Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

In addition to surveying the terrain, Solovyov spent 200,000 silver rubles to purchase real estate to start agriculture and to expand the estate he had previously purchased in Crimea.

Now he can finally settle down and even have time to play with the children.

He would always bring his servants, maids, and the farmers' children with him, and he would buy them coats. Before Christmas in the Russian calendar, which was the Gregorian New Year of 1818, he would have the children line up in front of his estate, carrying their toy guns, wooden knives, and brand-new clothes.

There were even children from nearby Tatar villages, some of the older ones bringing their own tamed ponies.

Although it was a "children's corps," it had almost everything except for artillery.

"Sir, the troops have been assembled."

Pasha's age is such that he could be considered a leader among children under 10.

Unlike his parents, although his eyes resemble his father's and his face has features resembling both of them, he would actually look even prettier if he wore girls' clothes.

But he was born tall and big, always a size larger than other children his age.

Having traveled with his father to Europe and Asia, he had a wealth of experiences, and his strong physique made him stand out among the children.

It's not a big deal that he's a "regimental commander".

Moreover, the "Game Legion" is not a real legion. Although these children mainly come from the manor, they also include various social classes in Simferopol.

While Arakcheyev was still leashing his cat, Solovyov was tinkering with a "game legion," albeit a military training exercise.

The term "children's corps" refers to a group of children, usually consisting of only one or two children, often called the "children of the corps." These children are mostly boys, with a small number being girls.

There also emerged female heroes like Durova, who were even more skilled at riding horses than men. She appeared slender but had superb horsemanship and even called herself a man, expressing severe contempt for ordinary infantrymen.

Solovyov looked at the children but didn't issue any orders; he simply gave them a speech.

In truth, he still hopes to improve education.

So, this place is actually no different from a school, except that the children have to wear uniforms.

The very first course was military training, at the very least to learn how to march in formation.

But Solovyov's staff had all been dismissed, so he found retired legionaries from places like Simferopol and Balaklava. They were all old men who were bored at home, so they came to join in the fun.

Solovyov disliked a group of children playing aimlessly in the yard, so he assigned officers to maintain discipline.

If there is any fighting or brawling, even if it is one's own son, the future prince consort, one will still be physically punished.

However, although Pasha is tall, he is well-educated and will not hit people indiscriminately.

Although Solovyov believed that children should resolve their own issues without much adult involvement.

However, sometimes it is necessary to step in and manage the situation, such as when children form gangs to bully others, in which case he would severely reprimand them.

Even a scolding is much better than the strict discipline they face at home.

When Solovyov was in the palace, he was the leader of the princes and princesses' children, even though he was already an active-duty military officer at that time.

However, his several aunts always made him a painting model or forced him to do illegal work. Although Maria later repaid her "debt" over the years with her own body, she had no dignity whatsoever.

Now he is a general, and a very high-ranking one at that, and even the children know him as a great hero.

Surprisingly, he was indulging his vanity in this kind of place.

"You're really amusing, sir. We've never seen you so happy before."

"People only feel natural when they are with children. These children may be good by nature, or sometimes they are just bad kids who like to bully others. These people need to be educated and persuaded to be good. This is the greatness of education. As a governor, sometimes you are not only a governor, but also a strict father or a wise master. You don't necessarily have to be a stern-faced officer."

Solovyov's words were difficult for those around him to understand.

But now he has also received a letter from the Muravyov brothers.

They were also future Decembrists, but Solovyov's knowledge of the Decembrists was limited to the existence of such a group. At most, he knew of Volkonsky, Trubetskoy, and others, as well as the Leningrad Film Studio's "The Charming Star of Happiness," which mentioned the Decembrists, their wives, and lovers.

For example, Sergei Volkonsky's father-in-law was General Raevsky, a close friend of Solovyov.

Then, several of Raevsky's and Davydov's relatives were also among them.

This group would also frequently invite Pushkin to their place to recite poetry, regardless of the subject matter.

Solovyov himself was unaware that his relationship with the Decembrists was actually too close, and might become even closer in the future.

However, he was unwilling to participate, something he had mentioned to Sergei before, and he had even given him some advice, hoping that he could do something seriously.

Among these people was Anenkov, whose son Vladimir later worked at the Kharkiv District Court. Because of his father's status, he could not attend university, but he worked in Kharkiv as a legal professional for a long time and even helped a young man become a paralegal.

The young man's iconic image later became one of a mustache, a baseball cap, and a strongman hairstyle. His grandfather was a skilled tailor who accompanied Solovyov on his expedition to Sweden.

In addition, there was a bearded lawyer he visited when he went to Trier.

Good heavens, this is a dream collaboration! It's the French Jacobin Club, and his late old friend Count Stroganov was a full member there.

Even the emperor himself was influenced by liberty, equality and fraternity when he was young.

However, he was the Tsar.

Therefore, his status determined that he could not join in, and even now, the constitution is just lip service and has not been implemented.

As for the members of the National Salvation Alliance in a certain manor, they are currently holding a meeting, and they are discussing normal matters.

Because the consensus among the majority was to abolish feudal serfdom, and some activists even allocated half of their land to serfs and gradually liberated them from their status.

Even the most enlightened nobles were largely no different.

This included Vasily Davydov, the cousin of the hussar poet Davydov and the younger brother of Raevsky, who was also acquainted with Solovyov as his adjutant to Prince Bagration. Bagration favored the hussars of the Davydov family, not only because of their familiarity but also because they were brave in battle, possessed a fearless spirit of sacrifice, and were willing to do anything.

Now he sits here, listening to Volkonsky's opinion, and everyone else is listening too.

"So what did the Earl say?"

"He just advised us to do things steadily, but he didn't know what we were supposed to do."

"It seems he went abroad and has changed a lot since he came back."

Yakushkin, who spoke, was the most radical among them; he even suggested that the Tsar himself was assassinated in 1817 during his trip to Moscow.

Although this was not the first time in Russia, the members clearly expressed their opposition. They wanted to save Russia, and Alexander himself was not a tyrant; his rule was still popular.

Paul, who had been unfortunate before, received more sympathy because he was not in the same era as most of these young people. In fact, in their eyes, Paul was an accomplished but unfortunate monarch.

Therefore, the assassination plan failed.

Moreover, Volkonsky was close to the Tsar and was aware of the Tsar's current attitude.

Following this serious disagreement, the National Salvation League was formally dissolved and reorganized, which is the meeting currently underway.

The new organization was named the "Alliance of Happiness," or, as the translation would be, the "Alliance of Prosperity."

These people would meet regularly, free from the surveillance of the secret police. Their membership was strictly regulated, and they could speak freely, with everyone treated equally.

Yakushkin mentioned Solovyov's attitude; many of these people were members of the large army that went abroad to fight, and they had a deep impression of Solovyov.

"Perhaps he loved his family and his lovers more, and after defeating his common enemy, who was also his relative Napoleon, he had little interest in making any changes."

“Sashka (Alexander Muravyov, founder of the Salvation League and the Happiness League), why do you think that way? He has always been that Michael.”

"It's like the emperor is always like the messiah, and the count is more like a guardian angel. Without war and danger, he won't do anything. What he'd be willing to do is be the governor of Crimea and do something else. Back when we were children, when he had just returned from Europe, in the salons of St. Petersburg, the ideas he expressed were more classical philosophy than the popular ideas of today."

"If we had a commander as capable as him in both military and civil affairs, an outstanding official like Speransky, and a brave General Miloradovich, how about forming a triumvirate?"

Wittgenstein's adjutant, Pavel Pestal, suddenly came up with this plan.

This surprised everyone, but it was still easier to accept than Yakushkin's regicide plan.

However, no one has reached a conclusion yet. Pestal was one of the initiators of the organization in the Southern garrison, and he was young and full of enthusiasm.

While this proposal may sound somewhat reasonable in terms of constitutionalism or the establishment of a republic, it is also highly impractical.

"At least not now. Only General Miloradovich is in St. Petersburg, Mr. Speransky has gone to Siberia, and the Count himself is not enthusiastic."

Muravyov himself is relatively rational. He opposes radical suggestions and is trying to get away with it this time. He believes that opinions among members should be tolerated, but not everyone's opinion should be adopted.

Pestal's plan drew some approving glances from Volkonsky, a close advisor to the Tsar, and Ilya Dolgorukov, an officer in the Imperial Guards artillery, but they remained silent at this time.

But the organizers of these Happiness Alliances are also looking to recruit members this time, and they will be having a gathering soon.

Pestal's suggestion was not adopted, and he was quite disappointed.

However, he had one advantage: he was closest to Crimea, where Solovyov was located, and he was also Prince Wittgenstein's adjutant, which made it very convenient for him to do things in terms of communication.

So he pulled Volkonsky aside, hoping he could offer some advice.

“Seryozha, everyone knows that your brother-in-law, Prince Peter, has a very good relationship with the Count. They have served as attendants to the monarch for a long time, and you should be quite familiar with him. You visited him not long ago. I think you must know more.”

"The count simply didn't want to join, and he said that Russia needed prosperity and stability right now."

"Isn't that exactly our mission?"

Sergei himself failed reading comprehension and didn't understand Solovyov's meaning.

But this Pestal scored even worse in this respect; he judged Solovyov's position solely based on Volkonsky's account.

To this end, he also urged Prince Sergei to write another letter to Solovyov.

Soon after, Solovyov received a letter, again from Volkonsky.

Solovyov needed to reply to these letters, as normal social interactions among nobles were always necessary.

However, he had little interest in grand themes like "saving Russia" and preferred to advocate for practical action.

However, this time, his way of speaking was also carefully considered.

In terms of word choice and allusions, it is always necessary to ensure that these impulsive young people can understand them.

Furthermore, letters should be brief and not contain too much information.

Dear Seryozha:

I wish you and your family well, and please give my regards to your sister Sonia and my friend Petya. I received your letter on January 22, but I was unable to reply immediately because I was on a visit to Bakhchisarai.

I want to reiterate what you mentioned in Potsdam: we should be down-to-earth and practical in our work.

As soldiers, we must be dedicated to our posts; as nobles, we must care about the lives of the serfs on our estates and improve their treatment.

This was also the wish of His Majesty Paul Petrovich in the past, so he issued an edict, personally toured many places, handled petitions, listened to the opinions of the people, and set an example for us.

As for the rest, all I can say is that if you can come to my new home in Simferopol this fall, you will experience a different environment, feel happy by participating in the labor yourself, and feel a great sense of accomplishment by getting people to cultivate the land in new ways and have a good harvest.

M.S. Solovyov

January 24, 1818 (End of this chapter)