Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

“Zaza Dzhugashvili, I, as the governor, hereby declare you free. However, I will need a guide to get to Tbilisi, and of course, a driver as well.”

“You are a strange gentleman. No one else would be like this. Moreover, we country folk have heard of a governor of the Caucasus, General Yermolov. He is a terrible man.”

"I've heard of that too. Among the Chechens, the destroyer of many villages was used to frighten children when the enemy heard his name. If that's the case, I think it had the same effect among the Turks."

The difference is that Yermolov carried out his "three alls" campaign in the Caucasus without any attempt to conceal it, while Vorontsov and Baryatinsky later did so with some secrecy. Yermolov, on the other hand, went straight for it.

When Tormasov was still here, he originally planned to use a conciliatory policy that was more effective in dealing with nomads, but in the end everyone found that the villagers in the mountains of Dagestan did not seem to be buying it.

Moreover, various religious groups were constantly preaching in the vicinity, and foreign forces were also active in the area. As a result, although Russia nominally occupied this land, many of the local, fierce mountain people were unwilling to submit to Russian rule.

Yermolov also made a name for himself, showing no mercy even to women.

In the 21st century, Chechnya's Women's Day was also associated with the 46 women who were killed in the village during Yermolov's raids.

Solovyov wouldn't have done this.

Yermolov was actually quite popular among noblewomen because of his tall and imposing appearance.

Miloradovich is a handsome middle-aged man, while Yermolov is a macho man, but the latter doesn't seem to be very interested in wealthy women.

He only had some affection for the Muslim girl who had borne him two sons, but Sunni law does not allow such temporary marriages, while Shia law does.

In other words, Yermolov's Caucasian concubines were all stolen.

However, since the other party refused to convert and was not like Solovyov who had a wife at home and could make the decision to give him a formal status, Yermolov never got married.

His favorite concubine, because of her faith, was never officially recognized. She returned to her parents' home with her daughter and remarried. Their agreement included that the son would go to the husband and the daughter to the wife. In the end, what was originally taken away became an agreement. He really made me cry.

Of course, although Yermolov was cruel to the Caucasian mountain people, he gave the women who had served him and borne him children an annual pension of 300 silver rubles.

After Yermolov died, his sons were granted noble titles by Alexander II, inheriting Yermolov's noble status. They all became generals and continued to send money to their mother and sister more than forty years later.

From this perspective, Yermolov was merely ruthless; he was actually quite reasonable.

For example, when his chief of staff was kidnapped by Chechens and they demanded a ransom of eighteen cartloads of silver, he invited eighteen elders from the Chechen region to come and say that if they did not release him, the kidnappers would skin him alive, pull out his tendons, demolish his self-built house, dig up his ancestral graves, and then set the place on fire and level it to the ground.

Then, it worked very well. The Chechens were also afraid of this more ruthless force, so they released the prisoners and ended the dispute. Yermolov did not launch a large-scale retaliation.

Solovyov's experiences in Crimea and the Western Caucasus were quite different.

Because he had good relations with the Kalmyks, Tatars, and Cossacks, resolving the Circassian land disputes was relatively easy for him.

He was easy to talk to, but what he did had made the entire Ottoman Empire tremble. The only person in the entire Ottoman Empire who was not afraid of Solovyov at all was Mihrima.

This makes things easier to resolve.

He also carefully studied the various forces that were allied with Russia.

This trip to Tbilisi is also to check out the situation there.

On the Caucasus Mountains side, although Yermolov was the governor-general at the time, he focused his energy on military affairs, so he specially arranged for Roman Hovin, the governor-general of Tbilisi in charge of civil affairs, and Gribodoev, Yermolov's secretary, to be in charge of administrative management here.

After passing through the Caucasus Pass, Solovyov arrived at a place in the mountains. The road he traveled through was through the settlements of the Ossetians. Zaza Dzhugashvili was a local, and he was able to find familiar people who used to herd sheep and farm all the way to Gori, which was very convenient.

Georgia isn't a very big country, so the chances of finding someone you know are actually quite high.

When they arrived in Gori, Gribodoev came to greet them with a troop of hussars.

"There's no need for any pomp and circumstance. I can come to greet you when I arrive in Tbilisi."

“You say that, Mikhail Sergeyevich, but things haven’t been peaceful in Tbilisi lately, and we need to ensure your safety. After all, you are the Commander-in-Chief’s superior and our officer.”

"How are you doing over here? There was even a four-person duel before. Young people should hone their character and not think about doing dangerous things all the time."

"But you are also a skilled duelist."

"I've participated in far fewer duels than you have, so don't risk getting yourself involved."

He had to emphasize it again, whether Gribodoev would listen was another matter entirely.

Yermolov's secretary was primarily responsible for diplomatic affairs, as well as assisting Hovin with administrative work in Tbilisi after he went to the Caucasus Mountains to command military operations.

Hoven himself was related to Yermolov; in fact, he was Yermolov's maternal uncle and a nobleman from Vyborg.

Yermolov brought him here not because of family ties, but because of his impartial law enforcement.

However, the problems it can solve are mainly in the area around Tbilisi, where many places are still under the control of local powerful lords.

Even some of the taxes levied on minor and middle-ranking nobles may end up in the hands of the major nobles.

The former kings and grand dukes of Georgia no longer have an independent country, but they still hold important positions in the council of nobles and have become hereditary princes of Russia.

Gribodoev himself was also a versatile poet and musician, and he had a good reputation in Tbilisi's literary circles.

To be honest, there are quite a few people here who lean towards the Decembrists, and he is one of them.

"Why would you need to hire an Ossetian?"

"Let me tell you, Sasha, you wouldn't leak this information, would you?"

"These cavalrymen are all reliable and won't spread lies."

“Well, I knew there was a problem with taxation here when I was interrogating prisoners at the Vladikavkaz fortress.”

"You've come here for an inspection again, not to audit the accounts."

“I will make my schedule public and tell my subordinates what I will do, but as the highest-ranking officer, no one else can tell me exactly what I will do.” Gribodoev nodded in agreement after hearing this.

"As the provincial governor, Mr. Hoven also had a headache over this problem. Although he reviewed and resolved the issues in Tbilisi and Gori, some places were still not satisfactory, and even some account books and tax registration forms had problems."

"Then let's redo the rules, whether it's taxes or administrative regulations. You know about the administrative reforms in Siberia, right?"

"It was Mr. Speransky who did it. The administrative program of the Siberian Governorate is aimed at a vast area, unlike our place, which is divided by mountains."

"It seems that the local nobles are not entirely supportive of us either."

Is it alright to say this in front of an Ossetian?

“Although Zaza is Ossetian and he understands Russian, there are indeed problems with their tax system. The tax farmers set the tax base too high. I came here this time to rectify this issue.”

“You have good intentions in doing this, but we are also worried, and we can’t help but worry, whether there will be any obstacles from Prince Bagration, I mean the local noble leaders.”

“They’re not of one mind to begin with. Some oppose the emperor, some support him, some are just watching the show, and some want to start their own faction. We need to see what they’re thinking before we can offer them our own food.”

"That's a great idea, but what about them?"

"What are they like? Chameleons waiting to see the imperial envoy?"

"You're really funny, quite witty."

After listening, Gribodoev clearly understood what Solovyov wanted.

From Gori to Tbilisi, Mr. Hovin was at the Governor's Palace, but Solovyov did not stay there.

Gribodoev understood Solovyov's idea and knew he couldn't arouse the suspicion of the local nobles, so when arranging accommodations, he found Prince Chavchavadze and his family.

The prince's father was the former ambassador of the Kingdom of Georgia-Katli-Kakhti to St. Petersburg. He was five years younger than Solovyov and was already a member of the Russian Guard even before the kingdom was annexed.

However, many young Georgian nobles, unlike the Bagration family in St. Petersburg, did not serve Russia after coming from Dagestan. The idea of ​​restoring Georgian state was still prevalent among them.

Prince Chavchavadze himself was deeply involved in this movement. He had run away from home to participate in a war of independence. After being captured, he was sentenced to three years of house arrest in Tambov, but in the end, he was still able to serve in the Russian army.

Then he was sent back to Georgia to serve as a commander under General Paulucci, where he is now only a colonel.

It can be said that his life experience had nothing to do with Solovyov in the past; he was on the side of the Caucasus Legion, not in the main Russian army.

"It is our honor that you can come here."

"Prince Chavchavadze, you used to serve in the Dragoon Regiment, why did you transfer to the Georgian Grenadier Regiment?"

"As you know, sometimes the commanders are not appointed based on seniority."

“I can understand that it would be nice to go home and enjoy the peaceful life on the estate. I have rarely had such an opportunity until now.”

“That’s because of your status and abilities, Mikhail Sergeyevich.”

"Maybe so."

Although the other party was being complimentary, their tone was also very sincere.

Furthermore, Solovyov was a favorite of the Tsar, and although Chavchavadze was unable to succeed as commander of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, he might be appointed in the future.

The core problem lies in the fact that Chavchavadze is more senior than the officer who will take over as regimental commander. Yermolov's report clearly states that a suitable senior officer should be sent to take over the cavalry regiment.

Not all Georgians, even princes, were trusted by St. Petersburg, especially since Chavchavadze had been a participant in the Georgian independence movement more than a decade earlier.

Of course, this kind of administrative order itself was rather absurd.

"But regarding your matter, Prince Alexander, I can only say that there may be some problems with the Minister of War's arrangements, but Colonel Shabersky, who succeeded you, is doing quite well in the Guards. He became a colonel at the age of 18, while I was still on an expedition with the Grand Marshal when I was 18."

In comparison, Shabersky's backing was not as strong as Solovyov's.

At least Solovyov's father knew Kutuzov, and the old commander had extensive connections, so arranging a position for his son would be easy.

Sometimes, young people are lucky and perform well on the battlefield, so they are specially promoted by their superiors.

Solovyov also knew that Shabersky had refused the rank of colonel because he was too young, and that Barclay had to order him to be promoted.

This person has sufficient qualifications; the problem is his age.

He was only eighteen when he dared to propose a flanking maneuver to the chief of staff as an adjutant during the Battle of Botzen. However, the plan could not be implemented because Wittgenstein and Dougher hesitated.

Because of this, Solovyov believed he was an excellent officer and could even become a general in the future.

With him speaking up, Prince Chavchavadze couldn't say anything, and simply instructed his servants to prepare dinner to entertain Solovyov and his party.

The prince didn't seem to mind having soldiers and serfs in his dining room, so he brought in another table and placed it side by side.

This is because the prince has many children, currently two daughters and a son, as well as relatives living here. In addition, there are Gribodoev and Solovyov's adjutants, soldiers, drivers, and baggage handlers, so they can only sit at another table.

This arrangement is not wrong. Prince Chavchavadze is also a poet, and it's good that these cultural figures sit at the same table and have more opportunities to exchange ideas.

For Zaza Dzhugashvili, who is not a great-grandson and is quite skilled at writing poetry, sitting to the side, he could only think that these cultural figures were very articulate.

At the table, it's inevitable that the current situation in Georgia will be mentioned.

Prince Chavchavadze's estate in the village of Chinandali. Georgia was frequently attacked by the mountain people of the Caucasus Highlands. In fact, the Caucasus War involved very complex issues, including ethnicity, religion, taxation, and conflicts between major powers.

To solve this problem, we need to think of a solution. (End of Chapter)