Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 227 039 The Man-eating Monster in Corsica Has to Thank Solovyov

General Moreau was a graduate of the University of Rennes. On the 18th Brumaire, he led a small team to capture his university professor, and the incident took place in a relatively peaceful area.

He was a general who understood the law and was willing to abide by the order of the Republic. Compared with the Bonapartes who loved to make money, he was a bit of a clean person. After all, when he was the commander of the Northern Army and the Rhine Army, he had more opportunities to make money. Even when he and Vandamme disobeyed the orders of the Public Security Committee and did not massacre the city in Belgium, the locals regarded him as a savior and it would only take a few minutes for them to make money. However, he only had an official residence in Paris and an estate that he sold at a discount from Barras.

It was not yet the hunting season, and he had no important appointments at the moment. He just wanted to live a peaceful life. He did not even have enough political ambitions, and he did not openly oppose Bonaparte, but his family did not think so.

This was actually very disadvantageous to him personally. Not openly opposing it would actually mean greater danger. However, he was unaware of this and went hunting at the Château de Grosbois.

It was a good hunting ground and even had a history of several hundred years. A castle was built there in the early Capetian period.

"General Moreau went there. It was just a normal autumn hunt. Don't be too sensitive."

"But inside his official residence, there were a lot of opposition figures organizing salons, so something could always happen."

"Fouche, you are the Minister of Police. This matter is within your scope of responsibility. You can continue to monitor it. In addition, does Moreau have close contacts with those foreigners?"

"Except for the encounter between the military attaché of the Russian Embassy and him in Madame Recamier's salon, and a brief conversation at a reception at the Tuileries, nothing more."

"Ah, that young man, he has some talent, but it's a pity that he is not French. A young man with a pen and a sword is exactly the new generation of officers we need."

Much better than his stupid brothers. Eugene is good, but he still needs experience. The biggest benefit of marrying Josephine to Napoleon may be the two children brought by his wife, as well as the children of de Beauharnais and Josephine's relatives. From the perspective of marriage between foreigners and foreigners, or export-to-domestic sales, it is also a good choice.
The marriage between Louis and Hortense is also a combination of beauty and the beast, which is beyond imagination.

Maybe this combination has become popular in Europe recently.

Solovyov didn't know that Napoleon had noticed him. Of course, the strange thing of looking for relatives made some French veterans a little scared, but he also knew that his main task was still the activities assigned by the Tsar to be carried out in Paris.

The next trip to Nantes was a personal matter. After all, the only place he could know about his stepmother's connection with France was here.

Moreover, the French have a glorious tradition. Like the British, they have long been engaged in the privateering "business" and have produced many famous captains.

Among them were Jean Bart and Surcouf, especially the Surcouf brothers, who were still people of this era, but they were not very famous at the time.

Jean Bart was from Dunkirk, but his main area of ​​activity was not there. After all, it was not a pleasant experience to be blocked by the British when he went out. When he was under Louis XIV, his main area of ​​activity was on the ocean. When he returned home, he had to fight wits and courage with the British.

The captains of those privateering ships also have rich experience at sea, especially in Brittany.

The city of Nantes is rather strange. During the Vendée Rebellion, it was the most steadfast bastion of the Republicans, but it has also experienced serious chaos over the years.

Over the past few years, the city has fallen into decline, and the church schools of that time were almost completely destroyed in the suppression of the Girondists.

It was almost impossible to get any news, and even the religious ceremonies of the Church in churches and monasteries had only recently been resumed.

There was nothing wrong with the revolution itself, but the massacre of priests in rural areas during the Public Safety Committee period was a preview of what would happen in Spain more than a hundred years later.

Originally, the Vendée region responded to the Great Revolution, but as a result of this series of operations, the phenomenon of evading military service and resisting taxes continued until the Napoleonic era, and the rebellion was not settled until 1800.

However, Cadoudal himself did not buy into Napoleon's ideas. Even though Napoleon was quite optimistic about him, he still chose to oppose the Paris government.

He even colluded with the British and representatives of Louis XVIII, who were currently moving to London, and prepared to continue making big news in Paris.

When Solovyov came to Nantes, he happened to meet such a fat man.

Logically, he should have fled to England at this time, but he appeared in such a tavern.

"Sir, your accent doesn't sound like a local."

"I am from Paris, but I do not speak with a Parisian accent, sir."

"You have the same coat as the Corsican, and your clothes underneath are green, too, Russian?"

Solovyov knew that he could not escape. After all, his operation of killing six people in one day was well-known in Paris, and it was very likely that some rumors had also come to Nantes.

"I'm just here to look for relatives. My stepmother is from the West Indies. She was stranded in Algiers, and the Russian navy brought her to Crimea to marry my father. She came here because she was very kind to me. Since I arrived in Paris, I have been asking for news about her past, especially in Nantes. Many of the church schools here no longer exist."

"Well, Russian, I'll make a deal with you. You'll help me get in touch with your ambassador, and I'll tell you some news about your stepmother."

"What do you know? Who are you?"

Solovyov was still somewhat vigilant. He was indeed alert to such a dangerous person. He had never felt that someone with such a high risk of danger existed in the past.

"I'm Georges Cadoudal, a Russian. You were with General Moreau in Paris, and you frequented Madame Recamier's salon. You even met the First Consul. You're an interesting man. I don't think you're very qualified as a diplomat, but you do have a lot of contacts. Are you interested in making a deal?"

Solovyov knew very well what Kadudar was thinking. What he wanted was to contact Russia and Britain to oppose Napoleon in Paris.

In fact, in his view, this person has become a running dog of the British and is not necessarily a hero.

"I refuse. I will not contact you in this regard just because of my own affairs. Besides, Mr. Cadoudal, you dared to appear in Nantes. I think you think it is safe here because you are in the dark. You are going to take some action instead."

He was highly alert and had already put his hands in his pockets. Kadudar was definitely not a good guy. If he fought him at a very close distance, given his size and unarmed, he would definitely not be his opponent.

Even with the quick-firing rifle in his pocket, he could not be sure that both of his shots would hit the vital points and whether he could kill the dangerous man directly. As for Napoleon, Solovyov's evaluation was that he was a "small-minded Caesar", but overall he was not very bad, and heroes always have their destiny to achieve great deeds.

Such a person is harmless until his ambition goes beyond the limit. What is even more terrifying is the British who provoke the fight.

Killing him now can be considered as getting rid of a threat to the people, especially the bombing on Saint-Nike Street, which can be regarded as real terrorism.

"That's a pity. I even heard that you praised the current French government in the salon. It's a bit ridiculous. It's a despotic serf country. An officer made such remarks."

"And you? I heard from General Moreau that when the Vendée was still in the revolutionary camp, he led the student army of the University of Rennes to support you. What France needs is stability, and so does Europe, not bombs, assassinations, and war. It's better to be in a mess in this tavern. What I say to you won't spread too far. Leave, sir, you are a good man, and we shouldn't have anything to do here because of our differences. If you don't leave, my henchmen will find the police."

He had made up his mind, however, to kill Kadudar here and there, if possible, or to provoke a duel.

"You look like a Gascon, Baron Soloviev, or a belligerent Corsican."

Kadudar actually knew the answer Solovyov needed, but he didn't intend to tell him. It was just that he felt that with his huge body, if he really fought here, the little guy in front of him would not be his match.

However, it was more difficult for him to escape, as Nantes had always been famous for its opposition to the royalists.

As for his relationship with Moreau, it was indeed because Cadoudal was born in Vendée. At that time, Moreau organized a student army for him to return to his hometown to support the Great Revolution, but then he participated in the royalist rebellion in Vendée.

To put it bluntly, this man is also a speculator. Since 1792, France has been a paradise for adventurers of all kinds. One comes after another, and it is still unknown what such people will do.

"If that's the case, I suggest you, sir, stay away from here. And I noticed that your hands were in your pockets. And from your figure, I think you were going to use the knife."

The revolver Solovyov is using now can fire continuously. He doesn't need to keep pressing the hammer like before. He has even released the safety.

As he spoke, he had already begun to back away, to guard against any sudden action by Kadudar.

In fact, as he spoke, Kadudar really rushed over and there was really a dagger in his hand.

After all, Solovyov was still very flexible, but the knife still cut his shoulder.

However, Kadudar was targeting his right hand. Solovyov happened to hold the gun with both hands. His right shoulder hurt, and with his adrenaline rushing, he took out the gun with his left hand.

He drew his gun, fired, and emptied the magazine. Although the knife had stabbed directly into his muscle, making the pain worse and even worrying that his shoulder would be broken - at least his internal organs were not injured.

Kadudal was hit by six bullets in a row. Such a tall guy was shot so many times, two of which hit his heart. He should not have survived.

However, this meant that he could no longer continue his activities in Nantes.

However, the killing of Cadoudal was somewhat abstract, and the news even quickly reached Paris.

Napoleon himself was almost shocked when a Russian diplomat went to Nantes on personal business (Soloviev was very cautious, of course) and accidentally encountered George Kadudar in a tavern. Kadudar was shot dead on the spot, and Solovyov was injured in an arm.

"It's considered that I have eliminated a threat, but it's a pity for Kadudar. If he had followed me, he would have achieved great things and become a brave general."

"Napoleon, don't be sentimental about him. Remember the bomb on Saint-Nicaise Street on Christmas Eve. And the village that was burned down during the suppression by the mobile team."

Josephine remembered clearly that the explosion frightened her daughter and Carolina, and Murat's first child had some minor problems since he was born.

As for the dozens of casualties, the serious damage to 46 houses on the Rue Saint-Nicaise, and the subsequent sweep of Brittany by Bernadotte's Rangers, Georges Cadoudal's revenge on some villages that opposed him.

No matter how you look at it, this person has committed many evil things and deserves the punishment he gets.

What was surprising was that the person who killed Kadudal was not a Frenchman, and it even looked more like a fight in a tavern.

Everyone knows that the Bretons, Vendées and Gascons are all very belligerent, and the Russians are just as belligerent, so it is not surprising that fights break out.

Considering the relationship between Russia and France, the local police in Nantes closed the case as a fight.

However, Solovyov also knew that he should stay in Nantes to recuperate and might have to put the matter of visiting relatives on hold.

Fortunately, the flesh wound this time did not damage any vital parts, so it doesn’t matter whether I continue my journey to the UK or return to Paris.

The British couldn't say anything. After all, the French police had closed the case, and Kadudal also had the confession of the person involved, which proved that he was the first to draw the knife.

No matter how you look at it, this can be considered self-defense. One of our own attacked a potential friend, and William Pitt the Younger could only lament the loss of a useful dagger.

A large-scale manhunt began around the Vendée and Nantes, which also involved the British planning another attack. This was not brought to the table by the French until the war between Britain and France officially went to war.

At least it is certain that the Jacobins were indeed political opponents, not murderers supported by the royalists.

This is the exact opposite of the Reign of Terror, as Madame Le Brun was once concerned about the tragic death of her client, Madame Lamballe, a good friend of the Queen. This is exactly what some royalists are doing now, and many of the attacks even harm civilians.

Solovyov even felt that he had done something to help the people get rid of harm.

(End of this chapter)