Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Normally, the shogun has close advisors and advisors who discuss matters with the senior councilors, so the shogun doesn't necessarily have to appear in person.

However, Tokugawa Ienari knew that this matter was of great importance, so he decided to personally summon the seven senior councilors of the shogunate to discuss it.

Then the experienced and steady Doi and the newly promoted Mizuno started arguing.

Although things were not going well, the shogunate still had a lot of room to maneuver.

He had already learned through the consultation of seven senior Chinese officials that the Qing prince was on a mission to Europe and was only passing through the Shogunate.

Because the matter was so urgent, the Russian fleet would not wait in Hirado for too long.

They had the Nagasaki magistrate submit a written petition, which was already a move of politeness before resorting to force.

As for any receptions along the way, the shogunate didn't need to make any preparations. There were fast ships from Japan that would bypass Kagoshima and go directly to Edo.

Near Kunashir Island, the shogunate had arrested Russian naval officers who were sailing and conducting hydrographic surveys in the waters of the Kuril Islands. As a result, the relationship between the shogunate and Russia was no longer as friendly as it had been at the end of the 18th century.

Matsudaira Sadanobu was summoned from the Shirakawa Domain to Edo for a visit. This marked the first time in twenty years that the former chief regent had appeared in the public eye in Edo.

During the middle period of Tokugawa Ienari's reign, although many of the various domains were heavily indebted, the commodity economy also developed, and the streets of Edo appeared to be a scene of prosperity.

Will the arrival of the Russian fleet disrupt this peaceful situation?
Although Solovyov didn't have a good impression of the group of people who seemed to be living a good life, he didn't want to criticize them.

At least the people in the shogunate still spoke human language and were somewhat polite, just a bit stiff, but not rude or overbearing.

Furthermore, both Tsutsui and Kanazawa were meticulous people. They suggested that trade should be conducted in Nagasaki, as they feared encountering unscrupulous merchants and daimyo in the Japanese interior, unlike the lord of the Saga Domain. Newly opened ports might not have as experienced magistrates and subordinates as Nagasaki.

The Dutch trading post, while harboring its own ambition to act as a middleman in Hirado, ultimately adopted this opinion after considering the relationship between Russia and the Netherlands.

This was also because Anna married into the Netherlands, and Russia protected the Netherlands in Europe. Having such a large country in the north made it a formidable force.

Solovyov himself, however, had to wait and see the attitude of the shogunate.

Since Tokugawa Ienari's wife was the daughter of Shimazu Shigehiro, if such influence from his wife were to spread, even if a treaty was signed in person, trouble might still arise later.

It should be noted that the Japanese have a history of turning their backs on people, and given that it is in the Far East, it takes Russian ships quite a while to reach Japan.

Solovyov, in the spirit of "since I'm already here," decided to go to Edo.

The other party was of a very high status, and Tokugawa Ienari didn't have a good solution.

He simply waited in Edo for the Russian fleet to arrive; the city remained untouched.

As for Solovyov himself, when he turned back from Nagasaki to the waters near Kagoshima, he received an infuriating reply.

Even when caught red-handed, the Satsuma Domain maintained that they had done nothing wrong.

It's just that there are simply too many Russian warships, so they don't dare to act recklessly, otherwise the envoy might have run into some trouble.

After hearing Bystrom's report, Solovyov could only shake his head.

Why are all the Shimazu family members so reckless?

They were somewhat unscrupulous because the woman from their family was the general's wife.

Since downplaying the issue was no longer an option, the only recourse was to sail the boat all the way to Edo Bay.

These days, Solovyov has also seen large numbers of whales and dolphins in the coastal areas of Japan.

Compared to the oceans that would later be filled with isotopes, it was still prosperous and wealthy.

Even after modern development, there are not many minerals that can be used for industry; they were rich in minerals in agricultural societies.

His fleet sailed so swiftly that some of the urgent dispatches sent by the shogunate along the way had not yet reached Edo when his fleet had already arrived.

Unlike Perina's threat with cannons, Solovyov was always a man of principle and was unwilling to resort to force.

This trip to the Far East has been a good opportunity to relax and unwind.

But in Ryukyu, those few fools from the Satsuma Domain insisted on starting a fight, so to get justice, they first had to kill a bunch of stubborn guys before they could come to the shogunate for an explanation.

On the ship, Zhaolian observed the situation along the Japanese coast. Although some villages were already showing signs of decline, there were still many people active in the coastal areas. As they passed by, they encountered many merchant ships transporting rice along the coast.

"The Japanese ships look like they're from two or three hundred years ago."

"General Suo, do you have any chance of winning this trip to Edo?"

"I have hundreds of cannons here. Breaching any Japanese fortress would be a piece of cake. We have the capability. It would be best to win without a fight. At least it would relieve Ryukyu from exploitation, which would be a meritorious deed."

Solovyov had no idea that the shogunate was clearly lying in wait, waiting for him to come to them.

When they finally sailed into Edo Bay, they encountered the shogunate's patrol ships, which had been waiting there for a long time.

Japanese samurai always carried a sword.

Several people came, led by Tokugawa Fuyoshi, Okubo Tadazane, the former head of the Mikawa clan, and the current lord of the Odawara Domain.

The people I met in Nagasaki before were Saga Domain's outdoza daimyo, Tsutsui and Kanazawa's two magistrates were hatamoto, and Okubo was Mikawa's hereditary daimyo.

Apart from the Tokugawa clan's close relatives, the samurai forces are now basically all present.

The court nobles and the emperor are all in Kyoto. The emperor is going to abdicate this year, but they have nothing to do with this matter.

Solovyov even thought that Tennao Black Card should just stay in Kyoto, stay out of the public eye, and continue to be a mascot.

If they continue with inbreeding, they fear that even if they have only one nominal ruler in their lineage for ten thousand generations, they will have to adopt another from another palace.

Solovyov's question was rather abstract; he really wanted to ask whether the Southern Court Emperor who opposed Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was legitimate or not.

However, you certainly wouldn't bring up something so shocking when you first meet someone.

As a hereditary successor, Okubo Tadamasa still had to bow to the Qing Dynasty prince, albeit in the Japanese-style kneeling.

When he got to Solovyov, he immediately bowed at a 90-degree angle.

"Why do you bow to me but not pay your respects?"

“You also carry a sword, so you must be a warrior. Therefore, I pay my respects to the Prince of Qing and bow to you.”

"That's interesting. I am indeed from the Guards, which is equivalent to what you call the flank guards."

"In that case, our friendship is that of two samurai."

Okubo Tadamasa wanted to take care of Solovyov, so he deliberately spoke in a slightly rustic accent to ensure that the Russian envoy could understand him.

But Solovyov, on the other hand, insisted on adopting the way Japanese people speak.

Both of them stepped onto the opposite side.

Fortunately, these Mikawa samurai were straightforward people, so communication went smoothly.

Especially those old generation descendants who fought alongside Lord Ieyasu to conquer the land, loyal, honest, and fearless in battle—these are the fundamental characteristics of the Mikawa samurai. "However, your arrival here to ascend the castle and meet the shogun is against the rules of the shogunate. But since the Prince of Qing is here, the shogun has already ordered that all formalities be waived."

"That's fine. Even if it's the Emperor of the Celestial Empire, I will be exempt from formalities after my first meeting with him."

Although the shogun of the shogunate was stubborn, he had to consider the situation at this time. The Nagasaki magistrate said that their first ship had more than 120 large cannons, and all the soldiers were equipped with arquebuses. They were well-equipped.

According to the Satsuma Domain, the Qing soldiers they saw on the ship were also fully armed and wearing armor.

These were clearly elite troops, so the shogunate dared not neglect them.

It probably wouldn't have been this lively during the late Edo period.

Now Tokugawa Ienari also realized that if things were to escalate, the shogunate might not be a match for the Qing and Russian states.

So Tadamasa Okubo was sent to be responsible for receiving and guiding guests.

Tokugawa Ienari was relieved when his messenger departed from Izu for Edo.

Although the fleet was large and imposing, they had no intention of engaging in combat.

Moreover, the personal letter that this Qing prince handed over to the Shogun also mentioned the matter of Ryukyu.

According to the Nagasaki Magistrate, the shogunate had once sheltered Ryukyu, but received no benefit in return.

All these benefits were in the hands of the Satsuma Domain. They also used Ryukyu to carry out smuggling activities, which oppressed the Qing Dynasty's vassal states and violated the laws of the Qing Dynasty and the shogunate.

Because of the urgency of the situation and the imperial decree, they came directly to Edo to discuss how to handle the matter in the shogun's office.

The shogunate breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this situation.

For the shogunate, the ideal outcome would be for only the Satsuma Domain to lose Ryukyu.

Although it might seem like he was letting down his father-in-law, brother-in-law, and wife's nephew, the loss wasn't too great for the shogunate.

The shogun was just going back to his wife and getting a scolding. At this time, the Satsuma Domain's finances were in dire straits. The debt was actually more than the 200 million yen that the outside world knew. Even the shogunate did not know how much Satsuma owed, let alone how many other schemes and usurious loans there were.

When the shogunate guided the giant ships into Edo Bay, they inevitably attracted onlookers as soon as they approached the castle town of Edo.

This is the first time such a large ship has appeared in the Japanese archipelago.

As for the flags hanging above, in addition to the Russian tricolor flag, the St. Andrew's naval ensign, the double-headed eagle flag representing the Russian imperial family, there is also a yellow dragon flag and two red flags representing the original jurisdiction of Prince Li.

The shogunate also provided them with a very high level of hospitality.

Tokugawa Ienari has been in power for a long time. He inherited the position of Shogun as the adopted son of the previous shogun when he was young, and he has been in power for thirty years.

There are still twenty years to go, plus four years as the abdicated emperor to serve as the Grand Palace, for a total of twenty-four years.

This was a shogun who ruled for an exceptionally long period, and his reign marked the beginning of a slow decline after the resurgence of the three shoguns following Yoshimune.

He encountered a famine at the beginning of his term, and it will happen again in the future.

But Edo looks quite prosperous now.

Solovyov was not used to riding in a sedan chair, especially the Japanese kind, which he felt was like carrying a basket and was extremely uncomfortable.

Therefore, he walked from here to the accommodation arranged in Edo.

Speaking of the hospitality of the Japanese, it was already quite hot in Edo at this time.

As for the reception personnel sent by the shogunate, they were senior councilor Doi Toshihisa, the former lord of the Shirakawa Domain who had just arrived, the reclusive former head councilor Matsudaira Sadanobu, and the ship's bowman, Daikokuya Kotaro, who had been to Russia.

Although he has been away from Russia for more than 20 years, Kotaro Daikokuya still speaks relatively fluent Russian, albeit with a distinct Japanese accent.

The conversation between the two parties went surprisingly smoothly.

Solovyov was unaware of Russia's previous request to trade in Hakodate; at that time, he was even in the body of the original owner.

As for his first encounter with the Japanese during the reign of Empress Elizabeth, Paul rarely mentions that incident.

When Alexander sent Solovyov on his mission, neither he nor his ministers knew much about it.

Moreover, the hospitality in Edo was very attentive.

Even more relaxed was Akira, who was still exchanging knowledge with the Confucian scholars sent by the shogunate.

Speaking of which, Prince Li's status was already noble, and when he was called Prince Kang, Jieshu made great contributions, which was also a great achievement.

Among these princes, Zhao Lian was known for his high level of cultural literacy, making him very suitable for diplomatic work.

Solovyov was quite dumbfounded by this.

Of course, at this time, the shogunate also arranged for singing girls to accompany the guests, which was somewhat...
The general's principal wife, Lady Midaisho, was only 143.6 cm tall. This was the conclusion drawn from the examination of the remains during the reburial.

The girls who came to drink with him looked like they were good enough to get themselves into the military police force.

Back when he was with Mihrima, she was still young. To trick Stojkovic, he would rock the bed at night, which was quite comical.

In the end, the scheme succeeded, and Mihrima stayed with him until Russia overturned the legal age of majority, at which point the big bad fox devoured the little white rabbit.

"How do you feel, sir?"

Tadamasa Okubo was there to keep him company, and he also asked about his feelings.

Solovyov had been pondering that although he had the nickname "Flower General," that was in Russia.

I'm almost a teenager now. Although I still feel pretty when I look in the mirror, I'm not the same as before.

"What does the Hall of Loyal Truth mean?"

"Naturally, it's this young lady."

"what"

Even when you're in Japan, you should still try to maintain a Japanese style.

Solovyov realized that the person who liked to drink while promoting goods was not Yamamoto Isoroku, but rather someone who went to a ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) to drink geisha.

"Indeed, 'A million-strong army can be defeated, but a pair of delicate hands are hard to defend against.'"

"You like it too?" Okubo Tadamasa thought that this green-eyed southern barbarian had similar tastes to theirs.

"No, I have a family and a favorite concubine, but they both went to the Guangzhou trading post with the fast ship. As for this girl, she is far too young. Even when I was in Lucia, I had the nickname 'Flower General,' and I would never pluck a flower bud."

As for his nickname, it happens to be the same as that of Kitada Akiie, a famous general from the Southern Dynasties during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

This isn't a big deal for the shogunate, but if Tennao Black Card finds out, he'll be trembling with fear. (End of Chapter)