Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Sukoff looked at the chart, deep in thought.

Solovyov's high-profile entry into the Indian Ocean was of no clear purpose to him.

After all, although Russia acquired several strongholds, they were insignificant to the Indian Ocean.

He couldn't fathom just how abstract Solovyov was, and how many of his strategic plans were absurd.

He is certainly intelligent, and his knowledge surpasses that of others due to special circumstances; it's just that he's currently focusing his attention on Madagascar.

“This place is good. If we can establish contact with the Kingdom of Imerina, we might have a good foothold in the Indian Ocean.”

Solovyov knew that the Kingdom of Imreina had unified the entire island of Madagascar by the early 19th century, but he did not know the exact time.

This process may be underway now, or it may have already ended.

In short, his understanding of African history is relatively limited, especially regarding Egypt; it's not comprehensive.

"What are you going there for? This place is quite remote."

"Although it is remote, it is very important and has abundant resources."

Solovyov knew that Madagascar had many important resources besides lemurs and four wretched penguins.

For example, more than 60% of the vanilla used in ice cream in the future will still be produced here.

It also possesses abundant mineral resources, including graphite, bauxite, quartz, mica, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, coal, and gemstones. Yet, this place remains poor in the 21st century, and the problem is multifaceted.

We must not even forget the grave shortcomings and immoral acts of those colonizers.

Weiwei's smile is so abstract. He is an abstract figure who, while facing the Yellow Peril, promoted second-class citizenship in Qingdao. There are rumors that he could be upgraded to first-class citizenship after Germanization. Compared to Britain and France, he is not so immoral.

After all, it's a bit abnormal for an emperor to frequently mention increasing salaries, and then he got carried away by his strained relationship with the old prime minister who was in charge of welfare.

The British would instigate King Radama of Imreina to oppose the French colonists, and in return, the British would support him, recognize the rule of the Kingdom of Imreina, and provide some material aid.

Then, the Kingdom of Imreina continued to unify the island. During this time, European missionaries and colonists continued to pour in, which would eventually lead to conflict, and eventually it would become a French colony.

Regardless, the country is very poor. In the 21st century, 80% of the population is still engaged in agriculture. Its development level is extremely backward, most places lack electricity, and the country's major assets are controlled by the French.

While the French may not be as immoral as the British, the things they do are still quite bad.

This place is always much better than Upper Walter, and it has vanilla and many rare plants, plus rice is grown on the island.

That's right, because the native inhabitants of Madagascar are Malays with some Bantu ancestry, and they speak a Malayo-Polynesian language.

Going there is also an adventure, and a chance to learn more about Africa.

Perhaps these places will also play a role in the Indian Ocean in the future.

Solovyov even had to go to Madagascar to resupply food. After eating rice in Madeira, a Portuguese territory, and in Brazil, he found it hard to give up the familiar taste.

After all, rice doesn't have much flavor; it's just a staple food, so it goes very well with other dishes.

The stopover in Madagascar was originally planned.

Surcouf had considerable experience dealing with the British in Réunion, Île-de-France, and the surrounding waters.

He still supported the operation, especially since he could find old acquaintances in France at the ports and trading posts there.

Solovyov was about to continue his journey. After leaving the Cape of Good Hope, the entire fleet sailed along the coastline of South Africa, taking note of the local topography and hydrological conditions.

And another thing that gave Solovyov a headache was that even though they had taken contraceptive measures, Katya was pregnant.

This trip actually requires caution, as it involves many matters of etiquette and the health of the wives and concubines must also be taken into consideration.

Kokaya's physical condition was that kind of...
It's just that in this day and age, there are times when things are unavoidable.

"It is probably God's will that we should have this child; perhaps it is also a kind of destiny."

The couple had even climbed Table Mountain before, and there were no signs of any reaction until they were sleeping together and it was only then that they noticed it.

After leaving the house, Solovyov himself became a little careless, only noticing his wife's belly when he unbuttoned her nightgown.

After giving birth to her second daughter, although her body recovered, she gained a lot of weight and became fuller, which was somewhat unexpected.
Of course, they were expecting another child. Solovyov celebrated the occasion by kissing his wife, but he also had many worries because the journey would take so long at sea.

However, if we calculate the due date, it might be within the Qing Dynasty's territory by the end of the year, but we don't know where it will end up.

They've really created trouble for themselves. It's also a problem that a young couple has come to serve as the chief envoy and his wife.

In that case, while you can still kiss and hug Katya during the trip, you can forget about getting intimate.

He had no intention of causing trouble for Mihrima, and the girl also indicated that if someone was to take care of the lady, someone would have to do it.

Therefore, she refused Solovyov's advances before his wife gave birth, even though she loved her master and was willing to serve him.

Aside from having a relatively low fertility rate with Mrs. Rykamir, Solovyov actually left at least one child with each of his wives and lovers as a keepsake. He even had two daughters with his wife after much effort.

However, it would be too arrogant to bring one of your lovers along, and none of them are suitable to be brought along.

When she passed through France, Sylvia wrote to mention that Demid and Octavia's child was growing up very fast, and that the young couple would be planning to have a second child once their grandson could walk.

Yes, the family is thriving, that goes without saying.

Furthermore, Silvia hoped that the couple would visit Paris on their return trip.
Solovyov also found this rather troublesome.

But he soon had to turn his attention to Madagascar. This side of the Mozambique Channel was actually more convenient, and it provided access to Zanzibar, Oman's outpost. They had even managed to defeat the Portuguese once on the East African coast, and were old neighbors with Portugal at the colonial level.

Many of Portugal's strongholds were difficult to expand due to the strength of their opponents, so Brazil was the biggest piece of the pie.

In other places, you might accidentally bite into a bone and break your teeth, just like Tom often does.

Upon arriving near Tuamasina in Madagascar and seeing the villages there, Solovyov mistakenly thought he had arrived in Southeast Asia.

In many parts of Southeast Asia, the buildings are thatched houses or wooden huts. However, this is also related to the local ethnic groups. When the "Grace" arrived outside the port, Solovyov hoped that the local feudal lords would allow their ships to enter the port for resupply and to do some small business.

However, Solovyov was somewhat annoyed by the rejection.

"How could they refuse!"

There are always unfriendly people. Solovyov also knows from Sukupov that this port city does not belong to the Kingdom of Imerina at this time.

The British would negotiate with the King and then confront the French.

However, there were Frenchmen in Solovyov's fleet.

Ney had no interest in Indian Ocean affairs, and he planned to visit Réunion to see the situation there before heading to Île-de-France.

He simply sent a signal through his adjutant, "Do as you please!" and then left with his three ships and the Dutch ship.

This was originally part of their assigned task. For the fleet, the most troublesome thing was probably a local virus that could cause severe hand and foot rashes with a mortality rate of one in a thousand, as well as the terrible malaria.

However, this is generally related to local sanitation conditions; at sea, the impact may be less.

Fortunately, such a large fleet had resupplyed at the Cape of Good Hope, otherwise it would have been very troublesome.

Solovyov's final decision was to bombard the port, but because his pregnant wife was on board, and because it would be somewhat unethical to have the Grace bombard such a port directly.

He ordered the frigate HMS Mercury Memorial, which was accompanying the fleet, to come out of formation and anchor outside the harbor with HMS Flora, issuing yet another ultimatum.

He was indeed very polite, and explained that this trip was only to purchase rice for sustenance on the journey, and also indicated that we were a large fleet.

But the other party seemed to have no intention of listening, and even Lazarev, whom Solovyov sent to the Mercury Memorial, was getting impatient.

He really wanted to fire, but Solovyov had his own considerations. What would the outcome be?

He's on a diplomatic mission this time, not to fight a war or establish a colony.

However, taking Tuamasina directly and handing it over to the young King Imerina is also an option.

“Mikhail Sergeyevich, I always thought you were a very decisive person.”

Bellingshausen also felt that the response to this operation was far too slow.

If it were someone like them who had been at sea for a long time, they would probably say, "Fuck him!"

"You are the fleet commander, while I have many more things to consider, perhaps including this port."

As he spoke, the Catherine had already opened fire on the coast.

Because of the presence of Solovyov, the Russian naval commanders were more cautious in their actions. When the other side sent out canoes and used bows and arrows to attack the "Flora", the frigate opened fire. Then came the "Mercury Memorial", which is the second Russian warship with this name, as well as the first "Old Lady".

Lazarev found it strange that the Count called this new ship with 38 cannons "Old Lady," but considering that the previous "Mercury" was Crown's flagship, it didn't make much of a difference.

As the two frigates opened fire, the battleship HMS Warrior, which was following behind, also opened fire.

Solovyov was right to move the "Grace" to the back; it's a bit creepy to do the work like that.

Mihrima was serving Katya in the cabin; they shouldn't have been frightened.

But the locals on the shore must have been terrified by such intense artillery fire.

After all, in the Indian Ocean, even a third-class warship like the HMS Illustrious was intimidating enough.

The three battleships here, "Grace", "Warrior" and "Gabriel", are all veterans of the glorious Gulf of Finland naval battle. Together they can assemble 350 cannons, which is a bit overpowered for the Royal Navy's squadron in India.

It means that if the Royal Navy, which would later fight in the Opium Wars, were called in, this would be a fleet of this size for a peaceful visit. If it were to be a war, at least six battleships would be needed.

If the "Gabriel" hadn't been at the rear of the formation, it probably would have showered those people on shore with a bunch of shells.

However, the effect was obvious; under the fierce gunfire of the three warships, white flags had been raised on the shore.

They didn't seem to be completely ignorant of European customs.

As a result, the Russians quickly gained control of Tuamasina.

Although Solovyov wanted to criticize Lazarev and the three captains for their reckless behavior, the fight had already begun, and he could only wait for the flagship's orders next time.

And given the circumstances, he probably really should go to Tananarive inland and have a proper talk with the young King Imreina.

While Solovyov was thinking this, the veterans of the Imperial Guard were quite excited, finally having a chance to go ashore and rest.

Of course, they don't yet know how terrible Africa is.

It's fortunate that this is Madagascar; if it were anywhere else, who knows how terrible it would be.

News of the battle on the coastline quickly reached the capital of the Kingdom of Imerina.

Even the young King Radhama was alarmed. Whose general was this? So brave! He took over a place that he had been unable to conquer with thousands of warriors with just one barrage of cannon fire.

Solovyov didn't even realize the butterfly effect that his acquisition of Madagascar's largest port for the young king would have.

He didn't have much time to think about it; he simply decided to meet the most powerful king here and see just how powerful he really was.

However, he did not lead a large army with him, after explaining his purpose and stating that he was Napoleon's nephew.

The young man, the messenger of King Imreina, immediately stood at attention.

"You are the emperor's nephew, that's amazing! I just wonder where the emperor is now?"

"He went to the New World; it was a kind of self-exile."

This isn't an act; the fact that the other side admires Napoleon so much clearly indicates that this has become a cultural phenomenon here.

This made it even more necessary to go to the capital, Imreina, to investigate. Solovyov had only mustered a company of cavalry before heading inland. (End of Chapter)