Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 332 How can we fight a good war with such insects?

After entering Munich, Solovyov also had to prepare to return to Kutuzov's headquarters, but at this time the Russian army was still on the road and needed to go to Vienna first.

Before leaving, General von Kleinau invited him to have lunch at the headquarters.

During the meal, the general mentioned the past when they fought side by side with the Allied Forces in Italy.

"You've been promoted very quickly, Colonel."

"If it's in Austria, I might have to wait. I remember when I was in Italy, there were quite a few captains who were older than I am now and had good family backgrounds."

"This is our Caesar's territory, not your country."

What von Kleinau said is actually very clear, that is, this is a purely institutional problem in Austria.

"But when we meet the French, as we are doing now, it is not enough to just consider diplomacy and territory."

Apparently, the Austrians had too many political issues to consider on the battlefield and were indecisive.

Now in Munich, the news that Baden has also switched to France has also been learned, and the Austrians are also very clear about the current situation.

However, in order to win over the German princes, they just waited there. In addition, during the march, Archduke Ferdinand, as the commander-in-chief, was incompetent, and Mark, as the chief of military supplies, was hesitant. The best opportunity had been lost.

At the same time, Kutuzov's army had just marched to the east of Olmutz and entered Austria. The goal of the vanguard was to pass through the vicinity of Vienna, cross the Austrian border again, and join the Austrian army in Bavaria.

"You can put it this way, Colonel, we are going to Ulm next, and you will continue to be an observer here?"

"No, General."

Through the actions of these days, Solovyov also roughly understood von Kleinau's attitude towards Mark. The generals under him were always dissatisfied with the practices of the commander-in-chief and the quartermaster general. Now the slow marching speed was even more so. You must know that the French had already deployed their 18 troops. Although they did not attack quickly, the next action was always worrying.

He also had to take into account the instructions Kutuzov gave him.

"My mission is to bring back General Mark's deployment plan after your army enters Bavaria. The time I spent with you was quite pleasant, and I also saw the changes in the Austrian army over the years."

Whatever he said further was just polite talk. He really had to return to Mark and bring back the Austrian army's plan to Kutuzov, asking the Russian army to make corresponding deployments.

Kutuzov's Podolsk Corps was now divided into two. Kutuzov himself led 35,000 men in the front, and the rest of the troops were in the rear, commanded by Buchholden, and were also passing through Prussia one after another.

You know, recently the King of Prussia seems to be very interested in the land of Hanover. The Prussian Junkers, who appear to be powerful but are actually weak and only know how to take advantage, now hope to use the "power" of the era of Frederick the Great to profit from it, rather than joining the coalition forces.

Obviously, they hope to gain benefits on the winning side.

Many generals on the front line are currently unaware of this, but Prussia's actions have indeed caused dissatisfaction among countries that hope Prussia will join the anti-French alliance.

The troops commanded by von Kleinau performed somewhat well among Mark's legions, but were only slightly stronger than the Austrian troops in the Danube Legion.

In fact, it is not as good as the Russian army which has been "slack" recently.

After his observation, Solovyov also knew what he needed to do.

On the way back, he also went to General Mark's headquarters and obtained a brief plan.

"Young Colonel, when you return, please convey the greetings from the commander-in-chief and me. I hope that we can fight side by side in the future battles and drive those French back to their lair."

"Okay, General, I also hope you can accomplish your strategic goals."

Solovyov's tone was somewhat sarcastic, and Mark frowned a little when he heard it.

"You seem to have some concerns, Colonel."

"In Ingolstadt, General. You know, the Bavarian Corps escaped from Munich unscathed. If they lead the way for the French, enter through several major passes, and at the same time carry out deceptions on the front, they can induce us to focus our attention to the west, and then cut us off in the middle. This way."

"I think not, Colonel. You're overthinking it."

If Solovyov were a general, he would fight back right now. After all, this kind of imaginary war was really ridiculous and laughable.

"Sir, it is always good to think more. Moreover, Napoleon is a man who acts very quickly and cunningly. I am worried that he will resort to some strategic deception."

"Thank you for your reminder, Colonel. You still have to go back to General Kutuzov. We will meet again in Ulm."

"Well, I wish you good luck too."

Considering that in Mark's headquarters, there is Archduke Ferdinand, who is no different from a vase, Mark himself is too subjective and indecisive, and there is an even more hesitant Prince Schwarzenberg.
There is nothing worse than a headquarters like this.

Besides, what can be said has been said here, and words like "strategic deception" have also been said here. Let Mark handle the rest himself.

Although my fellow Taoist will die, I will try my best to prevent him from dying. I will not die, but I will still try my best to persuade you not to die.

Then, they would leave the Austrian headquarters and head east to find the Russian troops entering Moravia and report to Kutuzov what they had seen there.

Before Mark put wax seal on the map and plan, Solovyov had seen the general deployment.

He had his own concerns, but he would not discuss them with Mark here. The Quartermaster General was not even as vigilant as von Kleinau.

Now, we can set out on the journey back to the Podolsk Corps, and we have to travel day and night.

At times like this, one still needs a good body. Solovyov could also feel that his immunity was still good, and after running for such a long time, he did not feel too tired.

Along the way, he frequently used Austrian post stations to change horses so that he could return to Kutuzov as quickly as possible.

The journey was smooth. After several days of travel, he encountered the vanguard of the Russian army, and the flag was very familiar to him.

It was the emblem of the Pavlograd Hussar Regiment and the 6th Chasseur Regiment, and it was obviously Bagration's column.

Solovyov also saw Bagration with a serious face and greeted him from a distance.

"Misha, how are the Austrian regiments?"

"Not very good. Where is the commander-in-chief?"

"He is resting in the village behind. You know, we are not in the war zone yet, and we can't delay the commander-in-chief's rest." "Aha, that's not bad. We are far away from the front line, but the formation of the Austrians is not optimistic."

Bagration was a serious man with a "very long" face. When he heard this, his face became even longer.

"How bad is that?"

"I won't stay here any longer. I'm going to the commander-in-chief."

Then he and his entourage rode on horseback to look for Kutuzov.

At this moment, Kutuzov was taking a nap in the manor of an Austrian nobleman. Such a long march was also a torture for an old veteran of his age.

Not everyone is like Suvorov, who was 69 years old and could remain energetic during the expedition.

We should also consider that Kutuzov is also lazy.
As for the adjutant at the door, Andrei was not on duty here today, but Solovyov's rank was indeed higher than that of an ordinary adjutant.

After all, he was still the commander of the Guards and the aide-de-camp, a position higher than that of the adjutant of the commander-in-chief.

"Colonel, the commander-in-chief is resting."

"I've been on the road for such a long time, I can rest for a while."

"Okay, would you like some coffee?"

"If you're talking about coffee Vasha, do you know that the commander-in-chief learned to grind coffee by hand from the Turks?"

"I have not seen it, but I have heard that the commander-in-chief has been to Constantinople in the past as an envoy of Her Majesty the Empress."

"It's like this. I once went to the commander-in-chief's house and drank that very special coffee, but it was very unpleasant without sugar."

Solovyov was drinking coffee ground by Kutuzov's servant, a habit he had learned from the commander-in-chief himself.

What's even more outrageous is that Kutuzov was by the Empress's side on the last day before her death, and he was also there before Paul was murdered. Even though he was not on good terms with Alexander, he still received a certain amount of respect.

This has something to do with his smooth personality. He even makes hand-ground coffee for his junior favorite Count Zubov, plays cards with the emperor in the palace, and maintains good relations with various ministers. This is also a special talent.

He even learned to play mahjong recently.

He should have no lack of eating, drinking, having fun and being lustful.

But his ears have always been erect, and he is highly alert to the outside world.

Although Solovyov often wanted to say that he was an old fox, according to the zodiac, it seemed that the old man was still a rabbit.

Anyway, it's quite cunning.

Kutuzov, who was dozing inside, could now hear the conversation outside.

"Vasya, who are you talking to?"

"Mikhail Illarionovich, it's Colonel Solovyov who has returned, and he has brought mail from General Mark."

"He came back so quickly, let him in!"

When Kutuzov was resting, he always made himself comfortable, but with his weight, he really needed a sturdy rocking chair.

"Sir, I have returned urgently from the Austrian headquarters, bringing with me a letter from General Mark and a brief outline of the plan."

"Ah, Solovyov, you've been with the Austrians for so long that you've become like this when you talk. And I have a feeling it's not a good thing. I can tell from the tone of your voice."

"You should read it yourself. I saw a brief outline of the plan in front of Mark before, and I actually have a rough idea of ​​what he is going to do."

Kutuzov was always slow in his movements. He opened the envelope first, and then the package brought back by Solovyov.

"I'm watching it here. As for the content, you should be able to judge what it is like."

"Yes, I want to state my own opinion as well."

Kutuzov waved his hand, indicating that he could speak.

But Solovyov waited until Kutuzov opened the folded map.

"I think General Mark has made Ulm his strategic center, which will easily cut off the retreat. The French will mobilize at least 150,000 people, and their speed of action is expected to be very fast. If Napoleon goes to Strasbourg in person, it is possible to cut off the retreat of the Austrian army from Ingstadt with the support of the Bavarian army that is familiar with the terrain."

"That makes sense, but what are you going to do?"

“Don’t leave the army in Ulm. Retreat to Augsburg and Ingstadt. Although you lose the geographical advantage, this will be an interior move and can also stretch the French front. At least we should consider how not to be defeated, at least not to let the enemy win a decisive victory when facing superior forces.”

"That's right, but you can't decide what the Austrians are doing. We still have to go all out to advance towards Linz and try to cooperate with our friendly forces."

Next, Kutuzov looked at the map again, thought for a while, and asked: "What will you do if the French come from several directions?"

"You mean that the French will make a detour through the passes further east, or head for Ingolstadt?"

"Well, that's it, kid. You're the same age as Archduke Ferdinand. If you were to trade places with the commander of the Danube Army, you'd probably do pretty well!"

At this point, Kutuzov's meaning was very clear. The Austrians always let royal relatives serve as commanders, but except for Archduke Karl, all of them were masters of sending themselves to death.

Moreover, after reading the plan, he did not feel optimistic.

However, for the Russian army, as a friendly force, they still had to advance quickly and reach the vicinity of Linz in October, and then they had to join up with the Austrian army as soon as possible.

If we cannot cooperate, we must also provide cover behind the Austrian army. This is indeed the case from the overall perspective.

But we must also take into account that the French moved too quickly. By the time Solovyov returned to Kutuzov, Napoleon had already issued an order for the Grand Army to quickly deploy along the Rhine and cross the river to launch operations.

It is also very simple to do this, because the coalition forces are scattered in many places, each separated by several directions due to marching distance or geographical distance. If he wants to defeat them one by one, Mark, who is closest to him, is obviously the easiest target for him.

(End of this chapter)