Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 297 064 Bagration recommends Solovyov to return to the Guards

Solovyov returned to St. Petersburg. He now lives alone in the old house at No. 4 Laundry Lane, separated from his family but not far away.

After all, you can walk out of the front door of your house, turn right onto the embankment of the Moika Canal, walk along the road on the right for a while, and then take the ferry or cross the bridge to get home.

The distance is not far, but he has some personal reasons, so he will stay at No. 4 Xili Lane.

It is more convenient to get to the publishing house from here, and there is more freedom of movement. Except for the mansions of two great nobles at the entrance of Laundry Alley, there is always a feeling that someone is monitoring us.

This also gave him the idea of ​​buying a new mansion, but it was not so urgent.

"Adela, take this letter and this package to Count Stroganov, Pavel Stroganov, the handsome young man, at 17 Nevsky Prospect."

"What if the person who opens the door is his servant?"

"Don't worry about that. The servants in the Earl's house can speak some French, and you speak Russian very well. You should take courage."

With Adela's cleverness, she should be fine.

But there were some small troubles. Solovyov did not realize that the little girl had been looking at him strangely recently.

He is usually very good at observing people's words and expressions, but he is not so "vigilant" when it comes to people around him.

As for what is going to happen, it is probably that he is just like General Miloradovich. He can easily become a friend of women. He is handsome and capable, so naturally he attracts a lot of attention.

It's just that Miloradovich was older, somewhat of an "old prince charming", and had even been on the reserve roster of the Queen's lover. However, he spoke poor German, went to Königsberg for further studies, and also attended Kant's courses. This was a strange path.

Solovyov, on the other hand, was somewhat mysterious. After all, as soon as he had gained some fame, he was sent to Paris and even crossed the Atlantic to embark on an official adventure in Santo Domingo and New Spain.

This time when he returned to St. Petersburg, he would inevitably become the topic of discussion in the salons, especially since he had many friends in his social circle.

Adela went to 17 Nevsky Prospect with the letters and parcels, while Solovyov himself went to Bagration's residence at 25 Italia Street.

The couple separated recently because the "little fairy" had a serious illness and was literally advised by the doctor to go to Austria for recuperation.

It’s just that these quack doctors always prescribe hot spring treatments for people without considering the actual situation.

"Kadis's illness is not serious, but the doctor insisted on doing this. I don't know why."

Bagration had a serious look on his face, but the children were left at home, and he was dignified and kind when facing them.

He gives people the impression that he should be a strict father, but Georgia is a country with many daughter slaves. Facing the little angels in his family, no matter how tough a man is, his heart will melt.

"Is this doctor familiar to you? Peter Ivanovich, or did you know Katish before?"

"It doesn't matter, but she would like to go to Vienna. It's more lively there than in Petersburg."

As for this couple, the man is his senior and de facto mentor, and the woman is also his friend. This makes it difficult for him to intervene, and it would be inappropriate to favor either side.

"Only she lives in Vienna, and I think it will be very troublesome there, too."

It's nothing else but Metternich. Solovyov's friend Nesherrode admires him very much, and he is also a veteran in the love field.

Speaking of foreign ministers of this era, many of them were good at seducing other people's wives. Even Mr. Talleyrand, who had two Ls but one leg that was not very convenient, was a master at seducing other people's wives. It really shows that you can't judge a person by his appearance.

As for Metternich, he was an even more dangerous person, especially to Bagration.

He is a hunter in the love field, and his taste is very high. It is difficult for the prey he has set his eyes on to escape.

"Your worries are justified. Compared to her sister, Katish is more innocent and it is inevitable that she will encounter such troubles."

But Solovyov didn't find it strange what Bagration said later.

After all, the emperor didn't care about wearing a crown inlaid with emeralds. Even now he was like a "blind man" and had no idea about what was happening between his queen and himself.

Even if such a thing really happened, Alexander would probably have the demeanor of King Zhuang of Chu.

The prince knew that his daughter-in-law was easily deceived, and that if she was with him, the two of them would have a good relationship and would not be disturbed by the people around them.

But when it came to Vienna, Bagration was different from some generals. He was a favorite of the two tsars and had always been valued. Unlike ordinary generals and nobles, he could not take leave to accompany his wife on a trip abroad.

But his attitude really made Solovyov confused about what to do. After all, he was his senior brother. If it were someone else, he might not care so much.

"Mishka, thank you for your concern, but I think even if this really happened, Katish would only be impressed by me. After all, when she cried and hid in your arms, you told her the 'investigation results', didn't you?"

Well, this may have a miraculous effect. She may feel that those experienced in seducing people in the love field are still far behind in actual combat, especially diplomats, most of whom are not as good as soldiers in this regard.
Bagration's physical fitness is quite good. Even when he is marching with the soldiers, his physical strength when walking is far greater than that of some elite soldiers.

Solovyov thought about it and felt that his worries were not in vain. The bond between the two of them was such that even if an Austrian came in, it would be difficult to separate them.

But when the time comes, Prince Bagration still needs to be strong.
"Mishka, don't just talk about me. You are not young anymore."

"I'm only 23, it's still early."

Bagration also wanted to laugh after hearing this.

This guy had a lover in Italy, and he kept it a secret from everyone around him at the time. Even now, only a few people in St. Petersburg know about it.

But the real situation may be even more outrageous than Bagration imagined.

"Then let's not talk about this issue. I don't need to worry about you. You are not a friend we are all familiar with."

Then Bagration came to the point and asked the servants to take all his daughters to the children's room to play.

"I think war is inevitable."

"You mean the war with France?"

"The Emperor seems very determined, and there are already some rumors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You know the Queen's brother-in-law..."

Bagration couldn't help laughing when he thought of this. Czartoryski coveted the queen but failed to get her. It was an open secret in the reigns of Paul and Alexander. In the end, he failed to get her girl and ended up becoming her brother-in-law.

There was no way, this guy was so ostentatious, Alexander tolerated his suicidal behavior, and even considered Poland's interests first when he became foreign minister, and his attempt to sleep with his wife, and continued to use him and lead the diplomatic negotiations with Britain. It was beyond common sense, and as for Solovyov's secret actions, no signs had been found so far.

"You mean the Polish prince?"

"It was him. He was the one leading the recent negotiations with the British."

Even this includes not only the Tsar's own determination, but also the will of the Queen Mother.

Queen Mother Maria intervened in state affairs mainly in diplomatic occasions, and she always considered the interests of her mother's home, Württemberg.

Hence the Treaty of Alliance between Austria and Russia in November 1804, and the diplomatic agreement between Britain and Russia which is now being negotiated.

"I think we should keep our distance from the British. It is not a wise choice to get involved in the affairs of the German states. Even though Her Majesty the Queen Mother is from Württemberg, Her Majesty the Queen is from Baden, and several of Her Majesties have chosen to marry German princes, getting involved in the chaos in Europe always reminds me of the Thirty Years' War."

Seeing him like this, Bagration recalled that his teacher Suvorov favored this junior fellow because he had an extremely quick mind and was willing to study hard on his own. He was simply a human encyclopedia and could quickly think of many examples from the past.

"The Thirty Years' War?"

"Yes, we really shouldn't intervene in the battlefield so early. We should wait until the countries opposing France are exhausted. Then it will be more valuable to intervene. What's more, this is what Cardinal Richelieu did in the past."

The only flaw in this assumption is that we don't know how powerful Napoleon was.

However, if Britain does not pay attention to France's affairs, it will offer a higher price and manipulate the trade between Britain and Russia.

A typical example of this kind of operation going wrong was when Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, seized Ottoman warships.

But it is indeed more in Russia's interest to let the British offer a higher price.

But no one could persuade the tsar, who was too ambitious for success. All tsars in history had this problem to some extent.

"But the situation we are facing now obviously does not have such an imperial prime minister or regent who can increase the value of our bargaining chips. And I don't understand diplomacy. You'd better be prepared and be ready to return to St. Petersburg to take up your post at any time!"

Before he set out, Bagration mentioned to him that after the Guards Chasseur Battalion was officially expanded into the Guards Chasseur Regiment, he would serve as the regiment's commanding general, but he had never had a suitable regimental commander.

"You still want me to come back, but I have just made some achievements in the Selenge Regiment, and the report has been submitted to the Minister of War by the Governor-General."

"It is a common practice for a regimental commander to be transferred to another regiment for a short period of time because of some minor matter. You should come back. Good officers are needed everywhere. Moreover, if troops are really transferred, the Selenge Regiment will only serve as a garrison. You actually want to see that Bonaparte on the battlefield. I know you well."

Well, this man is my uncle!

Moreover, this condition was indeed impossible to refuse, as the equipment and tactics of the Guards Chasseurs were all designed by him.

If you come back late and don't integrate well with the troops, it will be meaningless.

"I can come back, but I have to arrange the affairs of the Selenge Regiment."

Bagration was very satisfied with Solovyov's attitude. He believed that everything should be done from beginning to end, and even if it had to be abandoned halfway, it would be arranged properly.

"You'd better not go back. Don't let a Frenchman be the head of the Guards Chasseurs."

"Ugh?"

"The little Count de Saint-Prix is ​​to be placed with me."

"The Duke of Angoulême's aide-de-camp?"

"Yes, a brave officer, but one who has not seen much hard fighting."

Solovyov is an officer who knows Bagration well, and if he proposes the idea to Alexander, it should be able to satisfy him.

If you really want to go to war, it would be more suitable to have officers who have experienced the Italian and Swiss expeditions and fought in all the battles.

At the same time, it was somewhat ridiculous to let a French exiled noble be the commander of the Guards when fighting the French.

Moreover, this count did not do much work after arriving in Russia, but his military rank was promoted very quickly.

Solovyov's promotion from second lieutenant to first lieutenant was related to his seniority, but every time he was promoted in the military, there was a merit book to prove it, and it was not based on a noble title. His family's baron title was formalized by Alexander.

Moreover, whether it was the soldiers of the Guards or the soldiers of the general troops, they didn't like their master very much, because he was a foreigner.

This was his special advantage. As the head of the group, Bagration still had the right of recommendation. If he returned to St. Petersburg to take up the post, no one would object.

"Ok."

"That's right, but we don't have much time. After you come back, you still have to focus on training and put other things aside."

In this case, artistic activities will have to be put on hold.

When training the troops, all the issues that Solovyov had to consider had already been planned out in the barracks of the Smolensk Selenge Regiment.

I just don’t know whether Grand Duke Constantine will improve the training methods of the Guards according to his ideas.

At the same time, he didn't want to think too much about some personal issues. After returning to St. Petersburg, he would definitely be closer to Louisa, but with his cautious character and the current time constraints, he would not be like those boring adventurers.

You still have to do the serious work well, and also make a schedule.

Based on the current treaty signed between Russia and Austria, as well as the diplomatic agreements between Britain and Russia, and Britain and Austria, this would only leave him with a window of about eight months.

By the second half of 1805, the troops would begin to march to the battlefields in Central Europe.

That is to say, the selection of soldiers for the Guards is relatively strict, their basic qualities are relatively high, and they are all short and strong elite warriors.

But, saying this, it always feels a bit like a dwarf musketeer.

Although Solovyov doesn't like business (playing World of Warcraft) very much, the sense of déjà vu is still very strong.

I have been adjusting my status during this period, and will try to resume the daily update tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)