Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

This was a grand affair, and it certainly opened the eyes of the people of Guangzhou.

Moreover, Western women are not afraid to show their faces in public. Even Katya, who practiced dancing all day long when she was a young girl, looks like she has "natural feet".

Ballet shoes, while perhaps considered rather stiff in Europe, are far less damaging than foot binding.

With this arrangement made, Jiang Youxian had no choice but to arrange for the Thirteen Factories to make more preparations.

Ten years ago, a Russian expedition came to Guangzhou. People from the Thirteen Factories, officials from the Guangdong Provincial Governor's Office, and some officials from prefectures, counties, and districts who were still in office at that time had some impression of it.

However, they came quickly and left quickly, returning to the sea in a few days and soon setting sail again.

Living in the homes of officials and merchants inevitably attracts the attention of those around them.

But being on land is much better than being adrift at sea.

Katya was also quite tired. She had been traveling a long way and had a long rest in Batavia, and then stayed in Macau for two days before being brought to Guangzhou.

It seems that the husband's negotiations with the Qing Dynasty governor went smoothly, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to arrange for him to live in the residence of officials and merchants.

Although Mihrima was capable of serving the mother and her two children on her own, two maids were still sent over.

Of course, these maids who did menial tasks did not bind their feet.

Solovyov then went to the governor's office to bother him again.

He initially stayed at an inn, but now he's being arranged to stay in the homes of officials and merchants instead of foreign inns, which is actually a special case.

After all, they couldn't stop anything. This was the first time Jiang Youxian and Dong Jiaozeng had encountered such a clever and difficult foreign opponent. Fortunately, the other party was only there to pay tribute and was willing to act in accordance with the etiquette of the Celestial Empire.

It even explained what the rules were in Europe.

Filtering out all that information reveals that the diplomatic rules from Westphalia all the way to Vienna, and the tributary diplomacy of the Ming and Qing dynasties, are already two separate systems.

"Solang will inevitably have to adapt to local customs. Since he has come to the Great Qing, he should naturally follow the rules of the Great Qing."

“What you say is quite right, Governor. However, in the future, Western countries will inevitably pay tribute and establish diplomatic relations. If you are still in Guangzhou, you will inevitably encounter such situations.”

"That's very true. But the British are arrogant and rude; how will Your Majesty respond?"

Jiang Youxian was unaware of what was happening in Europe, and inadvertently stepped on a landmine.

For Solovyov, the fact that the late emperor was murdered by pro-British ministers instigated by the British was, while not exactly a disgrace to a Russian soldier from the Guards, certainly caused resentment.

However, some things can still be discussed when officials from both sides meet, such as matters of war.

"Eight years ago, when I led an army of 20,000 as a third-class general to attack Sweden, I fought a great battle against the British army and won several battles. The Baltic Fleet Admiral Ushakov also destroyed a British ship at sea, but the British have always had powerful ships and cannons. Our army was only able to win a great victory because of the favorable weather and terrain."

"Is Solang no longer afraid of the British?"

"Of course we're not afraid. Besides fighting, we also need to maintain relationships. Speaking of which, the late Queen of Württemberg was the daughter of the King of England, the younger sister of the Crown Prince of England, and a relative of our monarch."

What is the meaning of this work?

"Our Empress Dowager is the younger sister of the late King of Württemberg, the current King's aunt, the King's cousin, and the King's brother-in-law. The late King's eldest daughter also married into that country, so it is naturally a double blessing between relatives."

"I see. It must be a good match."

"really."

"Are all the countries that have come here now related by marriage, as Solang said?"

Since Dong Jiaozeng asked this question, Solovyov had to answer truthfully.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that all the countries were related, including Portugal, which had a trading post in Macau. Their crown prince might also become the son-in-law of the Russian emperor. This revealed the intentions of the various nations.

This series of conversations was clearly intended to send intelligence to the Qing Dynasty.

It's a bit of a mouthful, but even the old governor Dong Jiaozeng could make it clear.

As for the war between France and Russia, the two sides were related by marriage. It was just that, by accident, the original empress became the empress dowager, and even the former French emperor was still alive.

Having heard about Napoleon, Jiang Youxian, Dong Jiaozeng, and the officials in attendance, I felt that Napoleon's first defeat was somewhat similar to Xiang Yu's entrapment at Gaixia. As for the second defeat, that was rather legendary; a large portion of the army defected. This time, another defeat would mean fighting six states against one—it would be strange if he didn't lose.

When Solovyov got to this point, Jiang Youxian could actually tell from his words that although Russia and Britain were considered to be in an alliance, and even allies at this time, the relationship between the two countries was not so good.

Even though Solovyov claimed that she was the only beloved daughter of the British Crown Prince and that her husband was the brother-in-law of the Russian Emperor's younger brother, and that he was the matchmaker, it was clear that she was not friendly towards the British.

The French envoy was to be summoned next.

Ney was also a marshal of the French Empire, and given his current status, the official title that Solovyov translated for him was not incorrect.

As for when he got to this point, it was indeed quite different from Solovyov's situation.

Ney was, after all, the son of a cooper, someone who had survived the bloodshed of the French Revolutionary War, so he had nothing to be ashamed of.

Moreover, given his status as a first-rank official, it was only possible for him to have a cordial and friendly exchange with the General of Guangzhou and the Admiral of the Navy.

Solovyov is still acting as a translator.

Ney also understood why the emperor liked this adopted nephew so much; his language skills were truly impressive.

While helping him with translation, she also had to handle her own conversations with the Chinese governor-general and governor.

Coupled with his military skills, he can be described as both a scholar and a warrior, and he also possesses special abilities.

It's a pity that only now have they become colleagues because they are allies.

But the emperor had already gone to the New World, where he was spending his remaining years in a place like Santo Domingo.

Solovyov was also listening to opinions from all sides. As the translator, he was able to understand the attitudes of all parties in a timely manner and avoid any troublesome situations. However, the French and the British had been fighting for more than 20 years, Russia had also fought with the British, and the Qing Dynasty was quite wary of the "British barbarians." When the three mentioned Britain, there was always an element of high vigilance and precaution.

In fact, Solovyov had already anticipated that the British's overbearing attitude would eventually trigger a situation similar to the American Revolutionary War, where Western European countries directly intervened, and Central and Eastern European countries adopted armed neutrality for the first time, putting Britain in a very passive position at the time.

The premise also lies in how Europe should treat Britain in the future.

The English Channel separating them does indeed make it difficult for the armies of various countries to reach them.

The closest they came to success was probably when the James Party marched south from Scotland during the reign of Louis XV, but that also ultimately failed.

Even if they succeeded, it would just mean another group of British people going there.

Ireland was a different matter altogether, and Solovyov couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the Irish after seeing them.

No wonder old Dennis was like that; as an Irishman, he couldn't help but criticize the British.

Therefore, he was also considering a plan: if he could get the Irish out of the island of Ireland and settle them in the Russian colonies, those places were all in harsh environments and were mostly used as transit points.

It's not even as good as throwing the Irish onto those islands the French occupied in the Indian Ocean, which also served as transit points. It's just unknown how successful his diplomatic efforts will be this time.

However, the trilateral talks always inevitably touched upon the relationship between France and Russia.

Jiang Youxian was also able to tell that although the two sides had fought once, Solovyov was the nephew of the French "Empress Dowager" and had been a bodyguard of the Empress Dowager's father. He could speak to both sides.

Moreover, the relationship between the two sides did not deteriorate too much despite the ten-year war.

Solovyov provided considerable assistance to the French, so Ney and others did not hold a grudge against him.

Furthermore, while Westerners are all monogamous, Solovyov could effectively have concubines. Also, regarding his private morality, although he was quite popular among the Qing officials, he couldn't reveal all his private affairs to outsiders.

What doubts does the governor have?

"Solang's handsome appearance has indeed won the heart of many beauties, but in the West, monogamy is the norm, so..."

"Are you referring to the matter of my affair with someone in Italy, where I had an affair with the eldest daughter of a man, who then married the son of the King of France's sister?"

"If one is allowed to take a concubine, one should at least give her a proper status."

"If I had proposed back then and my wife had agreed, perhaps today I would not be a princess marrying her, and my title would not be so long. Moreover, as a scholar, I cannot say too much. The customs of the Spring and Autumn period are different from today, and cannot be generalized. It is rare to find a king like the King of England who has more than ten children with his queen and whose love remains as strong as ever. Our monarchs, the two previous kings of France, also had noble ladies they favored."

These officials of the Qing Dynasty could only shake their heads. After all, foreigners were still considered "barbarians." But if someone like Solang had been born in the Qing Dynasty, such a romantic man would probably have kept concubines instead of having lovers and children scattered everywhere.

Moreover, after Solovyov explained European customs, Jiang Youxian roughly understood that although Europe practiced monogamy, monarchs would grant titles to some of their children, but the wives who bore these children could only receive favor and financial compensation.

As for Katya and Mihrima, they both knew that the seemingly noble black-haired young woman was Solovyov's legal wife; and the red-clad brown-haired girl serving her was actually the housekeeper, who, in the eyes of the Russians, was a concubine with a title.

When she arrived in the Qing Dynasty, officials who saw her from afar all said that she was extremely beautiful.

The fact that Mihrima is also the child's mother is not so shocking, since she is a legitimate and recognized mother.

But the fact that foreigners talk about these things openly, and that they can't even have concubines if they like someone, shows that their religion is indeed problematic!
They even used their methods to criticize feudal ethics and morality.

Jiang Youxian could only say, "How sentimental Suo Lang is!" and end the topic, but the three parties were still more concerned about the British.

During the Jiaqing era, the British did this more than once.

Ney stated that they had always wanted to launch a surprise attack on the French coastline and had even tried in the Netherlands and Belgium, but the British had never succeeded in attacking any ports because the forts were heavily fortified.

Jiang Youxian noted this down.

But he also asked a question: what would you do at sea without the orders of the two monarchs?
"Your Excellency should know that the British are extremely rude, having attacked French warships at sea several times, and we have to rely on improvisation to survive."

Von Felsson, who had remained silent until now, also stated that Sweden had always had a good relationship with Britain, and that they had almost gone to war several times. He added that if it weren't for the large number of ships in the Swedish naval fleet stationed overseas at the time, something serious would have happened.

The Danish envoys didn't come. If they had, they would have mentioned being attacked twice as close relatives of the King of England.

The officials of the Qing Dynasty frowned upon hearing this, thus achieving the desired emotional effect.

"Conflicts are inevitable in the future."

Jiang Youxian later served as a Grand Councilor for several years, so he was quite knowledgeable.

Moreover, they might encounter this at the end of the year. The British had done this many times before he took office, and the Qing Dynasty didn't have a good way to deal with them.

The most effective weapon was probably preventing the British from doing business in my Qing Dynasty, a method that sometimes really bothered the British.

Trade barriers, and the British still don't really understand the strength of the Qing Dynasty. After all, the time when Emperor Qianlong sent Fukang'an across the Himalayas made the British East India Company a little scared.

Some of the generals who followed Fukang'an across the mountains back then are still alive today, and as veterans, they can still fight.

While Emperor Qianlong's "Ten Great Military Achievements" may have been exaggerated in many ways, his ability to mobilize an army, and the Qing army's capacity to deploy thousands or even tens of thousands of troops over long distances while ensuring supplies along the way, were things that the British struggled to achieve when they ventured deeper into the interior.

But to put it bluntly, the Qing Dynasty at that time was perhaps more like the donkey in the fable of the story of the donkey from Guizhou, while the British were like a tiger.

Liu Zongyuan was a bit ahead of his time. Can this version be left untouched?

However, in the end, both the Qing Dynasty officials and the envoys from these European countries had a poor impression of the British.

The 210cm tall strongman king of Württemberg, who had just passed away, was not even referred to as "my son-in-law" by the French king because of his position.

As for Baden, which has always been pro-French and even married its daughter to a Russian, it has always had a good relationship with the Russians, but it shares the same attitude with several other small countries, like Britain.

In short, if the British ever cause trouble, and if the King and the Cabinet act recklessly, then things will get really messy.

Solovyov is being quite restrained; he hasn't even mentioned Ireland yet. (End of Chapter)