– Here - he said - it's an asterisk above the horizon, it's me at the moment. They carry me on their hands, give me battle horses, bring all kinds of gifts, say welcome speeches, consider me almost the savior of the fatherland, and this will continue until my arrival to the troops. My star will all be exalted and exalted.

And when I come to the place and give the order to depart to the North and begin to concentrate forces, waiting for the approach of troops from Russia, the same newspapers that glorify me, will begin to wonder why I do not beat the Japanese, and I will start dropping and falling in the assessment. And then, when I will comprehend a small, inevitable setbacks, my star will descend lower and lower to the horizon and then go completely beyond the horizontal line.

At this point, support me, because then I will start the offensive, I will mercilessly beat the Japanese, my star will go over the horizon again, go higher and higher, and where and how I end - I do not know. I will never forget your support.

A.N. Kuropatkin returned the briefcase to the owner.

Someone in the public , with a sigh, with barely perceptible envy, added: "Being in disgrace after the unsuccessful battles of the Russo-Japanese War, Aleksey Nikolayevich opened in his estate agricultural school and library at his own expense." A.N. Kuropatkin died on January 16, 1925 , And in the summer of 1964 the students of the agricultural school founded by him put a marble tombstone on the grave with the inscription "Kuropatkin Alexey Nikolayevich. 1848-1925. Founder of the agricultural school."

Picture of General A.N. Kuropatkin filled the public with a blind faith in success.

Enthusiastic exclamations were heard. Began to wish success to Admiral Zinovy Petrovich Rozhdestvensky about the upcoming endless journey of the squadron around Africa on the way to the Russian Far East. Admiral Rozhdestvensky said in a low voice:

– What can be my success. Should not have started this hopeless case. But can I refuse to obey orders, when all believe in success.

S.Yu. Witte continued his thought:

– Thought to immediately extinguish the fire with a small jet of water. Due to a small, although a long stream, also launched by an incompetent fire-master, the fire was not extinguished. I had to put it out in Portsmouth on August 23 (September 5) in 1905.

At night before the conclusion of the Portsmouth peace, I did not sleep.

The worst state of a person when inside, in his soul, something twofold. Therefore, the weak should be relatively unhappy. On the one hand, the mind and conscience told me what a happy day, if tomorrow I sign a peace, but on the other hand, my inner voice tells you: "But you'll be much happier if destiny will prevents the conclusion of Portsmouth peace. They will blame you for everything. For no one will want to confess their sins, their crimes before the Fatherland and God. Even the Russian Tsar, and especially Nicholas II. "

I spent the night in some sort of fatigue, in a nightmare, in sobbing and praying.

Seeing the Americans thanking God with tears for the gift of peace, I had a question - what do they care about our Portsmouth world? And to this I had a clear answer: yes, because we are all Christians. When I left the church, the choir sang "God Save the Tsar", to the sound of which I made my way to the car and, when the anthem ceased, left.

In my deepest conviction, if the Portsmouth peace were not concluded, then there would be such external and internal catastrophes in which the Romanovs' house could not be kept on the throne.

– So it was scary? Because of this - a split? Because you did not sleep? Prayed? Was there a chance to evade the peace and to decisively modernize Russia without delay?
– Asked one of the listeners.
– Or the Portsmouth peace plus October 17, 1905 - is the salvation and renewal of Russia?

– Having returned to Petersburg and after October 17, 1905, having taken power, - continued S.Yu. Witte, - I clearly saw that in order for Russia (relatively safely) to survive the revolutionary crisis, and the Romanovs' house was not shaken, two things are necessary: to obtain by loan a large sum of money so as not to need money (in loans) for several years, and to return most of the army from Transbaikalia to European part of Russia.

Having money and the army, and then following in good faith the policy exactly according to the promises made by the manifesto on October 17, I was sure that in the end everything will calm down and get back to normal, for the life of 150 million people would require it.

I.L. Goremykin looked blankly somewhere into the sky. Involuntarily he remembered: "In 1906, the resignation of S..Y Witte was final."

– However ..., - S.Yu. Witte slightly doubted - the loan would be directed against Germany and would be contrary to the interests of France itself (and Russia).

The German Emperor Wilhelm II and (ex) Minister of Finance of Russia Ivan Pavlovich Shipov, who came to the cafe-library, exchanged views on the Russian alternative "foreign loan (and preservation of ruble exchange for gold) - or refusal to exchange credit tickets for gold (which reduces the need for foreign Loan). "

Minister of Finance I.P. Shipov expressed his point of view, being in a very gloomy mood:

– A short-term loan of 267 million francs does not solve the issue and does not eliminate the need to introduce compulsory paper circulation ... Some more favorable information from many state Chambers on the receipt of state revenues does not deserve much faith, since they can be replaced by the same catastrophic news that have been received...