Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 288 055 It is a tradition of HBO to make fun of a happy banquet, but not here

When the dishes were about to be served, Solovyov also noticed the long table in Rostov's house and the tableware on it.

With the financial resources of a local earl, the pomp was so luxurious, even surpassing the pomp of some Moscow nobles.

Of course, we must also take into account the status of Count Rostov, which must be matched, but with his financial ability, it must be gradually declining.

Even if the family is good, it will not be able to maintain such pomp in the future when the daily income is limited.

Of course, it is not obvious now.

The guests also sat down at this long table one after another. Count Rostov was indeed hospitable, and he also asked the waiter to wait behind him to serve the dishes.

Solovyov saw that the more common dishes were grouse.

Speaking of grouse, it has to be said that.

However, donkey meat is not popular in Ryazan at present. It is probably because Count Bobulinsky pays more attention to the "coastal market". There is only one hotel in Moscow in the hinterland of Russia, so it has not had much impact on Ryazan.

But the idea of ​​making a donkey feast on the table of Count Rostov's house is quite evil.

Because he was an aide-de-camp to the Tsar, Count Rostov also let him sit closer. Of course, this table is not in Moscow, and there are not so many rules.

"Misha, I heard you've been to Paris before, how is it there?"

"To be honest, Paris is not very good. When I was there, a lot of things happened, mainly the conspiracy against Napoleon. Before I left Paris, all kinds of rumors had already spread on the streets there. Louis XVIII has never been selfish. In general, the revolution is like a scalpel directly removing the diseased parts of the internal organs. In France, the contradictions are so sharp that this kind of thing will definitely happen, but this is a bargain for the British."

It sounds very strange. Solovyov still likes to dig holes for Britain on a daily basis. As for the support for the French Revolution, the situation in Russia is different.

"What about Russia?"

"Sir, I think the emperor will naturally have his ideas. What Russia needs to do now is to dismantle the dangerous bombs one by one step by step. Once the revolution occurs, it will be extremely fierce. At this time, it may be a bargain for the powerful enemies around, or even the Turks who can't beat us."

After listening to this, the senior official didn't say much. Anyway, this person's attitude is similar to that of the Tsar himself. He wants to reform gradually, but Russia doesn't need a revolution now.

Solovyov would not tell outsiders his true thoughts. He believed that the revolutionary groups in Russia were immature, and such a revolution would only result in bloodshed, rather than the expected results.

Of course, the revolutionary actions became more or less a scourge under the propaganda of the British. They have always been like this, regarding all countries that threaten their status as enemies.

Now it is France. After defeating France, it will be Russia. Prussia and Austria, no matter how strong the version is, will not threaten the British in 50 years.

If there is no enemy, they will create one.

However, the British will also miss the time. After several generations of "big game" in Central Asia, the British themselves finally think that they are a step behind.

This is the result of Britain hitting Russia at the door of Crimea, but it is also 50 years later.

Crimea Speaking of Soloviev, he has many connections with Crimea. His stepmother and father met there. Louisa often lived in the Tavrid Palace. The title of Prince Vasily Dolgorukov's father was "Prince Krimsky" to commemorate his contribution in the Crimean War. He himself was also considering going to Tavrid Province to take a look. If there is a chance in the future, he can also serve there.

But it also depends on luck. Alexander wants him to go to Smolensk, and he still needs to strengthen his armaments.

Once the war with France begins, the army starting from the Russian hinterland will have two main directions to go. On the one hand, it will advance along the Baltic Sea, and on the other hand, it will be the route of Suvorov's last expedition. Obviously, he is more familiar with the latter.

And General Apraksin did not participate in the expedition, so going to him can also play a role.

After the banquet, there were still receptions, and Count Rostov was also interested in introducing his family to friends who came to his manor for the first time.

Nikolai obviously had some respect for Solovyov. After all, he was from the Guards. Apart from the early recommendation letters, he was promoted by noble people. In the future, he was basically promoted by his own ability.

"Mikhail, you are also our role model."

"But I have always been an infantryman, and you are a hussar. This is not the same. I also have friends who are hussars. They are very majestic when riding on horses. If the family is not well off, I am afraid that they will be stretched to the limit in daily expenses."

Well, his perspective is always more peculiar.

And Petya is still very young. He came over and stood at attention in front of Solovyov, and then saluted.

This child has been likable since he was a child, and Solovyov returned the salute.

"But my brother Petya is not in the military. My father said that it is enough to have a soldier in the family, and he wants him to study more."

"He is still young now. If he is thirteen or fourteen years old, he must go into the army, and you can't stop him even if you want to."

Nicholas nodded in agreement, and then he began to introduce the two sisters and Sonia.

"Vera and Natasha, my sisters, and Sonia, us"

"What is your relationship?"

"This is my cousin."

In fact, Sonia's ending was not good. This was all caused by the dowry, and the Rostov family was already in decline before the war began. If Nicholas hadn't been lucky enough to get to know Maria and get to know Maria, The wife managed the manor together and was able to turn over, but it was just another noble family in decline.

And in the case of Russia, if you have enough bullets and your wife has more sons, the children will have titles from the time they are born. There may even be more princes than counts. After all, some families have given birth to many children, and they can still be born. The provisions are large.

"I understand, Nicholas, but when you go to the Hussars, do you have to take your pistol with you?"

"Of course I have to use it. I like the revolver very much. It seems that you invented it. Our regiment leader even suggested that the officers buy carbines produced in Izhevsk at their own expense."

"Then the hussars are going to become French chasseurs?"

"I thought it made sense, so I bought one."

"Then you have to choose a good horse to ride on, one that can bear the weight of yourself and your many weapons."

"But the infantry sometimes doesn't even have officers on horseback on the battlefield. It's hard enough when you're on the road."

"yes."

Nikolai is a good person. Among the Rostovs, he has the most normal mind, but he is always fooled by "friends", but he also has a sincere friend Denisov.

As for the young Natasha, she is a lively and cute girl, but not very beautiful. For children of this age, growing up may be more important. Who knows what she will look like in the future?

As for Vera, she seemed to have no sense of existence, and Solovyov had no impression of her at all.

Speaking of which, collecting a dowry for her was a large sum of money, and it almost brought the old earl to financial crisis.

After all, this family is also a decent person in Ryazan, and Count Rostov is the leader of the nobility of the province, so it is inevitable to show off.

"Anyway, I'm glad to get to know you here. Speaking of which, my sister Yulia is about the same age as Natasha, and she has younger brothers and sisters. The reason why this happened is that my father remarried me. "My stepmother, it would be awkward to call her mother, she is only 5 years older than me."

"So what's your name?"

"Vera, it's more convenient to call each other by name, but with the younger brothers and sisters, that's another matter."

Speaking of which, Vera seems to be a bit reckless like Natasha.

But her luck was not bad. A German officer serving in Russia proposed to her. As for which country he was from, it was indeed a bit more complicated.

During the dance, it was obvious that Polish music was also popular here, but Solovyov was not going to dance.

Instead, he came to Count Rostov's side and prepared to continue talking about serious matters.

The Count agreed with his idea. The high-ranking official himself was appointed by Alexander. He would only unconditionally obey the orders of the Tsar himself. It would not be strange if he opened a letter and could only read the beginning and then burst into tears.

After all, in Russia, this kind of chameleon is not a rarity from top to bottom, but it is an excellent satirical subject.

"You are going to build a factory. From now on, it will be started even in the winter. I want to finish it in the spring."

"So it has to be divided into two parts, Ilya Andreevich. One is the construction of the factory building, and the other is to find a suitable place and make the samples. If it is a pen factory, it is relatively simple. But, To establish a canning factory for military supplies, it is also necessary to cooperate with The glass factory that makes glass bottles and the tinplate can factory need to form a chain. If can making cannot be done in the form of a factory, you can also set up a handmade workshop. The number of cans that one person can make every day is only a few dozen. "This requires a skilled blacksmith."

"I understand, you can make a list for me. Senior officials only approve, but if you want to do something, you still need to find all aspects, including managing those small civil servants. The current ninth-level civil servants will not do things without getting paid. . Even if there is an edict from the emperor, there is still a way."

Although the old count prefers to have fun, he still has some rules when it comes to serious matters.

These bureaucratic problems are not just in Russia. They have always been bureaucratic since the day there were officials. If they want to mess up something, it is also easy to see with the naked eye.

"Thank you, these things are all ready to go now."

"Do you have any Tatar relatives?"

"No."

"Either your statement is Tatar or it is."

"It must have something to do with the Khitan. They claim to be the Kingdom of the Middle Kingdom, and they have a long history and the inheritance of civilization has continued."

"You must know a lot about this."

"Yes, but Oriental studies are very profound knowledge, and the study of China is only part of it. It also involves surrounding civilizations. If this project is taken seriously, it will be a very large-scale system."

The Kazan Imperial University established in 1804, later known as Kazan University, conducted research in this area.

"If you don't join the army, you should have achieved some academic success."

"That's difficult, Ilya Andreevich. I can only translate some literary works, which is my limit."

"Ah, that must be very interesting."

Although the old count himself did not read much, he was still willing to get some interesting books for the children.

But what Solovyov had to do this winter was.

Would he tell the story of the Don River?

After all, Water Margin had a strong sense of déjà vu for those Cossacks.

And after the show, Solovyov had to stay here. After all, it was still a long way from Lanenburg to Ryazan City, and he had to rush back the next morning.

That night, Nikolai came to chat with him all night.

Anyway, he had to go back the next day and sleep in the carriage. Solovyov also chatted with the enthusiastic Nikolai a lot.

But the Rostovs were so generous, and it was really outrageous.

"If you think it's appropriate, Nikolay, you should do it. I believe in you."

"Thank you, Mikhail, but I've always been curious, why don't you grow a beard?"

"You mean a small mustache like yours?"

"That's it." Nikolay also twisted his beard with his hands, and the mustache was trimmed well.

"I think it's better to forget it. My hair is not heavy enough to grow a small mustache. I had to shave it off, so that my face looks neat."

Also, beards are not very popular in St. Petersburg.

Moreover, the early Romans did not grow beards. The statues with big beards were all from the Roman Empire.

With Russia calling itself the "Third Rome" and Peter the Great who liked to cut his beard, Russian men's chins are still very clean now.

After chatting with Nikolay for a while, he couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't rest very well in Moscow, and he worked non-stop after returning.

As a result, he overslept that day and got up at almost noon.

He could even catch the lunch at the Rostovs' house.

However, during this visit to the Rostovs' house, Solovyov did make a friend named Nikolai, although being his friend was still a relatively low threshold.