Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 103 003 The Tsar is dissatisfied with the naval vessels

At the Kronstadt naval base on Kotlin Island, Tsar Paul was very dissatisfied when he saw the condition of the navy's large warships.

Unlike the Black Sea Fleet which has daily duties, the Baltic Fleet has to stay in the naval port once the sea freezes.

The Baltic Sea itself has a relatively low salt content, and will definitely freeze over during the coldest time of winter, which is even worse than the Norwegian coast which is protected by warm currents.

He came to inspect these large warships of the navy because Russia's current finances are not sufficient to maintain a large army while also having a huge navy that is always in the port and does not bring any benefits.

Although the Baltic Fleet is very important and protects the Russian capital, Paul still has many aspects to consider.

Although he had no immediate plans to change, he was shocked by the poor maintenance of Kotlin's large warships. After all, the naval budget he allocated was enough to point out the most basic, and he had a deeper relationship with the Navy Department. During the decades as Crown Prince, he served as a minister here.

When he was in charge of the Navy Department, the budget was not cut so drastically.

Paul was also very angry with Admiral de Ribas, the Spaniard. This was the case in terms of official duties. In the past, as the mentor of Count Bobulinski, he himself behaved dissolutely, but was very strict with his students. In terms of personal character, he did not conform to the spirit of the Knights Templar that Paul wanted.

Although the count did not complain to the Tsar, the current Minister of the Navy and Minister of Forestry had already made Paul very dissatisfied.

From a financial perspective, it can be openly said that many Russian bureaucrats have problems, including the aristocratic leaders and local governors. Many of them have huge expenses on the one hand and huge consumption on the other. In this way, they make money from the local areas and take money from the budget. There are many nobles who do these things.

A few local aristocratic leaders, because they are wealthy, may disdain such deductions. For example, Count Kuleshev, deputy chairman of the Naval Committee, has the right to inherit a huge fortune of 1000 million rubles because he married the niece of the Imperial Prime Minister. This is only a small part of the huge fortune of the Imperial Prime Minister.

He didn't care, and he wouldn't covet the navy's military budget for ports and warships. This was a small amount of money, but it was also a life-threatening expense, and it was impossible to touch it. In addition to some people saying that he was an old cow eating young grass, marrying a 46-year-old yellow-haired girl at the age of 16 (the key point is whether this yellow-haired girl is a beauty or a wealthy woman), only the Tsar himself expressed dissatisfaction with this unequal marriage, believing that Countess Liubov Bezborodko was completely worthy of a young officer, and Count Kuleshev was already very rich.
However, Count Kuleshev's management of the navy could not be said to be successful. With Admiral Ushakov in charge of the Black Sea Fleet, obviously nothing would go wrong.

Coupled with the sick and hands-off Admiral Kutuzov, the management of the Russian Navy was actually very poor.

The admiral's surname, in full, is Golenishchev-Kutuzov. This is actually a large family. Mikhail Kutuzov also has a Russian double surname. They are all relatives.

The fat old man had recently bought a new house on Palace Embankment (now 30 Kutuzov Embankment, the road had no name at that time), which is considered a relatively new urban area in St. Petersburg.

Paul was very dissatisfied with these things. He was still angry when he left Kotlin Island. It was already late at night when he returned to the palace, so he did not follow the usual schedule, but went straight back to the bedroom.

The next morning, Solovyov was on duty. He had not rested at all the day before. After performing for the young girls, the Crown Princess asked a lot of questions, mainly about classification in botany.

Solovyov was now confused by Mr. Linnaeus's classification method, mainly because his Latin was only half-baked.

This gentle princess is indeed unforgettable. If Mario stepped on Bowser to rescue Princess Peach, that would be Peach, and this princess should be Her Royal Highness Almond. But this is a secondary factor. The main problem is Latin.

As for China, although there are some discussions on pharmacopoeia and there are signs of taxonomy, it has not yet started the detailed research on plant and animal taxonomy and the basic analysis of some chemical substances like Europe.

It can be said that on the eve of a scientific explosion, even a noble woman living in the deep palace could learn a lot from the books she had.

This princess is more suitable to be a female scholar, just like the dean of the Petersburg Academy before. She gets along well with him and even exchanges experiences in raising children.
Who allowed Solovyov to take the role of babysitter at home? And when Maria pulled him over last time, he even demonstrated what position would make the child most comfortable.

In short, he did not get a chance to rest, and it was very late when he returned to the military camp, although His Highness provided him with meals and invited him to eat fresh donkey meat.

Even at breakfast the next day, the meat served in the barracks was donkey sausage and smoked donkey meat. The number of donkeys killed in St. Petersburg was a bit too large, but this was only a peak period in winter, and a large number of donkeys needed to be imported to Russia.

And Paul also asked a question on the reviewing ground in front of the major on duty.

"Major, the soldiers of the First Battalion are very spirited. They are the best soldiers in Russia. I hope you can lead this unit well."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I also want to know what you had for breakfast."

"Your Majesty, it is pickled cabbage and carrots, and smoked donkey meat and donkey sausages are provided."

"Ah, I know, donkey meat is delicious, you should think so too, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it's just that they ate too much donkey meat. It's okay for the soldiers. They are grateful to the emperor for having meat to eat, but I know where all this donkey meat comes from."

"Yes, Major. Come ride with me when you are dismissed. I want to talk to you."

Thanks to the fact that Solovyov spent the entire expedition riding on the backs of horses and mules, his riding skills improved.

Kutaisov wanted to accompany him as usual, but the Tsar himself refused.

"This is Petersburg. We are all safe in the Winter Palace, not to mention we have our loyal guards."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the first battalion shouted "Ura" three times in a long tone, which made Paul very satisfied. The soldiers were the most loyal to him.

"When riding in winter, always pay attention to the horseshoes, your majesty!"

"Of course I know that, Major. You are the Field Marshal's student. He must have said this many times when we crossed the Alps. And I have been told this many times by Count Kutuzov in Petersburg."

"Your Majesty, if that were the case, the friction of the sound entering your ears would cause calluses just like on your hands and feet."

"Yes, the Queen often works on reliefs, and her hands have these, and they look very strong. My precious daughters do not work, so their hands and feet are very slender. What about you, Major? Let me see your hands."

"Your Majesty, there is nothing to see in my hands, you can see them." Soloviev took his hands off the reins, brought his horse's head close to the Tsar's horse, and showed it to Paul.

"Even though you often wield swords and guns, your hands are really nice. They don't look as thick and strong as those of some old officers."

"Your Majesty, it may be that I am still young."

"We do need young people. If old guys are always in power, they will only be satisfied with the status quo. It would be a bad thing if young people also rot, like those decadent guards officers on the Palace Embankment and the Moika Embankment."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do you know why I asked you, a little fellow, to join the Guards and promoted you to the commander of the first battalion?"

"Your Majesty, you must have your own considerations."

"Since you already know, I won't say too much. Let's talk about it while riding. It just snowed heavily here, so it's a good time for horseback riding."

Tsar Paul chose only the fine horses produced in Germany. St. Petersburg was not like inland Moscow, and the climate was not that cold in winter, so the horses ran happily.

Although this Tsar had never been on the battlefield, he was a good rider. The horses selected in the palace were all good, and he was very skilled in riding them.

Solovyov still had to follow behind the Tsar. He couldn't be left too far behind, nor could he rush too fast like he did when he was delivering messages at the front line, as that would make him faster than the Tsar, and he would be a bit behind the average horse racer.

"You are used to the fast pace of the battlefield, aren't you, Major?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Although we didn't let the horse sprint, the speed was not slow either."

"To become a better rider and control your mount well, it is not only about making the horse run fast, but also keeping pace with your companions. It's just that there are always some people who are not so diligent. I went to Kotlin Island to inspect yesterday and I was very dissatisfied."

"Your Majesty, I am only a major in the Guards, not a naval officer."

"I know that, and I wanted to talk to you about it because you are an expert in weapons development."

"Your Majesty, you said I was an expert, but I am still young and I have a long way to go in this area."

"But it doesn't prevent us from discussing the issue. What do you think of the navy?"

"Your Majesty, I have thought about this issue. France has the best warship technology, although their admiral is very poor."

This is the fact. After the British Royal Navy seized a French "Marseille Commercial Class" first-class battleship, it expressed sincere admiration that a first-class battleship with 118 guns that looked clumsy was as flexible to operate as a British fifth-class frigate.

The British's own new warships, including the battleships that appeared after the "Victory", were not as flexible as the French warships in operation. Many French naval warships became spoils of the British Royal Navy because of their defeats in naval battles and the defection of the royalists.

Nelson's fleet was able to achieve a great victory at Trafalgar thanks to the captured French ships in his hands, but unfortunately he himself did not have this opportunity.

"The ships on Kotlin Island are all poorly maintained. Although we have enough reserve materials to build new warships, I'm afraid the budget won't give that much to the navy. They are all."

The Tsar wanted to speak well but finally suppressed the thought. After all, De Ribas and others were promoted by him. The Russian Navy had no shortage of admirals, but it lacked suitable managers. The wood of those warships had begun to rot.

Of course, before 1850, the idea of ​​steam-powered warships such as ironclad ships was somewhat shocking. Now is the heyday of sailing warships.

Therefore, Solovyov thought of considering the problem from the perspective of fluid mechanics and making a clipper-type sailboat. The bow part of a pure clipper ship is hollow, and the entire design also emphasizes sailing speed.

Unfortunately, Russia is a country that relies more on land, and the only Black Sea port that can be used for transportation all year round without having to worry about ice floes is blocked by the Turks, and transportation is intermittent. If the British discover this, it may be easier for them to copy it.

What's more, this opponent controls a large number of high-quality timber production areas outside of Russia, which is also an advantage of a maritime country.

"We can try to build this kind of ship, but the place where we need it is in the American territory, which is too far away."

"Your Majesty, the Black Sea is like a bathtub. The ocean is the stage for this kind of ship. If necessary, we can also quickly transport goods back from our friendly countries."

"Unfortunately, apart from the territory of Oldenburg, we don't even have a piece of territory facing the sea in Europe."

Paul now had some opinions about his queen mother, and gave up all the territories in Holstein that originally belonged to Peter III and gave them to his cousins ​​in Oldenburg and Holstein.

In fact, Russia originally owned quite a few of these fragmented overseas territories, and the territory of Oldenburg is now actually ruled by Paul's aunt.

If we take Russia's maritime strategy into consideration, they actually lack a foothold overseas. Maritime trade is not a big deal for Russia. Their fur transportation from the Pacific will not be interfered with by major powers, and their priority in the Atlantic is not as high as the whaling ships sent by the Crown Prince to catch live whales to amuse the Crown Princess.

Solovyov also told the Tsar about this matter. Paul was very doting on his son and daughter-in-law. Even when someone slandered the crown prince in front of him, he still enforced the male-preference primogeniture law.

"There has to be something to do, and the aquarium is also beneficial to the people. I'm afraid you have a share of the creativity there, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I just said it casually to your highnesses."

"I think it must be Maria, my 'little sparrow' who spread the word. But this is also good. Whales and dolphins are both intelligent animals. I also like them when I go there."

The Tsar also liked this idea, no wonder he strongly supported it.

(End of this chapter)