Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The British ship was not inspected, even though its yellow dragon flag was rather conspicuous.

After all, the British had seen many ships at sea, but they had never seen this flag before.

The Qing Dynasty's yellow dragon flag had never been used before; it was specially prepared by the Jiaqing Emperor for this trip.

The national flag and national anthem were temporary, even though the latter was originally produced by the Qing Dynasty, but it was introduced nearly a hundred years earlier.

The British hadn't seen them, but the Russian fleet had battleships and heavy frigates, so it wasn't easy to say anything.

The Qing officials who had already seen the "Kunlun slaves" in Africa encountered the same situation in Port-au-Prince.

As for the local cities, they are translated literally, not transliterated, and were not a focus of attention for Qing Dynasty officials.

After disembarking, they saw the imperial guard's ceremonial procession.

Speaking of which, these bearskin hats have disappeared in the tropics, replaced by tropical uniforms.

Even the most elite of the old guard couldn't possibly dress like that all the time in the Caribbean. Even in Egypt, the grenadiers considered changing their hats.

When the emperor himself arrived at the scene, the veterans shouted "Long live the emperor!", which was quite impressive.

The emperor is now much fatter than he was in Mont Saint-Jean and Bertheine; he's an Italian fat man.

"Your Majesty, it is a pleasure to see you here in good health."

“Michel, how long has it been since we last saw each other? Where is Ney?”

"His ship is still behind, so my ship will naturally be faster in the port."

"Yes, I learned about this mission here, and my nephew, you've brought guests from afar."

Although Napoleon abdicated, he remained the emperor, and therefore his status was naturally higher.

However, Qing Dynasty officials could not remove their hats and bow like Solovyov.

After all, removing one's official hat isn't something that happens while sitting aside in public; it's like losing one's position.

Therefore, they all bowed with their hands clasped, which made Napoleon slightly disappointed.

"What does it mean by bowing like that?"

"The one at the head was a Chinese prince, and a descendant of the second son of the founding emperor of the Tatars. He was of very high status, so naturally there would be no kneeling ceremony. Behind him were these officials. In China, we have had debates about etiquette."

As for the details, it's hard to say in public.

Solovyov never expected that Napoleon would have such a particular fondness for those kinds of etiquette.

It's probably the kind of system used in the palace; they find it particularly useful.

But Napoleon never went to the East, which may have been partly due to curiosity.

After the ceremony, the emperor also made a gesture, which was another military inspection.

Zhaolian's question was: why do European monarchs love to inspect things so much?
After the military review, Napoleon would also entertain the guests at the former governor's residence, now the emperor's palace.

Napoleon was naturally curious about the Chinese emperor.

However, he is currently on a Caribbean island and will probably never have the chance to go there in his lifetime, but he is quite curious about the situation in China.

As for Zhaolian, he still needed a translator to answer, but the conversation between the two was quite cordial and friendly.

Napoleon also knew that the Russian fleet was carrying a large amount of goods and treasures, many of which were gifts from the Chinese emperor, and his wife and children would also receive a generous return gift.

He was quite satisfied after hearing about the imperial edict.

However, all these benefits were brought about by the mediation of Josephine's non-blood-related nephew, who had slept with his sister.

Trade between France and China was also very meaningful during peacetime, especially since the Chinese emperor greatly admired Ney. Wherever you went, whether you were a warrior or a baturu, if you fought fiercely enough and looked impressive enough, you would be highly regarded.

"In that case, I think the Chinese emperor should also establish an embassy in Europe to better understand the continent. He could hire French and Russian advisors, and Britain will inevitably be our common enemy in the future. Although I have retired here and ruled this island, I know the British; they demand special privileges wherever they go."

Solovyov knew his uncle would say that.

However, it is too early now. Fortunately, the only people present today are the key figures from the Qing Dynasty, Russia, and France, who are in a small reception room.

Zhao Lian's duty was to "pacify" Russia, and he was also aware of the secret treaty with Russia. Unexpectedly, this abdicated French emperor (but not yet the retired emperor) also noticed the threat from Britain.

He even seems to be more skillful than Solovyov.

Solovyov had done extensive preparation and analysis; he made his judgment and recommendations simply after hearing the information in person.

However, Zhao Lian had no authority on this matter. He could only state that this mission was a return visit, and that he would be able to convey the French emperor's opinion when he returned to see the emperor.

In fact, when the treaty was formally signed, the monarchs of Russia and France confirmed their status according to their own emperors, making it an equal treaty. This treatment sounds different.

These were the small countries that the mission had reached. After hearing about them, Napoleon even had some thoughts, namely that there should be more envoys who could meet with the Chinese emperor frequently in the future.

It would certainly be a good thing if diplomats, scientists, and military personnel served as special advisors to the Qing emperors.

Solovyov was somewhat surprised when he said it.

After all, it takes a long time for someone to think about something, while Napoleon could just spout off whatever came to mind.

This uncle is still as impatient as ever.

And even though he's almost fifty, his reactions are still very quick.

Even in the comfortable environment of the Caribbean island, his stomach problems were somewhat relieved.

That way, the reaction time will be faster.

Solovyov was described by others as intelligent, even a genius.

But there are always people better than him.

Even Napoleon's decisions were all impromptu.

Clearly, during the time spent as the owner of an island, one's intelligence may have taken over again.

Previously, our shortcomings in diplomacy have become much more apparent now, since we are not directly involved.

Zhao Lian was also surprised, thinking that the abdicated French emperor had probably been too inclined towards force in the past. Of course, although everyone says that Xiang Yu was like Napoleon, Xiang Yu held a halberd, glared, and led the Jiangdong men and elite cavalry in an attack, killing his opponents and causing them to flee in disarray.

However, this is really too low-level. It mainly relies on his strength to choose a good breakthrough point to defeat the enemy.

When Napoleon mentioned his past, Zhao Lian, having heard about his time in Leipzig, remarked on the emperor's skill in commanding troops.

He fought very well in both of his defeats, and Xiang Yu couldn't even feign an injury.

"Michelle, who is Xiang Yu?"

Although France was originally a region where ancient China was concentrated, Napoleon could not have known too much about Xiang Yu.

Moreover, Solovyov, who knew about this, used European case studies when translating Sun Tzu's Art of War and compiling battle examples with Archduke Karl. As for the story of Xiang Yu, it was just a formality when translating the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and it would be quite complicated to explain it.

Napoleon used to write novels, but later he treated them as reading material for his maids. Although he had read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he only read the war sections.

He didn't watch the debate at all.

Solovyov still had to explain what was going on.

He added, "The famous generals of the same era as Hannibal were all good at winning, but they didn't know how to use their victories, and in the end they all committed suicide by sword."

"So he was a tragic general after all. If he hadn't coveted the title of king and had been content to be a general, perhaps he wouldn't have met such an end. He should have seized power after the world was at peace."

These words sounded like something Suvorov had said about him before, with a strange implication.

"The situation in China is quite different from that in Europe, Your Majesty."

Then, Solovyov had to explain to Zhaolian who Hannibal was.

Delin and Ancheng sat to the side, listening to Solovyov mention that he had crossed the Alps and achieved a great victory against a much larger enemy force with a smaller one.

Their father had done it a few years ago. In addition, the two of them had a good impression of Solovyov and Napoleon because they had all won great victories by crossing mountains. This time, Hannibal, who was a contemporary of Xiang Yu, was also added to the list.

Even Hannibal's fate is somewhat similar to that of his grandfather, and their identities are like those of the Wu brothers.

He was even luckier than Grandpa Yue, having a chance to strike at the heart of the enemy, though he was one step short.

But he was even more unlucky than Yue Fei, with a terrible teammate at home. He was even worse than Emperor Gaozong of Song, who at least supported Yue Fei before he backed down.

Although they were both military officers, they were not uneducated.

They always knew some classical allusions, otherwise, when they went to see a play, the civil officials would easily use classical allusions to make fun of them.

However, given their bizarre understanding, Solovyov could only be dumbfounded.

As for the military generals from the Qing Dynasty, there were only these two, plus Yishan, a member of the imperial clan, and the rest were guards and officers of various ranks from the imperial clan.

Napoleon was particularly interested in soldiers, so he asked the two of them about their backgrounds.

At this point, translation was not enough; Solovyov still needed to accurately express both sides of the argument.

"Replying to His Majesty the French Emperor, we two are here on this mission with the rank of Commander-in-Chief, each commanding a captain's battalion as our bodyguard. I, Delin, am honored by His Majesty's favor and have inherited my father's position as Commander-in-Chief. As for General Ancheng, he has also inherited his father's position."

"Delin Beile's father, Fukang'an, was a favorite general of the Qianlong Emperor. He once crossed the Himalayas to fight against the Gurkhas and made many military achievements. He died of illness during the campaign against the rebellion and was therefore granted the title of Second-Class Prince, which was an exception in the Qing Dynasty. This is why he inherited the title of Beile and made it hereditary. As for General Ancheng, his father was Hailancha, a brave warrior among the Solon people. He served in the army for more than 30 years and was a fierce general who was always the first to charge into battle."

The explanation should be brief. When Napoleon heard about it, he knew that they were all descendants of remarkable generals. However, it was also clear from Solovyov's explanation that they had all inherited their fathers' titles and were subsequently settled.

He was probably much less capable than the previous generation, but judging from his speech, he still showed great respect for Napoleon.

After all, in their view, this meant that Han Xin's military strategy and Xiang Yu's fate were intertwined.

Even in the Qing Dynasty, you couldn't find such an awesome general, so of course you have to pay your respects.

"Both of you are sons of famous generals, so you should encourage each other. My nephew, although he is from my ex-wife Empress Josephine's side, is brave and skilled in battle. It's good that you two are like this."

Moreover, Napoleon had heard that their father had crossed the Himalayas and defeated the Gurkhas, and he was also very interested in India.

Even here, he said this to Solovyov.

"My friend Tsar Paul, if he hadn't been murdered, we could have carried out that great plan: to march from Central Asia to India, and once we reached India, we could have defeated the British. It's just a pity that there's probably no chance we'll ever see anyone put this plan into practice."

Solovyov understood that Europe would likely experience a period of relative peace, but war would still break out later.

Russia and Britain are bound to fight.

France, on the other hand, must wait for its wounds to heal and for it to rebuild its strength for another battle.

Although the British seem to have won by a large margin, they have also paid a considerable price.

As the leader, I will still face challenges from the second and third leaders in the future, and may even be attacked by them all.

Napoleon did have some ideas for the next war.

However, Solovyov remained silent. Although his plan targeted India, it always required some preparatory steps.

To get to India, we need to figure out the route to India, and that will probably only be resolved after we return to St. Petersburg.

Solovyov sat there, unusually calm.

He didn't say anything, he just smiled.

Napoleon knew that the other party understood the meaning, but gave feedback like Alexander did.

No matter where the monarch is, he will more or less influence his ministers.

As for the details, Napoleon actually wanted to have a private talk with Solovyov.

Since this kid also has a plan to deal with Britain, it will have to be put into practice in the future.

The rest of the time was spent discussing the British mission's previous failures and Solovyov's later arrival and great success in China.

Napoleon also commented sharply: "If Lord Amherst of Britain had known about China beforehand and prioritized the completion of this diplomatic mission over matters of face, he should at least have been able to meet the Emperor himself, as Macartney had done in the past. This stubbornness and arrogance will only bring problems. Moreover, I think the British Royal Navy will certainly be conducting surveying activities along the Chinese coast to understand the hydrographic conditions of the Chinese open sea. They will come again in the future, and they will choose key areas to launch their attack on the palace. Michel, you should bring the map. You've always done staff work. I'll explain, and you can demonstrate to our Chinese friends the possible routes of British attack."

Goodness, he's been in Santo Domingo for so long that he can't wait any longer and has to personally demonstrate his ideas to everyone.

Fortunately, his speech wasn't as abstract as issuing orders; he even knew to have Solovyov, who had long served as his adjutant and staff officer, demonstrate for him. (End of Chapter)