Struggle in Russia

But Alexei had already spoken, and Li Xiao had to respect his opinion. No matter how he was the governor, he had to respect his decision to some extent. And a thousand rifles is indeed not a lot, so just grit your teeth and admit it!

These thousand new-style rifles were quickly packaged and sent to Duke Mikhail. For this reason, Wallachia had to delay the replacement of some troops, otherwise there would really be no such guns.

After receiving these new rifles, Duke Mikhail was as happy as a child, and immediately mobilized the most elite guards for trial use.

Of course, the performance of the new gun is nothing to say, the rate of fire and accuracy can beat the old-fashioned smoothbore guns equipped by the Russian army, and even the Minie rifles equipped by the British and French.

It's just that after the trial, Duke Mikhail discovered the problem immediately. First of all, the troops had already adapted to the tactical rules of the old-style muskets, even if they were replaced with new-style rifles, they still used the old-style drills. It's still the same old practice of queuing up and shooting.

To be honest, this is really neither fish nor fowl. Duke Mikhail felt his ass hurt when he saw the troops who could fire with one shot, pull the bolt, reload and continue to fire, but they still used the old three-stage shooting tactics.

He had to stop this practice immediately and ordered the troops to test new tactics. It's just that the effect after the experiment was not ideal, and both officers and soldiers were very uncomfortable. All operational codes and tactical regulations need to be rewritten.

In actual use, officers and soldiers were at a loss for a while, and they didn't know what to do.

In desperation, Duke Mikhail could only let them continue the previous tactics, which were neither fish nor fowl anyway.

The only good news is that the troops felt that the new rifle was really comfortable to use. The soldiers generally responded that it was much easier to load, and the accuracy was a level higher than that of the musket. Even the soldiers with the worst shooting skills have made great progress.

Of course, the problem is not without it, that is, the troops generally report that the maintenance of the new rifle is too cumbersome, and the barrel needs to be carefully wiped, and the gun must be disassembled and wiped clean one by one after shooting.

For the gray cattle of the Russian army with a worrying level of education, these cumbersome steps are really too troublesome. After disassembly, many new guns inexplicably lack parts and become fire sticks. Or the soldiers couldn't put it back at all.

Anyway, it was a mixed blessing, and it somewhat dispelled Duke Mikhail's desire to continue to pluck wool and make more new rifles. Because his soldiers are not very good at using it. The gray cattle of the Russian army are really qualified and can only adapt to that kind of foolish weapons. Weapons that are too sophisticated and complicated are a bit unplayable.

Prince Mikhail therefore believed that the new rifle was only suitable for the Guards,

Because of their higher quality, they can barely adapt to the requirements of using new weapons. And compared to the vast number of gray cattle like cannon fodder, the Russian army can only afford to let a small number of guards use new rifles.

If you really want to completely change the equipment, your finances will go bankrupt first, and it is not cost-effective. After all, the low-grade gray animals can't exert the power of the new rifles at all, and it is a waste to equip them reluctantly.

Just as Duke Mikhail was thinking about how to equip the new rifle, the negotiations between Britain, France, Russia and Turkey in Istanbul finally broke down. The differences are so great that it is impossible to talk about them.

Both sides are unwilling to give in, and they both think that the other party is bluffing, and it would be hell if they can negotiate.

When the news came back to St. Petersburg, except for Nesselrode's dejected face, everyone else, including Nicholas I, was elated and did not regard the breakdown of the negotiations as a major event at all.

Less than two hours after receiving the news, the imperial meeting immediately made a decision and ordered Menshikov to issue an ultimatum to Turkey. If Turkey refused, it would immediately liberate Bulgaria by force!

This news did not surprise Li Xiao at all. Although there was a slight discrepancy with history, Nicholas I's ambition still brought him to this point. The only good news is that the meaningless negotiation finally came to fruition. Another month was won for Wallachia, and finally the railway was opened to traffic before the war broke out.

"...The outbreak of war is inevitable. I think the Black Sea Fleet must act in advance to block the Bosporus Strait. The sooner the mine-laying operation, the better. Otherwise, once the British and French combined fleet enters the Black Sea, it will be meaningless!"

Li Xiao wrote to Kornilov and Nasimov as soon as he learned of St. Petersburg's decision, hoping that they would assemble their fleets to lay mines quickly, otherwise the combined British and French fleets that were swaying in the Aegean Sea would break if they were not sure. Come in.

It's just that Kornilov and Nasimov were a little hesitant, because although Nicholas I ordered an ultimatum, it didn't necessarily mean that the war would break out immediately. You can't go to lay mines before the war breaks out, it's a bit hard to explain.

But if they were to wait for the war to break out before acting, Li Xiao's warning was not unreasonable. The combined British and French fleet did not go far. Relevant intelligence shows that they have been operating near the Aegean and Crete, not far from the Black Sea. As long as they are willing, it will not take much time to enter the Black Sea.

"What should we do? Do we want to go to mine?" Nasimov asked with some embarrassment.

Kornilov is also a bit pained. If Nicholas I declared war without any ultimatum, then things would be simple, and they would just go to sea and do it. But this man ordered Menshikov to give an ultimatum, and asking them to act in advance is not to act in advance, let alone not to act in advance, it is really embarrassing.

"Let's go to sea first!" Kornilov sighed, and said helplessly: "Let the relevant ships prepare for laying mines. Once the battle officially begins, I will send the Mercury to notify you!"

Nasimov nodded. For now, this is the only way to do it. He only hopes to get the result as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the Turks find out about his movements, they will definitely take precautions, which may interfere with his mine-laying operations. .

Kornilov is also a ruthless person, and he quickly made a decision: "You take out the main force of the fleet and escort the mine-laying operations. If you really encounter the Turkish fleet, then destroy them directly!"

Nasimov knew what this meant. He hesitated and asked: "Should we first seek the consent of Grand Duke Constantine to dispatch the main force of the fleet? After all, he is the acting commander, so he must be notified?"

Kornilov shook his head and said: "There is not so much time to delay, it takes a lot of time to go to Chisinau and back, and that guy might make something wrong again, so let's use the fleet exercise excuse to go to sea!"