Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

There is now a train service between Moscow and St. Petersburg, making travel between them relatively convenient, but the speed is not fast.

If this were set in the American West, he'd probably be a outlaw, riding a galloping horse, jumping onto a speeding train, and fighting on the railroad lines.
Pierre invested a lot of money, and even the St. Petersburg court had been allocating funds to him every year since Alexander's time, so the progress was already quite fast.

On the train, Solovyov was originally in the carriage with the generals, but was summoned alone to the royal treasure chest at Tver station.

"My lord, His Majesty requests your presence."

Solovyov was discussing strategic issues in the Balkans and Caucasus with General Dibich, but it was just filling in the gaps and there was no real urgency.

"We'll talk about these things later. Perhaps we should reinforce our artillery in Bucharest."

"Alright, His Majesty requests your presence."

Nikolai sat there, looking at a report they had submitted when they left Moscow.

"Your Majesty, you summoned me here."

"Many things are fine, it's just that we've become quite unfamiliar with each other's way of addressing each other."

"Your Majesty, your affairs are matters of state, even the future marriages of the princes."

"Yes, I really miss the days at Royal Selo Lycée School, when I didn't have to think about so many things."

Nikolai put the report down, and Solovyov could see that it was a message from Paskovich.

"The situation in the Caucasus was indeed unexpected. The Persians now have 10 troops. I once considered sending reinforcements there, but Paskovich held several key points and defeated the main Persian force near Elizabethville. It's just a pity that the Caucasian Legion was not strong enough to achieve a decisive victory."

"You cannot expect to win a decisive battle in the mountains of the Caucasus, Your Majesty."

"If it were on the banks of the Danube, I would still remember your glorious victories in the past."

“But that’s in the past. Dibich and I are also considering whether to move some troops from the Western 2nd Army to Wallachia.”

"That's not urgent. What's important is to determine the nature of what happened last year when we get back."

Nikolai said this, and Solovyov remained silent for a moment.

“I know that your nephew and son-in-law are involved. If things had gone according to plan, I should have congratulated your daughter on her wedding, Mikhail Sergeyevich.”

"These things are not unexpected. When I first arrived in St. Petersburg, there was a conspiracy group. It was always run by some radicals. We should punish the ringleaders, and severely punish those who made mistakes, as this is also a way to reform them. We hope that those who are given lenient sentences will have a change of heart and become useful members of society."

“That’s what I think too. Since they are guilty of crimes against the country, it doesn’t matter to me personally. I don’t want to execute anyone. If Reliev is willing to repent, I’m still willing to spare his life. A daughter can’t be without a father, and a wife can’t be without a husband. But he never knows how to repent, unlike other people.”

For the young nobles of Russia, nothing was surprising.

Nikolai is still giving these rebels a way out, which is also a reflection of his personal attitude.

"But they are not as Your Majesty expected."

Nikolai was aware of this as well, and Kakhovsky even wrote a letter every day denouncing the Tsar's despotism.

These people are sometimes just inexplicable.

Back in St. Petersburg, Solovyov knew what he had to do.

"Yes, some people seem to be determined to die, but what should we do?"

"If possible, the proportion of serfs in the national population should be reduced, and military settlements should be adjusted."

“But not everyone is like you, able to grasp the nuances of settlement management.”

“In Russia, the whip is used far too often.”

Solovyov also wanted to know Nikolai's ultimate attitude toward serfdom.

Therefore, he brought up the topic again. Although his past influence on him had made him try to be more enlightened, the Decembrist uprising, even if it was a restoration of history, would still end in farce.

But Nikolai's progress was unusually slow, and he was worried that something might go wrong.

“But sometimes it has to be this way. We will change things. Serfdom itself is problematic. I will not forget your teachings.”

While this statement might put Solovyov at ease, there's still a long road ahead.

After the royal family returned to St. Petersburg, Solovyov, as the current governor of St. Petersburg, went to the Peter and Paul Fortress again to check on the situation of these people.

Before the verdict was announced, some people were still trying to pull strings. Turgenev, who was found to have close ties with Trubetskoy and others, was exiled to Britain because he was abroad at the time.

Solovyov had written to him, but received no response. Instead, he published an article in a British newspaper stating that Russia needed to change.

This is actually quite troublesome. If he continues to say something that shakes Nicholas's determination to carry out reforms, it could have serious consequences.

Solovyov even considered asking which company's poison was the most effective.

However, Turgenev was Louisa's former personal secretary, responsible for the execution of charitable works for the women of the royal family, which ironically led to the Tsar himself only sentencing him to death in absentia.

If he comes back, he will probably be forgiven in the end.

During their imprisonment, only a handful of people, like Bratov, committed suicide.

Solovyov had always suspected that Blatov knew some deeper secrets, but with his death, many things were cut off.

Trubetskoy acknowledged that he was the chosen leader, but also stated that he did not participate in the final coup in Senate Square.

He also acknowledged that he was one of the founding members of the "National Salvation League" and said that many people left the organization after they started families.

Therefore, many members who have already left have not faced severe scrutiny.

But Reliev's testimony was unfavorable to him, stating that he was a cautious planner who sometimes discussed things with Oberensky alone without letting others in the organization know.

Solovyov then went to see Trubetskoy to see what else he had to say.

"The trial is approaching, Seryozha. I know you were a leader, but ultimately you didn't participate in the operation. As the head of the rebellion, you will be under close scrutiny, but your punishment will be reduced in the end." "I know I am guilty, sir. Please don't say any more. I just feel sorry for Katarina."

"Yes, what have you done! Making your wives suffer with you! The children won't be implicated, the Emperor is merciful, but you and Katerina don't have any children yet. When you go to exile, it won't be the same as in St. Petersburg. I roughly know the outcome of the trial; you will be exiled to Tashkent. The climate there is quite nice, and it even has some exotic charm."

"Aren't we going to America?"

"It would be incredibly foolish for Volkonsky to go there and be involved in the murder of royalty. If it were just a revolution, the Emperor would probably treat it as a rebellion. If it fails, it's a rebellion, and you should all understand that."

"You've finally told the truth, sir."

Trubetskoy knew Solovyov was hiding something, but he only told him.

"I have always been an honest person. Your wishes were good, but this is the final result. What Reliev did was shameful. But because of the Russian-American company issue, further processing is needed. After the verdict, there are still some separate cases to be handled."

Ryliev's death was inevitable. Solovyov did not go to see him, but sent his adjutant to deliver a message to him, saying that Solovyov would naturally make arrangements for his wife and daughter.

That idiot messed everything up. Solovyov himself advocated abolishing serfdom and developing the Americas. Because of his actions, Nikolai was only relatively resistant; otherwise, he would have definitely jumped to the conservative side.

Russia was still a monarchy at that time, and if the royal family could not be overthrown, the monarch would certainly have other options.

While Alexander was still alive, his four brothers were all worried about the throne.

Of course, Mikhail was not involved in the succession. Constantine believed that the crown was made of blood, and Nicholas knew that the country had many problems. The brothers were also considerate of each other, which led to this incident.

But if you're going to wear a crown on your head, you have to bear its weight.

Nikolai's performance has been quite good. As both a reactionary and an enlightened monarch, he has met Solovyov's expectations. No matter which path he takes, he will stick to it.

However, constitutional monarchy is more difficult. The Romanov dynasty lacked this element; they preferred autocracy and were unwilling to even establish a nominal State Duma.

Trubetskoy was lucky; his sentencing was described as follows.

Prince Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy, a colonel in the Imperial Guard, conspired to assassinate the emperor, proposed the imprisonment of members of the royal family, was the leader of the Northern Secret Society, agreed to and became the leader of the mutiny and armed rebellion, although he himself did not participate personally.

Nikolai initially sentenced him to a symbolic death sentence, which was later commuted to the stripping of his military rank and noble status, and exile to Tashkent.

A special ceremony was held at the Peter and Paul Fortress, with Solovyov himself in attendance.

The officers' uniforms were burned, all their past honors were stripped away, their medals were confiscated, and their swords were broken.

They were all wearing white shirts around the fire, watching their once-glorious uniforms burn away.

In addition, the Winter Palace had portraits of generals who had contributed to the Patriotic War of 1812 in its gallery. Sergei Volkonsky's portrait was taken down, and he was exiled to Rosberg.

He was also the only active-duty general and senior officer of the War of 1812 to be convicted, and even a close confidant of the royal family.

He took the blame for forging seals and plotting rebellion upon himself, although many of the things were actually unrelated to him.

The people who were supposed to be hanged were instead exiled to Siberia.

Now only Reliev and Kakhovsky remained, and the two of them were taken to the gallows.

During the sentencing, Kakhovsky was initially tried as an assassin and a minor figure, but he had shot and killed a Guards commander, seriously wounded the Governor of St. Petersburg, and even attempted to kill the emperor. He was a five-star good citizen of St. Petersburg, and it was not easy for him to live, but it was too easy for him to die.

The court sentenced the victim to dismemberment by five horses, but based on the Russian Tsar's mercy and the Patriarch's petition, the sentence was changed to hanging.

Ryliev, as the mastermind, received the same sentence.

Solovyov came here in person to supervise the execution, so he saw it very clearly.

"You need to make sure the gallows is sturdy, so there's no mishap."

In the past, rebels were beheaded or torn apart by five horses. Since the time of the false Dmitry, their families have no longer been involved.

Solovyov went to check it out, and if there's a problem with the rope, Reliev might even add some sarcastic remarks.

He wouldn't give him that chance. The rope was thick enough, and a gallows was set up. He would use a downward hanging execution, so there was no way he could say anything.

Solovyov even saw that two men who were to be hanged, after being pushed onto the gallows, were masked and had obvious injuries to their necks after being pushed down.

This is fatal on the spot, painful but swift, leaving them no chance to spout nonsense like "Russia can't even make a rope."

More than three hundred officers and nobles were exiled at this time. They were exiled to several places, mostly in Siberia and North America for serious crimes, but Trubetskoy was exiled to Tashkent.

Those who committed less serious crimes were demoted to soldiers and sent to serve in the front lines in the Caucasus. Depending on their performance, they could be reinstated as officers after making meritorious contributions.

But their future prospects in the army will probably not surpass that of a captain, unless they have made special contributions, which is different from being demoted to a soldier.

However, Solovyov knew that the war would continue after he returned to the south, and that the wars with the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire would be good opportunities for these people to clear their names.

Of course, they probably have no chance of becoming generals, even if it's their own son-in-law.

Before and after their exile, their wives and fiancées would also come.

Solovyov was also aware of the situation, because the women were allowed to visit the Empress due to her own attitude.

Polina was worried that people would gossip behind her back, saying that she was after money, because of her engagement to Annankov.

Now that Annankov is a criminal, although he still has inheritance rights, he has to wait for a long period of exile. Polina is willing to accompany him and marry him, becoming his wife. Some young nobles have met their French girls, and a few have even come from Paris.

There were also some girls with fiancés, including Solovyov's own daughter, who were all here.

Nicholas will show his mercy and allow these women to visit their families, but he has not yet approved their trip to the place of exile.

Although it sounds romantic, it is a rather painful journey that is about to begin, and the girls even have to come to the prison to marry their sweethearts.

A mass wedding in a prison sounds like something out of a prison movie. (End of Chapter)