Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

“If it’s education, then funding will naturally be allocated; we definitely need it.”

"Your Majesty, have you considered that what we actually lack more is talent in education?"

"Mikhail Sergeyevich, you mean there's a shortage of teachers?"

"If there are more high school graduates, there will be more grassroots workers who can teach children to read."

Solovyov's assertion was also the conclusion he reached after many practical experiences on his estate.

And what he did in Crimea, when he oversaw the governorship affairs in several directions.

The low literacy rate among Russian serfs was also due to the environment. Furthermore, some universities prohibited the admission of retainers of nobles who were of serf origin, which also created a barrier.

Although the sons of freed citizens may have this opportunity, it is rare.

However, compulsory education is also somewhat difficult at this point.

If legislation is enacted, problems related to landlords and gentry will reappear.

In the governor's residence in Tbilisi, Nicholas, as the Tsar, was also considering various issues.

"Your Majesty, what have you decided to do?"

What if legislation mandates school enrollment?

"This should be considered a solution. At least a primary school education is required so that farmers know what they should do. Even this level of education is barely enough now, and we'll have to see how things go in the future."

Solovyov was well aware that there were plenty of troublemakers among the students in Russia; he had seen it many times before.

University students will eventually undergo this kind of transformation; he has seen it many times in the past.

"There is still much you can do, Your Majesty. There will be some future for the serfs who will be gradually liberated over the next twenty years. But there is one thing you must not forget: to curb land annexation among the peasants and nobles."

"Why do you say that again?"

"Do you remember why I categorized nobles and peasants, even capitalists and workers?"

"The division based on personal income and existing property is for the convenience of hierarchical planning, to prevent anyone from buying up the land of poor peasants. And finally... how did I put it? You said land is a means of production, and peasants and landlords who own large amounts of land will hoard it, posing a great threat to the country. In fact, Mikhail Sergeyevich, what you said makes a lot of sense. Our country experiences a famine every ten years or so, not only due to poor harvests, but also due to other factors. Can you explain that now?"

"Your Majesty, I can certainly explain. Russia's territory is so vast that transportation is naturally very difficult. Even with railways, it cannot guarantee that some necessary goods can be transported to their destinations. In addition, there is the issue of land annexation. I explained this situation when I designed this theory."

“Forcibly requisitioning grain will also cause problems.”

"Your Majesty, but you also need to understand one thing."

Solovyov was also relieved that Nicholas I was not Nicholas II, but the original, stubborn one. Even if he was only a sergeant major with limited education, he still had the courage and determination, and would be very unhappy if anyone disrupted the court order.

In this respect, the old morality of the nobility was sufficient.

"Your rule is based on nobles and peasants, and later also on citizens and workers, as well as the army and navy."

Because the nobility already included landowners, capitalists, and even high-ranking civil servants, Solovyov, in accordance with Russian characteristics, changed his story to this.

"If large landowners, agricultural capitalists controlling vast tracts of land, and wealthy peasants who seize land through their capital and early advantage emerge, their hoarding and speculation would pose a real threat to Your Majesty's rule. The biggest difference between Russia and other places is that Your Majesty's rule has always been based in the countryside. Those kind-hearted gentry and honest peasants are the foundation of your continued rule. They will not maliciously inflate prices. In France, Spain, or Italy, where their territories are not so vast, the effect would not be as noticeable. What kind of crisis would it bring if the citizens and workers in the cities were starving?"

"I understand, you don't need to say it."

Nicholas could connect the events to the revolutions in Paris, as well as the strikes in London and Manchester. Although one had an emperor representing the bourgeoisie and the other a king with a constitutional monarchy, Nicholas was well aware of the bloodshed that had taken place there, thanks to his French teachers' education.

You should know that his French teacher was the brother of the man who wrote the list in the bathtub.

They would at least have some understanding of how the French Revolution actually happened.

He said that, and Solovyov could actually understand it.

Nikolai sat there. He had also worried about this issue when he was in St. Petersburg, but at the time he felt that Solovyov had too many restrictions on the land, so he had some concerns.

Now, this topic is much clearer.

Therefore, he no longer had any questions about the land issue.

Furthermore, education does indeed improve the overall quality of the subjects of the Russian Empire. If everyone had a higher level of education, there would likely be far fewer spiritual Frenchmen and pro-British elements among the Russian nobility, as well as cunning grain merchants among the common people.

This is his wish, but it may not necessarily come true in reality.

"How do you think the issues of land and education should be addressed?"

"We need an education minister, and each province needs education officials. We need normal universities, and comprehensive educational schools should also offer education programs. Even physical education and military education are included."

Speaking of the army, Nikolai now recalled that it was indeed the case.

However, there is a core issue.

"There's another problem, which is those people in Senate Square."

"You did what they said you would do, and your slogans were loud, but that's not as good as putting your words into action. No matter how big the boast is, it will eventually be punctured. In fact, the bigger the boast, the louder the sound when it bursts."

The metaphor was simple and straightforward, and Nikolai understood its meaning.

If someone covers up the truth, there could be an even bigger disaster to come.

Many of the ministers around him were like that.

Even before the reforms began, some people were obstructing the implementation of a series of policies.

"You can do anything related to reform, after all, you are a State Councilor and you are in charge of this reform of Russian society."

Nicholas had previously only considered the emancipation of serfs; now he also needed to consider comprehensive social reforms.

Education can indeed solve problems, as evidenced by the Crown Prince's letter.

In St. Petersburg, Crown Prince Alexander was receiving political education from Count Speransky and the civil servants of his department.

Speransky was quite old; he was older than Solovyov and not as healthy.

As a key liberal civil servant, he was no longer able to do much in leading the reform efforts. On the contrary, someone like Solovyov, who was in good health and had a deeper understanding of the issues, was better able to solve the current difficulties.

In his letter to Nicholas, the Crown Prince mentioned his visit to Gatchina, where he noted that the lives of the royal estates closest to Tsarskoye Selo had clearly improved after the emancipation of the serfs and the distribution of land to the land.

There is no problem with doing this.

Because in Russia, the Tsar was meant to exist as a "little father," he needed to be decisive and have the courage to do so. He didn't necessarily need to expand the territory, but he needed to ensure that the nobles benefited and that the serfs had something to rely on.

If it were a group of wealthy peasants and large landowners who only recognized the ruble, it would be even worse for Russia than something like an oligarchy.

If the oligarchs could be tamed, it would still be of some use to the Russian government.

However, the rich peasants, being a more widely distributed social class, would bring many problems.

Solovyov's reforms, at this point, did not yet reveal their true nature. Those classified as wealthy peasants, at the beginning of the land consolidation crackdown, were merely able to grow a little more grain than others. Although he patched up the existing system, after the years when land sales were prohibited, there were corresponding measures, such as state-owned land contracting and taxation, and large-scale land acquisitions requiring approval.

But who knows what the officials and rich peasants will do in the future?

Even Solovyov himself knew one thing: whenever he tried to find loopholes to reform, someone would create trouble in the system.

“I’ve also thought of something else, Your Majesty.”

“You don’t need to worry about things thirty years from now. By then you will be quite old and won’t be able to manage these things forever. In fact, some things should be handed over to the next generation.”

"Yes, Your Majesty, you are absolutely right."

“You can’t do everything. When my brother was still alive, he said something similar to Napoleon. That French emperor was your uncle, by all accounts.”

Considering Polina's affair with Solovyov, and that he was also the child's second uncle.

Napoleon once mentioned the 3000 million serfs in Russia while in Tilsit.

Even if this problem is solved now, many things cannot be fully resolved within the twenty years stipulated by Nikolai.

The Tsar himself was well aware of this problem, which is why he would focus on grooming his crown prince. Ideally, he would send him to travel to Europe in a few years and bring him back with a wife.

He has a successor, but even a seasoned general like Solovyov, the successor to the reforms, is already 53 years old. In the Russian aristocracy, living past 60 is a significant hurdle.

Of course, for families with some longevity genes, 80 might be a critical age.

Prince Saltykov, Alexander's tutor, died at an advanced age, looking frail and elderly.

Even if Solovyov were to continue accompanying him, it would only be for another 20 years.

He never imagined that after the reform was completed, he would be ahead of his teachers.

Solovyov's life was even comparable to that of his nearly ninety-year-old father, who would live a long time in the court of Alexander II.

But at this age, unlike in modern times, some people can still hold power even at 75 or 80.

In modern times, people's lives are also finite.

Some people may also mention that in the ancient Mediterranean world, many people lived long lives.

That's due to lifestyle habits. The Mediterranean and Black Sea regions have relatively healthy eating habits, as well as reasonable exercise and a cheerful mood. The environment is also very important.

Nikolai then met many long-lived elderly people in the mountains of the Caucasus.

This made him exclaim that the soil and water in the Caucasus Mountains are truly nourishing.

This could even be considered a physical advantage, as the locals did not encounter epidemics, wars, or bandits, and even though they lived in poverty for a long time, they were very long-lived.

"Your Majesty, the environment is very important. Many parts of Russia are so cold."

"I remember you were planning to buy some places to live in the south, weren't you?"

"Crimea would be nice, Your Majesty. If you wish, a resort city could also be built along the Crimean coastline and the eastern Black Sea coast. The environment there is also very beneficial to health."

Nikolai also thought about how his wife had given birth to another child, a girl, and was very weak, so he could come here to recuperate.

Unlike Katya, the Queen was not able to keep her lively and energetic after giving birth, even though she was a noblewoman in her forties and her health was still very stable after becoming pregnant.

She needs to rest, and being able to lie down on trains and ferries reduces the amount of bumps and jolts.

“Let’s build a resort here, or you can build your own villa.”

Moreover, by placing the villa in places like Crimea and Sochi, one can take a boat to Rostov and then transfer to a horse-drawn carriage or train to reach Tsaritsyn very quickly.

Besides Samara, Solovyov has consistently recommended Tsaritsyn.

However, the palace site he chose was Mamayev Kurgan.

He's really making a huge fuss about this.

So much so that when Zaza came to drive the carriage for the Emperor and the Master, she didn't understand what Solovyov meant. It seems the Emperor didn't understand either; it was probably some kind of lame joke from the Master.

But everything will be alright; the petition was still quite useful once it reached the Emperor's hands.

“I’m talking about Dzhugashvili.”

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

“Mikhail Sergeyevich told me, ‘Although you are not destined for great wealth and honor, there will be a very successful person among your descendants who will fulfill our wishes in the future. Perhaps he will become a prime minister, or perhaps he will become a commander.’”

"Your Majesty, how dare I ask for such things? With that vineyard, I can work with my son and be content."

Nikolai was very pleased to hear this.

"Although you resisted taxes."

The title is quite accurate. This old man, Zaza, did indeed resist taxes and rebel. When Solovyov met him, he was still a prisoner in the Vladikavkaz fortress.

"But you are an upright and kind-hearted person."

"How could I possibly deserve the Emperor's praise? Master, Madam, Young Master, Miss, and Son-in-law, if they praise me, it is only because they are the masters."

"But you are free."

"Then I can't forget the master's kindness. If it weren't for the master, I would probably still be a shepherd after I was released from the fortress. How could I have my own small vineyard and be looking after the local master?"

But then Zaza added, “Your Majesty, not all emperors in the world are like you. As for the officials, although the officials here are quite good—when I was a fugitive, one of them even protected me—there are always some who are wicked and will harm people.”

"What should we do if there are people like that?"

When Solovyov asked this question, Zaza took it very seriously.

"Sir, we need to talk to them first. Only resort to force if they disobey. That's how it is in our village. But it's best not to kill them, since they're all fellow villagers. However, we can't be lenient with bad guys from outside, especially those scoundrels and bandits from the mountains!"

His words made Nikolai laugh.

"With your big beard, no wonder Mikhail Sergeyevich likes you so much. What a generous coachman! He even mentioned a poor, honest tailor from Astrakhan, whom he gave a large sum of money to, but who dared not squander it. People like you are all my good subjects; your descendants might just achieve great things!"

Solovyov knew what kind of future their descendants could achieve, but Nikolai did not.

But given Nikolai's temperament, he would accept the petition, and he would only go back to suppress a rebellion in the village, so things probably wouldn't get too tense.

And he's stubborn, not stupid.

As for what the bearded coachman's great-grandson and the tailor's grandson will do in the future, that's another story. (End of Chapter)