Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 218 030 You Gauls are really aggressive (Part )
The embassy was sometimes very boring. Solovyov knew that Count Morkov's main task now was to conduct bilateral negotiations with France. After the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty, some miscellaneous issues were involved.

However, there are not many remaining issues between Russia and France, and it is said that the French Foreign Minister Mr. Talleyrand's recent focus is not on the relationship between France and Russia, but mainly on the implementation of the Treaty of Amiens and.
"Lieutenant Colonel, so there is nothing we can do during this period, and there are no further instructions."

Then, there was nothing to do. Soloviev had always been by the Tsar's side and knew that Mr. Talleyrand was greedy for money, and the offer of 20 rubles should be no problem.

But now there is no opportunity to use these 20 rubles on Mr. Talleyrand.

Solovyov now had only a little time to go to the rented apartment at 205 rue Montmartre, pack his personal belongings, and start writing there.

It would also be great if I could get an article published in a Paris newspaper under another anonymous identity and get some attention.

Moreover, there are some places to go in Paris, namely the salons hosted by noble ladies, which are very suitable for gathering intelligence.

He also knew that he could get some information from some actresses in the theater. Although the count had not given him any orders, the task assigned to him by the Tsar before he left the house required him to have some acquaintances in Paris.

It will be useful in the future, such as when the Cossacks enter Paris, but that is a long time away.

"Pierre, come and see, what will happen if such an article is published in the newspaper?"

"Let me take a look. What you wrote is very interesting, but Paris is not suitable for publishing Caesar now. Brutus is more suitable."

"It's interesting, but I just want to write some interesting stories, such as a contemporary Frenchman who appeared in Gaul in 50 BC, or an Italian's magical encounter in Rome. Such stories have some gimmicks and also have some humor."

"You are very learned, Baron, but you must adapt yourself to the Parisian audience."

Pierre's suggestion is not without reason. Some best-selling books are only popular for a short while and then fade away. But that's just the way it is. There is some fun in them.

"But listen to me, the story of an alchemist is somewhat absurd. Today's Parisian audiences should like some pseudo-Trojan stories. At least in my opinion, they need such stories."

"But in Rome, only Spartacus can speak for himself. But if someone makes the rebels a king or adopts some system, I think it is inappropriate."

"what are you up to?"

"I think the first consul should be someone who admires Alexander and Caesar. Whether it is a republic or an empire, the stories behind them are actually very interesting."

"You mean those great men who inherited their careers?"

"The difference is that after Alexander it was all torn apart, whereas Caesar had Octavian, the divine Augustus, to help him accomplish his ultimate cause. And of course, after Augustus came Tiberius."

In general, he was not optimistic. After all, Napoleon's afterlife was followed by Caesar, Hannibal, and Alexander. He already had all three.

Moreover, he was also very interested in this great man and wanted to meet him at an appropriate time.

However, the First Consul had no intention of summoning the Russian ambassador at the moment, so he, the military attaché of the embassy, ​​had no chance to show up.

Another aspect that may be played out is that he is still very popular among girls of this era because of his handsome appearance and talent.

Especially during the time he spent with Louisa, he had met many girls, and the maids in the palace all had a good relationship with him. When he was not on duty, they often discussed historical stories and poetry together.

You can accumulate a lot of experience by being with them. If you can get the favor of some young ladies and girls in the salon circle, whether in a secret or public identity, it may have a miraculous effect.

In fact, there is no difference between this matter in Paris and in St. Petersburg. Although Solovyov himself did not take the initiative to do such things, he was able to steal the queen's heart in St. Petersburg, which did involve some technical skills.

Even after Solovyov left, Louisa no longer accepted letters from potential suitors. After all, the poem was too destructive and had always been treasured in Louisa's most private bookcase or even in a jewelry box.

When you arrive in Paris, you can no longer use the methods of the reckless young people in St. Petersburg. You always need some literary cultivation and technical level.

Moreover, Paris is indeed a cultural center. Publishing any work in St. Petersburg, whether original or translated, cannot trigger any huge cultural wave in Europe, but in Paris.
He was really telling Pierre seriously what he was going to write, and Pierre was listening carefully.

"I think you will be successful. After all, this way of writing sounds very interesting. I have some friends in Paris. I can show them your poems."

However, Pierre should not be familiar with those popular bigwigs. This is different from the situation when he later became Count Bezukhov and some people tried to curry favor with him.

"Perhaps I should try to go to the salons myself. I wonder if the rules in Paris are the same as elsewhere, or if these rules are made in the literary salons of Paris."

“You can try, but…”

"I know, Pierre, that there are rules everywhere, or in Petersburg and Moscow, too, right?"

But how to get there was a problem for him, and the French were very belligerent, so a duel might take place.

He thought that he was a good marksman, but his fencing skills were just above average, so he might be in trouble if he met a powerful swordsman.

However, when he was in St. Petersburg, the distance of duels was closer than the popular rules in Europe. He only dueled once, but he had fought many times on the battlefield.

Even if you really encounter some troubles, it doesn’t matter.

However, if he went to places that opposed or supported the First Consul in a public capacity, it would always bring trouble. It would be more convenient to use the identity of "Baron von Stirlitz".

Anyway, when he spoke German, his Austrian accent was so stimulating that it was even able to stir up the audience's emotions, even though he opposed the Bohemian corporal's opinion.

The Seine River divides Paris into two parts. The second district of Paris is on the north side of the Seine River. This is of course "I came to Hebei Province", which feels great. As for when he started to send letters, he could also think of finding a lady of similar age. If it was Madame de Staël or Madame de Tarian, they were both the same age as the first wife of the First Consul. Among the "Three Graces" of the Directory period, Madame Recamier was younger and very beautiful, otherwise she could not be called a goddess.

The other two have been mentioned just now.

Josephine has always been an eye-catching lady in the social scene, and the best thing is that Solovyov really doesn't know that she is his non-blood cousin aunt.

Solovyov is already 21 years old. In his fake identity in Paris, he claims to be 25 years old, but he looks too young. He doesn't need to take care of his beard much, and he is indeed very handsome.

And he didn't know that Elena once joked: "If Mishka were a girl, she would have her own salon if she was so talented."

Moreover, the entry standards are very high.

But he never thought that he would be hit by someone on the street just after leaving 205 Montmartre Street to mail a letter.

"What are you doing, sir? If you are in a hurry and don't look at the road, you will always get into trouble."

Parisians always find it a little strange. Solovyov's tone was very polite, but the other party actually thought that Solovyov offended him.

"But you have to pay attention, sir. Although I am from outside France, I also live in the second district of Paris, and I have a respectable job and income, as well as a title. You are also dressed like a gentleman, sir. I think at this time, we should solve this problem peacefully. This is just an accidental collision. You didn't look at the road."

"Who said I didn't watch the road? You are a barbarian from Alemanni, or a Viking pirate. I challenge you to a duel!"

"Sir, did I hear you correctly? If you want to duel, I must remind you that I once served in the Prussian army and was friends with the son of the Duke of Brunswick."

Actually, both the old Duke and the "Black Duke" got along well with him, especially the latter. After all, he risked his life to save his father-in-law, and almost lost an arm - considering Karl Ludwig's tonnage, it was indeed very dangerous.

However, although he was the youngest of the famous generals during the reign of Frederick the Great and the nephew of old Fritz, the "old man's joy" confrontation between Valmy and Kellermann made him a laughing stock in the Republic.

"I don't think it's a big deal. Don't even think about mediation."

"Sir, I would advise you not to do this, but to stop at the brink, especially when fighting with a gun."

After all, his revolver was banned in the duel in St. Petersburg, but it had high accuracy, good firepower and just the right amount of lethality.

But the other party didn’t know his identity and used a pseudonym, which made things even more confusing.

Russia was always considered a barbaric place, or it was the countryside, or it was a traditional Parisian stereotype.

The French have stereotypes when they look at foreigners, or people from the provinces, or people from the provinces look at Parisians.

The duel was inevitable, but before that, Solovyov decided to mail the letter containing some outlines and the initial story content he had written.

The lady's salon, which hosted not only poets but also novelists, philosophers, painters and sculptors, as well as Parisian officials and generals, was located in the former residence of Jacques Necker on Mont Blanc Street and was carefully decorated in a very "Etruscan" style.

But if you want to send a letter as a "submission", you still need to deliver it.

The bellicosity of the Parisians was sometimes wilder than the Russians in the streets, and he encountered several duel challenges along the way, which was indeed a bit ridiculous.

It had been more than a hundred years since the Gascon had anyone encountered so many troubles in one day on the streets of Paris.

But what happened in 1625 was that he gained three good brothers who shared life and death with him. Solovyov was obviously not so lucky.

He was just writing a letter to Madame Récamier, introducing himself and giving the outline of his "epic novel". He was not going to help his friend find the coffins of his parents. There was no need to make such a fuss.

D'Artagnan had provoked three men, but Soloviev went a step further and counted six men, all to be carried out in one day at the Buttes Chaumont.

"This is not good, Max. You have provoked six people in one day. It will cause so many duels. This is very troublesome."

"Pierre, don't worry. I have six bullets in my pistol. I can hit them directly at the maximum distance of the duel. It doesn't matter. One bullet per person. I will never give them a second chance."

"This is not good. If you really need help from a friend, I think I can go with you."

Although he was lucky, Solovyov was unwilling to take any risks.

"Well, my dear strong friend, if you are really worried about me, please help me take good care of Adela. I hired her as a maid so that she would not have to live with her abusive aunt. If something unfortunate happens to me, you don't have to worry too much, because it is unlikely to happen. Unless, in a duel, I foolishly use a rapier to fight against a master."

"Well, I promise you, but you have to be careful. Buttes Chaumont is not a good place."

Solovyov did not understand. As for his impression of Paris, he roughly knew Buttes-Chaumont Park, which was a relatively large forest park. What did it mean that it was not very good?

He brought this puzzle with him, and agreed to be there the next day. They arranged the time and had to fight one every half hour.

Even if they attacked together, Solovyov probably wouldn't be afraid, because it would just turn into a gunfight, and he had the firepower advantage, with spare bullets and two pistols.

Moreover, he had to duel in the morning, come back in the afternoon to see if there was any reply from Madame Recamier, and then go to the theater to watch a performance in the evening. When he was in St. Petersburg, he was on duty for too long, and his rare vacations were all spent with Louisa, so he seldom went to the theater.

As for the opponents he had agreed to meet, he didn't know what kind of trouble they would encounter this time.

(End of this chapter)