Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 399 041 Who doesn’t have a national situation here

However, Alexander still approved of the report provided by Count Rumyantsev, and even went to the "Neva" for an inspection.

Inspection, even eating on this ship, and confirming the final results of the round-the-world voyage.

When Solovyov went to arrange the guards to work, he didn’t know what Rumyantsev was up to. The father of the count was the old boss of the Grand Marshal, Marshal Rumyantsev, so there was no conflict between the two sides.

But the Tsar himself had to eat on the ship, which was quite funny.

Except for some high-end passenger sailing ships with strong self-sustaining power, which can provide more supplies and let passengers eat fresh ingredients all the time, even the battleships of the Royal Navy cannot always keep fresh meat.

Solovyov had never served in the navy, but he had an old subordinate who was driven back halfway during this voyage, that is, Fyodor Tolstoy. He continued to cause trouble during this trip and had repeated conflicts with the officers on the ship.

In addition to being a troublemaker himself, he was considered Dolokhov's "isomer", and he always complained about the food, which led to conflicts with people on the ship.

As for this round-the-world voyage, the cook of Nikolai Rezanov, the original ambassador to Japan, shot himself on the deck. What to eat in the second half of the journey, I'm afraid the taste will be even worse.

Moreover, during the journey, more than one person attempted suicide. Long-term sailing activities really test people's endurance, especially after a few years.

During this voyage, only three people died in conflicts with Indians, one died of illness, one died of recurrence of old injuries, and one committed suicide. Compared with the previous long-distance voyages that often suffered heavy losses, the Russians' round-the-world voyage was considered a success, and there was no scurvy throughout the journey.

This was something worth celebrating, because during the Russian Navy's long voyage, although the living conditions were poor, only the highest-ranking officers could always eat fresh meat, and the general officers could only eat salted beef, and the sailors' meals were even worse, there was no case of malnutrition throughout the whole journey, which can be said to be very successful.

However, after Count Rumyantsev and Count Stroganov boarded the ship, Count Rumyantsev ordered the ship's chef: "The emperor is coming to your ship, so you need to prepare better meals."

Anyone who heard this sentence understood it.

So, when Alexander came to the "Neva", he highly praised the meals on the ship.

Solovyov was also an accompanying staff member. When he boarded the ship, he also felt that this kind of thing was not very reliable, but he couldn't say anything.

But Alexander had to ask him questions here, after all, there was a canned food problem.

"Soloviev, you have always advocated the use of canned food in the army and navy. I think this voyage is a good one."

"But your majesty."

Soloviev just wanted to say, Alexander, you should put away your magical powers. I don't want to answer this kind of question.

"Just tell me, the canning factory in Ryazan already has finished products. How is the storage capacity of your glass cans?"

"If it is disinfected and properly sealed, this canned food can at least cope with the winter. As for those with a longer shelf life, the flavor of the food will be affected, but it won't be as bad as eating corned beef."

"Huh? Corned beef?"

Soloviev pretended to be careless. In fact, he also exposed Count Rumyantsev's trick, but he would not be hated. He was not the only one who spoke like this.

Alexander didn't feel deceived. He was very smart and knew that there were always people below who wanted to fool him.

"Yes, Your Majesty, corned beef. The British eat more of this, but our situation is different. We always bring livestock on board, so the fresh meat we can eat is very limited."

In addition, there were no refrigerators in this era, not to mention freezing, even refrigeration was difficult, and eating an iced watermelon might upset your stomach.

"The reserves on board are also limited, Your Majesty."

After he added this, Alexander's expression was very interesting.

But at this time, he didn't intend to say it. The Tsar himself directly issued an order to reward the crew, especially their commander.

As for the issues involved in the report, Alexander raised them to Solovyov on a battleship in the Kronstadt naval port.

"Soloviev, if we want to go to China again, what should we do if we send an envoy instead of presenting the letter of credence through the merchant group?"

"We still need to prepare in advance, Your Majesty. The Chinese emperor obviously doesn't know enough about our situation, so this strange order came out."

"Yes, if Guangzhou is opened as a port, it will actually affect the port trade in Kyakhta. It's hard to understand their ideas."

"Your Majesty, but this also has its advantages. At least it proves that the Chinese emperor still hopes to maintain a stable relationship with our country, but their vision is limited to places like Kyakhta or Tarbagatai, or the trade routes in Central Asia."

"You are only the deputy chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff, and you really can't make the best use of people."

"But Your Majesty, asking me to join the civil service is a bit torturous. And the promotion of civil servants is still different from military merits."

Alexander felt funny when he heard this. Solovyov's military skills were indeed very strong, but he could also be promoted quickly through the cultural level. This must be because he did not want to be deeply involved in the court and politics.

"Even if you become a civil servant, you are still a fifth-level civil servant. You are not a 'ninth-level civil servant for ten thousand years', so you don't have to worry about this."

Solovyov's unwillingness to become a civil servant may have been imprinted in Chekhov's mind. After all, the images he created were so ironic.

Including but not limited to "chameleon", "trapped man" and "death of a small civil servant", and in Russia, when the regime has been changing, regardless of who is the emperor, the following one is still very It's wonderful, but the homogeneity of the drama is too serious.

"But Your Majesty, I am also thinking that if we want to go to China as an envoy, we must let the other party know the sequence of our official positions. The two sides must be able to correspond."

"What about Japan?"

"I think this is Mr. Rezanov's problem. He is currently on his way to Fort Ross to supply food there. However, Kruzensten's report also made it very clear that there was indeed inappropriate behavior among the crew, but Our diplomats have not done any homework on Japan.”

"It seems that you have been thinking about Japan again in the past two days?"

"In comparison, Japan is more closed than China, but from a knowledge level, because of the long-term presence of the Dutch, they don't know much about the outside world. Moreover, Japan is a small country, and its territory is equivalent to that of some European countries. Naturally, they They also learned about foreign cultures. At first, they sent envoys to China to study, and later they also sent Chinese monks. The couple's trip to Japan and the maritime trade between the two sides have been talked about a lot. In short, the Japanese are willing to learn and are closed to the outside world. At the same time, they are not friendly. Although the emperor of China is somewhat arrogant about the great powers of the Celestial Dynasty, he is generally friendly. Yes, it’s just about our understanding, but also about whether the emperor’s qualifications are excellent.”

In fact, Solovyov's opinion of Emperor Jiaqing was that he was a good person, but that was all.

But he can't say that if there is too much content, there will be too many subjective elements. He still needs objective statements.

"As for their rules, Solovyov, how much do you know?"

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry at least for now, but we must let the Chinese Emperor know that Russia is still friendly towards them and is committed to exchanging what they need."

"But the emperors of China are indeed very rich, and their palaces are not inferior to the Palace of Versailles, and they probably have better ones than the exquisite artifacts we have."

"But there is no other way."

Solovyov despised the British approach. If he talked about British trade with the Qing Dynasty in a blackly humorous way, it would be free trade, which might not be open to the British only.

The rest of the European countries coming from the sea, that is, Russia's own trading ports on the northern border, will be politely rejected according to the imperial edict of the Qing Dynasty emperor, and even the speed of departure will be accelerated because they have to be "expelled". The procedures The processing efficiency is far higher than that of any European businessman's departure procedures, and they have not even benefited from it.

You know, the Dutch are very smart. They even know what kind of women you adults like. Their money-conscious nature is also very useful here.

This involves issues of national conditions. For "tribute" to the Qing Dynasty, there will always be "rewards". In addition to ordinary mutual trade, the rewards under this tribute trade can also be regarded as an advanced trade model.

The problem Solovyov considered was that if he wanted to take the sea route, he would definitely have to file a lawsuit. This would require the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be tested, at least not like Czartorysky.

But it doesn't mean that others can't do it. Badberg and Count Rumyantsev both have this ability, even Alexander Saltykov.

The specific problems are theirs, and Mrs. Soloviyo is in the army to avoid these wrangling troubles.

But the envoy mission may fall into his hands in the future. If he has a higher status and can be an envoy with certain decision-making ability, if he is a deputy envoy, he will have more troubles.

"Solovyov, no matter what the method is, you will have to participate when the time comes."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I also have this consideration."

It was Alexander himself who spoke promptly and confirmed that there would be a large-scale mission trip in the future.

No way, the excuse that there are too many tributes is still acceptable, and it is also not far away.

It is probably a consensus that the British do not understand the rules.

"Well, if you can reach an official position above the fourth-level civil servant by then, I can consider letting you serve as an envoy."

When Alexander said this, he actually set the tone.

Regardless of whether Solovyov relies on his true ability or earns military merit, he has obviously reached the threshold.

The corresponding military rank of the fourth-class civil servant is major general. He is already a colonel now. If he really marries a noble girl in the future, his military rank will be promoted accordingly.

And for Russia, the fourth anti-French alliance is just around the corner. It is only a matter of time. There are also "potential threats" such as Turkey and Sweden. They can also accumulate some military merits by fighting them.

This is almost enough to reach the level of a major general, and there is even a chance to go higher. With his age and qualifications, he was only a lieutenant general in 1815, and it is impossible to get higher.

First, he is relatively young, second, his title and family background are not enough, and third, his military merits can only bring him to this position.

Alexander promised this because he considered that there was no one in Russia who was more familiar with the situation of the Chinese than him.

In addition, even this time on the "Neva", these specialties such as furs, walruses, and tea purchased from China can still make a lot of money.

It is said that it can make money, but it is also necessary to consider that on the way near Guam, due to the storm, the ship took on water, and some rotten and spoiled goods were thrown into the sea, which is worth 20,000 Spanish betas.

In addition, there is also a way to manage the North American colonies, which Alexander has considered.

He is not willing to leave Rossburg full of French people. He will still let the Russians go there in the future. It is only a stopgap measure to rescue people from Saint Domingo. After all, these people do not obey the rule of the current French government.

As for the Duke of Enghien, he is not only proud of the chiefs, but also has a good relationship with the colonial officials and governors of the strongholds sent by Spain. As for him, the only descendant of the French Prince of Condé, the girls are all crazy about such a handsome uncle.

In this way, even though Spain is not on good terms with Rossberg because it is an ally of Napoleon, the governor of New Spain and the governor of Rossberg are relatively harmonious.

Compared with the British who always send people out and even attack the Viceroyalty of La Plata, the Russians are still able to get along, at least in such marginal areas of power projection, they will not have any strange ideas.

According to this series of reports, Alexander still has a more ambitious idea. Although he needs to borrow the British strongholds in the middle of the next circumnavigation, it is always useful to establish good relations with Portugal, establish Russia's own strongholds in Africa, and establish good relations with African chiefs and kings.

He did not explain this to Solovyov. After all, he thought Solovyov was just an "Oriental expert" and might not be so familiar with other aspects. Alexander himself, as the Tsar, did not have such a wide range of knowledge.

But this is a bit of judging others by oneself. Solovyov still has some skills and is very studious. He is even now supplementing various materials.