Chapter 704 006 Moscow Governor Rostopchin

During the days he stayed at Pierre's house, Solovyov was also trying to grasp the recent dynamics of Moscow.

Before Rostopchin came to power, he didn't have to worry about this, after all, it was relatively stable before.

But this one, the burning of Moscow happened to him. In the end, although France and Russia accused each other of setting fire to Moscow, it was a big event.

As long as you know a little about the history of 1812, you will know that Rostopchin has something to do with the Moscow fire. He even claimed that he burned it and then returned. In short, it sounds suspicious.

As the governor of Moscow, what he did, if it is true, is that the French have been in Moscow all the time. If the city is not burned, the final logistics supply will also be in crisis.

The final result still depends on Napoleon's own choice. In the end, he will always choose a choice beyond the limit.

But not all French troops are French supermen. Even the guards are human beings. If there are any problems, it doesn't seem strange.

As long as the logistics supply cannot keep up, the final failure is inevitable. Moreover, the weather in Russia, whether it is hot and dry in summer or like this in winter, is a severe challenge for both sides.

Therefore, if you want to make it happen locally, you still have to see where the problem lies. The roads around Moscow are well connected, and nearby places also include Tver, Vladimir and Ryazan.

The situation of these roads is also very important. The Russian army is on the front axis, from the border to Minsk and Vitebsk, and then to Smolensk, from the Smolensk Road to Mozhaisk, and finally to Moscow.

When Solovyov arrived in Rostopchin, he was warmly received by the count.

Although he was not an imperial envoy, he had always held the title of attendant general. If he really said a few "good words" to himself in front of the emperor, the governor of Moscow might have to be replaced.

This worry is probably because Solovyov is not short of money. Although he is lustful, he has his own principles. He doesn't care much about money, but he is very serious about his work.

No matter whether he comes as an individual or as an imperial envoy, he must not be offended.

And Rostopchin also knows that this kid is fair and will not report others behind their backs.

In short, it's the kind of chameleon drama.

Rostopchin was also curious that Solovyov didn't bring a maid this time, and he actually asked a question.

"For your question, I can only say that my wife always needs someone to take care of her. My sister-in-law used to be the housekeeper in my house. She also got married last year. The maid she brought with her has very high requirements."

In short, he was talking nonsense, and Rostopchin was almost led into a ditch by him.

"So, you still have a lot of requirements?"

"I'm here to do private business again this time. I can stay at a friend's house or visit my father-in-law along the way."

"Prince Vasily has not been in good health recently, so it's no wonder you came from St. Petersburg."

"The estate in Moscow also needs to be taken care of. There are always many things to take care of. In addition, there is road traffic. When I came from Tver, I also saw that the main road was not well repaired. I wonder how the main road to Ryazan is."

Rostopchin was a little relaxed when he heard the previous part. After all, he had seen Solovyov when he was still a young adjutant, and he was more familiar with his way of speaking.

But his map was too long, and now he turned back to talk about it, so he must have noticed something.

"The road from Moscow to Ryazan is also under construction recently, but because the soil is soft and many places are also slurry, it is still difficult to build."

"That's right, the roads from Moscow to Ryazan and Vladimir, as well as the tracks, must be completed. This involves the logistics supply of our army. After all, many materials cannot be placed near the border. We have to be responsible for the overall strategy."

"You mean, the French will fight to Moscow?"

"That is spreading defeatist sentiment. It is better for us not to fight. However, if the French really come, no matter what kind of combat method is adopted in this battle, whether it ends with a main battle or develops into something else, the result is that a huge amount of materials will be needed. This is the second capital of our country, and It is the intersection of several transportation lines, and we still need to pay attention to the arrangement of logistical support. In wartime, your place may be more important. The horses from Kazan, the supplies from Ryazan, and the food from Tambov and other places must all pass through your place. "

"I remember that you and Count Bezukhov have been planning to build a railway from Moscow to Ryazan, but now it is still run by horse carriages."

"In the future, there will always be trains on it. Under such construction conditions, we can only let horse carriages on it first. At least the load capacity must be guaranteed. You have seen trains before, the kind that Her Majesty the Queen Mother often rides now."

Rostopchin could only listen to Solovyov's reading, and approved Pierre's license for him.

From beginning to end, Solovyov did not make any requirements, but just said what to do, and the effect was particularly obvious.

"That's it. That's all I want to say. If you think it's okay, the road to Vladimir may be more important than the road to Ryazan. "

Having told him all this, did Rostupchin perform?

After reading it, he knew that "The Imperial Envoy" was still very realistic. Many of the Russian governors and local officials were probably like this.

If I were really an imperial envoy, I still didn't know what fun I was going to have.

Just what I talked to this count now, there will probably be no problem with Pierre's investment from Moscow to Ryazan.

As for some other things later, it is probably that Pierre's wife finally couldn't do it.

As husbands, it was Helen and Prince Vasily Kurakin who made him like this, and Pierre still had to go there.

If the Andres hadn't been in Smolensk and had recently returned to the army, Pierre would have been looking for him.

Solovyov had time. He had gone to see his mother-in-law. After seeing his father-in-law who was even more seriously treated, he would return to Pierre's residence. There were still serious matters to discuss on both sides.

But when I saw Helen like this, it was really hard to imagine that such a beauty would not have to behave behind her back. Her behavior in front of others was like a snake or a scorpion.

However, due to the role of will inheritance and trust division at that time, the Kurakin family's attempt did not succeed.

Now Helen has not given birth to a child for Pierre, and the two have not been together for a long time. Before the incident with Dolokhov, the marriage was not very good, and they were even separated later.

"That's how it is now. I've been unconscious today and it seems that I'm almost out of place."

The doctor prescribed medicine, and it's enough to have vomited and pulled, but it's not dead for so long.

Even the bedroom she decorated on weekdays had a strange smell.

Solovyov has always had a relatively sensitive nose, and he never stopped covering his nose after he came in.

"Pierre, this odor is really unimaginable, and you don't know if you don't smell it."

Pierre didn't say anything. He was an honest man, his brother-in-law, and his wife had to help and persuade him. Helen still lived a life of doing what she wanted, but the blood-sucking effect was not so obvious.

"When my father went there, it wasn't like this."

"I think it's probably"

The human body is still in the world, and the soul has not dissipated. It has become like this, and it was still when I was younger. This is indeed a tragedy that I suffer.

As for what you see after getting close, people always know that the Greeks used words to curse the ancient tyrants, but there was no place to fester, and naturally the place to rot will not be seen.

As for the people from the Kulajin family, unexpectedly, none of them came. Helen and Anatoly did not come in the end.

If it comes, that is, Pierre is still there, otherwise anything else may have to open a twelve holes on his body.

As for finding a priest or something, it also needs to be arranged. It seems that a person dies alone in the end and does so many bad things again.

Pierre didn't need to worry about the last things, and they were also preparing to take a carriage to the ruins of the palace of Ivan's Thunder.

"You have also seen this situation. What happened here is no different from Paris, and it is even more serious. If there are young people, like me, go to Europe and return to Russia and see the reality There are always some ideas to change something.”

"But most people will still object. It is impossible that they are like you and Andre. Many people only care about the things on their plates. In the past, now, and in the future, once personal problems are involved, Everything will come out."

"You seem to be reflecting the reality, Misha, is it Speransky's business?"

"This is when we walk alone on the ruins of the palace of Ivan the Thunder, and we can feel it, just like it was in the past. Pierre, you know, we are not static here. The tradition of Russia is village autonomy, If Karamzin was talking about this, there would probably be no mistake. But his purpose was to serve most of the landlords who opposed the abolition of serfdom because it would involve their interests. We are engaged in business here The nobles will decline within a few generations. Why do you think this is?”

"It's probably what Andre said, the kind of life they live."

"There are not many real living people in this circle. If you talk about it, do you know what happened to Nikola from the Goncharov family recently?"

"I know that his father didn't let him participate in the operation of the shipyard."

"It's not that he did not do well, but that it affected his father's life. He had to pay attention to the show and spend a lot of money from the shipyard and several farms. He could not even manage the construction of the very profitable merchant ships in their family. Go down."

Pierre looked at Solovyov's face and could describe it. He had heard of this matter. Even if there were some changes, there might be people at home.

As for Nikolai Goncharov's recent experience, it was even more outrageous. He broke his brain while riding a horse at home and gradually became mentally ill.

Pushkin's unlucky mother-in-law and Louisa's unlucky maid found her such a husband, originally hoping to find a suitable husband's family after something happened. Goncharov and the royal family have always had a close relationship.

No one could have imagined the result. In any case, when Pushkin married their daughter, all the little things in their family were like looking at sesame seeds through a magnifying glass. Anyway, they could see them clearly.

As for Natalia's grandfather, Pushkin had a very bad impression of him. He could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year without any income and ruin his own well-managed business. He might be more outrageous than his parents who were not good at business. After all, they had not reached this point yet.

It is conceivable that if there is such resistance at home, what will happen if it is released to the outside world, especially when it involves the interests of everyone.

Pierre listened to Solovyov's story about Goncharov and shook his head helplessly.

"But what does it matter? All we can do now is to do our own things well."

Fortunately, the old count was probably also an enlightened aristocrat, and his circle was more French, but it was also a few decades behind the times.

According to the delay of social development, what happened in Britain and France should happen to Russia a hundred years later.

They probably won't see such things when they are alive.

But what will the world look like after death? Although Pierre is a kind-hearted rich man, his descendants will probably be let go in the midst of the changes, which is a relatively good result.

If there is still some sense of responsibility, before this change comes, something must be done.

Pierre thought of Solovyov's previous letters. It must be said that he has a deeper understanding of Russia's rural autonomy tradition, at least without political purposes, like Karamzin's treatment of Speransky's reforms, directly presenting a memorandum to promote the Russian tradition in the eyes of conservatives.

In Russia's autonomous tradition, before Ivan the Terrible and Boris Godunov strengthened serfdom, although the personal freedom of serfs was restricted, it was still the responsibility of the masters to protect them. This dependent relationship looks more like a normal relationship between feudal landlords and tenants.

Then, someone will naturally reverse the situation, either the sheep eat the people, or force the civilians into serfs. The former at least accumulates capital, while the latter is a rigid system.

If there is no strong tsar, relying on Russia's own nobles, no matter whether it is adhering to tradition or reform, it will definitely be irrelevant.

"Your letter is very good, Misha."

"If you look at the problem from the perspective of an outsider, it's okay, but I'm also in the game. We have to go on together, no matter if someone attacks us or we have to solve these problems from the inside."

And it may not be solved. (End of this chapter)