Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The conversation with João VI was unpleasant; Solovyov had a bad impression of him, seeing him as a cheap, opportunistic market vendor.

This feeling made him particularly unhappy.

However, his two sons are doing very well. Crown Prince Pedro, who is already quite familiar with Rio's streets and friendly with the citizens, naturally has a good reputation.

But the queen doesn't like her eldest son and prefers her youngest son; this episode feels familiar.

Prince Miguel had the support of the traditional aristocracy, and he did not particularly like liberals.

Pedro, on the other hand, often hangs out with ordinary citizens and liberals. His only flaw now is that he's a bit ugly.

Another thing that caught Solovyov's attention was that, apart from the two princes, the princesses in the Brazilian royal family all seemed rather dim-witted.

But his manner of speaking is alright, which may be a misconception he's held for many years.

In the past, when I saw this type of person, it was usually someone who was "extremely intelligent".

He was traveling on the "Flora" when he passed by the British-controlled island of Saint Helena, where there should have been a Napoleon, but there was none.

"Sir, are you still going to Saint Helena?"

"I just thought it was interesting there, to see the scenery, and to talk to the people on the island."

“But we still have a mission, Your Excellency.”

“Lazarev, you sometimes nag unnecessarily. We still need to wait for Sukov. Hopefully, his merchant fleet and his experience in the Indian Ocean can provide us with great help. Also, once we reach the Cape Colony, we need to go ashore and take a look. There’s no need to rush at this time.”

He was the head of the mission, and I had to listen to him. It wasn't wrong to not be in a hurry on the schedule, because once we arrived at the Cape Colony, we would need to be fully equipped with supplies.

It's not surprising that he went to Saint Helena first; Solovyov himself likes to survey the terrain along the way, even if it's an island.

All that can be seen on the island are massive rocks. At the top of the cliff, Solovyov stands with his hands behind his back, looking out at the raging Atlantic Ocean.

“Lazarev, at least we’re here now, safe from the storm, not like you thought, which would take up time.”

"I must admit that your judgment is correct. After all, even veteran sailors can run into trouble this season."

"The important thing is to respect the laws of nature and not assume that humans can overcome natural disasters in a storm. If we can win, it's the result of the efforts of thousands upon thousands of people."

After he finished speaking, he stood there with his hands behind his back, wearing a military overcoat, looking at the distant sea.

If Napoleon had been exiled, he would probably have stood in a place like this, gazing out to sea.

It's unbelievable! Because of his actions, his uncle couldn't come to Saint Helena in the end, but the little girl Bessie is here.

If this little girl had met Napoleon, she would probably have been shy, even afraid.

But she wasn't so afraid of a kind-looking, handsome uncle like Solovyov.

Solovyov's passive ability is that, apart from Katya's daughter Lisa, the children all have a good first impression of him, which is a great way to get closer to them.

“Count, it seems that Bessie likes you very much.”

"Yes, when I was in the palace, I was always taking care of children. Now that I'm a general, I've handed over the job of taking care of children to my adjutant."

“Count, you don’t look like a soldier. Soldiers are frightening.”

"But I am indeed a soldier, and when I officially started my service, I was probably a little younger than you are now, and later I became an officer."

Her golden braids were styled so beautifully; I'll have to get my daughters the same hairstyle when I get back.

Solovyov had this idea; when he got back, he wanted to personally braid his daughters' hair.

Moreover, he is now growing his hair out, which used to be popular among Prussians. He had a short braid hanging down the back of his head, but because of the overall hairstyle and the hat on his head, it didn't look so out of place.

When Grand Duke Nicholas was 11 years old, he even imitated his style of dress, and with the addition of his sister Anna's perfume and cosmetics, he looked like a tall and strong girl.

The appearance of this master and apprentice pair always had a very gentle look for a period of time. Solovyov was 35 years old and still had some of that look, while Nikolai was completely different.

When Nikolai starts to go bald like his two older brothers, Solovyov will probably lament that time is a cruel mistress, and that the baldness gene might have come from Württemberg, since all four of them are like that.

Solovyov, on the other hand, was more confident. The men in his family had always had thick hair, though their body hair was somewhat different.

He was clearly more sensitive, as was his younger brother Anton.

At this moment, the fleet was leaving Bioko Island and sailing against the current along the African coast in the Benguela Current.

When Solovyov was not in office, Bellingshausen took command of the fleet. He was one of the naval explorers in 1806, but he was not a commander at that time. Now he is a rear admiral.

Although this was an exceptional promotion, Solovyov trusted him. He was the first navigator to discover Antarctica, and there is a sea area in Antarctica named after him. Even before he received these honors, his abilities were enough to qualify him as a fleet commander.

However, the fleet was already at sea, and he had no time to waste.

Before leaving for Rio, Solovyov gave him two instructions.

The Flora will either reach the African coast via Saint Helena or head directly to the Cape of Good Hope.

After they rendezvoused, they awaited Sukuf's fleet.

Succouff's merchant fleet had already passed Dakar and Cape Verde. Instead of stopping at either sea, they headed directly toward the Cape Colony.

This was based on Surcouf's past experience. He commanded not just one pirate ship in the Indian Ocean, but a fleet, but only one ship brought the spoils back to France; the rest were captured by the British.

He was more familiar with the sea conditions in the Atlantic Ocean, and he was able to sail long distances even without supplies along the way, which also demonstrated his great ability.

The final fleet, if it were to rendezvous at the Cape of Good Hope, would consist of 40 ships.

Fortunately, Solovyov did not bring many marines or a large number of grenadiers on board. He only requested that the 1st Battalion of the Guards Jäger, who were skilled in marksmanship, join the expeditionary fleet.

These soldiers had nothing to do but train on the ship all day and help the sailors pull the mooring lines.

However, training at sea is much less demanding than training on land. Soldiers get to do more work but receive less punishment, which makes life quite comfortable.

Moreover, Solovyov never physically punished soldiers for minor mistakes. The troublesome thing for these people was marching and training, which often required them to go several versts.

Now that we're on a ship, the officer's discipline is useless.

But his wife, who used to be a young girl and is now a mother of five, had never witnessed her grandfather and father leading troops, and her husband was always away on campaigns. This was her first time interacting with soldiers. Fortunately, she was concerned about the soldiers' living conditions; if the food wasn't good, they could disembark when they arrived in Cape Town.

After all, in that place, she always had to wait for her husband to arrive.

She also planned to have her husband go to Table Mountain with her.

They waited on the shore, almost turning her and Mihrima into waiting stones.

After all, this time, a lady who stayed at home to take care of her husband and children actually crossed the entire Atlantic Ocean on a ship, and her physical condition was very good, even better than some of the sailors.

"Madam, shall we wait any longer?"

"I've been at sea for so long this time, and I've realized how arduous it is. Mishka used to march on land, and I've traveled with him through some places, but this is how it is at sea. No wonder he didn't let Petya come with him; his adjutant and orderly only brought unmarried young men."

She was still a little anxious, and even muttered to herself.

Solovyov was unaware that Katya had been waiting for him. His voyage had taken quite a while, even though the "Flora" was a fast ship, it still took him a considerable distance.

When he saw Robben Island, he wished he could cut inside.
This island, literally meaning that, doesn't currently imprison anyone there, and probably doesn't have any prisons.

When the HMS Flora entered Cape Town harbor, the coastal batteries there fired a salute.

After all, the ship was full of envoys, so it was a bit crowded.

King John VI did not lead the delegation, but he sent an official to facilitate the Russians when the fleet passed through Goa and Macau, and to deliver documents.

Solovyov has now received everything he needed.

As soon as he got off the boat, he saw Katya there with two children.

"Mishka, you've finally arrived. You know, you know how worried I was about you."

"Nothing will happen. We just went to Brazil and experienced some exotic culture. Now you're in Africa. I wonder what your thoughts are?"

"The French marshal has gone hunting; hopefully he'll be alright. We just want..."

Katya pointed at Lisa, who was holding a "kitten" in her arms. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a cheetah cub.

"How is this going?"

"Marshal Ney discovered them, but he encountered hyenas while hunting. Those hyenas killed a cheetah, but these cubs were hiding behind the rock. We hope to provide some new animals to the zoo; the poor little ones have also lost their mother."

He mentioned his wife, saying she easily becomes overly maternal, even when raising pets.

We already have many cats and dogs at home.

Cheetah cubs will die quickly if they are not cared for by their mother.

However, it's hard to say what kind of animals they can be raised in captivity.

We also need to prepare milk bowls and cozy nests for them. After weaning, we need to feed them meat, and whether they can survive is also a question.

But Ney killed quite a few hyenas while hunting that day, which might be quite gratifying for some animal lovers.

After all, this thing is just too ugly.
Solovyov had no experience in raising cheetah cubs.

Even population reproduction is a major issue. Cheetahs need to run to mate after reaching adulthood, and there isn't enough space to support all the cubs. New cubs will need to be introduced to continue breeding and maintaining the population.
Fortunately, his Solovyov family estate was large enough for these animals to roam freely.

The bad news is that even the Asian cheetah, which is adapted to mountain life, probably can't stand the environment of its home, Lake Ladoga.

In the future, if we're going to raise animals, we'll probably have to build a zoo in Crimea, which is truly a blessed land for all kinds of animals to breed.

If I were to become governor, that would be a more suitable place.

The current problem is my daughter's expectant gaze.

That girl is really ruthless. Although she doesn't do this every time, she cries if her father doesn't give in to her demands.

Solovyov was a cat lover, and if he had lived long enough, he probably would have also had a habit of daily berating Nicholas II—the last Tsar was a cat hunter and could be considered an animal abuser.

There are many cat lovers in Russia, and if people find out about this, his popularity will probably drop.

However, Solovyov calculated that he would only have a chance to meet this bastard when he was almost ninety years old.

Before she could even rebuke him, she was probably already heading to a place of abundant water and grass.

Cheetahs are big cats too, and cough syrup is an ailment, so Solovyov eventually agreed.

However, he couldn't take them out to sea from there, so he found the local governor, who issued him a check to take good care of the six cubs.

That cheetah mother who was killed by the hyena was incredibly prolific; giving birth to eight cheetahs at a time was the limit, and six was the upper limit under normal circumstances.

Governor, that was a solemn promise.

Moreover, Solovyov will return to Qing China next year. Although this nobleman is easy to talk to, he is ultimately someone he cannot afford to offend.

His Majesty the King of the Netherlands should thank this great matchmaker. The Crown Princess is a Grand Duchess of Russia, and as a mere governor, he cannot afford to offend such a prominent figure.

Moreover, among the European generals who were not afraid of Napoleon, these four were Archduke Charles, Wellington, Blücher, and Solovyov. Among them, the old man Blücher was just bold and thick-skinned. No matter how many times he was driven away, he could always come back as long as he didn't die.

The other three were truly not afraid of that emperor on the battlefield.

"I'm entrusting these cubs to you. Please prepare a good little nest for them, as well as food. When they grow a bit bigger, you'll also need a yard where they can run around. That's all."

Lisa was still somewhat dissatisfied, after all, her father wouldn't let her take care of these cubs all the time.

But Solovyov had many things to consider. He couldn't just bring several cheetahs on the ship because he doted on his daughter. If they died, his daughter would probably be even more heartbroken.

Therefore, he came up with this idea, and it would be more convenient to bring the cheetah back later and present it as a gift to the Tsar's large zoo, or to keep it on his estate.

Of course, it's also related to the fact that cheetahs are really too weak, evolving into cute hunters who can only hunt in a special way but have a hard time protecting their food.

Lisa was still somewhat dissatisfied, but as a father, Solovyov took advantage of the time waiting for Sukupov, which meant he would be conducting research in Cape Town, to let his daughter get close to the cheetah cubs, as a small compensation. This prevented her from continuing her tantrum. (End of Chapter)