Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 329 Once again at the border

The Russian army's rest and recuperation in Minsk was mainly during the march, and each corps needed to wait for the soldiers who had fallen behind.

Just like during Suvorov's expedition, the Russian army was also "marching at a fast pace", but now most of the Guards troops, which seemed to have more physical strength, did not perform as well as the group of veteran soldiers at that time.

Even though Solovyov was very strict with the Guards Jager Regiment, and the training of past battalion commanders and regiment commanders had been praised, problems would still arise during the march.

However, even so, their performance is better than other troops in the Guards.

If we move forward, we will reach Russia's current border.

“After passing here, we will go abroad.”

Standing on top of a mound and watching the army advancing, Alexander still had a mysterious confidence.

"Your Majesty, with such an army, we can still defeat the French."

Hearing someone flattering the Tsar in this way, some of the more cautious generals among the attendants were unwilling to agree.

But there is also an embarrassing thing here, that is Solovyov himself.

After all, his friends the Dolgorukov brothers advocated war, Peter Volkonsky was more cautious, Solovyov himself knew the outcome, and the Tsar himself was actively in favor of war, so he did not say much.

Now it seems that there is a treacherous minister among his friends.
Especially Peter Dolgorukov, who was known for his fairness in the past, he obviously showed too much desire for progress.

Those who opposed the Tsar's decision to go to war were mainly the generals who led the troops. At least the emperor himself should not get involved at this time.

When Peter the Great went to the battlefield, he was quite brave, but his command ability was not as good as that of the former boss of the Solovyov family.

It's just that Menshikov was too greedy, which led to the disaster.

Even Solovyov himself felt this way. He had become much more distant from his friends since returning from abroad.

It may be related to the fact that he was busy with military affairs and his life trajectory overlapped less with these people. Instead, he spent more time with older generals.

Although he was one of the youngest officers around the Tsar, he was cautious and was called "Old Man Misha". He himself did not even know that some people called him that behind his back.

He had not heard this statement until he came out of Grand Duke Constantine's temporary office.

".That 'Old Man Misha', although he is young and the leader, he is really..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, Colonel, we just..."

"I have very good ears. As the adjutant of the legion, please don't gossip like that."

Solovyov didn't want to have a conflict with them, so he just left, but he still glared at them fiercely as he walked past.

“This guy is really scary.”

Moreover, although Solovyov did not like dueling, his dueling record was not like his old subordinate Fyodor's "winning streak", but a "killing streak" record.

After all, those who dared to duel with him are now dead, and most of them were killed on the spot.

Solovyov still has a lot of concerns now. In the Guards, the position of regiment commander is actually a "commander". Unlike future wars, the battalion commander still has some presence, but the role of the company commander is not so obvious because of the tactical position of the battalion phalanx.

Similarly, sometimes, under the organization of "Joint XX Battalion" or "Joint XX Regiment", the regiment commander is even a temporary position.

If Bagration had not followed Kutuzov to the front, his responsibility would not have been so heavy.

However, in his own opinion, this is also a kind of training. After all, he is always able to skip levels and get in touch with matters that can only be touched at the next stage.

As for what he needed to do during the march, it might be too late. As the Russian army continued to advance westward, he received more and more reports from the front.

Under such circumstances, it was obvious that Grand Duke Constantine wanted to assign him a task, otherwise he would not have assigned him tasks for several consecutive days at the resting place during the march.

His premonition was not wrong.

After the Russian army entered the Habsburg territory, since most of the people here were not German-speaking, the customs seemed very different from those around Vienna.

The Tsar himself was able to leave the army for a while as the Guards had already set out.

Grand Duke Constantine also spoke very frankly after meeting Solovyov.

"You are now going to the Podolsk Corps and convey this order from His Majesty."

But at this moment, Constantine's tone was very serious, and I don't know what was wrong with him.

Solovyov did not ask any more questions. After receiving the order, he prepared to set off with his entourage.

But before we set off, there is one more question.

"So what about the Hunters?"

"Don't worry about the affairs of the Jaegers. When the main army reunites, you will still have to come back to take command. But this order must be handed over to Count Kutuzov in person after you arrive at the Podolsk Corps."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Constantine was also a little worried, but he was also a proponent of war, and he obeyed his brother's orders unconditionally.

In addition, due to Paul's death, the two older brothers were more or less disgusted with the blood-stained throne.

Therefore, even if he lost the battle, he had no intention of becoming emperor.

This is a bit of black humor. Those nobles who might cause trouble could not find a suitable person to be supported as the Emperor of All Russia in the whole of Russia.

The situation was this: Queen Mother Maria was addicted to a luxurious life, Grand Duke Constantine was rather averse to the throne, and the remaining two grand dukes were too young.

The only one left is the queen, but the baby she has ever conceived is a girl. This cannot guarantee the stability of the throne, after all, the law of succession is there.

This, to a certain extent, prevented some people from taking advantage of domestic dissatisfaction to stage a coup, and in modern times, some problems could also be solved by relying on the law.

As for going to the Podolsk Corps, this also suits Solovyov's thoughts. If he continues to stay in the marching column, he is afraid that he will be troubled by the bunch of invalid administrative orders.

We don’t have the ability to process orders efficiently, and our staff structure is not perfect. Otherwise, we could learn some things from Junkers, such as reading novels and playing cards.

It would be better to go to the Podolsk Corps, at least there are many acquaintances there.

Also, there is no need to deal with a bunch of weird official business here. These things must be streamlined.

Who knows if the government head’s official documents will be piled up like a mountain.

Or like the British, the Prime Minister always uses a red box.

As for Kutuzov's troops, they were continuing to move westward, but they were still a long way from Mark's corps.

Moreover, the goal of the Russian vanguard is to rush to Vienna, and when it comes to joint operations, they still have to obey the unified command of the Austrian side.

Although it was the same problem last time, the Russian army encountered a lot of trouble during the expedition.

But this is always the case when fighting in a joint operation. After all, they have been fighting in the territory and sphere of influence of the Habsburgs, so it is convenient to coordinate them in a unified manner. Kutuzov's army, with a total strength of 5, is on its way to Vienna.

The distance between the two was still quite far. In addition to Kutuzov's troops, there were also the Lithuanian Corps, the Northern Corps and the Volyn Corps, divided into three routes. A part of the Baltic troops remained in the country, waiting to support the actions of North Germany.

As for Kutuzov himself, he is still relatively optimistic at the moment, and he also recommended that the Austrian side should arrange staff, and this list also includes Werosser.

This probably came from the previous Swiss campaign, when the Russian army had a good impression of this chief of staff.

But he is not needed now. Austria has also sent its chief of staff to coordinate the actions of both sides.

Now, it seemed that there was nothing serious, and Kutuzov really wanted to take a nap, and he did so with his eyes open.
Not to mention opening one eye, because his image can only be seen with one eye open.

Even when he was dozing with his eyes closed, he was still very focused.

Solovyov rode quickly and caught up with the advancing Podolsk Corps on the road to Vienna.

On the way forward, he also saw Andre.

"Misha, why are you here at this hour?"

"I have brought you an order from the Grand Duke Constantine, from the Emperor, to be delivered directly to General Kutuzov."

"Okay, you wait here for a while. The count is resting now."

"Don't say that. Is the old man really taking a nap, or is he keeping his eyes open?"

"Oh, now, be more serious, and don't be like those hussars, who never have a serious day."

"Ok."

Andrei was still as serious as ever, and Solovyov knew his temper.

By the way, ask about his family situation.

"I'll wait here first. Uh, has Lisa returned to Tongshan?"

"Yes, and I have already called a doctor in advance according to your advice."

"This kind of care has to be booked in advance. The roads to the country estates are long, and it's not easy to walk when it snows in winter."

"That's it, how are you now?"

"What can I do? I am still single and happy. I am just worried about Pierre. He is an honest man and it is inevitable that someone will covet his huge fortune."

Pierre was sometimes very lucky, but sometimes he always encountered bad luck, which was also a kind of misfortune.

"You 'profiteer'."

When Andre saw him like this, he couldn't help but say something about him.

After all, Solovyov's background was that of a profiteer family that would not cheat its friends, and sometimes people would talk about it out of habit.

"But I want to say one thing. A gentleman can like wealth, but he must obtain it through legal means and not through any conspiracy or trickery."

"Where did you get this from?"

"When I speak, I always say this. There is an old saying in Khitan."

After hearing this, Andre smiled with relief.

"Misha, you should be studying, not in the army."

"If I were to just write books or translate some classics, that kind of life would be very boring."

"Well, we'll have to wait for now. We'll have a day off tomorrow, and then we'll continue west to Vienna."

While they were talking outside, Kutuzov was inside calling for help.

"Bolkonsky, who's talking outside?"

"Sir, this is a messenger from the Royal Guards."

"what"

This fat old man looked even older and was obviously not as energetic as Suvorov.

But he is still in good health, and is not as lazy as he appears to be. Instead, he exudes a Russian-style cunning.

Sometimes he looks like a fat fox.

"It's Solovyov. You are a colonel now. How is it? Being the head of a regiment means you have to deal with a lot of administrative affairs. It must be hard, right?"

"You may say so, Mikhail Illarionovich. I bring you an order from your Majesty, a message from Grand Prince Constantine."

"As for your coming to me, is it not just to deliver a letter?"

"Not only will I be delivering the message, but I will also be joining your headquarters until the follow-up troops arrive to join us."

At this point, Solovyov also felt troubled. He was afraid that he would be shocked by the stupidity of his friendly forces just like Kutuzov along the way.

Although he has recently transformed into a defeatist strategist, he is still very serious about his mission.

"When you come here, you have to wait until the troops meet up before going back. That's fine, at least I can have another clear-headed and agile leader. But you are different from Andre. He has to stay with me now, and you have to go to General Mark."

As a messenger, but looking at Mark's performance, it is also a process of adaptation for both sides before the battle starts.

"The war hasn't started yet. What is my specific mission when I go to General Mark?"

"See what he's doing and report back to me."

"I understand what you mean, and I will follow your instructions."

"But don't rush out. You've been traveling for such a long time, so you should rest for a while before setting off again."

The war has not yet started and the Austrian army has not yet arrived in Ulm, so it is still a relatively easy stage.

But no one knows how rapidly the French are moving from the Strait of Dover to the west.

Napoleon even expressed confidence that once his Grand Army moved eastward with Vienna as its target, he would appear there in November.

This kind of confidence is also rare.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of coalition troops were advancing from several directions and rushing to various battlefields.

However, the deployment and scheduling in these directions are not unified, which always leads to trouble.

As for General Mark, Solovyov didn't have high expectations for him, just that he shouldn't cause any trouble.

(End of this chapter)