Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The topics discussed with Barclay even gave people a gloomy feeling.

Barclay didn't expect that there would be such a ruthless person. When he discussed this issue with some generals before, most people agreed with the strategy of clearing the countryside, but Solovyov's strategy was indeed rare.

Some people would probably just destroy their own homes, which is already considered cruel.

Solovyov's statement sounds more terrifying.

Many of his relatives and friends live near Moscow, so this is very troublesome. It takes a lot of courage for him to make such a decision.

Even Barclay felt that his idea of ​​keeping the enemy in Mozhaysk was a little crazy.

The distance between here and Moscow is so close that if you walk a little closer, you can even see the Kremlin and Basil's Cathedral clearly.

But obviously, he is not the one who doesn't want to fight at all.

This is different from Barclays. He plans to use the Fabian tactics to the end.

Solovyov still had to fight again to support his position, but his confidence was obviously not based on the strange principle of historical foresight, but on his confidence in stretching the enemy's front line.

This is a technical, not a prophetic route.

Barclay was generally satisfied with what he said. Bagration himself was too proactive and wanted to take the initiative to attack the French army.

On the contrary, his junior fellow apprentice is obviously more balanced and may even think of more things.

There was even a rough idea of ​​possible serf rebellion and how to mobilize, summon and use the power of the entire nation.

The problem is probably that it's too harsh.
And it was at the old count's house. Everyone came to pay their respects, and after a while the count's coffin would be sent to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

This creates an even more eerie and terrifying atmosphere, and Solovyov is indeed good at this.

It's just that the Minister of War himself is still relatively cautious. Solovyov has also prepared a memorandum. When he was resting these days, he was not accompanied by his wife and children, so he naturally had more time to make plans at night.

However, fighting a battle in Mozhaysk would be too close to Moscow, and Barclay was also thinking about where to hold the battle.

When he and Solovyov separated, he also heard another statement from him: "Our engineers often fail to guarantee the quality of their projects."

Think about it, General Vasily Suvorov is an engineer, and his son is the Field Marshal himself. There must be no problem for the Field Marshal's apprentice to understand the style of engineers.

But it was still 1811 and many things had not yet been finalized.

Even though time has passed, what is more important are probably some things that happened in peacetime.

Solovyov supervised Nicholas' studies until the start of the new semester at Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, and the autumn of that year was not too cold.

Moreover, St. Petersburg and Moscow are located at high latitudes, so these places are not as cold as the cold air blowing from Siberia. Even in winter, they may not be that cold.

It's just that the French and Germans are both stubborn and can't help but mention something like "General Winter", which can also cover up the real reason for their failure on the battlefield.

The Spanish ulcer and Russia's General Winter were essentially due to the lack of logistical supplies.

If the supply cannot be maintained, the army's combat effectiveness will soon be reduced to zero. It is normal if only a single individual shows signs of weakness.

But for hundreds of thousands of troops, it is another situation. It can only be said to be a disaster, a tragedy, and a good person.
Then turn to the civil service system, such as Speransky.

He has been under a lot of pressure recently. Although the remarriage is always arranged by the woman, he still devotes himself to his work.

However, he now has a lot of headaches.

Just these petitions are enough to give him a headache.

Alexander was not as diligent as Paul. He would not be so diligent as to personally handle one-third of the petitions. Many things had to be handled by him as the Secretary of State and his secretaries of state.

Among the contents he saw, there were many that gave him a headache. It was as if everyone in the court was suing him.

Now he hasn't done anything yet, and this protest is coming.

The problem with Speransky was probably that his writing was not as good as Karamzin's. They had Solovyov on their side, but his specialty was Oriental studies and he was often in the army. Also, because of the upcoming marriage between the two families, they had to avoid him.

Although Solovyov went to defuse the bomb in advance and had talked with Karamzin, the effect was still not obvious.

It is indeed difficult to change a person.

Karamzin himself was an officially appointed historian and may have actually represented another side of Alexander.

When he entered the palace later and talked with Alexander, he was obviously still critical of the reform led by Speransky.

What Solovyov said may have no effect at all.

Therefore, Speransky was under a lot of pressure. Adela was at home preparing for the wedding during this period, so she naturally came to see him less often.

Solovyov couldn't come either. He was in the palace supervising Nicholas's studies. Apart from that, he told him the strategy of training the monarch and then embarking on long-term reforms.

This is not a bad thing, but considering Alexander's tendency to save face in everything, it would be difficult to explain if he doesn't make some achievements or make adjustments in the near future.

He also knew that this "salami slicing" tactic was actually more effective, but the current environment of the Russian server did not allow him to do so.

Now he had no choice but to find a way out. Under pressure, he thought of retreating to advance, or simply retreating and hiding for a while.

After all, Balashov is still finding charges against him, and the current environment is indeed not good.

However, when he met Alexander in the Tsar's office in the Little Winter Palace, the resignation was returned to him in person.

"You should still be in this position. We cannot abandon all our work at this time."

Alexander is indeed an actor, there is no doubt about that. He said it so lightly, and people thought that nothing happened, or even that he was still supporting Speransky. But the actual situation was not quite right. Although Speransky had been with the Tsar for a long time, he was not aware of everything. This was also due to Alexander's good acting skills.

"But there are many objections now, Your Majesty. Apart from departmental reforms, it is difficult to push forward the decrees and emancipation of serfs, or even the evaluation of the nobility. We always have to think of another way. Otherwise, I, the Secretary of State, will take charge, but Your Majesty has returned your resignation."

"It's inappropriate, it's inappropriate. Now is the most critical time. Facing the possible invasion of France, we must be prepared. At least your adjustment of taxation has caused complaints from the people below, but I also know that this year's tax revenue of the treasury will increase compared with previous years, and the trade blockade against Britain has not affected the overall fiscal revenue. You have made great contributions in this regard, and your status should even be improved. Not only the second-class civil servant like now, but also a title."

However, Alexander was just talking at the moment and he had no plans to take any practical action.

He also hoped to achieve a balance between Balashov and Speransky.

Fortunately, Arakcheev and Barclay are preparing for war and will not be involved in the dispute, so Alexander does not have to deal with those troubles.

Although Arakcheev is reactionary, he still has a sense of the overall situation and will not cause trouble at a critical moment.

As for Alexander himself, he is playing a balancing act in this way, and he will naturally take action when necessary.

However, the timing of his actions is also prone to criticism. He has done many unreliable things, and when he finally stood up, he could only take down both sides, which was able to barely calm the anger of the outside world.

An unmanageable situation is probably the final outcome of this seesaw. The balance cannot always be balanced. When it comes to adding more chips, if there are not enough chips on hand, it is easy to overturn in the end.

Speransky was now in a bit of a dilemma, but he could only do as Alexander wished.

As he left the Little Winter Palace, his coachman was still asking him.

"Master, are we going home directly now, or to some other place?"

"To the Engineers' Fortress. Never mind. General Sukhteren should be in Vyborg now, although he is often there. There are no meetings today, so we can go out for a walk."

"Master, you need to relax today. Do you want to go to the river bank?"

"No, Adela shouldn't be at home now. She's either in Tsarskoye Selo or in the Summer Palace these days."

The place Speransky finally decided to go to was the station in St. Petersburg.

He also has his own ideas. As for the technology that Solovyov mentioned, the productivity is indeed all here.

Although the latest train put into use still looks rather crude, it can at least tow several carriages on the track.

The biggest advantage of this Russian track is probably its wide gauge, which means it has a stronger carrying capacity.

Solovyov also hated the imperial system and even wanted to upgrade the track from 1520 to 1600 according to the metric system, so that it would be more convenient for general calculations in the future.

Among a large number of weights and measures, the metric system is the most convenient to use. The measurement units of various countries are more or less abstract, such as half a catty and eight taels.

"Master, we have arrived at the station. Where should we watch?"

"There should be a train to Tsarskoye Selo soon. I'm also thinking about whether I should get on the train and take a look."

"Master, if you want to go, you can just take your own carriage. The fodder is also public money, so if you want to buy a ticket, you have to pay for it yourself."

"You are very calculating. My fiancée is usually very meticulous."

"I don't know if the new lady can treat the young lady well. There's not much difference in age between them. You, too, sent the young lady to the countryside. Your relatives are not there."

"Adela will be good to Lisa. She has always been good at serving others. It doesn't matter even if she becomes the mistress."

"She was quite strict when she was watching us, but she was also very generous when she gave us money. Master, you have a wife like her. She is a good helper. There are so many French women in Petersburg, but none of them is like her."

"After all, she has suffered since she was a child. She is different from those ladies and tutors. Well, you wait here for a while. I will go and see the train depart."

There were indeed trains parked on the platform, and Speransky was looking at the nameplates hanging on the trains; naturally he knew them all.

There are no platform tickets now. Tickets will only be checked when you are about to board the train - except for the special train used by the Empress Dowager, of course, the passengers on that train have their identities confirmed before boarding.

When Solovyov designed it, he took into account that there weren't that many passengers at present and didn't make it that complicated.

It is unlikely that there will be any passengers seeing off the train. Most of the people going from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo are still nobles. Although the section to Novgorod has been opened to traffic, there are very few trains going there.

Speransky has been raising his daughter in Novgorod recently, and he will definitely bring her back after a while.

Adela would be a good wife to him, but what he is more worried about now is that his reform is not going smoothly.

It’s hard to say what will happen in winter. There are not many friends here who can help. If someone stirs up some trouble, it will be difficult to resolve.

But when he saw the train being filled with coal and boiling water and steam starting to come out of the chimney, he had an idea.

At worst, we can find someone else and die together in the future.

He knew Alexander's style of employing people. Thinking about his future brother-in-law, Solovyov, who was now his actual political ally and good friend, he understood.

Solovyov never chose sides for himself, although his inclination was firmly towards the liberal side, and sometimes his views might even be more radical. If it came to land reform and other issues, these views might even be opposed by more landlords.

Obviously, his ideas always go further than those of the previous emperor.

If Paul were still alive, with his stubborn character, he would definitely continue to make drastic changes. Although it is based on absolute monarchy, as long as future generations follow his method and have some determination, this thing can probably be accomplished.

But the emperor he served was probably just like this, always performing.

Speaking of which, Paul and Solovyov were a strange pair of king and minister. However, Paul was assassinated before Solovyov could be reused.

Paul's attitude is fierce, his views are radical, and his methods are also fierce.

Although Solovyov was very fierce on the battlefield, when it came to political issues, his views were radical, but his methods and posture were flexible.
If I have time, I should talk to him again. (End of this chapter)