Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Ostermann-Tolstoy left Russia after the Decembrist Revolt of 1825. He went to Switzerland, ostensibly to take care of his ailing wife, but Solovyov learned some details about the situation through Yermolov.

The two were very close and corresponded frequently. Ostermann-Tolstoy left because he was dissatisfied with the status quo and sympathized with the Decembrists.

From Tsar Paul to the present day, from the Tsar himself to the young nobles, and even key officials like Speransky, two reforms and one armed action have failed to change the status quo in Russia.

Now, from the monarch to the civil servants and the military, everyone has realized the problem.

Nikolai decided that it was time to take action.

He sent someone to Solovyov with this purpose in mind.

Solovyov himself locked himself in his study and began to consider what to do next.

He certainly hoped that the development of new technologies could liberate serfs, or at least improve the land ownership model.

After Karamzin's death, no one was able to represent the conservatives in the debate.

Although Solovyov had always presented himself as a military man, he actually held his own in his confrontation with the "Russian historian."

Because he criticized Karamzin's attitude toward Russian history, arguing that serfdom itself involved a relationship of protection and loyalty, while the serfdom since Godunov was established in Russia after the chaotic period following the end of the Rurik dynasty, and this kind of serfdom was not a Russian tradition.

If Solovyov intends to use this as an argument, then among the officials in the Privy Council, probably no one can really argue with him.

Because they knew the historical facts, it was all after Peter the Great's reforms, which were only a little over a hundred years ago.

But what Peter the Great wanted to do was to implement universal conscription in Russia, with nobles as officers and serfs as soldiers. Although the upward mobility of soldiers was limited, they could still have some protection in this environment.

However, after Peter the Great's death, the system changed again. During the Empress's reign, after the coup, the power of the Russian nobility continued to increase. However, due to the existence of the monarchy and the constant changes in the Empress's favorites, a series of changes occurred.

However, the power of the nobility has become uncontrollable since the time of Peter III.

Solovyov even suspected that Alexander knew the reforms would affect the interests of many nobles, so he changed course in the later years of his reign and even neglected state affairs for a long time.

In the end, Nicholas and I will have to solve this mess. This time, with the army as our backing, the solution is to force these nobles to complete the serf reform with bayonets at bayonet point, and at the same time, eliminate the peasants who have voiced their opposition. This is a quick way to solve the problem.

But that would be too violent. What Russia needs is stability. Reforms forced through with bayonets could ultimately lead to a strong backlash.

The good news is that the Tsar himself made up his mind.

Solovyov, based on the current situation, was to write a memorandum to Nikolai, which was actually a supplement to the plan he had developed in Crimea.

The key point here is that local authorities paid serfs for corvée labor in order to improve the road network.

In major provinces, improving transportation requires examining the local roads.

While environmental factors played a role in the poor condition of Russia's roads, the actions of the local governors were also truly appalling.

To reform the bureaucracy, it was feasible for someone like Solovyov to take charge of several provinces and the Grand Governor-General at once, but it also meant that this person had to be trusted, implement the reforms effectively, and be loyal under the Tsarist system.

If this were Rome, Solovyov would be equivalent to Caesar holding twice the provinces and three times the troops in the south. Such a governor would not inspire confidence.

Solovyov himself knew that he would find it difficult to accomplish what he wanted to do without a group of like-minded comrades.

He had no choice but to settle for second best and implement reforms in the country, but he had to follow a series of steps.

Having lived in Russia for nearly forty years, he had already taken on the appearance of a Russian nobleman, except that he didn't drink alcohol.

Because of conflicting interests, even if he pushes forward, he will have to contend with several groups of people.

Even the nobles who previously supported the movement might eventually petition against it because their interests have been harmed.

At that time, Nicholas, as the monarch, will have a very important role to play.

The good news is that Nikolai is not surnamed Zhao, is not the fourth among his brothers, and will not use ministers as scapegoats or cause trouble in secret.

That would be very unfriendly to the Zhao officials.

Nikolai had absolute trust in his teacher.

A few days later, he received a revised memorandum from Solovyov.

After resting at home for less than a month, Solovyov returned to work. He had said he wanted to spend some happy time with his wife, but now he has to break his promise.

At this time, Solovyov, as the Prince of Thrace, only held the position of State Councilor, but his power was greater than before, because the Tsar trusted him very much.

From this memorandum, Nikolai also saw Solovyov's concerns about opposition from local forces. In addition, he was concerned that while serfs should be allocated land, uneven distribution would inevitably occur due to different conditions in different regions.

Some get good land, while others get bad land.

Besides this, the fact that each person's land and residence are in different areas may also cause problems.

In China, if your family's ancestral graves are on someone else's land, you have to negotiate when exchanging land. Chinese farmers have always been conservative, and in this respect, traditional agriculture has undergone great changes, or perhaps it will never change.

Solovyov witnessed a similar scene in Russia, where he easily liberated his own serfs.

Because the serfs all knew that the old master, the great master, and the young master were all good to them. They had divided up plots of land in their own areas and allocated private plots and livestock to each of them. The horses were for public use in the village community, and the master would still regularly purchase horses to replenish the village's stables.

But this was on his own land. In reality, this kind of village community was more like collective production, except that the master still owned the land in the manor, and the serfs started working for their own families after gaining their freedom.

Solovyov still enjoyed prestige among his freed serfs by controlling the distribution of livestock and some important means of production. Of the three brothers, two of his younger brothers inherited land from their father, as well as land granted to them when they began to hold official positions.

Solovyov's land consisted partly of his wife's dowry and mostly of various forms of land grants, because his military achievements could not be simply measured by bounties, resulting in an absurd amount of land and villages he acquired.

Some of it was even recently allocated by Nikolai, based on his status as a prince, from state-owned land in Ryazan and Moscow and bestowed upon his teacher.

This portion of the farmland was also a pilot project for the reforms Solovyov was preparing to undertake.

Because it was not private property, after his death it remained a mixture of state-owned land and serf land.

These lands should be allocated to farmers, and taxes should be levied according to the land, and in fact, according to the class of land ownership. Solovyov thought of classifying farmers into different classes.

Even landlords and nobles were included.
Nikolai was still somewhat confused after reading it. Why did they need to classify people by class?

Although he had read extensively, he had not grasped Solovyov's concept. Therefore, he summoned his adjutant to his office in the Little Winter Palace.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

“Go to the Kutuzov Causeway and invite the Prince of Thrace here. I have some questions for him.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Solovyov was at home at the moment. When he took his wife's pulse, he could roughly guess that Katya was in good health, but he couldn't be sure that the pulse indicated she was pregnant.

He learned this from the old Chinese medicine doctor he hired. Now his private doctor has opened a pharmacy at No. 4 Million Street. The place that used to be a Western medicine pharmacy has now become a mix of a Chinese medicine clinic and a Western medicine pharmacy.

What about himself?

Sometimes I also like to prescribe some traditional Chinese medicine, but I always ask the doctor if these tonics are suitable.

He would never do something like using arsenic.

"Feeling the pulse like this isn't enough to confirm anything."

"Yes, Katya, I cannot confirm."

"I really hope that if we had another child, Sasha could have a younger brother or sister."

But what about the youngest child?

The only advantage is that if Katya and Mihrima get pregnant one after the other, Sasha will have two dolls, which means she has doll freedom in a sense. Nothing is more fun than having her own younger brother and sister, and they can interact with each other. They are more interesting than the dolls her father buys.

"They can also hold their nephews and nieces!"

It's interesting to think about. If the Solovyov family continued to have children like this, dividing the family property would be a troublesome matter.

Although his illegitimate children in Europe each received a share of the inheritance from their mothers, there were many children in the family. When the inheritance was divided, the girls would receive dowries when they got married, while the younger boys would receive less.

But he didn't have time to think about that now; Nikolai's adjutant had arrived again.

"Your Excellency, the Emperor requests that you come to the Winter Palace for a face-to-face meeting."

"Wait a minute, I'll be there after I change my clothes."

Solovyov still preferred to ride a horse there. The horse he was riding was the grandson of the Orlov horse that Paul had given him. The first generation of white horses was no longer there, and the second generation of white horses was retired in the stables.

Some of the nobles who saw him on the road were familiar with him from his youth.

Things have changed somewhat now. Although he is still the same Solovyov, he has gone from a young man to a veteran, a pillar of the empire, a prince of special skills, a field marshal, and has received all the medals Russia has ever awarded. Any further reward for him would be an item, or perhaps some additional honor will be added in the future.

And today, it was his third son who was on duty.

"Lyowa, why are you on duty here today?"

“Father, it’s my turn to work.”

Compared to his other sons, Lev was much bigger. He was born in Beijing, and the journey did not affect his growth in the womb. He was also healthy on the ship after birth. Solovyov never expected that he would grow into such a tall and strong guard officer.

There are many short people in their family. When Solovyov was a Guards officer, he was petite compared to his son now.

Moreover, the only Imperial Guard cavalry officer in the family was the third son, who served in the Imperial Guard Dragoon Regiment.

"You can stay here. I'll go up and see His Majesty myself."

When he was the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the Prünü Regiment, the management was very strict, and he also believed that Lev should continue to stand guard here.

“Father, I am here on guard duty to welcome you.”

"In that case, let's go together."

The father and son arrived together at the entrance of the office in the Little Winter Palace, where the Crown Prince was to be greeted, and Lev was his attendant.

“Mikhail Sergeyevich, your father is waiting for you.”

"Your Highness, you are just as tall as His Majesty was in his youth. I remember when you marched south to Constantinople, you were still..."

"Lyova and I have both grown up, Your Highness."

"Yes, I'm over fifty now, and I'm starting to get gray hair."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Solovyov entered the Tsar's office alone.

Nikolai's hairstyle also leaned towards that of a strongman, with his forehead noticeably larger.

"You have gray hair now; I always remembered you as having blond hair."

“Your Majesty, this means I am no longer young. All I can do while I am still here is to remove the last obstacle to happiness for you, for the Russian motherland, and for the people of this land.”

"Yes, serfdom. It is indeed time to solve this problem. I have read your memorandum, but I cannot understand why you divide nobles and commoners into classes based on property?"

"This practice has existed since ancient times, Your Majesty. Both Athens and Rome have used it. We define the responsibilities of each rank of nobles based on these elements. Nobles can be divided into high-ranking nobles with titles and registered nobles. Registered nobles are ranked according to their land holdings. Before the emancipation of the serfs, they have their own responsibilities according to these elements to protect these serfs and guide them to make a living after gaining their freedom, whether they are allocated land or live as artisans."

"Your idea is good, but what about this division at the farmer level?"

"Land cannot be distributed equally, and land consolidation is inevitable. The only thing we can do is to curb land consolidation among these farmers during the first twenty-five years, and prevent grain speculators from emerging in places like Tambov and Ryazan. If such people disrupt grain prices, I think we should..."

There was no telephone in Nikolai's office, nor was it possible to send someone to Lubyanka to shoot all these opportunists.

But Nikolai's stubbornness means that if Solovyov had taught him, he might actually have done it.

Unlike the Tsars before and after him, Nicholas was genuinely driven by a sense of responsibility.

Nicholas understood the concepts of middle peasants and poor peasants much faster: self-reliant peasants and those who had to work as tenants for their masters, who owned only small amounts of land or barren land.

They comprised the majority of the peasantry, and Nicholas was well aware that these people might actually have higher expectations of the Tsar. In the Russian countryside, from the wealthy peasants down, everyone blindly believed in the Tsar's authority; everyone was watching him. (End of Chapter)