Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

After Vasily arrived in Kyakhta, he began working in his office.

Although it is winter, trade has only been slightly affected.

In winter, traveling by sled from Siberia over the Ural Mountains is actually easier than traveling on roads in winter.

Therefore, it was inevitable that Russian and American companies, as well as merchants from all over Russia, would gather here at this time.

Even in winter, it gets quite lively, and even the related businesses are booming.

This also includes places to have fun.

However, Vasily remembered what his older brother had said: even if he wanted to find a village girl with whom he could have a long-term, stable relationship as a mistress, he should never go to such a place.

Of course, he didn't have time to worry about that right now. Vasily was like an older brother, with his own tastes when it came to women.

The focus now is on those crossing from Irkutsk through Kyakhta, and it's not just caravans.

Even though Emperor Jiaqing has passed away this year at the Chengde Mountain Resort, the agreement that Solovyov made with Emperor Daoguang was upheld by his successor.

The Daoguang reign title was not yet in use at this time; it would not be officially changed until the first month of the following year.

For Emperor Daoguang, the goods imported from Russia through the three ports were not as outrageous as those at the Thirteen Factories due to the corrupt practices at the northern land ports. Surprisingly, the business environment was quite good. After the treaty was renewed, many Russian merchants came to Kyakhta-Merchant City to do business, and income followed.

Although it is not as grand as the Thirteen Factories, it is no less impressive than Kyakhta in its heyday.

Vasily could see the Qing army patrols on the opposite side, conducting searches, and the entire hilltop where his wooden hut was located was clearly visible.

On the Russian side, there were also patrols by Irkutsk light cavalry and Siberian Cossacks. Both sides had strengthened security measures due to more active trade activities.

After all, the last time the forest dwellers on the Russian side turned into bandits and operated in the territory of Outer Mongolia, they escaped back to the Russian side. Those who were caught were beaten to death with big sticks by the Russian governor, which saved them from having to be beheaded by the Qing Dynasty.

The current troop deployments on both sides are also aimed at maintaining the safe passage of caravans along the route from Irkutsk to Kulun.

Vasily's Chinese was not as good as his two older brothers, but it was better than his sister-in-law's. He rode his horse to this side of the border to take a look, which also attracted the attention of the Qing Dynasty patrol officers.

Considering that the Russian officials sent to the border knew a few words, and some even knew Mongolian, communication was relatively easy for them.

"Who is coming?"

"I am Lieutenant Vasily Solovyov, the registration officer in charge of importing cloth, tea, and wine at the Kyakhta border."

Hearing this surname was like hearing thunder in the ears of Qing Dynasty officials.

"Could he be a relative of General Suo?"

“General Suo is my elder brother, which is why I came here to gain experience.”

Although his accent was awkward, it was still understandable to the Qing soldiers on the other side.

"I see. This job is even more difficult for them."

If you've ever seen a map of northern Mongolia, you'll know that Kyakhta is the territory of Yesugei and the Merkit tribe, which made Lao Tie the victim. To the north are the people of the forest, a bitterly cold land of ice and snow.

When Qing Dynasty officials came to Uliastai, they suffered quite a bit, unlike Yili, which was much more comfortable. Although the winters were cold and the summers were hot, there were local specialties, and they could also cultivate land there.

In the northern desert region, apart from the Liao Dynasty, there were 700 Han and Bohai households near Qatun City, but none of them knew how to farm.

Even these people, who came to the city of Qatun, were there to guard the border, representing the Liao Kingdom's presence in the northern desert, and it was not certain that they could grow grain.

Therefore, few people are willing to come to places like Uliastai. People who come are more likely to get sick. For example, Fengshen Yinde served as a deputy commander here for a while, and soon he was carried back with only half his life left.

However, the Russians have always been accustomed to living in icy and snowy places, and even Siberia was already quite uncomfortable for them.

In comparison, big cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow are better.

"It was indeed hard work, but I enjoyed it. Unlike my brother, I don't know how to lead troops into battle, but I learned about finance and supplies from my father."

These Qing army officers understood as soon as they heard this.

That Su Junmen is probably quite different from his family.

"Since you are a brother of the military, we should also respect you."

Although these officers were not young, General So was very well regarded by both the late emperor and the current emperor. He was also a nobleman, a Russian title shared by several brothers.

According to the rules, we should show some respect.

The two sides chatted casually, and it went quite well. The Qing Dynasty officers were easier to deal with than those Confucian scholars who spent their time studying books.

Vasily even brought out some liquor to exchange; although Russian vodka wasn't that strong, it was the kind of pure, high-quality stuff that these young men used.

These Qing Dynasty officers were naturally very grateful and answered all their questions without reservation.

They even knew some of the dirty secrets of Prince Yu's family, since they came here in the autumn to relieve the garrison.

After hearing this, Vasily felt that the Russian nobility was too free. In the Qing Dynasty, even a hereditary "prince of special rank" could be stripped of his title for committing a crime. In some places, the Russian nobility seemed to be too lawless.

If it were people from Western Europe, they might even be praising the rule of law of the Chinese emperors.

The truth is, Prince Yu forced a maid to commit suicide. It happened to be during the national mourning period, and Emperor Daoguang didn't have any flying devices at hand, otherwise he probably would have shot the girl down.

After all, drawing a sword would be blocked by the ministers and guards around him.

In the past, when Emperor Kangxi wanted to execute his son, he was stopped by his other son clinging to his leg.

After hearing this, Vasily compared it with the story his elder brother had told him, as well as his observations of Russians in Beijing over the past century.

That's right. If you think about it, the Ismailov mission came to the Qing Dynasty quite early.

These things can still be matched up.

During Kangxi's time, he was still somewhat influenced by the temperament of the grasslands and hunting and fishing, and his actions were also driven by momentary indignation.

This time, Emperor Daoguang was truly broken by this shameless thing.

While they were talking, someone else next to them was about to go through checkpoints.

When these Qing Dynasty officers led their cavalry over to investigate, they saw sleds and carriages, all bearing Qing Dynasty flags.

Those sitting on it were refugees who had fled from Ireland.

Before the Peter's Square massacre, Russian merchant ships passing through Ireland often picked up these fleeing Irishmen, some even planning to smuggle themselves in. The British didn't bother with them; their escape freed up a lot of land for the British to occupy.

This place, Daiying, has always been like this, doing all sorts of utterly immoral things. The sheep have always been eating people, and nothing has changed in this regard.

The Irish who fled there would also ask them where they were going.

After all, the Russians had their own colonies, and in addition, they had a secret treaty with the Qing Dynasty.

These Irishmen, after much deliberation, seemed to think that going to the Chinese emperor's country, where the able-bodied men would serve in the army while the rest of the people would cultivate the land, was a pretty good option.

Compared to the British sending criminals to Australia and even kidnapping Irish girls to be their wives, the British have already shown kindness that two emperors could never repay.

Russia was mainly responsible for transportation, and they also had to use Dutch and French colonial outposts along the way.

Some people who arrived in the area wanted to stay, and the Russian side did not stop them.

But the sea route is still very long. In winter, if you pass through each post station on time, it can take several months to reach Kyakhta.

Of course, if the weather is bad, we'll stop in the towns along the way and continue our journey after the winter.

Not everyone can stand the weather in Siberia.

Even though Solovyov was in charge of this matter and made thorough preparations along the way, some people still died of illness or freezing on the road.

However, considering that the Chinese emperors were able to provide them with wasteland and tools so they could cultivate the land themselves, and that military households didn't have a poll tax but only a symbolic land tax, this was already a very good life for the poor people of Europe.

After all, Europe had a complex tax system with so many exorbitant taxes that even the tax farmers of the Mongol Yuan dynasty would have felt they had never lived before.

These people, after passing through the Kyakhta border crossing, were also heading to Maimai City. After the Qing Dynasty officials guarding the border confirmed their identities, they would be sent to Kulun. In the spring, they would be sent from this camp to the Great Wall.

These Irish people who came from Russia were essentially thrown onto the dividing line between agriculture and nomadic life.

These were basically the destinations for those who went west and ventured into the Northeast.

The Qing Dynasty officials and soldiers were also shocked when they saw these people.

"I never imagined that the Hongyi family, with their entire household, would be so numerous."

"Ah, back in our area, poor people always have more children, and so do rich people. My older brother and sister-in-law have seven or eight children, not counting their mistress and the housekeeper."

What a good younger brother! His elder brother had already mentioned it back in the Qing Dynasty, but he had to emphasize it again.

Of course, the Qing Dynasty officers were also shocked when they heard about the Europeans' behavior of having unlimited production and producing as many offspring as possible.

A couple would sometimes bring an old lady along in a horse-drawn carriage, along with a number of children, usually four or five.

These Irish people are really prolific.

If these children grow up, at least we won't have to worry about recruiting soldiers.

Today, we saw more than 20 households crossing the border at Vasily's side, which is close to 200 people.

After crossing the border, the Irish did nothing but clear land and serve in the army.

If it were Cossacks crossing the border, it would mean they were pledging allegiance to a different emperor, and they would all be incorporated into the Russian military districts.

The original Russian zuoling (military command) even had to be expanded, from one to at least five.

The Cossacks in Siberia, though adapted to the harsh weather, could not resist the allure of the relatively warmer places to the south.

Furthermore, there are Siberian Cossacks, including Yenisei Cossacks and Baikal Cossacks.
Those Cossacks who went to the Qing Dynasty can probably still be considered old Beijing Cossacks.

These people had barely arrived in the Qing Dynasty when, during the inspection, they had already shown off their skills to the newly enthroned emperor.

That was to prove that they were all elites, and that they came with real skills.

In particular, these Cossacks brought many fine horses with them to the Qing Dynasty, which should be able to improve the current embarrassing trend of the decline of warhorses in the Qing Dynasty.

As for the regular Russian army, not many people are willing to go.

Orsufiev and others who were ultimately chosen also passed through Tarbagatai. Their position at this time was rather awkward, as there was no precedent for them in the Qing Dynasty.

So, while they were in the capital, they were basically in the camp. Emperor Jiaqing didn't have time to make arrangements at that time. It was Emperor Daoguang who arranged for them to meet the emperor in the capital the following year after the French advisors arrived, to present their respective strategies, and then make further arrangements.

In truth, these Russian officers only needed to manage their own work; Solovyov had already taken care of everything.

As for the French advisor on the Qing Dynasty's side, it was Drouot, who was sent by Napoleon. His main task was to organize and build up the artillery, especially to correct the bad habits of the Qing Dynasty's artillery.

If Emperor Qianlong were still alive, he would probably be amazed, especially by the cannons used to dismantle watchtowers in the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions.

This Frenchman can even make running look amazing.

Solovyov even wrote letters of introduction to these old acquaintances of his in the French and Russian armies, explaining their respective strengths.

In any case, the platform has now been set up.

However, the Eight Banners were previously divided into Manchu, Mongol, and Han troops. Now that these foreigners have arrived, how should they be classified?

It's important to know that this only represents the majority of foreigners who came to the Qing Dynasty. There were also Polish people who were exiled to Siberia and then sent to the Qing Dynasty, various merchants who went to Guangzhou to do business, and a group of European naval officers hired by the Qing Dynasty to build its navy.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Eight Banners were also established among foreigners.

However, in the end, Emperor Jiaqing and Emperor Daoguang, father and son, included these foreigners in the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners.

The extent of the incident that Vasily witnessed was even greater than the figures Solovyov himself possessed, which was quite unexpected.

Solovyov only received news of the Jiaqing Emperor's death through a letter from his brother.

I know he will die this year, but I don't know how he will die.

To be honest, this big, chubby guy was a decent person, but he was too rigid in his adherence to rules, which ultimately led to his death from overwork.

However, this was the first step taken. Solovyov was clever enough to bring together the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia, who had completely cross-platform communication capabilities, and with the addition of the French, who were more familiar with China, the two sides were finally brought together.

At least the Qing emperors figured out what European countries were like.

Foreigners joining the Eight Banners, forming an army, and reclaiming wasteland were matters for later.

Hopefully, the British, who control Singapore, won't be alarmed when they reach the Chinese coast. (End of Chapter)