Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 394 036 Soloviev’s tutorial on writing letters to the emperor

Speaking of which, Count Golovkin is Kirill Naryshkin’s uncle. He married Ekaterina, the eldest daughter of the Naryshkin family, so there is a nepotism relationship between the two sides.

Golovkin wanted to find a way out by sending Kirill back in advance, and he was going to return to St. Petersburg from Irkutsk.

But his shame this time could not be covered up even in his memorial.

Because Solovyov was preparing this letter to the emperor, he lived in the suite of the Alexander Palace. He was afraid that he could not return to St. Petersburg in the next few days, but stayed in the Imperial Village.

As for how to write it, Solovyov was also considering the font, but this was also written with a hard pen, so he always had to think about it.

In this case, he had to practice writing first, after all, the documents written here were mostly written in French.

At this time, he also had to think about what name to write the letter, and his mind was quickly recalling the information related to the Qing Dynasty.

Finally, he thought of the fact that Emperor Jiaqing loved hunting, and all the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, including the Yellow Belt and the Red Belt, loved to listen to operas.

As for hunting, Jiaqing also went to Mulan Paddock to hunt, where he died suddenly.

But he could be given hunting rifles and various hunting equipment, as well as hunting dogs and falcons, as long as they didn't kill the falcons.

Although Jiaqing was the easier to talk to among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, he was also for the internal affairs, not for the external affairs.

If there were foreign "tribute envoys" coming, they would still pay more or less attention to the rules of the Celestial Empire.

At this time, Solovyov also thought that it seemed that this "unfree trade" was only aimed at Britain, and other countries still had some preferential treatment in terms of mutual trade.

Speaking of which, at this time, we should learn from Portugal and the Netherlands. These two countries often dealt with China in the East, and even knew what kind of women to send to Qing officials, not to mention bribery.

It's just a pity that Heshen has "ordered Heshen to commit suicide", otherwise it would be quite interesting to deal with him, and his enemies are almost dead this year, so there is no chance to brag to Lao Ji and Liu Luoguo.

But now we have to write a letter to the country and re-draft the scale of this "tribute envoy" and the merchant group, so we always need the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, considering that Badberg and Czartoryski have different ideas in diplomatic occasions, he used to be Badberg's subordinate, and he didn't have a good relationship with Czartoryski, but he had a friendly relationship with Count Stroganov.

No matter how you look at it, you need to pay attention to Badberg's opinions.

After he wrote the draft in French, he went to bed first and had to get up the next morning.

When he was calculating, he thought that 1810 was a very suitable time. Jiaqing was celebrating his 50th birthday at this time, but now he had to take advantage of the opportunity of the merchant group going to Beijing. If he had to wait for a few years, the opportunity would have been cold, which would not be conducive to the overall strategic planning. After all, trade was very important, and it was also important to dig a hole for the British with the Qing Dynasty in the future.

Therefore, the method adopted must have sufficient reasons.

In Russian official documents, the Qing emperor was called Bogda Khan, while the Qing Dynasty called Russia Chahan Khan, which means "white Khan". Both parties did things in the same way as the Tatars and Mongols in the past, but neither used the official name.

But in St. Petersburg, everyone knew that Bogda Khan was the emperor of China, and they had already started to call him the emperor in conversation.

Therefore, Alexander also took it for granted, and Golovkin's failure also made him start to change his track.

Judging from the report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Qing Dynasty officials believed that the number of people in the Russian diplomatic mission this time was too large, and it was impossible for them to open an embassy in the capital.

Even female relatives were not allowed to be brought.

Badberg was also very satisfied after reading Solovyov's French letter.

"It's a pity that you are a soldier, not a diplomat. I'm afraid that it's unfair to let you become a fifth-class civil servant. With your ability, you can at least be a member of the Privy Council."

In other words, a third-class civil servant.

You have to know that Vladimir Ilyich's father, who graduated from a poor college student and became a tenth-class civil servant, and then became a fourth-class civil servant and won a medal. This took him 30 years of hard work, and he died before he had the hope of becoming a third-class civil servant.

"Your praise is a bit exaggerated. But I have to point out that the letters and tributes to the Chinese emperor must also be carefully considered. As for the letters, I also told His Majesty yesterday. As for the documents written in Chinese, I still need to complete them, and the craftsmen will decorate them with the highest standards. In addition, as for the "tribute", the Qing emperors are based on riding and shooting. After all, they rose from the northeast of China. When hunting, they always need hunting dogs, falcons, and hunting rifles."

"Living things are difficult to transport, and the Chinese emperor should have these. But hunting rifles can be considered. Isn't the rifle you presented before like that?"

Badberg has already written down the first item of "tribute" on the list, two breech-loading Solovyov hunting rifles.

"As for other aspects, Chinese emperors like drama and handicrafts. Although they claim to be 'richest in the world', the richest must have rare treasures. We can give jewelry, eggs and nesting dolls as gifts."

"Eggs, what are those? Are you going to celebrate Easter?"

Soloviev didn't realize that he was talking about something that didn't exist.

However, this is a solution.

"You can order this kind of precious Easter egg from a jeweler. It can describe our story or an oriental story."

"It seems that you need to go there and negotiate with the Oranienbaum Royal Jewelry Factory. Only you can state the facts clearly."

This job is his, and there are no other "experts".

In Russia, there are many "experts". Golovkin's diplomatic mission failed because of a kowtow problem, and now other methods are needed to remedy it.

"As for exquisite things, China also has them. We can make clocks based on Chinese dramas, such as the Peacock Chime Clock."

If Potemkin's Peacock Chime Clock is made according to this design concept, with the level of the jewelry factory, it will take only half a year to start working at full capacity.

When Golovkin comes back, a new batch of "tributes" should be prepared and stuffed into the caravan to "dedicate" to Emperor Jiaqing.

As for the design of this self-ringing clock, Solovyov also knew that the Qing Dynasty royal family loved the Three Kingdoms, and they could make people like Liu Bei's group, but it was just in terms of shape.

Except for Zhang Fei's Russian shape, which was a Zaporizhia Cossack, which made people think of who he was, the shapes of other people were hard to describe. Fortunately, his painting skills were good. Before Mrs. Lebrun left, he commissioned her and Julie, a mother and daughter, to make some patterns, which made the Russian version of the Three Kingdoms characters look not so outrageous.

And some other contents, including the Russian version of the Three Kingdoms album, can also be used as tribute, which is always useful.

Now Solovyov's arrangements are almost done. Badberg looked at this gift list. Compared with the "tribute" carried by the Golovkin delegation before, the actual expenditure required was greatly reduced, and it was also much more convenient to hand it over to the merchant group for transportation.

It seems that he can show his face in front of Alexander. Czartoryski's set is a complete failure.

"But we still have one thing to deal with, which is to present the letter of credence. In addition, we have to bribe the Qing officials along the way, and these people will inevitably cause some problems."

Badberg listened and shook his head helplessly. This problem of corruption is also a daily occurrence in Russia. Those civil and military officials who serve as governors in local areas will have this problem to some extent.

As for the various things needed along the way, the materials carried by the Golovkin delegation can also be used, from cattle and sheep for guides to gold, silver and jewelry for bribing Qing officials. All the above must be arranged in place.

Fortunately, Solovyov did not have the idea of ​​adapting Journey to the West, and naturally it was impossible to make up such a highly restored historical plot.

"That's almost it, but the most important thing."

"The most important thing is the letter of credence and the documents of transiting various places."

Solovyov left a little blank, because Alexander had not decided when the new delegation would set off, and he had to wait for Alexander's idea to finally complete this Chinese letter of credence.

The reason mentioned by Alexander was this.

"Our country wants to establish a crown prince, and we can use this form to convey it to the Chinese emperor." After saying that, Alexander looked at Constantine. Constantine also understood the situation. Although he was always reckless, he was also meticulous and knew what his brother was thinking. Moreover, judging from the current succession order, Constantine is indeed the crown prince. His identity is unquestionable according to the inheritance law and the imperial edict. "Brother, you have to think about it. You may always have a son." "It doesn't matter. If I have a son in the future but he doesn't do well, or the child is too young, I still need you." Now, Constantine has not made it clear that he will give up the succession, but all of his brothers know that being an emperor is a hard job. Therefore, there is a strange phenomenon that Paul's four sons, regardless of whether they are in position or the three heirs, ignore court etiquette and are quite humble. This is also quite rare in the monarch families of various countries. "Okay, but my brother must strictly follow the edict of succession and the law of succession."

Between the brothers, talking about some "taboo" topics does not affect each other.

Constantine also did not know the unfortunate deeds of Lanling King Gao Changgong. Such content has not been circulated yet, and the information collected by Solovyov is always a little worse.

"So, Solovyov, you can write the letter like this."

"Your Majesty, is this the process for determining the successor?"

"That's it. I hope you can complete this letter, and prepare the translation, and write Chinese characters beautifully."

Alexander knew that Solovyov's handwriting was not bad, and the letters were also very beautiful. It was perfect for him to write.

In addition, he should take advantage of this period of time, as the General Staff had just finished the battle plan on the Western Front and the Danube, and make good use of it while he had time.

Speaking of which, he is worthy of being Maria's eldest brother. Among their nine brothers and sisters, only Alexandra and Elena are not very troublesome.

Solovyov had to write it out slowly when he got back, but the handwriting of the official script was somewhat different.

Fortunately, he used a hard pen, not a soft pen like a brush.

Therefore, the handwriting was still somewhat angular.

If you are serious, it might be considered a "knife pen".

But after Solovyov wrote it down, in addition to the main text of the letter, there were also subsequent contents to explain, and reiterated that the relationship between the two countries has always been friendly, "Since Nerchinsk, there has been no war for 120 years", and even mentioned "the friendship between Qin and Jin" in the content.

I just don't know how Jiaqing will understand his words in the end.

But the Qing Dynasty's marriage to Mongolian princes is always much better than the stingy Ming Dynasty. Not marrying a princess cannot establish a friendly blood relationship. At the critical moment, Sanniang is more useful.

So the Qing Dynasty learned a lesson, and many Mongolian princes married with the Qing Dynasty royal family, and even directly married princesses and princesses to various tribes.

But if Jiaqing understood it, I am afraid there would be many ridiculous stories.

After reading it, although Alexander didn't understand, he was shocked. After all, Solovyov translated part of the content of "Records of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty", and this excerpt can even be seen in Louisa.

There is no way, my wife likes to study too much, and it is rare to find such a studious queen.

Even so, Alexander did not suspect Solovyov, because the manuscripts he translated would be circulated in the court more or less.

Louisa always loves to read historical stories and appears in the Queen's palace. In addition, there are textbooks being made for Nicholas and Mikhail, which also contain the content of "Zuo Zhuan".

Alexander himself wants to learn, but with his impatient characteristics, there is really no way to study in depth.

Moreover, the biggest threat to the Russian court is still France in the west.

Since Golovkin failed in diplomacy with the Qing Dynasty, he must change his approach.

The problem of Jiaqing's insistence on words is not a problem for Alexander. He even acquiesces to Solovyov's diplomatic documents that lower his posture. Getting things done is much more important than being rejected.

Speaking of which, although Alexander likes to show off, he is also more pragmatic.

And he also promised that if he can succeed this time, he will give him a medal.

From this perspective, it is quite interesting that the awarding of medals in Russia seems to be a tradition that started from the time when the Empress perfected the medal system.