Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 362 004 Meeting at the Jelgava Palace

When it snows heavily outside, the temperature is not very low, but the snow will still remain in the yard.

The group of people who were stranded here because of the snow were also making preparations to go east. At this time in January, it would be more convenient to use a sled.

Also, the horseshoes used by cavalrymen are definitely different from those used in environments like Western and Central Europe.

After making preparations, the group set out again and began their journey back to Russia.

It was only when he arrived at the border post that Solovyov received the order.

"Shall we go to Jelgava?"

"Yes, Colonel, the order I received was that the Cossack Guards who were returning home should return to the camp, and the returning masters and their families should go to the Jelgava Palace."

“What a weird order.”

But we have to listen to the arrangements. What is the Jelgava Palace? It was lent to Louis XVIII by Paul as a temporary palace. If they hadn't gone to England, this should be their permanent residence.

However, during this period, Louis XVIII and the Count of Artois are not here. They have gone to England and only come here sometimes.

In addition, some old Bourbon ministers lived here, and some old ministers of the Condé family also formed a court here.

Solovyov always despised the actions of Louis XVIII and Count Artois, but Louis XVIII was at least a man who knew how to compromise and had some political wisdom.

As for the Count of Artois, he was a stubborn fellow.

Such a fool wanted to be king, and he relied on foreign forces. He didn't have the ability to kill Napoleon with one blow, and it would be inconvenient to borrow troops to ascend the throne himself.

At the same time, Solovyov, when mentioning Jelgava, can think of Louis XVIII, and then think of the Count of Artois. Compared with the poor little cake, there is really no comparison.

After all, the princess had already let go of things when she was imprisoned, unlike these people who only wanted to serve as a cover for others.

After she gave birth to a son, the Austrian emperor did not dare to offend Napoleon, so he sent the mother and son to Jelgava together. No one knew what this was all about.

Archduke Karl also wanted to complain, but he was his brother, the emperor. He also considered that his younger brother Archduke Joseph had been slacking off in Hungary, which made Franz suspicious.

He didn't know what to say, but because he loved his wife and children, he made preparations in advance and sent everyone to Jelgava.

Anyway, Russia and Austria were allies, and no matter how long Napoleon's arms were, he could not force a Catholic foreign archduke to divorce and force Austria to restart the war, which would have been very stupid.

Therefore, no one cares about this.

As for having it happen again before parting, the thin and capable Archduke Karl was very good at this aspect. Apparently his wife won the prize again.

It seems that, contrary to the rumors, this land is really fertile.

Because she was an old acquaintance of Vasily Dolgorukov's family and Solovyov, she was very happy here.

After all, when she escaped from her marriage, apart from the little tricks that those girls in St. Petersburg helped her come up with, it was the Dolgorukov family who protected her all the way to Dresden.

So when these people came, she also warmly welcomed them as the actual host here.

However, when they were about to sit down at the table, Prince Vasily, who was sitting in the guest seat, was talking about the current situation in Europe.

"Austria and France have reached peace, so Your Highness has come here to stay temporarily. But after a while, when Europe is at peace, you can return to Teschen."

"That being said, Prince Vasily, but..."

Marie-Thérèse looked at Solovyov, wanting to hear what he had to say.

After Solovyov had assisted Austria for the second time, he had come to understand the subtle ways of winking in European courts.

“But we also have to consider whether peace can be achieved next.”

"Yes, the last peace came quickly and went away quickly."

Prince Vasily echoed this, and Marie-Thérèse could only sigh. It seemed that she had no chance to return to France. As long as Napoleon remained as powerful as he was now, her husband, Archduke Karl, the father of her children, could not control him. After all, he was only the Archduke of Austria, not the monarch of the Habsburgs.

Speaking of illegal organizations, now is the countdown to their dissolution.

"Will peace last forever?"

As soon as this point is raised, everyone will have doubts. After all, Britain and France have always been not very trustworthy in their words.

Moreover, news also reached Jelgava that the Ottoman Empire in the south was indeed very restless, which was very unfavorable for Russia.

After the banquet, Solovyov saw that there were no important political figures here, so he prepared to go back and rest.

When he came out of the shower and was about to go to bed, someone came to invite him.

Solovyov was also curious. These people in Yelgava were obviously nobles with little real power, and no one would talk about any political topics.

Of course, he was only thinking about political and military issues, and he didn't expect that after changing his clothes, the person he saw here was the Governor of Odessa, Duke Richelieu.

Solovyov had only heard of this man from Langgeron but had never met him.

"Your Excellency the Duke, I didn't expect you to be here."

"I am here to visit His Highness, but it was already late at night when I arrived. But I heard Count Langgelon mention you. Do you have any idea about going to Odessa?"

"I still have to go back to Petersburg first. After all, I am still a colonel in the Guards."

Solovyov heard the news about the tense situation on the Ottoman Empire's border at the table, but the Duke of Richelieu came to him because it must be the big mouth Langgeron who mentioned his performance.

However, he was not very willing to get this experience package when fighting the Ottoman Empire. After all, if he really wanted to solve the problem, it would not work without a good general to command the Russian troops in the south.

Especially along the Dniester River, where several gateways are in the hands of the Ottoman Empire's vassals, progress will definitely not be smooth.

"I know what you're thinking. After all, being a regiment commander in the Guards and having made many contributions is still very promising." In addition, there is a particularly important thing. If you go to the Danube front of the Dniester River now, you can forget about participating in the main battles of the Russian army in the Fourth Anti-French Alliance.

Moreover, many things are now progressing at an unbelievable speed.

Shortly after the Battle of Austerlitz, the French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Horace Sebastiani, began to fan the flames. However, the Turkish devil Sultan Selim III fell for it so quickly that he was ready to depose several pro-Russian vassal monarchs with great fanfare in the spring.

Since there was news, Duke Richelieu was preparing to go to St. Petersburg from Odessa. In addition to reporting it, he also discussed selecting a group of officers to go to Odessa.

"Besides, fighting the Ottoman Empire is really boring. Your Excellency, although you are the Governor of Odessa, your title was passed down from Cardinal Richelieu, so you are a French nobleman anyway. If I had stayed in Petersburg, I could have fought when I fought Napoleon. There are two points here. It can be said that I was fighting our common enemy for the royalists, and fighting the Ottoman Empire is not on the same level as fighting Napoleon."

As for the other side of the Dniester River, every time the Russian army went to battle, it suffered heavy losses. Not only were they consumed by the fighting, but the Russian army also often had to face the problem of disease.

Solovyov systematically studied several battles on the southern front. It was not so bad in Crimea, but malaria has always been rampant on the Danube Front, and other diseases also exist.

In such a place, it is indeed not suitable to fight a war, especially a long-term war.

He also couldn't tell the Duke of Richelieu that sending troops to the Middle East would always bring about all kinds of inexplicable infectious diseases, which would eventually evolve into plagues of varying degrees of severity.

From this perspective, Duke Richelieu knew that the other party was unwilling to come.

But, there are actually people who are not interested in gaining military merits for the Ottoman Empire?

He didn't know that Solovyov had considered the southern front before, and he also knew that Russia's plans in the south since Peter the Great were ultimately aimed at Constantinople.

But if he goes, he has to go with a reliable commander-in-chief.

There is no such person in the Russian army now.

Kutuzov had been dismissed from his post because of the defeat at Austerlitz.

As for the relatively reliable Bennigsen, since everyone knows that he participated in the regicide, no one in the Guards system will go with him. Solovyov knows that this guy has some abilities, and from a personal and factional perspective, he will not go with him.

Miloradovich had always been a fierce fighter and not much of a commander. He served as the military governor in Kiev, managing local military affairs, and therefore could not be promoted.

Young generals such as Bagration are not suitable now.

Then, Arakocheyev would recommend some strange candidates, who would also open Alexander's eyes in the future.

At this time, it was not appropriate to go to any front. Solovyov even thought about going to his hometown of Ryazan to do some business, so that he could take sick leave from the army for a while. The battlefield of the Fourth Anti-French Alliance was not a good place to go.

However, he played well in the guard battle with Dillenstein, so it is unlikely that he will run back, after all, he performed relatively well.

Therefore, he would go directly back to St. Petersburg from Jelgava.

What to do next?
Never mind. He can't be a general now anyway. Being the commander of the Guards Chasseur Regiment is a good position. He would be reluctant to go somewhere else.

The Duke of Richelieu, when he returned to Odessa, also had to strengthen the defense of the area and pay attention to contacting the British Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet operating in the Mediterranean.

The war in the south was inevitable, and Solovyov had to return to St. Petersburg, which meant he had to go home.

He didn't know what had happened in St. Petersburg some time ago, or what was happening on his side.

What is more important to him now is to go back home.

The atmosphere in St. Petersburg and Moscow is also very strange now, as if it is a kind of wedding at a funeral.

This is also a Russian characteristic, always trying to dilute the awkward atmosphere.

He thought about what would happen next, probably Andre's return home and Pierre
Therefore, he also inquired about the affairs of the Bezukhov family, and it was indeed just as what was talked about in social circles.

Prince Vasily Kuragin, he really loves money and always tries to embezzle other people's property.

However, in Smolensk, Maria did not fall into the trap. After all, not only was Anatoly exposed in front of her, but there was also the little black book that Solovyov left for Andrei. Naturally, success would not come here.

And Pierre, this honest and simple guy, really couldn't escape from Helen, such a lively socialite, and was tricked by Vasily.

But Solovyov was very puzzled. Helen seemed to be a plug-and-play woman who could give birth to a child, but nothing came of it.

After all, there are some contents in the book that he would not pay attention to, such as abortion pills.

As for what he is more concerned about now, it is that nothing happens to Lisa. After all, Andrei's life or death is unknown. The aide-de-camp generals and adjutants who participated in the counterattack at that time, Peter Volkonsky came back wounded, Kutuzov's son-in-law Tickenhausen was seriously injured and died, and Andrei was on his way home.

In Smolensk, the old duke hired a doctor in advance. In this regard, he was not worried about spending money. As a military aristocrat and a descendant of Rurik, he certainly had plenty of money, so there was no problem in hiring a doctor to come and see him in advance.

According to the doctor's diagnosis, it shouldn't be a big deal. It's not really important. It's just a family matter.

As for the letter from his father, it had arrived during the few days he was staying in Jelgava.

What is mentioned here are family matters, including the matter of building a house on the land awarded in Gatchina. We must do something about it now. We cannot just leave the awarded land unattended.

Therefore, when he returned to St. Petersburg, he decided to build his own territory there.

This was a relatively leisurely period. After all, the Prussian King Frederick William III, who was seeking his own death, would not start doing so until the second half of the year.

Now, it's time to build up his own territory. And according to what his old father said in the letter, the things he has to do are probably his own affairs, and there are a lot of things to do.

After all, all the relatives are in Moscow, and he is the only adult son of his father. If he wants to do things, he has to rely on himself.

Of course, in addition to his own affairs, he also had to consider that when he returned to St. Petersburg, the affairs of the court would inevitably involve him.

Solovyov also knew that he had to be more cautious after returning to St. Petersburg.

After all, the political trend in St. Petersburg has slowly changed with the humiliating defeat of the Russian army.

(End of this chapter)