Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 111 Marshal Suvorov Falls Ill

The Russian army finally returned to its own border. Marshal Suvorov was now sitting in the carriage, looking very bad.

An old man at this age really cannot withstand such hardship, not to mention that he felt his health was getting worse during the period when he was ordered to live in seclusion. Although the Tsar finally let go of all his problems, aging inevitably affected him.

Especially this time when he went to Switzerland, Suvorov's health even recovered a little when he was in Italy. When he arrived in Switzerland, he even used weird behaviors to stimulate Russian soldiers to fight bravely, just like in the past.

"Master, if you are not feeling well, we can make the carriage more comfortable for you."

"Not yet, Prosha. The eagle is about to go home. Letting the children see me now will encourage them to go home."

What's more, Prince Bagration and General Miloradovich had come before to remind the elderly field marshal to take a rest, but he politely declined.

These Russian soldiers sang cheerful songs as they marched forward along the road. The ice and snow had melted, and the ground was all muddy, so their marching speed was slow. The situation only got better when they reached Brest.

"Field Marshal, orders have come from Petersburg for you to hand over the troops to General Rosenberg and return to Petersburg to receive the honors of the triumph."

"Our emperor wants to give this honor to an old man like me who is about to die. Haha, this should belong to the brothers!"

In fact, Suvorov was worried that Korsakov would be the first to complain after he returned. There were too many such jackals in Russia. This worry was not unreasonable. Tsar Paul had always been moody, and some officers of the conspiracy group in the Russian army always used his banner.

Nothing is surprising about what happened on this trip, as this kind of drama where important officials in the court are humiliated is a Russian tradition.

Prince Potemkin got the position of commander in chief during the Russo-Turkish War by forcing Marshal Rumyantsev to retire and Kamensky to step aside. He kept Suvorov for no other reason than that he was a good fighter.

There Suvorov met Kutuzov, who had been a company commander in the Astrakhan Regiment and was then the regiment commander.

Later, he brought out two young men, Bagration and Miloradovich, and discovered that Nikolai, the son of his arch-rival Marshal Kamensky, was very talented. This was considered as the discovery of the next generation of corps commanders for Russia, and there was no need to import too much of this type of talent from abroad.

Then, during his exile by Tsar Paul, he discovered an interesting young man, but he knew that he was old and no longer had time to train a new generation of generals. He was very impressed by the bravery of Grand Duke Constantine, but he was a little too reckless.

Now he asked Mr. John Antin to read him a story, which Solovyov had left for the master in translation.

"Keep reading. It's interesting. If this Khitan prime minister sends a group of Cossack cavalrymen to run out like hares, they will definitely attack General Yuan's rear. Without the logistics base, this battle will be over."

"Alexander Vasilyevich, although Misha's book was not fully translated, he left me a summary of the story. The granary of the Black Nest was indeed burned down, and General Chunyu, who was sent there by General Yuan, was captured."

"Wasn't this man in charge of the Eight Guards in the Grand Marshal's Office? How could he be so incompetent?"

"Master, you also said that there are always a group of crows in the capital city that caw in front of the emperor."

"That's right, that's right. I have done all I could do now. The Austrians betrayed us, and when I return to Petersburg I will present the whole story to the Emperor. There is still a lot to do, so let's leave it at that."

After the army entered the Russian border, the field marshal's health deteriorated further.

After leaving the army, most of the Russian troops were stationed in the Minsk area. Only the troops originally belonging to the Guards continued to move north. However, there were more infantry among them, so they fell behind.

Marshal Suvorov originally went with only his entourage, but Prince Bagration was worried about his teacher's health, so he left the troops and followed with only his adjutant.

Miloradovich also went with them, but he was going to St. Petersburg on a mission and had to make arrangements at the post stations along the way, so he was not in this small team.

When he reached Novgorod, the old marshal's body finally couldn't bear it anymore and he collapsed completely. His estate was quite remote, so he didn't go back. However, the noble leader of Novgorod and the local governor made a special carriage for the old marshal and sent him to St. Petersburg.

When Tsar Paul heard the news that the Field Marshal was ill, he personally rode to 23 Kryukov Canal, which was the official residence of the Field Marshal's friend Marfa Fomina. One of Russia's most outstanding military figures did not even have his own residence in St. Petersburg.

His residence in Moscow was eventually sold due to financial difficulties. He was heavily in debt, and because he opposed military reforms, Tsar Paul was angry with him at the time and directly took account of the Grand Marshal's financial problems.

All of this is gone now anyway, and because of Grand Duke Constantine's advice, the Tsar did not launch an investigation into Suvorov. After all, such a small mistake as a general serving as a duty officer was nothing compared to the news that the field marshal himself was ill.

Paul was still quite emotional. When he saw the Grand Marshal, the old man was already haggard. Although he was still energetic, one could feel that he would have a hard time getting through this.

"Your Majesty, I am grateful that you came here in person. But I have become like this."

"Alexander Vasilyevich, you had better lie down. I have read the doctor's report. You were already very ill when you arrived at Kobrin's estate."

"Yes, it is unlikely that I will be able to seek a quiet life in a monastery. Your Majesty, all I can do for you is to drive all the French foxes out of their holes, but there is a black fox that is really cunning."

"That's right, Dr. Wecard. You must do your best to treat the Grand Marshal. The honor of a triumph is still necessary."

"No, Your Majesty, let the triumphal procession be left to the young men."

Paul also shook his head. Since he had come in person and saw that this old man looked like a skeleton when he was healthy and even more so when he fell ill, he felt bad.

At least there was no new conflict between the two in 1800, and Suvorov had to recuperate here for a while.

At this time, Paul asked Mr. John Antin and the loyal old servant Proshka, and learned that the Field Marshal had been feeling unwell when he was in Krakow. The accompanying military doctor diagnosed that there was no serious problem at the time, and that he became seriously ill only after returning to Russia.

Among them, Paul also sent a German named Wecard who was not very fond of using bloodletting therapy among the imperial doctors. He was also an old acquaintance of the Grand Marshal during the Empress' period.

"The Marshal's illness is still due to his age. Even I am not young anymore, and at this time I can only recuperate. There is no better way. For example, some of the tribute supplements can be added to the diet, but the Marshal's appetite is not very good at his age."

Even the imperial physician shook his head, and Paul knew the problem. "But there is one thing, Your Majesty, our master has always wanted to read some serialized novels in the newspapers, and Mr. Antin has read a lot to him."

"Ah, I'm watching too."

The servant knew what the Marshal was thinking about, besides his family, it was Solovyov's serials.

Tsar Paul would make arrangements for both children. Arkady would continue to serve in the palace, and Paul also asked the empress to arrange for him to be a bride for Arkady from among the girls of suitable family background.

He knew his ability as a "genius in arranged marriages". Suvorov, who was lying there, just smiled when he heard it.

"As for the serialization, Solovyov!"

"To!"

"You don't need to go to the Winter Palace for duty for the time being. In the near future, you should spend more time with the Grand Marshal. The book you translated is very good. Alexander Vasilyevich likes it very much. You need to speed up the process."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Solovyov took on this job, and he also felt that he had an obligation to accompany this "master". After all, he usually corresponded with Suvorov for advice, and he also learned a lot in the army. Compared with his father Sergei who traveled through time and space with a blood bond but not spiritually connected, Suvorov was his master for a shorter time, but the relationship was closer.

When Tsar Paul left, most of his entourage also left, leaving only Mr. Wecard and a group of royal doctors.

Solovyov and Bagration stayed by the bed, while Arkady went to live with her sister and would come to visit in a few days.

"My illness is really useless, but there is nothing I can do. People always have to go to see God."

"You will get better, Alexander Vasilyevich. The merchants who returned from Kyakhta also brought precious Chinese medicinal herbs. I asked about it, and it is for supplementation."

Solovyov found it difficult to switch his mind to the fact that ginseng is a great tonic for energy. Although there was English content, he couldn't bring in all the traditional medicine in Russian when it came to speaking Russian.

"In short, even people who are dying can survive for a while after eating it."

"That's a good thing, too. I'll leave it to someone who needs it. I'm already a 70-year-old fox, and there must be other patients. Such a precious herb may be useful to them."

Although Suvorov refused to take the medicine, Solovyov was not without a solution.

When Uncle Proshka came over, he leaned over to the loyal old servant and whispered a few words.

"If this can save the master's life, it must be used every day. Master Misha, our master and Master Andrei are not here, and I don't treat you as an outsider. I will do as you say and grind the powder into the food for the master. If it works, I will thank God!"

This servant has followed the Marshal for more than 30 years and his loyalty is beyond doubt.

And considering his vacation time, Solovyov would basically be here for the entire April, and he had to speed up the progress.

He looked at the manuscripts in his hand. There were actually quite a few of them. The Petersburg News was a weekly publication, so the publication speed would not be very fast.

They had to hurry up and the intensity of the courses given to those young ladies by the Queen in April was so great that Catherine was asked by the actresses of the Royal Ballet to stretch her legs for a month. She could not bear it.

Maria was also assigned classes, so during this time, Solovyov could accompany the Marshal and help Mr. Wecard keep an eye on the doctors under his command.

"I know this ginseng. It has this effect when taken orally, but don't use too much."

"They are all shattered, so there shouldn't be any problem."

"If you weren't on duty in the Guards, I really want you to be a doctor."

"I don't think I have that talent. If I were to be a surgeon, I wouldn't be as steady as I am holding a rifle. I don't have the patience to be a doctor, but if I come to look at the prescription, maybe it can be of some use."

"Yeah, but the patient's mood is also important. You can let in relatives and friends who must see him. But don't allow unnecessary people to visit like this. Patients always need a quiet environment. Even if you play music, it needs to be soothing."

"Do you want to improve people's mood? When they are in a good mood, it is indeed conducive to treatment."

Dr. Wecard did not elaborate, but Solovyov knew that Marshal Suvorov's health problem was due to aging, which is something that elderly people always have to face.

In the city of St. Petersburg, people also knew that the field marshal had returned, but the triumphal ceremony was delayed.

Although many people know that the Tsar and the Grand Marshal had many quarrels over military reforms, from the fact that Paul personally brought his entourage to visit the patient at No. 23 Kryukov Canal, we also know that their relationship is still very good.

And in the first few days of April, there were reports that the Grand Marshal's health had improved somewhat, and he was even able to see some old friends. And with his disciples and loyal servants taking care of him, there might be a chance of recovery.

But everyone knows that for the elderly, this slowly debilitating disease can be controlled and will not last too long.

Of course, Solovyov wrote so quickly that sparks were almost coming out of the tip of his pen that he translated many stories. After listening to them, Suvorov also made some comments, and his spirits improved a lot.

As for his daughter and son-in-law, with whom he had once severed ties, they also came to No. 23 Kryukov Canal to visit the patient. The Marshal forgave his son-in-law for embezzling his property and told them both to live a good life.

It seemed that the illness was under control. Suvorov couldn't even stay still and wanted to go to the yard to bask in the sun.

(End of this chapter)