Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 610 042 Solovyov and Gauss's Business Experience
Madame Recamier decided to travel with her breastfeeding daughter Clara simply because she felt that there was nothing interesting in St. Petersburg.

The child was born before Solovyov set off. The newborn looked very fragile. It was only after the doctor told her that the child was very healthy that she decided to take the child to the south.

The climate there was also warmer, and Solovyov worked there. Although they were just lovers, in a community with more French people, it was obvious that the lady would be more useful.

If it weren't for the "evil" heresy issue, Solovyov might not have been able to wait for Katya.

The carriage she was riding in was equipped with shock-absorbing springs. Although this is not a new thing nowadays, it effectively reduced the bumps on the road for the mother and daughter.

After arriving in Crimea, you can also come here by water by boat.

Steam-powered clipper ships also appeared in the Black Sea shipping. The "Taurida" passenger ship departed from Sevastopol and regularly traveled between Crimea and Odessa. Although this route was relatively new, it was also a fast option.

The lady probably chose this ship because Solovyov provided the idea and it was completed by the Kherson shipyard.

The ship even had a cargo hold, which actually provided the function of a roll-on/roll-off ferry, so horse-drawn carriages could also board the ship and be sent to Odessa.

Before that, Solovyov first waited for Gauss, and the surveying and mapping of the new road naturally had to be handed over to him.

"Doctor, I heard that you knew your father's accounts were wrong when you were three years old?"

"Isn't this the story that the Duke told you?"

"Indeed, the old duke has told me many stories about you. I am still interested in doing some work in applied mathematics. Although my personal ability is limited, this is also a beneficial career. We can do well in the future."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"If I were to go into banking, I might not have enough capital, and my family's business doesn't support this direction. You know, I mentioned my family's origin before, and Odessa is such a coincidence."

He also had a sense of humor when he spoke.

"It's just that I'm more concerned about field surveying. Odessa is a nice place with a great climate. It's a pity. If Joanna could come here to recuperate, maybe her body could hold out a little longer."

Gauss had lost his wife not long ago and was still a little sentimental about it, plus his father had passed away more than a year earlier.

"I understand your feelings, but you can't be sad all the time. I'm going to provide you with a garden where you can live with your family."

"Thank you. My children are still young, so the environment here is more suitable."

"Speaking of which, Madame Recamier will be here soon, and you know about my affairs."

"What is this lady doing here?"

"There are many French people here, and she hopes to live in Odessa. In addition, the climate here is very good. I remember that she invited a private doctor who is proficient in pediatrics. How is your child's health?"

"Louis was a little weak, but he took some medication as recommended by the doctor."

"When it is used on children, the dosage must always be reduced. After all, they are too young to withstand the full effects of the medicine."

Of course, Solovyov was a very enthusiastic person. He also cared about Gauss's personal life. Although he was sad to lose his wife, he still had a long time to live and needed someone to take care of his life.

Solovyov also had this intention when he invited him to St. Petersburg, if it weren't for his friendship with the Duke of Brunswick and the fact that Gauss himself was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

More importantly, the two people came from different families of "profiteers" and were more or less "like-minded" when it came to money.

Gauss's father helped people manage their property in the countryside and had some savings.
When talking about drugs, Gauss sighed: "Your attention is too scattered, Count."

"I can't help it. I'm a soldier. Although I have to focus on military affairs, as you can see, I'm now the military governor and I have to manage local civil affairs. My attention is naturally scattered. If I were in school, I might be more focused, and I might achieve something in some way."

"Yes, your father is very good at managing property. But I also have some ideas. Can I accumulate wealth through mathematical analysis and the laws of economics?"

"You have some interest in securities, right?"

"Yes, but Odessa is far away from any trading place. However, I am also very interested in it. You have been investing in the shipping industry and have also considered new technologies to improve efficiency, but you must also pay attention to operating costs."

"Unfortunately, Julie has no talent in this area. Her ex-husband is very old and overprotective of her. She may be a beautiful salon hostess, but unfortunately she knows nothing about running a business."

Solovyov still believed in Gauss's character, so he told him this.

"That lady spends a lot of money every year, although the property is enough for her future life, even if she lives a long life and lives to the age of Diophantus."

By the way, this is also a topic.

"You actually want to ask a question at this time?"

"I think so."

"Haha, I know this topic. After all, it's on the tombstone and recorded. But people today may not know where Diophantus' tombstone is. Cicero once went to find Archimedes' tomb, but people later on could not find any trace of it even after 1,800 years."

Gauss also knew that Solovyov's greatest advantage was that he loved reading.

"Then, about Madame Recamier."

"Although I just mentioned it casually, the skills I learned at home are mainly about running estates and factories. The shipping industry is all related to technology, which involves the issue of monopoly. In the financial industry, banks, securities, bonds and insurance, in addition to these, there are also trusts, all of which require mathematics. It's just that Russia now has a vast territory and technical problems, so it is difficult to form an effective financial network."

"Is this what you are thinking about?"

"I thought of this when I was repairing the road. I have this problem. My reaction speed is too fast and I often fall into divergent thinking."

"This is also a kind of road, but it is invisible. Visible roads can naturally be corrected by measurement. If it is invisible, what do you want, Count?"

"If we are talking about setting up a bank, Count Bobulinski recently wrote to me and mentioned that he wanted to open a bank in St. Petersburg. In addition to the bank, it will also run securities and insurance businesses." Speaking of which, when Gauss was a child, he often saw his father working as an insurance appraiser at home, although it was just a small company in Brunswick.

In this regard, he has been exposed to a lot of things, so it's no wonder that he has the mind of a "swindler".

And in order to study, he would compete with his father in wits and courage.

"Ah, it seems that knowledge of mathematics is really needed."

"Julie mentioned to me that she wanted to invest her own property, but I was also worried that she didn't have the knowledge in this area and would only lose money in the end. You know, her life depends entirely on the inheritance. If she has nothing, I can still support her."

Of course, he was indeed worried that his lover's investment ability was negative, just like the head of the Goncharov family had a strong ability to spend money, but his absolute management ability was very high.

Well, that's it, and the lady is on her way to Odessa, and the ship may arrive today.

Although Gauss had a bad temper and was easily drawn into arguments, he and Solovyov were now discussing money. When discussing mathematics, astronomy and physics, he might have gotten into an argument.

However, when it comes to money, applied mathematics and some practical content, he is still a good subject for discussion.

"Count, this also needs to be considered. If you want to open a bank in Petersburg, what kind of customers will you target? You need to borrow money and lend money, and the interest rate must be appropriate. This also involves operating costs."

This is totally the behavior of a banker, but Gauss himself is not as cruel as a banker. He just mentioned the issues that he was worried about.

Solovyov did recall that Mr. Recamier lost his head not only because he was implicated in the conspiracy group, but also because his business mainly came from the Spanish wool textile and shipping industries.

In this case, he would be considered a natural "British spy", a charge that was fabricated in Napoleon's court.

Of course, Mr. Fouché is quite capable in this regard.

"Indeed, Recamier Bank lost its position on the board of directors of the Bank of France because of the blow suffered by the French shipping industry. Besides, it is not a good idea to open a bank now. It is better to open an insurance company..."

Russia does not have an insurance industry yet, but trusts emerged earlier due to property division and were also Solovyov's masterpiece.

He now told Gauss about the insurance industry, especially long-term annuity insurance.

After listening to this, Gauss nodded in agreement with this idea.

"If calculated according to compound interest, the value of the property will indeed be guaranteed, but this is higher than the interest rate given by the bank, and the company must have sufficient solvency. Otherwise, if the insurance premium is returned in the future but there is no ability to pay, this is a huge loophole."

"Ah, wouldn't that mean we're in a payment crisis?"

Solovyov had a fairly good knowledge of finance, and he had naturally heard about the kind of non-payment that ultimately led to crises.

If some financial crises become serious, even someone as capable as Newton could lose five years' salary.

Yes, speaking of the crisis of the South Sea Company, it is definitely not advisable to rely heavily on speculation.

Gauss had no such worries. He was always cautious in using speculative techniques. And considering that old Gauss often served as an evaluator, the doctor would naturally consider background checks.

In addition, he concentrates on research, stays away from personnel struggles, and is relatively stable on the economic level. It is rare to see him suffer losses in this regard.

"In this case, an evaluation process must be introduced. Count, you are always inspiring. Although your previous letters were only related to statistics and some incomplete empirical conclusions, they also provided a basis for my research. This time, we may have to do something more interesting."

His enthusiasm seemed to be ignited. No one could resist money, and Solovyov naturally liked silver rubles, just as Gauss liked thalers.

This mathematician discovered non-Euclidean geometry but never published his work in his lifetime. However, he was still very enthusiastic in the field of applied mathematics.

"What are we going to do? Are you going to do an assessment, or are you going to analyze some economic laws of the financial industry?"

"Let's do the evaluation, Count. You are right. This kind of compound interest calculation is indeed useful. We can use a relatively low interest rate to deduce a complete set of income tables, which will look clearer."

"Just like this, we still need to calculate manually."

"You do have some talent for simple calculations. You are not an artilleryman, but you can skillfully perform square and cube root calculations manually. With such a mathematical foundation, it will naturally be helpful in the application of exponents."

"So, I'm doing the opposite of what I was doing?"

"I guess so! You mentioned insurance companies, so we must pay attention to the profits. The company's overall assets must ensure solvency. If it doesn't have solvency, it will eventually go bankrupt. Even a small rumor can cause the company's stock price to plummet. What this company needs to do is to maintain stability, and the money must be kept in the bank."

To be honest, Gauss was still very cautious in this regard, and he also wrote a lot of content on the blackboard.

Solovyov was so absorbed in listening that he did not even notice the servant coming in.

Madame Recamier and Clara had already arrived at the Governor's residence in a carriage.

According to Solovyov's usual habit, he came out to greet them.

But today, there was no trace of this person at all.

"What is your master doing now?"

"The master is discussing something with Dr. Gauss. It seems to be related to making money."

Madame Récamier was somewhat angry. Michel was indeed no match for money!
Once money is mentioned, the DNA of the unscrupulous businessman will naturally awaken, just like the turbulent and uncontrollable waters of the Dnieper River.

But she could understand this. With Solovyov's general salary, it was definitely not enough. Only by running the manor well could he support his family.

(End of this chapter)