Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

During the days he stayed at Pierre's house, Solovyov was also trying to grasp the latest developments in Moscow.

Before Rostopchin came to power, he didn't have to worry about this, after all, the situation was relatively stable before that.

But the burning of Moscow happened to this person. Although in the end France and Russia accused each other of arson and burning down Moscow, it was still a big incident.

Anyone who knows a little about the history of 1812 will know that Rostopchin had some connection with the Moscow fire. He even claimed that he had burned down the city and then returned. In short, it sounds very suspicious.

As the governor of Moscow, what he did, if you really think about it, was that even if the French were always in Moscow and the city was not burned down, there would eventually be a logistical supply crisis.

The final outcome still depends on Napoleon’s own choices, and in the end he will always choose a decision that goes beyond the limit.

But not all French soldiers are French supermen. Even the Guards are human beings. If any problems arise, it will not seem strange.

As long as the logistical supply cannot keep up, ultimate failure is inevitable. Moreover, the weather in Russia, whether it is hot and dry in summer or like this in winter, is a severe challenge for both sides.

Therefore, if you want to develop it locally, you still have to see where the problem lies. The roads around Moscow are well connected, and nearby places include Tver, Vladimir, Ryazan and other places.

The conditions of these roads are also very important. The Russian army is on the front axis, from the border to Minsk and Vitebsk, and then to Smolensk, from the Smolensk Road to Mozhaysk, and finally to Moscow.

When Solovyov arrived at Rostopchin's place, he was warmly received by the count.

Although he was not an imperial envoy, he still held the title of aide-de-camp. If he really said a few good words for himself in front of the emperor, the Governor-General of Moscow might have to be replaced.

The reason for this worry was probably that Solovyov was not short of money. Although he was lustful, he had his own principles and was not too concerned about money and property, but he was very serious about his work.

No matter whether he comes as an individual or as an imperial envoy, he must not be offended.

Moreover, Rostopchin knew that this boy was fairly fair and would not tell tales about others behind their backs.

In short, it's that kind of chameleon drama.

Rostopchin was also curious that Solovyov did not bring the maid out this time, so he actually asked a question.

"As for your question, I can only say that my wife always needs someone to take care of her. The housekeeper in my house used to be my stepsister, who got married last year. The maid she brought with her also had very high requirements."

In short, he was just talking in a roundabout way, and Rostopchin was almost led into trouble by him.

"So, you still have a lot of demands?"

"I'm here again for personal business this time, so I can stay at friends' houses or visit my father-in-law along the way."

"Prince Vasily has not been in good health recently. No wonder you came here from Petersburg."

"The estate in Moscow also needs to be taken care of. There are always many things to take care of. In addition, there is road traffic. When I came from Tver, I also saw that the main road was not well maintained. I wonder how the road to Ryazan is."

Rostopchin felt somewhat relaxed after hearing what he heard. After all, he had met Solovyov when he was still a young adjutant, and he was familiar with his way of speaking.

But his map was too long, and looking back now, he must have noticed something.

"The road from Moscow to Ryazan is also under construction recently, but because the soil is soft and there is mud in many places, it is still difficult to build."

"That's right. The roads and tracks from Moscow to Ryazan and Vladimir must be built. This involves the logistics supply of our army. After all, many materials cannot be placed near the border. We are responsible for the overall strategy."

"You mean the French will come to Moscow?"

"That's spreading defeatism. We'd better not fight. But if the French really come, no matter what kind of battle method is adopted, whether it ends with a major battle or something else, a huge amount of supplies will be needed. Your place is the second capital of our country and the intersection of several transportation lines. You still have to pay attention to the arrangement of logistical support. In wartime, your place may be more important. The horses from Kazan, the supplies from Ryazan, and the food from Tambov and other places will all pass through you."

"I remember that you and Count Bezukhov have been planning to build a railway from Moscow to Ryazan, but now it is still run by horse-drawn carriages."

"In the future, we will have to run trains on it. Under these construction conditions, we can only put carriages on it first. At least the load capacity should be guaranteed. You have seen trains before, the kind that Her Majesty the Queen Mother often rides now."

Rostopchin could only listen to Solovyov's words and approve Pierre's license.

From beginning to end, Solovyov did not make any demands, he just said what had to be done, and the results were very obvious.

"That's all I have to say. If you think it's possible, the road to Vladimir may be more important than the road to Ryazan."

After I told him all this, what did Rostopchin do?
After reading it, you will know that "The Inspector General" is still very realistic. Many of Russia's governors-general and local officials are probably like this.

If I were really an imperial envoy, I don’t know what kind of fun would happen.

Just like what I am talking about with the count now, there will probably be no problem with the road from Moscow to Ryazan invested by Pierre.

As for what else happened later, it was probably that Pierre's wife finally died.

As a husband, even though Helen and Prince Vasily Kurakin had tricked him into this state, Pierre still had to go.

If Andrei had not been in Smolensk and had not recently rejoined the army, Pierre would probably have gone to him.

Solovyov was free. He went to see his mother-in-law and his father-in-law who was even more seriously ill, and then he would return to Pierre's residence. The two sides had serious matters to discuss.

Just looking at Helen like this, it is really hard to imagine that such a beauty, no matter what she does behind the scenes, behaves like a vicious snake in front of others.

However, due to the role of testamentary inheritance and trust division at that time, the Kurakin family's attempt did not succeed.

Now Helen has not given Pierre a child, and the two have not been together for long. Before the incident with Dolokhov, their marriage was not very good, and they even separated later. "Now it is like this. He has been unconscious all day and it looks like he is about to die."

It was the medicine prescribed by the doctor. He had been vomiting and having diarrhea for such a long time but he is still not dead. It's really painful.

Even her bedroom, which was usually carefully decorated, had a strange smell.

Solovyov has always had a sensitive nose, and after he came in, he kept covering his nose.

"Pierre, this smell is incredible. You won't know it unless you smell it."

Pierre didn't say anything. He was an honest man. His brother-in-law got into trouble, but his wife still helped and advised him. Helen still lived her own life, but the vampire effect was not so obvious.

"It wasn't like this when my father passed away."

"I think so."

The person's body is still in the world and his soul has not dissipated, but he has become like this, and he is still relatively young. This is indeed a tragedy that he brought upon himself.

As for what you see when you get closer, it is always known that these are the words used by the Greeks to curse the ancient tyrants, but there is no festering part on the body, so the rotten parts naturally will not be seen by people.

As for the Kurakin family, surprisingly, none of them came. Due to the strange relationship between Helen and Anatoly, in the end Anatoly did not come either.

If he came, it would only be because Pierre was still there, otherwise if something happened, he would probably have twelve holes in his body.

As for finding a priest or something, that also needs to be arranged. It seems that it is a deserved end for a person to die alone like this and have done so many bad things.

Pierre didn't need to worry about the final things. They were also preparing to take a carriage to the ruins of Ivan the Terrible's palace.

"You can see this situation. What is happening here is no different from what is happening in Paris. It is even worse. If young people, like me, go to Europe and then come back to Russia and see the contrast in reality, they will always have some ideas and want to change something."

"But most people will still object. It's impossible for everyone to be like you and Andre. Many people only care about what's on their plate. It was like this in the past, it's like this now, and it will be like this in the future. Once personal issues are involved, everything will come out."

"You seem to be reflecting reality, Misha, whether it is Speransky's business."

"We are walking alone on the ruins of Ivan the Terrible's palace, and we can be inspired, just like in the past. Pierre, you know that things are not static here. The Russian tradition is village self-government. If Karamzin is talking about this, it is probably not wrong. But his purpose is to serve the majority of landowners. These people are opposed to the abolition of serfdom because it involves their interests. The industrial nobles here will decline within a few generations. Why do you think this is the case?"

"It's probably what Andre said, the kind of life they lead."

"There aren't many real people in this circle. Speaking of which, do you know anything about Nicholas from the Goncharov family?"

"I do know that his father did not allow him to participate in the operation of the shipyard."

"It's not that he did a bad job, but it affected his father's life. He had to spend a lot of money on the shipyard and several farms to maintain his ostentation, so his family's very profitable merchant ship construction business could no longer be run."

Pierre looked at Solovyov's face and the only word that could describe it was "outrageous". He had also heard about this matter. Even if there were some changes, he might still be punished at home.

As for Nikolay Goncharov's recent experience, it is even more outrageous. He broke his brain while riding a horse at home and gradually became mentally ill.

Pushkin's unfortunate mother-in-law and Louisa's unfortunate maid originally found such a husband for her in the hope that she would find a suitable husband's family after something happened. Goncharov has always had a close relationship with the royal family.

No one could have imagined the result. Anyway, when Pushkin married their daughter in the future, all the little things in their family were like looking at sesame seeds through a magnifying glass. Anyway, they were so small that they could be seen clearly.

As for Natalia's grandfather, Pushkin had a very bad impression of him. He could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year without any income and squander his family's well-run business. This might be even more outrageous than his parents who were not good at business. After all, they had not reached this point yet.

It is conceivable that if there is such resistance at the door, what will it be like to let it out, especially when the interests of everyone are involved.

After listening to what Solovyov said about Goncharov, Pierre shook his head helplessly.

"But what does it matter? All we can do now is to do our job well on the ground."

Fortunately, the old count was probably an enlightened aristocrat, and his circle was more French, although it was still a few decades behind the times.

According to the delayed nature of social development, what happened in Britain and France will probably happen to Russia in a hundred years.

They probably won't see such things while they are alive.

But what will the world be like after his death? Although Pierre is a kind-hearted wealthy man, his descendants will probably just be let go in the midst of the changes, and this is a relatively good outcome.

If you still have some sense of responsibility, you naturally have to do something before this change comes.

Pierre thought of Solovyov's previous letters. It must be said that he had a deeper understanding of Russia's tradition of rural autonomy. At least he did not have any political purpose, like Karamzin did with Speransky's reforms. He directly submitted a memorandum to promote Russian traditions in the eyes of conservatives.

Russia's tradition of autonomy, before Ivan the Terrible and Boris Godunov strengthened serfdom, although the personal freedom of serfs was restricted, it was still the responsibility of the masters to protect them to some extent. This dependent relationship looked more like a normal relationship between feudal landlords and tenants.

Then, someone will naturally go in the opposite direction, either by letting the sheep eat the people or by forcing the civilians to become serfs. The former at least accumulates capital, while the latter is a rigid system.

Without a strong tsar, relying on Russia's own nobles, it would be useless to adhere to tradition or reform.

"Your letter said it very well, Misha."

"It would be fine if you were looking at the problem from the perspective of a bystander, but I am also in the bureau, and we have to keep going together, regardless of whether someone calls us or not, we have to solve these problems from within."

Moreover, it may not be solved. (End of this chapter)