Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 103 003 The Tsar is dissatisfied with the naval ships

At the Kronstadt Naval Base on Kotlin Island, Tsar Paul was very dissatisfied with the preservation of these large warships of the navy.

Unlike the Black Sea Fleet, which has daily duties, the Baltic Fleet must stay in the naval port once the sea freezes.

The Baltic Sea itself has a relatively low salt content. It will definitely freeze in the coldest winter, which is worse than the situation on the Norwegian coast, which is protected by warm currents.

He came to inspect these large warships of the navy because Russia's current finances are not enough to maintain a large army while also having a large navy that is always in the port and cannot bring benefits.

Although the Baltic Fleet is very important and protects the Russian capital, Paul still has many considerations.

Although he had no immediate plans to change, he was shocked by the poor maintenance of these large warships in Kotlin. After all, the naval budget he allocated was enough to point out the most basic. He also had a deeper relationship with the Ministry of the Navy. During the decades as the crown prince, he served as a minister here.

When he was in charge of the Ministry of the Navy himself, the budget was not so severely cut.

Paul was also very angry about Admiral de Ribas, the Spaniard. This was the case in terms of official duties. In the past, as the mentor of Count Bobulinski, he behaved dissolutely, but he was very strict with his students. In terms of personal character, he did not conform to the spirit of the Knights that Paul wanted.

Although the count did not complain to the Tsar, the current Minister of the Navy and Minister of Forestry had already made Paul very dissatisfied.

From a financial point of view, it can be openly said that many Russian bureaucrats have problems, including those noble leaders and local governors. Many people have huge expenses on the one hand and huge consumption on the other hand, so they make money from the local area and take money from the budget. There are many nobles who do these things.

A few local noble leaders may not care about this kind of deduction because they are rich. For example, Count Kuleshev, the deputy chairman of the Navy Committee, has the right to inherit a huge fortune of 10 million rubles because he married the niece of the Prime Minister of the Empire. This is only a small part of the huge fortune of the Prime Minister of the Empire.

He doesn't care, and he won't be greedy for the expenses of ports and warships in the navy's military expenditure. This is a small amount of money but also a life-threatening money. It is impossible to touch it. Except for some people saying that he is an old cow eating tender grass, marrying a 16-year-old yellow-haired girl at the age of 46 (the key point is whether this yellow-haired girl is a beauty or a rich woman), only the Tsar himself expressed dissatisfaction with this unequal marriage, believing that Countess Liubov Bezborodko is completely worthy of a young officer, and Count Kuleshev is already very rich.

But Count Kuleshev's management of the navy cannot be said to be successful. With Admiral Ushakov in charge of the Black Sea Fleet, obviously nothing will happen.

Add to that the sick Admiral Kutuzov who was a hands-off manager, and the management of the Russian Navy was actually very bad.

The full surname of this admiral is Golenishchev-Kutuzov. It is a large family. Mikhail Kutuzov is also a Russian double surname. They are all relatives.

The fat old man recently bought a new house on the Palace Embankment (now No. 30 Kutuzov Embankment, the road was not named at that time), which is considered a newer urban area in Petersburg.

Paul was very dissatisfied with these things. He was still angry when he left Kotlin Island. It was late at night when he returned to the palace, so he did not follow the usual schedule, but went directly back to the bedroom.

The next morning, Solovyov was on duty. He did not rest at all the day before. After performing for those young ladies, the Crown Princess asked a lot of questions, mainly about classification in botany.

Solovyov is confused by Mr. Linnaeus's classification method, mainly because his Latin is half-baked.

This gentle princess is indeed unforgettable. If Mario stepped on Bowser to rescue Princess Peach, then it was Peach, and this princess should be Princess Almond, but this is a secondary factor. The main problem is Latin.

As for China, although there are some opinions on pharmacopoeia and taxonomy has also shown signs, it has not started detailed research on plant and animal taxonomy and basic analysis of some chemical substances like Europe.

It can be said that on the eve of a scientific explosion, even a noble woman living in the deep palace can learn a lot from the books she has.

This prince is more suitable to be a female scholar, just like the dean of the Petersburg Academy before, and he gets along well with her, and even exchanges experiences in raising children.

Who let Solovyov play the role of raising children at home, and when he was pulled over by Maria last time, he also showed what position to hold the child in to make the child most comfortable.

In short, he didn't get a rest, and it was very late when he returned to the barracks, although the prince provided meals and invited him to eat fresh donkey meat.

Even the next day's breakfast, the meat eaten in the barracks was donkey sausage and smoked donkey meat. The number of donkeys killed in Petersburg was a bit too much, but this was a peak period in winter, and a large number of donkeys needed to be imported to Russia.

And Paul also asked a question in front of the major on duty on the inspection ground.

"Major, the soldiers of the first battalion are very energetic. They are the best soldiers in Russia. I hope you can lead this unit well."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I also want to know what you had for breakfast."

"Your Majesty, it's kimchi, which contains cabbage and carrots, as well as smoked donkey meat and donkey meat sausage."

"Ah, I know, donkey meat is delicious, you should think so too, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it's just that they eat too much donkey meat. It's not bad for the soldiers. They are grateful to the emperor if they have meat to eat. But I know where all this donkey meat comes from."

"Yes, Major, ride with me after we are dismissed. I want to talk to you."

Since he spent the entire expedition on the backs of horses and mules, Solovyov's riding skills also improved.

Kutaisov was supposed to accompany him as usual, but the Tsar himself refused.

"This is Petersburg, and we are all safe in the Winter Palace, not to mention our loyal Guards."

Hearing this, the soldiers of the first battalion shouted "Ula" three times in a drawn-out tone, which satisfied Paul very much. The soldiers were the most loyal to him.

"When riding in winter, always pay attention to the horseshoes, Your Majesty!"

"Of course I know this, Major. You are a student of the Generalissimo. He must have said this often when crossing the Alps. And I, in Petersburg, have been told this many times by Count Kutuzov."

"Your Majesty, if that's the case, the friction of the sound entering the ears will cause calluses like those on the hands and feet."

"Yes, the Queen often works on relief sculptures, and she has them on her hands, and their hands look very strong. But my precious daughters do not participate in labor, and their hands and feet are very slender. What about you, Major, let me take a look at yours hand."

"Your Majesty, there is nothing to see in my hands, you can see them."

Solovyov took his hands off the reins, brought the horse's head close to the Tsar's horse, and showed it to Paul.

"Although you often wield swords and guns, your hands are really beautiful, not as thick as some old officers."

"Your Majesty, this may be because I am still young."

"Young people are indeed needed. If the old guys are always on stage, they will only be satisfied with the status quo. If the young people are also rotten, like the decadent Guards officers on the Palace Embankment and Moika Embankment, that is Bad things."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do you know why I asked you, a little guy, to join the Guards and raise your rank to become the commander of the first battalion?"

"Your Majesty, you must have your own considerations."

"Since you know, I won't say so much. Let's talk while riding. It has just snowed heavily here, and it is just right for horse racing."

Czar Paul chose horses produced in Germany. Petersburg is not like inland Moscow, and the climate is not so cold in winter. The horses are still very fun to run.

Although the tsar had never been on the battlefield, his riding skills were still good. All the horses in the palace were good, and he was very skilled in driving them.

Solovyov still had to follow the Tsar. He couldn't be thrown too far away, nor could he rush too fast like when he was delivering orders from the front line. That would be faster than the Tsar's speed. Normally, He's still a little worse at horse racing.

"Are you used to that quick walk on the battlefield, Major?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, although the horse is not sprinting, the speed is not slow either."

"To become a better rider and control your mount well, it is not only to make the horse run fast, but also to keep pace with the partners around you. But now there are always some people who are not so diligent. I went to Cote yesterday Lin Dao inspected and was very dissatisfied."

"Your Majesty, I am only a major of the Guards, not a naval officer."

"I know this. I want to talk to you because you are an expert in weapons development."

"Your Majesty, you said that I am an expert, but I am still young and my skills are far from perfect."

"But that doesn't stop us from discussing the issue. What do you think of the navy?"

"Your Majesty, I have thought about this issue. France's warship technology is the best, although their admirals are very poor."

This is the fact. After the British Royal Navy captured a certain French "Marseille Commercial Class" first-class battleship, it expressed sincere admiration. A clumsy-looking 118-gun first-class battleship operated like a British As flexible as a human fifth-class frigate.

The British's own new warships, the battleships that appeared after the "Victory", are not as flexible as French warships, and many French warships have become British warships due to defeats in naval battles and the defection of royalists. Trophies of the Royal Navy.

Nelson's fleet was able to achieve the great victory at Trafalgar later on, thanks to the captured French ships in his hands, but it was a pity that he himself did not have this opportunity.

"The ships on Kotlin Island are poorly maintained. Although we have enough reserves to build new warships, the budget may not give that much to the navy. They are all."

The Tsar wanted to spit out the fragrance, but in the end he suppressed his thoughts. After all, de Ribas and others were promoted by him. The Russian Navy did not lack admirals, but it lacked suitable managers. Those warships The wood has now begun to rot.

Of course, it was a bit appalling to propose steam-powered battleships like ironclads before 1850. Now is the time when sailing battleships are at their peak.

So, Solovyov thought of considering the problem from the perspective of fluid mechanics and making a clipper-type sailing ship. The bow of a pure clipper ship is hollow, and the entire design emphasizes sailing speed.

Unfortunately, Russia is more dependent on land, and the only Black Sea port that can be used for all seasons without considering floating ice is blocked by the Turks, and transportation is intermittent. If the British find out, it may be easier for them to copy.

What's more, this opponent controls a large number of high-quality timber production areas outside Russia, which is also the advantage of a maritime country.

"We can try to build this kind of ship, but we need it in the American territory, which is too far away."

"Your Majesty, the Black Sea is like a bathtub, and the ocean is the stage for this kind of ship. If necessary, we can also quickly transport goods back from our friendly countries."

"Unfortunately, except for the Oldenburg territory, we don't even have a piece of territory facing the sea in Europe."

Paul now has some opinions about his empress mother. He gave up all the territories of Holstein that originally belonged to Peter III and gave them to Oldenburg and Holstein's cousins.

In fact, Russia used to own a lot of these overseas fragmented lands. Now the Oldenburg territory is actually ruled by Paul's aunt.

If we consider Russia's maritime strategy, they actually lack a foothold overseas. Maritime trade is not a big deal for Russia. Their fur transportation from the Pacific will not be interfered with by major powers. The priority in the Atlantic is not as good as the whaling ships sent by the crown prince to catch live whales to make the crown princess happy.

Solovyov also told the Tsar about this. Paul doted on his son and daughter-in-law. Even when someone slandered the crown prince in front of him, he also enforced the male-first inheritance law.

"There must be something to do, and the aquarium is also beneficial to the people. I'm afraid you have a share of the creativity there?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, but I just said it to the princes casually."

"Let me think, it must be Maria, my 'little sparrow' who spread the word. But this is also good. Whales and dolphins are both intelligent animals. I also like it when I go there."

The Tsar also likes this idea very much. No wonder he strongly supports it.