This may also be the inevitable direction of all non-state violent organizations, because without the constraints of the law, it is unrealistic to rely solely on people's hearts.
This is not the only old friend that Xia Ya wants to see today.
After leaving the cemetery in Sassili, he came to the Russian palace.
But it was late at night in Russia at the moment, and everyone had already fallen asleep.
Xia Ya quietly entered the palace's bedroom. He had been here before, so he was already familiar with it.
On a large bed placed in the middle of the dormitory, there is an old man lying. Her hair is gray and her face has traces of time. It seems that she is thin because of a serious illness, but even so she is still It can be seen from her bones that she must have been a beauty in the past.
In addition to her, there were actually some maids in the room who were responsible for watching over her, but they fell asleep with the arrival of Char.
Sissi's eyes looked around curiously, and soon locked on a painting placed on the wall facing the bed.
The painting was framed in a very delicate frame, exactly the one that Char had painted for Ekaterina before.
Of course, Sissi couldn't tell whether a painting was good or bad, but people have common aesthetics, so she was still fascinated by it.
"Is it beautiful?" Xia Ya asked softly.
Sissi came back to her senses and nodded, "Very beautiful."
But after a pause, she continued, "But she's not as beautiful as my mother."
Xia Ya smiled and continued, "Want to know where this person is?"
Sissi looked at the old man on the bed, "Is it her?"
"You are very smart." Xia said softly.
"Why did she become like this?" the girl asked doubtfully.
"Because of time." Xia Ya said quietly, "That is the most terrifying thing in the world. Heroes grow old because of it, beauties age because of it, and things decay because of it."
It seemed that this was the first time the girl had heard this word. There was a little fear in her eyes, "Will mother also do it?"
"Your mother won't." Xia Ya said, "Because she is special."
"Will I?" she asked.
Xia Ya looked at her quietly, with a slight smile on his face, "Don't you think so?"
Sissi nodded.
"Okay." Xia Ya said softly, "You can't."
Sissi's eyes lit up, and she was obviously very happy. Compared to the alienation just now, she seemed to be gradually becoming familiar with Xia Ya.
Xia Ya gently put the girl down.
He came to Yekaterina's side, and Yekaterina seemed to feel something and slowly opened her eyes.
There was a bit of fatigue and weakness in those blue eyes, and the past glory was also dim. Xia Ya could feel that her vitality was very weak, and she was already approaching her deathbed.
She saw Xia Ya and whispered weakly.
"Am I dreaming?"
"The boundary between dreams and reality is not that clear." Xia Ya said quietly, "If you think this is a dream, this is a dream, and vice versa."
"You really like to say these difficult words." She said.
She looked Xia Ya up and down and said, "This world is really unfair. I am already old, but you are always young.
If you follow the past, nothing has changed at all. "
She looked directly at the portrait, "What on earth are you, a god?"
"It shouldn't count." Xia Ya said.
"Is this so"
She coughed twice, "You said you came to me to witness history. I should let you down."
She said with blurred eyes, "I once thought I could change this country, but now it seems that except for expanding the country's territory, nothing seems to have changed.
I once advocated justice and equality, but in the end I could not even abolish serfdom. "
"You are not an orthodox emperor." Xia Ya said quietly, "Your power comes from the nobility, and the roots of the nobility are serfs. If you touch their foundation, you will lose the basis for power.
In fact, in this world, no emperor can ignore the state of the country and do whatever he wants.
In the direction where the sun sets, there is also an emperor, who is also facing a similar choice at this moment."
"You're talking about the emperor of Britannia, right?" she said.
Xia Ya nodded.
"He should be able to handle it better than me." Ekaterina whispered, "What do you think future generations will say about me?"
"You will become the only female emperor in this empire."
"Emperor?" Ekaterina smiled and shook her head, but did not comment on this.
"This should be the last time we see each other, right?"
Xia Ya was silent for a moment and said, "I never say absolute words."
"Is that so? I have a question." Ekaterina seemed to want to say something, but stopped when she reached her lips.
She smiled in relief, "There's no point anymore."
However, Xia Ya knew what Yekaterina wanted to ask, he said softly.
"You are very charming. If I were a normal person, maybe I would fall in love with you."
Her eyelids closed, her cheeks barely raised, and she smiled. Her weakness made her look very tired even when she smiled.
She seemed to feel very sleepy, and her eyelids gradually drooped, but she was still mumbling.
"What a long life."
As her words fell, she also fell into a deep sleep.
The maid who fell to the ground on one side gradually woke up. She seemed not to notice Xia Ya and Sissi at all. Instead, she wiped her eyes and looked at Ekaterina on the bed.
Suddenly, she seemed to have discovered something. She stood up suddenly and stretched out her hand to check under Yekaterina's nose. Then the expression on her face instantly changed to extremely sad, and she shouted sternly.
"His Majesty!!!"
On March 12, 1800, Catherine, who had just entered the 19th century, died in the summer palace, peacefully losing her life in bed.
Perhaps it was because of the Philosopher's Stone that Char gave her that she lived a few more years, otherwise she would have died of the disease when she suffered a stroke in 1997.
However, the extra years of life still failed to have much impact on the future.
The greatest achievement of Catherine II was in external expansion. Different from the domestic policy of advancing in name only, in terms of external relations, Catherine II made this long-stagnant chariot rumble again. Start moving.
In the south, the Russian army, led by two famous generals, Rumyantsev and Suvorov, defeated the declining Ottoman Turkish Empire and forced it to sign the "Kuchuk-Kainaghi Treaty" with Russia. The Crimean peninsula was separated from the Ottoman sphere of influence, making it independent and extending its sphere of influence to the Black Sea coast.
In the Caucasus, Russia took advantage of the weakening Persian Empire and the complex ethnic composition and sharp conflicts to send troops to occupy this region.
In the west, Catherine II took advantage of Poland's internal chaos to unite with Austria and Prussia to carve up Poland, a close enemy, three times, giving her western border a valuable strategic buffer zone.
It is very difficult to make an evaluation of Catherine II. On the one hand, she tried to bring Russia into modern times, but due to her own limitations and realistic political considerations, she went back.
Some of her policies continued to carry forward the spirit of Peter the Great's period, such as military, education, economy, etc., which deepened Russia's Westernization, but she also strengthened serfdom, causing Russia to continue to be mired in the shackles of ancient feudalism.
But anyway. Under her leadership, Russia's national power has increased significantly, and the empire has also exerted its tradition of expansion, which also provided the foundation for the country's future status. This is one of the reasons why she became the great emperor.
In this world, emperors like Arthur and Ramses still exist in fantasy.
In most countries, there are very few emperors who remain established, and there are also very few emperors who can expand like this.
Therefore, there is no doubt that she is called the Great Emperor.
Many ministers, maids and the crown prince were awakened from their sleep and quickly ran into Catherine's palace.
And Xia Ya took Sissi and walked against them, but these people didn't notice their existence at all.
"What's wrong with her?" Sissi asked.
"She's dead." Xia Ya said quietly.
"die?"
"It means leaving this world." Xia Ya's tone was very calm, "Don't worry, this is not a terrible thing, it is just that a journey has come to an end, it is the end and the starting point."
Sissi nodded in understanding.
"Next, we are going to find an acquaintance, and your mother also knows this person."
However, just when Xia Ya was about to take the girl away from here, a voice came from one side.
"stop."
Xia Ya looked at not far away with some surprise. A young man wearing pajamas but looking very young was standing there.
He ignored Char's blindness and discovered them, staring at Char.
Char turned his attention to the thing hanging around his neck, which was the Philosopher's Stone that Char had given to Yekaterina before.
It should be this stone that helps him see through his deception.
"It turns out that she gave this thing to you." Xia Ya whispered in a low voice, "It seems that she values you very much. Your name is Alexander, right?"
He is the grandson of Catherine.
In the original history, it was this man who led the anti-French alliance to defeat Napoleon.
Alexander stared at Char quietly and looked at his face. His expression was solemn because he had seen this face before.
But it's not a real person, but a painting. That painting is placed in another palace. It was once rumored that that was Crown Prince Paul's father, his grandfather.
I once asked about the origin of that painting.
However, at that time, Ekaterina explained that it was a character that existed in fantasy.
Alexander believed this.
But looking at it now
This person actually exists, and his face has not changed at all in the past decades.
He also noticed that the people around him were completely unaware of the person in front of him.
It's like this person only exists in his eyes.
He swallowed slightly and seemed to want to say something.
But just listen to Xia Ya.
"Keep what she gave you. It may be very useful to you in the future."
As he spoke, in the blink of an eye of Alexander, he and the girl disappeared before his eyes.
Alexander fell silent, raised his hand and grabbed the Philosopher's Stone, remaining silent. . . .
(End of chapter)
