Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

In the Royal Chapel of the Winter Palace, there is also a formal wedding ceremony, and the bride must complete the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity after arriving in Russia.

This is also due to Russia's unique circumstances. After the fall of the Eastern Empire, Russia was the only mainstream monarchical country that adhered to Eastern Orthodoxy.

In Western Europe, diversity is evident, which explains why Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng were so confused about the doctrines of various Christian denominations when chatting with missionaries.

In other words, Nestorianism eventually declined after it was introduced to China; otherwise, a native form of Christianity would have emerged, which would have created quite a stir.

After leaving Berlin, Solovyov made a solo trip to Schwerin in Mecklenburg to visit his sister Julia and brother-in-law Christian.

Christian adopted a Turkish orphan who became a playmate for his children. He spent his days leisurely, either hunting or logging on his estate, and was quite content.

In contrast, Solovyov, despite his rising status, did not enjoy such leisure.

But the current situation makes it impossible for him to retire to the mountains.

Moreover, the great power struggle with Britain had just begun, and there were restless groups within Russia itself, so he was not in a position to retreat to the mountains at this time.

But seeing how happy the younger sister is living here, with her round belly indicating that she's going to have another child, the young couple's life is truly blissful.

Christian has his father and brother and sister-in-law to take care of him, so he can just stay here and be a happy country nobleman.

"I really envy you guys for having such a life. As for me, I still have a lot of things to do."

"Mick, is there anything else you need to do?"

"These are all state secrets, and there are some things I can't tell you."

Christian was never really that bright, and during the Battle of Smolensk, he was so drunk that he made a mistake, causing the elite 2nd Grenadier Division to be delayed in Smolensk for a day—but it had a positive effect.

He was a fierce fighter, always charging into battle and sustaining injuries in several major engagements.

If Solovyov were to launch a southern campaign against Persia in the future, he would need such a capable and experienced general, who is also a relative. However, given his injuries, it would be inappropriate to send him.

He would have to reorganize the headquarters himself for the southern expedition.

When the group arrived in Warsaw, Alexander gave Solovyov his next job assignment.

"Your Majesty, you want me to go to Crimea?"

"Yes, this entire line, from the Moldavia front to the Turkish fortress in Anapa, is under your jurisdiction. You have the authority to mobilize all the southern troops except for the Caucasus Governorate, as well as the Black Sea Fleet."

“Your Majesty, however, the Black Sea Fleet still needs a capable admiral to serve as its commander. Although I know a little about the navy, I am not a professional naval officer; I have only ever sailed on ships in the Baltic Sea.”

Based on his limited experience on board ships, Solovyov didn't intend to follow in the footsteps of Hannibal's sons, becoming an army general concurrently serving as commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

"In that case, you can choose someone yourself."

"Let Crown go. The Scotsman is very good at disciplining the fleet. It's a good combination of kindness and severity."

As for who will bestow favors, it's quite clear: Solovyov's prestige in the army wasn't earned through beatings.

He built his reputation through battles and won people's hearts through scientific management, which made the soldiers feel that following him would lead to a bright future.

At least those who survived and made meritorious contributions were rewarded, those who died received compensation, and those who were disabled were taken care of. He even paid out of his own pocket to help his subordinates balance their accounts, a task he did quite often.

Krona could then focus on training the Black Sea Fleet, as logistical support is still very important for the navy.

Solovyov's thinking was different from Alexander's.

At this time, Alexander had no intention of launching any war, but Solovyov, considering that Greece, Serbia, and the Ottoman Empire might fight at any time, also needed to prepare for war during peacetime.

Therefore, he was clearly adopting a "positive defensive" stance, but in reality, he really wanted to take the initiative and launch an attack.

Alexander appointed him, and he immediately began to arrange various actions.

After the last Russo-Turkish War, the Russian protectorate of Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire were separated by the Danube River. Serbia failed to gain control of Kosovo, while Greece's border was at Larissa.

The main reason was that the French were about to launch an expedition against Russia, and the war in 1812 was about to break out. Kutuzov hurriedly signed a peace treaty after his great victory.

Solovyov now holds this position, and with greater ability comes greater responsibility; he has a lot to do.

He even considered swallowing up the Balkans, turning the Ottoman Empire into a corpse, and then meticulously dividing the region into pieces.

However, that was all in the future. After Alexander had arranged this position, he led the Qing Dynasty delegation on a tour of Warsaw and met with prominent Polish nobles.

In short, these Poles met the distant Chinese emperor, and after the Tsar sent envoys, they sent people back to visit him. This was a diplomatic victory that was acceptable to all parties.

As for the treasures, just showing the gifts Nikolai received from the Chinese emperor when he got engaged was already quite impressive for the Polish nobles.

The Poles will probably remain calm for a few more years, since Alexander has given them relatively large autonomy.

Although Constantine, who was in charge of ruling Poland, had some authority—Poland had an independent army, which Constantine also granted—the troop movements still had to go through Warsaw.

This will cause trouble later, as Solovyov knows that the Poles are like trees that will climb on the roof if left unattended for three days.

I'll have to keep an eye on them in the future; who knows what bizarre things they might do?

As for the next step, the Tsar's massive entourage would travel along the Baltic coast all the way to St. Petersburg.

At the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Alexander formally received the delegation sent by the Chinese emperor and arranged for them to stay at Constantine's Marble Palace on Million Street. The atmosphere of the talks was very friendly.

On the formal occasion, the Tsar himself approved the trade regulations between the Qing Dynasty and Russia, and also gave the Chinese delegation some gifts in return.

However, most of the items sent were weapons, which Solovyov couldn't quite understand.

Of course, some of the discarded flintlock muskets and various cannons used during the war were still top-notch in East Asia, and were able to arm the Qing Dynasty's Xishan Ruijian Battalion and several other elite Eight Banners troops that were still capable of fighting.

During the meeting, Alexander also awarded medals to the visiting Qing officials according to their rank.

Following Jiaqing's instructions, Zhaolian also awarded Alexander a "treasure seal" of the highest level hastily made by the Qing Dynasty, thus aligning with both sides. Alexander found the enamel and gemstone workmanship on it to be exquisite, and he wore it throughout the Qing Dynasty's stay in St. Petersburg as a sign of respect for the Chinese emperor.

It seems things are going very smoothly, and Solovyov has nothing to worry about.

The military parade at the parade ground is also an important event.

After the Guards returned to their posts, a grand military parade was held before the winter snowfall to showcase the might of the Russian army.

If Solovyov hadn't just returned from the Qing Dynasty, he probably would have been the commander-in-chief of this parade, and his hands would have been sore for quite a while.

The one whose arm is sore right now is Solovyov's fellow student, General Miloradovich, who is known for his bravery and generosity.

Moreover, Alexander launched an even larger-scale military exercise to commemorate the expulsion of the French from Russian territory in 1812.

Therefore, two thousand cavalrymen were also arranged to ride horses on the parade ground, which was also used to demonstrate strength.

This kind of army looks very exciting.

However, Delin inadvertently mentioned that his father, Fukang'an, had crossed the Himalayas more than 20 years ago and defeated the Gurkhas.

This made the Russian generals look at them differently.

Many of the Russian generals of this generation were trained by Suvorov. During the expedition to the Alps, many of them were in Suvorov's army. Some were unlucky enough to be in the army that had been defeated by the old rogue in Korsakov. They were all somewhat shocked by the army that was able to cross such high mountains.

In the past, it was the British who were shocked.

Now it was the Russians' turn to be shocked. The Qing Dynasty's military prowess at the end of the Qianlong era was still somewhat intimidating, to the point that Alexander also looked at these Qing officials with new respect.

Even during the Opium War, although they were at a disadvantage, they were still a formidable force in the early years of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, able to climb the snow-capped mountains, capture Zhang Ge'er, and kill him.

The problem is, times have changed.

The treaty included the transfer of a group of Siberian Cossacks to the Russian banners of the Bordered Yellow Banner, the expansion of these banners, and the undecided appointment of Russian military advisors. Alexander agreed to all of these, and also indicated that Russia had many retired officers with extensive combat experience who had fought numerous battles over the past twenty years, as the Qing Dynasty needed a certain number of personnel.

As for which general should go to the Qing Dynasty, they were all unwilling to go because the journey was too long.

Although, according to the Solovyov delegation, the Chinese emperor's hospitality was very thorough, with many banquets of all sizes held.

However, there was no ball. Solovyov brought his female relatives this time, and it was just that the noblewomen had some interactions and "tea parties" in the Qing Dynasty prince's mansion.

For Russian generals, life without women was unthinkable.

However, in the Qing Dynasty, there were no mistresses; all women were concubines. This led some Russian generals to believe that the Qing Dynasty possessed a certain feudal superiority.
But Yermolov, who was penniless, didn't consider this possibility; he felt that life in the Caucasus was quite good.

So much so that Napoleon had already persuaded Marshal Mortier and General Drouot in France to go to the Qing Dynasty as advisors to France.

On the Russian side, the final selection has not yet been made.

Madame Soloveo was going to Crimea and naturally wouldn't go back.

The last one sent was Lieutenant General Orsufiev, who had been captured by Napoleon in France. His qualifications were also quite suitable, and there were many officers in the Russian advisory group who had served as regimental commanders. It was also very necessary to help the Qing Dynasty build a modern infantry force.

Of course, considering that the Eight Banners descendants can still lead their servants to chase after the Green Standard Army soldiers and fight fiercely, they are still better than the group that could only carry a birdcage at the end of the Qing Dynasty. They might even have some miraculous effects.

In addition, during this period, Russian officers generally had a strong sense of honor and would charge forward in battle, resulting in a high casualty rate among officers.

If they were to show off their scars, some Qing soldiers would probably be shocked, and those who claimed to have died several times following the Emperor would be quite taken aback.

Even someone like Solovyov, who didn't have many injuries, was still grazed several times, which shows how fierce the battles were in the past.

After Zhaolian's successful meeting with the Tsar in St. Petersburg, he also met with Foreign Minister Neserrodie, who attached great importance to the cooperative relationship with the Qing Dynasty and even produced records of the three previous visits of Qing Dynasty envoys to Russia.

However, of those three times, two coincided with the ascension of a new Russian emperor. Peter II died before the Qing officials arrived and missed the ceremony. Only the country bumpkin Empress Anna formally met with the envoys sent by Emperor Yongzheng.

As for Lord Tulichentu, he did not meet Peter the Great. In the end, he only visited the Kalmyks, also known as the Torgut tribe. This was the first time a Qing Dynasty envoy had visited before the Zhaolian Mission.

In addition to these precious historical copies, there was also the fact that, following Alexander's instructions, Nesterrodie reserved a plot of land on Nevsky Prospekt so that when the Qing Dynasty wanted to send a permanent plenipotentiary minister, he could build his own embassy there.

Even the Qing Dynasty only needed to provide blueprints, and the Russian workers would begin construction.

Regarding Russia's friendly attitude, Zhao Lian was actually somewhat aware of the fact that Solovyov mentioned Russia's desire to build an embassy in China.

I must go back and report this to Emperor Jiaqing.

As for the outcome, that cannot be decided at this time.

The group also planned to visit the reconstructed Moscow and travel south along the Volga River to the areas inhabited by Kalmyks and Crimean Tatars, who were, after all, a branch of the Mongol migration that had moved relatively far.

They still had to offer words of comfort and reassurance. Even when they learned that the Chinese emperor had sent people again, the Kalmyks who hadn't been able to leave sang and danced with joy.

However, because they had rendered great service with Solovyov's detachment during the Napoleonic Wars, they had no intention of returning like the Torghuts.

It has been several decades since the Torghuts returned to the east.

Of course, when the Torghuts returned, not all of them wanted to submit. If they hadn't known that Emperor Qianlong had wiped out the ignorant Dzungar tribes, they might have still harbored some illusions.

As for the Crimean Tatars, they are no longer recognizable as Mongols.

This was also the itinerary after Zhaolian. The Qing Dynasty delegation would eventually split into two groups. One group would travel overland through Siberia to the Kyakhta border crossing to return home. The other group would stay in St. Petersburg and wait until the snow melted the following year to return home on one of Russia's first high-speed trading ships.

On the Jiaqing side, in the twenty-third year of Jiaqing's reign, the mission finally returned, and the first batch of advisors from Russia and France arrived.

Irish refugees and Cossacks who were incorporated into the Bordered Yellow Banner arrived later, but that's another story.

The British will come again in the future, and they'll probably suffer some trouble then. (End of Chapter)