Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 1076 Solovyov Takes Office as Governor of Crimea
The Chinese delegation's return visit also signifies the great success of Russia's voyage to the East.

Then it was time to reward those who had contributed and to reassign tasks.

Bellingshausen was appointed commander of a future expedition, tasked with leading a Russian expedition to explore the south.

He and Lazarev performed exceptionally well on this voyage, and this was a well-deserved reward for them.

Their exploration of the South also marked the first time in human history that the Antarctic continent had been sighted.

Unfortunately, it still couldn't be developed in the 21st century.

Since Tsarist Russia, Russian scientific expeditions to Antarctica have been relatively successful. Apart from the fact that the first person to reach the South Pole was a Norwegian, they have accomplished a great deal.

The remaining diplomats and military personnel were also assigned to their respective posts.

After staying at home for a few days, Solovyov and his family packed their bags and headed to Crimea to take up their new posts.

One advantage of going to Crimea is that the climate there is much better than in St. Petersburg during the winter.

Solovyov did not sell his estate on the shores of Lake Ladoga in St. Petersburg, but instead opened it up to Irish refugees, except for the core villa where his family had previously lived.

These individuals or families can choose where to reside.

Russia's icy and snowy landscape clearly made some people feel uncomfortable, although the weather in Ireland wasn't much better.

But given the environment of St. Petersburg, these Irishmen had to spend the winter at his estate; one can only imagine what it would be like elsewhere.

The area in Siberia where potatoes are dug is truly not a place for humans.

During his stay at the house, Solovyov also received letters from Speransky.

The letter mentioned that his term in Siberia went relatively smoothly, and he would probably return from Siberia after his term expired.

He is currently there improving the local judicial and administrative system, building roads, and negotiating border trade with the Qing Dynasty. He has a very fulfilling job.

And this old widower had Adela have many children for him after they got married. The couple, who were quite far apart in age, lived a very happy life.

This is indeed a suitable position for him. If he were to carry out reforms in St. Petersburg, even if he gained the Tsar's trust, he would always be attacked by his political enemies.

However, his tenure in Siberia was perhaps a bit too long, which was bound to take a toll on his health.

However, Speransky himself didn't care, and Solovyov couldn't say anything.

What he did in Siberia also solidified Russia's rule over the region.

Solovyov had some administrative experience before, but he had only served as acting governor of a certain region temporarily, without any long-term ruling experience.

Therefore, he also wrote to Speransky to ask about this problem.

However, after receiving the letter, Speransky also had to reply directly to the governor's office in Simferopol and Solovyov's office in Toledo province.

Russia is too vast, and this kind of communication is not even as good as communication in Europe.

The serfs in Solovyov's household, although they had all been freed and had their own land, were at least somewhat secure in their livelihoods by paying a symbolic rent to their master.

The servants who used to follow Solovyov have all been replaced.

He used to be the young master, but now he's the master, because he's separated from the family and lives independently.

This time, when he took office in Crimea, it was also the first time he had done clerical work.

The route passes through Smolensk and Kharkiv before reaching the Ukrainian plains.

By this time, numerous factories invested and built by Scots had been constructed here. In Russia, they could obtain the status of noblemen and also possess certain franchises, which was unimaginable in England.

Moreover, early tax rates are very beneficial for the accumulation of initial capital.

Solovyov was to take up his post on time, and although he knew that Pierre and Natasha were recently in Kyiv, where he had another large business, he did not visit his friend.

Upon arriving in Crimea, the previous governor, Alexander Ravinsky, was already waiting for them.

"Alexander Stepanovich, if the Emperor hadn't sent me here, you probably would have been able to complete your term, wouldn't you?"

"It's better than in Vilnius when Napoleon attacked. Besides, I'll be working in the post office, which is my real job."

"What's the situation like in this province now?"

"There are many Tatars here in Crimea, so be careful with their lawsuits. Otherwise, it's probably not much different from when you came here for your honeymoon. It's just that more and more nobles are coming here to build estates, and you'll have to deal with them. But you're a favorite of the Emperor, so I doubt they'll do anything to you."

"I came here to improve the roads leading from Moscow into New Russia (southern Ukraine), as well as through Little Russia and Ukraine. And to make use of Sevastopol and Feodosia."

"Looks like there's going to be something big coming up?"

"The Emperor's words are like riddles now, but he said there will be no war in the near future, so it's probably true that there will be peace."

"That's good, otherwise the Turks would be afraid of you. You fought your way through the entire Balkans from the Dniester River, so they must be on high alert at their Danube defenses."

"You, a civil official, want to talk about military affairs?"

“I know you did a great job as acting governor of Odessa, making advance preparations and even averting the local plague. You know, the Turks have been plagued for years, and if the disaster hadn’t been effectively controlled, it would have been disastrous.”

The plague outbreak in Odessa was quickly eradicated by the Duke of Richelieu, which meant that the 3rd Army and the Danube Army were not affected and could operate more actively during the war.

Moreover, Americans who want to visit these graves in the future probably won't have much valuable information to report.

Ravinsky was right; Solovyov did indeed work as a civil servant.

Moreover, because of his special status in the literary world, although he did not participate in literary activities, the Arzamas Society still accepted him as an honorary member at Davydov's initiative.

Prince Saltkov Jr. was also an honorary member of the poetry society, though he was sometimes allowed to attend meetings due to the nature of his work.

Unlike Solovyov, who did not participate in any activities after the poetry society was founded, and even during the most active period of the society, he was on his way to China as an envoy.

His term in Simferopol began soon. The first problem to solve was settling his family.

Solovyov kept the children he had with him, including Katya's and one daughter with Mihrima; the rest of his children were with their mother.

The property they bought in Simferopol still needed renovation, so the whole family now lives in the governor's mansion.

The facilities here are somewhat outdated. The Ravinskys did not have any more children after their only son died, so two bedrooms were enough for the two of them.

However, the Solovyov family has many children, the youngest of whom is still breastfeeding, so they need to hire more nannies, otherwise they would be too busy.

After all, how should I put it, as long as Katya and Mihrima are willing, physically able, and both of them are young, the recruitment work is always ongoing.

Solovyov is somewhat uneasy about the personal abilities of the current young Russian nobles, which is a normal distribution with a high peak and a wide distribution.

And who knows what strange things might be mixed in here?

He wanted to organize an army and examine some young officers, but he was not satisfied with many of them, as they were not as good as the officers before Potemkin.

Their courage is undeniable, and they are very enthusiastic, but the military academy at this time lacked final exams, so it's hard to say what their level is.

Therefore, he plans to open a training course for army officers in Simferopol. In addition, the Black Sea Fleet will also conduct assessments for its officers after Kron arrives.

This can effectively improve the army's combat effectiveness. After all, soldiers are all like that, and their training is undoubtedly thorough.

However, the situation of officers in the Southern troops is truly worrying.

Solovyov himself was used to leading elite troops, so he was also dissatisfied with this aspect.

The troops stationed in the south were not stationed according to the principle of local garrison.

Besides this, the most troublesome thing about this place is the difficulty in getting water, as there are only a few rivers and the soil is loose.

North of the Perekop Isthmus, many of these areas consist of black calcareous soil mixed with sandy soil.

On the peninsula side, the soil is more clayey, and many areas near the mudflats are still saline-alkali land.

Although it is possible to cultivate the land, and the environment near the mountains is relatively good, there are still more pastures due to water shortages.

Therefore, in addition to the Greeks near Balaklava, there were also Russian nobles who moved here later, as well as the Crimean Tatars who originally lived here, and their lives were also semi-nomadic and semi-settled.

This place is only so big, and it was where the Khan of Crimea settled down, living in Bakhchisarai.

After Solovyov took office, he began searching for water sources after the civil administration measures were issued in accordance with the instructions of St. Petersburg.

The important thing is to do some practical work.

Crimea itself still relies on groundwater in many places, and those rivers are like some authors' updates, two thousand words a chapter, short and weak.

However, due to abundant rainfall and favorable hydrothermal conditions, this area was able to export grain to cities in the eastern Mediterranean in ancient times.

Of course, there was also the human resources trading market that lasted for more than two thousand years, namely the slave trade.

The better land is not actually on the peninsula, but in the black calcareous soil to the north.

Although Solovyov was a soldier, he also knew the importance of food supplies.

He plans to build roads across the isthmus, reinforce breakwaters, and improve the fortification of the peninsula.

Cities like Simferopol were merely supply depots in the rear. The coastal beaches around Sevastopol needed to be reinforced, and the flanks also needed to be protected.

After all, in this era, any large-scale landing that was likely to occur would not be against a heavily fortified fortress. The British preferred to take a roundabout approach and make the most of their naval superiority.

However, to maintain a large-scale military presence, increase the local population, produce food, and supply the Tatars with their vast numbers of horses, cattle, and sheep, water would certainly be essential.

Solovyov's civil work mainly focused on the drinking water problem.

He was waiting for the geological exploration team, who would also send back reports on soil samples in the future.

On the contrary, the roads were relatively easy to navigate. He was even able to persuade Gauss to come to Crimea to survey the terrain himself, after all, he was also a surveyor.

After a winter of preparation, the survey of the core area of ​​the Crimean Grand Viceroyalty is almost complete.

Time flew by, and it was spring of 1818. With the large-scale well-drilling work in Crimea, the spring planting season was about to begin.

When Alexander sent Solovyov there, he knew that Solovyov was also capable in civil affairs. However, he did not expect that after a winter, Solovyov would produce a detailed report and a plan for Crimea, including Odessa, and that large-scale construction would be carried out in these places in the former Novorossiysk region.

Solovyov even requested that a group of freed serfs be resettled in Crimea to cultivate the land.

The plan was good, but unexpectedly, his actions clashed with Arakcheyev's military settlement plans.

The main difference is that, although both are members of the Military Commission, Solovyov also serves as Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of War, but his position is after Arakcheyev.

Arakcheyev wanted to establish military settlements to bring the army and their families to life, but the management was very strict.

Solovyov, however, was treated as a regular soldier with a 15-year service period and a maximum of 25 years. The army underwent rigorous training and soldiers were allowed to have family members living near their posts, but management was not as strict. The strictness was reserved for combat and training, as harsh management in peacetime would cause resentment among the soldiers.

In this respect, he is just like Speransky; he might inadvertently clash with conservatives.

Even among the members of the National Salvation League who held secret meetings, there was much discussion.

Among the reform targets they considered, Solovyov, Speransky, and Miloradovich were all people they could win over.

Of the three, only Miloradovich, who lacked political ability, remained in St. Petersburg; the other two were sent out to serve as governors.

Solovyov's overall plan for the new Russia in Crimea, and Speransky's administrative reforms in Siberia, both seem to be the ideas of a group within the Salvation League.

Even when Sergei Volkonsky went to see him, his attitude was not supportive, but his words were somewhat ambiguous.

Although their words expressed opposition, these young people seemed to lack any underlying meaning.

(End of this chapter)