Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

These nobles soon fell from grace.

This was not unexpected, and even somewhat reasonable.

The citizens of St. Petersburg were also wondering why people from all sides were opposing the Emperor.

In fact, Nicholas did a pretty good job. Starting from 1826, he accomplished many great things during his nine years in power.

After conquering Constantinople, making it a free city and placing it under Russian protection, although Britain, France, Prussia, and Austria would still send people there to "monitor" it, it didn't affect anything, and Russian troops were stationed there permanently.

Then came the conquest of the Persian Empire. In Russian history, Nicholas II is probably considered the pinnacle of territorial expansion.

Besides Persia, there were territories in North America and lands that expanded inland along the Gambia River, which were far better than a bunch of wastelands.

Furthermore, regarding domestic affairs, although Nikolai trusted the secret police, his control over the opposition during his reign was questionable. While the spies certainly knew what these people were doing, not many were actually arrested.

Those exiled to various places were mainly those who had launched rebellions and were in the process of plotting. They were all placed under house arrest, and some were even only fined.

Nicholas was referring to police rule, but in practice, he was perhaps even more benevolent than later Tsars.

In particular, he mentioned his grandson, who was a prisoner in Gatchina.

Now Nicholas also needs to consider finding a wife for Crown Prince Alexander. In a few years, he will arrange for him to visit abroad, and who knows, he might fall for a princess from some family?
Even with his position secure, this Tsar also needed to consider reforms to address the problem of Russia's 3000 million serfs.

Although the proportion of serfs in Russia has decreased significantly due to the release of serfs by the great nobles and the redistribution of land by the state, these people may not actually exist on the books.

Ambitious Nikolai also needed to plan the next step of reforms.

If he were to establish a reform committee, he would do so drastically. Nicholas made this very clear in the first version of the Tsar's edict.

Russia's ultimate goal was to completely end the backward serfdom system within the territory ruled by the Russian Empire and to grant freedom to all serfs.

Some former serfs and servants could still retain their servant status. These people were generally not sold by their masters and were closer to family members in terms of status.

Serfs who farmed the land would have their land allocated by local officials based on their labor capacity and the condition of the local land.

The serfs in the factories and mines were directly transformed into workers and miners.

These are all very clear in the law.

It also includes female workers in textile factories and the wives of farmers on farms, outlining their responsibilities and obligations.

Somewhat embarrassingly, Paul overlooked the responsibilities and obligations of these women back then, which led to them going on strike.

Solovyov was with Paul at the time and knew what had happened in the village, so he strongly suggested adding a patch.

There's no way around it; if we follow the old method of issuing edicts within three days, some people might try to interpret the law for themselves again.

In Russia, everything has to be strictly defined so that they know what they should and shouldn't do.

"Your Majesty, this is just right."

"You think so too?"

“Our regulations allow for the distribution of land to farmers, but as for the workers… Your Majesty, there should be a minimum wage requirement for them. Furthermore, overtime pay and shift work systems should be mandated. Capitalists and industrial elites aren't philanthropists. Besides, I myself run a factory.”

When Solovyov mentioned this, he was reminded of his luxury goods factories.

Although he only invested in some of the companies, a significant portion of their intellectual property rights originated from him.

Those high-end products, designed to make money off wealthy women, sound like something out of Alibaba.

Those toys and stationery, used to make money off aristocratic and bourgeois children, sound like something out of a penguin.

As for the medicinal herbs and health products provided to the elderly nobles...
Solovyov himself felt that it was necessary to improve product quality, optimize product core, develop product sales channels, and make every effort to open up blue ocean markets.

They make money off the nobles, profit from it, pay wages to the workers, contribute taxes to the national treasury, and receive gifts from the Tsar and various nobles, while also satisfying their customers.

In this environment, some people receive wages, some receive products, and some receive emotional value; it can be said that everyone is in a winning state in all aspects.

However, this is an ideal cycle, not the real result.

There will always be someone who is dissatisfied.

Solovyov has now seen a communiqué from Novgorod.

"Your Majesty, it seems some people are not satisfied."

"Who is dissatisfied with the policy of emancipating serfs?"

“There are dissatisfactions in some places, among the state-owned peasants who have been released, the landlords, and the freed serfs.”

In short, the state-owned farmers felt that there were others of equal status with them who were also competing for land.

Landlords lost their serfs, and although they still had tenants, it was difficult to conscript many people to work.

Furthermore, the serfs questioned the fairness of land distribution.

"Mikhail Sergeyevich, how are things arranged for you at home?"

"First, cultivate the land, then divide it up, trying to avoid overlapping plots, and each plot should cultivate the crops it is good at. I would not let a farmer who is used to growing strawberries grow wheat, and gardeners cannot all be asked to grow trees."

Some landowners didn't have such advanced management methods as Solovyov, who separated the areas where each person had their own expertise.

They simply made the serfs do the work, without intending for them to do it well.

At least Countess Sofia, the widow of the handsome Count Stroganov, did indeed set up a school for the serfs on her estate, teaching them not only basic knowledge but also practical skills.

Solovyov's research topic became scientific management, and the literacy rate among the serfs freed from his household was quite high.

As for other aspects, the nobles also had their own career guidance. Pierre had many of the serfs his family had freed put to work in the railway company's construction teams. As workers, they could earn wages much faster than they could from farming.

Moreover, a new railway is under construction in Pierre's area, which will connect the southern Russian steppes with various major regions through the Tsaritsyn land and water transportation hub, ensuring the workers' income.

Cities will be built along the railway line in the future, providing stable employment opportunities for the freed serfs who were not allocated land.

Pierre is now a railway tycoon, and he can create many jobs. This will allow many farmers to become workers, which is exactly what Solovyov has always wanted.

But what Nikolai was concerned about was the widespread dissatisfaction he was facing at the time.

"What do you think? These people are dissatisfied with the distribution."

"Landlords have lost their serfs, and most of those petitioning and protesting are the same people we were worried about before. They have lost the labor force dependent on the land, so naturally they will express their dissatisfaction. Peasants on state-owned land always received good land, while the serfs released by nobles had plots of land of varying quality. In addition, there is another problem."

Solovyov put down his report and sat at the table, looking at the Tsar.

“Your Majesty, after we release the serfs, the nobles will probably no longer be able to seize state-owned land. But what about the state-owned land that these serfs cultivate after they are released? This point was not mentioned in my previous memorial.”

"The state-owned land must also be separated from my imperial estates."

Nicholas made a very clear distinction: state-owned land belonged to the state, while land owned by the Tsar belonged to the Tsar himself.

Moreover, the Tsar did not need so much land. The Romanov dynasty had distributed land to nobles and freemen, and serfs on state-owned land also had their own plots. However, while the Tsar's family were the highest-ranking landowners, most of the royal family's wealth was held in shares of various companies.

The Tsar always gets his share, just as in Rome, the first citizen always receives a bequest from the wealthy nobles.

The Tsar himself would sometimes use these assets to reward his subjects.

In fact, this also reflects the gradual shift in the Tsar's wealth over several generations, from being primarily agricultural.

"Your Majesty, then state-owned land cannot be seized by individuals, whether they are royalty, nobles, or commoners."

"The relevant arrangements can only be made with official permission, or at least permission from an official dispatched by the provincial governor."

Nikolai's words are law, and this is arranged again.

Solovyov also knew that, given the current situation, he was already grateful that things could be arranged at all.

Russian bureaucrats are incredibly inefficient, but it's better than nothing.

Moreover, Nikolai preferred to use German bureaucrats, who were often meticulous in carrying out their duties.

In that case, the implementation might be a bit rigid, but this is Russia, and anything can happen.

Solovyov has already experienced two failed reforms. This time, the preparation period is very long, more issues are considered, and there are even people here to correct problems every time they arise.

If successful, it will be a great transformation.

Nikolai's plan to send officials down to the countryside is one solution.

The Tsar's confidence stemmed from the absolute support of the various nobles. Those conservative nobles, after their previous conspiracy was thwarted, also quieted down.

Some people who lived through Paul's time now realize that Nicholas would be more lenient with them, unlike Paul who used strict rules and regulations to criticize nobles, even imposing fines and exiles.

He only punished the core members, and the key point was that he carried out a redistribution of land and property, in which all parties were ultimately to benefit according to the edict.

In this regard, the gentry conference is no longer held, but in the future, the State Duma and various other conferences will be convened outside the Privy Council.

Although it is not a matter of directly discussing legislation, members of the State Duma can submit petitions to the Tsar to explain the local situation.

Essentially, due to Russia's special circumstances and the fact that Russian monarchs at that time were still "model workers" willing to work 16 hours a day, such petitions could still be resolved.

However, Russia has a vast territory, and the Governor-General of Siberia and the governors-general of various colonies also had the right to handle local issues.

Furthermore, there's the issue of Poland's status. Due to their previous rebellion in the Warsaw, Poland gradually transformed from a semi-independent kingdom into an area directly ruled by Russia through several provincial governors and a Polish governor-general.

Finland, however, still maintained its status as a Grand Duchy, a position held concurrently by the Tsar himself.

Sometimes, if you don't court disaster, you won't get into trouble. Nikolai, the steward, was quite diligent.

Although Pushkin still had some witty remarks waiting for his Tsarist friend, Peter the Great, who was not much of a man, had his position as a sergeant major changed to "Colonel Nicholas" because of the presence of two teachers who shared the same teacher, Solovyov. This was already a huge improvement.

When Benkendorf showed Pushkin's witty remark to Nikolai, he was amused as well.

But at least it proves that Nicholas still has some ability, and with the help of a group of capable ministers, he can still get things done.

He quickly signed a new decree, making official amendments to some of the previous arrangements.

Russia's code of conduct is still somewhat influenced by the Tsar himself.

Solovyov was able to play a significant role by his side.

At least he knows enough to help this reform avoid some pitfalls.

The local grievances did indeed travel to St. Petersburg along with the petition.

After seeing these petitions, Nikolai was also worried about a problem.

Russia is indeed too big, even considering the appointed governors, including the elder brother in Poland, the younger brother in Persia, and the Russian mainland ruled by St. Petersburg, it is still not as big as Moscow.

Another problem is that Moscow is dominated by conservative nobles, although, thanks to Solovyov's arrangements, the nobles and leaders in Moscow are more powerful reformists and their neutral relatives.

"We should consider having another capital city in addition to St. Petersburg and Moscow."

"A third capital?"

"Yes, Mikhail Sergeyevich, the third capital."

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should choose this place ourselves; there are some arrangements that need to be made."

"Yes, which one do you think would be more suitable?"

“When I was on my expedition to Persia, I visited Tsaritsyn. It was a good place. It could protect the flank of Ukraine and keep an eye on the Caucasus. More importantly, after the destruction of Old Sarai and a series of cities of the Golden Horde by the Timurid Empire, there were no large cities there. If we build a city there, it will be like Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. There will be no base of conservatives or opposition. It will be a completely new city.”

"That's one way. Kazan is too far. How about Kiev or Kharkiv?"

In short, Nikolai was once again thinking about the issue of a new capital. (End of Chapter)