Just as the aristocracy of St. Petersburg hesitated over whether a military coup should be enacted against Golitsyn’s temporary government, over a thousand kilometers away in the Crimean Peninsula, the Russian Imperial Army was plunging into an unprecedented crisis.

There are two reasons for the crisis facing the Russian Imperial Army. The first is the recent series of crushing defeats suffered by the Russian Army.

The current Russian Army has not only lost Bakhchisaray but has also had its retreat from Simferopol cut off by the French Empire through the occupation of the Guard Village. (Simplified version)

[The French consistently attracted reinforcements from Simferopol’s garrison using three divisions (the Second, Third, and Fifth Divisions) in a strategy of encirclement to intercept support, and subsequently deployed the First and Fourth Divisions to land at Alushta, flanking to the rear of Simferopol at the Guard Village, severing their retreat.

By the time the Russian Empire reacted, the First and Fourth Divisions, nearly 40,000 strong, had already established relatively complete defensive positions at the Guard Village.

Alexander II at Simferopol and Gorchakov both quickly realized that their retreat had been encircled and urgently sent troops to attack the Guard Village, only to be defeated in two assaults by the slightly smaller French Army.

The French took the opportunity to launch a full-scale attack on Bakhchisaray, swiftly capturing the Bakhchisaray region.] (Detailed version)

The second point is that the news of Duke Golitsyn establishing a temporary government was deliberately leaked by Jerome Bonaparte to Simferopol and Saki, which dealt a devastating blow to the already demoralized Russian Army.

The troops stationed in Saki and Simferopol are now in complete chaos, unable to conduct orderly withdrawals, let alone engage the Allies in high-intensity operations.

Practically every day, dozens, even over a hundred soldiers defect from the Russian Imperial Army to surrender to the French and British.

After such days dragged on for several days, Alexander II, the highest commander of the Russian Army, finally resolved to yield to Jerome Bonaparte, even if it meant agreeing to extremely harsh conditions!

If the rebels in the Peterburg Region were allowed to secure their position, it was uncertain whether the Romanov family could continue to survive within the Russian Empire.

After all, this coup was unlike any previous coups.

Previously, whether it was Catherine overthrowing Peter the Great or Tsar Paul being overthrown by the Guard Army, the tsar’s succession was completed without changing the governing structure.

Whether between the new tsar or the regicide, a certain degree of tacit understanding was maintained.

But Duke Golitsyn not only changed the tsar; he also intends to uproot the Romanov family’s foundation of ruling the Russian Empire.

In Alexander II’s view, Golitsyn’s New Russian Empire policies are nothing more than a republican regime disguised as tsardom.

Therefore, for the Romanov family, Alexander II will not allow Golitsyn to survive.

Of course, Alexander II was not the only one with such ideas. Whether it was Commander Gorchakov or Gorchakov Envoy, seeing Golitsyn’s policies, it became clear that Golitsyn intended to emulate the mindset of the early French Republic, uprooting both the aristocracy and the Romanov family alike.

As members of the privileged class, the Gorchakov brothers lacked the same resolve as Duke Golitsyn to sacrifice their family’s privileges for the entirety of Russia.

Moreover, Duke Golitsyn was currently merely rescinding their privileges, who knew if he would take the next step to emulate the early French Republic and confiscate all their properties for public use; after all, that was wealth amassed over generations. Why should they give their hard-earned silver to the poor?

Thus, the Gorchakov brothers also wanted to negotiate peace promptly and return to St. Petersburg to confront the rebels decisively.

However, since they were not the real decision-makers of the army, and knowing that this negotiation would demand a higher price than the previous one from Jerome Bonaparte, they dared not say much, forcing themselves to patiently await Alexander II’s decision.

"I have decided to initiate the second round of peace talks with the French Empire!" When Alexander II publicly announced his willingness to once again enter peace negotiations with the French Empire, the Gorchakov brothers breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

As a result, Ivanov Gorchakov, responsible for the liaison, once again emerged under a white flag from Simferopol and arrived at the headquarters of the French Army stationed in Bakhchisaray.

This time, the person meeting Ivanov Gorchakov was neither Jerome Bonaparte nor Valerovsky, but an attendant under Valerovsky.

"Where is His Majesty now?" Ivanov Gorchakov anxiously inquired about Jerome Bonaparte’s whereabouts.

The attendant responded indifferently, "His Majesty and the Minister have temporarily gone to Constantinople! If there’s anything urgent, you can wait until His Majesty’s return to discuss it!"

"When will His Majesty be able to return?" Ivanov Gorchakov hurriedly inquired again.

"That’s uncertain!" The attendant stroked his chin and replied to Ivanov Gorchakov, "If it’s short, about a week! If longer, it could be two or three months! 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After all, the Crimea Peninsula is really too cold!"

As he spoke, the attendant stamped his foot lightly, as if to shake off the chill.

"Two or three months! That’s... too long!" Ivanov Gorchakov responded anxiously to the attendant.

"Mister Envoy, perhaps His Majesty will return in a week!" The attendant cheerfully answered Ivanov Gorchakov, "Just have a little patience for now!"

"But..." Ivanov Gorchakov wanted to say something, but was stopped by Jerome Patterson reaching out his hand.

Jerome Patterson responded expressionlessly to Ivanov Gorchakov, "Mr. Ivanov, please spare your words; just return to Simferopol and wait patiently!"

"I..." Ivanov Gorchakov felt exceptionally stifled.

But since they needed something from him, Ivanov Gorchakov put on a forced smile and said that if either Emperor Jerome Bonaparte or Minister of Foreign Affairs Valerovsky returned, they must inform them in Simferopol.

By then, their Crown Prince Alexander would surely reward them generously.

"Mr. Ivanov!" Jerome Patterson smiled slightly and provocatively said, "As far as I know, the new government in Petersburg doesn’t seem to recognize your crown prince’s legitimacy!"

Upon hearing Jerome Patterson’s words, Ivanov Gorchakov’s face turned gloomy immediately, but after a moment, he forced a smile and replied, "I think any responsible person wouldn’t recognize that utterly illegitimate government in Petersburg!"

"To be honest with you, His Majesty only cares about monarchy, not about who sits on the throne!" Jerome Patterson revealed similarly.

Jerome Patterson’s words made Ivanov Gorchakov’s face stiffen, and a sense of crisis surged in his heart.

From Jerome Patterson’s words alone, it could be deduced that the French Empire did not regard those people in Petersburg as enemies of the monarchy.

If those people in Petersburg were accepted by the monarchy, their situation would become even worse.

"Please pass on to His Majesty! I urge him to help the Russian Empire for the sake of monarchy, as they aim to use the monarch’s name to implement a republican system, which can be said to be an individual act against the entire monarchy..."

"Monarchy is not Coca-Cola (Jerome Patterson didn’t know what Coca-Cola was, as this phrase was taught to him by Emperor Jerome Bonaparte); we can’t expect all monarchies in the world to be the same! Sometimes, a diversified monarchy is also a path!" Jerome Patterson quoted verbatim to Ivanov Gorchakov.

"Coca-Cola? What is that?" Ivanov Gorchakov asked Jerome Patterson with a puzzled face.

"A special drinkable water!" Jerome Patterson responded to Ivanov Gorchakov.

"But we must uphold the sacred rights of monarchs, mustn’t we? If we let some people arbitrarily break the rules, then the monarchy would lose its sanctity! It wouldn’t be able to rule the entire country!" Ivanov Gorchakov tried to impose his understanding of monarchy on the French monarchy.

Jerome Patterson smiled slightly; he didn’t want to tell Ivanov Gorchakov that the French monarchy was based on a national referendum, where the people’s will could somewhat influence the monarch’s will.

"I will relay your words to His Majesty by telegraph!" Jerome Patterson nodded and replied to Ivanov Gorchakov.

Shortly after Ivanov Gorchakov left, Jerome Bonaparte and Valerovsky appeared before Jerome Patterson, inquiring about his conversation with Ivanov Gorchakov.

Jerome Patterson recounted the situation to them in detail, and Jerome Bonaparte said blandly, "It seems the Russian Empire is about to fall apart!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Valerovsky hurriedly replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Before long, Alexander will bow to you!"

"When that time comes, we must make sure to entertain them well!" Jerome Bonaparte said with emphasis.