Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 315 The Royal Review in Spring
The appearance of the commander of the Guards, led by Grand Duke Constantine, before the Tsar usually meant only one thing: preparation for war.

However, there was a problem with the Guards. Although they were well-equipped and their soldiers and officers were selected based on merit, they spent most of the 18th century as the protagonists of palace coups rather than the main force fighting the enemy on the battlefield.

In Russia's two recent large-scale wars, the army was mobilized from local areas, both against the Ottoman Empire and France.

In other words, the Russian army had previously fought wars relying on general troops stationed in local areas, while the Guards rarely appeared.

It is indeed necessary to verify the training results of each unit. Now it is the spring of 1805, and we have to go to the theater in Gatchina again.

This mobilization of the Guards was not based on the kind of training on the training grounds that were arranged in rows during Paul's time. Instead, it focused on live-fire shooting and small-scale confrontation training.

This kind of thing was not the first time that it had happened on the training ground. It was just that it was often done during Paul's time, but by the time of Alexander, things had relaxed a bit.

But Solovyov was not worried. In the few months since he returned to the Guards, he found that the training of the Guards Jager Regiment was quite strict before it was upgraded. At least according to the plans of the former battalion commanders and regiment commanders, he would not have to start from scratch when he took over.

From this perspective, it is beneficial for Bagration to be the team leader. At least the training ideas can be implemented. However, the "penetrating impact" training that Suvorov has always required rarely appears.

Today on the training ground, the Russian army's training subjects, in addition to live-fire shooting, also included formation changes.

If you encounter French cavalry on the battlefield, these guys may not be the most well-trained, but they are a group of thoroughgoing desperadoes who fight to the death and are as brave as the Russian cavalry.

Among the Russian cavalry, some units did not perform very well, especially some newly formed cavalry regiments, whose soldiers' quality was worrying.

Although the position of Tsarist Russia easily leads people to form a stereotype that the cavalry should be stronger.

However, the fact is that the Tsarist Russia and its main thugs, the Cossacks, were mostly infantry at first.

This problem has been demonstrated by Khlimenitsky and Ivan Bauchon in the era of "Fire and Sword". In addition to cavalry, the Cossacks also have Cossack infantry.

Moreover, during the Russo-Turkish War, the Russian army also built strong camps and fought stupid battles several times.

Of course, it was not as exaggerated as Zeng's hairpin fight. It mainly used earthen fortifications to fight.

The Russian infantry is indeed very resilient.

As for the performance on the training ground, Solovyov was actually very concerned about it.

It still takes time to arrange the hollow squares and solid squares on the battlefield.

Being able to form a formation faster on the battlefield is indeed very important.

That is to say, on the battlefield, cavalry will not directly attack the enemy formation, otherwise they will suffer a lot if they are slow.

The Guards Chasseur Regiment happened to be the most comprehensive unit, having to spread out the skirmish line and form a square formation, besides there were many other things to do.

It even includes conveying important orders from the Russian Army's "Messenger Corps". Soldiers like the Jagers, who are shorter and more agile, can do these tasks more conveniently.

Light infantry or auxiliary troops have been doing this since ancient times.

During the time of Alexander the Great's Eastern Expedition, the Cretan archers, in addition to being excellent archers, also had many other useful functions as mercenaries, with messaging and reconnaissance being routine operations.

The effectiveness of daily training will be demonstrated in such an exercise field.

However, the opposing Hussar Guards did not launch a penetrating charge. After the infantry phalanx was formed, they controlled their horses and simply passed through the phalanx.

Cavalrymen were sometimes afraid of hurting themselves, especially the phalanxes of the Guards Infantry, who all held their bayonets when they formed up.

Because of this, even if people are not afraid, horses will be afraid.

If a hollow square is broken through on the battlefield, it is often the "crazy horse" effect or cooperation with other arms to deliver a fatal blow.

Therefore, when these cavalrymen rushed into the gaps between several hollow square formations formed by battalions, they looked very imposing, but in fact they were just putting on a show.

During the training, what was verified more was the cavalry's control of the horses and the timing of the infantry's formation.

The Guards Chasseurs would take even longer, as their two battalions would initially have to form a skirmish line, then a queue and then a square formation.

I don't know who arranged it this way, but the three guards regiments have more soldiers, and they are arranged in three rows and move faster.

This is not surprising. Solovyov's Guards Chasseur Regiment has to undertake more complicated tasks, so he accepted this arrangement.

Once on the battlefield, you have to quickly build positions, and there are actually many tasks to undertake. If you do this during training and exercises, you will be able to deal with troubles more calmly in the future.

In the battles in Italy, due to the battlefield environment and the fact that the Russian army always took the initiative, they rarely formed square formations like they did today.

Solovyov saw in the middle of the phalanx that the cavalry were passing quickly between the camp phalanxes. If this kind of attack was really coming towards the phalanx, it would also be a penetrating attack, which might be difficult for a solid phalanx to block.

What is even more terrifying is probably the enemy's artillery. In a situation where the queue is so dense, a solid shell can cause great damage.

On the battlefield, anything can happen, and it can be extremely cruel.

Alexander saw the phalanx drill of the Guards through a monocular telescope and was very satisfied with their performance on the training ground.

"That's great. Our guards are well trained. They should be able to perform very well on the battlefield."

"Your Majesty, we in Russia have the best soldiers."

This is the court of St. Petersburg. There are flatterers in courts of various countries. The best compliments are undoubtedly given here in St. Petersburg, and they are very ostentatious.

Well, as a huge origin of satirical jokes, Russia still has a lot of weight in this regard.

"We want to drive the French back to their borders, and we just hope that the British side will agree to our demands."

"Your Majesty, it is true."

"Czartoryski, if the British do not agree with the Malta issue, we can also set a price, they can add additional aid, and we need enough ships for transportation in Naples and Pomerania."

In fact, Alexander probably did not listen to the advice from the court.

Many people told him that it was not appropriate to disperse the troops. There had been cases of coordination failure during the Second Anti-French Alliance, but he did not pay attention.

After all, the number of troops in the battle is 50 versus 25. I have the advantage, so there will be no problem.

But this.
Solovyov actually heard someone say this after the exercise.

This is not something you can say. If you really think you have a big advantage, then it is hard to say what the result will be. There are too many examples of people being slapped in the face, but you can't let the generals down.

He just walked over quietly and came to the Tsar.

"Soloviev, I heard that you have been translating military theory again recently?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"We have such a good army that we can defeat the enemy simply by force, as you should know."

Now that things have come to this, Solovyov actually knows what is going on and there is no way to hide.

"But your majesty, this is at the Royal Parade Ground. We are just showing off our training results. The French are also training, and we can't let our guard down."

"You are worrying too much. These strategies can be used as teaching materials. You are worrying too much if you use them now."

After hearing this, Solovyov realized that the Tsar himself was still very arrogant.

But when he saw Louisa beside the Tsar, she looked worried and gave him a wink from behind.

The Queen had already said this, and it was obvious that she didn't want to spoil Alexander's fun when he was having a good time.

Otherwise, Kutuzov's previous trip from Vyborg to the estate was a result.

"Yes, Your Majesty. But our officers do need to learn more about military theory so that we can be prepared for any eventuality. The brothers of the Royal Guards also believe that under the leadership of the Emperor, we will achieve a glorious victory."

"Just have faith, Colonel Solovyov."

Ah, when he was happy, he promoted Solovyov casually.

Of course, this is also a necessary administrative result. How can the commander of the Guards always be a lieutenant colonel?

"Misha, you little brat, why don't you hurry up and thank me?"

Sergey Kuzmich, the old fool, meant purely out of good intentions.

Solovyov then thanked the Tsar and left. It was obvious that these old guys around the Tsar wanted to praise Alexander to the sky.

Looking at Louisa and Maria Naryshkina on the side, the queen and her lover were holding hands and worrying about their men being surrounded by flatterers. They all had worried looks on their faces.

Speaking of which, the relationship between the two of them is so good. Alexander is really lucky. He even built a harmonious harem. Even in novels, it is difficult for anyone to do this.

Stand down! Apart from these sycophants, those young military officers are also full of confidence.

This included Solovyov's friends, who were hoping to gain further promotions by making meritorious contributions in the war!

And Solovyov obviously considered more.

After he retreated like this, he also met Kutuzov who was "dozing" nearby.

"Mikhail Illarionovich, you are dozing off again."

"Ah, it's Misha. The weather is nice today, and there's no artillery fire on the training ground, so it's inevitable that I'll fall asleep."

"Let alone pretending to doze off in front of others, there's no need to tell me this, right?"

"Yes, kid, I know what you are worried about."

"What do you think?"

"Once this war starts, it will be very important for us to cooperate with the Austrians. What I am even more worried about is the cooperation among the Austrian troops themselves, rather than with us."

"We have many German officers here, so communicating with them is not a problem. The trouble is that the Austrian army's institutional reform has not been successful."

"We are the same, but our soldiers and officers still have extraordinary courage, which is our rare reliance."

Of course, Kutuzov also knew that there were other problems, and he was indeed pretending to be asleep just now.

However, in the court of St. Petersburg, people said that he was old and blind, gluttonous, lustful and sleepy. Even his sons-in-law were present and they would say this to his face. It was inevitable that some trouble would arise.

"My son-in-law is by the emperor's side, so he knows something about the situation. You also came from the position of aide-de-camp, and you know that there are always such people around the emperor, but we can't drive them away one by one."

"I know that after this group leaves, another group will come. They are very good at understanding people's hearts instead of delving into business."

"Yes, but this is also a skill. Even if you don't like it, you have to find a way to learn it. Misha, in addition to the skills of fighting, the things that Alexander Vasilyevich has taught you, there is also the ability to understand people's hearts and perform in front of the emperor. You can't be completely ignorant of it. You still have to learn more."

"Yes, what you said makes sense."

"Go back. It's been exhausting at the training ground today. Go back and have a good rest. We need to train well in the future. We also need young people like you on the battlefield this time. Good officers are needed everywhere."

"What about Andrei?" Solovyov was quite curious. Andrei was related to the old duke, but he was always kept by Kutuzov.

You know, the old prince always said that adjutants had no future.

"You said, Andre, that I always need a young person who can understand my ideas, and you definitely don't want to do this. You have always liked the front line, which is good. It is hard to find young officers who are willing to lead troops on weekdays. Of course, young people should not forget their personal emotional issues. I have five daughters, four of whom are married, and the youngest one, Dalia, is left. Someone has come to discuss the issue of engagement, but you are no longer included."

His joke was not very good, but the countess was not bad-looking, but girls are more or less... Look at Kutuzov's face. He was not famous for his handsome looks even when he was young.

Moreover, neither of them knew that even Kutuzov's sons-in-law were more or less unlucky in this.

Solovyov didn't know that he had escaped another disaster, which was even more terrifying than Paul's arranged marriage.

"Why do you say that?"

"You are good-looking, Misha. There should be a girl who will fall in love with you."

"I know what you mean, but it's a secret."

"Since it's a secret, I won't ask about it."

I don’t know whether this old man deliberately led people into the ditch.

(End of this chapter)