I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 269 The Crimean War and Ten Suggestions

There are many things about him that I find hard not to like. I think his personality should be understood, without any preconceived notions. He is both strict and stern, with a stubborn understanding of "responsibility" that nothing can change. I don't think he's particularly "clever or witty," and his mind is not yet fully developed; he hasn't received a good education.

He was only concerned with politics and the military, and had little interest in art and other softer activities, but I'm pretty sure he was genuine, even when he was autocratic, he truly believed that was the only way to rule.

—Queen Victoria's assessment of Nicholas I during his visit to Britain in 1844
To be honest, Mikhail began to regret his words not long after he said them to Sanders.

There was nothing Mikhail could do; Sanders' gaze really made him want to throw ashes in his eyes.
After exchanging pleasantries with the enthusiastic Sanders for a while, Mikhail finally found an excuse to send Sanders away first. Mikhail knew almost everything about the ups and downs of the London literary scene. In addition to sharing his joy, Sanders also came to ask Mikhail if he wanted to meet with the London writers who wanted to visit him. He would prepare a special dinner for them.

After some thought, Mikhail finally agreed. However, before that, Mikhail was looking at another letter from the general, which was worded rather seriously:
"Regarding Britain's current policy direction and its attitude towards Russia, have you had any different insights after being in Britain for so long? You can certainly keep an eye out for it, and we can discuss it when we meet."

As a general, General Danilevsky clearly had another side as a politician. Therefore, in addition to some personal matters, he came to Europe mainly to understand the current situation in various European countries and then write a fairly detailed report.

As for why he mentioned this to Mikhail, it seems to be because:

“Mikhail, to be frank, if you can please His Majesty the Great Tsar upon your return, you will likely secure a position in the court. Such a position is not particularly dangerous, but it does require you to have a basic understanding of certain matters, which will greatly benefit your future.”

Mikhail: “?”

Is it the same position as Alexander Pushkin?
That feeling wasn't very auspicious.
And does the general want to train my abilities and help me plan my future?
But in any case, Mikhail felt a headache coming on when faced with this seemingly bright future.

Strictly speaking, for a Russian commoner, having the opportunity to obtain a position in the court was like a blazing fire burning in his ancestral graves; it seemed hard to imagine anything more glorious. It seemed extremely good, but Mikhail did not want it.

First of all, this official position is nothing special. If you sit in this position and still want to maintain independence, what will be the outcome? Just look at the prison to know.

Secondly, if Mikhail really wanted to be an opportunist, his first priority would be to make contact with Napoleon III, who was still in a relatively decent situation, and then give this guy, who hadn't yet fully risen to power, a lot of help.

Furthermore, Napoleon III is currently in London. If Mikhail were willing to offer his advice or act as a strategist based on his own limited knowledge, then given his position and abilities, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become a leading figure in the literary world of the Second French Empire, or even more.
Ultimately, however, Mikhail was not really willing to do such a thing.

Of course, it is also related to Mikhail's self-awareness that he really lacks political acumen; politics is not something that just anyone can master.

So, having said that, General, could you first teach me how to avoid hanging the Tsar?
In addition to the above, the general also discussed many political matters in the letter, either to train Mikhail's awareness in this regard or simply to talk about politics.

Of course, the Russian political generals didn't mention it at all, but the British and French political generals talked about it very enthusiastically. Mikhail could even imagine the scene of the generals pointing out the country.

This is what you'd call a seasoned veteran; their awareness of precautions is at its peak.
However, despite his experience, Mikhail believed that the general's views on British politics were indeed quite flawed, or rather, these erroneous views were themselves derived from those of Nicholas I.

In short, in 1844, to prevent Nicholas I from being assassinated by the Poles, he disguised himself as Count Orlov and made a surprise visit to Britain. The purpose of this surprise visit was to reach a "gentleman's agreement" with Britain. To put it bluntly, it was to divide up the territory of the Ottoman Empire. To put it more nicely, it was to hope that Britain and Russia could shoulder the responsibilities of great powers and jointly deal with the situation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Don't ask how it broke down.

The first thing Nicholas I did upon arriving in England was to have his personal valet fetch some hay from the stables, stuff it into a leather case he carried with him, and place it on a camp cot as a mattress. Nicholas always slept like this.

During this visit, Nicholas I frequently discussed his political plans with Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, the Prime Minister, and ministers. He told Peale and Lord Aberdeen that he could no longer tolerate France "creating chaos and sending troops abroad." He hoped that Britain and Russia would form an alliance to jointly confront France.

"Through our friendly exchanges," the Tsar said emotionally, "I hope to eliminate prejudices between our two countries. I highly value the opinions of my British friends, but I despise the opinions of the French."

The visit could be considered a success in the strictest sense, but it contained a fatal flaw: as a true absolutist monarch, Nicholas I failed to understand that Queen Victoria's power was limited. He believed that he could decide on diplomatic affairs between the two countries simply by persuading Queen Victoria and her senior ministers.

However, he was completely unaware that Parliament, the opposition, public opinion, and the media could very well influence the British government's foreign policy. This misjudgment later became an important reason why Nicholas I made a series of mistakes on the eve of the Crimean War.

The reason for mentioning these things is twofold. Firstly, Mikhail plans to discuss this issue with the general, to remind him not to become cannon fodder in the Crimean War. Secondly, if similar predictions come from influential figures, they might indeed provide Mikhail with some political capital in the future.
Of course, admonishing Nicholas I was out of the question. In fact, after reigning as Tsar for twenty years, the caution, conservatism, and restraint he displayed in the early years of his reign gradually disappeared. The current Nicholas I was impetuous, lacked patience, and often acted rashly, such as his hasty trip to London in 1844, where he imposed his ideas on the British.

After pondering his future and plans for a while, Mikhail temporarily focused his attention on his business in the UK.

Mikhail was already aware of the buzz surrounding Sherlock Holmes. If all went according to plan, he would travel to France after the release of the next issue of *The Dancing Men*. In the meantime, the board games Mikhail had been developing had gradually gained a good reputation among the British upper class, and after securing some key approvals, they should soon be officially on sale.
While Mikhail was busy with this matter over the next few days, Sanders was meticulously preparing for the upcoming dinner party.

In London, a qualified publisher should know a wide range of writers, other publishers, journalists, and other diverse individuals; such connections are often a reflection of a publisher's strength.

In addition, some particularly powerful publishers regularly host banquets for guests they deem worthy, thereby consolidating their influence. Previously, while Sanders, who owned his own magazine, could invite many guests, he couldn't invite some exceptionally famous people even if he wanted to.

But this time was different. When Sanders announced that Mikhail wanted to talk about what detective novels are in detail among writers, Sanders' place suddenly became very lively.

Aspiring young writers, publishers looking to collaborate with Mikhail, journalists seeking information about him, and established writers in London.
All these people want to come to my Sanders party!

Sure enough, as long as Mr. Mikhail and I join forces, there is nothing we cannot accomplish!

While excited, Sanders carefully selected the guests. First, as requested by Mr. Mikhail, he invited many young, yet-to-be-famous writers. Second, Sanders planned to reject some publishers. Finally, he also invited some well-known figures.
When Sanders made this arrangement, the news caused quite a stir in London's literary circles.

He actually wanted to talk about what detective novels are!

Isn't he afraid that once others learn his methods, they will ostracize him and leave him with nothing to eat?

Or did he intend to set the standard for detective fiction, so that every detective novelist in London would be overshadowed by him? Would London readers inevitably mention his methods whenever they read a detective novel?

Or perhaps he simply wanted to mislead his peers, leading them astray so he could maintain his own position.

Even though many in London's literary circles were full of doubts and didn't quite believe that Mikhail would be so generous, in the end, those who wanted to come did come, including those authors who were already somewhat famous in the circle.

So, on the very night Sanders hosted his party, several rather awkward encounters occurred in his living room:

"Huh? Mr. Daniel? Didn't you say you had no chance of coming?"

"I just happened to be passing by and wanted to hear what Mr. Mikhail had to say."

"He's been in London for so long and I've never seen him before! Oh? Mr. Clark, you've come too?"

"I didn't want to come, but I was dragged here."

"I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity and see what he meant by detective novels. There are already quite a few critics analyzing this, but it seems that no one can figure it out."

As more and more people arrived, people quickly began searching for Mikhail. Even though many present had never seen the writer who rarely appeared in social settings, according to others, spotting him in the crowd was a simple matter once he appeared.
Before long, many people realized that this statement was not a lie.

As a remarkably young figure appeared, Sanders was the first to greet him while everyone else was still somewhat stunned. It wasn't until the young man began nodding to the people present that the crowd snapped out of their daze and began to respond.

Even though Mikhail was likely the youngest among everyone present, Sanders still reserved a prominent central seat for him. Once Mikhail sat down, no one seemed to have any objections.

After all, strictly speaking, many people present were indeed there to hear this young man talk about his so-called detective novels.
As for Mikhail, on the one hand, many people wanted to visit him to ask for advice on this matter, and Mikhail didn't mind sharing some things with them. On the other hand, the more writers involved in the creation of any novel genre, the better, if it wanted to generate a greater buzz.

Those who promote the development of this novel genre will receive more attention and are more likely to gain prestige in literary circles, which will be of great benefit to their future development.

Mikhail pondered these things for a moment, noticing the people around him glancing at him every now and then. Without lingering, he tasted the pastries on the table and then smiled as he spoke:
"Gentlemen, let me get straight to the point about detective novels. The detective novels currently available in London are quite different from what I imagined."

Everyone present: ?

So he thought these novels were poorly written and he couldn't stand reading them?
In any case, when Mikhail said this, many people even took out paper and pens on the spot and listened attentively to what Mikhail would say next:
"What I've mentioned is just one direction for detective or mystery novels, and I hope it can offer some inspiration. Truly excellent works don't need to be bound by tradition, so I'll just offer some suggestions:"
1. The murderer must appear in the first half of the story, but the reader must be prevented from fully understanding his thought process.

2. The story must not contain any supernatural powers.

5. Characters whose abilities are significantly different from ordinary people should not appear without prior explanation.

9. The detective's loyal friend should be honest with the reader about his thoughts; his IQ should ideally be slightly lower than that of the average reader.

10. Unless it is explicitly stated that twins exist, the murderer cannot be a twin.

After Mikhail finished speaking, the only sound in the room was the scratching of pens on paper.
(End of this chapter)