Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 283 050 The Guards' Weapons Update
It is true that Moscow is Russia's transportation hub, but there is also a road from Smolensk via Vitebsk and Pskov that goes directly to St. Petersburg.

However, this road is not as easy to travel as the two main roads from Smolensk to Moscow.

So his choice was to go out on horseback instead of taking a carriage.

Moreover, this road, located on the north side of the entire Smolensk Highway, is very convenient for cavalry units to launch operations.

However, we are not going to fight foreigners on Russian soil now.

Soon he returned to Gatchina, where he could see that Queen Mother Maria's palace was making intensive preparations for the marriage of her third daughter.

The final wedding ceremony would be held in the church of the Winter Palace, but the newlyweds would live in the palace in Gatchina or Pavlovsk before returning to Weimar.

Here, Solovyov also met Count Bobulinsky, an uncle who was obviously here to see his niece.

"Misha, you look fine."

"Have you been well lately?"

"Yes, it's very good. The climate in the countryside of Ryazan is good, much better than the noisy life in Petersburg. When will you return to your hometown? Although most of your family members are in Petersburg, you also have a manor in Ryazan that needs to be taken care of, right?"

"After Her Highness Maria's wedding, I will go to Moscow first, then return to Ryazan. After I have settled my affairs, I will go to Smolensk to take up my post."

"You are such a busy man. When I was your age, I was still lingering in beautiful Paris. And I also know that you have been to Paris. How was it there?"

“It was bustling, noisy, and depressing, and I may have witnessed some of the conspiracies in Paris.”

This is true, and Count Bobulinski also agreed. When he was in Paris in 1788, it was still the Bourbon dynasty and the atmosphere in Paris was not as vibrant as during the Consulate period.

However, it was the same everywhere. The conspiracy in Paris was mainly about General Moreau being exiled to America by Napoleon, and the case of the Duke of Enghien turned from a tragedy into a joke.

"Never mind that. Come back to Petersburg now. How are you doing in Smolensk?"

"Being a staff member of the military governor, and being the head of a group, is different from before."

"When you become a general, you should have the opportunity to become a regiment leader. You are so young, there are still plenty of opportunities."

"Yes, but now it seems that Napoleon has become the emperor. Although he was elected by vote, this behavior..."

"You shouldn't have said that in Gatchina, Misha."

Count Bobulinski was also well aware that the Queen Mother herself did not like to talk about the current French government, especially since the two of them were chatting in Russian and did not seem like people from the court.

They are more like two country gentlemen from Ryazan, and they both have estates there.

“But it’s inevitable that this topic will come up in the salon.”

"Yes, and about the Tula Arsenal. Do you know that Prince Peter Dolgorukov has retired from Tula?"

"He is not even old enough to retire yet, so why did he return to his estate?"

"This is an arrangement within the palace. In fact, you noticed this more when you were in Petersburg."

Solovyov knew that that family had a closer relationship with the two generations of tsars. Perhaps this retirement was because Alexander was very dissatisfied with the production of the Tula Arsenal, or it could be an exchange to pave the way for his sons.

But that is not the focus. Now the equipment of the Russian Guards has obviously become new weapons.

In addition to the Guards Jagdpanzers being fully equipped with Solovyov's paper shell rifles, the muskets in the hands of the line infantry and grenadiers were also imitated with reference to the newer style of the French 1777 rifle.

They all look relatively complete, but judging from the current equipment of the Russian army, they are indeed a variety of international brands.

Fortunately, the standard weapons of this era were not as rigorous as those in the Crimean War 50 years later, when loading gunpowder and bullets.

If it is used in future precision weapons, there may be some troubles, such as what happened in India.

Solovyov sometimes had a sudden thought: the Russians were so skilled in cheating India, was it because of the several types of rifles that were forged by an army during the Tsarist era?

At this time, only the weapons of Britain and France were relatively standardized, while other countries often mixed together various brands.

Solovyov actually knew about the rifles that the Guards were currently using. Because the technology of the breech-loading rifle he had developed had too many penalties, if the Russian processing technology could guarantee quality, it would be possible to equip the Guards with the Tula rifle and his new rifle.

As for the thing hanging on the waist of the Guards Cavalry, he was even more familiar with it.

Especially since the person on duty here today is Davydov.

"Ah, Davydov, you have made it big now. You have become a lieutenant in the cavalry."

"You are such a joke, Mishka. Being an adjutant like you can show off in front of the Emperor, and you don't need to use your other talents, such as poetry." However, Davydov's cousin is Yermolov, who is a relative of Raevsky, and his grandfather is the Russian Commander-in-Chief Sherbinin, so his background is also here.

"Then you have to be careful. The people who check books and newspapers are always nitpicking. If you dare to satirize the authorities, they will give you a hard time. But with your status, at most you will be..."

"All of us in the Royal Guards are fearless bastards, but you are a serious person, so you are the odd one out among us."

Davydov did write a satirical poem, and he did not know how to restrain himself and wanted it to be published in the newspaper. At this time, someone would definitely cause trouble for him. If the Guards Cavalry Corps is no longer able to do its job, he would probably be sent to a Hussar Regiment where there are more lawless criminals.

There were also many troublemakers among the Guards' infantry. When Solovyov was the battalion commander, he often had to deal with these young men on duty.

"Let's put that aside. Are you using this kind of gun too?"

"You mean this? I remember you were the first one to use it. Because it was too powerful, you were not allowed to use it in duels."

"This thing is fine in France. I fought six duels in one day. They also understand the power of this weapon. It's just that the old guy among the revolvers is not as durable as this little guy."

He also used this gun to defeat the royalists and fight zombies in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

"This is a good thing during a war. It can save your life at a critical moment."

It can fire quickly and continuously, so it is indeed a good gun.

As for Davydov, he also had two pistols on his waist, which was the favorite configuration of cavalry officers who had the money to buy their own weapons.

"Where are you from, Davydov?"

Solovyov called him by his last name because he really couldn't remember what Denis's Russian nickname was, and he had more seniority in the sequence of duty adjutants, so it was okay to call him that.

"Borodino, what's wrong?"

"Borodino, Borodino, your family is an old noble family, unlike mine, although my family still has a title." He felt a little embarrassed when he thought of this person on the battlefield, so he changed the subject directly.

"In a war, it doesn't matter who is an old noble or who has a title. It all depends on real ability and luck."

"Is that so? Your brother is also in the cavalry?"

"Yes, we all use fast guns like you."

"After we have equipped the chasseurs, we can get some carbines for the cavalry. When I went hunting with General von Paalen, I used a carbine with a shortened barrel. It was very useful for hunting deer."

"But the thing used by the hunters has only been equipped to two regiments so far. You put in so much effort, but in the end you only got this little. It's not worth it."

"That's a good idea. We can see the power of new weapons on the battlefield. But I'm not in the Guards Chasseurs. I'm going to Smolensk to take up a post. Not only will I be a staff officer, but I'll also be the commander of the Selenge Regiment."

"The Selenge Regiment? The one that Prince Klimsky led?"

"No, it is a new regiment established by the Emperor in Buryatia in 1796. I need to train the troops when I return, and learn how to command an army of more than one regiment."

"You want to be a general? That's good, at least it's better than those old men up there."

"You still love to gossip, but what's going on in the palace?"

Davydov came to Gatchina for duty and knew the situation here to some extent.

"Everything is fine, except that the Queen Mother has been arranging marriages for the princes."

"That's not something we can control. Her Highness Maria is getting married. She's going to Weimar this time. Goethe and Schiller are there. I went to Saxony before, but I only stayed in Dresden."

"Wouldn't that satisfy her? I've heard from the old fellows here that you always let her catch you."

"Ah, that's right. Who made me know so many songs? But later on, when I was in the post of a general and aide-de-camp, such things happened less often."

"No wonder you got a copy of His Highness' invitation. But things are strange in the palace recently. Her Highness the Queen and Madame Naryshkin... well, that lady from Poland. Her brother and I are very good friends. They are often together. I don't know what's going on."

"You better keep your mouth shut, or else everything will get out."

People like Davydov are sometimes more annoying than gossips. Hussar officers are troublemakers, and they often spread gossip and pursue lovers everywhere.

"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who doesn't count."

But it was what he said that made people feel uneasy.

Before returning to St. Petersburg, he went to see Maria.

But at this moment, Maria was dressing up. When she saw Solovyov coming back, she also dressed up before coming out.

"Misha, thank you for avenging my father."

"Eh? Your Highness, why do you say that?"

"You raided the regicide's home and obtained crucial evidence. Those who were directly involved in the murder have been punished, except for those you couldn't deal with."

"As an aide-de-camp, I sometimes have to do this."

"But I can't take you away. I did find something interesting at my sister-in-law's place. This poem looks like it was written by you."

When he said goodbye to Louisa, he did write such a poem, but Maria was still a bit naive and her understanding was a little biased.

"I think my sister-in-law is the same. She asked you to write a poem, but I asked you to sing. This poem is really interesting."

But Maria was okay, she was good at keeping secrets and had some feelings for Solovyov.

"When I go to Weimar, I won't be able to ask you for music scores so often."

"But I'm going to Smolensk too. I'm not like the others who have more time to take care of my own affairs. Being a staff officer is also hard work, and I also serve as a regiment commander."

"Ah, then you have to work hard. Taking care of two positions at the same time, my brother really values ​​you."

Maria is relatively sensible, unlike her younger sister Ekaterina who likes to be a third wheel.

"If you ever have the chance to visit Weimar, you can come visit me."

"I can come to you, my lord, either as a diplomat or with the army."

"I heard from my mother that there might be a war, and I must be careful when I go to Weimar."

"You have to pay attention. You may have to make arrangements to leave Weimar and return to St. Petersburg."

"Are you so unconfident? This is not like the warrior who went to Italy with Brother Constantine. You went to Italy to defeat the French."

But this little girl didn't know how powerful Napoleon was. She simply thought that since the Russian army had defeated the French, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Once in Weimar, she was going to live happily with her docile husband.

Maria was the worst in this aspect, and Alexandra, who was in the Württemberg environment, inevitably thought more about these things. Elena was always smart, and Catherine was always concerned about political affairs, and even had the ambition to become a queen in another country.

She still prefers music, and she is also very good at court etiquette.

Although her appearance is not as good as her sisters.

But the good thing is that she has a gentle and lovely personality and can get along well with everyone.

"You should also be careful. In addition, I wish you happiness, Your Highness. You should also live a happy and fulfilling life like the two married princesses."

"Thanks for your kind words, Misha. But it's almost time to say goodbye. Can you copy a song for me?"

"Which one do you want?"

"I haven't thought about it yet, but if you write it yourself or your powerful friends in the countryside, you must give me one. It will be your blessing to me."

This prince is still as restrained and scheming as Solovyov, and even somewhat natural.

(End of this chapter)