Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Solovyov did want to write a play, but he didn't have the time.

Afterwards, negotiations will continue with Tuojin, Zhang Xu, and others.

The negotiations actually took place inside the Prince Qing's residence, and Solovyov's mission also included demarcating the border.

Now that he can make his own decisions, there aren't any major problems.

The territorial issue between Russia and the Qing Dynasty was a very sensitive one.

Within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the existing borders are advocated, some people within Russia still hold very strong opinions.

They believe that the Russian Cossack expedition had reached the middle reaches of the Amur River and clashed with the Qing Dynasty there.

Initially, the Russian expedition caused a lot of trouble for the Qing army, but later the Qing army successively mobilized troops and even brought in archers and musketeers from Korea, and finally drove the Russians out of the area.

This was just the initial encounter; the next battle would be against Yaksa.

Of course, there are historical precedents for Russians interfering in other people's affairs.

Solovyov could also recall some things from later on, such as the Indians' tendency to cause trouble, the insatiable Japanese, and those netizens who made noise online, whether they were paid to sow discord or not.

It is quite normal for territories to be fixed between two neighboring countries.

Having previously passed the Treaty of Nerchinsk and the Treaty of Burinsky, the dividing line between the Qing Dynasty and Russia in the central and eastern sections had been fixed.

What remains is only a small part of the west, and the undisputed area along the Udi River.

Before the trip even began, hardliners claimed that the dividing line should be drawn to the Amur River.

Solovyov scoffed at this idea; they weren't going to the front lines to fight, nor were they going to negotiate.

Solovyov thought that as long as he held power, he would never do something so absurd, like Muravyov did.

After all, Russia's investments in the Far East have all been unprofitable, yielding no benefits and even generating resentment.

It's truly ironic that someone who only gained fame for himself was able to amass wealth enough to retire in Paris.

Those nobles who lost money, and the peasants who preferred to flee rather than stay in the Far East, are examples of this.

If the Qing Dynasty had allowed activities along the river, it would have allowed refugees and Han Eight Banners who had left their homeland to control the areas along the Ussuri and Heilongjiang Rivers.

Even a village brawl would be enough to give anyone who dared to come over a hard time.

Unfortunately, the Qing Dynasty was slow to make changes in this regard.

At this point, it's impossible to say what would happen to a Han Chinese dynasty.

Even when waging war against the Dzungars and the Hui people, it was only because Emperor Qianlong was pressured by his Manchu and Han officials that he finally overruled their objections and pacified those areas.

If it were a Han Chinese dynasty, probably only a few emperors would have done this and gone all the way.

As for such a large territory, it was indeed the Qing Dynasty that first established a fixed rule over it.

At this point, it was difficult to say which side Solovyov was on. He ultimately made up his mind to proceed with the current border demarcation negotiations.

As for Tuojin and Zhang Xu, no one knows what they're up to.

Furthermore, the treaty signed by the two countries specifically defined the current border areas between them, as well as the northwestern frontier, which is of common concern, and their respective current territorial boundaries.

"General Suo, what is the reason for this?"

"According to the border demarcation between Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng and our country, the border should be re-surveyed to prevent evildoers from acting in the future."

Solovyov then explained that although the current governor of Siberia was his brother-in-law, he was a skilled administrator who did not like to cause trouble.

But it's hard to guarantee that there won't be people like that in the future, especially those who take advantage of others in their vulnerable moments.

Because the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, the Governor-General of Siberia, and the Governor-General of Orenburg, along with the newly established Governor-General of Russian America and the Governor-General of Roseburg in North America, were all far from the Russian capital, they needed some degree of autonomy to discuss various matters.

Speaking of which, looking at the territory reported by the Russian envoy, it includes not only the deep forests of Siberia, but also the mountains where the sun never sets during the Yuan Dynasty. Moreover, Russia has more than one place where the sun never sets at night.

Judging from the current situation, they have "occupied" at least half of the Arctic Circle.

That was indeed very large, and the fact that the Earth was a sphere was something that Qing Dynasty officials actually knew to some extent.

It was probably even larger than the Qing Dynasty, but much of it was wasteland, so the Qing Dynasty actually controlled more territory.

In fact, the way the Qing Dynasty governed its people, no matter how much they were called "Tartars" or subjected to various labels, was still much better than in many other parts of the world at that time.

In the Ming Dynasty before, there were those who wished all the refugees would starve to death, such as Yang Sichang, the son of Yang He, who was a decent man.

Compared to being beheaded, Hong Chengchou, who was constantly suppressing bandits, probably revealed himself to be inhuman in every way except for being headless. At least beheading him was a quick and painless end.

After Solovyov explained, Tozin kept tactically stroking his beard.

"What the general says is not without reason."

Furthermore, Russia would provide convenience to Qing Dynasty merchants, and if necessary, they could establish trading posts within Russia. However, once they arrived in Russia, they would be subject to the management of the governors-general and their subordinate officials in various parts of Russia.

There were also corresponding preferential policies for the Qing Dynasty, and Solovyov was clearly trying to stir things up.

If Russia had three ports to trade with, then Shanxi merchants from the north of the Qing Dynasty would have come running just because they smelled the silver.

According to Emperor Jiaqing, the Qing Dynasty was a land of abundant resources.

However, it should also be considered that while the Qing Dynasty may have had some things, it was still relatively lacking.

Some traveling merchants could import timber from abroad if their homes were short of it locally.

Moreover, Solovyov really wanted to do business with teak from Myanmar, which is a top-quality material for decking.

Now, Britain will probably take action against Myanmar soon.

The British, you know, they just go for whatever smells good.

Next, if he could do well in all aspects of business, he even considered using diplomacy to encircle British territories in India.

However, such a grand concept also presents some challenges.

Solovyov himself was aware of this, which is why he wanted to resolve the Qing Dynasty issue.

Trade was already approved by the Jiaqing Emperor, and now it needs to be reaffirmed, rather than the original demarcation of borders.

Unable to figure out what he was up to, Tuojin submitted another memorial to Jiaqing.

Dong Gao and Lu Yinpu were not involved in the negotiations; they still had a lot of work to do at the Grand Council.

After seeing the memorial in Tozin, I still couldn't understand what kind of confusing operation the Russians were up to.

This is not even a unified opinion within Russia. Although the Tsar, the Foreign Minister, and many others advocate for the current borders, there are restless individuals within Russia who may do something unpredictable.

Solovyov was taking a great risk, but Jiaqing didn't say anything after this point was reconfirmed. After all, as long as the north was stable, the matter would be resolved. However, the re-demarcation of the border involved some non-contiguous areas, and this perplexing operation was quite puzzling.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the Russian envoy is intentionally trying to curry favor. Whenever the British are impatient, the Russian envoy is always patient; whenever the British are rude, the Russian envoy is always obedient; the British often act aggressively outside of the Celestial Empire; but the Russian envoy now seems to value peace above all else."

"If that's the case, how should we respond?"

"Your Majesty need not worry. Although Suolang is a general, he is also a loyal and honest man. If this is a precedent, there must be something going on. Your Majesty, why don't you summon him again tomorrow and ask him to explain? Last time, this old minister also saw him at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. I wonder what he wanted to discuss?"

"His words were quite clever. A general should be knowledgeable in astronomy and geography. Suo Qing is indeed familiar with geography, just like Deng Ai in the Three Kingdoms."

"If that's the case, he must be someone who is well-versed in geography and capable of drawing maps on his own."

Although Dong Gao was old, as an elder, he was still able to offer some valuable experience.

"If that is the case, I believe that he should be summoned again in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, as I just said."

"Fine, it's alright if he comes."

In fact, Jiaqing also knew that Yonglin's report mentioned that the Russian and French envoys could move around in the capital under the guidance of the receiving officials.

Ney stayed at the place in Haidian where he was entertained and did not come into the city.

Solovyov, on the other hand, took his half-brother to the theater.

Yi Yu also noted that he had some insights into traditional opera.

If we were to create more historical dramas, using stories from the Three Kingdoms, Sui and Tang Dynasties, the late Tang and Five Dynasties, and the Song Dynasty to educate the people, that would be a viable approach.

After all, people in ancient times had a simple sense of right and wrong.

Moreover, although the Qing Dynasty engaged in literary inquisitions, it was quite lenient towards opera.

Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to keep seeing Ming Dynasty costumes on stage, and the stories of Yue Fei's Northern Expedition and Jin Wuzhu's battles would never have been banned.

Even when it comes to evaluating Yue Mafa as a military general and the Martial Saint, there were still quite a few Manchus within the Qing Dynasty who supported him.

However, in the end, Guan Mafa was still more popular.

Even the drastically altered operas of the Ming Dynasty were not uncommon.

By the late Qing Dynasty, there were probably even more.

Sometimes, even ordinary people on the streets of ancient times, or old farmers toiling in the fields, would develop their own sense of right and wrong after listening to storytelling.

It's easy to tell which family is good and which is bad.

It seems that even before the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Cao Cao's reputation was already extremely bad.

Sima Yi's own descendants despised his actions.

By the Song Dynasty, people also disliked these two pale-faced men.

Cao Cao still had a red mark on his forehead. In his early years, he was considered a loyal subject. After all, he dared to cause trouble for Grand Tutor Dong and even planned to trade one for one. He was a brave man.

Finally, he killed Empress Fu and left Emperor Xian of Han his three daughters as a lifeline.

It's not that Sima Yi was disloyal to Cao Pi and Cao Rui, but what he did later was clearly excessive, even worse than Cao Cao.

In modern times, some people have started to be unconventional and have started to promote all sorts of strange and nonsensical things.

By the Qing Dynasty, this had become a consensus.

In this ideological context, a high degree of unity has been achieved across all aspects.

To create a play for moral education, and incidentally, to satisfy one's theatrical cravings during the New Year—this was the Qing Dynasty emperor; you wouldn't believe it.

After all, Emperor Jiaqing didn't have much time to listen to operas. Besides writing poetry, it was his only hobby, and he was quite good at it.

He had a reason, but it was something Jiaqing kept to himself; he didn't dare to reveal it casually.

As for Solovyov, he was also waiting for the Qing court's reply after this round of negotiations.

It would be a good thing if everything at the border were fixed.

If there is a legal basis for this, then it will be a situation beyond his control.

As long as the Heilongjiang General and the Jilin General aren't two idiots, even if they're as cowardly as Yishan, as long as they bring out the contents of this treaty, there's still room for maneuver.

Solovyov was extremely concerned about the relationship between Russia and the Qing Dynasty.

He had no idea that later there would be a chemist who would tinker with the periodic table of elements, and who, after the Eight-Nation Alliance reached Dagu during the Boxer Rebellion, actually advocated for an alliance between Tsarist Russia and the Qing Dynasty.

Regardless of the action, it demonstrates through its actions that Russia is the birthplace of abstract art.

However, there was no response from the Grand Councilors or princes.

Yonglin went to the palace to meet with the Jiaqing brothers, and they finally made a decision.

Solovyov was to be summoned again, this time to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Moreover, Yonglin explained the situation in advance when he returned.

"General Suo, this time the Emperor and the high-ranking officials want to ask you about the current situation and your opinion."

"His Majesty just summoned his ministers not long ago, what is the reason for this? Your Highness, you must give me an explanation."

"Or is it that you're acting a bit strangely? Who redefines the boundaries? Even the Emperor was puzzled after reading Master Tuo's memorial, which is why he summoned you to the palace for an audience."

Good heavens, Solovyov thought to himself, this Jiaqing Emperor is making me work for nothing.

However, he was not Maria. When Solovyov worked for the Grand Duchess in the palace, he was somewhat influenced by the fact that she was a young girl and the daughter of her boss.

The Jiaqing Emperor was just a big, fat man, a nice person, but he had no subordinate relationship with him.

Solovyov knew that he had to step in and solve the problem himself.

This time, we might have to take some risks and reveal our hand.

It's not like Machi who accepted Russian silver rubles and lost all of Lao Duozi's achievements.

What he wants to explain here is actually Solovyov's biggest objective on this trip.

The secret treaty concluded between Russia, France, and the Qing Dynasty was a defensive alliance aimed at Britain's future activities in East Asia.

It should be noted that France had interests in both India and Vietnam, while Russia, after signing the trade treaty, also gained its own interests in Guangzhou.

At this juncture, if the British were to further expand in Southeast Asia and dump opium into the Qing Dynasty, it would greatly harm the common interests of France, Russia, and the Qing Dynasty.

At this critical juncture, a showdown is inevitable. (End of Chapter)