Chapter 24: The Later Months of 1698

“What do you mean the Austrians will not ally with us!?” Peter yelled at the table at his ambassador Franz Lefort. “You told me they were going to side with us against the Ottoman Empire!”

Czar Peter sat at a table with his ambassador as they discussed politics. Feliks and Bataar have dressed appropriately as official guards as they overheard the discussions with their leader and other leaders. It was a typical day in Vienna. The Grand Embassy was on its eighteenth month. Peter’s goals, despite being separated from Russia for so long, were proving to be effective. He had gathered workers, knowledge, technology, and things that would advance Russia for years to come. The cost was high, though, as the prolonged disappearance of Russia’s own leader was having on the people of Russia.

“Austria already signed a peace treaty with the Ottomans Peter ... I am sorry,” Lefort told him.

The Czar sighed as he put his hands to the table. He was still dressed in moderate apparel to disguise himself amongst the Europeans. The room was large, able to accommodate many men. It was a conference room for delegates. There on the second floor with two windows that allowed the morning sunlight to come through. Feliks and Bataar were both armed with ceremonial pikes to guard all the delegates, including the Czar. This being a typical day for both of them, they stood at attention and silent. Their eyes were focused straight ahead as they looked forward. To them, this was ordinary as a day at the palaces back in Moscow. It was not all bad though, it was an admirable job being a guard. The Grand Embassy still enjoyed its time in Europe, and most days were still partying and relaxing. Eighteen months, however, did cause the men to become lax in their abilities, though, as they enjoyed an almost life of luxury compared to the men back at home.

The Czar stood up as he walked by another chair to lean on. “These last few days have almost been a failure. We need allies against the Ottomans or the Swedes. We still don’t have access to the Atlantic Ocean yet. The Ottomans still have control of the Black Sea, and the Swedes control all the ports and land that block us. Everyone seems to be backing up the Ottomans, and our ventures in the past have been in ruin with them. We must have access to the Atlantic, but both routes will be hard for us.”

He slapped the back of the chair as he put his hand to his head, trying to think.

“I agree with you, Peter. The choices are difficult for us,” Lefort told him. “It has not all been for naught, though. You have made progress with Augustus II and Poland, though. He already pledged for our cause and is ready to go to war with Sweden when we are. They want to expand like we do.”

“For the largest nation in the world, we are a joke if we don’t have ships to put into the ocean.”

Lefort pointed his hand at Peter. “Then we need to decide if we intend to actually go to war with them, Peter. Do we have the resources to shove ourselves into the Atlantic? What are our resources? How much money do we have before we go bankrupt? Think of the Azov campaign and how much it cost us both in lives and money. Think of what you are doing now compared to back then. Would it be worth it?”

“We have to make it a sacrifice, Lefort. At Azov, the Tatars were coming in and trying to stop us. We had no choice but to fight them, or they would kill our people and take our women. Still, as long as we sit here bickering, Russia will never be able to control its destiny. War with Sweden or the Ottomans is inevitable.”

“And if they both ally against us?”

“Then we fight to the end. Honestly, if it would be one nation. I feel like the fighting will be on the Swedes. We have more allies on that end, and if we fight the Ottomans, no one will help us. We have more room and are used to the environment better if we go and fight Sweden.”

Feliks thought about the Czar’s words as they discussed their theater. The fact is he knew after being with the Czar this long that he was committed to a war against Sweden or the Ottomans and that he was going to be seeing combat eventually. He was tempted to look at Bataar, his friend, for moral support, but that would break his military bearing.

The Czar went and pulled out a map of Europe and Russia and planted it on the table. He pointed to Denmark and then Norway. “We have allies. It might be possible that we can use the Danish and Norwegians to distract the Swedes long enough that we can carve our way to the Gulf of Finland in a single stroke.”

“The only hope I see is taking the lands North East of Narva. That area does not freeze over during the winter. The best bet is Sweden. I do ask of you, dear Peter, please try to think this carefully, try to talk to Charles XII some more so we can avoid bloodshed and not drain our resources.”

The Czar shook his head. “Charles is not going to listen. I just got done taking a bunch of his workers to hire to make future ships. He knows that I am going all over Europe to gather knowledge on shipbuilding. He knows that I want to have the Atlantic, and he has the means to prevent us from getting there. I can act all friendly with him, but we both know that the cliffside is coming up between us. It is a matter of time before we try to push one another over the side ... I understand, Lefort. It’s just not going to happen.”

Lefort sighed as he looked at the map.

“Did I ever tell you the dream I had?” The Czar told him.

“What dream?”

“I had this dream where I was standing looking at the Atlantic Ocean on a ship that I built with my fellow Russians. I was the captain of that ship. We would make trades with other Europeans with goods that we grew and made in Russia in exchange for their goods. I would travel back to Russia and arrive at a port that I built out of my own hands. Everyone was happy, Lefort. A boy would get sick, but because we have the knowledge the Europeans had, the boy received the proper medical treatment. Us dancing and singing in England, that can be any Russians dream.”

Lefort chuckled. “You have told me this dream many times, Peter, but it never gets old. I know what your heart says but keep in mind that it is a dream. You ... we have been gone from Russia for so long now. We need to think about the Russian people themselves. They have not seen what we have seen. We need to return. It is simple as that.”

“I have this strong feeling that the Russian people are going to resist every change I am going to implement when I return. Maybe I am afraid of having to go through all that. The population is practically slaves, and I endorse it because our economy is crap. If we have access to the sea, it will start a trend where our economy will get better and better to the point we don’t need serfdom anymore. Everyone will be happy, Lefort.”

Lefort pointed to him, “Then you go into this knowing that it’s a dream you may never see but will eventually happen in the end. To make this happen, you will have to do things you will absolutely hate.”

“I will make those changes to Russia with the people kicking and screaming behind me. I will do it, Lefort. They will hate me, but Russia will be a better place in the end. The price will be high though...”

Peter’s eyes looked at Felix and Bataar as he turned his attention back to the Lefort. “I think of the St Nicolas that Queen Elizabeth gave us so long ago. The fact is no one truly knows if that story is true or not. I do firmly believe in it. There is one thing that scares me about that story, though that gives me nightmares.”

“What is it?”

“It was who the boat was given to Lefort,” the Czar’s eyes looked down. “Ivan the IV ... Ivan the Terrible. He was a monster that massacred the people of Novgorod and the man who murdered his own son. I always think back to that history, and I think about my son Alexei. I have to convince myself that the Queen of England gave me that ship to follow my destiny and not Ivan the IV ... for if it is, then it’s not my destiny to take the ocean but my own son.”

Lefort thought deeply about Peter’s words. “In the end, you are the leader of Russia. You control the fate of everyone in Russia. You control the fate of those two guards,” as he pointed to Feliks and Bataar. “You control my fate; I can tell you this, Imperial Majesty. You are not Ivan the IV. The actions you are doing now they might not be the right thing, and it might not be the right thing for a long time, but in the end, it is the smart thing. This choice to go to Europe, it was the smart thing. Look at your two guards, and what do I see but two men born from the edge of Russia. What do you see when you look at me, a man born from outside Russia. What do you see when you look at Patrick Gordon, a man born outside Russia. Your strength, Peter, is bringing the outside into a land that does not fully accept those ideas. Those differences, though, are what make us stronger,” he waved his finger at him. “Never forget that.”