Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 335 Failure seems inevitable
The Russian army is still advancing. In the entire corps, only generals and a few senior officers know the current situation of the Austrian army, and the morale of the soldiers is still very high.

You know, although many of the Russian military's systems are still the old systems from the Empress' period, it is recognized in Europe that the Russian infantry is the toughest and can always show amazing courage on the battlefield. If assisted by good training, they will not lose to the strongest army in Europe today.

Solovyov was beside Schmidt and discussed plans with him on a daily basis. Although the general's last name was Schmidt, he was not as stupid as a pig, but rather quite cunning.

He was also very curious that Solovyov's plan coincided with his own.

"Colonel, do you also want to find some suitable place to launch a counterattack against the French?"

"Yes, we can estimate the total strength of the French army to be between 25 and 30. Of course, this also includes Bavaria, Baden and Württemberg, which have joined the French army. There should be a corps on the Italian battlefield to contain the main force of your army and prevent these troops from being deployed to the battlefield in southern Germany. At this time, the measure we should take is to stretch the enemy's front line. But the entire combat plan involves destroying the enemy as much as possible along the way, and trying to preserve our own strength, not only the Russian army, but also the Austrian army."

Seeing that the other party was smart, honest, and fair, Schmidt did look up to him. Such a young officer was neither arrogant when he won nor discouraged when he lost. Of course, he still had some qualities of a great general, but he did not usually show his courage.

It seems that Peter Dolgorukov under Bagration is braver and a good friend of the little golden fox. He is a typical Russian soldier.

Schmidt recalled that when he was young, he had the same feeling when he met Marshal Dawn and Marshal Laodong.

The reason why he felt that Solovyov was like Dawn was because this kid was too cautious, always considering the worst, and had a meticulous mind.

"Then, in accordance with the commander-in-chief's intention, we can draw the French to a battlefield where we need it."

"Yes, the commander-in-chief is always like this. He likes to lure the enemy into a trap and then take action when it is beneficial to our army."

"But this requires the consent of the monarch. His Majesty Franz of our country should agree with your opinion. After all, we have suffered a lot in the war with the French."

The Austrian emperor who was addicted to micromanagement in Vienna finally faced the reality and supported the opinions of the Russian generals.

"Can"

Solovyov had just said it, and he did not go on to mention Alexander's bad habit of micromanaging.

After all, those around the map table were all Austrian officers, and he and Colonel Andrei were the only two Russians. They could not speak ill of their own emperor in front of officers from other countries.

"Colonel, what is it?"

Schmidt saw that he was hesitant to speak and felt a little curious.

"General Schmidt, I've thought about this too. Most of our troops are on the road now. It's easy for them to be defeated one by one. Napoleon always does this."

"Then we need to arrange a rear guard. This is also a combat plan we have considered many times."

"Besides that, the battlefield situation is always put together with diplomacy. If the Prussians see benefits, they will come over here."

When the Austrian officers heard this, they all nodded in agreement.

After all, since Frederick the Great, Prussia has always been unwilling to do anything without profit.

"And our army needs to destroy as many roads and bridges as possible during the retreat, but I am not determined to implement a scorched earth strategy. After all, this is on your territory, and it is almost winter now."

After all, the Russian army is also a guest in Austria and cannot make judgments on behalf of the host.

Schmidt was also somewhat helpless. If it was a scorched earth strategy, many people would definitely not be able to accept it.

Those masters will definitely not accept their land being damaged.

However, this is also rather embarrassing, after all, the French go directly to the villagers' homes to collect taxes, and sometimes they don't even pay when they eat out in the city.

Solovyov had an active mind. When he thought of this, he immediately thought, maybe they learned all those ways of living from the French?
Compared to them, the "barbaric Russians" who drink vodka and speak Russian in the countryside seem more civilized.

After all, the Russian troops were paid along the way.

"This is not easy to do."

"But we can see these places along the way, and we should select some places as suitable battlefields."

After hearing this, Schmidt pointed his whip at the map and conveyed his orders to the Austrian staff around him.

"Divide into two teams. After our troops withdraw, ask them if there are any who are familiar with the terrain. We need to listen to their opinions and carefully survey the terrain."

In fact, he is much more reliable than Weiser in this respect.

Although Werosser had made a very thorough plan, he made mistakes in the terrain more than once.

The old man in the Alps had pointed out problems with the route survey made by several Austrian staff officers.

Moreover, when Schmidt drafted the documents, he did it himself, regardless of the fact that he was already an old man in his early sixties. He was very proactive in his work and also had rich experience.

But everyone knew about the need to support the retreating troops and find out Mark's current situation.

Now that Mark has been surrounded, he is definitely in danger.

Solovyov rode up to Bagration's column, which was in the forefront; the squadrons of the two hussar regiments had been sent out and should be back by the afternoon.

"Misha, this isn't a good situation."

"I know, that's what Schmidt said, Mark."

"Don't worry about Mark for now. I can already smell the scent of a rearguard battle."

Yes, no matter whether it is Suvorov or Kutuzov, they all like to use Bagration when opening the way, Bagration when attacking, and Bagration when retreating. He is a very useful tool man.

"So."

Solovyov opened the map again and pointed out an area.

"Right here, on the road to Vienna, the French will certainly take action."

"I know what you mean, but the terrain here is not suitable for defense."

"But there is no other way. We need to attract the enemy now. We need to fight from behind while looking for an opportunity to fight."

This was an active mobile defense, which was to turn around and take another bite when the French army was chasing. Although Bagration was brave, he was also very calm. He was weighing the pros and cons.

But the young officers standing by, who were of the same age as Solovyov, were already eager to try.

Many of them were enlisted in the Guards at a very young age. They were all children of noble families. Since they were going to the battlefield, they also showed a desire for victory and a high sense of honor, hoping to establish merit in the war.

When Solovyov saw them like this, he thought of a question.

In the past, when we were not at war, I was with the Dolgorukov brothers. They were just friends on a daily basis. But after all, they were all young soldiers. Although they had not followed Suvorov or fought in the battlefield like me, or like their eldest brother, they were all the same in terms of making achievements.

If Solovyov could hear Andrei's inner monologue at ordinary times, he would probably feel the same way.

He is the same, always hoping to demonstrate his abilities.

Speaking of his self-awareness, there is currently no difference between him and the Russians. We have to squeeze his marrow out to find out what kind of person he is.

Here he also has to use all his abilities to establish merit on the battlefield.

As for the group leaders and Dokhturov, they all thought the same.

Hopefully they are just showing courage and not stupidity like the Austrians.

General Mark's failure has actually made Kutuzov, Schmidt, Bagration and other generals not feel optimistic.

Moreover, when making the plan, General Schmidt was also worried about the low morale of the Austrian army. Although von Kimmayer brought back more than 10,000 soldiers, the morale of these soldiers was low and their organization was not high. If they were released to fight the French, they would probably suffer heavy losses.

However, the Russian-Austrian coalition originally planned to deploy 13 troops on the battlefield in southern Germany, and then expand it to 20 by gathering troops. Now it only has a corps of less than 5, and the morale of the Russian troops among them is low.

Solovyov was still here with Bagration. He also wanted to find out the situation ahead, mainly waiting for several squadrons of the Mariupol Hussar Regiment, who were directly on the route that the French army must take.

Once the French army sent some troops, such as Davout's Third Army, which was always fast, to rush from the main road in front of Munich, these Hussars should have some intelligence.

It would be best if we could capture a few prisoners so that we can find out the movements of the French.

"If you want to capture prisoners, there won't be any more big fish like Scherer. It's good enough if you can capture a few."

"But the French are very talkative, Peter Ivanovitch, you know. Give them a cup of coffee and they will begin to reveal information. By the time the food is served, perhaps we can find out what the French generals are doing. If you also prepare good wine for them, we can also find out what their emperor is doing. If he knows, he will tell us."

"You are so interesting. You spend all day studying the French."

“Studying the French should be a skill, but I don’t have it yet”

"Ever since I knew you liked girls, I've been happy for you, Misha. You even hooked up with such a good girl when you were in Milan, but she didn't want to marry you because of her faith."

"It looks like everyone knows, but there are some things I can't say."

"Well, I am worried about Katish. She is in Vienna. When I write to her, I am also worried whether she has left in time, or..."

Bagration still cares about his wife, especially now that they have three more children, and although his wife is unreliable, there is obviously a bond between them.

"If the battlefield wasn't too dangerous, Her Majesty the Queen might come along. I heard Volkonsky say so."

"I always thought that it was a bit strange for the two of you to stand behind His Majesty, although it was only during the period before you went abroad."

"The adjutants and the generals-in-waiting are always asking questions, and it seems that you and I are the only exceptions."

One is responsible for fighting, and the other is a typical tool.

"We should focus on the front line. Look over there, a group of unfortunate people in white clothes are coming."

Bagration was riding on a horse at the moment, and Solovyov had his back to the road to the west, so he did not see the group of people coming.

When he turned his head, he realized that this would be troublesome.

General von Kimmeyer came over with his entourage, looking rather embarrassed at this time.

Bagration, unlike Kutuzov, who always wore an overcoat and a warm hat and stayed with the soldiers, rode straight over to greet the general when he saw him.

Although he was not fluent in German, he was always able to communicate.

In addition, Solovyov and several young officers could speak German, so communication was relatively smooth.

"We are about to meet up now, but the French are probably right behind us, and General Mark's troops have been surrounded, and the Hussars you sent out are on their way back."

"Are there any French pursuits?"

"Not yet, but once Ulm lays down their weapons or the fighting ends, we need to be ready for battle."

Bagration didn't care too much. After all, it was not the first time to fight with the French, and the Austrian army had lost lives. The situation was indeed serious, but it was much better than the dangerous situation in Switzerland.

At least now we can start a battle, and while fighting and retreating, we can also find a way to meet up with the subsequent reinforcements.

"That's right, General. Our troops still need to be reunited so that we can conduct joint operations. Also, Misha, when the Hussars come back, please report back to the Commander-in-Chief."

As for the Hussars, they apparently had sporadic exchanges of fire with the French on the road, but both sides knew when to stop and the cavalrymen fired at each other instead of fighting with swords.

This only proves that the purpose of both sides is reconnaissance rather than fighting, and they are unwilling to maintain contact and want to separate from each other.

At this time, it is inevitable that we will have to fight a war with the French, and it may happen in the next few days.

As for a hussar officer named Denisov, Solovyov noticed him, as well as Count Rostov's eldest son Nikolai.

But Nicholas hopes that he won't get into any trouble on his first battlefield.

Everything is fine now, but Denisov has brought some troublesome news.

"The battle of Ulm is over!"

(End of this chapter)