Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

It was quite amusing that Emperor Jiaqing, observing the situation in Kokand, summoned Solovyov at this juncture.

Solovyov's side was entering the inner palace through the Yangxin Gate.

Even Chinese emperors probably worked and slept here.

Emperors typically worked from home, but the emperors of the Qing Dynasty had a rather unfortunate situation in this regard.

Unlike the Ming Dynasty, there were still people who could cultivate Taoism, stay at home, work as carpenters, or not do any manual labor.

The current Qing emperors, even during occasions like the Southern Tour, could still enjoy their travels. However, they still had to review memorials, hold meetings, and carry out official business.

This can be considered as a reflection of the unique national conditions of our Great Qing Dynasty.

Apart from the last three, they didn't have many opportunities to take power themselves.

Emperor Jiaqing was the first of the three even more miserable emperors who were on a downward spiral.

Now that he's seen these documents, he's also feeling overwhelmed.

But what about Solovyov? He was a foreign official, and there were many things that couldn't be discussed with him.

He put the memorials aside, came out of the small house next to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and received the Russian envoy in the front.

As for greetings, one should bow and remove one's hat.

"Foreign Minister Solovyov pays his respects to His Majesty the Great Emperor Bogda Khan of the Qing Dynasty."

The title, Bogda Khan, was Mongolia's recognition of the Qing emperor's status as the supreme ruler. This was also the title used by Russia in previous negotiations between the Qing and Russia.

As for the title of Great Emperor, this is how the Kazakh Khanate, several Hui tribes, the ignorant Kokand, and the oases of Bukhara and Khiva use it.

"Suo Qing, you may dispense with the formalities and come closer."

After exchanging greetings, Solovyov approached the Jiaqing Emperor.

The biggest difference between today and usual is probably that I didn't bring my walking stick.

Moreover, Solovyov was wearing a hat, which allowed him to get close to the Jiaqing Emperor.

"I received a report from Jiang Youxian, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. It says that when you set off north, you specifically requested a second-class warship to remain at Humen. Is this true?"

"Your Majesty believes that sending the entire fleet north to Tianjin would be too costly. Moreover, it would be inconvenient with the arrival of merchant ships and tribute ships from various countries. That is why I have this plan."

"But I also know that the commander you are to leave behind must avoid conflict, especially conflict between the British and our Great Qing's coastal defenses. Is that true?"

"Your Majesty, among the Western nations, only the British are fearless, thanks to their powerful navy with a thousand warships capable of roaming the seas. The other nations, preoccupied with their continental struggles and the British's isolated naval presence, are constantly at war. Since the reign of King Louis XIII of France, Austria and its powerful adversaries fought a thirty-year war over the issue of Islamic law, finally reaching an alliance and ending the conflict. More than 160 years have passed since then. During this time, battles have been constant, even involving our country. During the reign of the late Emperor Qianlong, the search for Amursana was pursued, but the Governor of Orenburg had secretly harbored him. My sovereign, however, is currently at war with the Turks and Prussia, and has no intention of offending the Emperor. Therefore, Amursana's body is being returned to set the record straight."

"I have read the account of my late father's Ten Great Military Achievements, and it is indeed true."

"However, at that time, the various countries were at odds with Prussia because of the rivalry between Britain and France. Russia and Austria were allies of France and thus formed alliances. All of this was due to the instigation of the British. In addition, the Prussian king's aunt was married to Britain, which led to a great war. During this period, the British, with their strong navy, seized no less than a thousand miles of French overseas territory."

This is difficult to describe in a short time. Jiaqing thought it sounded a bit like the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and hoped that the play would be performed at sea, which he found interesting.

"What happens after that?"

"Your Majesty, my father was still young at the time and had not yet joined the army. However, he was aware of the situation of the European war from the elders in the family. As for me, I joined the army and fought for twenty years. I have made considerable military achievements and was able to settle the war here."

He essentially gave Jiaqing a brief explanation of the Westphalian and Vienna systems, making it understandable for him in a Chinese way.

At least during the Spring and Autumn Period, there were indeed two peace talks where all parties began negotiations and eventually held a reconciliation meeting, which corresponds to this.

"And are Russia and France forming an alliance to fight against the British?"

"Your Majesty is wise; such a thing has indeed happened."

"Unexpectedly, the Western countries are still in the Spring and Autumn Period. It is truly a wonderful twist of fate."

Well, it seems that Jiaqing's understanding can be considered at the enterprise level.

After all, the act of lining up for executions still adheres to the laws of war.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, even warfare required "propriety."

"Your Majesty, I believe there are similarities and differences. The similarity lies in the cessation of hostilities, while the difference lies in the fact that the British are not very respectful and are stirring up internal strife."

"You may not know this, but this peace treaty is not something that can be achieved overnight. The State of Jin taught the State of Wu how to use chariots, while the State of Chu was not very peaceful either, having allied with the State of Qin. They went back and forth, and although the large-scale battles stopped, small-scale battles continued."

"Is it because Wu Chen was instructing Wu soldiers?"

"What a silver-tongued fellow, Suo Qing, who has been secretly learning from the classics!"

Beside him were a chief eunuch and civil officials who recorded the emperor's daily life; it seemed that all these things were to be documented.

Solovyov probably understood what it meant at this point, but he immediately slid to his knees.

"This humble subject is unsure whether I have made a mistake, and humbly requests Your Majesty's clarification."

"Lord Suo, you have done nothing wrong. Get up. I have already granted you permission to be exempt from kneeling, and I will not take it back."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jiaqing was also curious and wanted to get to the bottom of it to find out where Solovyov's knowledge came from.

After all, the Qing Dynasty still had some export controls on classics, histories, philosophical works, and various historical documents.

"Your learning is quite profound; you must be a diligent reader of poetry and books, and well-versed in military strategy. But I wonder, where did you acquire all this knowledge?"

“Your Majesty, I have served in the military since childhood and have long been familiar with European military strategy. However, my knowledge of the Central Plains is something I have only acquired through diligent study since I was sixteen. I was also ordered by Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager to teach Your Majesty’s brothers. Therefore, I have also studied the Book of Poetry, the Zuo Zhuan, the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Analects of Mencius.”

Why not study the Book of Changes?

“The Mandate of Heaven is unknowable, and the Book of Changes is difficult to understand, which is why I have not yet learned it.”

"If you were taking the imperial examination in my Great Qing Dynasty, you would probably suffer because you don't understand the Book of Changes."

"Your Majesty has discerning eyes, and I, your humble servant, sincerely admire you."

"Well, this place isn't bad," Solovyov said, somewhat flattering Jiaqing.

After all, the Book of Changes contains a lot of content and there are many commentaries throughout history. If the exam questions are related to this, it will be a big problem.

It's like the nine major volumes of the Four Books and Five Classics, but one of them is lame.

"Such flattering words were often said by Heshen to the late Emperor. You shouldn't imitate him. I've also heard that Heshen has some fame in the West. Is that true?" Hmm, Lord Heshen, this is a difficult topic to handle.

Solovyov's greatest strength was his quick thinking; after a moment's thought, he knew exactly what to say.

"Your Majesty, it is only because Macartney wrote more books after returning to his country that the Western countries also know the name of the Celestial Empire. Otherwise, they would not have sent envoys to pay tribute. As for the British, their intention is also to trade and make profits, but they have caused great harm to many people."

"There's no rush to discuss the matter of the British. I know you were once a guard, and you are intelligent and loyal. When serving the Russian emperor, you should have the abilities of Heshen, but don't be as greedy as Heshen."

"My family is of merchant origin, and I have witnessed the dismissal of favored ministers, so I naturally understand this principle. Moreover, my brother-in-law was harmed by treacherous ministers. If it weren't for His Majesty's pity for his talent and his special order to appoint an important minister to protect him, he would probably have met with misfortune as well."

Jiaqing was aware that Speransky was now serving as the Governor-General of Siberia.

At least they are people Solovyov knows, so it will be easy to contact them later.

"I know that, but as for your studies, where did you acquire your knowledge?"

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms can be obtained from merchants in Kyakhta, but it is merely a pastime. According to Prince Suvorov, the tutor of the foreign minister, the military strategies described in it are reasonable and contain tactics, but they are not suitable for generals."

"That makes some sense. On the battlefield, one must adapt to changing circumstances; one cannot simply follow the books blindly. Blindly believing in books is useless."

Solovyov is still avoiding the question of where his knowledge comes from.

When Jiaqing looked at him at this moment, Solovyov understood.

"Your Majesty, what I have learned comes from two sources. First, Western countries have acquired books from the Celestial Empire over the years and compiled them into volumes. Second, books from Japan, Vietnam, and other places have been obtained, but very few have been acquired in Kyakhta. Furthermore, when the Great Khan of the Yuan Dynasty went on his western expedition, he left his eldest son Jochi in Russia, which inevitably led to the westward spread of Eastern learning."

It's not surprising that people from the Ilkhanate received titles from the Yuan Dynasty, or that Syrian Christians held official positions in the Yuan central government.

Although Emperor Jiaqing had read many books, the History of Yuan was compiled during the Ming Dynasty and was somewhat shoddy, so he could not fully believe it.

But what Solovyov said was quite interesting.

He also found it somewhat interesting to chat with this envoy.

"Since that's the case, I won't pursue it any further. A scholar's pen is always of some use. If you like, Suo Qing, I will have the Hanlin Academy select some classics published during my late father's reign for you and your son, so that you can learn and apply them."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

As for the fact that Emperor Jiaqing was willing to bestow a book, he knew he couldn't stop him, and besides, there might be other talented people in the West as well.

Being lacking in skill level doesn't mean you can't understand.

Emperor Jiaqing belonged to this category. He understood the situation, but he lacked the ability to solve it, so he could only make minor adjustments, and many of his methods were still from the Qianlong era.

Talking with Solovyov, I learned that some books can circulate wherever Chinese characters are recognized.

However, he didn't know that if the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) stored in Jiangnan were all burned in the future, most of it could still be restored through the content copied by scholars in their daily lives.

Emperor Qianlong even allowed people to copy these classics. Although many books were destroyed, Lao Ji kept a catalog, and these copied books did help spread knowledge.

As for the Yongle Encyclopedia, Zhu Xi, who was uncultured but ordered its compilation, probably considered publishing it, but was dissuaded by cultured civil officials.

Later emperors were incompetent; apart from a few ministers who received imperial favors and borrowed one or two books, or at most a dozen or so, most books were simply copied and left to gather dust.

If the old Taoist priest hadn't liked the book and made another copy for it, the Yongle Encyclopedia might have been lost by the end of the Ming Dynasty.

At least in the Hanlin Academy, you can still find most of them now.

During the Boxer Rebellion, the Eight-Nation Alliance reached Dagu Fortress, aiming to support the Qing Dynasty and eliminate the foreign powers.
The British embassy was right next to the Hanlin Academy, which was destroyed by fire. It's a question of whether the blame should fall on the Qing government, the Boxers, or the British.

The matter of bestowing books will have to wait until later.

Now, Emperor Jiaqing is also interested in military intelligence from various countries.

He also knew that Solovyov wouldn't say much about Russia; at most, he would just explain the situation.

He talked a lot about the British.

Today, Emperor Jiaqing was reminded of the situation in Kokand and Central Asia by the report from General Changling of Ili.

But he wanted to ask anyway, and he wanted to test the waters.

"Now that you have obtained the 'true scriptures,' you should go back and study diligently. You have earned the trust of the Russian king, so I imagine that outside of battle, you will also be engaged in many educational activities, serving as a governor or prefect of a region."

"When I was on a campaign against the Rumi Turks, I also served as the civil official in Odessa and knew the reasons behind it."

"In that case, I must also ask you, Governor of Orenburg, how do you explain the incident where you sheltered Amursana in the past, which nearly led to disaster?"

"It was not the late emperor's intention, but because Orenburg and Siberia are remote, he ordered the governor and governor to make the decision themselves."

Solovyov made it very clear here, even revealing what Muravyov had done.

However, Muravyov probably won't have the chance to become governor of Eastern Siberia. Solovyov is old enough that if he can live long enough to gain the Tsar's trust, he can manipulate the personnel arrangements of the governors of remote areas.

Moreover, Solovyov could guess that Jiaqing's inquiry about Orenburg involved some aspects of Central Asia.

"And what are the powers of the Governor of Orenburg?"

"He has the authority of a governor-general and also manages the Lesser Horde. The Greater Horde is entirely under the Emperor's control, and all its people are under the jurisdiction of the Ili General. In the Middle Horde, there are still several independent sultans. The Governor-General of Orenburg also has the authority to liaise with these tribes, as well as with Kokand, Khiva, and Bukhara to the south."

In short, both the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia tacitly divided up many parts of Central Asia, each confirming their spheres of influence and territorial boundaries.

Moreover, Solovyov was only stating established facts.

Emperor Jiaqing's question soon followed.

"Does Lord Suo know anything about the Kokand Khanate?"

“The foreign official knows this.”

"I also want to hear you speak about the affairs of Kokand."

"Why does Your Majesty need to inquire about a small, arrogant, greedy, and violent country like Yi Yilang?"

If we ask the question in reverse, Jiaqing also knows that the other party probably knows quite a bit.

“It is precisely because it is a greedy and despicable small country that I am asking this question. According to what you have said, the Russian ruler must also deeply resent such a small country.”

"Indeed. When I served as a guard, I moved with the king to the summer palace. I heard the envoy from Shiva talk about Kokand and knew that it was harboring criminals and plotting treason."

Solovyov knew quite a bit about this history, which gave him more room to maneuver; he could actually tell Jiaqing some of the facts. (End of Chapter)