Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

"To strengthen coastal defense, warships should be stationed at key locations."

Solovyov was able to bring his adjutant this time, so he also brought a map with him.

After removing the ship models, he began drawing on the map using red and blue pencils.

"What is the reason for this, Suo Qing?"

"Your Majesty, when I served as an adjutant under my mentor Prince Suvorov, I was skilled in map work and had to pay close attention to everything. Later, when I served as a military advisor on several occasions, I was the same."

Emperor Jiaqing almost couldn't help but laugh. If he joined the army, wouldn't Solovyov be a fully equipped Ma Su?

However, he marked it on the map like this: some of the Grand Councilors had also worked in the Ministry of War.

Unexpectedly, Solovyov knew everything about the layout of the forts along the coastline from Guangzhou all the way to Dagukou.

Such photographic memory and meticulous mind—it's a pity he's not a Qing Dynasty military commander, but a Russian one.

Lin Zexu, who was watching from the side, was not surprised. He looked at these strategic locations.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellencies, please look at this picture."

After Solovyov finished marking, he took out his riding crop and pointed out each mark on it.

“Nikola, you’ve put all the model ships out at sea.”

He would then send a signal in Russian to Prince Nicholas, Andrei's son.

The adjutants he brought were either his own brothers or the sons of his friends; there were very few adult adjutants who came this time.

This is also due to Russia's apprenticeship system. Starting from the time of Peter the Great, Russian generals often taught their followers or relatives. This "master-apprentice" system is also a Russian characteristic.

After the ship models were set up, Solovyov explained, “Although the British fleet also has a main force on its home turf, it usually deploys in squadrons or companies, with these first-class warships as its main force. However, the Celestial Empire is too far from the British, and large warships are too costly. Now, we will mainly use third-class warships as the main force, with escort ships patrolling various locations. Eight to twelve ships will form a squadron, with several hundred men on each ship, each equipped with dozens of ‘general’ cannons, making them extremely powerful. With the Celestial Empire’s current navy, we can still cope by using fire ships to assist in defending various forts. However, the British also have warships. If each ship carries a battalion of men, twenty ships would be twenty battalions, with as many as ten thousand soldiers, or as few as several thousand. Nikolai, bring the soldiers.”

When Nikolai opened the box and took out the soldier, Lin Zexu, who was still a passionate scholar at the time, asked a question.

"General Suo, you are engaged in battle with the British, who have come from afar with exhausted troops. The Celestial Empire has troops stationed everywhere; isn't this a perfect strategy of waiting in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out?"

"In a normal war, Shao Mu's words would make some sense. However, the British have extensive territories in India and outposts in Malacca. Their ability to come from so far must be based on something. Moreover, the Dutch have territories in Southeast Asia, which were forcibly occupied by the British for twenty years, and they are deeply entrenched there. Their mobilization of troops, back and forth, and the mobilization of supplies from various places, along with the convenience of sea transport, mean that even if the Celestial Empire has a million strong army, they will all be on land and will have to defend various places, so they cannot concentrate their forces in one place."

As they were talking, little Nicholas had already taken out the toy soldiers.

"These are the British infantrymen, dressed in red uniforms and wearing military caps, equipped with a musket, a bayonet, and sixty rounds of ammunition. If they are elite soldiers, they are called 'grenadiers.' The Russian army has soldiers who throw incendiary devices and 'thunderbolts,' and the British also have them."

He arranged the infantrymen into rows, placing them on the sea off Guangzhou as shown on the map.

Emperor Jiaqing was far away, so it wasn't convenient for him to see the emperor.

Therefore, he also had to get closer to see, and both Tuojin and Donggao made way for the emperor.

After all, he was the second fattest emperor in the history of the Qing Dynasty, according to his portrait.

Ahead of us is Huang Taiji, a fierce warrior charging into battle.

Emperor Jiaqing was a large, chubby man who always took up more space.

Solovyov arranged the twenty-four soldiers in three rows, thus completing the battle formation.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellencies, Humen is an extremely important place. If we strengthen the defense of the forts, the British, if they do not send warships, can at most destroy the forts, and the battle may even be a draw, but they will not be able to win. However, the British have infantry coming, and their discipline is strict. The soldiers are all afraid of the harsh laws of their officers and soldiers, and they fight bravely. It is very difficult to defeat them."

Solovyov himself, however, won; his situation was somewhat different.

"If their troops come, they will use a large force to attack the forts and block the gates. With the Green Standard Army's fighting strength, if I may be frank, it will be difficult to win. Even if they concentrate their elite troops in one place, the British will come back and forth, looking for weak points in the defenses at sea, or they will deploy troops and concentrate them in one place. If they do this, without a navy to defend against the enemy, even a million-strong army cannot win."

"In your opinion, where should we assign them?"

"Your Majesty, I have come with three strategies. If Your Majesty is interested, whichever of the three is acceptable, adopt it; the one not adopted, discard it."

"Minister Suo, I would also like to hear the details."

Although Emperor Jiaqing was not very capable, he was able to listen to advice, which could be considered a strength.

Even though Hong Liangji berated him so badly, he didn't send this foul-mouthed censor to the execution ground; in the end, he was dismissed from his post and sent home.

"Firstly, strengthening coastal defense is of paramount importance. The British have been coming for an unknown period of time. If the Celestial Empire were to ban opium during their large-scale smuggling, a major war could break out. Currently, the key strategic locations are Humen, Xiamen, Dinghai, Zhenhai, Wusongkou, Zhenjiang, Jiangning, Dagukou, and Jiaodong, as well as Liaodong. These are all crucial points. We should diligently train our troops and practice defensive tactics. This is a routine defensive measure. Does Your Majesty approve?"

"I have discussed this matter with my ministers. The relevant departments and governors-general can handle it. It is a common practice. Since you have mentioned it, I am aware of it."

Emperor Jiaqing was quite receptive to advice; indeed, some of the Qing dynasty's troops, though reduced to their current strength, were still capable of fighting again.

The Green Standard Army reorganized its military strength during the Qianlong era and achieved a certain degree of recovery.

The situation was similar for the Eight Banners troops.

However, during the Jiaqing era, it began to decline again.

But with this level of skill, beating up a few Central Asian warlords wouldn't be a problem.

However, it was clearly not enough to deal with the British.

The first point is merely a requirement.

Then Solovyov pointed to the warship and said, "The second point is to recruit soldiers and instructors, but not from our own country. Those from Western countries who have a great feud with the British should be hired as barbarian officials to teach day and night. If possible, we can also recruit soldiers and generals from various countries, grant them land or provide them with food and pay, and teach and train them from time to time, and station them in strategic locations."

No sooner had Solovyov finished speaking than Tozin spoke up.

Qingpu and Suleng'e were of lower rank, so the Manchu officials still had to speak up for them.

"General Solovyov is mistaken. Recruiting soldiers from various barbarian tribes is something we have never seen before in our Celestial Empire. If you were to serve as a guest general and train the troops, in my opinion, you might be trustworthy. However, the other barbarian officers seem problematic. Your Majesty, this point seems inappropriate." Tozin was still very polite to Solovyov. In his eyes, if this young man hadn't joined the army and been appointed an officer at the age of fifteen, he would have been a well-rounded scholar-general, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and his words were also agreeable. Moreover, he was familiar with the culture of the Celestial Empire.

Others are all foreigners, and they don't even know how to speak Mandarin. How can they be instructors?

"This shows that Your Excellency is unaware that the British have stirred up more hatred."

Solovyov then went on to talk about which European countries Britain had fought against.

Apart from Portugal, which Britain saved from Spain and France, all the others had been defeated.

Even Sweden, with whom they had a good relationship, almost came to blows.

Denmark, a country with which they have relatives, was attacked twice.

Portugal should be grateful to Britain for saving its life, but because of the long-term British military presence in Portugal, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with Britain among the Portuguese people.

Needless to say, the British have done other heinous and immoral things elsewhere.

"In addition, although Ireland was British territory, the red-haired people there suffered greatly under British rule. Their plight was so dire that even the British princes could not bear to see it and often pleaded with Parliament to implement good policies. However, the votes all rejected good policies and forcibly changed their faith, turning the Catholic Church into the national church. As a result, the red-haired people were full of resentment. So much so that the Regent had a woman he loved, but he could not marry her because of the religious issue."

Good heavens, even the Regent himself was a victim. It's fair to say that British rule is utterly inhumane.

"In that case, Lord Suo must be recruiting the Red Barbarians as soldiers to resist the British."

"Your Majesty is wise; this is exactly what your humble servant has been discussing."

Solovyov pulled out another map.

"This is a map of the British homeland. The Admiral Kron, whom I have stationed at Humen, is the son of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy guarding our capital. Originally a Scotsman, he was poor in his youth but loved naval warfare. In the British Navy, he once commanded a sixth-class frigate. However, in the British, promotions require bribery, and Kron had no money, so he had to join our army. He subsequently distinguished himself in battle, repeatedly defeating enemy ships at sea, and thus attained the rank of Zhenhai Baturu and First-Class Admiral of the Navy. His Majesty also granted him land, so he was deeply grateful and his entire family pledged allegiance to His Majesty. The Scottish people have always been brave and warlike, but in the past they have not been put to use. In recent years, because the British need large armies to wage war everywhere, they have recruited his soldiers to be used in major battles. People like Ireland often starve to death in the fields and have no choice but to scatter and wander overseas. I, your humble servant, feel that he has a deep hatred for the British and can be used."

Emperor Jiaqing did not speak. After thinking for a while, he nodded in agreement.

Solovyov said that the British were extremely immoral in controlling the people, and even the regent and the princes taking wives and the princesses getting married were criticized.

This involves the issues of George III and Parliament. Jiaqing even felt that Britain's current approach had no future.

But Jiaqing only nodded in agreement; Solovyov still wanted to see what the other officials thought.

It was Dong Gao who spoke up this time. The old man was always considering the deeper issues: "The Red Barbarians and the British Barbarians can be said to have four great hatreds. However, among the British troops, there are still Red Barbarians. How can this be explained? General Suo's words are good, but how to deploy them is also a big matter. Your Majesty, in my old minister's opinion, we still need to consider it carefully and not act rashly."

"Your Excellency's concerns are quite valid. However, I also know that the Red Barbarians are confined to island nations, where the land is mostly inferior, and they have no land. If the Celestial Empire has areas for reclamation, the Eight Banners members who have left the capital can return to the Eight Banners outside the Great Wall to cultivate the land. There are also Irish Red Barbarians living together, who can cultivate new fields in various wastelands. The land they cultivate will be granted as official land, and those who join the army will also be given military pay. The Red Barbarians have always been brave and skilled in battle, and they will surely serve the Celestial Empire to the death, and will not fail His Majesty's great grace."

The reasoning is this: the Irish were indeed badly taken advantage of by the British.

In addition, Solovyov also mentioned that there were still some Russians within the Eight Banners.

Within the Bordered Yellow Banner, there is now a Zuo Ling (military officer).

Some Cossacks in Siberia were indeed quite troublesome, and Solovyov wanted to pack them up and send them to Jiaqing.

The number of troops under this commander was relatively small compared to the number of Cossacks who could come.

Moreover, the Qing army lacked cavalry units whose combat capabilities were closer to those of modern armies.

It's not that Mongolian cavalry is incompetent; after all, times have changed, and tactics have undergone a complete transformation.

The Tsar agreed with this.

After all, some restless Cossacks can be quite troublesome in their own country.

Sending them out in a package is simply a change in their Gatesman from Tsar to Qing Dynasty Emperor.

Even the original Cossack hairstyle still retains some of the style of the steppe.

But this still needs to be discussed.

As for the instructors in various naval units, Jiaqing knew that Solovyov intended to sell the ships, and at a friendly price at that.

The warships on this long voyage might not necessarily be sold; they'll still be useful for hauling cargo back.

However, Surcouf's French merchant fleet consisted entirely of armed merchant ships, which was more than capable of dealing with the pirates, large and small, in the vicinity.

Moreover, Sukoff was originally a pirate.

With an instructor familiar with ocean voyages, there's no problem.

Moreover, the main force of missionaries around Jiaqing was French, so Nan Mide could also play a role here, acting as a translator for the Qing army.

He must have some knowledge of navigation to have traveled this far, which would make translation easier.

Solovyov strongly recommended naval officers from Denmark and Spain.

The naval officers and soldiers of these two countries also had grudges against the British.

Although Emperor Jiaqing agreed with this opinion, he remained silent out of respect for the Celestial Empire.

Basically, it was just Dong Gao and Tuojin talking. However, knowing that the Red Barbarians themselves were also excellent laborers, and that the Cossacks would bring their own horses, and that Russia could import horses from Kyakhta and Tarbagatai to the various garrison generals, the Qing Dynasty's horse administration could be improved.

Russia also had a great demand for goods from the Qing Dynasty, which naturally revitalized the trade. Moreover, compared to the British, Russia could see a return on its investment. In addition, Solovyov's faction advocated friendship with the Qing Dynasty and wanted to join forces to deal with the British, which made Jiaqing feel more at ease.

"Your words are very good, but these are only two strategies. What about a third strategy?"

"Your Majesty," the foreign minister said, "I believe that a secret treaty should be concluded, unknown to the outside world. Only the envoys of various countries, their own prime ministers, Your Majesty, the King of France, and our sovereign should know of it. No one else should be informed. If the British invade the Celestial Empire, then Russia and France should form an alliance to defeat them." (End of Chapter)