Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The edict from Emperor Jiaqing was still on its way to Guangzhou, while Jiang Youxian had to continue entertaining the foreigners.

He even discovered that this Solang was really rich.

Although he came from a military background and was literate, even knowing a lot about the classics, he also came from a family of officials and merchants.

Although Solovyov himself would say that his family came from a "shady merchant" background and were very knowledgeable about smuggling, the understanding might have been somewhat distorted in the official circles of the Qing Dynasty.

Emperor Jiaqing granted the Russian delegation special permission to operate in Guangzhou, but there were still some restrictions on the number of people. Therefore, most of them were still on the ship, and they disembarked in batches. In addition, there were Qing Dynasty Green Standard Army soldiers on guard and observation.

These sailors all received wages, and they would spend money when they came ashore, especially since they would pay Russia with "double-headed eagle dollars," which had considerable purchasing power and were of good quality.

Much of the money they used was subsidized by Solovyov.

Who could blame him for his close relationship with a "female god of wealth"? Although Madame Récamier was merely a figurehead in the bank's operations, she could only find a representative as a shareholder on the board of directors of the Bank of France to speak on behalf of the bank that her family was restructuring.

Given that his family also possessed substantial wealth, it was only natural for him to provide subsidies to soldiers returning from military service.

Besides that, merchant fleets need to ship their goods here.

When Solovyov and Jiang Youxian were negotiating, Pan Youdu of Tongwenhang, the head of the Thirteen Factories, and Wu Bingjian of Jardine Matheson, who would later become very famous, were both present.

Tongwenhang was once the leader among the Thirteen Factories, but it was forced to close during the Jiaqing era due to a poor business environment. Now it has reopened and is named Tongfuhang.

Tong Wen Hang is also facing challenges from Yi He Hang, and even Pan Youdu is now forced to operate.

Moreover, the delegations from various countries were all arranged to stay at his home. Solovyov knew that such an apportionment would certainly be very costly, so he also gave him a draft from a French bank and found the governor and viceroy to witness it.

"If His Majesty the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty grants permission, our country can also trade in Guangzhou. We would appreciate the assistance of the General Merchants."

"Why does the Earl use a French draft?"

"Uh"

Officials in the Qing Dynasty all knew that Solovyov was a "flower general," even at 35 years old, he still looked like a "powdered young man." Moreover, judging from his wife and concubines, they were all very beautiful, so one could imagine that he was quite amorous.

But as for Lady Recamier's matter, Ney secretly chuckled when the translator sent it to him. The Qing officials now all knew about that kid's nickname.

Pan Youdu knew Europeans better than the Qing Dynasty officials. However, he had always talked about how to do business and discussed navigation with Europeans. His sons were all scholars, but not very good at business.

However, in terms of competition between Tong Wen Hang and Yi He Hang, he was still evenly matched.

Solovyov sought him out purely because, compared to Wu Bingjian, he was a genuine patriotic businessman.

Later, Tongfuhang's business declined, and then the Opium War broke out. Of the 200 million silver dollars donated by the family among merchants in Guangdong, 26 were still available. They donated the most, but also suffered the greatest property loss. The loss of their property even alarmed the Daoguang Emperor.

In the end, the total amount donated to the imperial court by this act of sacrificing family wealth to alleviate the crisis exceeded one million taels of silver.

In addition, during the banquet, Dong Jiaozeng inadvertently mentioned that the Pan family had actually tried to bribe the customs with 10 taels of silver to withdraw from the business.

There's still plenty of money to be made now, so why quit?

Later, Jiang Youxian even submitted a memorial to Emperor Jiaqing, reporting Pan Youdu's actions and ultimately forcing him to resume his duties.

Pan Youdu is now 61 years old. He is not young, but as the head of the General Chamber of Commerce and the richest man in Guangzhou, and the head of the four richest businessmen, he still has some ambition.

"I'd rather be a dog than a foreign merchant's boss." This shows that he actually had some aversion to the business that supposedly earned his father 6 million francs (according to a French magazine).

As for Wu Bingjian, he was unaware of the Pan family's affairs. Wu Bingjian's collusion with Elliot had caused Lord Lin considerable trouble. Being among the wealthiest men, there were some things that were best left unsaid, and it was perhaps not advisable to deal with him.

It's a pity that neither Jiaqing nor Daoguang were like Yongzheng, otherwise Solovyov would really like to see what happens in the future.

Staying at Pan Youdu's house is quite convenient.

Solovyov initially stayed at the governor's office, but when he stayed there, he didn't stay at the foreign merchants' guild hall. Instead, he stayed at the government's inn, since he was not too willing to have contact with the British. If they wanted to gather intelligence, they should go to someone else.

When family members come to stay in someone else's home, it is inevitable that they will cause some disturbance.

As for this foreign envoy, his knowledge of the situation in the Qing Dynasty was so advanced that it surpassed that of the previous British envoys, which was indeed unexpected.

Pan Youdu also gave them a warm welcome. When they arrived at his home, a small banquet was held, which was more like a family dinner.

Solovyov also asked his brother Anton and his two children to pay their respects to Pan Youdu.

"General Suo is at my home. There's no need for formal occasions. Just treat it as your own home."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Governor. You have already hosted me for two days in a row. I could not refuse your kindness. You also have to take charge of the General Chamber of Commerce. It is inevitable that I have troubled you."

"That's alright. The general is different from the foreigners of the past."

“How come you see?”

"Although the general has blond hair and blue eyes, and his wife has black hair and blue eyes, they are both well-mannered, quite different from the English envoy."

"Yes, I have also read some classics. As the chief merchant knows, Russia has been trading in Kyakhta for the past ten years or so. Those who came to buy books were all my ideas. My father also has a small but powerful official-merchant business in the Russian capital, specializing in managing the finances of nobles and veterans. Although I have learned some skills, I am often on military campaigns and have been highly regarded by two emperors. Therefore, the family business is to be passed on to my second brother, who is to pay his respects to the chief merchant, which is also a way of making connections."

Moreover, there was almost a backup. After Solovyov recounted his family's situation, Pan Youdu knew that he had encountered a major client. If he could introduce the regulations for trade in Guangzhou to Russia in front of the Emperor, with his family's fair trade and deep knowledge of Chinese classics, even if he handed over Tongwenhang to his sons in the future, their business would be more successful.

Moreover, he learned from the governor that he was a confidant of two generations of Russian monarchs, and that the current Russian monarch only has a daughter but no heir.

According to the system in Yue Fei's novels, he would be the deputy general of the Second King, while the Third and Fourth Kings were his students.
Mikhail has inadvertently become Jin Wuzhu.

Regardless of which brother the Russian monarch chooses to succeed him, he will always be given important responsibilities.

Of course, there were still some concerns, which Pan Youdu would also ask about.

"Your Majesty, how is the relationship between the brothers?" "Our Majesty has always been kind and benevolent, unwilling to inflict cruel punishments; moreover, the brothers are very loving, unlike the royal families of the West. Of course, there are some reasons for this. Think of it this way: the Second King has the wisdom of Taibo and Yuzhong, the Third King has the ability of Jizha, and although the Fourth King is young, he is extremely filial to his mother, elder brother and sisters."

He didn't need to worry about his wife, children, and younger brother's limited Chinese translation skills being able to understand these things when he told Pan Youdu these things; it was practically an encrypted conversation.

But Pan Youdu and his son understood perfectly. Their family was a family of scholars and officials; his elder brother was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Qianlong era, and his sons were all students. They could juggle officialdom and business without any problems, so Solovyov's encrypted communication was not difficult for them.

This means that the Russian emperor was a benevolent ruler, and also the kind of brother who was kind and respectful to his brothers. The second king had no intention of relinquishing the throne to his third brother, and the fourth king was a filial son. The family was very harmonious, and there was no need to worry about any succession issues.

At such times, revealing some internal Russian information to Qing officials and merchants would be considered as them spreading rumors, and the British wouldn't understand. Their level of understanding was limited to communication, and few of them were familiar with Confucian classics.

Even time travelers are divided into different classes. Someone as well-read as him could have a secret conversation with the Qing Dynasty's chief merchant, something that others probably couldn't do.

If you were to switch writers, they would probably have to cram at the last minute.

Nicholas himself didn't want to be a monarch; he was eagerly waiting for his second brother to return and become the Tsar, which was roughly equivalent to being Giza.

If this were to reach the ears of the Jiaqing Emperor later, it would all be a story of brotherly affection and respect.

However, given Jiaqing's lifespan, he probably wouldn't live to see the Decembrists' uprising in Senate Square, while Daoguang would likely be able to witness it.

Let the Qing Dynasty see that these "barbarians" are not all barbarians, but that's for later.

As for the greetings from the female relatives, Solovyov came with his wife, and Pan Youdu's side did not have much of a taboo. Each of them allowed their female relatives to meet, which was considered a relatively high level of etiquette.

Moreover, when dealing with such people, you always need to know what they want to do.

Pan Youdu also had other things he was curious about. Ney was a "Marshal of the Royal Guard" in France, and Solovyov, although young, was a veteran "General of the Army." They were both in the army, so discussing navigation might not be very meaningful. Instead, the situation in various European countries was more worthy of attention.

Moreover, encountering a foreigner who is fluent in Mandarin and has a basic understanding of poetry and literature would be a rare opportunity for communication.

Solovyov didn't drink alcohol. He just sat at the table and talked about his experience from being a fourteenth-rank military officer to a second-rank military officer. It was clear that he was a particularly calm and restrained person, unlike the foreigners of the past who all liked to drink.

He was also keeping an eye on the situation in Guangzhou and wanted to know more about the public information in order to inform his future activities in Guangzhou.

Russia's trade was still very important, especially the furs and medicinal herbs from North America, as well as various rare resources, which could be imported into China and generate huge profits.

He deeply resented British and American smugglers, not even because his family had worked in the smuggling business for Menshikov.

That was the inherent aversion, and even his father, Sergei, wanted to whitewash the family's history of being "shady merchants" in the next generation of his children and nephews.

Judging from the current situation, it is having some effect.

If they could join forces with Pan Youdu, it would be much easier to open the door to trade in Guangzhou.

Interestingly, among the foreign firms was Tongfu Foreign Firm, which was established a few years later. Its owner was an American, and it was one of the few foreign trading companies that did not smuggle opium through the Guangzhou port. They only did legitimate business.

There might be a touch of metaphysics in this name.

Pan Youdu, during the meal, seemed to be deep in thought as he learned about the situation in Russia.

Why has the general manager suddenly fallen silent?

"Although your country has a vast territory, no less than that of the Qing Dynasty, it is also sparsely populated, making trade inconvenient and transportation difficult. This is not a long-term solution."

"What the chief merchant says is very true. I would also like to offer a suggestion to Your Majesty: if there are railways and steamships, steam engines can be used to drive both land and water travel, which would save a lot of manpower."

“That makes some sense.” Wu Bingjian was able to invest in railroads in the United States in the future, and Pan Youdu, a wealthy businessman who was currently slightly ahead of him and was even actively learning about foreign affairs, must have understood the power of the steam engine.

Solovyov enjoyed chatting with insightful people, and seeing Pan Youdu's attitude, he offered his own thoughts.

"Why not build a railway in Shangbang as well? Shangbang is like our country, with a vast territory, but a large population, surpassing the rest of the world. If we can make travel between them convenient."

"General, you cannot know everything about China."

Solovyov's probing ultimately resulted in a speech like this from Pan Youdu.

He certainly understood the reasoning, but given the situation in the Qing Dynasty, unless the emperor could personally remove the obstacles from the civil officials and Manchu nobles, there were no favorable conditions for promoting railways.

"I understand, General Manager, there's no need for further explanation."

He also knew when to stop on certain issues.

Moreover, if we open a trading post in Guangzhou in Russia in the future, and Anton returns to Russia with me, and we get married, I will send someone to manage the family business in St. Petersburg.

When you come to Guangzhou, someone always needs to step in.

This kid has seen the world by following me, and he's the most suitable candidate.

His father also hoped that he could inherit the family business, and doing business was also his ambition. He wanted to establish trade relations with China's largest foreign trade company. I wonder if the skills this kid learned from his father can withstand the test.

Jiang Youxian did not arrange any further audiences. Solovyov mainly stayed at the Pan family's house, had some contact with Tong Wenxing, and began to purchase goods and replenish supplies in preparation for his upcoming journey to Tianjin.

Emperor Jiaqing's urgent courier service, which traveled 800 li, was delayed due to weather changes and took ten days to reach Guangzhou.

The imperial edict mentioned "the Russian envoy," and judging from the subsequent edicts, Emperor Jiaqing acknowledged the Russian envoy's attitude. Minor issues could be discussed after the envoy's journey north, before the audience in Beijing.

Importantly, after receiving the imperial edict, tribute ships of various countries were allowed to travel to Tianjin, and some warships were also permitted to come to Tianjin.

Solovyov also needs to make arrangements before heading north.

We even need to consider what to do if Dai Ying has a mental breakdown and does something unethical during typhoon season, causing trouble in the end. (End of Chapter)