I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 36
  Although George was very careful, he still didn't understand this era well enough.

In other words, they don’t understand the majesty of imperial power enough.

Bragging in front of the Tsar had serious consequences.

It's good to find it.

If he can't find it, George will have to wait to be punished for deceiving the emperor.

Alfred was loyal to his duty and came to George's manor early the next morning, preparing to go to the Winter Palace with George to read books.

George was still wearing his Guards uniform and was among a large group of guards.

Alfred's title is an earl, and he is also the captain of the bodyguard of Yasan. His attitude towards George is relatively casual.

"If you want to confuse the assassins, you'd better get yourself a military rank." Alfred smiled half-heartedly, probably because he had never seen a Duke so afraid of death.

"Can it be done?" George was overjoyed. How could it be like this?
  can!
  The privileges of the Russian nobility are beyond George's imagination.

Alfred casually took off a captain's rank from the Guards officer next to him and handed it to George with a casual attitude, just like two acquaintances offering a cigarette when they meet.

Don't mind it, Alfred's military rank is also captain.

Alfred only became Ya San's captain of the bodyguard after Ya San ascended the throne, so it is normal for the military rank to be captain. This is the starting point for high-ranking nobles to join the army.

It won't be long before Alfred is no longer a captain.

"Is this enough?" George was surprised.

"If you want, you can also register with the military department -" Alfred didn't take it to heart at all, it was just an identity: "-but in that case, you will be listed in the military. Once a war breaks out, You’re going to the battlefield.”

Can you go to the battlefield?

"Great, I'll go tomorrow!" George was overjoyed.

Alfred was stunned. Did he not explain it clearly?
  George didn't care what Alfred thought. Russia had just fought the tenth Russo-Turkish War. There would be no more wars within ten years. This period of time was very safe.

Although the country is big, belligerent must perish.

With Russia's size, it is unable to launch two wars in a short period of time.

Other countries will not allow Russia to continue to expand.

Unless Ya San wants to imitate Ni Yi and commit suicide after defeating him.

There were more books in the Hermitage study than before, and Andre was still in charge of the study. When he saw George, Andre thought that George was here to collect a debt, and his face was full of panic.

"Bring over all the books related to chemistry." Alfred was short on time and had heavy tasks, so he started working as soon as he arrived in the study.

George was not in a hurry, and went straight to the corner of the bookcase to find a bag of tea, and then dug out a tea set from the corner cabinet next to the fireplace. It felt as familiar as his own study.

Probably noticing Alfred's surprised look, George felt a little guilty: "Would you like tea?"

"Thank you, I have this-" Alfred raised the kettle in his hand to signal.

kettle--

George raised his hand and called Andrei from the Yeluoxin family over and asked him to go back to the manor and get a few bottles of St. Louis.

The official name of the wine produced by George Vineyard is St. Louis.

This name was not used to commemorate Saint Louis, but to have a mysterious connection with royal power.

Saint Louis is a famous virtuous and benevolent king in French history. He is regarded as a model by monarchs all over Europe. He has a perfect personality and charm, so he is nicknamed "The Perfect Monster".

If possible, Catherine preferred to be named Alexander II.

Unfortunately, the situation does not allow.

Unlike other champagne bottles that are round, the Saint-Louis bottle is flat. Because it is made of metal, the bottle still has value after the champagne is drunk and can be used as a kettle. In order to make it easier to carry, Ekaterina also provided each bottle of St. Louis with a leather satchel, and these costs are included in the price of 90 francs.

"What is this?" Alfred's eyes lit up when he saw St. Louis. People from other countries may use St. Louis bottles as kettles. When Russians see this kind of bottle, they will only associate it with wine.

The bottle design of St. Louis is actually a bit rough.

But this fits perfectly with the temperament of the Russian people. Just like the Soviet jokes that have long been a part of Russian laughter, they have long been part of Russian aesthetics.

"A kind of champagne from France, this bottle is quite beautiful -" George deliberately did not mention the relationship between St. Louis and himself, leaving the story behind this wine to be discovered by the drunkards themselves.

"It does look good -" Alfred was not polite to George, he just opened it and drank: "-it tastes good too, where did it come from?"

"It was a gift from someone else." George really wasn't hungry for sales. St. Louis hasn't officially launched it yet.

"Who sent it?" Alfred broke the casserole and asked. In just these two sentences, one kilogram of champagne had been drunk.

"Super Duchess Yuriyevskaya!" George was not happy. All the good things were ruined by Alfred. It was like a cow chewing a peony.

Alfred raised his head and opened his mouth, still waiting. The last drop was teetering on the spout of the pot, but it just wouldn't fall off.

Alfred stuck out his tongue and licked off the last drop of champagne before he was satisfied.

George was speechless and waved to Andre to bring Alfred a box.

"This - this - how can this be so embarrassing! Hahahahaha -" Alfred was overjoyed. Duke Yurievsky was indeed as generous as the legend said.

Just like him, Alfred is Ya San's captain of the bodyguard and is worthy of George's investment.

Even though the relationship is established, work still needs to be done.

The Hermitage has a diverse collection of books, including hundreds of books related to chemistry.

Andre was still directing people to move the piles one by one, and both George and Alfred were a little dumbfounded.

There are so many, when will we see them?
  The key is not how much.

But I really can’t understand it!
  Neither George nor Alfred were professionals. The royal family did not offer chemistry courses at all, and Alfred had never studied it.

George picked up a book and opened a page. George knew every letter in it, but when they were put together, George didn't know what they meant.

Alfred was even worse, his eyes were dull, and he didn't know whether he was drunk or just stupid.

For half an hour, George only turned through dozens of pages of a book and had no clue.

Alfred's copy was still on the first page.

"This won't work, we have to find a way." Alfred threw away the book in his hand and lay on the floor, stretching himself out.

"Go to Petersburg University and find some chemistry professors to come over and work out a solution together." George didn't want to waste time. He was just talking nonsense and didn't know if there were any books related to smokeless gunpowder here.

Instead of wasting time here, it's better to find a few knowledgeable people to come over, and maybe there will be a solution.

"Good idea!" Alfred agreed.

Then Alfred and George stared at each other.

"What are you waiting for?" George waited for a long time but did not see Alfred give an order.

"What?" Alfred looked stupid.

"What, what, go find someone -" George urged.

"This is your suggestion, shouldn't you be the one to find it?" Alfred said confidently.

"Who the hell knows who I am? You send someone there in the name of His Majesty." George knew how to pull off a tiger's skin and make a big show of it.

(End of this chapter)