Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 289 056 Canning still requires steam power

Lanenburg is located in the southernmost part of the entire Ryazan province, closer to Lipetsk and Tambov.

Speaking of which, it is closer to the origin of raw materials. The climate here is warmer than that of Moscow. Of course, it is also an important agricultural area. In this era, Russia's existing industry is still relatively scattered. That is to say, Russia is too big. When they built factories, It is a barbaric operation visible to the naked eye.

Before the Yakovlev family in the Urals took over the factories established by Peter the Great, it was a blessing to be able to produce qualified cannons here.

Solovyov had heard this statement from old Prince Peter Dolgorukov, who was now retired at home, and actually heard it when he visited his Tula estate.

"Misha, when I was in charge of the Tula Arsenal, you only brought me little trouble."

"Why do you say I bring 'little trouble'?"

"Although those rifles of yours are rifled guns, they are relatively easy to modify. As long as the barrel and breech loading device are completed, the main part of the gun is completed. But the emperor ordered the Tula Arsenal Even if a person really has four arms, it would be very difficult to complete.”

But the gap comes from the fact that the Russian army's weapon systems are not uniform. Fortunately, when the line infantry using muskets shoots with projectiles, that's what happens. Sometimes they have to issue lead blocks to make them themselves.

If the rifles made in Britain, France, Austria, Prussia, and even Spain in the hands of hundreds of thousands of Russian troops were replaced with Russian standard weapons, and at the same time all the old guns made in the past were eliminated, this would The workload of the project was too large, and even though the four of them, father and son, were highly regarded by two generations of tsars, they still couldn't do the job.

"Are you talking about the plan to replace the Tula rifle?"

"Yes, the new director of Tula Arsenal will probably have a headache over this matter as well."

Having said this, old Prince Peter relaxed and started making tea.

"You won't spend the winter in Lanenburg, right? My son Peter wrote in a letter and mentioned that you are going to Smolensk to take up a post and work under Aprakhin."

"Yes, you are right."

"It's a good job to get there. Compared with his father, Apraxian is very lenient to his subordinates. You can do it without slacking off in front of Emperor Paul, so you will definitely not be able to pick a job with him. What's wrong?"

"But when I return to Lanenburg, there are still many things to do. I have already prepared to place the munitions factory there. I am going to present a report to the emperor through Shishkov's senior official and the representative of the nobles, Count Ilya Rostov. Memorial."

"Are you using your own venue?"

"No, it's the land that used to belong to Prince Menshikov's manor. This is state-owned land, and people need to be sent from Petersburg or Moscow to manage it directly."

"Ah, good thing. But you don't want me to leave the mountain, right? I'm old, and I can't keep up with my energy. The future belongs to you young people."

When he said this, old Prince Peter probably didn't have a wrench or anything in his pocket, and although his facial expression was serious, there was still some change.

"No, of course you can live your retirement life peacefully, and by the way, you can also complete the memoirs of your youthful campaign in Greece."

"Yeah, I went to the Peloponnese Peninsula as a volunteer and fought for several years, but I couldn't do anything to help my old Greek friends. Most of them are still under the rule of the Turks. , but my old guys still remember me, and when they see my son Mishka, they can still recall the time when we fought side by side. I think I can't let them down, and there is nothing I can do for them, so let's do it. Write down our experiences of fighting together.”

"Your memories may still be valuable."

"Does the Emperor have any intention of taking action against the Turks?"

A great aristocrat like Old Prince Peter is somewhat idealistic, otherwise when he was young, he would not have gone to Greece with some aristocratic youths and volunteers to fight.

"There is no accurate information at the moment. When I went abroad as a staff consultant and served as a military attaché abroad, I also traveled to Northern Europe. What is more dangerous now is the dispute between France and the United Kingdom, which may involve us. "

"Well, you need to select the site for the munitions factory in Ranenburg. Once it is built, I'm afraid it won't be put into operation until next summer."

"So, I thought about using steam power in the can factory, just like the Tula arsenal."

"Ah, good idea, but what are you going to use it for?"

"Making iron cans, if they are glass bottles, can be placed elsewhere, so that an assembly line can be formed to bring the raw materials together from two directions. From Tambov, Voronezh and Lipetsk, grain, fruit and Meat comes in glass jars from Penza, plus iron jars produced by the local canning factory.”

Solovyov laid out his plan, and it was obvious that he wanted to follow this line north to the transportation hub of Moscow, and then transport it all the way to the garrisons in various places along the Smolensk Road and the Petersburg Road.

As for transportation to the south, along the Volga River to Tsaritsyn, and then along the canal to the Sea of ​​Azov, supplies can be sent directly to Kerch.

In this way, through the transportation of the Black Sea Fleet, it can be quickly transported to the west side of the Caucasus Mountains, where the Russian garrison will have a long-term battle with the Persian Empire's army.

Small-scale conflicts broke out in 1803, and now the Russian army has gradually mobilized some combat troops to the Caucasus Mountains.

However, this war was fragmented, without too many large-scale battles, and it was difficult for the troops of both sides to deploy in the Caucasus Mountains.

After ten years of war, the final results were not very great.

You must know that Russia's national policy in the past was to go south all the time.

Peter the Great and the Empress did this during their time. Fighting with European countries is a thankless task.

If you fight with the Qing Dynasty, the distance is too far, and the supply line is also long.

Before Muravyov took action, few people really knew how powerful this opponent was, and the land investment was far greater than the output, which has always been a huge trouble.

The war against Persia needed supplies the most, and the Shah of Persia did things without considering the consequences, which also led to Russia's several attempts to attack this neighboring country. In the end, if other battlefields had not attracted attention, an Aryan "Iran-Russia" might have emerged.

In the history of Central Asia and India, the Scythians have taken advantage of opportunities many times and established many countries.

Although Russia actually developed from the Slavs near the Vistula River, they are always said to be descendants of the Scythians.

After all, the land under their feet is the original territory of the Scythians.

And if Russia goes south, there will actually be fewer obstacles in this area.

The reason is that British ships can enter the Persian Gulf, but cannot land.

This is why Russia has always maintained a certain influence on the northern region of Persia, even after its strength has declined.

But the situation in Europe has turned everyone's attention here.

For Russia, it is indeed necessary to prepare for war in peacetime, and their logistics system needs to be upgraded even more than the weapon system.

Solovyov built only a canning factory for military supplies. In addition to this factory, Alexander's edict also mentioned that Russia's military industry needs to be upgraded comprehensively, especially the upgrading of industries, and the introduction of steam power into mines on a large scale.

At this time, it has been nearly 40 years since the earliest steam engine in Russia was put into operation, but so many factories and mines in Russia are often still operated according to very backward production methods.

Serfs are still used when mining. It can be imagined that this is the "catch coal mines and dig coal" promoted by European and American countries. In the generally more civilized period in the world, only the Japanese will catch, cheat, sneak attack, and then do unspeakable evil things.

After meeting Prince Peter, Solovyov met Count Bobrinsky again in another manor in Tula.

Yes, he has his own mines and manors in Tula and Ryazan, and in order to respond to his nephew's call, he also began to prepare to generally use steam power in his mines and factories.

He does have the capital. The property inherited from his biological father, Count Grigory Orlov, is enough for him to replace a set of equipment for these factories and mines under his name, and then buy another set to keep there as a backup.

It is conceivable that when the five Orlov brothers came to power, they were so rich. The scale of their wealth was already astonishing, just from the empress's reward.

"How does it feel to be home?"

"Very good, but if you want to lay rails in the coal mine, you can only use horse-drawn carriages for transportation. Our steam locomotives are not ready yet. Those Scottish engineers are currently in Lisichansk and Donetsk, and the mines there are obviously of better quality."

"But our demand for steam engines is obviously more urgent, and many mines still use the same mining methods as before."

"Are you anxious too?"

"I have rubles now, but I can't spend them."

Indeed, he was already rich enough before anyone gave him rubles.

"But you also have to consider that the factories around Lugansk, especially the iron foundries and mines, are all run by the British. Count Vorontsov has a good relationship with the British, and most of these engineers are directly hired from there."

And at this time, Count Bobulinsky cannot put on the airs of "imperial uncle". He has always been low-key and will not cause trouble to his brothers and nephews. This is also the reason why his family has been able to maintain its wealth.

Count Vorontsov is indeed pro-British, and he has arranged to live in Britain after retirement instead of returning to Russia.

It's like some people go to Europe when they have made enough money. This kind of thing always happens in Russia.

As for land relations, they don't care. Many nobles are like this.

When Count Bobulinsky was young, he had enough fun in Europe. Instead, he was more nostalgic for the land of Russia. The climate here is actually not bad, but it will make people suffocate in winter.

After all, finding a place to spend the winter and not being able to hunt in winter will be quite a headache.

"Your idea is great, Misha, but can you get some help?"

"I can't do anything," Solovyov shrugged helplessly when he heard the count's question. "When I was about to take London, Britain declared war on France and blocked the English Channel. I had no way to contact Count Vorontsov directly when I was in Paris. When I came back from the West Indies, most of the British engineers and technical workers had already set off. But if your coal mine needs to introduce a steam engine, I think Mr. Gascoigne should help. The biggest advantage of making friends with you is that the emperor will know your every move."

Although Count Bobulinsky was absurd when he was young, he was very well-behaved after returning to his country, so he had a good reputation. As for his wife, she was also very popular in St. Petersburg, which made up for his early ratings.

"This is both good and bad. Misha, I don't like the British either, but unlike you, they declared war at that time and really destroyed the peace in Europe."

"But the King of England only thinks this is a 'peace experiment'. Although he often goes crazy, few British people are really willing to make peace."

George III did not think that peace would last long, and the cabinet's approach was to make the relationship between Britain and France very bad, and finally out of control.

"Ah, war can sometimes make people rich."

"But the expenses are also huge. If the military salaries cannot be paid, then morale will be low."

"During your time in Tula, who else have you not visited?"

Count Bobulinsky brought the topic back, and Solovyov remembered that he had not visited Prince Nikolai Volkonsky yet. As for his family's manor, Yasnaya Polyana, it was Tolstoy's home in the future, from birth to final destination.

And Solovyov's own home is near his terminal station, which is indeed a coincidence.

"I think I should go there. Without Prince Nicholas's recommendation, I wouldn't have taken this fast track."

"You rely more on your own ability, Misha. If you gave this recommendation to someone else, you might still be an adjutant now."

Adjutants are considered to have no future recently.

"But I've been an adjutant half of the time."

"Your adjutant is different from other adjutants."

The count said this, and both of them laughed. If someone else were in Solovyov's position, he would not have accomplished any serious work, but would have done a lot of ridiculous things, even more than he already had.