Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The performance on the shogunate's side was just a formality.

Next, we will see the destroyer "Mercury Memorial" about to bombard a large Japanese ship brought in by the Shogunate.

Solovyov put Beringshausen in command, directing the firing from the stern. To the astonishment of the Shogunate's generals, the ship was torn to pieces.

Even the Mito Domain members who came with them were still wondering what kind of Shinto magic this was, of course, just imagining it.

Although the shogunate was stubborn, it was still well-versed in Rangaku (Dutch studies) and knew how powerful the southern barbarians were.

However, their understanding seems to be inferior to that of the Qing Dynasty.

Yang Fang's later comical behavior was entirely a way to save face for himself. He was one of the few cultured men among the Qing army officers, and he had abandoned his pen for the sword.

When the shogunate displayed its power, it used rice, while Chinese emperors used the majesty brought by royal ceremonies.

After reading it, Tokugawa Ienari was greatly amazed and even wanted to follow the precedent set by Miura Anjin and hire Russian officers as samurai to serve as instructors.

Solovyov would not let Belinsky succeed him, and Tokugawa Ienari probably even had his eye on him.

After all, he was quite the expert on military strategy. The Dutch consulate stated that Solovyov had already gained some fame in Europe several years ago, and was considered a sinologist, military strategist, educator, and amateur historian in Russia.
Military strategies and tactics from the Yagyu family are child's play for them.

Tokugawa Ienari wanted to hire Solovyov, and even used his nickname "Flower General" to suggest that he could take several concubines after coming to the shogunate.

Solovyov really wanted to roll his eyes. A concubine is someone you have to support yourself, unlike wealthy young widows and rich women outside who all have their own property.

Moreover, even if they were of similar affections, at most they could enjoy a few obedient Yamato Nadeshiko wishing their husbands good fortune in war, and that was it.

That might not be very meaningful. Moreover, Solovyov looked at the wives and concubines of Tokugawa Ienari who had attended various events, and none of them were over 1.5 meters tall.

Having thick calves isn't even a problem anymore. When you see poor girls wearing short-hemmed kimonos on the streets of Edo, their calves are quite sturdy.

The real problem is those big buck teeth, and they're quite common; it's too late to get them corrected.

As for recruiting Tokugawa Ienari, Solovyov also pulled out all the stops.

"If you, General, wish to hire me as a military strategist, you would probably need to grant me the status of a daimyo and a territory with a capital of two million koku."

"Why is this?"

Seeing that this guy was really dense, Solovyov could only explain his identity in Russia.

"My stepmother and the former Queen of France were cousins, so Empress Josephine was my aunt, and the abdicated Emperor of France was my uncle. Our Emperor has always appointed me as a member of the Military Council, and I also hold several other positions, including tutoring my two young brothers."

After going through the whole process, Tokugawa Ienari also learned that he would definitely not agree.

Moreover, the only woman the gentle and virtuous empress designated for his affair had given birth to two obedient daughters for him, making the women of the Satsuma Domain seem rather unattractive.

Don't get any illusions just because Aoi Miyazaki played Atsuhime. The real Atsuhime looks like an old nanny in the photos.

Not all Japanese are like Asai and Oda, producing a few outstanding figures.

Then Asakura jumped down, Asai jumped down, Oda got grilled, and you guys don't have any big guys here. At least we'll see some around the time of the shogunate's collapse.

Solovyov might find a group of Russian and French advisors for the shogunate in a country like this, where even Gulliver's Travels could be filmed, but he himself would not come.

"General, do you understand now?"

"I understand, I understand everything."

Furthermore, the shogunate was quite attentive to the modernization of the hatamoto's arquebuses.

However, the shogunate's finances are currently in a bad state, and the finances of the various domains are also in dire straits.

Solovyov understood this point and also considered that Japan's only competitive advantage in the world at that time was in the raw silk trade, which was competing with the Qing Dynasty for market share.

In addition, we should seize the opportunity before the mineral resources here are exhausted and start mining as soon as possible to accumulate some initial capital.

Otherwise, by the time the Edo period comes, there won't even be a chance to just laze around and wait to die.

As for the treatment of a great lord with two million koku of grain, Solovyov didn't think that was a high demand.

The shogunate knew better than Uesugi Kagekatsu how much of the stipend he gave to Naoe Kanetsugu was based on after Uesugi moved to Aizu.

Two million koku isn't much, but it's enough to scare off Tokugawa Ienari.

The rest was simple. After having a few more meals in Edo, Solovyov and his companions embarked on a new journey.

Before returning to Europe, Solovyov's entire fleet was to rendezvous in Guangzhou and hand over trade matters to the newly appointed Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Ruan Yuan.

Only then was Solovyov able to set off.

As for the change of governor in Guangdong during this period, he only learned about it before he set off.

After all, the personnel arrangements of the Qing Dynasty were only visible to the officials in front of us; the rest of the people were completely unknown.

However, Ruan Yuan's appointment was also a good thing, as he took the initiative to cause trouble for those opium dealers.

Moreover, shortly after taking office, he encountered the situation where Russian warships were positioned between the Humen Fort and British warships to resolve the conflict.

The British, naturally, dared not make a move, and so they left Humen and headed south.

Regarding Russian warships, Ruan Yuan agreed to build such giant naval vessels, and that there were plenty of ways and means to do so.

However, he has just taken office and is not yet certain about this matter. He often invites the Pan brothers to the Governor-General's Mansion to talk and learn about the situation in the West.

Pan Youwei greatly admired Solovyov, saying, "Solovyov is well-versed in both Chinese and Western learning. Although he may not be a master of both, he is still a rare talent." Pan Youdu finally found someone with similar skills who could take over the business, a legitimate business that did not engage in smuggling, and therefore he also praised him highly.

After Emperor Jiaqing issued his edict, Ruan Yuan realized that Russia actually had such a figure.

He was also waiting, but Solovyov's trip to Okinawa had delayed things considerably.

If we had come a few days later, we probably would have missed the wind signals for our return voyage.

Upon arriving in Guangzhou, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi received them with an upgraded level of hospitality, and the newly appointed Governor of Guangdong, Chen Ruolin, made meticulous preparations.

The reason, besides the imperial edict of Emperor Jiaqing, was that Prince Li and the first Qing Dynasty mission to the West also arrived in Guangzhou.

The level of hospitality needed to be raised even higher. The gentry of Guangzhou were also to attend, but they were more worldly-wise and at least knew what foreigners were like.

It is indeed rare to find a foreigner like Solovyov who can write poetry, is also skilled in calligraphy, is both literate and martial, and is quite good-looking.

Their family reunited in Guangzhou, and they even had a baby together.

Speaking of which, these foreign dolls are much prettier than adult dolls.

Although Solovyov was often away from home, he educated his children very well.

After traveling for a while, the two children spoke Mandarin even more fluently.

Ruan Yuan had only heard of it before, but now that he had seen it, he was amazed.

“Your Excellency, this time I am not coming to Guangzhou as before. After the handover, I will embark on my journey back to China and escort the Prince to the West. I will only be staying for a few days.”

"When Litang met with General Suo last time, I was still serving in Huguang and was unable to meet him. It is my great fortune to meet him now."

"You're too modest, Governor."

After exchanging greetings, we still need to get down to business first.

Solovyov was able to appoint and dismiss accompanying officials, so he dispatched a fourth-class civil official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to manage the affairs of the Russian trading post in Guangzhou. Since there were fourteen ranks of civil officials in Russia, a fourth-class civil official was considered to be at the level of a provincial governor in the Qing Dynasty, which was still below the governor-general and governor, so there were not many problems.

As for the trade issues involved in the treaty, Ruan Yuan had received the imperial edict and was naturally aware of the situation.

"His Majesty has already issued a clear edict, General, there is no need to worry. However, when trading in Guangzhou, you must act in accordance with the laws of the Great Qing Dynasty and not do anything prohibited, like the British barbarians. Litang and I are both aware of the matter of the giant ship blocking the two armies and resolving the conflict. The officers and soldiers of your country who resolved the conflict will also be rewarded."

Little Krona had reported this to Solovyov. The food rations were consistently improved during the Chinese New Year, only decreasing slightly after February.

However, supplies were plentiful, and in terms of daily hospitality, it was clear that Chinese officials were very attentive because of the emperor's attitude.

Now that the main party has returned, Ruan Yuan's mention of these matters is within the scope of the secret agreement.

"However, the British have troops in India. If they attack, we need to hold the forts and check key coastal defenses. Solang has extensive military experience and is knowledgeable in military strategy, but he doesn't know how to deal with each situation."

"In my opinion, strengthening the coastal defenses of the fort is the best course of action. If the various cannons on the fort can fire at a range exceeding that of the British warships, then they will certainly not dare to attack alone. If they assemble a fleet with thousands of men, it will be disadvantageous for the defense of the fort."

"This is also my opinion. I wonder how the British troops fare in infantry combat?"

In fact, Ruan Yuan knew some of the situation beforehand. He felt that Solovyov must have had a way to defeat the British several times.

Even when restoring history, Ruan Yuan's first judgment was that if the British fleet came and frequently harassed the borders, there would be no peace on the sea frontier.

However, just as he does now, he underestimated the British land warfare capabilities.

The only difference is that the historical situation was unknown.

Now it's because they've seen that Russian warships are indeed very powerful, and the British, even in their small boats, don't dare to be too arrogant. Moreover, Solovyov once annihilated nearly 30,000 British troops.

In Ruan Yuan's view, this was probably a devastating defeat for the entire nation's army, one that had crippled them.

Because of the composition of the Qing army, the field forces consisted mainly of the Northwest Green Standard Army, the Eight Banners outside the Great Wall, the Eight Banners of the Beijing Garrison that still maintained combat effectiveness, and the Mongolian cavalry outside the Great Wall.

The number of soldiers who could go out to fight at any one time was not large.

Ruan Yuan was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) at the end of the Qianlong era. When Qianlong selected him for the Hanlin Academy, he was amazed that he was able to find such a talented person even after he turned eighty, which must be commendable.

Moreover, he was a prolific writer and also had a curiosity about novel things from the West, especially telescopes.

He always had his own judgment, but like his achievements in history and archaeology, there were always some deviations.

Therefore, he underestimated the fighting power of the British infantry.

As for Solovyov's statement that the British infantry were not bad in skill, but their resilience was slightly worse than that of the Russian army, and their daily training was the most intense in Europe, it was only because the British had plenty of money that they could maintain elite troops, and if one squad of soldiers was lost, another squad would be brought in to fight.

However, given its size and the assessment that "Britain is a small country with many famous naval generals, but its infantry has only one outstanding general, Wellington," its army strength was certainly inferior to that of Russia and France.

Given Ponant's lackluster performance, Archduke Charles took his wife and children to Spain again, and Britain could now be ranked as the third strongest land power in Europe.

Just think, the British occupied India, it's just fate.

Solovyov had no intention of misleading Ruan Yuan; he explained it carefully once more.

Sir Armston of the British East India Company would later praise him as shrewd and capable.

He was truly shrewd and capable. Before Lord Lin, Wu Bingjian had been dealt with by him because of the opium issue. He was just a nouveau riche from the Thirteen Factories.

However, in the Thirteen Factories, there are always merchants who can rise to prominence in a short period of time, but very few can emerge unscathed like the Ye family, or have their children transition to the imperial examinations like the Pan family.

Ruan Yuan naturally had plenty of ways to deal with them. As for strengthening coastal defenses, after Solovyov corrected his "erroneous views," he was willing to let the Russians help him improve the coastal defenses.

But Solovyov had a bad habit: when it came to defense, he always wanted it to be impregnable. Therefore, the defensive plans he proposed were all complete sets.

Ruan Yuan's annual income was only 20,000 taels of silver. He also had to support his family, pay his staff, run schools, and take care of widows. When he was in Zhejiang, he took the initiative to pay for the upbringing of baby girls to prevent them from being drowned.

Whether it's government money or his own money, expenses are extremely tight.

Therefore, Solovyov's plan for the Guangdong coastal defense system included the coastal defense of Xiamen, Ningbo, and Wusongkou.
These were all extremely costly, and even when Ruan Yuan finally came back to ask about them, it was still about the reinforcement of the forts in a few places like Humen.

After hearing this, Solovyov brought up the Irish migration plan that Jiaqing had already tacitly approved.

First, we need to get the Irish away from the British. They have a deep hatred for the British and could be useful in the future.

As for how many potential "Red Barbarian soldiers" will be allocated to Guangdong in the future, we will only know after Solovyov goes to Ireland to rescue them.

After all these events, Ruan Yuan was more concerned about the binoculars around Solovyov's neck.

Indeed, he was a pillar of the Qianlong-Jiaqing school of thought, a mathematician of the Qing Dynasty, a rescuer of orphans and widows, a deep-sea enthusiast of Western telescopes, and the future Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Profundity of the Qing Dynasty, who held the official title of Grand Tutor.

Moreover, although he didn't get to see the hot air balloons take off, he still had a considerable curiosity about Western academic subjects.

Solovyov discovered that Governor-General Ruan was much easier to talk to than the previous Governor-General Jiang Youxian, who couldn't swear but whose ancestral home was Fenghua. They could even chat about anything and everything. (End of Chapter)