Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

King Radama of Imreina was shocked when he heard the news about Tuamasina.

Everyone knew the whites were formidable, but no one expected such a powerful and fierce force to arrive. After only two rounds of artillery fire, Tuamasina surrendered.

As for the white people, they seemed to have no intention of controlling Tuamasina. Even the reports from the spies were clear: the other side only wanted to obtain supplies there.

The Russian fleet's fierce bombardment was like a thunderclap and lightning.

This left a deep impression on the spies, who, upon returning to Antananarivo, naturally exaggerated the facts to Radhama.

This prompted Radama to decide to meet with the Russian envoy. Solovyov also seized on this mentality, preparing to drive a wedge into Madagascar so that he could have something to say later.

Upon arriving in Madagascar, the Russian soldiers began to switch to summer uniforms, with a focus on mosquito protection, and made many preparations accordingly.

The mosquitoes in Madagascar, due to its isolation from the mainland, are not necessarily as ferocious as those in Africa, and they also lack the horseflies found on the Limpopo River.

If we had to choose the least friendly place for a time traveler, it would probably be establishing a regime in southern Africa. It would be even worse than the Americas, at least there aren't as many deadly viruses there. Tropical diseases are probably more terrifying.

Even with the weakened version like Madagascar, Solovyov could still sense the malice.

However, the inland climate here is surprisingly good, and rice paddies can be seen on both sides of the road, making it look not much different from the countryside in some parts of Southeast Asia.

However, compared to the yellow skin of the Malays in Southeast Asia, their skin is darker because they have mixed Bantu and Arab ancestry, which can be slightly seen in their facial features.

Of course, there are also purebred Black and Malay people, but you don't encounter them very often.

"Sir, this place doesn't look like Africa; it looks more like somewhere in Asia."

As Lazarev spoke, he also pointed to the houses in the village.

"It truly has the feel of Southeast Asia. Perhaps we could talk to the monarch here and establish an alliance, which would be ideal."

"But you also have to consider that Britain and France both have influence here, and what they will do."

Why should we care about them?

Ney sailed the ship to Réunion, indicating he didn't intend to get involved in the matter. Moreover, the British had been intensifying their efforts to infiltrate the area, so establishing contact with the King himself would naturally be beneficial.

In his capital, Radhama was greeted by an army that lined up to welcome him.

He has just hired British and French advisors to train the army here.

They could barely be arranged into three rows, but their weapons were a motley collection.

Some soldiers, dressed in tropical uniforms, looked like line infantry, but were still wearing slippers, a common sight among Malays.

Alongside them were archers and melee weapon troops. This level of training was already very advanced for sub-Saharan Africa, considered the entry-level European army. It's hard to say how effective they were in combat.

However, considering that the Zulus, the Mahdi Army, and the Royal Abyssinian Army are not only outdated in terms of weaponry, but are often also traditional African armies, it is important to remember that their weapons and equipment are often outdated.

The Madagascar army, on the other hand, was refreshing yet also somewhat disconcerting.

What's refreshing is that there really are Africans building a Europeanized army; what's going on is a complete mystery.

The previous King Imreina was depicted as holding a spear and wearing a white robe, while King Radama appears to be in European uniform, though it would be quite hot to wear such an outfit in Madagascar.

To make things easier, Solovyov wore only a tropical version of his general's uniform and was only awarded the Order of Malta and the Order of St. George, First Class—a commemoration of his victory over Napoleon.

He had heard that the King of Madagascar was young and ambitious, only 23 years old, and that he admired Napoleon.

Solovyov was the emperor's nephew and had even fought the emperor on the battlefield with an impressive record of 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss, which was enough to intimidate and boast about.

However, if they were traveling on horseback, only cavalry would come here.

Mihrima was worried about him and wanted to come along, but Solovyov wouldn't let her. He wanted her to take care of Katya and the two children. If she came and then fell ill, it would be a real problem.

"Hello, guest from afar, I am King Radama of Imreina." The other party was a king, but he also spoke broken French.

“Your Majesty, it’s so convenient that you speak French. I am Count Mikhail Solovyov, a Russian infantry general, sent on a mission to distant China by order of my emperor. I was just passing through this land and was about to resupply some food in Tuamasina when I encountered the locals. So, we resolved the battle with our naval guns.”

If it weren't for the excessive wrangling by Solovyov, he would have only needed 29 minutes to resolve Tuamasina, which would have been the fastest war record ever set by the British in Zanzibar.

"You've done a truly remarkable job. But how does Russia compare to Britain, and how does it compare to France? I've heard that the French Emperor is a remarkable figure, and you claim to be his nephew. So why are you a Russian general?"

"That's a long story. After all, the Emperor is my uncle-in-law, and my aunt is Empress Josephine, the mother of the current King Eugène de Boernede of Italy, and..."

The two men rode together, and the soldiers of Imreina celebrated with traditional shouts and cries, which was clearly not up to the standards of European armies.

Solovyov spoke at length, and the young king frequently nodded in agreement with what he said.

"The emperor was great, but he overexploited his strength, which is why he failed."

Although he spoke casually, Solovyov mentioned his experiences earlier, and there was no exaggeration in his words.

He really did defeat Napoleon with an army of 300,000. Although this victory was somewhat questionable, it was still a real victory to defeat the emperor. Moreover, the most effective way to defeat Napoleon was probably to have more men and a more advantageous terrain.

After hearing his description, Radhama remained silent.

After dismounting, Solovyov realized that his height would be considered that of a giant in the Kingdom of Imerina, let alone the cavalry squadron he had brought with him.

With this level of deterrence, even if Ladama already had an army of eight thousand, roughly the same size as Xiang Yu's initial forces, he wouldn't have any objections.

Especially since their fleet is still in Tuamasina, and once they arrive, they want to negotiate with you, the King of Imerina, to exchange the port for friendship between the two countries.

Besides Radhama, those present included British and French generals he had hired, members of the royal family of the Kingdom of Imreina, as well as feudal nobles and ministers of various ranks.

The Frenchman was even able to confirm Solovyov's identity, stating that he was the emperor's most capable relative, only that he was in Russia, not France. After everyone was seated, the celebrations began in a Madagascar style, with even the dances showing some Malay influence.

The banquet served included plenty of tropical fruits and rice, as well as local specialties.

However, Solovyov only ate rice and fruit during his meal, without touching any of the side dishes.

The locals here also revere cows as gods, but not as outrageously as the Indians. They simply give their cows a day off every now and then, since they are their most precious livestock and property.

Among the dishes served were lemur meat and a series of strange foods, which is similar to the fact that bat meat is sold in Malaysia.

Solovyov wanted to bring some lemurs to the zoo, as he was very interested in the local environment.

If large creatures like birds hadn't gone extinct, he probably would have taken a few back with him. Crimea is a large country and would be a suitable place to be a zoo.

Queen Radama also came over to toast Solovyov.

The man behind the house had a light brown complexion; he wasn't particularly handsome, but he was very dignified and seemed somewhat hostile towards foreigners.

If Radama had died young, just before unifying Madagascar, leaving his ambitions unfulfilled, then this queen would very likely have been his successor.

Because Radhama's brothers are young and he himself has no children at this time, these are all big problems.

While drinking, Solovyov also discovered that the King of Radama really liked champagne. It was quite a surprise that one could drink champagne from France on this island in the southeast of the African continent.

The fact that the king himself was wearing a European-style military uniform, and a red one at that, suggests that he had likely received strong support from somewhere.

"General, we didn't expect your country to be so powerful. We are also willing to make friends with you. However, Britain and France have already engaged with us. We wonder what kind of treaty Russia can offer?"

"You will gain the friendship of the Russian Tsar. Besides, we will not ask you to fight the French. The French have already been defeated, and the current French Empress Dowager is the younger sister of our Emperor, and the new Emperor is the nephew of our Emperor. We hope to maintain peace. If you like, I can give you this telescope. It is a Russian binocular. I used the old model during the Battle of Bettina."

Ladama was not unfamiliar with binoculars, but binoculars were only widely used by the Russian army, while the Prussian and Swedish armies introduced them as standard equipment for their generals.

Solovyov used it himself, and since he had some artistic taste, it was made particularly beautifully.

"Is this really okay?"

“You can see in the courtyard, the sun hasn’t set yet, and it can be adjusted.”

"very good!"

The young king was pleased, and he also thought that the Russian general who did not set conditions was a truly good person.

"General, you can gain my personal friendship, and the gates of the palace of the Kingdom of Imerina will always be open to you."

"Perhaps one day, you can also leave this island and visit Europe."

“I hope so, but my father’s dying wish was that we become the sole rulers of this island.”

He was even able to do it; the level of warfare in Madagascar began when Radama started introducing weapons and equipment.

"Then I am willing to give you four 6-pound cannons, which are on the transport ship. However, I cannot provide you with artillery, because my soldiers are still on a mission in the East. When we return, we will come back to this island."

"Your willingness to give us four cannons is already an unexpected surprise. As the king, I must also offer you a toast, after all, you are a relative of both monarchs."

Solovyov laughed too. The young king had some ambition, but his love of drinking was a minor problem.

Being able to befriend the monarchs of those countries that were still independent along the way was actually a huge diplomatic victory.

The peace treaty between Solovyov and King Radama had no additional conditions, except that Russian ships could obtain supplies at Tuamasina when passing through it.

As for Russia, it can provide arms to Imerina's army.

Solovyov looked at the army and his obsessive-compulsive disorder was about to flare up.

At the very least, all personnel should be able to use firearms and also be able to attach bayonets.

He also used the combination of flintlock muskets and spears and bows, but that was done by coordinating the impact of Kalmyk archers and Circassian heavy cavalry, not this kind of indigenous-style mix.

King Radhama was also very pleased and presented him with a large number of gifts. He also entrusted his two younger brothers, who had originally been sent to study in the British colonies, to him.

"I hope you can educate my two younger brothers well and make them useful to Imerina."

"Please rest assured, our General Hannibal is from Africa and has dark skin. He is the adopted son of our Peter the Great."

Although it might have been a bit premature to say this, it wasn't entirely useless. Radama was finally reassured and even let her two younger brothers and Solovyov set off together.

As for taking it to Russia in the future, it would probably allow them to see quite a lot. The British had some ulterior motives, and in the end, they gave Madagascar to the French.

France is also notorious for its major transgressions in Africa.

Solovyov always wondered what would have happened if the colonists had changed some of their strategies.

At this point, he had even more to consider. Strategically, Madagascar was very important. If he could bombard it and exchange a surrendered city for friendship with the Kingdom of Imreina, there would be a solid fortress in the southwest of the Indian Ocean in the future.

His trip was definitely worthwhile.

The next step is to continue sailing in the Indian Ocean. Solovyov is still very interested in the Dutch East Indies.

That was also the only way he could get to the Qing Dynasty. What was Batavia like?

In addition, Solovyov also attempted to establish connections with Southeast Asian countries, at least to test their attitudes towards European nations. (End of Chapter)