Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The Emperor himself spoke about the possible strategies of the British.

In fact, Solovyov had mentioned it many times along the way; spending so much time with French women made him prone to becoming a chatterbox.

Moreover, Madame Récamier was a French woman, and Corsica had already been incorporated into France when Polina was born, so she was considered French as well.

But such gossiping isn't always helpful.

At this point, we need to consult a truly professional, knowledgeable person who is the abdicated French emperor.

“Michel, what is your current understanding of the British deployments in Southeast Asia?”

"They returned Batavia to the Netherlands, but in exchange they acquired Ceylon. When we arrived in India, the British only had a few outposts in Malacca in Southeast Asia, and they were not yet large-scale."

"If they take control of this place one day, it will be a huge problem for the British fleet. Drouot, you've been in charge of artillery in the navy, you should know this very well."

Solovyov joined Napoleon's temporary staff, so the translation work had to be handed over to someone else.

At this point, speaking plainly is fine, and the Qing officials will be able to understand.

"Your Majesty, if the British naval fleet departs from India, there is a supply point along the way where it can provide support to the fleet entering the South China Sea."

"In this way, their resupply distance is greatly shortened. The British advantage is their pile of planks, which they call ships."

"Your Majesty, it was these ships that hindered your original plan to land in England."

Solovyov seized the opportunity to raise this issue, leaving Napoleon helpless.

After all, his opponents were unwilling to confront him head-on, and he also had an absolute naval advantage.

"But it is these ships that allow the British to go anywhere. To deal with them, a disciplined army is needed."

Solovyov could only discuss the fighting capabilities of the Qing army in private later.

If it were done in person, it would be somewhat embarrassing.

However, Zhao Lian had observed along the way and clearly understood the level of the British.

"May I ask the French Emperor Emeritus, if we were to fight against the British, is there a way to achieve victory?"

"Your Majesty, what do you think we should do?"

"I think we need an army and navy trained by French advisors, to heavily guard the major coastal areas, to strengthen security, and to increase the country's fiscal revenue, especially trade taxes."

"However, the two most recent dynasties in China mainly used agricultural taxes and often reduced or exempted taxes and grain. Commercial taxes probably existed before the Mongol rule."

"Regardless, we need more fiscal revenue to purchase and produce advanced weapons. China is a great country, 25 times the size of France. Just considering its prosperous and wealthy coastal provinces, I think it can accumulate enough wealth to build a powerful army. The British can mobilize between 20,000 and 30,000 troops at a time. The real problem is their fleet. China may have a million-strong army, but its fleet should be quite limited, right? Does it have battleships like Russia's?"

"Your Majesty, no."

Solovyov was still shaking his head, and Napoleon sighed as well.

"If the British could have two squadrons of battleships, they would have to think twice before launching an expedition. After all, my nephew, an army officer, was able to assist the naval general in winning battles and defeating the British fleet."

After Napoleon arrived on the Caribbean island, he also became more accepting of the situation.

As for the things he mentioned, they are mentioned in Solovyov's own account.

Next, Napoleon also promoted his French advisory program.

Solovyov frowned slightly. His uncle was always so confident, and now he was even starting to promote the French consultant.

"Take General Drouot, for example. He and I went through ten years of war together. He's a rare talent in artillery. Michel, you should know that all too well, right?"

"Yes, our Russian army has suffered a lot. It was the same in Borodino and Bettina, and in Leipzig, which I missed, the battle was almost won with artillery. If it weren't for the grenadiers I trained, who held their ground under General Raevsky's leadership, we might have had to fight many more battles after Leipzig."

"But we need tough infantry, and we also need to find Russian generals. If we just want to train a strong army, then finding French advisors will be enough. In fact, I have many old subordinates who are marshals of the Empire, as well as more than a thousand active and reserve generals. As for officers, they are countless. If they were all at home, many of them would probably be too busy to stay idle."

Napoleon had a peculiar habit when he spoke: he would always bring up topics on his own.

Having witnessed the Russian cannons, Delin and Ancheng also mentioned this to Zhaolian.

"Your Highness, our Great General Cannon is not as accurate as the Russian one."

In fact, Emperor Qianlong was also a proponent of artillery, but he used it for forced demolitions.

However, in the end, it was Long Ruyan who made the final decision.

“The mutiny in Dengzhou in the past led to the rise of the Three Princes, a lesson from the past.”

Well, that's how you see it from the Qing Dynasty's perspective.

It was the Ming Dynasty officials' inhumane behavior that drove Kong Youde and others, who had a deep-seated hatred for the Later Jin, to rebel, all because of a chicken.

It's extremely rare in all dynasties for a master to be so relentless in pursuing a stolen chicken.

The artillery brought by the Three Princes was the one that Sun Yuanhua had put together according to Portuguese standards.

In Portugal, in Europe, soldiers were seated at the children's table.

But France and Russia were different, and Napoleon's interest in the Far East was limited to trade; he had to discuss the specifics with his wife and Monsieur Talleyrand.

If a group of consultants were hired, the French would have a peculiar fondness for Chinese culture. In addition, the Qing Dynasty's treatment of officials, if calculated on an equal footing, would amount to an annual salary of between 3000 and 5000 silver rubles for each general. If calculated based on the salary and allowance for integrity of a garrison commander, it would be between 3,000 and 5,000 silver rubles.

If calculated in francs, the amount would be even greater, not to mention that these French generals who went out to advise the country also received half a salary from the emperor – after all, they were no longer serving in the country.

Besides, if someone like Solovyov could manage his trade in Guangzhou well and find partners in the Thirteen Factories, that would be a lucrative position.

Napoleon knew that he was unlikely to fight any more battles in Saint-Domingue, so he wanted to find a way out for his loyal generals and those in France.

Especially Drouot and Compronna, who followed the emperor to Elba and have now followed him here.

This place is good for them.

Moreover, some politically active individuals, like Soult, should find somewhere to continue contributing their time and energy, rather than remaining in France.

It's a pity that Massena, who had a penchant for robbery, was getting old and his health was deteriorating.

Otherwise, they could form a team and plunder Asia. Napoleon's plans were so grand that they could probably be heard all over Siberia.

Moreover, this is competing with Solovyov for jobs.

There's nothing I can do; he's just that confident.

Solovyov didn't argue with him, but poaching people was still easy.

Although Drouot was still willing to follow the emperor, it was indeed difficult for him to make the most of his talents on an island like Santo Domingo.

If cannons were used, all coastal artillerymen after the Qing Dynasty would need to be trained, and the cannons would also need to be updated.

Drouot was a "master of artillery" because he specialized in artillery. Napoleon often entrusted him with the artillery of his large army, so he was naturally a top-notch artillery talent.

If it were someone else, coming here to demand their return wouldn't be so easy.

However, this matter still needs to be finalized.

The Qing army needed to be upgraded and modernized, mainly in the army. Although Solovyov proposed it, there was no definitive conclusion.

On Jiaqing's side, he only agreed to send army advisors, but the exact number of them would probably only be determined when Speransky sent people to Kyakhta and saw the Qing Dynasty's reply.

Having a French general as an advisor isn't a big problem, and since he's come from afar, he might even receive some subsidies, making his income quite substantial.

However, for the poorer Russian officers, serving under a different emperor in the Qing Dynasty was more valuable.

Generals like Drouot are exceptional talents, so they naturally deserve more. Otherwise, the income of French generals in their home country might even be higher than their income in the Qing Dynasty.

But what kind of status could one achieve in the Qing Dynasty?
Solovyov will tell Drouo about this later.

Napoleon wanted to find a good place for the generals who had followed him to Saint-Domingue, as well as the superfluous generals in France. At this time, France had basically no overseas colonies left, so going to Asia as an advisor or going to America to find Moreau was one way out.

Moreover, even though Napoleon himself relinquished the throne, he still worried about whether his son could sit securely on it.

He was given the treatment of the Prime Minister of the Talleyrand Empire, so he finally stopped betraying anyone for the time being.

Moreover, with the marriage alliance between France and Russia, Alexander the Great, or the future Tsar, would always be given some consideration.

This is also a characteristic of Tsarist Russia, and Solovyov was aware of it.

After all, Alexander II was always sidelined on the road to Prussia's rise, which was related to the fact that Emperor William was his maternal uncle, and it wasn't just a matter of strategy.

As for these generals, sending them out to offer advice and cause trouble for the British would not be a bad idea.

Moreover, the world is so big, there are many places where French generals are needed.

In particular, Britain's next expansion goals are also quite obvious.

They sought trade advantages in the Far East, but repeatedly encountered obstacles.

Solovyov did succeed, which would allow the British to continue their operations.

It was only a matter of time. After mentioning the advisors, Napoleon also took note of the port situation on the unfolded map.

“If the British solve the supply problem, I think they will impose a naval blockade and seize several important ports. If the Chinese emperor’s army fights the British in the future, they will have to defend several important coastal port cities. Michel, you can mark the major Chinese ports now.”

"These are the main places. Another important point is that the grain and silver collected from taxes in Jiangnan were transported to the northern capital via the Grand Canal."

"How wide is the Yangtze River? Can large warships navigate it?"

"I think battleships can reach Jiangning Prefecture, also known as Nanjing, and from there they can cut off the canal's shipping."

"In that case, the British will definitely target Guangzhou, Ningbo, the Yangtze River estuary, and here... what's it called again?"

"The Bohai Sea is considered an inland sea of ​​China."

"Yes, they're launching attacks in these directions. And I roughly know what Macartney wanted back then—it's right here, in the Zhoushan Islands, just outside Ningbo. Michel, do you know what their purpose is?"

"should be"

Solovyov would be quite stressed at times like this. He would have to speak French with Napoleon, then think things through, and when talking to his colleagues he would use Russian and German, and when answering Zhaolian and others he would have to use Mandarin. He needed to switch between languages ​​constantly.

After hesitating for a moment, he said this.

"Your Highness, Ningbo used to be open to foreigners, but it was later closed."

"This is indeed true. In the twenty-second year of Qianlong's reign, British officials went to Tianjin to file a complaint with the emperor. When Emperor Gaozong Chun was alive, he specifically closed Ningbo because Britain had violated the system of the Celestial Empire. Moreover, the customs duties and various malpractices of Zhejiang Customs were far less than those of Guangdong Customs."

After the translator finished speaking, Napoleon laughed and said, "I see. The British are indeed shrewd and calculating, but they won't succeed without lowering their stance. They want an island near Ningbo because they see its advantages. In that case, this area should be a key area for defense. Even if we don't consider launching an offensive, just for defense, we need to strengthen the security of the main commercial ports and military ports, and also transfer troops to garrison them."

Although Napoleon never went to China, and would never have had the opportunity.

But seeing China's long coastline, this was the only conclusion he could draw.

He even suggested comprehensively strengthening the defenses against potential British targets along the southeast coast, just like Solovyov's previous personal inspection of the Humen and Sifang forts.

However, he only considered it from the perspective of ordinary military troop movements, and because he had never been to China, he still overlooked the realities of China's situation.

The Qing Dynasty has its own unique national conditions, and this statement has always been applicable.

As for the British's ultimate goal, Napoleon made it quite clear.

“Michel, what do you think the British will do?”

"Their hydrographic surveys must have been for the purpose of launching an attack from the coast, cutting off China's main shipping routes, and capturing some ports, thus opening China's doors with naval guns."

"Since we've tried this approach, we can only strengthen the defenses of the coastline. Gentlemen, when you arrive in Paris, you can visit Mr. Cano and Marshal Davout. They have extensive experience in defending fortresses for a long time."

The former defended Antwerp, giving the British no chance.

As for Davout, his steadfast defense of Hamburg, even after Napoleon's first abdication, did nothing to harm the city.

This is an open-book exam. If the Qing Dynasty could strengthen its coastal defenses based on its own circumstances, it might be a viable solution.

However, I'm afraid that even with the answer key, they still won't understand it in the end. (End of Chapter)