The day after Prince Dolgorukov was imprisoned, Nikolai Orlov, acting head of the Third Hall, dressed in civilian clothes, set out from the Winter Palace to meet Duke Golitsyn at a location a few kilometers from the Winter Palace.

When Nikolai Orlov knocked on the door of the meeting place, the person who opened the door was someone Nikolai Orlov did not recognize.

"Sorry, I think I got the wrong place!" Nikolai Orlov hurriedly pulled his hat down to cover the upper half of his face and replied, not wanting to be recognized.

"No, you haven’t!" The person who opened the door smiled and emphasized to Nikolai Orlov, "Viscount Orlov, you’re at the right place! Please come in!"

Saying this, he immediately made way for Nikolai Orlov.

Through the passage he made, you could just see Duke Golitsyn inside the room.

At this moment, Duke Golitsyn also noticed Nikolai Orlov and nodded to him.

Seeing Duke Golitsyn in the room gave Nikolai Orlov peace of mind, and he too quickly entered the room.

The door closed again after Nikolai Orlov entered. He quickly moved toward Duke Golitsyn, and as Duke Golitsyn got up from the sofa and walked towards him, the two soon stood face to face, their hands tightly clasped together in the next second.

Then, Duke Golitsyn introduced the people in the room to Nikolai Orlov.

After an introduction, Nikolai Orlov finally understood that these people were the officers of various regiments and brigades stationed around St. Petersburg.

The person who had just opened the door for Nikolai Orlov was a brigade commander stationed in the southwest of Gatchina, named Vasily Andreyevich, who was born into a minor noble family.

"Hello, everyone!" Nikolai Orlov politely greeted the people present.

The regimental and brigade officers present also politely replied to Nikolai Orlov.

After a basic mutual understanding, Duke Golitsyn got to the point. He told the comrades stationed around the capital that he would soon launch a coup to completely overthrow the rule of Nicholas I.

Once he occupied St. Petersburg, he would immediately issue the order for them to march on St. Petersburg in the name of the New Tsar.

At that time, all they needed to do was march on St. Petersburg upon hearing the news.

"Mr. Golitsyn, I think you don’t have to do this! Anyway, you are already the governor of St. Petersburg, and you can completely carry out reforms under the emperor’s name! Why use such radical means as overthrowing the old Tsar and supporting a new one? There is no difference between Crown Prince Alexander and Grand Duke Nicholas, is there?" One of the officers in the room questioned Duke Golitsyn.

"Under the emperor’s name?" Duke Golitsyn sighed and said, "It’s not that simple! We all know what kind of person Emperor Nicholas is! Don’t be fooled by the fact that he trusts me now. Once he realizes it, he will immediately find an excuse to suppress me.

As for naturally supporting Tsar, that is even less feasible! If Crown Prince Alexander becomes the new Tsar, then his power stems from his inherent legitimacy, and our help to him can only be considered an enhancement.

But Grand Duke Nicholas is different. If he inherits the throne, his legitimacy will undoubtedly be questioned by various parties!

Especially when Crown Prince Alexander and Grand Duke Constantine are still alive, it means he must rely on our help to maintain his throne.

In this way, he will be subject to our constraints!"

Afterward, Duke Golitsyn promised the military personnel present that once Grand Duke Nicholas assumed the title of Emperor of the Russian Empire, he would become the regent of the entire nation, and those present could replace their commanding officers to become generals of the Russian Empire (essentially small feudal lords).

Duke Golitsyn’s words made Viscount Nikolai Orlov, who still had a sliver of idealism in his heart, feel somewhat hard to accept.

A revolution that originally aimed to change the world suddenly turned into a distribution of spoils under Duke Golitsyn’s narrative.

Nikolai Orlov truly didn’t know whether they were a group of idealistic revolutionaries or corrupt turncoats.

And those colonels and brigadier generals in the room, after hearing Duke Golitsyn’s promises, immediately changed their previously opposing attitudes and began to flatter Duke Golitsyn with phrases like "Protector of the Realm of Russia" and "Conscience of the Russian Empire."

"Gentlemen, we do this not for others, but for ourselves! For the future of the Russian Empire!" Duke Golitsyn said solemnly to the soldiers present.

The soldiers also showed serious expressions, telling Duke Golitsyn that for the future of the Russian Empire, they were willing to act with him.

"I hope you start to take action as soon as you return to your posts, so you can be ready to move into St. Petersburg at any time!" Duke Golitsyn told the soldiers present.

"Rest assured, we will take action as soon as possible!" Vasily Andreyevich promised Duke Golitsyn.

The surrounding soldiers also assured Duke Golitsyn that they would act quickly upon receiving a signal from Duke Golitsyn!

"Good! I hope that next time we meet, we can sit in the Winter Palace and drink fine wine together!" Duke Golitsyn said boldly to the soldiers present.

The soldiers also expressed that with popular support, Golitsyn’s regency would surely succeed.

Duke Golitsyn and the soldiers exchanged compliments for a moment, then he tactfully told the soldiers they should return to their posts promptly.

The soldiers did not dare to linger and quickly left the room.

After all the soldiers had left, Nikolai Orlov’s face showed confusion and anger as he loudly questioned Duke Golitsyn why he would cooperate with such shameless people?

Facing Nikolai Orlov’s question, Duke Golitsyn’s face remained calm, and he quickly asked Nikolai Orlov whether he wished for more friends or more enemies.

Nikolai Orlov unhesitatingly told Duke Golitsyn that he surely wished for more friends and fewer enemies; in that case, their coup d’état would encounter less resistance.

However, Nikolai Orlov hoped for friends with a similar ambition, not a group of political opportunists!

This group of political opportunists would only cheer for you when you succeeded.

When you failed, they would quickly choose to leave the camp, or even become turncoats.

But Duke Golitsyn told him that there are truly very few people in this world with the same ambitions, and the vast majority are political opportunists like those soldiers we just saw. Indeed, they are people who adapt to the wind, but it’s undeniable that they are also a force that can sway the situation.

In a revolution, the most important thing is to make more friends and fewer enemies; only then can you achieve the goal of isolating the enemy.

To isolate Nicholas I and Crown Prince Alexander, he must satisfy some Russian soldiers’ wishes; this way, he can control the Russian army in St. Petersburg and its vicinity.

Those generals already fattened up by Nicholas I would certainly not fancy the meager resources at Duke Golitsyn’s disposal, so the only people Duke Golitsyn could unite are the middle-ranking officers in the army.

"Someone once told me, if you want to control a division, you need to build a good relationship with the regiment commander! If you want to control a corps, you must make friends with the brigade commander! I’m working so hard to win them over in hopes that, after the coup, they will support our establishment of a new regime with a neutral attitude!" Duke Golitsyn earnestly explained to Viscount Nikolai Orlov.

"But, I still find them unreliable!" Nikolai Orlov replied to Duke Golitsyn.

"I know that too, which is why I told them to bring the troops over only after we succeed in the coup!" Duke Golitsyn said with a sly smile, "Once they are in St. Petersburg, they won’t be able to walk out again!"

Viscount Nikolai Orlov’s face showed astonishment; he had never thought of such a maneuver.

Compared to Duke Golitsyn, he was indeed too ignorant!

"What can I do?" Viscount Nikolai Orlov quickly asked about his task.

"Strengthen the control over the Third Hall! I don’t expect the Third Hall to help us when the coup starts! I only hope they can maintain a neutral attitude." Duke Golitsyn responded to Nikolai Orlov.

"Rest assured! Currently, the vast majority of members in the Third Hall hold grievances against Tsar Nicholas! If a coup occurs, they would find it hard to remain loyal to Nicholas!" Nikolai Orlov responded to Duke Golitsyn.

"That’s good!" Duke Golitsyn nodded with satisfaction.

...

One day later, after receiving urgent intelligence from the Crimea Peninsula, Duke Golitsyn swiftly brought the telegram to Nicholas I and read it in front of him.

"That untrustworthy charlatan!" After hearing that Jerome Bonaparte stopped the negotiations at Yalta, Nicholas I felt he was being played for a fool.

"Your Majesty, calm down! Please calm down!" Inwardly delighted, Duke Golitsyn said with a concerned expression to Nicholas I.

"I am so furious that I want to rush to Crimea and tear that damn charlatan apart! How can I calm down?" Nicholas I continued his angry accusations, "Golitsyn, what do you say about dispatching a Guard Division to the Crimea Peninsula again?"

"Guard Division?" Duke Golitsyn was stunned for a few seconds, his heart even more overjoyed. He had originally intended to find an excuse to transfer those still loyal to the Emperor away from St. Petersburg.

Unexpectedly, Nicholas I directly ordered the Guard Division to leave their post in St. Petersburg and head to Crimea. It was like a pillow being offered when one wanted a nap!