Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Back home, Solovyov was still uneasy.

After all, the fact that the younger brother liked his former boss's illegitimate daughter would have been understandable if his former boss had been an ordinary person.

But Marina was, after all, the daughter of Tsar Paul, a fact that cannot be ignored.

Although both men and women have the freedom to choose, Solovyov also feels that sometimes it is necessary to consider public opinion.

However, Anton didn't seem to care at all.

"Brother, you don't need to tell me this. We are truly in love. Although she is not tall and has a slender figure, I just love her."

His "I won't listen" attitude left the eldest brother helpless.

"Alright then, I always have to report this matter to the Emperor. She has 1000 serfs and an estate, as well as a generous dowry. She is gentle in nature. I even held her when I visited her, just like I am holding your niece now."

Little Lisa is a bit strange. She used to be a black-hearted cotton ball, but now she's become a clingy cat. Perhaps it's because her sisters' existence makes her feel a bit threatened.

And her sister in Paris, who was always the most cared for among the sisters, Solovyov often wrote letters, instructing her on how to take care of her grandson and how to recover her health.

Octavia, after all, was Solovyov's first child, so she deserved all of this.

Solovyov always felt that he owed Sylvia something, but both mother and daughter were impulsive and playful in their youth, and they had three more daughters to go. He wondered which European hooligan would dare to cause trouble.

“I know, you always say that. You’re the eldest brother in the family, and I’m about the same age as Octavia, who is my niece.”

"She's older than you, but you're still my uncle. Also, when you reach that age, do you want to join the army, become a civil servant, or a diplomat?"

“My father always hoped that I would inherit the family business and go into business. I also have no interest in a career in politics. As for joining the army, I promised Marina that I would stay with her forever.”

Goodness, are all the next generation of young boys these sweet-talking romantics?
"Alright then, Anton. You have to agree to a few conditions. First, you have to pass the civil service exam. Second, you have to find a job in business in the future. Third, you have to come to China with me this time. Petya is getting married. The bride is Sonia, and you know who she is."

"Ah, my sister-in-law's younger sister. When she comes to our house, she always drags me out to play, and you know, Mishka, she always jokes around."

“I know, but she and Petya are probably a good match. This time you’re coming with me to Moscow to arrange her wedding, and we’ll also be going to Pierre’s house.”

In reality, Solovyov wanted to find Anton a job at the Moscow Railway Company first. Pierre would agree to a position as a secretary to an eleventh-rank civil servant, and then the job would be put into practice.

Starting from this point, he is actually a bit lower than the graduates of Royal Village High School, since Anton was educated at home.

The old father now places all his hopes for inheriting the family business on him.

Therefore, Solovyov would give him more opportunities to practice.

The purpose of this mission to the Qing Dynasty was to broaden his horizons.

After returning, I gained work experience with Pierre.

It has been almost four years since the French withdrew from Moscow before the winter of 1812.

Moscow appears to be recovering relatively well, although in many places you can still see the ashes of the buildings that were destroyed by the fire.

There's nothing we can do about it; we can't take care of every place.

But Pierre had already built a four-story building on the site of the destroyed house, which became the headquarters of the Moscow Railway Company.

Pierre owns many businesses, and railway transportation is only one part of them. He originally only hoped to be an investor.

However, General Tormasov, the newly appointed Governor-General of Moscow, insisted on appointing Pierre to the position and entrusted him with the task of building the railway from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

“This project is no easy task, Pierre. You know our lords always want something better. But this one is unique, which is good, as it can be done according to our wishes.”

"So, Mikhail, what do you plan to do?"

“We can use broad gauge railways, which have better carrying capacity. Even if there are technological upgrades in the future, we don’t need to worry too much, at least the framework of the railway is like this.”

"Why don't you choose one that's easier to build? Like the railway we demonstrated in the park, the passengers are quite satisfied."

"That's just to allow our customers to receive services in the park. This kind of train isn't very practical, as you should know if you've ridden one before. It can't go far at all. Being able to serve as rail transit in the city is already its limit. In this respect, it's not even as good as the locomotives that can be used on broad gauge railways."

Solovyov's stance was clear: Russia should directly use the 1520 broad gauge in its railway operations, and adopt this standard wherever Russian standard railways are laid.

Clearly, this railway has even greater potential.

Pierre agreed with him and even planned to build a passenger railway, first connecting to Tver.

“Pierre, that’s a good idea, but what about the coachmen on Rue de Tvers?”

"I haven't thought about that yet."

“Initially, our railway transport capacity was limited, so they could probably make a living, but the future was also a problem. However, we could do this: let them bring passengers to the train station in Moscow. Although the income would be less and the tickets in the city wouldn't be as expensive, the advantage is stability, and there might be many trips every day.”

Solovyov had many ideas, and he also had his own thoughts on developing railways.

The reason I always stared at Tverskaya Street was because Tverskaya was the ancestral home of Marshal Suvorov.

There are often coachmen there, and finding them work can avoid a lot of trouble. However, parking in front of the station also needs to be regulated, and shops need to be put into operation. This can be considered a circle, a commercial area built around the train station.

As for the rest, Solovyov was also helping to plan for Pierre.

"You should do this: after the railway to Tver is built, connect it to Novgorod as well, so that the railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg will be connected."

"And what about the railways in St. Petersburg?"

“There is no railway company over there. I think His Majesty will see your performance here in the future. If it is profitable, he will also entrust the St. Petersburg railway to you. This station can be called St. Petersburg Station. If it is planned well in the future, there can also be railways to Minsk and Kharkiv. At that time, a series of stations will be planned.”

"It looks good."

"Things will get better here in Moscow, Pierre. You have the right to a happy life. Natasha is a good wife. She loves you and would do anything for you, but don't disappoint her or do anything that will cause her pain."

He repeatedly emphasized that although Pierre had the idea of ​​changing society, he was easily moved by others.

Like Nikolai, he was influenced by the things around him.

If a revolution were to break out in front of him, Nikolai would switch from a neutral or enlightened stance to the reactionary side, and Solovyov himself would have to act as a gatekeeper and guarantor for him, having already changed many of his habits that might cause trouble.

This apprentice also caused Solovyov a lot of trouble. Sometimes he would have wild ideas, and sometimes he would be emotional, which was very much like Paul in the past.

There was probably no way to stop it; the ghost of Peter III was still haunting Russia. This man brought a lot of misfortune, mainly because he was the only male descendant of Peter the Great who could inherit the throne at that time.

Solovyov talked a lot with Pierre. He agreed with some of the reform ideas and his attitude towards revolution was the same as his past attitude, believing it to be noble.

"You believe that revolution is a noble cause, and that's true. But it's also like being an obstetrician, having to choose between letting the mother give birth smoothly or taking measures during a difficult labor, perhaps even having to cut open the mother's abdomen and then stitch her up. It's not just about being a surgeon who accurately removes the disease. You have to consider many things, like how the patient will live, how the child will live, and so on."

"What you're saying is rather frightening."

“I’m sorry, Natasha. It’s really inconsiderate of me to say this now, when you’re close to giving birth. But it’s true, the doctor we hired for you will be checking on you soon, and you happen to be in Moscow.”

The doctor said that Natasha is currently in very good health, and can be considered one of the healthiest mothers. This is also thanks to her consistently good health, her dedication to dance practice, and her frequent horseback riding in the past.

“However, Count Mikhail, you are different from Andrei. He is more calm and noble, and he is also considerate of others. You seem indifferent, but you are actually very warm and always considerate of others. It’s just that when it comes to doing things, I’m sorry, I don’t know how to say it at this moment.”

"Perhaps Lisa could sense it in the past. She is now a widow, but she is unwilling to remarry and stays in Tongshan."

“But where did Nicholas go? I never imagined he would fall in love with Maria.”

“Just because Nikolai protected Maria when they were in the countryside, but that’s fine too, at least the old maids in Moscow have all gotten married.”

This was also said to Pierre's older cousin, but everyone's life went on.

"Alright, everyone has a bright future. My wife doesn't want to have another child right now, so we need to be a little restrained before we leave. As you know, this time we're going to China, and this trip will last a year. We'll be traveling for so long, meeting many people and visiting many places along the way, with our final destination being the mysterious China."

“Mikhail, that place shouldn’t be too mysterious to you, because you understand its language and culture.”

"Perhaps you could say that, Pierre."

Solovyov sat on the sofa, waiting for Pierre's servant to bring him tea.

"Your tea is quite good. If our trade negotiations with China go smoothly, we might be able to get even fresher tea. They have many excellent tea varieties there."

"Yes, but Kyakhta is clearly not enough as a trading port."

“That is my mission. I will take Anton with me. Pierre, if you have a brother or a young son, you can come with me. This kind of adventure is also a kind of experience. I will take Anton with me this time, and I thank you for leaving him a position at the Moscow Railway Company.”

"As a friend, that's only right. But I'm also worried whether Anton's personality is suitable for this place."

“Pierre, you can rest assured about that. Before my father settled in Italy, he always hoped that I would inherit the family business. I can't count on that anymore. He originally hoped that I would become a great merchant or a major broker among the nobles, but now I am an infantry general. Even more unbelievable is that I actually defeated Napoleon. If it weren't for the fact that Natasha and the children would need companionship in the future, I probably would have invited you as well. You are a true friend, and there are many things I can talk to you about. That's good, thank you.”

Pierre's career was very successful, and Solovyov knew that the Moscow Railway Company was receiving a lot of attention in Moscow at this time, and the railway seemed to represent the future of Russia.

At least between cities, they need to be connected.

But that railway in Siberia was something no one dared to even dream of.

Solovyov had also spoken with Neserrodie, and the Foreign Minister believed that the focus should still be on Europe, but there was simply too much to do.

The framework of the Holy Alliance alone has significant structural problems and is always getting into trouble because of Austria.

Many of Solovyov's Serbian and Greek friends were forced to come to Russia's side by the foolish actions of the Austrians.

They wanted independence, or to take their land and people to Austria, but the Austrians disappointed them time and again. Converting to Catholicism was an obligation imposed on them by Austria, comparable to the British persecution of Catholics.

Thus, Greece and Serbia turned to Russia, as did many other peoples around the Black Sea.

It was only because of the contrast with their counterparts that the Russians performed poorly; they even set fire to many villages in Moldova.

But other countries were clearly even more unfair, and Russia became their leader.

If the railway could reach the Black Sea coast, there would be quite a story to tell. (End of Chapter)