The "peace" achieved through the barrel of a gun is ultimately temporary. Even a hard-liner like Stolepin knows that as long as the military remains loyal to the Tsar and the government, the crowd of rioters can double in size but will not evolve into a real revolution. However, if the situation continues to deteriorate, military loyalty is bound to waver sooner or later, and once the support of the army is lost, the country will rapidly plunge into the Abyss of destruction.
There are only two options to avoid destruction.
One is for the Tsar to make concessions to the people, implement constitutional reform, and show goodwill to the populace;
The other is for the Duchy to compromise with the Empire, accept the Empire's offer, and obtain the Empire's aid to overcome the current crisis.
Neither choice will be greeted with ease or joy by Stolepin or the entire Duchy government.
