Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Charitzin is indeed a good place.

However, the idea of ​​establishing a new capital here is somewhat perplexing.

Russia itself has two capitals, St. Petersburg and Moscow, due to its vast territory.

In terms of land area, there is no problem.

Russia is so vast, yet it has two capitals, one in the heart of the country and the other on the Baltic coast, neither of which seems quite large.

Nikolai saw the plan and was satisfied with it.

"If you are going to Tsaritsyn, how should this city be developed?"

"As a transportation hub, Your Majesty."

But there's a problem.

Nikolai looked at the topographic map and was about to ask his own question.

"The terrain here is flat, surrounded by vast plains. The only natural defenses we can rely on are the Don and Volga rivers. How should we defend ourselves?"

"Your Majesty, if the enemy were to reach our capital again, or even three of them, that would be the most dangerous situation. In that case, Russia would probably have to fight to the death. That already happened in 1812, and before that, the Poles entered Moscow. Do you think it would be dangerous if such a country invaded again? Your Majesty, such a thought is very dangerous. We should strengthen our own power."

Solovyov's thoughts about Nikolai inevitably led to some lapses in composure.

This is a student he taught who actually thought of this problem when no one could threaten Moscow again?

Russia's strategic depth has greatly improved compared to before 1825, and it continues to improve.

The Tsar himself realized that he had asked a foolish question, which was why his teacher would bring up such matters without regard for the proper etiquette between a monarch and his subject.

"But what should we do then?"

“Besides these three capitals, we will probably end up with five capitals, not to mention the relatively remote Kazan, but also Kharkiv and Samara.”

"Samara? Where is this?"

"Your Majesty, at the mouth of the Samara River. It's just a small village there now, but what if we built a city there?"

This city didn't grow into a small city of 15,000 people until 1851.

Solovyov's idea was mainly to have several cities function as capitals in times of crisis for Russia, thus alleviating Nikolai's concerns and also diversifying risks.

"Samara?"

"The wheat harvest there is excellent, Your Majesty."

“But this would also encroach on agricultural land, Mikhail Sergeyevich.”

"Compared to the vast agricultural land around us, Your Majesty, a city is nothing, and it won't be very big in the beginning. There are three large market days there every year anyway."

“You’ve set your sights on this place, as well as Tsaritsyn and Kharkiv. I can understand Kharkiv; it’s an important transportation hub, connecting Ukraine-Little Russia all the way to Kursk and Oryol. It’s very crucial.”

“Samara is only a backup plan, Your Majesty. Would you rather consider Kazan or Simbirsk?”

Samara was an insignificant little place when it was under the jurisdiction of Kazan, but it developed rapidly after it came under the jurisdiction of the governor of Astrakhan.

In fact, establishing new cities in Russia is nothing new.

Throughout Russian history, in order to control a region, more than one, two, or even three cities have been built. It was only natural to build cities in water transport hubs like Samara and then connect railways and highways along the routes that farmers took to market days.

Solovyov made the plans, and Nikolai, sitting in St. Petersburg, couldn't see what was going on.

So he decided to take advantage of the opportunity of inspecting the Caucasus to go on a long trip.

Solovyov had been home for some time, and he would accompany the Tsar on his inspection tours.

This journey will take us to Moscow, then to Tsaritsyn, and finally to the Caucasus Mountains, where we will stop in Tbilisi.

This also reflects Nicholas's personal emphasis on the South, and at the same time, he wants to gauge the opinions of the Moscow nobility.

Although the first group of nobles who opposed the reforms have now been punished, Russia still needs to continue reforms, and there will always be dissenting voices.

Nicholas was well aware of this, so he decided to go to Moscow, where the governor would give the Tsar a grand welcome.

There was no way to escape it, no matter where he went. Nikolai wanted to appoint Solovyov's brother-in-law, Nikolai, to a prominent position, but the latter refused. He had no interest in officialdom and preferred to live in seclusion on his estate in Moscow.

However, they must also appear at the reception.

Many Moscow dignitaries also visit the Kremlin.

Every piece of information that Nikolai released shocked them.

It's not for any other reason than that things are changing too fast.

Compared to the past, Nicholas's reforms were clearly slow, steady, and powerful. He intended to take twenty years to resolve the problem of serfdom in Russia, rather than enacting laws all at once.

Therefore, some nobles in Moscow hoped that the Tsar himself would rescind his decision.

As the Governor-General of Moscow, Prince Golitsyn was not immune to complaints. Fortunately, he was quite familiar with Solovyov, since his sister had been Solovyov's patron during his youth, and the Stroganov family and the Thracian prince's family also had a close relationship.

"Look here, this is the situation in Moscow right now. We're in this hall, and we see them all talking about it."

"The nobles in our country always like to discuss all sorts of things, don't they?"

“I support reform, but you have to understand, things aren’t that simple. Even if we have a perfect proposal, there will still be people who oppose it, and then there will be endless wrangling, which is what happens in Moscow. When Speransky wanted to reform, that was more than 20 years ago, a long time ago. Back then, there were people who opposed it, like Balasov. But now it’s great, we have no obstacles, and we can go ahead and do it with confidence.”

"No, Your Excellency. Although the leaders of the Moscow nobles support the Emperor, their attitudes are not aligned. You are probably thinking that these Moscow nobles have been bothering you, and they will surely explain that this will harm their interests."

“They do exactly that. His Majesty is in St. Petersburg, where such people are rare. Outside of Moscow, who knows how many people would spend their days shirking responsibility and passing the buck.”

"You should also know that General Benkendorf handled the case of Count Andrei Shuvalov. This year, His Majesty plans to spend the winter in the Caucasus Mountains and return to Moscow in the spring. This inspection tour may take a long time. Russia is really too big, and it is so difficult to travel around it. In Tbilisi, His Majesty will also meet with representatives of the local ethnic groups, as well as those dignitaries from Persia. There will be a lot to do then."

"In comparison, it is much easier for you to do things in Persia."

"Because it shattered the old order, I have emphasized this point more than once."

But in Moscow, they could only make minor repairs to the house, and even the load-bearing walls had to be replaced secretly.

They all understood this point: in Russia, there is sometimes more than one way of life, divided into Russians and foreigners.

Solovyov had witnessed this divide in Russia since he was a second lieutenant.

The nobles in the city admired European culture, while the gentry and serfs remained true to the old ways. Even when something happened in St. Petersburg, the gentry would lament, "The city folks have caused trouble again."

The serfs had always hoped for a good emperor.

At least what Nikolai is doing now meets their requirements.

The ball was to last all night, and because his wife and housekeeper were both pregnant, Solovyov did not take them on the long journey to Moscow.

He actually didn't like these kinds of banquets; he hoped to rest earlier.

Therefore, he went to his father-in-law's old house in Sparrow Hills, which is now his property.

Looking down at Moscow from Sparrow Hills, the atmosphere here is quite different from that of St. Petersburg.

Solovyov was also curious about how, despite the uniformity of culture in a vast country like Russia, there were still some differences between different regions.

Does a country need five capitals? Is this the Khitan or the Northern Song Dynasty?

Of course, it could also be the Jin Dynasty or the Yuan Dynasty.

If it were like the Yuan Dynasty, it might actually suit Russia's taste.

After all, the predecessors of the Russian Empire, whether it was Moscow itself, Ryazan (Solovyov's hometown), or other places, were all once vassals of the Golden Horde.

The Yuan Dynasty had Karakorum, Shangdu, and Dadu; Russia had Moscow and St. Petersburg. With Russia's vast territory, adding a few more wouldn't be a problem.

Even Moscow already looks very crowded.

He didn't need to hold any official position in Moscow; the streets here were already packed with people in 1796.

After the fire destroyed Moscow in 1812, the reconstruction has only partially restored its pre-war appearance.

What will happen in the future?
Solovyov thought about it for a long time, but he still couldn't give an answer. The reforms were still underway, or even just beginning, and people from all walks of life were speaking out, with considerable opposition among them.

It's not unusual for even serfs to have objections.

Some people are just afraid of change.

After things change, they might not know what to do anymore.

Otherwise, Solovyov wouldn't have come up with the idea of ​​defining the functions of each class.

Whether you are a nobleman, a capitalist, a peasant, a worker, or anything else, as long as you live on Russian soil, you must abide by the corresponding rules.

By setting clear boundaries in this way, people can understand what they should be doing.

In Russia, besides the whip, rules and regulations were also strictly enforced.

In the past, when duels were not common in Russia, problems were resolved through courts. Even when serfs challenged their masters, the matter was settled in court.

Of course, there was also a direct channel: petitioning the Tsar, where people would wait in the streets.

Leaving Moscow, Nikolai continued south, traveling along the way either on horseback or in a horse-drawn carriage because Pierre's railway was not yet completed.

Along the way, he received many petitions, which gave him a headache.

Some serfs even did abstract work, indicating that their masters treated them well and they were unwilling to leave this personal dependence.

The master is a good master, and the emperor is a good emperor.

Fortunately, there was no Harry Potter series, otherwise Solovyov would have thought that house-elves had infiltrated the Russian serf population.

After Nicholas saw this from the carriage, he felt both angry and amused. There were people willing to be serfs?
Even the emperor couldn't stand it anymore, yet the serfs below thought they were living a pretty good life?

Apart from Arakcheyev, who was required to prepare dowries for his serfs when they married, most of the noble families were already preparing to dismiss their serfs.

The minor nobles who owned dozens or hundreds of serfs did not have large assets and might have truly relied on these serfs.

"Look, there are still people who oppose this."

"Your Majesty, although there is only one Russia, the country is different in many ways. If we establish several capitals, could we consider dividing the country into different regions?"

"That is one way, like when you were the Grand Governor."

"It's just a matter of bringing all those provinces under the Grand Governor, but there are still many things that need to be managed."

Fortunately, Russia has moved beyond the period of numerous principalities and the potential presence of warlords and ambitious individuals; otherwise, this arrangement would have caused considerable trouble later on.

"That would require at least eighteen local governors."

Solovyov found it somewhat abstract after hearing it.

He was in Tsarist Russia, how did he end up in the Qing Dynasty, becoming both a governor and a viceroy?
There was no way around it; both Tsarist Russia and the Qing Dynasty were simply too large. The Qing Dynasty also had the added advantage of centralized power, while in Tsarist Russia, although the Tsar was autocratic, there were many areas where he couldn't easily exert control.

"Your Majesty, I wonder what will happen when our reforms reach the ears of the Chinese emperor?"

"Yes, it's been quite a few years since you went there."

"The emperors and ministers of China generally considered you to be virtuous and capable."

To some extent, Solovyov's erudite propaganda during his visit created a stereotype in the minds of the Qing emperors and their officials.

Nikolai, sitting in the carriage, also felt somewhat tired.

"Oh dear, we've arrived at our next destination. Let's stop here. Where's closer from here?"

He looked at the guards outside, and the dragoon glanced at the road sign.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived in Ryazan."

"This is your hometown. How long has it been since you last came back?"

“After I joined the army, I spent very little time in Ryazan, and at most, I would stay for no more than three months. I was always coming and going. I can hardly remember what my hometown was like now.”

"Then you should come back and take a look. After all, you have a close relationship with this place."

Therefore, the Tsar decided to stay in Ryazan.

Solovyov is finally going to return to his nominal hometown. (End of Chapter)