Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The partitioning of the territory of the Khanate of Kokand was a win-win situation for everyone, except for the Kokand court, which was almost completely destroyed, and the soldiers who died on the battlefield.

The Russians acquired Tashkent, and the Kazakh herders who followed them obtained the grasslands south of the Middle Horde to use as winter pastures. The Qing Dynasty acquired the core territory of the Khanate of Kokand, and the Grand Mullahs and Bai lords retained their original status, while the taxes levied on the people of Kokand were reduced.

This is how a world was formed where only the core ruling circle of the Khanate of Kokand was injured.

Even during the Qing Dynasty, they successfully captured Zhang Ge'er, and soon we could see the execution by slow slicing at Caishikou. He was the first criminal to be subjected to such extreme punishment during the Daoguang era.

Qingxiang was left in Kokand City as the Minister of the Ministry of State Affairs of Kokand, and as the leading minister, he managed the territory of the Kokand Khanate that had been ceded to the Qing Dynasty. Changling returned to Lake Suyab to rest and reorganize. After the Qing army returned to the garrison of the Ili General, they were to be disbanded and return to their original garrisons.

Yang Fang was the last to arrive and was appointed as the Governor of Kokand, stationed in Andijan. Although it was a lateral transfer, it was not as prestigious as the Governor of Zhili.

With the addition of this governor-general position, and the requirement for him to station troops in the area, the Kokand Governor-General's Office and the Assistant Minister's Office were established. Compared to the previous exorbitant taxes and levies imposed by the Kokand Khanate, this expense was negligible.

Even if Qing Dynasty officials withheld wages, they would still pay the common people who came to work.

One can imagine the level of rule the Khanate of Kokand was at.

Qingxiang stayed in the local area and, after inspecting the land around Kokand City, found that the land was fertile and the climate was pleasant, making it a fertile land where people could live and work in peace.

Therefore, as the first Minister of State of Kokand, he posted notices everywhere, stating that he would investigate and register the population, and that he would cultivate farmland in the area. In addition to the wealthy landowners and priests who already owned land, the newly opened farmland would be government land, and farmers without land could come and cultivate it.

Serving the government was something that every dynasty in Chinese history did.

Just like in the Song Dynasty, officials' official land was naturally cultivated by others.

As it turned out, Qingxiang was clearly unaware of the situation in Kokand. Wherever he went, people would kneel down and kiss his boots.

This made him a little embarrassed. What kind of submission was this? It was only because the emperor was far away and there was no idle censor to submit a memorial impeaching him, otherwise this would be considered usurpation.

"What is the reason for this?"

“Berk of the Beks, Your Excellency, messenger sent by the Great Emperor, we slaves were all abducted from Persia by Bukhara to serve as slaves to the Beks of Kokand who are condemned to hell. You have given us freedom, given us government land to cultivate, and even allowed us to keep enough for our own sustenance.”

Qingxiang himself was a little confused. How could he, a member of the Plain White Banner of Mongolia, receive so much favor from the Emperor after arriving in Kokand?

But the gratitude these slaves showed was undeniably genuine.

As for their willingness to serve as servants to Qingxiang, Qingxiang was not a shameless official like Yarhasan, nor was he a scoundrel minister and his son who preyed on the people of Ushna. As the assistant minister transferred from the General of Ili, and having come with an imperial decree, it was not appropriate for him to take them as servants.

The Qing Dynasty also had its rules. A Mongolian minister like him could only have a few attendants, and he couldn't support a number of bondservants and slaves.

However, he also made it very clear in his memorial that the newly annexed territory of Kokand was grateful for the Emperor's grace.
The memorial needs to be sent to Beijing, and that will take some time.

The Russians in Tashkent also began to take over the local area, and most importantly, they abolished slavery in Tashkent and gave freedom to the local slaves.

Even serfdom was more advanced than the slave systems of the settled khanates in Central Asia.

After all, serf owners had an obligation to protect these serfs, unlike the Central Asian Khanates which were so brutal.

During the Qing Dynasty, officials were appointed in Kokand and slavery was abolished, which was praised by the local people.

In Tashkent, the tax rate set by Russia was relatively high, but much lower than that in Kokand. Moreover, the Tsar granted Tashkent a tax exemption in order to attract merchants passing through Central Asia.

Meanwhile, Solovyov, in Crimea, also received reports from the front lines.

He originally thought that it would take Baron Essen one or two years to deal with the Khanate of Kokand, especially since the Khanate of Kokand was still quite strong.

He never imagined that this opponent would die at the speed of light, and that the Qing Dynasty would take most of the land of Kokand for free.

However, this is also a good thing. Given the strength of the Qing Dynasty's rule over the Hui region, it was easy for the local people to submit.

Unless something major happens in the Central Plains and the news reaches Kokand and the Southern Frontier, the situation here has been stable for a long time.

His current focus is on future strategies towards Persia.

Jomini happened to be coming from St. Petersburg. The two were not close friends; they were just acquaintances.

However, after Yomini joined the Russian General Staff, he also paid attention to the situation of the various military governors. The strategic planning involved in Solovyov's case was quite important, which is why he came in person.

Unlike other military governors, Solovyov also valued civil administration. Since taking office, he has simply reformed the irrigation system of the Crimean Governorate, drilled wells on the peninsula, and used the Dnieper River to irrigate towns and villages along the way, which has already led to a significant increase in grain production.

As for the rectification of the local administrative system, after dismissing those incompetent and seriously corrupt officials, administrative efficiency has also improved significantly.

He had his own methods, so Jomini decided to come and see for himself.

"I don't usually drink alcohol, so when I'm entertaining guests, it's usually only afternoon tea. Is that alright?"

“Count, this is quite good. It seems you have brought prosperity to Crimea.”

"It's simply about ensuring that commoners can live and work in peace and that nobles can enjoy life. Besides, since you represent the General Staff, you shouldn't be asking about administrative or civil matters. Your question should be about future strategic planning."

"Indeed, Earl. But I wonder what your thoughts are on the possibility of future wars with the Ottoman Empire or the Persian Empire?"

“If it were just the Ottoman Empire, that would be easy. We need to act quickly, capture the key fortresses, and send our army directly to Constantinople.”

“Indeed, that’s easy. Your last campaign from Vidin into Greece was very successful. And dealing with the Ottoman Empire isn’t just about marching towards the Danube.” “They’re currently fighting with Persia and facing numerous uprisings at home. In a few more years, the situation will probably be in our favor.”

Russia now needs to restore its national strength. During the Napoleonic Wars, many cities, manors and villages along the Berezina River to Moscow were burned down, and even now in 1821, they have not been fully restored.

Therefore, there were not many people in Russia who advocated war at this time. Even the most enthusiastic Solovyov was only preparing for war, improving road conditions, and increasing material reserves. He was not in a hurry to go into battle at this time.

The Ottoman Empire was in fact in crisis. Due to the Serbian and Greek wars of independence being far more intense than expected, the Ottoman army was bleeding heavily in Niš and Larissa.

These armies received support from Britain, France, and Russia. Many of the officers had previously served in the Russian army, so it was quite easy for them to go back and raise their own troops.

At this point, however, it has not yet been decided what kind of country Greece will become in the future.

If it's a kingdom, then naturally it needs a royal family.

When things get complicated, it's inevitable that a relative whom everyone can agree on will be chosen to be the king.

Alexander has delayed Polina's marriage for this reason; the twins are both of a certain age, but Svetlana, as the Grand Duchess, has gone to university to study mathematics, so her marriage will probably be delayed a bit.

It would be good if Russia could gain the upper hand in the marriage alliance.

The Greeks had grievances against Austria, and so did the Serbs, after all, Austria had always played the villainous role in their independence movements.

The Austrians wanted to expand their territory in the Balkans, but they couldn't stand Russia's influence there (since they themselves had handed Serbia over to Russia), so they did their part in creating obstacles for Russia.

Alexander has been neglecting state affairs for a long time, leaving the matters below to the ministers in the court and the governors of the provinces. He has also become quite lax in some matters abroad.

Therefore, Austria was able to detain some Greek officers who were crossing the border.

Fortunately, they weren't so despicable as to hand these people over to the Sultan; they merely detained them and, in doing so, caused trouble.

The Ottoman Empire, on the other hand, is able to maintain its current situation only because of internal spies in Europe.

However, Solovyov was thinking of overturning the table; to defeat the Ottoman and Persian Empires, their systems needed to be shaken.

Slavery was already a very backward system, but the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, and the khanates of Central Asia still retained it, and the talent exchange market continued to operate as usual.

Solovyov's idea was to completely shake the foundations of slavery in the Middle East, liberate the enslaved and oppressed peoples, and enable them to either achieve independence or be protected by Russia.

The refugees were primarily Christians, a fact Russia assured them of, unlike the British who were unscrupulous in their attempts to sow discord.

At the same time, this was also an attempt to abolish serfdom in Russia. Solovyov predicted that if he could severely damage these two opponents and then make Bukhara and Khiva puppets or eliminate them completely, it would provide some experience.

Serfdom itself was also related to Russia's own development. If it was not resolved and continued to be delayed, Russia would inevitably fall behind in the future.

He didn't discuss political systems with the Swiss Jomini, but only brought it up strategically.

"The Ottoman and Persian Empires are like two lions; when they are exhausted from fighting, that's when we should make our move. If we're only dealing with the Ottoman Empire, we must also pay attention to the Caucasus. And Persia..."

“Count, you must have your own ideas.”

“I think so too. Look at this map hanging on the wall. This is the largest map we can make right now. If it's the Persian Empire, we can consider Central Asia in addition to the Caucasus battlefield. Baron Essen recently defeated Kokand with the army sent by the Chinese emperor. We can use Tashkent as a base. If Bukhara submits, we can move our army into Khorasan and operate there with cavalry, which will be more convenient.”

Solovyov considered things very carefully. He looked at the mountains and geography on this side of the map and came up with a well-developed idea.

"If we advance from here, the Russian army will likely have a hard time getting through such a difficult supply line, especially since the cavalry will need a lot of fodder."

"What if it's not a regular army, but Cossack troops and Kazakh and Kyrgyz herders passing through there? What if we use the Caspian Sea to transport supplies from Astrakhan?"

Although water transport may sound far-fetched, if a suitable base could be established, transporting supplies from Astrakhan to the southern Caspian coast could even penetrate deep into the heart of the Persian Empire, such as Tehran.

"This would require the General Staff to revise the plan and assess how much supply is needed."

"If you are a herdsman, have you paid attention to the history of the Mongols?"

"I haven't paid much attention to that. You are not only a general and governor, but also a scholar."

"When the Mongols were conquering the west, they traveled this route quite often. Later, when the Mongols split into several khanates, and when the Timurid Empire collapsed and Shaybani entered Transoxiana, they traveled this route. If the cavalry conscripted from the herdsmen were allowed to pass through here, they could also carry their own cattle and sheep across the Amu Darya River to reach this place."

Although it was also "Genghis Khan's tactics," Solovyov decided on the course of action based on the Mongols' previous campaigns in this area, rather than simply "grazing" in the rainforest.

"If that's the case, then it does have some merit."

"It would be even better if some Persian court history books could provide some evidence from this."

Jomini actually agreed with the multi-pronged approach, but he was worried about the northeastern part of the Persian Empire, which was relatively barren. According to the Russians' understanding at the time, the Turkmen tribes were also located on the edge of the desert, making the route difficult to traverse.

Even Solovyov, who once fought on the roadless Gate of Hell, wouldn't rashly march across the desert; that would require preparing many camels.

As for further methods to overturn the table, Solovyov only had a rough idea in his mind at this time. He would not be able to formulate a real battle plan until the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire was about to end.

Moreover, the Persian Empire was continuously supplying Russia with materials. (End of Chapter)