My inner voices came to a consensus and the majority decided to write this particular book. There is clearly no chance for riveters and crocodiles here. The usual story is about how the personality of a contemporary disappears into some historical period. And I will amuse myself by, as always, re-caulking and re-interpreting what happened then. Because the History that we taught starting from school is still constantly changing from decade to decade. And authenticity is re-authenticated and the heroes of past eras are re-heroed by everyone and everything. In the end, here I am the demiurge and that means it will be in my opinion, and not in Lenin’s or Gorbachev’s way. Those who disagree have every right to float away en masse to other books for the shoals there. Oh, my fault, they walk in the literary sea, not swim! In general (for the remaining one and a half navvies) we will find ourselves in the time of Paul the First...