Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

It was indeed unusual for the Ryukyu rulers and their officials, as well as the local people, to welcome the envoys of the Celestial Empire in such a manner.

Long Ruyan and Qi Kun, the envoy who had previously visited Ryukyu, were both in the Hanlin Academy. They had heard about the scene of the King of Ryukyu and the officials and people of Ryukyu welcoming the envoy after his arrival.

He also noticed that Solovyov was wiping his sweat with a handkerchief on days when the weather wasn't even that hot.

"General, what is the reason for this?"

"This scene is not so much familiar as it is unprecedented."

He was talking strangely, so it's no wonder he was completely bewildered by the scene.

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Even seasoned and experienced viewers are inevitably shocked by such a situation.

“I have indeed never seen it before, and I have already drafted a proclamation.”

"Has it been shown to the Prince?"

"It will only be shown to the military commander after His Highness has seen it."

Long Ruyan was also the top scholar, but he took into account the level of the Ryukyuans. Although Confucianism was the main subject of study and had always been valued by the Ryukyuans, there was even an official school for it.

However, among them, only King Shang and the officials were probably able to understand the more complex wording and sentence structure.

The proclamation written by Long Ruyan was written after the Celestial Empire learned of the injustice suffered by the Ryukyu Kingdom through Dutch and Russian envoys. Prince Li, serving as an imperial envoy on his mission to the Western Ocean, was tasked with upholding justice for the King of Zhongshan and the officials and people of Ryukyu, suppressing the Japanese pirates, and expelling the Satsuma rebels.
"Not to mention the officials and people of Ryukyu, even my wife would understand what this means. Let's proceed as planned, but the matter concerning the Netherlands will be dropped."

"Why?"

"The Netherlands had a trading post in Hirado. The shogunate was not like the Celestial Empire; they were very petty about rules."

“I understand what you mean, General.”

So Long Ruyan picked up his pen and wrote, only mentioning the events described when Russia came to pay tribute.

In any case, Russia and Japan have disputes over the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island, and Hokkaido. As for the expedition, the current fleet commander Bellingshausen was the captain of the second ship of the expedition back then.

Russians, wherever they go, they always find a scapegoat to take the blame for.

Solovyov had already calculated that he would need the Dutch to mediate his journey to Satsuma Domain, Hirado Port, and even Edo.

It seems that during the period of national isolation, the shogunate learned from the Dutch "Rangaku" (Dutch studies), but its promotion was very limited.

The Qing Dynasty may appear closed off, but that wasn't entirely the case.

It is truly baffling and strange that a maritime nation would choose to isolate itself.

As for conquering Tokyo and seizing the Bird's Nest, that's something for Tie Niu.

Moreover, the shogunate's bird seat required kneeling on it, or sitting cross-legged, which was also uncomfortable.

Given the external shocks and internal financial difficulties, it's only a matter of time before Japan experiences a financial crisis.

During its agricultural period, Japan was surprisingly rich in mineral resources.

When they reach an industrial society, their local resources will eventually become insufficient.

Even when Solovyov arrived in Okinawa, he was already considering the issue of Hokkaido.

If the shogunate could allow trade and not protect the Satsuma Domain, it might actually be quite beneficial for the shogunate.

Because they offended the Celestial Empire, the Satsuma Domain is in big trouble.

If it were to be changed, Satsuma might put up a resistance. Moreover, under Japan's feudal system, changing the ownership of a powerful domain like this would definitely cause unrest.

If the fiefdom is reduced, it will weaken the Satsuma Domain.

After the Battle of Sekigahara, Shimazu Yoshihiro, who originally intended to help the Tokugawa family defend the castle, was refused entry and joined the Western Army, but he was just slacking off.

During this retreat, Ii Naomasa and Matsudaira Tadayoshi were both seriously wounded. Shimazu Yoshihiro himself lost his nephew and many retainers on the battlefield, which made Tokugawa Ieyasu acknowledge the strength of the Satsuma barbarians.

Later, they acquired Ōsumi Province, which was also a way to appease Satsuma.

However, they also controlled Ryukyu, which was also a source of income, but their extravagant lifestyle and huge expenditures also led to financial difficulties.

So they started taking out loans from various domains, borrowing money from various business owners as well. Much of the money borrowed from the Satsuma domain was not even used for legitimate purposes.

After they sat down, Prince Shanghao knelt and bowed to the Prince in the hall, and then Long Ruyan took out the imperial edict.

According to general practice, the Ryukyu investiture envoys were all appointed by the Hanlin Academy, with the chief envoy being selected from the Hanlin Academy, officials from the Six Ministries, and the Censorate, along with a certain number of attendants.

However, this time the lineup is rather luxurious.

When Prince Li sat on the throne and Long Ruyan read the imperial edict, Prince Shanghao began to cry again.

Why is the King of Zhongshan weeping so bitterly?

All she did was cry, and Zhaolian was quite surprised.

"They don't want the Celestial Empire to understand the plight of us vassal states."

During King Shoho's reign, due to the development of the island by the officials and people of the previous Ryukyu Kingdom, the vegetation coverage was greatly reduced, the land became barren and the output decreased. In addition, natural disasters occurred frequently, and the Satsuma Domain continued to exploit the island, leading to the exhaustion of Ryukyu.

He also wanted to cheer up, but when Cai Wen comforted Prince Shangjing back then, he said that the Qing Dynasty was easy to deal with, but the Satsuma Domain was right in front of him.

From King Sho Kei to King Sho Ho, dealing with the visitors from the Satsuma Domain was also an important task.

The Japanese colonial exploitation, as seen in Okinawa, was far more severe than the unsustainable practice of draining the pond to catch all the fish.

"King Zhongshan, please rise. His Majesty is aware of their predicament and the coercion they suffered at the hands of the Japanese pirates. Therefore, His Majesty has issued an edict to pardon their crimes. Shang Hao shall remain King Zhongshan of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Because of the exhaustion of their country, they are exempt from paying tribute of precious treasures for three years and shall instead offer local products."

"If this is the case, I, Your Majesty, shall present brown sugar and local products from the sea to Your Majesty. If the foreign vassals can be roused, they shall naturally offer precious treasures in return."

In a way, the brown sugar of Ryukyu and Satsuma has influenced each other.

But Satsuma only knew how to exploit. It was only after the lord of the Nabeshima clan came here to serve as an official after annexing Ryukyu that the local brown sugar sales channels were improved.

Even today, brown sugar remains a specialty of Ryukyu.

Solovyov watched from the side. Although it was Zhaolian's first time handling affairs abroad, he was well-mannered. As a hereditary prince, it was a bit of a waste of his talents.

Through these interactions, Soryon developed a strong sympathy for King Sangho.

"There's no need for that now. The King of Zhongshan should thank General Suo, who is a special envoy from Russia paying tribute to the Celestial Empire. General Suo heard about the Ryukyu affair and reported it to the Emperor, and then brought his own troops with him."

"General Suo, please accept my bow."

"No, no, the King of Zhongshan is still the ruler of the country, while my rank is only that of a first-class earl and my official position is only that of a first-class general of the infantry. How can I accept such a great gift?"

"If it weren't for the general's report to His Majesty, how could I and the people of Ryukyu have been saved today?" After saying this, he continued to cry, which made Solovyov particularly embarrassed.

"Now that you have been saved, how will the Prince of Zhongshan repay you? This military officer also has a family; he was betrothed to a princess by the Russian king."

Moreover, although Westerners practice monogamy, keeping mistresses is also common practice.

However, Zhao Lian also knew that although the lady in Solovyov's household was lenient with her husband, there were limits to the number of concubines and mistresses she had.

Mihrima was someone Katya had specifically left behind. Now that Solovyov had arrived in Okinawa, he no longer intended to find another Okinawan woman to be his mistress.

Putting aside other things, due to years of natural disasters, Ryukyu is so malnourished that even the women of the village might not be able to get enough to eat.

In addition, like many Japanese girls, they have buck teeth.

Solovyov didn't think much of it, but Zhaolian's suggestion led King Shanghao towards the more righteous benefits.

"What needs does the general have?"

"When I was in Batavia, a Dutch territory, I heard that the King of Zhongshan had refused the British request to trade with the Netherlands. Now, is it possible to open trade with Russia? When I boarded the ship at Dagu and bid farewell to the Emperor, His Majesty also mentioned the matter of Ryukyu."

"Of course, Xiao Wang understands."

The southern barbarians that King Shanghao encountered this time were quite polite. Although Russians are often regarded as barbarians in Europe, they are not necessarily as barbaric as the British when doing things overseas.

He couldn't very well refuse Solovyov's offer.

After all, they brought two thousand soldiers, invited six hundred heavenly soldiers from the Celestial Empire, and brought warships. They brought "Zhongshan Shitu" back to life in a single day. Such a favor could probably not be repaid even if all the women in his family were given to them as servants.

Then, the Russians only asked for trade, and they also had an oral edict from the Jiaqing Emperor, with Prince Li as their witness.

Since the Emperor had made the request, Prince Shanghao had no choice but to comply.

Moreover, this was not an unequal treaty. The Qing Dynasty still regarded the Ryukyu Kingdom as a vassal state and only demanded that the Satsuma Domain's magistrate be expelled. It did not refuse Japanese merchants entry.

However, Japanese merchants are generally not allowed to go to sea.

The Russian merchants were able to settle there under the supervision of the Qing Dynasty, and in reality, the number of ships that could pass through Ryukyu to Ningbo each year was limited.

Even when the Russians came, they were able to provide the Ryukyu Kingdom with a certain degree of protection.

After all, their armed merchant ships, if they didn't go to Ningbo, could transit through Ryukyu, travel between Kamchatka and other North Pacific outposts, all the way to Roseburg.

Not only the Satsuma Domain, but even the shogunate had to consider what level of opponent this was.

As for King Shanghao's seal, the treaty was thus successfully concluded with Soryon as witness.

King Shanghao didn't think much of it. After all, it was a great celestial country. Although there were envoys who came to demand tribute on ordinary days, they had truly saved their small country.

This time, the visitor was a prince from the Celestial Empire, and he didn't force anyone to buy or sell. Instead, he even gave Prince Shanghao some silver as payment for the meal.

It should be noted that when the King of Zhongshan of the Ryukyu Kingdom received tribute envoys from the Ming and Qing dynasties, he always hosted banquets of the highest standard.

Given the current economic level in Shanghaowang's area, it's already good enough if they can afford to eat some local specialties.

Seafood was a major product of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

"Xiao Wang's place only has aquatic products; it's really a case of living off the sea."

"That's good. We haven't eaten much seafood at the Emperor's place either."

Solovyov also inquired about the current situation in the Ryukyu Kingdom, and King Shang Hao answered all his questions without reservation.

The Russian general spoke Mandarin very fluently and directly, unlike the overly literary style of officials from the Celestial Empire.

After asking, he sat there pondering, but even King Shanghao had no idea what the hidden meaning was.

"Your Highness, why not report to the Emperor that in order to conserve water and soil for Ryukyu, we must also plant trees? The current depletion of forests on Mount Kushima in Ryukyu is a result of past over-exploitation. Furthermore, Ryukyu is short of food, so we should encourage agriculture and sericulture, and also develop marine resources."

Zhao Lian also knew that Solovyov's father was a manager among the nobility, and his family was also from a family of unscrupulous merchants, so they had a natural sensitivity to doing business.

This statement implies that Ryukyu should be given time to recover and rebuild.

Over the past century, resource exploitation in the Ryukyu Kingdom has led to the depletion of resources on this island.

The problems were already beginning to emerge during the reign of King Shangmu, but by the time of King Shanghao, they had begun to erupt in full force.

However, for the Ryukyuans to rely on the sea for their livelihood and to restore the island's resources, they would need external assistance.

The Qing Dynasty could provide nearby resources, while Russia would also invest in Ryukyu in order to make it a transit trading post.

As for what it might become in the future, Solovyov couldn't say.

However, King Shanghao had a glimmer of hope. Only the intervention of the Celestial Empire could save the Ryukyu Kingdom from its current predicament.

Zhaolian agreed, saying that once they left Naha Port and continued their journey, an envoy would arrive in Jiangsu and relay the message from the Governor-General of Liangjiang's post station to the capital to report to the Jiaqing Emperor.

As for how Jiaqing would respond, it would have to wait until Solovyov's fleet arrived in Guangzhou, and then it would be sent by express courier.

That's pretty much the end of the matter concerning the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Although the local customs were interesting, Solovyov didn't have much time to explore them; he still had to go to Kyushu to cause trouble for the Satsuma Domain.

Before that, he spent a few days on the island visiting Kume Village, where he met the descendants of the thirty-six Min families.

Although people here have started wearing Ryukyu clothing, the clothing in Kume Village is still more authentic Han Chinese attire, and it may resemble the Song Dynasty more than the Ming Dynasty clothing in Korea.

Some clues can be seen in the official system established by Cai Duo and his son Cai Wen.

Solovyov's trip was to visit the grave of Zheng Jiong, the beheaded official.

Ryukyu is, after all, an island. Although it also adopts the burial style of Fujian and Guangdong, it involves weathering the body, then washing and collecting the remains three years later before finally burying them in the cemetery.

Another unique feature is that these skeletons are not individual burials, but rather each tortoise-shell-shaped burial plot contains a whole family, which can be described as neat and orderly.

Zheng Jiong was always regarded as a treacherous official in the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was also related to the local political environment.

Speaking of which, there are members of the Zheng and Cai families here, and their own officialdom is just as cowardly as that of the Song Dynasty.

Solovyov was speechless. After burning incense and paying respects to Zheng Jiong, he returned to the port and boarded the ship.

They even hired a Ryukyuan as a guide to head to Kagoshima.

As for the Satsuma Domain, they were still unaware that someone was actually coming to challenge them to a duel. (End of Chapter)