Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Solovyov's sales pitch was clearly very successful.

As for the silver that Jiaqing needs now, it will still be allocated from the national treasury.

Purchasing warships and guns with cash is a matter for the future.

The Shanxi merchants at the Kyakhta border crossing could be utilized, as they had been doing business with the Russians.

Emperor Jiaqing was also curious. Solovyov was a close advisor to the Tsar and a military officer. Not only did he befriend Speransky, who was once the head of the civil service, but they also eventually became related by marriage. Wouldn't the Tsar do something about it?

Of course, he has a good relationship with the adults and Fu Chang'an, while Fu Kang'an has a good relationship with Lin.

From this perspective, problems can easily arise.

However, Emperor Jiaqing somewhat overlooked the fact that Russia's national conditions were quite different.

These two men happened to be promoted from civil service secretaries and guards officers, and neither of them had much of a power base, making them convenient for the Tsar to use.

However, Solovyov remained in the military and rarely became involved in political struggles.

Speransky was attacked by the opposition because he was a key figure in the reforms during Alexander's reign.

If Solovyov were in that position, even if he were careful enough, he would still inevitably encounter trouble.

However, his previous investments have paid off. The Tsar and the three Grand Dukes trust him greatly. In essence, the affairs of Russia depend on what the monarch wants to do, and a coward like Balasov can't do anything to him.

"If Your Majesty wishes to send an imperial envoy to Kyakhta, the horse market should be reopened. This is a letter from an official; the minister in charge can hand it over to my brother-in-law."

Solovyov has full authority, and as mentioned above, the negotiations in Beijing went smoothly, the treaty was signed and is now in effect, and a copy will be filed in the Siberian Governor-General's District. Regarding trade, the focus in Kyakhta is the horse market.

The Qing army's horses have deteriorated significantly, which will likely generate considerable revenue for them in the future.

"Suo Qing's character is comparable to Ji Bu's integrity."

"This matter is worth far more than a thousand pieces of gold."

"When will Lord Suo return?"

"Your Majesty, if an official outside the capital gains the trust of the monarch, he will surely be appointed to an official post in a local area and serve as a governor. I wonder when I will be able to return to the Celestial Empire."

"If you can come, you must come and drink with me."

Emperor Jiaqing was in good health; he never imagined that he would suddenly pass away a few years later at the Chengde Mountain Resort.

Solovyov hadn't thought of this either, but he offered his own suggestions specifically for middle-aged and elderly people.

"Your Majesty is of a large stature, so you should pay attention to your diet and avoid being impulsive in anger."

The words had already been spoken, and Jiaqing was aware of the matter; he nodded in agreement.

These memorials were something the Qing Dynasty emperors had to do, and unless the emperor was unwell, no one would usually review them on his behalf.

Meanwhile, the accompanying Qing Dynasty delegation had already arrived at Junliang City.

Emperor Jiaqing also had to escort the delegation to Dagu Port, which was the last stop on his inspection tour outside Beijing.

When he saw the Russian army's "hull-top ships" at the Dagu Fort, he couldn't help but be somewhat shocked.

"Indeed, it is a giant ship, the flagship of Minister Suo. Now that I am here, it is just like Zheng He's treasure ships of the past."

"I have heard of the treasure ships, but I have never seen cannons like these."

When Jiaqing saw the gun emplacements, he realized that with this level of firepower, the Dagu Forts needed to be reinforced, reinforced, and reinforced again.

The fact that a single ship could have dozens of "general cannons" on one side is truly impressive.

Solovyov also wrote down the weaknesses of the Dagu Forts and how coastal defenses should be strengthened.

In addition, reinforcements should be placed on the shallow waters on both flanks, and reserve troops should also be stationed in Tianjin Prefecture.

As for this arrangement, the generals found it quite insightful.

Solovyov himself said he had some knowledge, and it seems he wasn't exaggerating. He was able to become a first-class general in Russia in his thirties, and he was also highly educated.

He also had many refined tastes, and although he was young, he was not like Lu Xun.

As for Zhou Yu, he certainly doesn't resemble him.

Anyone who has read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms knows that the person who draws maps everywhere is Deng Ai, who has a stutter.

But Solovyov was no ordinary man; he spoke fluently, his Mandarin was better than some officials from Guangdong and Guangxi, and even had a hint of the emperor's hometown accent.

They can even perform operas.

Many people in the capital agree with this.

As for his military skills, they must have been quite impressive.

Those who boarded the ship together this time included Fukang'an's son Delin, Hailancha's second son Ancheng, and two Zuo Ling's soldiers.

When the Qing army lined up at Dagu Fort, Solovyov could tell that the soldiers they had selected were not cowards.

At least in the capital, he was the kind of soldier who could take on four or five Qing soldiers patrolling to maintain order; he still had the spirit and hadn't lost face.

Obeying his orders is quite simple.

Solovyov did indeed have considerable influence in front of the Emperor; even the Qing Dynasty's own civil and military officials might not receive such treatment.

Furthermore, An Junmen had traveled through the sky with him, so he was no ordinary person.

In this respect, these Eight Banner soldiers, apart from being as talkative as old Beijingers, were not much different.

Just don't invite a few people from Tianjin, that would make it even more lively.

The 608 elite troops were also packing their bags and boarding their ships.

Delin and Ancheng also expressed that they would definitely live up to their mission this time.

As for Prince Li Zhaolian and the other nobles and members of the imperial family, they have already boarded the "Grace" warship.

Solovyov himself boarded the warship, temporarily separating himself from his wife and children. Katya and the children were to take a speedboat to Macau.

This time, the Russian fleet included not only 600 Qing soldiers, but also an envoy sent to Ryukyu to deliver a proclamation.

As for the King of Ryukyu, their true situation needs to be carefully investigated.

Solovyov was also hoping that making a name for himself in Okinawa would provide a way to earn some extra money.

The cunning businessman within him only began to burn fiercely at this moment, which was quite bizarre.

Anton felt that his elder brother's shrewd business acumen had awakened far too late, perhaps due to his many wars in his early years.

Moreover, he will not inherit the family business in the future; this huge family business will ultimately have to be managed by Anton.

Vasily's talent won't be apparent until he's an adult.

As the giant ship set sail, Solovyov had the ship's band begin playing music.

The music played here is for "Auld Lang Syne," which is somewhat abstract.

Emperor Jiaqing, accompanied by his civil and military officials, bid farewell to the Russian fleet at Dagu Port, watching the giant ships gradually shrink until they disappeared into the sea.

Solovyov's mission to the Qing Dynasty this time can be described as a great success.

Not only was a trade treaty successfully signed, but the borders between Qing China and Russia were also confirmed.

Having received numerous rewards, the Qing Dynasty effectively formed an alliance with Russia and France. Now, the Qing delegation is also scheduled to return to Europe, which will be quite a spectacle.

When Solovyov returned, these warships were all allowed to fly the Qing Dynasty's yellow dragon flag.

The issue of the Qing Dynasty not having a national flag has now been resolved.

As for the music used in the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Lian hadn't expected that Solovyov had already arranged it all.

It's Gong Jin'ou, and it's very easy to copy.

As long as it appears early and works, it doesn't matter whether it's copied or not.

Even after Emperor Jiaqing listened to it once, he felt there was nothing wrong with it.

After Zhaolian boarded the ship, she did not show much discomfort.

Speaking of which, those inland nomadic peoples who ride horses don't necessarily get seasick if they get on a boat.

This also indicates good stability, which can be considered a degree of adaptability.

During the journey, the Russian warships only stopped at Weihaiwei to replenish their supplies before turning towards the Yellow Sea and heading towards Ryukyu.

"General Suo is going to Ryukyu this time. I wonder how we should deal with him?"

"Your Highness, it would be best to win without a fight."

How to win without fighting?

“If the Satsuma Domain rebels realize the situation and leave Ryukyu, we can go to the island and appease Prince Sho. If they do not comply, then we will have to march on Kyushu and demand an explanation from the Satsuma Domain.”

"The general's idea is good, but what is the situation of the Satsuma Domain?"

"Speaking of which, during the Imjin War in the Ming Dynasty, the so-called 'Oni-ishi Manko' was Shimazu Yoshihiro, the lord of the Satsuma Domain, who was also a powerful local domain."

Solovyov then recounted the history of the Shimazu clan's expansion to Akira.

Although they were eventually trapped in Satsuma and Osumi in southern Kyushu, they were still a powerful and influential domain.

However, Solovyov was unaware that the Shimazu family was in dire straits, especially their dire financial situation.

As a result, even if my domain has some savings, I am unwilling to lend them to the Satsuma Domain.

They are heavily indebted; it's a bottomless pit that can never be filled.

Unlike the Yonezawa Domain, where the Uesugi family, despite being impoverished, still maintained a 120 million koku of samurai, the adopted son Uesugi Takayama managed to improve the domain's finances.

But what about Shimazu?
With its brown sugar industry and foreign income from Ryukyu, this domain was one of the few that possessed two provinces (under the Ritsuryo system of Japan), but the burden was also very heavy.

As a result, ordinary people couldn't afford rice, and brown sugar became the main source of tax revenue, but in reality, the people were suffering terribly.

However, at this time the shogunate was still relatively strong, and its authority had not declined to the extent it had at the end of the Edo period.

Therefore, after Sankin explained this matter, the various daimyo still had to go to Edo.

The Shimazu clan had a long journey and had contracted many water conservancy projects. Edo was also prone to fires, and various daimyo would have to make donations.

The Shimazu family's finances were already strained, and this extravagant spending was naturally a major problem.

However, Solovyov didn't know that much detail, and it was only those few shameful games. In China, it was still the late Ming Dynasty, and in Japan, it was the late Sengoku period to the early Edo period.

Taiga dramas won't depict what Japan was like in 1817, and they're still quite a distance from the popular Edo period.

It's at least a difference of "fifty years of life".
Speaking of which, he actually knows the Atsumori Dance part.

After all, Oda Nobunaga was routinely grilled by the Honganji Temple, and the story goes on for quite a while; Imagawa Yoshimoto's head was also routinely moved around.

After recounting the events, Zhaolian opened her folding fan and couldn't help but ponder.

He was indeed a hereditary prince, and his education was certainly high, but he had relatively little practical experience.

At this moment, he began to discuss matters with the nobles, members of the imperial family, and members of the Hanlin Academy.

Solovyov sat behind his table, listening to their discussion.

To be fair, there's nothing wrong with this level of skill.

Although Niu Jian and Yan Botao will never be able to defeat the Ying Yi in the future, and Yi Shan is a coward in front of the Ying Yi and Muravyov, they are not afraid now.

Moreover, the shogunate was even more backward and conservative than them; it was just that the Qing Dynasty faced relatively greater resistance to reform.

Small boats are always easier to turn around.

"I wonder what insightful opinion General Suo has?"

"If we attack the Satsuma Domain, we will inevitably have some contact with the shogunate's magistrate."

Solovyov's biggest headache, which he couldn't say yet, was that the Japanese had always been wishful thinking.

This is truly unsolvable. Even in the 21st century, the self-satisfied Japanese are just as troublesome as ever.

"General, with the Prince here, and the Imperial Envoy from the Celestial Empire present, shouldn't they be more cautious?"

"While that is true, eleven years ago, when the Russian expedition ship arrived in Hirado, it was almost detained by the Japanese. I have heard about this incident from Your Majesty."

In fact, he himself was involved in welcoming the expedition back, and he knew the details of the situation.

The Japanese are arrogant and unreasonable, and they are a maritime country. It sounds strange that a maritime country would want to close itself off.

Living off the land and water, during this period of maritime trade, Japan only interacted with the Qing Dynasty and its vassal states.

Among the European countries, Portugal was eventually expelled from Japan due to religious issues.

In other words, the Dutch were shameless. In order to do business, they were more diligent in their sankin (military service) than some daimyo, and in the end, they stayed in Hirado to do business.

Finally, the shogunate couldn't stand their eagerness and granted them an extension. However, by this time, Dutch trade volume had begun to decline, and the shogunate was no longer as attentive to this matter as before.

Japanese scholars were more advanced than their government officials. The knowledge brought by the Dutch was called "Rangaku," which was very popular in Kyushu and even influenced Edo and Kyoto.

Solovyov wasn't entirely sure how much influence the end of the Edo period could still have.

Upon arriving in Ryukyu, we will need to put in considerable effort to study the situation.

In the past, it was only when a new king of the Shang clan ascended the throne that envoys were sent from Ryukyu to Beijing. During the Southern Ming Dynasty, they even went to Nanjing once, but the Hongguang regime collapsed so quickly that they missed it.

When envoys from the Ming or Qing dynasties finished paying tribute to the Sho clan in Ryukyu, they would report that a new king had ascended the throne and that they were awaiting investiture from the Celestial Empire. After that, they would depart from Beijing to Ryukyu to complete the investiture of King Sho.

Their usual activities mainly involved tribute trade.

Nowadays, the Ryukyu Islands are experiencing poor harvests, and their population has stopped growing.

There's nothing we can do about it; it's just a small place.

After making his efforts, King Shang found that there was no sign of improvement.

The exploitation by the Satsuma Domain has become even more severe than before.

Even within Ryukyu itself, traitors began to emerge, claiming that Japan and Ryukyu shared the same origin.
It's no wonder that decades later, Ryukyu was annexed by Japan.

But at this point, there's still a chance to save him.

Because the envoy from the Celestial Empire came to question us, and also brought heavenly soldiers.

They arrived by boat, but the boat they used was a Russian warship. (End of Chapter)