Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 269 036 Secret Agreement between Governors

The Governor of New Spain is more or less tactful. Regardless of whether the money goes into a public account or is used for personal benefit, Russia has also made its position clear, that is, in the colonization of North America, Russia will not fire at the Spanish side.

Moreover, this kind of peaceful settlement will only retain the minimum self-defense firepower.

However, it is worth discussing what it will look like after it really arrives there.

Solovyov's plan is actually very simple. After the French settlers are sent there, Russian ships from Kamchatka will soon come, bringing some serfs and free men to settle in Fort Ross or the newly established settlements, which may also include armed Cossacks.

If the Spanish have any objections at that time, the settlements they plan to build are all on the edge of Upper California, and it is difficult for the Spanish themselves to manage these places.

The three powerful nations of Navajo, Apache and Comanche and the surrounding tribes are enough for them to deal with, not to mention the Aztecs in Utah, the Great Plains Alliance, and the Chinooks in the area where Chief Seattle is located.

Even if there is a nation called armed helicopters in the United States, it is not surprising, as long as they don't mess around in strange places, it looks disgusting.

And the Governor, based on the principle of not getting into any trouble and there are still some benefits to be gained along the way, agreed to let these Frenchmen pass through Mexico and take a boat from the port of Baja California Bay to Fort Ross or their newly opened settlements in batches.

All this will be smoother, but the Governor himself only let the bishop representing the local church and the Criollo people be there during the last meeting.

Since there are witnesses, it is not a private transaction, but only a secret agreement can be made.

The Governor in Mexico City, because the British have always had an advantage in the Atlantic, Spanish ships are often intercepted.

In the early 18th century, the Spanish treasure fleet was always harassed by British pirates and the Royal Navy.

In the early 19th century, the British pirates seemed to have disappeared, but the Royal Navy was still there, which led to the unlimited power of the colonial managers as governors.

Many things cannot always be asked to Madrid.

Think about the king, queen, prince and prime minister in Madrid. They can't put together a brain that is useful in politics, which leads to these governors relying on the power in their hands to govern.

In fact, the locals are fed up with the activities of the "Peninsula people" in the colonies.

There are great contradictions here, and it is not easy to explain them clearly.

If these thousands of people come and are placed in the colonies, the locals will definitely not be satisfied.

And in Veracruz, some people know what happened in Santo Domingo. Before, they only said that the French were defeated. Now seeing these French, they know that there was almost a revenge action in the local area.

Native whites and indigenous peoples in the Americas are not like those blacks. Although human sacrifice was notorious in the Aztec Empire, it would not be so outrageous.

The indigenous people of America are usually quite friendly. Even the Aztec Empire was quite friendly to white people. Don't worry about what happened.

Of course, the premise for the locals to get along well is that no matter whether you are a god or an ordinary person, don't go too far.

And the Spanish colonies, due to the existence of the church, have some bottom line.

From the perspective of the royal family and the church, they still oppose some practices of the colonists, especially the extermination of the indigenous people. There are still some survivors in Guyana in the Caribbean. As for the cannibal tribes, according to the church, their demise is more or less because cannibalism finally brought God's punishment.

Therefore, the French situation will not happen. Latin American slavery is mainly in plantations in Brazil and the Caribbean. In Central America, plantations that are no longer human are probably banana plantations, United Fruit and Banana Republics created by Americans.

As for the level of the Spanish, they are limited in their ability to carry out large-scale destruction. In this regard, those who speak Spanish are not as good as those who speak French, and those who speak French are not as good as those who speak English.

"We can also celebrate, signing this secret agreement here, let's have a drink. The wine we brew here is not bad, the land in New Spain is fertile, and the sunshine is also sufficient."

There is only one small problem, that is, Mexico City is still on the plateau.

"So when can we leave?"

"I think you should act as soon as possible. If you leave now, you may not catch up with the planting season. But many Indians grow corn, and there are many wild animals in Upper California and Aleutian. If you hunt, you can still get a lot."

However, the governor did not know the details. The British knew the most about this aspect. The local tribes were generally friendly to the white colonists.

Mainly from San Francisco to Seattle, there were not many ships sailing there, but the Bering expedition from the north made the Spanish a little scared.

But that road was too difficult to take. The Russians came here mainly as fur traders, but the Russian American Company's practices were too barbaric. The Aleutians who had already surrendered could not stand it and submitted petitions to the Tsar twice.

Paul made the reply at that time, and now Alexander has to do it again.

"Then Governor, for the cooperation between Russia and Spain, you can also toast."

Duke Enghien can only say this now. He didn't want to stay in Russia at the beginning. Odessa did have Duke Richelieu to serve there. In North America, not only is the sky high and the emperor far away, but the surroundings are so desolate, and at the same time it is very contradictory, that is, rich in resources.

There are herds of American bison in America, and all kinds of animals are rampant.

Then, in order to deal with the Indians, the US military carried out a large-scale extermination of American bison, even just to cut off the main source of food and raw materials for the Indians. This trick of exterminating the whole family finally worked.

But the Americans' extermination ability is also very strong. It turned out that the overwhelming passenger pigeons in America could be exterminated by them.

No matter how rich the resources are, if they are allowed to cause such trouble, they will be doomed sooner or later.

Add to that the Slavic "beastly" commercial marketing, and they are really a pair of Crouching Dragon and Phoenix.

It's just that the Russians have always been good at oppressing the indigenous people rather than destroying them, and what the Americans did is hard to accept.

Seattle and Vancouver, the two cities on the northerly west coast of North America, appeared as settlements around the Civil War, while Russian settlements in this area were earlier than theirs.

In the fur business, the British often violated the agreement and crossed their own business scope to come to Russia for vicious competition.

It does need several strongholds to support.

The Duke of Enghien is going to Guadalajara, and then come to the west coast of Mexico to finalize the issue of ships first.

In this regard, the Governor-General also gave a guarantee that he would provide ships from the west coast in several batches, and if necessary, he could also mobilize some clippers from Central America.

This voyage is not short, and even needs to rest in Monterrey in the middle, and then go to Fort Ross, the territory that the Russians have already circled.

The Russian American Company has sent ships from the Pavlovskaya base and several bases in the Aleutians to establish basic settlements at the locations explored before.

However, there are not many people living in the landing area.

Although the local natives are friendly, they are still a little wary of the white people from outside, but they will not take the initiative to attack.

Solovyov really wants to go to North America with Duke Enghien, at least he can make an advance plan.

But if he runs over, the part of this operation that requires him to go back and report will definitely be delayed.

It is already March 1804, and time is still very tight. There is no time for him to run from Lower California to Fort Ross and further north.

If he wants to realize this wish, he will have to wait for a long time.

The rest of the work was handed over to a group of naval officers and soldiers selected by Rear Admiral Senyavin, who went there with weapons.

The way to deal with the natives also needs to be trained for these people, so Solovyov has to go back to Veracruz.

Duke Enghien himself and his entourage stayed in Mexico City, while Solovyov was followed by Belzoni and Adela, who were going back to Veracruz.

Seniavin was still somewhat patient while waiting in Veracruz.

After all, he had traveled so far and was doing something that was laborious and not necessarily pleasing, which was something that only the Baltic Fleet could do.

However, this trip was somewhat profitable, as Russia's American territories could be developed, but it was not necessarily possible to pass through the Spanish colonies in the future.

This was indeed the case, as they were catching up at a time when the British had not yet organized an anti-French alliance, and Russian ships could still dock freely on both sides.

In the future, Russia would sign a peace treaty with France at Tilsit and side with France again, and the Spanish colonies would not be able to take this route in the future because of Napoleon's invasion and the British blockade of the Atlantic routes.

When the war in Europe was over, Mexico would have become independent, and it would not be quiet afterwards, so this shortcut would not be possible.

As for how to replenish the manpower of the colony in the future, it is indeed a troublesome matter.

Senyawen soon waited for Solovyov to return, and also learned that the two sides had completed the secret agreement.

"How are these people who have been evacuated now?"

"Some people have their own property and can "repay" our "ransom loan". They decided to stay in Veracruz or go to New Orleans."

"General, how many people are there in this batch?"

"We evacuated 4,399 people, 4 people died of illness in Veracruz, and 114 people can pay off now. They insist on going to New Orleans."

"Then we can only arrange a ship to New Orleans for them. What about the remaining 4,281 people?"

"We can send 200 people in the first batch. How are the Spanish ships prepared?"

"Your estimate is very accurate. They can only help us transport 200 people in the first batch. In this case, we still need someone to protect them along the way. First go to Monterey in Upper California, and then go to Fort Ross."

"That's fine. As for the follow-up, we have to send people up in several batches."

"But as an old sailor, you are still in charge of the fleet and cannot go with you. Although I know the customs of the Indians, I have never practiced it. When we get to Monterey and the Spanish fortresses along the way, we really need to hire a local guide. "

"This is what Duke Enghien needs to do. This proud prince has the courage and is willing to take risks. Let him handle it himself."

"I think so. It's just that you need to pay attention to hygienic conditions. It's not as easy to find a doctor in North America as it is in Petersburg, and the conditions in some places are not as good as in the countryside."

"The only thing I can do is hold on and rely on my strong body."

"I think so, but how is the vaccination against cowpox now?"

"Some of the French people who have not yet been vaccinated have already been arranged. These Spanish doctors have to go to many places. They are preparing to vaccinate on a large scale in towns and villages, but this is not easy to take care of."

"At least you don't have to worry. There is a large-scale smallpox outbreak in the settlement. This kind of epidemic prevention is still effective. I was vaccinated before joining the army."

"But some diseases are difficult to prevent."

"The navy is more afraid of plague and various diseases than the army, and it is difficult to ensure hygiene when sailing at sea."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"When we rent a ship, every group of French people who set out cannot all be crowded on the ship. This is an immigration ship, not a slave ship."

"That's true. There are no such conditions on warships."

After the negotiation is completed, except for the more than 100 people who want to go to New Orleans at their own expense, the remaining people will set off in batches from here.

The first group of people to set out were mainly a group of bachelors. After establishing a stronghold there, they also built houses and served as militia for the settlement.

In addition, when each batch of transport ships arrives in Roseburg, they also assist in moving supplies at the dock.

But on this trip, stocking up on food was indeed a problem.

For Solovyov, it is true that someone in Petersburg is developing cans according to his method of imitating the French, but the current supply is not successful.

Historically, cans first appeared in 1804, but it was not made public until 1810. The inventor, Nicholas Appel, also received a Napoleon bonus.

And it was also glass cans at that time, and then the British tinplate cans.

While Solovyov was chatting with Senyavan, he thought about the canned food again.

In this case, he really couldn't go to Rossburg, and had to follow the fleet back to Petersburg.

There are still many things that he needs to do, not to mention that the main stage is still in Europe, and the adventures in America are just trivial matters.