Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 346 Alexander is going to be hit as expected
After Weiser arrived, he was indeed very active.

The predecessor died on the battlefield, but he also won a victory. He still needs to seize the moment, otherwise...
Given his current state and the fact that he had fought a few bad fights before, this is indeed a bit troublesome.

Places like Hohenlinden were swept away along with Archduke John.

When I was with Krei, I used to be honest with Scherer.

Also, further back, he had finally gathered intelligence and was ready to make a big move for Napoleon, but he didn't expect the battle plan to be stolen by a spy, and then Napoleon made a few buckets of gold out of it.
Now, he finally got a chance for revenge, and he felt that he had learned a lot. After all, Napoleon's tactics were an improvement on the tactics of Frederick the Great at that time.

Of course, Langgeron looked at it with disdain and even wanted to complain.

"Ah, it's so sad. It's really meaningless if I don't make fun of these Austrians."

As he spoke, he saw several cavalrymen passing by nearby. Looking at the attire of the people in front, he knew who they were at a glance.

Even though Solovyov had cut his braids and changed his hairstyle to match the requirements for the Russian army during Alexander's time, he still knew this man.

"Michelle, where are you going?"

When Solovyov saw that it was Langgeron, he was willing to get close to him.

After all, this guy, who always wears a wig on his head and speaks in an interesting way, is much more interesting than those boring and rude people.

"There's no oil to buy here. I need to go back to the Guards."

"you boy"

Langgelon knew that this was how the little green-eyed fox always spoke to him.

But he also looked down on those stubborn Russian bumpkins, like Bagration, a big liar. Although he was from a thousand-year-old Georgian family, he was also a smart bumpkin.

But this guy always looks so irritating. I heard he has a close relationship with a beauty like Madame Recamier. He seems to have a lot in common with the French.
Of course, he couldn't possibly know that this guy didn't have many affairs in Paris. In addition to his old lover, he was with the sister of the usurper Bonaparte, whom he hated, and they had a son.

Even in the family of His Majesty the Russian Emperor, there was a brave and warlike German like Grand Duke Constantine, but the culture was not that great.

Even His Majesty himself cannot concentrate on reading, but often relies on his cleverness to pretend to be smart.

However, these are just his inner complaints, he won't say them out loud.

"But I also have to go back to the Guards, and I have to travel tomorrow."

"Hey, come over to my place! It's boring to be here with these people these days."

"But you don't have what I need here."

Lang Jielong also found it funny after listening to it, but these two people do have something in common, and they both like to complain and insult others.

"What you want is in Petersburg and Paris, certainly not here! Come on, I still have red wine, coffee, bread and steak."

"Boy, you have a pretty good life here."

As for people like Lang Jielong, although he is really mean, he is really kind to his friends.

"Of course it's good to have food. After you won the battle, why do you want to go back to the Guards? And to be the same officer as before?"

"Ah, it is because the Emperor disagrees with the commander-in-chief's plan. He insists on a decisive battle, a battle with Bonaparte on the Olmutz Road."

"What? Fight here?"

Langgelon also found it a little funny. Now was not the time to fight Napoleon directly.

His idea was that although he had to fight, he did not want to fight a decisive battle with Napoleon, the usurper, but rather a small-scale battle.

In essence, experienced veterans still need endurance.

But Alexander didn't want this to happen.

"Yes, if we want to conduct a battle, the quartermaster general is still an Austrian. But Werosser has skills, but his ability is still far behind Schmidt's."

"You are very familiar with him, so it is not wrong to say so."

"When we go into battle, you will lead the troops, right?"

"They should lead a column, but this arrangement is really not a good one."

Langgeron knew what was going on, so he just asked the servant to bring the bread.

"Supply is insufficient and Bonaparte is nearby. He should have more than the 4 troops reported. I think he should have 5 to 6 troops. At this time, he should choose a battlefield that is favorable to him and fight us."

His estimate was quite good and was very close to the actual number.

It's just that Napoleon obviously had more people.

"It is indeed possible, but according to the current personnel arrangements, the Austrians have always deployed like this without fixed corps. If each column and each division form a routine, although we cannot guarantee victory, it will be convenient for dispatch, and the French will not dare to get close."

"That's right. The current dispatch is very chaotic. The various regiments are always changing command and control. I always feel like something is going to go wrong."

"Besides that, personnel arrangements are also a problem, but this is secondary. What I am worried about is that Napoleon will lure us into a trap. When I came here, I heard that His Majesty Franz of Austria proposed a short truce and the messenger had already been sent out."

"A ceasefire would be beneficial, but not now. Communicating with the enemy like this and sending back all the French generals you captured before the war will only allow that usurper to figure out all our details!"

After hearing this, Lang Jielong, although he always had a lot of clever ideas, could not stand up to the treacherous tactics of his friendly forces.

"It seems that we need to find another way." "But the current situation is still closely related to the monarch. We have no choice but to command our own troops. For example, you command the column or brigade, and I command the regiment, that's it. In addition, the deployment of our troops should avoid giving the French artillery an advantage."

After hearing this, Langgelon knew what he was going to do.

"Ah, good boy, knowing what Bonaparte is good at is indeed his skill, and it can also ensure that we have some advantages in battle. I can bring this up at the military meeting."

But the number of these cautious generals is relatively limited.

Even within the Russian army, people like Kutuzov, Bagration, Miloradovich and Langeron, who were equivalent to non-German outsiders and Suvorov's followers, were opposed to fighting when they were unprepared, but the Tsar himself and German officers such as Buchholden all advocated fighting.

"But at the military meeting."

Langgeron sat there, peeling an apple with a knife. As a French lord and a count recognized by Russia on an equal footing, he did not need to be waited on by others in the army. For an officer from the Bourbon army, this was probably a huge improvement. He was adapting to the local customs.

"What are you worried about?"

"Those Alemanni who want to fight this battle, they definitely want to fight, and you have Dokhturov on your side, how is he doing in Dürenstein?"

When it comes to this, Solovyov would frown.

"He was slow in advancing and almost let the Gazan Division escape. At one point, he was attacked from both sides by Dupont and Gazan. If I hadn't dragged the cannons over, they would have really run away."

"You are an infantryman, but you are very familiar with artillery business. I think you can become a general after some training. General Solovyov, this is quite good. You have been trained in battles. You can't compare with those who rely on their fathers being generals and having good family backgrounds but don't work hard to master military theory."

When Langgeron first came to Russia, he was not familiar with everyone, but over time, as he was able to master Russian and had contacts with various factions of the Russian army, he, a guy who could not keep his mouth shut and always wanted to say something bad about others, also liked to comment on the famous generals of the Russian army.

Among these generals, he only regarded Suvorov's military ability as superior. As for old Kamensky, his evaluation was that he was a barbarian, but he also had some ability. Although Kutuzov had a good relationship with him, he was not very optimistic about him privately.

As for the Mesozoic, he only recently recognized Bagration, believing that his defensive play was of the first-class level in Europe, and he did not think much of old Kamensky's eldest son.

The young people in the latter group, including Solovyov, who likes to complain and run to pretty sisters, are pleasing to his eyes, but their abilities are not up to his standard.

"But what about the current situation?"

"This is not a difficult problem. As long as Your Majesty does not fool us, we can wait until Bennigsen's troops arrive. Even if Bonaparte has 100,000 men, the strength of both sides will be roughly equal. There is no need to worry at that time. As for Archduke Karl and Archduke John, the faster they arrive, the greater our advantage will be. These stupid Austrians are always clever. Last time, we made you suffer when you climbed over the mountains in Switzerland, and this time you were deceived by Lannes over a broken bridge."

My goodness, the news that Rana tricked the Austrians into seizing the bridge should have spread throughout both camps by now.

But there was indeed some damage, Emperor Franz was always like this. Vienna was given to the French for free and became an important transportation hub. Many supplies in the city were also directly dispatched by the French.

Fortunately, Archduke Joseph, who was stationed in Budapest, was slow to act, and perhaps he had his own plans, so he did not mobilize troops and supplies. Not to mention the troops, but the supplies would probably be lost to the French in vain.

"At this time, we should worry about someone engaging in strategic deception. Napoleon can use the emperor's hand to achieve his goal. In particular, he can make the commander of one army arrogant, thereby weakening the army's strength, and underestimating the enemy and being unprepared. Or deliberately show weakness. The French have always had their own way of fighting."

Of course, the French army is cunning in its actions when fighting, while the Russian army, in addition to being cunning in its actions, generally also has the cleverness to adapt to changing circumstances.

For example, the last time, the leading officer suddenly spoke French, which stunned Soult's subordinates, and they took the opportunity to run away.

In the post-war report, no one bothered to mention this. They only said that hundreds of Russian soldiers broke through the gap, without going into any details.

Langgeron was very pleased to hear Solovyov's words. After all, he was a Frenchman, a proud Gallic rooster, and he would always be like this in his bones.

"But it's your majesty's first time on the battlefield, so it's inevitable that there will be problems."

"Now, back to the subject, what was Veloso's plan?"

"I also learned something from a previous meeting at his place and the letters he sent me. He wanted to deploy several columns to cut off the French army's retreat. The general idea was this. Do you see any problem with it?"

"Isn't this just copying the tactics Napoleon once used? An enhanced version of the diagonal formation, cutting off the retreat, expelling, besieging and destroying the enemy."

"That's right. Werosser was just imitating. How could the opponent not be prepared? Therefore, the commander-in-chief's strategy is correct, but we can't have no contact at all. There must still be some fighting in the middle."

After listening to what Langgeron said, Solovyov actually felt a little helpless.

The current problem within the coalition is that within the overall strategic framework, the opinions of each general are not unified, and a lot of time is lost in arguments.

If Kutuzov came back here, he would probably join forces with Langgeron and others to dissuade Alexander.

However, thinking about Alexander's own miraculous operations, it is inevitable that people will feel worried.

"As for the generals commanding the columns, the Russian army has the majority. Michel, if a drunkard like Buchholden and a slow-moving person like Dokhturov were allowed to command the battle, it would definitely not work."

As for which generals he would make sharp comments on, Solovyov also knew that they would definitely be sarcastic, to the point, and the descriptions would be very accurate.

At present, in Werosser's conception, the troops were indeed divided into several columns, with Bukholden and Dokhturov on the far left of the battlefield.

If Werosser's plan is just to imitate his opponent, then whether Bukholden and Dokhturov can act decisively may be a big question.

Langgeron will certainly be on their side. If the battle is to take place around the Pratzen Heights, his position along the way will be quite crucial.

But if Buckholden, the drunkard, were at the front line, he would definitely cause delays.

Unfortunately, Alexander lacks concentration when reading and always misses key plots. He always focuses on results and ignores the process.

But Alexander trusted the officers promoted by his confidants and the Germans more. This can be said to be a tradition of the Romanov family since Peter the Great, or even earlier.

In the army, local officers and other outsiders are not as popular as the Germans. No wonder there are always people who are dissatisfied, and even the soldiers share this sentiment.

It seems that the situation is still very unfavorable, and Savary has returned to Napoleon's camp from Alexandria as an envoy.

(End of this chapter)