I received his daughter's warning about an assassination, he