Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Solovyov was sometimes afraid that the ladies would sit down and discuss how to divide him up.

Moreover, new forces have recently joined the fray, but fortunately he still has a mission to complete, so Catherine wouldn't force him to stay in Paris for the winter.

The delegation has now changed its original route and is traveling by horse-drawn carriage through Belgium to the Netherlands.

However, in Belgium, only Queen Mary personally received them, and they stayed in Brussels for two days.

However, although Belgium was also a small kingdom, his father was killed by a stray bullet on the battlefield of Four Arms. The founding monarch was put into a coffin before the coronation ceremony was held, which was a rare occurrence.

However, considering that neighboring Burgundy was ravaged by Swiss mercenaries hundreds of years ago, allowing the Habsburgs to acquire the land for free for so many years, it's all a minor matter.

Mary was very grateful to Solovyov.

When my daughter was born in St. Petersburg, he helped me get the medicine and make a diagnosis, and he also found a doctor.

So whenever the little princess saw Solovyov, she would bow directly to him.

Zhaolian had heard about Solovyov's romantic escapades, but this was a rather touching story, and Empress Dowager Marie was the younger sister of the Russian Empress, so Russia had some support in the matter.

This family alone could provide guarantees of independence for Britain, Prussia, and Russia, and Austria and France had no demands on Belgium.

From this perspective, Belgium will also need a period of peace, and if it can develop, that would be very good.

“Mary, you don’t have to treat me like this.”

“What’s wrong with that? My son’s throne was also influenced by His Majesty Alexander. Back when Frederick was still alive, you two were comrades-in-arms who fought side by side on the battlefield.”

At this point, Solovyov lamented that many of his former comrades-in-arms were no longer with him. The older ones were gone, of course, but some were still in their prime.

On the way back, Count Stroganov passed away. Although he was only 36 years old and his friends were also very young, they were all frozen in time.

As for myself, I am currently in good health and rarely have any problems.

When he first stepped onto the battlefield, there were veterans from the previous two generations on the battlefield. Over the past ten years of fighting, his peers have successively become generals.

In the next era, he will probably have to fight alongside young people again.

Sometimes, one has to sigh that time is like a wild donkey running rampant.

Even though it wasn't so obvious in Solovyov, and the passage of time was relatively slow, it still made him reflect on the fleeting nature of time.

By the time I arrived in the Netherlands, I felt a bit old.

After all, Anna is only 22 years old and has just had a son with the Crown Prince.

Although Anna felt some aversion towards her husband, partly because he must have had mistresses outside, and partly because the Prince of Orange seemed to have a two-way relationship.

After the child was born, she stopped worrying about these issues. Besides, the Prince of Orange became more restrained after his son was born.

When the Crown Prince and his wife came to greet them, they also brought along young Prince William, who will become King William III.

"I didn't expect that it would be the two princes personally greeting us."

“Count, it is an honor for us to return and visit Amsterdam this time.”

The Prince of Orange appeared to be quite proper in his manners.

Unlike her sisters, Anna wanted to get married far away from the environment of St. Petersburg. The Empress Dowager was clearly not good to her youngest daughter, but she was not bad either.

But after arriving in the Netherlands, she discovered what kind of person her husband was.

However, her in-laws treated her very well at this time, and her sisters would also send people to visit her when they had time.

Even her fourth sister, with whom she had a strained relationship, would occasionally send messengers over.

Speaking of which, she missed her two younger brothers, whom she had grown up with, even more. Nikolai was getting married soon, with a wedding ceremony in Berlin followed by a formal wedding in St. Petersburg.

"Your Highness, please allow me to introduce you to Prince Zhaolian of China, a noble hereditary prince of the Chinese imperial family, and Long Ruyan, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, which is equivalent to our literary academy. He was the top scorer in the civil service examination in 1814."

In Paris, Zhao Lian may need to kneel on one knee to the Empress Dowager and the young emperor as a gesture of respect.

Once you get here, there's no need for elaborate formalities.

In the future, when it comes to bowing, we may have to perform a grand ceremony in St. Petersburg, and it will be in the European style.

During their visit to Amsterdam, locals watched with curiosity as the carriage carrying the Chinese delegation entered the royal palace.

The King of the Netherlands also gave them a warm welcome, but the more important matter was the trade agreement with the Dutch East India Company, which needed to be implemented as soon as possible.

The reason is simple: the Netherlands' financial situation is terrible, and they are almost starving. Any measures that can improve the Dutch economy are worth trying for the Dutch royal family.

Solovyov also discovered that William I practiced enlightened despotism after the restoration of the House of Orange.

The Netherlands is a country with a very strong constitutional and liberal foundation, and with such a political atmosphere, if the king still wants to be autocratic, then many things are bound to happen.

It was only because the countries that could support the Netherlands at that time all supported the royal family that no trouble was caused.

The crisis was not resolved until William III died in 1890 and his daughter became Queen of the Netherlands. After that, the Netherlands became a fully constitutional monarchy, and the Dutch royal family enjoyed high prestige in this small country.

However, the Netherlands is perhaps a bit too free.

Even in the early 19th century, with such strict regulations, Anna felt that class distinctions were clear, and social activity was very active.
If something is clearly a red flag, then don't worry about the details.

After all, the Netherlands is a country built on commerce. With a small area in the Low Countries, much of which was reclaimed from the sea, the fact that it could compete with Britain and France at sea shows that it must have some skill.

For example, London's current status as a European financial center was largely seized by Britain from the Netherlands through several wars.

During the Napoleonic Wars, London also became a gold settlement center, although the Netherlands still retains its securities settlement function today.

The Netherlands is still very valuable if they can guarantee the continued existence of this financial center.

Solovyov also knew that the biggest problem with the Dutch was that they were obsessed with money.

For example, in the Age of Exploration series released by a certain company, there is a character who is a young Dutch businesswoman.

Speaking of which, her boyfriend's father is based on Cohen of the Dutch East India Company, a notorious ruthless man who preyed on people without spitting out the bones. The Dutch, after all, their greatest hobby is making money.

Then there were several strange financial crises, especially the one during the tulip bubble investment.

This was practically a prelude to some of today's fundraising activities, and even led to a localized financial crisis.

Of course, the pronunciation of "Dutch" in Dutch does have a certain regional feel that makes it familiar.

King William I is now facing a crisis concerning his finances.

Especially after the bankruptcy and liquidation of the Dutch East India Company, although the Kingdom of the Netherlands directly controlled its overseas colonies, its fiscal revenue did not improve.

This trip with the Russian delegation did secure trade permission, but whether it could reverse the Dutch economic downturn was a concern for the King himself.

After all, a significant portion of this money belonged to him, and he didn't want to be driven back to England by the Dutch people like he had in the past.

The greatest benefit Britain gained from the Napoleonic Wars was undoubtedly its status as a financial center.

However, there are still many unresolved issues regarding trade settlement.

If European countries want to compete with Britain, they actually have to consider many factors.

Solovyov could not conceive of a continental blockade, as that would be far too costly.

If it could threaten the British people's wallets, that would be good.

At this point, the Netherlands' position becomes particularly important.

In any case, due to its geographical location, the country is vulnerable to attack from surrounding powerful nations. In such cases, the Dutch will have no choice but to open the dikes and sluice gates, taking advantage of their low-lying terrain to turn the surrounding area into a swamp, making it difficult for the enemy to advance.

The Dutch only had this method, but they couldn't use it often. Ever since being defeated by Louis XIV, the Netherlands had been on a downward spiral.

It's worth noting that the burning of the Thames River was something only the Dutch did when they were still powerful.

After the Crown Prince and his wife took their leave, William I sat down to have a proper talk with Solovyov and Zhaolian about the matter.

“Your Majesty, it is unlikely that things can be restored in a short time. However, His Majesty still recognizes the Netherlands as an important trading center for securities transactions. In fact, my grandfather had long been engaged in trade with the Netherlands and has some understanding of the country’s commercial foundation.”

"But the situation is not good now. The grain trade in the Baltic Sea is not as good as before, and the competition in the ocean trade is also fierce. Even Russia no longer goes to China by land. You are clearly neighbors with China."

"That's because goods from the North American colonies are better suited to be imported through the port of Guangzhou. Moreover, the edict from the Chinese emperor this time makes it very clear that the trade treatment for the 'tributary' countries is more favorable. Furthermore, in Japan, the shogun has already realized the strength of the European countries, and there will still be a lot of business to be done in the future."

"If that's the case, Amsterdam can probably still prosper as it has in the past."

“I think so too. Moreover, if the Chinese emperor were to build a new army, he would need the help of various European countries, and there would be many opportunities to make money in that process. In particular, the Netherlands is known as the ‘maritime coachman,’ and they are naturally very familiar with maritime business.”

In particular, the large-bellied Dutch merchant ships could carry more cargo and increase their profits in areas where other countries were watching the waterline.

The British, on the other hand, resorted to outright robbery.

Solovyov also suggested that the Netherlands join, but to his surprise, William I agreed quickly.

He also stated that if the Chinese emperor needed excellent captains, the Netherlands had plenty, and there were many places in Europe where they could be hired.

"Your Majesty, why do you say that?"

"As an infantry general, you should know that we live in peacetime, and there are many retired soldiers. If they have nothing to do, they can only go home and waste their lives. It's the same at sea. Many countries have sailors and captains, but when trade is bad, there are no jobs to be found in Europe. If they go to China, they will need experienced captains of merchant ships and warships, and there are plenty of Dutchmen who can fill those positions. Of course, it's not just us."

"Your Majesty, many small countries no longer need such a large navy, and their fleet sizes are being reduced."

“Especially the Danes, you were once Tsar Paul’s aide, so you should know what happened during that time.”

"Yes, Your Majesty. And thank you for reminding me, which allows us to have such a pleasant conversation today."

Solovyov then relayed these words verbatim to Zhaolian.

Zhao Lian nodded in agreement after hearing this.

He didn't expect that the British would eat and take more, and also offend a number of European countries. The affairs of these foreigners are quite complicated.

There's still a lot of room for maneuver here; we can use barbarians to control barbarians.

Although Zhaolian had no experience in this area, he had read a lot of books and naturally made some connections.

The trip to the Netherlands went smoothly, and the group will then travel to Berlin to meet up.

Even the royal families of various European countries would send representatives there.

Anna and Nicola have been together since childhood and have a very good relationship. However, the baby is still breastfeeding, and the little prince, who is only a few months old, is the second in line to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is not easy for the mother to leave easily. If she takes the child out, she is not like Solovyov and Katya, who gave birth to a child in China and took the child across the ocean back home shortly after the baby's one-month celebration.

Anna was very careful in this regard, and she made sure everything was arranged before setting off for Berlin.

This is a rare opportunity for all the brothers and sisters to get together, and it's also very convenient for the sisters to travel to Berlin.

Even Alexander himself was coming, leaving Nesherrode and Prince Saltykov to oversee the country in St. Petersburg, while his entire family also came to Berlin.

For Zhao Lian, it was easier, since he could meet the Tsar in Berlin. However, the official letter of credence still had to be presented in St. Petersburg. Official exchanges between Russia and the Qing Dynasty generally required going through a process between the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Qing Dynasty's Court of Colonial Affairs.

Solovyov hadn't expected this kind of pre-launch hype; his boss always surprised people.

The whole family came, partly because the older duchesses were of marriageable age. Besides the eldest duchess who was to be engaged to Crown Prince Pedro and set off soon, the marriage of the second princess, Maria, was also a focus of Alexander's attention.

Unfortunately, the sisters' children were either too young, or the older women's engagements were arranged elsewhere, so when the girls got married, they had to see if there were any suitable young princes in European royal families.

In Berlin, it was also a process of searching.

After all, Nicholas and Charlotte of Prussia were a young couple who had played together for a long time when they were children and had already kissed.

As for further procedures, the child was too young at the time to even think about that aspect.

This time, representatives from royal families across Europe will be attending, making it a truly excellent opportunity. (End of Chapter)