Chapter Nine, The Amnesiac Strategist, Plans Without Omission

Nikola Pavlovich. Zhuge smiled and said, "As long as the Great Ming Empire exists, the British may not necessarily refuse... Moreover, the Great Ming Empire is not afraid of the alliance and marriage between the Rus Empire and the British Empire!"

Nicholas I followed the direction pointed out by Zhuge Wei and saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy in military uniform, who was none other than his eldest son, Alexander

He was a Tsar who believed in Eastern Orthodoxy, and logically, he should not have believed in fortune-telling and divination. However, when he was around fifteen or sixteen years old, Zhuge Weidao's father, Zhuge Youde, once led a group to Petersburg to assist in fighting against Napoleon, and while there, he also read the fortunes of Nikolai and his brothers, as well as the young girl Natalia at that time.

Who is the better candidate? Nicholas I is somewhat perplexed, as currently, within the Romanov family, only Natalia is eligible for marriage, and within the Hanover family, only the Duke of York and the Duke of Albany can take a wife or remarry. Besides the two of them, who else could there be?

Tsar Nicholas I of Russia sat on the throne in the Peter Hall, adorned with portraits of Peter the Great and Empress Catherine I. Beside him stood his brother Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, his sister Grand Duchess Natalia Pavlovna, his eldest son Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich, as well as General Paskevich, the commander of the Guards, and several other high-ranking Russian military officers in crisp uniforms.

With the shout of the attendant, Tsar Nicholas I finally emerged from his thoughts, sitting up straight on the throne and fixing his gaze ahead. He saw Wei Yuanda, dressed in a Ming dynasty civil official's robe and wearing a black gauze hat, enter alongside Zhuge Weidao, who was in military uniform with his head wrapped in bandages. Following them were Guo Xiaobao and Huang Shuren, both carrying briefcases.

Even if the Rakshasa can defend itself in the local winter's icy and snowy climate, it will still be restrained by the British Empire in a realm of ice and snow, never again having the opportunity to march south to reclaim Constantinople

According to incomplete statistics, at least two-thirds of the significant inventions and scientific achievements made by the Ming Empire over the past one hundred years were contributed by the Zhuge family’s strategists or the institutions they led... Moreover, the founder of the Zhuge family, King Zhuge Wuzhong, had even more inventions and various scientific theories, public principles, and conjectures. In his time, he was recognized alongside Newton and Leibniz as one of the three great scientific masters of humanity, and he was acknowledged as the foremost among them... Furthermore, the founder of the Zhuge family, King Zhuge Wuzhong, had even more inventions and various scientific theories, public principles, and conjectures. In his time, he was recognized alongside Newton and Leibniz as one of the three great scientific masters of humanity, and he was acknowledged as the foremost among them.

The problem is that the Russian Empire does not dare to openly confront the British Empire—although the Russian Empire has the world's strongest army, its industry and navy are indeed inferior to those of Britain and the Ming Dynasty

However, Alexander Nikolaevich and Alexandra Victoria are still young..." said Nicholas I, "and what the British want now is Natalia Pavlovna.

The Tsar's words suddenly came to a halt, for he noticed that Zhuge was not listening, but had turned his head to look at something on his right side. Was he looking at Natalia?

Although the term "not supported" is not particularly harsh, it carries connotations of "tacit approval" and "non-interference". However, during the audience, the British ambassador consistently referred to the Eastern Roman Empire as the Byzantine Empire, which conveyed a sense of disdain and warning from the British Isles to the Tsar

Nicholas I turned his head to look at Zhuge Wei and asked: "He and ... ... who?"

The Tsar sat there with a serious expression, watching the figure of Standon as he departed from the baron, frowning and saying nothing, seemingly displeased—because he had just seen the portrait of the old British heir, which was now leaning against the wall, and he did not know who had placed it there. To be honest, the Tsar was not very satisfied with the appearance of the old heir. He was just an elderly, overweight man with white hair. Considering that artists usually depict prominent figures more attractively than they actually are, this old man's appearance was quite unflattering to Natalia Pavlovna.

The result calculated for Nikola indicates several decades of destiny, yet his military fortunes are not favorable, thus he must be cautious in warfare... ? ... Now that the destiny is established, the state of his military fortunes remains uncertain ?

The powerful army of the Rus' Empire is essentially unable to reach the Ming Dynasty and Great Britain. Although the Ming Dynasty's territory borders the Rus' Empire, the European part of Rus' is too far from the Ming border, separated by the vast expanse of Siberia. Moreover, both sides maintain a tacit understanding of "not encroaching" and being "distant neighbors." The Ming Dynasty does not extensively develop the northern Mongolian region, the Western Regions, and the Outer Greater Khingan Range, while Rus' does not develop the eastern regions of East Siberia and West Siberia. Furthermore, both sides continue to uphold this tacit understanding of "not encroaching" and being "distant neighbors," with the Ming Dynasty refraining from large-scale development in northern Mongolia, the Western Regions, and the Outer Greater Khingan Range, while Rus' avoids development in the eastern parts of East Siberia and West Siberia.

Without further ado, let us consider that over the past one hundred years, among the descendants of the Zhuge family who have held the title of military strategist, many have emerged as politicians, military leaders, scientists, inventors, and large capitalists engaged in industry and mining. Particularly noteworthy are the contributions made by those scientists, inventors, and industrial capitalists, which compel one to question whether the Zhuge family truly possesses the ability to predict and calculate outcomes. This is because engaging in scientific research, innovation, and industry, as well as exploring for minerals, requires finding the right direction, which is crucial. When the direction is correct, efforts yield great results; when the direction is wrong, efforts are wasted. It seems that the military strategists of the Zhuge family are particularly adept at finding the right direction, consistently hitting the mark.

Ambassador Wei Yuanda of the Ming Dynasty and Military Attaché Zhuge Weidao of the Ming Embassy have come to pay their respects

December 15 afternoon

Zhuge replied: "Of course, it is Alexandra Victoria, the third presumptive heir to the British throne... If Prince Frederick were to pass away, she would become the second presumptive heir to the British throne. Although Prince William, Duke of Clarence, ranks before Victoria and has ten illegitimate children, he does not have a single legitimate child. Therefore, once Grand Duke Alexander marries Princess Victoria, he has a high probability of becoming the Prince Consort of the United Kingdom in the future. Moreover, according to British customs, any children born to him and Victoria will bear the surname Romanov.

The result of his fortune-telling for Natalie was that if she does not lose her virginity before marriage, then she can have a prosperous future...! ... Now, the queens of the two countries can choose freely!

In this way, the two parties appear to be neighboring countries, but in reality, neither can reach the other—unless one side becomes particularly weak, requiring only a small military force to achieve victory. However, at present, neither the Ming Dynasty nor the Russians are made of straw.

At this thought, Nicholas I also followed Zhuge Wei's gaze and saw not his sister Natalie, but rather the portrait of the British Crown Prince that had been forgotten to be taken away

According to the audience etiquette in the Rakshasa Palace, the four envoys from the Ming Dynasty did not speak first, but rather it was the Tsar who initiated the conversation: "It is a great honor to meet you all here... By the way, how is your injury? I heard from Doctor Xie Dongnuo that you have regained some of your memory..."

"Age is not a problem," Zhuge smiled and said, "If I remember correctly, Catherine the Great was chosen as the Crown Princess at the age of thirteen, and she married Peter III when she was only sixteen. I believe this little time is still bearable! As for the British wanting Natalia Pavlovna... if I take her away, then there will be no Natalia Pavlovna to hand over to the British, right? At that time, you can push Grand Duke Alexander forward to get engaged to Victoria... If I take her away, then there will be no Natalia Pavlovna to hand over to the British, right? At that time, you can push Grand Duke Alexander forward to get engaged to Victoria. If the British refuse to accept, then their attitude towards the Russian Empire can be imagined. In the face of such a Britain, what use is it to send Natalia Pavlovna over?"

The fate of Konstantin Pavlovich is one of wealth and glory without the decree of heaven ... ! ... The outcome has indeed come to pass !

Nicholas I nodded gently, then looked at Zhuge Weida with a peculiar expression and said: "Weida, have you calculated that the British will definitely reject this marriage proposal?"

Approaching the Tsar, the four envoys from the Ming Dynasty together paid their respects to him. Among them, Zhuge Weidao, Huang Shuren, and Guo Xiaobao, all military men, raised their right hands to perform a military salute, while Wei Yuanda bowed deeply in greeting.

This is not the most astonishing part; the most astonishing is that Zhuge Youde later followed Alexander the Great into Paris, and after suffering a defeat, he calculated for the dejected Napoleon, surprisingly predicting that Napoleon would once again become an emperor...! ... As a result, he really did return to power and established a Hundred Days' Empire!

History has indeed been rejected. Zhuge Liang remarked: "But there has never been a Ming Dynasty in history!"

Therefore, the only strategy he can think of now is to maintain a balance between the British Empire and the Ming Dynasty, reaping benefits from both sides while avoiding offense to either... However, the stance of the British Empire on the issues of Turkey and Greece, along with the Ming Dynasty's continuous "peaceful policy" for more than 120 years since the time of Zhuge Wuzhong, makes Nicholas I feel that his policy of oscillation is very likely to fail!

Zhuge shook his head and said, "He can no longer become the King of England... He is nearing death, most likely will not live for more than two years"

This Zhuge Wuzhong Wang also explicitly stated that his prowess stems from his ancestral ability to calculate and predict, which is to foresee the future

The result calculated for Alexander I indicates that he still has several years of destiny...! ... It has now come to pass!

Moreover, this ability is a "heritage" of the Zhuge family, and others cannot learn it... Before his "amnesia," Zhuge was a talented individual of the Zhuge family, and perhaps he also possessed the ability to foresee the future

The fortune-telling result for Mikhail indicates wealth and prosperity, as well as peace and fairness. This is quite accurate, as Nicholas I's wife is particularly prolific, having already given birth to one son and three daughters. The likelihood of Mikhail ascending to the throne is nearly nonexistent.

Later, Grand Duke Konstantin fell in love with a Polish noblewoman whose status was not compatible with that of the Tsar, and as a result, his descendants would lose their right to inherit. Therefore, he no longer wished to become Tsar

The country of the Rakshasa inherits the legal tradition of the Second Rome (Eastern Rome), claiming to be the Third Rome, and regards the recovery of Constantinople and the restoration of Rome's glory as its divine mission. However, those Western barbarians actually referred to this once-mighty millennium empire, which they had looked up to, as the "Byzantine Empire" after the fall of the Second Rome! It is simply the triumph of the petty!

If the British continue to intervene, wouldn't that mean sending the Queen to confront the consort

"As for the way, what are you saying? That... that is the portrait of the Prince of York and the Duke of Albany," Nicholas I said with a frown. "The Duke of York and Albany is the future King of England!"

As for Great Britain, it is simply an island nation, and it is particularly adept at fostering henchmen on the European continent... Even Napoleon, who was so formidable in battle, was defeated by the henchmen supported by Great Britain. Nicholas I certainly did not wish to become the second Napoleon.

What further displeased the Tsar was that Standon, the baron, also conveyed to the Tsar that although the British government opposed the atrocities of the Ottoman Empire in Greece, it did not support the revival of the Byzantine Empire

Nicholas I stared wide-eyed at the equally astonished Ming ambassador Wei Yuanda and asked, "Is what he said true?"

Moreover, the relationship between the Kingdom of Roshan and the Ming Dynasty is not a recent development. After the Baikal War over a hundred years ago, both sides established embassies and formal diplomatic relations. The news regarding the remarkable strategies of the Zhuge family of the Ming Dynasty was also inquired about by the Roshan embassy in the Ming. Furthermore, this information is not baseless; it is substantiated with evidence.

Thomas St. John, in the presence of the Tsar, referred to the Second Rome as the Byzantine Empire, which is likely not merely his personal stance but rather an indication of the British Empire's attitude towards the revival of the Eastern Roman Empire

Nikolai Pavlovich. Zhuge Wei Dao saw that Nicholas I seemed to be taken aback, and quickly seized the opportunity to say, "If you marry Natalia Pavlovna to this old man who is nearing his end, you will surely regret it in the future. If you wish to form an alliance with the House of Hanover, there is a better candidate available."

Is this true? Nicholas I looked at the somewhat eccentric "amnesiac strategist" Zhuge Weidao with a mix of belief and skepticism, and for a moment, he was also uncertain.

"Nikola Pavlovich." Zhuge suddenly asked, "Who is the person in the painting? He looks like he is about to die!"

He! Zhuge pointed with one hand at the side of Nicholas I.

The accuracy of the divination was so remarkable that even Nicholas I could not help but believe it

Nicholas I took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. If Zhuge's proposed plan could truly be realized, then the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Empire would stand to gain immensely. The predicament they faced would be resolved in an instant... As long as Alexander and Victoria were married and became the King and Queen of Britain, the Russian Empire could advance on Constantinople, and the British could hardly obstruct them any further