Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The Sultan was pointing at Solovyov's flagship, the "Grace".

This is one of the most powerful first-class warships in Europe at present. It was also based on the Spanish "San Trinidad". Although it may not be much compared with later battleships, a warship with 130 cannons is still a very impressive sight when it is launched.

“Your Majesty, this is my personal ship and the flagship of the Russian Imperial Navy. It cannot be sold.”

"Can't you sell? Are you worried I'm offering too low a price?"

Solovyov was completely stunned after hearing this.

Sha is still in the desert, but there are other nouveau riche.

Those studying international trade haven't even started working as waiters yet; they're now embarking on a trade journey from Europe to East Asia. Although the journey is arduous, it's also one of the most popular and lucrative industries.

The Sultanate of Oman collects tolls and also runs its own businesses.

Moreover, Arabs have always enjoyed doing business and even value commercial reputation.

Even the Levantians, who lived next to the Jews, did not forget their flagship product when they were engaged in ancient commerce and finance: Phoenician purple dye. Although it tasted bad, it represented nobility and was the most valuable product of Phoenician merchants.

Back then, the Jews were still engaging in superstitious activities, waiting for the city walls to collapse.

Meanwhile, the Greeks and temples began to send investigators outside, and the interpretations of oracles were somewhat ambiguous.

Mesopotamia and Babylon were very hot.

Arab merchants also frequent this place, but they mostly go overseas to do business, just like the Sogdians from Central Asia went to China to do business.

But Solovyov is still confused about what the point of buying this ship is.
The Omani Navy is quite unique in the Arab world because of its fourth-class ships, which make them fearless even against armed merchant ships and frigates passing by.

Even when the Royal Navy passed by, they adopted a cooperative and allied attitude.

This is not yet part of the Oman that will be divided in two after a war that lasts 38 minutes.

Now that it's part of the whole, the British naturally feel that Oman is worth courting.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Oman became intensely curious about the passing Russian fleet, its cargo, and the Chinese envoys heading to Europe.

Moreover, the Sultanate of Oman would not do something as despicable as Khwarezm.

A businessman must be good at business, and in addition, he must have a good reputation.

Even the Sultan himself believed that such a giant ship could be used for trade.

When the British regent ascended to the throne, the Sultan also presented gifts when messengers delivered the news to the court in Muscat.

Later, when the Duke of Clarence becomes the official ruler, if the opportunity arises, William IV, who has served as a captain, will receive a battleship with 74 guns as a gift.

This is the power of money, but Solovyov cannot sell it.

"No, this is not for sale, Your Majesty."

"That must mean we didn't offer enough money. We have plenty of money here."

The Sultan was even able to bring out a box of jewelry, and Katya, standing beside him holding her youngest son Lev, was somewhat surprised.

Once the box was opened, it contained a very large gem.

Although Katya grew up in a wealthy family of a first-class prince, even though her father had a lot of debt, the family was still a top-class noble family and enjoyed a life of luxury.

Among these jewels, some were even larger than when she served the empress and traveled with her husband to many noble courts, but it is indeed quite rare to see such large gemstones so casually displayed.

There was no other way; Ah had plenty of money, and the slave trade and spice trade were both ways to make money.

Moreover, their spices are well-known in traditional Chinese medicine as a remedy for injuries and bruises. They were already a staple product of the region long before Pharaoh Nicholas II of ancient Egypt hired Phoenicians to travel around Africa.

Many trading posts in Somalia are controlled by the Sultanate of Oman.

In fact, because Solovyov served as a general in Tsarist Russia, he was always in contact with feudal monarchs, which led to his thinking being free and even sympathetic to the lower classes, but his stance was always on the side of the ruling class.

If he were to encounter the Abyssinian Empire, the Sultanate of Oman, the Zulu chieftain, or the Emir of Yemen, he would try his best to lend a hand.

After all, even in the fully developed capitalist world, no one is as immoral as his father.

It is indeed hard to believe that the British live their daily lives on the basement floor of capitalist morality, although there are still many people in Britain who still have some sense of shame and are still able to angrily rebuke old Elgin.

But why did they become so immoral later on?
At least because of the pressure from both inside and outside the country, although George III ruled with a strong paternalistic attitude, he was not too immoral overall. At least the common people in the country could still eat their fill, and the famine in India was not so severe.

This is where the offline monarchy comes in; it makes Victoria appear to have done nothing wrong.

But this fat hen's population reduction KPI has been skyrocketing ever since her uncle William IV died.

William IV had no adult children born in wedlock. He was a benevolent king and probably the only British monarch before Ireland's independence who was relatively lenient towards the Irish.

In Britain, it seems that good people always tend to relinquish power to others.

But later, when Britain wanted to dismantle its houses, it was the descendants of the Duke of Clarence who did it.

Solovyov's actions were all aimed at dismantling British hegemony, or at least weakening it.

In fact, this has a historical name: the "Great Game," which refers to the struggle between Britain and Russia for spheres of influence across a series of regions from the Near East to the Middle East and then to Central Asia.

Solovyov's actions may have brought this struggle forward.

He even planned to deploy pieces that were either at the heart of the British conflict or at the very points that would trigger war.

However, he could not accept the actions of Omani Sultan Said ibn Sultan.

"It's not about money. If you need a brand new warship, or even a naval advisor from Europe, I'd be happy to help. This is a naval flagship currently on a mission. If you need a giant ship equipped with 130 naval guns in the future, that won't be a problem either."

In short, this one won't do.

After hearing this, the Sultan understood the other party's attitude.

"Hey friend, since this one can't be sold, a new one would be nice too."

Solovyov knew about the troubles some of the Russian Navy's large ships had, which lacked navigation in the Baltic Sea and would only rot in port.

If a deal is reached with Oman, perhaps something can be done.

At this point, one thing is still acceptable: the Qing Dynasty still had a high demand for frankincense and myrrh.

Zhao Lian, meanwhile, inquired about the recent spice production in the Omani-controlled regions.

He was certain that a "tribute fleet" personally dispatched by the Sultan of Oman would sell for a much lower price than the British middleman. Eliminating middlemen had always been a dream for China's foreign trade, whether exporting silk, tea, and porcelain, or purchasing overseas medicinal herbs and furs.

After visiting the Thirteen Travelers, Zhaolian also discovered the problem.

Russian-owned furs were cheap, Omani-owned spices were cheap, but British-owned opium was not cheap at all.

Dealing with these unscrupulous merchants does indeed require "pacifying the barbarians." Since the British are so ruthless, we must deal with them in the future.

Besides the prince, the officials, members of the imperial family, and nobles all thought the same thing.

After all, the Qing Dynasty was still the Celestial Empire at this time, and the few people from the losers of the Opium War had their eyes opened.

Niu Jian, who was standing nearby, suggested that Zhao Lian should show goodwill to the King of Oman.

As long as there's no war, some people can still manage.

Solovyov's negotiations with Sudan went smoothly.

"Friends, if it were two warships, what price would you offer?"

"As for the ex-factory price, my friend Goncharov, whose family owns a shipyard. If it's the cost price, your country prefers to settle in pounds sterling, which would cost 40,000 pounds, including the cannons, hull, and maintenance equipment."

"If that's the case, my friend, give me six warships: two battleships and four heavy frigates."

"In that case, it would be very suitable for Your Majesty's navy."

Solovyov knew that his family's shrewd business skills would always come in handy.

He offered a package deal for £240,000, including six warships and their accompanying cannons, plus maintenance.

The ship does need maintenance, and the Omani Navy has many veteran sailors, but Solovyov is unsure of its actual combat capability.

But while he was still considering it, it turned out that A and Sha were indeed neighbors, and the Sultan himself spoke up again.

“Friend, bring some more naval advisors, and preferably some army advisors as well. You are an outstanding army general, and I think my army also needs your guidance.”

There was no other way; the general who ultimately defeated Napoleon was a renowned figure in the European coalition against France, and he was also the youngest among them, possessing immense potential.

The Sultan will certainly take his assessment of the army to heart.

However, Arabs all like to wield knives, and they also have quite a few inherent bad habits.

For example, they treat military science as a closely guarded secret.

In this case, it would be very troublesome for lower-level commanders.

But there are also suitable solutions for the Arab region.

Solovyov then realized that Oman's neighbor was Yemen, and Yemen had a "slipper army".

Oman could also refer to this approach, and since they are a very marginal sect in the Arab world, this method is suitable for uniting their own people.

Solovyov knows some Arabic, but he is far from fluent.

Since no one in Oman was familiar with Russian, he finally decided to write a set of regulations for the Omani army in French within the limited time available.

However, this format is quite different from other places.

Arabs are always adept at using their camels, and although this man does business at sea, he is different from his other friends.

But they were also skilled at using camels, and Solovyov only made one request.

"Your Majesty, could you please get me a robe in your style? Or perhaps the kind of robe that Bedouins often wear?"

"Oh, my friend, we have as many robes as you need here, and we can even have a tailor make one for you. Your two ladies are so beautiful, we can prepare some for them too."

Cultural differences have led to varying perceptions among people.

From the Qing Dynasty's perspective, Mihrima was more like a concubine who had been promoted from a maid to a concubine, and could be considered a favored concubine.

Among the Arabs, they knew that Mihrima was of mixed Turkic descent, so they naturally regarded her as Solovyov's second wife.

After all, in the Arab world, if one's economic conditions allow, it is possible to marry four wives.

If we calculate it that way, Solovyov, who didn't have a husband's mistress, probably met the requirement of having four wives.

As for the Arabian-style clothing, Katya's body hasn't recovered yet, and her stomach probably doesn't look very good.

But once she recovered, she was very slim, and after Solovyov had her, he significantly reduced the number of times he cheated on his wife.

Although Mihrima was already a mother, she was young and slim, and she was originally wearing this outfit. Solovyov hadn't even asked her to change her faith, so it didn't feel out of place to switch back.

In particular, the veil adds a touch of mystery.

Solovyov, in reality, is the kind of guy who's secretly a bit of a flirt and has a bit of a romantic side.

It's no wonder the Tsar trusted him so much; Alexander himself was this type of person, and even more outrageous.

As for the robe, the Sultan quickly made one.

Solovyov changed into this outfit and then greeted the Sultan and his men one by one with the word "Salam".

"That's not bad. Apart from not being fluent in our language, the only difference between you and our people is your green eyes."

The problem is somewhat similar to Lawrence of Arabia, but Solovyov's orientation is normal, and his portrayal of an Arab is not quite convincing.

But this robe is very comfortable to wear.

“That’s right. I think your army can use camels as boats in the desert, treating it like the sea. In the ocean, they can use boats directly. Arabs can go anywhere, like Cordoba, Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo, all of which were once the capitals of great nations.”

He doesn't remember it as clearly as he used to, since much of the Arabic content is no longer applicable; Solovyov actually specialized in his European skills.

Even though the Sultan himself was in Oman, where the faith was only the Ibad sect, a marginal sect, he still had dreams.

Even if he doesn't go to those great places, as long as he is in Oman, as the overlord on the edge of the Indian Ocean, he can still rule over vast land and sea as a wealthy monarch.

Moreover, they don't need to mine oil now. In fact, before the oil crisis, the colonists had been getting cheap oil for free for a long time.

Oman is indeed an incredibly wealthy place. (End of Chapter)