Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Before long, it was the first year of the Daoguang reign. Now that the national mourning period was over, Daoguang began to govern the country according to his methods.

Speaking of which, his seventeenth uncle should have died long ago, but he's still alive now.

But his father, the Emperor, passed away without him even noticing.

After seeing Solovyov off, Emperor Jiaqing realized that foreigners had to be selective in their relationships. Neighboring Russia and France, which had always admired Chinese culture, were both potential allies.

Although there were no new policies, the Qing Dynasty was gradually introducing some European things, such as tea-making machines and silk-reeling auxiliary machines. However, in the textile sector, due to the technological blockade imposed by Britain and the extremely poor quality of European fabrics, Emperor Jiaqing, Tuojin, Cao Zhenyong, and others frowned no matter how many times they looked at them.

By the time of Emperor Daoguang, he was not interested in British textiles, and in fact, he seemed to harbor a long-standing hostility towards Britain.

Moreover, the British people's "wolf-like ambitions" were greatly exaggerated after Zhao Lian and others returned from their European study tour.

The main problem was these British ambassadors, who were more trouble than they were worth. Apart from the two British ambassadors in Paris and St. Petersburg, the rest of them didn't understand their own roles and were even more ignorant than Lord Amherst.

Emperor Daoguang was sitting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation reviewing memorials, his mind replaying these matters.

"Cao Zhenyong, England and France"

"The minister is here."

"What does he think of the Western countries?"

"Your Majesty will make your own wise decision; I have only done my best."

Yes, that's just his nature. Although he was quite good at balancing power, which allowed the Qing Dynasty to continue functioning, his tendency to just coast along was too obvious.

However, Emperor Daoguang actually found it more useful to encounter such Han officials, unlike when his grandfather ascended the throne and encountered Li Fu, who openly used the emperor's favor to form factions.

After all, Cao Zhenyong, a pumping unit that works perfectly even in the Daqing Oilfield, truly wouldn't cause trouble for the emperor.

Although he himself did no work, he was absolutely unambiguous in recommending those famous officials who could "get into trouble".

Later, even when Cao Zhenyong was old and useless, he helped Tao Shu pave the way in the salt industry, which can be considered to have hit the key point.

Lin Zexu's later appointment was due not only to the fact that he was already a reserve cadre in the Hanlin Academy during the Jiaqing era, with his good reputation and ability already established and favored by the emperor, but also to Cao Zhenyong's recommendation.

Starting from the Jiaqing and Daoguang eras, Manchu officials became increasingly unreliable. Later, there was even Mu Zhang'a Guang who sat in the court doing nothing. Among the Han officials, even someone like Cao Zhenyong, a cowardly kowtowing machine, could at least make a few gestures.

What truly defines the prestige of a Jinshi degree during the Qianlong era!

People like Mu Zhang'a, who presented more than twenty cases of immediate execution to Jiaqing at once, made Jiaqing mistakenly believe that these were backlogged cases, or even backlogged cases intended for demoted officials. He only had the advantage of his status.

If future generations look at the national treasury silver during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, they will find that the amount of silver actually appeared quite substantial in the early Daoguang period.

Cao Zhenyong, who was like a kowtowing machine, seemed to have mediocre talent in poetry, literature and strategy. Along with Daoguang, who was not particularly outstanding, he managed to restore the silver reserves at the end of Jiaqing's reign to a level that was rare since the end of Qianlong's reign.

It should be noted that he had not yet reformed the salt administration at the beginning; he was only dealing with Zhang Ge'er, which was incredibly expensive. For a period of time, the Qing emperor did not see eggs at every meal. Even though the empress, concubines, and palace maids sewed the imperial robes, the labor costs were waived, but the material costs were still high.

After all, that was the emperor's robe, and the price was much more reasonable than ten taels of eggs.

Cao Zhenyong was also waiting for Emperor Daoguang to speak so that he could make minor adjustments and find a suitable position for himself according to the emperor's wishes.

It seems the Emperor is wise; he doesn't have to bear too much responsibility when problems arise.

The last time Cao Zhenyong was compiling a comprehensive history of the Ming Dynasty, a historian praised the Qing Taizu (Emperor Hongwu) during the Wanli era, when the Qing Dynasty was rising. Emperor Jiaqing felt the praise was excessive and reprimanded him. This reverse approach left Cao Zhenyong speechless.

Now that he has met Emperor Daoguang, things have become much easier, since the emperor trusts him.

Emperor Daoguang's most notable characteristic was his ruthlessness towards himself.

Those below, catering to his tastes, all presented themselves as poor and shabby in front of the emperor.

Cao Zhenyong's official robes were not made to be too conspicuous.

The sight of this old man kneeling there made Daoguang feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Alright, offer Cao Zhongtang a seat."

Cao Zhenyong sat down now. Although Daoguang's face was ashen, it was clear that he wasn't in the worst mood today.

However, Emperor Daoguang was somewhat distressed about the matter of Irish barbarians being incorporated into the Manchu banner system, as it involved a significant amount of money.

However, given how troublesome the British are, it's inevitable that the Emperor and his grandfather would be wary of them.

Emperor Qianlong knew even more about the West than his descendants. His grandfather, Emperor Shengzu Ren, had already begun to worry about the West, and Qianlong naturally understood this as well. What he was more interested in was actually the British warships.

Why did Macartney bring such a huge warship model?

When Solovyov was sent on his mission, he brought even more of these foreign gadgets.

The minister in charge of affairs in Kulun also reported that the Shanxi merchants who went to the Russian side of Irkutsk met with Speransky, the brother-in-law of General Suo. The Russian side also treated the merchants very well. If the minister's entourage were there to help with the foreign affairs, it might be much more efficient.

This report is quite insightful; at least it demonstrates a deep understanding of Russia's attitude towards making money and maintaining bilateral relations.

There are still many things displayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, including models of warships.

Emperor Daoguang also felt uncomfortable with his legs bent on the kang (a heated brick bed), so he got down to admire the powerful ships, cannons, and models of soldiers.

"Cao Zhenyong".

"The minister is here."

"What I want is your opinion, not my judgment."

"Then this old minister has something to say."

"Tell me as soon as possible."

Emperor Daoguang thought to himself, "Oh dear, my two imperial mothers, this old fellow is finally going to express his opinion."

"In my opinion, if we take the words of the Minister in charge and the General of Yili as an example, the governors and viceroys of Russia are all here for the sake of trade. They are naturally here for profit. General Suo and his relatives have long been favored by the Russian emperor. As long as they are here, there will be no trouble in the north. Our Great Qing can make full use of them and establish good relations. It will be just like Zhang Wen praising Shu in the past, showing the ability of Zhuge Liang."

It's simple and easy to understand. It's just that if you changed the character to a member of the Qing imperial family, someone who has read through Romance of the Three Kingdoms would probably know the origin of the story after Anjuping Wulu.

We can't use anything too advanced. Although the Emperor has seen it, he's not as good as the late Emperor in this area, and his reaction might be slower.

Then, still breathing heavily, he added another paragraph for Daoguang.

"However, some of them may be eager to start border conflicts and seek military merit. Fortunately, General Suo is young, and he can be largely safe for the next twenty years."

Although Cao Zhenyong had met Solovyov, he always misjudged his age.

When the emperor and his minister were exchanging words in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Solovyov was already forty years old. For a Russian man, if he didn't drink alcohol, didn't have any serious hereditary diseases, and took care of his health, living another twenty years wouldn't be a problem.

But later, Cao Zhenyong, being a shrewd and experienced man, even managed to identify someone like Muravyov.

Because of the various events in Russia, Zhao Lian and Long Ruyan co-authored a travelogue, and various Hanlin scholars also contributed their own articles, providing the Qing court officials with valuable reference material. Long Ruyan explicitly wrote that the Russian governors-general and governors wielded considerable power. Although the emperor could control these individuals, he also granted them discretionary authority, unlike in the Qing Dynasty where officials frequently submitted memorials to the emperor—although Russia had an anomaly, Solovyov, who wielded absolute power and would often harass the emperor with memorials.

But not every Russian emperor was like Paul, constantly dealing with petitions and "reviewing memorials."

"What do you think we should do?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhenyong realized that the Emperor was trying to fleece him today.

Therefore, he had no choice but to say whatever came to mind.

"If that's the case, it might be useful if someone admires the Celestial Empire."

He said it, but he didn't explain it clearly. Cao Zhenyong could tell from Daoguang's expression that he understood.

While the emperor and his ministers were exchanging answers, a head eunuch was already reporting at the door.

"Your Majesty, the generals from Russia and France who are here to assist with military affairs, as well as several foreign officials assisting with customs, are all waiting outside the door."

"In that case, summon them in."

Cao Zhenyong kept going on and on, and Emperor Daoguang found it quite pleasing.

Emperor Daoguang summoned these generals and officials to learn about their situation.

France sent Drouot, and Russia sent Orsufiev. Although they had been adversaries on the battlefield many times, they were now serving as advisors in faraway China.

As for the official language, Drouot learned it relatively quickly. Although he arrived later, he was already able to converse in his strange accent.

However, the French general's uniform looked rather ornate, which made Daoguang frown.

Solovyov was also dressed in fine clothes, but since he was on a diplomatic mission, he naturally had to look presentable and not lose face.

On the contrary, Daoguang looked at the clothes and had a good impression of Orsufiev.

However, he always needs a translator to speak.

Emperor Daoguang himself preferred to dress simply; this was purely a matter of personal preference.

But Drouot had already learned to speak Mandarin and was very proper in his manners.

This advantage is that even if the first impression is bad, it can be quickly reversed.

"When you were in France, what position did you hold under your emperor?"

"Your Majesty, I am in charge of the artillery battalions at the Imperial Guard."

"Since they are in charge of the artillery battalion, they naturally know how to operate artillery. When Suo Qing was about to leave, he praised them to the late emperor, saying that their artillery skills were exquisite and rarely seen in the world."

"If that's the case, it's an overstatement. This humble general is only skilled in one area and has never commanded a large army."

If Waterloo hadn't turned into Mont Saint-Jean, there would probably have been a scene where he temporarily commanded the Imperial Guard.

"However, what I want is for them to be skilled in artillery and to be able to defend the forts at various locations to resist invading enemy ships."

Later, when Emperor Daoguang heard that Drouot had served at sea, Drouot humbly said that he was a defeated general at that time and could not be called brave.

Yes, that's it. It's boosted my favorability.

However, these foreign assistants, when they came to the Qing Dynasty, did not dress like Qing Dynasty officials, unlike missionaries such as Ferdinand Verbiest.

The official hat and official robes were all recorded in the books, and it was still not very convenient for officers to wear the official robes.

Especially after Drouot arrived, he first tested the artillery skills of the Eight Banners of the Beijing Garrison, but was not satisfied.

He even had to live in the military camp to supervise the artillery training, which even included studying mathematics.

After hearing this, Emperor Daoguang seemed to have a sudden realization.

"According to what Deqing said, could it be that the late Emperor Shengzu Ren Emperor also had this intention when he promoted the study of mathematics at Mengyangzhai?"

This is rather difficult to predict.

Unlike Solovyov, who spoke of extensive knowledge, Drouot only concerned himself with artillery, mathematics, and what he had learned in France.

He was a typical "science and engineering guy," while Solovyov was more like a "comprehensive scholar," a common type of scholar in this era. They each went their separate ways.

But when Daoguang said that, he could only say no, since he had only just arrived and didn't know what the former emperor was planning to do.

It was only mentioned that mathematics was very important, and that generals from noble European families, especially artillerymen, paid great attention to the study of mathematics.

Then, Daoguang searched through the educational institutions of the Eight Banners children and actually found the mathematics education institution that Yongzheng had put into the Manchu noble children, but very few Manchu children actually studied this stuff.

Emperor Daoguang slapped his thigh and declared that all the scholars in the Hanlin Academy must study mathematics.

As for the position of instructor, Daoguang also asked Drouot what kind of people he wanted to find, and what scholars in Europe were good at mathematics.

In response, Drouot stated that Gauss was naturally the most capable among those serving in Russia, but he was German.

Moreover, he loved money and was unwilling to travel far. His appointment in Russia was due to his good relationship with the Duke of Brunswick and his son, who had a lot of influence.

In France, there are many mathematics professors, and some of them also work part-time at observatories, so it's relatively easy to invite them.

Moreover, France has quite a few mathematical geniuses.

Emperor Daoguang then asked an official from the Ministry of Revenue to do the calculations, and it seemed that the income of a mathematics professor was not high.

This money might even be well spent.

French professors, unlike scholars in the Qing Dynasty, did not necessarily have their own houses and servants.

There was even a genius in his early twenties named Galois who died in a duel for a woman; his death was utterly meaningless.

"If what you say is true, these learned scholars would be better off coming to my Great Qing. Although I practice frugality, I can still afford their salaries and land."

Emperor Qianlong revised Emperor Yongzheng's work, Emperor Jiaqing learned from Emperor Qianlong's work, and Emperor Daoguang simply adopted all of it.

The Jiaqing Emperor had previously promised to give to the Hongyi military households, and he also intended to give to these mathematicians.

As for the Hanlin Academy needing to learn mathematics, there is a theoretical basis in Confucius's teachings, which would be quite convenient for conducting audits in local areas.

Later, Daoguang questioned those officials, and then the fun began.

Fortunately, Solovyov wasn't in Beijing. If he knew, he would know that his actions hadn't created a butterfly effect right now, but Dai Qing had been coming up with ideas, even carving out Heder's niche. (End of Chapter)