Peter The Great, of Orange. Usurper on the Throne. Sergey Soloviev

sat him down at the table, poured him more, and put mushrooms and pickles on him.

      And so the day spun around… All the nobles were left without beards, with bare faces, without masculine beauty. – It’s been a hard day for me, Alexashka… – Peter said tiredly but proudly, – now they won’t look at me askance, they say, I’m a tsar, but without a beard. And they don’t have beards now!

      The Danes’ Visit to Preobrazhenskoye. Torture and Blood

      – Yes, it’s an important matter… We must see Tsar Peter, – said Secretary Alex Dietrichs, leafing through the papers

      – I heard about what’s going on in Preobrazhenskoye. It would be very interesting to see it…

      Friedrik Jansen was a good clerk and knew Russian and Latin very well. He skillfully corrected letters and kept the embassy archives in order. He was also a nice conversationalist and played cards well.

      Of course, Moscow was a bit boring, there were no balls, receptions and there were no theaters, but Tsar Peter obviously decided to replace all this

      – I don’t advise it, Friedrik. You will be guaranteed a bad night’s sleep and a bad appetite. And the guards of the Russian monarch blocked all the roads there.

      – They say that hundreds of Streltsy have already been driven into this hellish prison.

      – Peter wants to surpass the English king Henry in his bloodthirstiness.

      – He did not torture the military. This is a bad idea, a bad motive, and a bad occupation, – the Danish ambassador said meaningfully, shaking the ashes from his smoked pipe, – others will notice this, remember, and draw conclusions. Then one should not complain about betrayal.

      – Constantine the Great dispersed the Praetorians in Rome.

      – True, he dispersed, but did not execute. With whom, with what army is Peter going to fight the Turks or the Swedes? This is madness…

      – I heard that they are going to enroll the datka peasants in the soldier regiments… There are many of them, and they will gather many new regiments.

      Here the ambassador laughed merrily, and with a sly squint looked at his assistant.

      – Streltsy are accustomed to shooting from guns from an early age, they masterfully wield a saber.And what about yesterday’s peasant? Doesn’t know left from right, hasn’t been taught to read or write, and is unaccustomed to shooting. Recruits need to be trained for at least a year if there are experienced soldiers in the company. And three years if no one knows how to do anything. I don’t think highly of Peter’s skills. He is too cruel, and will ruin everything anyway. Remember the two sieges of Azov. And, you don’t know, but I read in old columns how the Cossacks took the Azov fortress in 1632. And there were only five thousand of them. Then they lay siege for three years, fighting off the merciless Turks. That’s the difference between peasants dressed in military caftans and true warriors. Such a soldier is more of a burden than a real fighter.

      – Well, tell this to the Tsar? He is an ally of our king.

      – Peter is quarrelsome and angry. Such a child who got carried away in his play, who still doesn’t understand what is good and what is bad. Life itself must punish him. Without it, any words are meaningless. Well, okay, – he said, looking out the window, – the horses are ready, the servants too. Let’s go, otherwise it’s getting dark quickly at this time.

      Both of them, having pulled their cloaks so that their faces were not visible, went out into the yard.

      – Andreas, – the ambassador turned to his orderly, – you and Vitus will stay with the horses. Be smart and careful.

      – We’ll do everything!

      – Well, then, with God!

      The four horsemen galloped down the street at a light trot. The soldiers standing guard at the gates of Kitai-gorod let the Danes through, showing letters of commissariat from the Ambassadorial Prikaz.

      – I told you it would be simple.

      – Everything will be simple when we return to our estate. And we’ll go to sleep in our warm beds, with hot water bottles under the featherbeds. We rode for another hour, and it was already getting dark. The horses, good and thoroughbred, were not tired, and confidently carried their riders. – I’ve been here before, – muttered the assistant, – this torture huu… It was dark, and a couple of lanterns on the corners of the zay did not dispel the gloom at all. Then the wind picked up, and as if on purpose, slammed the shutters against the wall. The rumble echoed not only in the ears of the Danes, but also, perhaps, in the stomachs and knees of the two heroes. Jansen sat down and began to look around in fear.