The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1414: Chapter 213: I Have Connections in the Caucasus! (Part 2)

After the war ended, Paskevich didn’t stay idle for long. He soon threw himself into the Caucasus conquest war initiated by Russia, following the Tsar’s orders, striving to eliminate the local indigenous forces that refused Russian rule.

Yet, as man plans, heaven laughs. Paskevich’s advance in the Caucasus was initially going smoothly, but then news of the Polish uprising arrived.

The commander of the pacification army, Marshal Zabalkansky, suffered repeated defeats in suppressing the rebellion. After stabilizing his position, he was criticized by the Tsar for the slow progress. To make matters worse, just as Zabalkansky was turning the tide and won the Battle of Ostroleka, he succumbed to cholera in Poland.

At such a moment, it was Paskevich whom the Tsar assigned to put out the fires.

This seasoned Tsarist Russia general did not disappoint, accomplishing the task given by the Tsar by crushing the Polish rebels in the Battle of Warsaw.

To commemorate this victory, the Tsar appropriately conferred the title of ’Prince of Warsaw’.

Of course, Paskevich was already renowned in Russia and didn’t need a princely title to bolster his reputation.

Succeeding in suppressing the Polish uprising brought him more notoriety in Europe.

As the Tsar’s sharpest blade and most effective executioner, he was spat upon by the liberals of Germany, France, and Britain.

Arthur took a book out of his bag: ”A few days ago, a French friend sent me a new book published in Paris, ’The Eastern Journey’, commissioned by the French Government. This book primarily discusses the 1829 war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. I initially took it as a storybook for leisure, but I stumbled upon a passage concerning you.”

”About me?”

Pushkin, whose French was quite good, took the book and skimmed it, immediately spotting his name.

—— Among the poets who participated in the Turkish expedition, I only know of Homiyakof and Muravyov. They both stayed in the army of Earl Jibich-Zhabalkansky, the commander-in-chief. The former wrote some excellent lyrical poems, while the latter traveled through many holy sites, which left a deep impression on him. However, I have not read any satirical poems about the Erzurum expedition.

—— The commander responsible for the Erzurum expedition was Prince Paskevich, and among the leaders of the eastern expeditionary forces under his command, the following figures stood out: General Muravyov, Prince Qicaiwaze of Georgia, Prince Bebutov of Armenia, Prince Potemkin, General Rayevsky. Lastly, there was Mr. Pushkin, who left the capital to seek inspiration and sing praises of the achievements of his compatriots.

Arthur took a sip of Earl Grey Tea, quietly observing the changes in Pushkin’s expression.

As expected, even someone with great composure would find it hard to endure the sarcastic tones of the French.

While these two passages seemed to merely state the facts, the first deliberately praised Homiyakof and Muravyov, without mentioning Pushkin, who accompanied the troops for the Erzurum expedition, instead veiling the slight with a phrase — no satirical poems about the Erzurum expedition had been read.

The second passage, although highlighting Pushkin’s name, praised the military leaders instead, then dragging Pushkin in at the end, stating he went to sing praises of the glories.

While such sarcasm might not be noticeable without careful scrutiny, Arthur thought that if he could see through it, there was no reason someone as literary sensitive as Pushkin wouldn’t.

Sure enough, just as Arthur took another sip of tea, Pushkin’s face visibly reddened.

”I must admit, these lines by the French traveler, though seemingly words of praise, infuriate me more than the insults found in Russian magazines. To seek inspiration? That always seemed like a ridiculous, absurd habit to me! For inspiration cannot be sought; it comes to the poet.”

Pushkin put down the book, his clenched fist pressing on the cover: ”To go to the battlefield in anticipation of singing the praises of future exploits signifies, for me, vanity on one hand and shamelessness on the other. I’ve never engaged in military commentary. It’s not my business. Perhaps, regarding what Marshal Paskevich achieved—cutting off the link between the Ottoman army commander and Osman Pasha beyond Saganlu Mountain, the enemy’s two armies collapsing within a day and the swift expedition towards Erzurum—it is something worth mocking for some soldiers, or people like Mr. Tanie, the author of this ’Eastern Journey’. But, I would feel ashamed to write any satirical poems about a distinguished commander who kindly received me in his tent and admired me amidst his busy schedule.”

Pushkin cursed: ”What does he take me for, does he think I’m some ungrateful cuss?”

Arthur apologetically put down the teacup: ”I...I never imagined you’d become so angry. I was merely curious. I thought you couldn’t have possibly left Russia due to strict restrictions. So, when I saw this book, I thought Mr. Tanie must have made some mistake, or perhaps the Pushkin in the book was someone else... Did you really participate in that expedition?”

Pushkin was evidently quite upset: ”I am indeed not allowed to leave the country. This expedition was my only granted opportunity to go abroad. I had filed several requests with the Emperor back then, one to go to Paris, another to Beijing, and the last to participate in Marshal Paskevich’s expeditionary force. Although the experience with the combat troops was not as enjoyable as a visit to Paris or Beijing, many of my exiled friends were serving in this expeditionary army, so it was overall more comfortable than staying in St. Petersburg and Moscow.”

Hearing Pushkin’s confession that he indeed went to the Caucasus and witnessed the Russian army’s battles with the Ottomans, the old spy Arthur was immediately intrigued.

”Then which unit were you with at that time? Your friend’s unit?”

”Initially, I was with General Burtsov. General Burtsov was the most talented commander in the Caucasus Corps. Marshal Paskevich would always assign the most important tasks to him. Simultaneously, he was my senior and guide, the one who drew me and a few classmates into the ’Happiness Association’ back in the day. However, because of the impact of the Decembrist affair, General Burtsov was demoted to serve in the Caucasus.”

Pushkin explained in an unhurried manner: ”But because General Burtsov’s unit was heavily involved in assault missions, I was eventually reassigned to the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, commanded by another friend of mine — Nikolai Rayevsky. Similarly, he was exiled here due to the Decembrist influences. Rayevsky, while not as well-rounded as General Burtsov, was indeed an unignorable cavalry genius. In crucial battles, Marshal Paskevich would always entrust him with the command of all cavalry.”

Pushkin’s words seemed to open a new world for Arthur.

He couldn’t have imagined that Pushkin, a man of letters, had such a broad network among the Russian Caucasus Corps.

However, upon further thinking, it made sense that Pushkin’s network in the Caucasus was so extensive.

Back in the day, the noble officers involved in the Decembrists, led by the primary offenders, had all been executed, while the remaining accomplices were either exiled to Siberia or the Caucasus.

And Russia’s military presence in Siberia was apparently insufficient to accommodate so many parachuted officers. On the contrary, the Caucasus Corps had enough positions to settle these exiles from St. Petersburg due to its long-standing preparedness for war.

Thinking of this, Arthur couldn’t help but crack a genuine smile: ”On this matter, I absolutely support you. It’s just that I still don’t quite understand why you are so protective of Marshal Paskevich? Could it be, he demonstrated some extraordinary talent during that war?”