Chapter 1316: The End of the Road for Menshikov

"No, no, no, you are not yet the Tsar! You do not have that power!"

Menshikov stared at Elizabeth, his eyes bloodshot.

It was this woman who had ruined his plans; Menshikov's intent to kill gradually rose, and he charged over like a madman.

Osilev's face revealed shock, and he hurriedly ordered the guards to intercept.

But Menshikov was also a veteran of the battlefield; he actually knocked aside all three guards, and it looked as though Menshikov's iron hand was about to seize Elizabeth's neck.

Elizabeth, however, remained unruffled; she took out a letter in a leisurely manner and unfolded it.

"Regent, do you still wish to murder the second emperor of Tsarist Russia?"

Upon seeing that letter, Menshikov was slightly stunned; he stopped immediately, his eyes widening as he saw the contents of the letter.

On it was the process by which he had murdered Peter II.

Most importantly, at the end of the letter, Peter II announced that he was passing his position as Tsar to his sister, Elizabeth I.

The letter bore Peter II's unique signature, which was very difficult for others to imitate, leaving no room for Menshikov to doubt it.

"Parts of this letter and the charges against you as Regent have already been made public."

"Menshikov, whether it be your reputation, your status, or your power in Tsarist Russia, it will all come to nothing!"

Everything was settled; upon hearing these words, the man who had been fierce enough to easily knock aside three young and strong guards suddenly aged significantly.

He slumped powerlessly to the ground and sighed.

The matter was known throughout Tsarist Russia; even if he, Menshikov, were to ascend the throne as Tsar in Tsarist Russia, it would be a country that would constantly wage war against him.

There was no telling when his rule would be overthrown.

"I lost. I never thought that after defeating the peerless Peter the Great, I would be undermined by his twelve-year-old grandson... Heh heh..."

Elizabeth's eyes were filled with indifference; she wished she could tear the person who had caused her grandfather and brother to die miserable deaths into ten thousand pieces.

But, what Tsarist Russia needed most right now was a smooth transition; if the Regent Menshikov did not die, his partisans would not revolt.

In the end, Menshikov and his entire family were exiled abroad...

With the support of the Conservative Faction, Elizabeth ascended the throne in Russia as the new Tsar, and this news shocked all of Europe.

At this time, after receiving this news, Teresa immediately convened an emergency meeting; Austria and Tsarist Russia were originally allies, and she and Elizabeth were close friends.

Previously, Menshikov had held the reins of military and political power; after the war broke out, it was not as if Teresa had not sought out this trapped beast of Eastern Europe to jointly attack Prussia.

But she was met with a refusal from Menshikov, who claimed that Prussia was protected by Britain and that they could not fall out with Britain.

Teresa sighed, and from then on, she no longer expected Menshikov to accomplish anything great.

She even believed that Tsarist Russia, this shackled beast, would grow further weakened under the rule of this coward Menshikov, until it perished.

But she had not expected such a change to occur in Tsarist Russia so quickly.

The Austrian Upper House.

Grand Duke Theresa looked at the Senate, where they were arguing and discussing.

Whether to ally with Tsarist Russia now and release the beast trapped in the north to deal with Prussia and the Longyan Army.

Exchanging opinions fiercely, under Teresa's gaze, the Senate had already split into three factions.

The pro-alliance faction, the anti-alliance faction, and the neutral faction.

An official of the anti-alliance faction pointed at that territory of Tsarist Russia and shouted angrily: "The Russians are just a bunch of robbers and bandits; have you forgotten how they rapidly expanded their territory during the reign of Peter I?"

"They even nearly threatened us, their ally."

The pro-alliance faction immediately retorted: "I believe the exact opposite; although Tsarist Russia was defeated by Longyan and is trapped in the north, it is still powerful, and I have heard that the Longyan troops disappeared after defeating the French navy."

"Those were five supply ships and two battleships; everyone has seen the strength of Longyan with their own eyes, and heaven knows if they will"

"suddenly pop up."

"Allied with Tsarist Russia and letting them intercept Longyan is the best choice!"

The neutral faction expressed that they had no opinion.

The anti-alliance faction snorted coldly: "I have heard that Elizabeth I has now ascended the throne in Tsarist Russia; although Menshikov has stepped down, his influence remains."

"Moreover, Elizabeth I relied on the Conservative Faction to become Tsar; it can be said that Tsarist Russia is currently beset by internal and external troubles."

"If we ally with Tsarist Russia now, will the Conservative Faction agree? What is the attitude of Menshikov's remnants, and what is Elizabeth I's attitude for the sake of her own stable position?"

"She might reject our proposal for an alliance for the sake of her own rule."

The pro-alliance faction slammed the table: "You are wrong; the more it is this time, the more she will agree to our request for an alliance."

"Firstly, she can take the opportunity to eliminate political enemies."

"Secondly, she can build merit; perhaps she can take back the Ice-free Port. That is the thing the Russians dream of most; they have been suppressed for too long and need a great victory."

"Thirdly, she can build prestige; Elizabeth is young after all, and if she has no prestige, how can she suppress the many factions in the Upper House?"

After the two sides exchanged opinions fiercely, they did not reach a conclusion.

At this moment, Teresa, who had been silent, spoke up: "I believe..."

As soon as she spoke, the Upper House immediately fell into silence.

Whether they were of the pro-alliance, anti-alliance, or neutral factions, they all turned their heads in unison to look at the only female Grand Duke in Austrian history.

Teresa smiled faintly, looked at the current map of Europe, and said calmly.

"The vanguard fleet of Longyan has already disappeared from the Mediterranean Sea; whether you believe it or not, Liu Zheng may have already landed in Europe."

"The landing of Liu Zheng's main force is likely just a matter of time."

"Although it may not threaten us in the short term, everyone understands that Longyan's military equipment is advanced, and Austria may not be a match. Furthermore..."

The senators fell into silence.

After looking around, Teresa sighed: "That is a million Longyan troops; do you have a Method to resist them?"

The complexions of the senators were as if shrouded in dark clouds, depressed to the extreme.

They very much wanted to say that Longyan was nothing, but the reality was laid out before them: Austria was not necessarily a match for Longyan.

Teresa tapped the corner of the table.

"However, Tsarist Russia has experience fighting against Longyan; their hatred for Longyan is the greatest."

"Although only the Netherlands and the Ottoman Empire remain in Europe without having declared war on Prussia, and we have an absolute advantage in military strength, everything will change once Longyan enters the battlefield."

"So why don't we unite with Tsarist Russia now? Are we supposed to wait until our advantage is dismantled by Longyan?"

The Councilors fell into thought; this was indeed true, and the non-aligned faction still wanted to say a few words.

Teresa, however, stopped this Councilor from speaking and said, "I know you are worried about what will happen if Tsarist Russia is released and continues to expand during the war, threatening us?"

"That assumes that we can win and that Tsarist Russia will not be completely killed off by Longyan."

The Councilors nodded one after another; she was worthy of being the smartest woman in Austria. This strategy was simply brilliant—killing two birds with one stone, it was simply perfect.

Soon, Teresa arranged for people to travel from Vienna to Moscow to form an alliance with Tsarist Russia.