Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Solovyov's face would only grow long after hearing the opinions of these young people.

For no other reason than that, apart from Trubetskoy, most people's views are untenable, and Solovyov would say they are naive.

If we really want to take action, simply resorting to military coups or assassinating the Tsar will be useless.

Moreover, Russian custom is different from other places; Russians must have an emperor sitting on the throne until the two revolutions overthrow the old regime.

Nicholas II lost popular support, and even members of the royal family began to oppose him, which led to the end of the Russian Empire.

But not now. What Solovyov has learned most over the years is patience; he needs enough time to accomplish these goals.

If they cause trouble, they'll probably have to clean up their own mess.

Moreover, Alexander had no intention of letting Solovyov return to St. Petersburg; he simply wanted him to remain in Crimea.

So, if we want to get rid of these people from the Northern Association in the future, we'll either place them in the Caucasus Mountains or send them to the Americas.

The Americas were desperately short of people. Even though Solovyov had arranged for tens of thousands of immigrants to the North American territories through various means, and Russia itself had exiled Poles and political prisoners there, and recruited some natives who were willing to settle in towns, the population was gradually replenished.

In 1822, Alexander declared North America as Russian territory, and the capital was moved from Pavlovsk, Alaska to Rothsburg. Rothsburg was renamed St. Francis Bay Pavlovsk, which set a record for the longest Russian place name, as the bay itself already had a long name.

People who went there afterward were all considered to be insulting the Tsar, and could be said to have been exiled to Jinzhou, simply because they were incredibly audacious.

But the Tsar's crown is real, and his achievements are real; there is no doubt about that.

Alexander also intended to appoint a governor of the colony to rule there as the Tsar's representative.

Therefore, he summoned the ministers in St. Petersburg. When it was Solovyov's turn, he thought that Andrei Suvorov, who was there, could only serve as a garrison commander, leading the militia in Rosburg and the Cossacks from the New World who had gathered there. He believed that if someone was to be found to manage the American territories, he should choose from among the generals.

Unfortunately, Solovyov, a general of the previous generation, is getting too old for the long-term development of Rosburg.

"Solovyov, I want you to go, but Crimea is more important, so this is a difficult situation."

“Your Majesty, if necessary, I can go to the Americas, but the oil discovered in the Caucasus will be an important energy source in the future. I implore Your Majesty to allow me to serve in the Caucasus for another five years, where there will surely be better developments.”

"So who should go?"

"If possible, I would like to have a young nobleman of high status and suitable qualifications, preferably a general, to go there, and preferably to reinforce the troops. This person should be trained by His Majesty, be brave and good at fighting, and have at least the experience of commanding a detachment."

You mean Volkonsky?

"Your Majesty, that is Seryozha. He performed well in the detachment in 1812 and is about to be fully trained."

"But you also know that he is getting engaged to Raevsky's daughter Maria. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to send the groom away at this time?"

Solovyov was considering the candidates, and he deliberately sidelined the only general among these radical young men.

Alexander's brother-in-law, whom he considered a close confidant, was seven years younger than Solovyov, brave and skilled in battle, and was a suitable candidate for future general.

Therefore, this plan will not work.

Moreover, the Tsar wanted Volkonsky to be a brigade commander, and later a division commander; brave and good generals were in high demand everywhere.

Trubetskoy was also rejected; the Tsar wouldn't let him go either.

Volkonsky's elder brother, Prince Nikolai Lepnin-Volkonsky, was the Governor-General of Little Russia, a lieutenant general in the cavalry, and a former chief of staff. He was actually a suitable candidate, but he inherited a branch of Prince Lepnin's family, so he was not considered for the assignment.

"Let Alexander Muravyov go. He made some minor mistakes, but subordinates' mistakes cannot be used to judge superiors. Sometimes people are just prone to negligence."

Solovyov did not meet Alexander Muravyov, who had long since withdrawn from the Happiness League and later ceased involvement in the activities of the Northern and Southern Associations. This young nobleman was quite capable and was a colonel in the Guards.

"Let him go; young people shouldn't be idle at home."

Alexander Muravyov was thus sent, and although he was promoted to Major General of the Guards, this long journey was more like an exile.

Of course, even if Muravyov went to Siberia to dig potatoes, he would still be appointed mayor of Irkutsk. He had some administrative and management skills and had served as an adjutant to a marshal. He was someone Solovyov knew, but not very well. However, his evaluation among officers of the same rank was always very good.

Alexander, though a little temperamental, agreed to the request, remembering his unpleasant experience at the parade.

The person in question received appointments from the deputy governor and the military commander. But who would the governor appoint?
Solovyov recalled a man named Nikolai Muravyov, Alexander's State Secretary, a former naval officer and head of the Tsar's own secretariat.

This man had long been a civil servant and a close confidant of Arakcheyev. He was ambitious and arrogant, but also somewhat capable.

"You sent Muravyov, is it because you have a personal conflict with him?"

“I have no personal conflict with Nikolai Nazarievich, I just think he is suitable.”

Solovyov had no idea that Muravyov's son, the one he had been drawing circles around to curse, hadn't been shot on the wall, but had successfully reincarnated in his mother's womb.

His son, Nikolai Nikolayevich Muravyov, will probably never have the chance to have "Amursky" in his name, because the Solovyov faction is too powerful in the army.

As for those hot-blooded, ambitious Muravyovs, they can go to the Americas. The Russian Navy only has a few ships in the Pacific, and now they're all in the Gulf region demonstrating against Mexico.

Because the Mexican government demanded that it not recognize Russia's rule in Roseburg, the current commander of the Roseburg garrison wrote back home, proposing that the current situation warranted the instigation of California's independence. He also suggested that the indigenous peoples active on the west coast of the Americas should be allied with to control California, and even to advance all the way to the Baja California peninsula.

This was an ambitious plan, and it would be difficult to complete without the Tsar's trusted confidants overseeing it. Alexander himself did not want to cause trouble, but the development of the American territories had been tacitly approved by the previous Spanish colonial governors, who at least provided supplies to the new Spanish colonies, and the Russian navy had also helped on several occasions.

But an independent Mexico clearly doesn't think that way.

When Solovyov returned to St. Petersburg, he also learned about these things.

After recommending two Muravyovs, he also analyzed the current situation in the Americas.

If there are any actions taken in the Americas, it is obvious that both Britain and the United States are also moving in that direction.

Solovyov has a lot of friends in the Americas. Although he has never been able to formally meet with San Martín, whom he has always admired, he has met almost all the presidents of Bolivar.

If he wanted to use some tricks, he wouldn't mind letting his uncle-in-law make the most of his remaining influence, escaping his island tycoon lifestyle and giving the Mexicans a big surprise.

Solovyov looked at the blood bank stretching from Texas to California and thought it was such a waste that Mexico was hoarding such a large blood bank, and that it would eventually be given to the United States.

Moreover, if Russia controls this area, it will likely become an autonomous dominion or an independent country in the Americas in the future. If the best parts of the West Coast can be developed within a few decades and immigrants move to the West Coast, a relatively stable rule can be formed.

Solovyov did not share his ideas with the Tsar himself.

Alexander himself had to consider this as well; if he sent people over, he would naturally need to reinforce his troops.

There were some soldiers and officers who had been exiled or dismissed because of the Semyonovsky incident, and they would be very suitable to be sent there.

This happened a few years ago. Arakcheyev and Solovyov had completely different methods of military management, and these kinds of things inevitably happened within the Guards.

Although Alexander saw Solovyov's actions as somewhat like making use of waste, Solovyov had ulterior motives.

Strengthening Russia's power in the Americas is crucial, but even with the Royal Navy's superior projection capabilities, it still falls short in many areas along the west coast of the Americas.

At least like Russia is now, it takes a long time to transport supplies, and the American territories are still dependent on food supplies from Rothsberg.

If stability can be established from California to Oregon, and local Native Americans can be united, a considerable force can be formed.

In fact, with so many Native Americans in North America, even a small tribe could muster dozens of brave and skilled warriors. If they could be recruited, it would be like the tribes in the Rocky Mountains suddenly gaining an army of at least several thousand and at most tens of thousands.

Even if Castells came more than forty years later, the 7th Cavalry Regiment might not be enough to fight him, and the 1st Cavalry Division would be beaten.

The idea is good, but it still needs to be put into practice.

So after Solovyov left, Alexander brought up the issue again when he summoned Neserrodie and Alakcheyev.

Neserrodi's expansion in North America might have angered Britain and the United States. Even in his stronghold in Hawaii, the United States threatened to sabotage the operation with the King of Hawaii, causing the Russians' attempt to fail. The Kingdom of Hawaii also got 20 cannons left at the stronghold, as well as supplies and materials there.

This happened in Hawaii in 1817. Solovyov was on his way back to Russia from Qing China at the time and was unaware of it.

He didn't offer any opinion after he returned.

However, this situation is partly due to Russia's strategic contraction overseas because its naval strength is insufficient to project power to certain locations.

It's strange that even the British don't do much in Hawaii, while the Americans seem to have no such inhibitions.

When Solovyov returned, his clipper fleet was indeed difficult for even the Royal Navy's frigates to catch. In addition, Russia had gained two new overseas colonies, Gambia and Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea), along with allies and friendly countries such as the Netherlands, France, and Spain. Furthermore, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, the son-in-law of Alexander and Louise, always needed a navy and a large merchant fleet.

For Britain, containing Russia is still very difficult, and it is now relatively easy for Russian merchant fleets to escape.

They just lack a foothold. In places like Mexico, they really need to know what a European gendarmerie is.

When Solovyov went to the Americas before, he knew that the local people were not a monolithic group. If some measures could be taken, there might be a chance.

Neserrodi still holds opposing views; diplomats are generally not that radical.

Arakcheyev supported it, but he worried that these former guardsmen with a history of mutiny, dangerous young nobles, and an ambitious governor (yes, Arakcheyev knew very well who his cronies were) might cause some big problems.

Alexander also considered this issue, but the good news was that too many people had been brought from Ireland, to the point that the Qing Dynasty's supply was somewhat saturated.

The envoy returning from Beijing brought back an imperial edict from Emperor Daoguang, stating that too many Irish "red barbarians" had arrived, and officials at all levels would need some time just to settle them all; the "red barbarians" who had arrived recently would have to be arranged separately.

This happened at the beginning of the third year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign. As a result, some Irish people who were preparing to cross most of Russia to the Qing Dynasty that summer were stranded on the road and were simply settled by local officials. Others were assigned to the Caucasus, where the border also needed to be populated.

Then, these Irishmen went there, even though they knew it was dangerous.

After all, in Russia, free people who come to farm have a tax exemption period of ten to thirty years, and are exempt from military service for thirty years, which is a pretty good option.

In the Qing Dynasty, they were given a piece of land to cultivate on their own, and those who served in the military received a salary. The land belonged to them, and there was no poll tax, only land tax.

Even in dangerous places like the Caucasus, without the oppressive rule of the British, they were willing to go, since the houses and farmland provided were their own.

As for the Americas, it's not even as dangerous as living next to the Caucasian mountain people.

Because the Native American tribes on the west coast of America were not so obviously hostile to white people, they would welcome Irish people who came simply to farm, as long as they didn't encroach on their ranches. (End of Chapter)