Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 281 048 The New Leader of the Selenge Regiment
No one had lived at No. 4 Xiyi Lane for some time, and the door was always closed, with only servants coming to check on it.

You have to clean every room here and open all the windows in the summer, which has a pretty good effect.

These days, Solovyov moved all his personal belongings from the Moika River embankment to the old house. After all, there was a canal separating the two houses and some bridges in the middle, so there was no problem for horse-drawn carriages to pass back and forth.

However, when he transported it, he drove a steamship from the Neva River, which attracted the attention of passers-by.

But compared with the people who robbed the Tauride Palace back then, many of the things Solovyov moved out of his home were piles of various documents.

He needed a carpenter to make a set of bookcases and change the layout of the old house at the same time.

During this period, he did not live at his home on the Moika River Embankment, but went to the headquarters of the Guards.

"Your personnel relationship is still here. If you want to transfer out, you will no longer be an officer of the Guards. Especially in Putian Misha, don't you consider it?"

"Your Highness, I will go to Smolensk next, where I will serve as a staff officer for General Apraksin."

"Ah, the appointments have all come down."

"Exactly."

"My brother finally let you go, but being a staff officer in Smolensk is essentially no different from being in Petersburg. I think it would be better for you to take on a job leading troops, such as leading an infantry regiment. Your resume and rank are just right for being a regiment commander."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"If nothing else, you risked your life to save me in the Po River, so I should help you. But I'm not sure which regiment to assign you to."

Constantine then began to write with a quill, but the effect was not very good.

"Damn it, this thing never works."

"Your Highness, you actually need a good dip pen."

"what is that?"

"The steel nib is mixed with some alloys, and then the ink tube is added. When I was in the United States, I heard that someone was planning to improve an ancient design and apply for a patent."

"That sounds good. A quill pen breaks too easily. If it were made of metal, it would be much better. I wouldn't have to dip it in ink again after signing."

Constantine thought this was also quite useful. Moreover, when issuing orders, if a pencil was used, the handwriting would be easily blurred, so writing with ink was more reliable.

"Your Highness, if all the new factories are in St. Petersburg, it is not suitable for promotion. I want to take the opportunity of returning to my hometown of Ryazan this time to visit some nobles in Moscow and ask them to invest. In addition to pens, there are also canned supplies for the army. Not only glass cans, but also iron cans."

He had already thought of it. After the cans were eaten, he would hang the cans on barbed wire and place them in front of the position to prevent sneak attacks from the enemy.

In Napoleon's era, firing squad was just one form of combat in a battle. In reality, war was still very complicated, and it was not just European countries that fought according to certain rules, but also the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire. Except for some new-style armies, their way of fighting remained in the period of the Polish "Great Flood".

Solovyov didn't have to swing his giant sword and chop off three heads before he could marry a wife, but the Ottoman army liked to launch surprise attacks, and it had always been like this.

"Well, you can do it. Have you told my brother about this?"

"I mentioned this to the Emperor before I went to Sweden."

"Very good, go ahead and do it. Also, work hard in Smolensk, you still have a bright future."

Therefore, as the actual commander of the Guards, Konstantin approved Solovyov's transfer, but the unit he was going to take over as the commander was the Selenge Musketeer Regiment formed in Selenginsk in Buryatia.

This regiment was reorganized after 1796. It was in two different sequences from the old Selenge regiment. Moreover, it only had two infantry battalions and one grenadier battalion from Siberia to Smolensk, and its strength was relatively streamlined.

But such a team was enough for a new commander to lead, not to mention that Solovyov had temporarily formed a team and led such a force during the Italian campaign.

He still needs to be prepared. After all, it is a new group that has only been formed for 8 years and there are still many things to do.

By the time he saw the appointment, it was already June, and he even needed to go to Smolensk in advance and change his original plan.

In this way, he set out from St. Petersburg in advance and went to Smolensk, and he had to come back before Maria's wedding in July.

After all, the prince had specifically asked him to attend the wedding, and even the invitation had been sent to his home in Xili Lane.

Considering the friendship between him and these young ladies, he had no choice but to go. Although Maria was going to marry far away in Weimar, she still had a close relationship with Alexander and Queen Mother Maria.

However, after that, his leave would be approved, because he went to Moscow and Ryazan to do important business, and the Tsar himself approved it. It was impossible for the group leader to refuse such a leave.

In addition, even the regiment commander, Major General Nikolai Zubov, knew that he was a favorite of two generations of tsars, so his leave request had to be approved.

After all, several brothers with the surname Zubov were sent back to their respective estates and placed under house arrest.

The corps' base in Smolensk was indeed a brand new move.

This regiment later experienced battles in Smolensk when the Third Coalition War broke out, and may not have had much to do with Solovyov, but it also had to go through battles in Smolensk.

This road is the only way to Moscow from Europe.

Therefore, Solovyov would not neglect it. This place must be an important strategic center as long as someone wants to enter Moscow.

He had many opportunities to thoroughly survey the terrain around Smolensk when he served as a garrison staff officer and commander of the Selenge Regiment.

That’s all I can think of, but I still have to put it into practice.

General Apraksin also received him warmly in Smolensk. After all, he was also a friend of Count and Countess Stroganov. The general and the count were brothers-in-law and both married the daughter of the "Queen of Spades".

The term "Queen of Spades" does not exist now. It was coined by Pushkin later.

"Misha, you have come to Smolensk only to see me, haven't you?"

"Yes, Stepan Stepanovich, the position of chief of staff is still the head of the commander's staff, responsible for assisting the governor-general or the corps general in handling various affairs."

"You are here to be a staff member, but His Highness Constantine also recommended you to be the commander of the Selenge Regiment, serving as a staff member and a soldier at the same time. That's because you are still young and were brought up by Alexander Vasilyevich. If it were someone else, he might not be able to do two jobs well." When Solovyov was in Italy, he often switched back and forth between several identities. He was indeed a multifunctional talent, but he needed to be stuffed into a position instead of having accessories like a multi-functional infantry vehicle.

Although General Apraksin himself was born into a noble military family, he was able to become a cavalry general because Suvorov had promoted him in the battles in Crimea and the Danube.

The ability may not be the strongest, but there is still some skill in it.

"I think after I officially take office, I also need to understand the situation around Smolensk. An important task for the military governor's staff is to understand the terrain of the defense zone. Whether it is recruiting soldiers or dispatching troops, it is still necessary to improve road facilities and supply lines along the way."

"Just do what you planned. I will support you."

General Apraksin was obviously a hands-off boss, and many cavalry generals had this problem.

However, when taking action, subordinates have more freedom and can work more flexibly.

In this way, Solovyov will also go to the military camp.

He was not very confident about the ordinary musket regiments, even though the Selenge Regiment itself had two Siberian infantry battalions in Selenginsk as its foundation.

This kind of ordinary-sized troops are not very reassuring.

And after arriving at the military camp, he did feel something strange.

The stupid soldiers of this regiment are now looking at the arrival of their new commander.

"Brothers, you can't do this! You must dress neatly and don't wear your hats askew! And, polish your boots!"

"Master, we know what you said, but we have always been short of everything here. We haven't changed our things since the old camp came here, and our clothes are still the same old ones."

"Ah, which Siberian frozen fish is responsible for your supply? Also, according to the emperor's order, live-fire shooting training must be conducted every year. Have you practiced before?"

"Master, there is no shooting training this year."

"Are there any military exercises?"

"Yes, but they just rushed forward with bayonets pointed, 'Ura! Ura!', saying it was to exercise their courage."

"Your previous captain was really capable. When I was in the Guards, this kind of thing never happened."

Compared with the Guards and some well-trained troops, the morale of the Selenge Regiment was indeed not very good.

Moreover, the leather boots issued by Moscow were of very poor quality, so these soldiers provided their own leather boots.

"Even when the former German regiment commander was still around, it wasn't that good. We spent the whole day with a cleaning rod against the barrel of a gun. When the old emperor was around, the soldiers' food and drink supplies were okay, but we were all thrown to the Germans."

"Yes, sir, when we get to the present emperor, we don't have to worry about becoming a team of Germans, but our own people are not very good either."

"You are from St. Petersburg. If there is anything, you have to report it to the higher-ups, first to the group leader."

This is simple. If he has any problems, he can just report directly to the Governor General Apraksin. After all, he holds two positions at the same time. Currently, many regiments in the Russian army are still independent units in peacetime and will be incorporated into the corps later.

As for the establishment of division-level units, the Russian army's divisions are larger than those of other countries, and in fact, the number of troops is more sufficient.

If a fight really comes, it will be a different story.

As for the Russian army, which is still taking the elite route and was even able to increase its numbers when it was expanding, it has become "gray cattle" in just a few decades. This problem more or less lies with Nicholas I.

The style of the Russian army changed afterwards, and it fell far behind when it should have been making rapid progress.

During the Alexander period, this tendency was not so serious, and the army had undergone two reforms and achieved some results, and the artillery was strengthened later.

Although the artillery is now an independent branch of the military, it will be deployed to various regiments in the future.

Solovyov still needs to train his troops well in Smolensk. When he was in St. Petersburg, the Guards and Grenadiers were elite troops, and they had a lot of training and exercises. These troops that are not stationed near the capital have a different set of training.

Fortunately, there is still a lot of time and there is still a chance to adjust.

As for the quartermaster, Solovyov still needed to have a good talk with him.

"You are the quartermaster, what is your name?"

"Stachenko Ivan Ivanovich, quartermaster of the regiment, captain"

Ah, what a good last name, very suitable for a frozen fish.

"How many soldiers are there in this regiment now, and how is the distribution of supplies?"

"Sir, it's all in the account book. I've recorded every single one of them, including the pay and supplies given to each soldier. The pay is sometimes a little off, a few kopecks or half a ruble short is common, and sometimes it's paper money, which is not as valuable as silver rubles. But there have always been some problems with the supplies here, and sometimes the things sent are damaged."

"Ah, I have to go back to Petersburg in July. During this period, I will report to the Governor-General. Also, when I go to Petersburg, I will find a way to make sure that the leather boots on the brothers' feet are new and durable! As for eating and dressing, these things cannot be delayed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

This Dongyu is quite clever. Although he sometimes embezzles money secretly, he has good relationships with people and can also bring back a lot of things for these soldiers. Therefore, he is still a qualified quartermaster, at least he does not need to be interrogated thoroughly.

Someone is still needed to do the work. In Russia, bureaucracy has existed since ancient times. This is a global problem that no country is immune to.

Solovyov had other things to do, but they would have to wait until he returned from Moscow.

Fortunately, the regimental master system was not so strict after Alexander ascended the throne. The management rights of many regiments actually returned to the commanders, who copied all of them from the Prussian army, which was actually a big problem.

Judging from the daily life of the Prussian army that Solovyov witnessed with his own eyes, even with a brave general like the "Black Duke" leading the troops, the quality of training was not high. It would be better to follow the Russians' own methods.

(End of this chapter)