Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 369 011 Nicola's Homework
The Guards discussed military reforms and proposed adding staff officers to the command structure, which was soon supported by the then Quartermaster General and Chief Engineer Johann Peter van Suchteren.

His previous work included mapping, communications, engineering, logistics and other aspects. The Quartermaster General's agency was built according to the Austrian and Prussian model, so the scope of work was also very broad.

When he heard the news, he had just completed surveying the map of the Russian Empire.

"That's right, Your Highness. I think this is feasible. We can put logistics and some departments separately in the new Quartermaster Department, emphasizing the replenishment of supplies, while military operations and combat plans can be placed in the General Staff. This is what our opponent Napoleon did. Their actions were very efficient, but we also need to take into account some of the views of the army on German officers and make appropriate adjustments."

"But Comrade Chief Engineer, you are Dutch."

Hearing what Constantine said, Van Suchteren also shook his head and said, "We Dutch are just 'Germans' in the lowlands. Someone will definitely say that. That is to say, we have always been in charge of mapping work. We are all professionals and have nothing to do with the German officers in the command organization. That's why no one talks about it. Your Highness, the Guards are still good. They have never had prejudices and have done a lot. As for... Don't touch that book. It's a manuscript I just bought recently. It is a small part of the complete collection of Aristotle's Latin manuscripts published in Strasbourg in 1469."

It is obvious that Van Suchteren is knowledgeable and fair, and he considers many issues, but it is his personal collection, and he doesn't like others to touch it before he sorts it out.

"But Soloviev was there, and he touched your manuscript."

"It's alright, Your Highness. That part is sorted out, and it's not the same as the new things. You know, this is my only hobby. I collect manuscripts everywhere, as well as various precious books and maps."

As for what Solovyov saw, it was a bit difficult for him. After all, his Greek level was not enough to support him to read some content.

"But, Mr. Chief Engineer, my Greek is really not very good. Those who learn that language well are probably just living fossils. But I also thought of one thing, that is, military education must keep up."

"Yes, Colonel, a military academy should indeed be established. I have also seen the results of your discussion."

Van Suchteren put down the work at hand, stood up from his desk, and came to Grand Duke Constantine.

"It's just that we have too much to do. The reform of the command structure is imminent. We can no longer rely on the Austrian staff. And I also want to make it clear that General Werosser's approach is still in accordance with the Supreme Commander's wishes."

That is, General van Suchteren said this in front of Grand Duke Constantine. He knew that the Grand Duke must have advised the Emperor himself, but it had little effect.

His comment did speak for Werosser, but the unfortunate Austrian general died shortly before they said this.

But Van Suchteren stopped there and did not go on.

He then went on to say: "As for the education level, we are opening a military academy this year. Even with the shortened school system, it will take the first batch of students two to three years to enter the army. It will also take time for these junior officers to become qualified soldiers. But for the existing officers, it is still feasible for them to continue their studies and obtain the qualifications of senior commanders through education."

"Indeed, many of our generals should learn from this."

But Grand Duke Constantine also knew that in order to get this done, he would need Alexander's personal approval.

Then he looked at Solovyov, who was still pretending to read Greek.

"Misha, you said yourself that you are not very good at Greek, so stop pretending."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Also, please bring out the school lists you drew up."

Van Suchteren looked at them and ticked some of them with a pencil.

"These schools should be built as soon as possible. As for the communications department, Colonel, you have been in the Guards for a long time, so you should know that there are indeed special communications departments in the army."

Solovyov then remembered that the messenger officers were organized separately from the Guards and attendants, and were usually commanded by a colonel who was responsible for delivering orders among the army.

As for things like the communications school, now it’s just signals and flags. If you want to know where it’s more useful, it’s the navy.

"But in this case, we need to share your power."

"I don't like making battle plans, although this is also what the Quartermaster General is responsible for. I prefer production construction and territory planning. After all, I am still an engineer."

"Yes, I also hope to be an engineer, but I am an infantry officer."

"You have some skills. Whether you are a commander or teaching at the podium, you will be successful in the future."

Apparently, Van Suchteren was also a man who liked to mentor younger people, and he preferred research to tedious, lengthy, and often meaningless administrative work, which there was no administrative department to manage.

His willingness to share power also showed his support for Grand Duke Constantine's plan.

It was Alexander himself who then approved the plan, and he did see some opportunities.

What did he see? There was still an opportunity to add some young officers whom he personally trusted to each of the split departments.

Therefore, in early February 1806, the position of Quartermaster General in the Russian army, which had a lot of tasks, was actually split up.

However, no matter how Solovyov looked at the result of the dismantling, he felt it was a bit outrageous.

In addition to the Minister of War, the Russian army also includes the Chief of the General Staff, the Quartermaster General and the Director of Education.
If it were in the hands of some idiots, there would be no need to worry about the lack of one of the three chiefs.

Of course, that also has a lot to do with the fact that we learned from France and Germany, but we didn’t learn everything and didn’t pay enough attention to logistics.

In such an institution, Van Suchteren was in charge of the Quartermaster General in charge of military supplies and construction, while the position of Chief of the General Staff was held by Count Peter Tolstoy, and the position of Director of Education was left unattended for a while.

It was not for any other reason. Those prestigious and experienced veterans were either too old or were transferred to other fronts because of changes in the war situation. For example, Gudovich, one of the old marshals, was not in St. Petersburg at the time. He was behind the Caucasus Front where the commander-in-chief Tsitsianov had been murdered in a despicable manner by the Baku Khanate.

If it were Count Kamensky, it was obvious that his bad temper made him unsuitable for this position.

Kutuzov, who was more patient, had just fallen out of favor due to the war on the front line, so he also took the blame. If it weren't for the intercession of another veteran, Prozorovsky, he would have been forced to retire. As a result, the position of "Director of Education" is now vacant.

Fortunately, there is no military academy that needs an "education director" to build, and this job is not important now. Therefore, there are currently "three commanders" in the Russian army, which is a ridiculous result.

And Solovyov had to go back to teach His Highnesses Nikolai and Mikhail.

Obviously, their education does require appropriate people to guide them. General Langzdorf is more like a guardian, and the ones who actually teach are these tutors.

After David Mara's French class, it was Solovyov's turn.

He also realized a problem, that is, Nicholas's addiction to military command was too great, and he always had to find a way to curb it.

Therefore, he also found General Langsdorff.

"Young man, you asked me to come here because of His Highness Nicholas's interest in military science, right?"

"Yes, you should have noticed that His Highness's hobby is exactly the same as that of the late Emperor. In addition, there are some things that should not be said. The Emperor and Grand Duke Constantine both encountered troubles when they first went into battle. However, His Highness Constantine performed well on the battlefield, and General Rosenberg was there, so we only suffered a minor defeat in the battle to cross the river. And His Majesty, his luck was really bad. In the Battle of Austerlitz, if he had not made up his mind to attack the enemy and fight Bonaparte head-on, he might not be in the current situation."

He was already speaking with great restraint, and General Langsdorff could sense it.

"So, what you are going to do is to give His Royal Highness Nicholas some special lessons?"

"What I thought of was to solve this problem in the form of a game. When I first entered the palace to take up my duties, the three unmarried female archduchesses played a similar 'King's Game' on the map. It's not impossible to bring out this kind of content now."

Moreover, Solovyov actually came up with a plan.

"If you want to play chess with His Highness, you can just find a palace eunuch who is good at chess. But your approach reminds me of a military exercise on a map."

"You could say it's a kind of exercise. Also, it's an ancient Chinese game, Go. But my ability is limited, and I only know some of the basics."

But in fact, Solovyov had no place to play chess for a long time, and it was good enough that he could remember the basic rules.

However, the hexagonal grid of chess can simulate the battlefield environment and arouse some interest for Nicholas. Children of this age still have a strong desire to win.

If he fails, it might make him work harder to study.

"But this is just a game. Your Highness should not be too addicted to it."

"Don't worry about this, Your Excellency. I just need you to memorize some things, especially the schedule. You must assign more homework to Your Highness."

A child’s biggest opponent may be homework.

Moreover, although the homework assigned by Solovyov was not very intense and difficult, it required Nikolai to put in more effort.

After all, it was difficult for him to be taken care of by his two older brothers and four older sisters at home, and his mother was in the palaces in Gatchina and Pavlovsk. The main task of his education lay with the head of the family, General Langzdov, and the teachers had a heavier burden.

Of course, all teachers agree with assigning homework.

They all discovered a problem, that is, Nikolay and Mikhail's learning ability was still relatively average.

Therefore, it is very necessary to assign some homework.

These two noble princes enjoyed a treatment that only children 100 years later would have: homework.

As a result, it was mainly General and Mrs. Langsdorf who supervised their homework at home, and sometimes the two children had to bring their homework to the palace.

As a result, Nikolai and Mikhail not only had a noble status but also received advanced treatment.

Even their homework, when brought to Louisa, aroused her curiosity.

You know, the sisters-in-law of these two grand dukes would look like teachers if they wore glasses.

Then, the job of supervising homework at home was handed over to Louisa.

In other words, their sister-in-law has always had a good image in their minds, so it’s no big deal for them to do their homework in the queen’s bedroom and be watched by their nieces.

Louisa even wrote a letter to Solovyov, who came up with the idea, saying that the grand duchesses should also be given homework, but considering the different educational levels between boys' and girls' schools and the younger age of these children, the intensity of homework should also be adjusted.

It seems that it is not without effect. Solovyov is still very satisfied with the current situation. At least Nikolai's stubborn character makes him work harder when faced with a large amount of homework.

This should help temper his character and prevent him from being like Alexander.

It is said that the teacher that the Queen hired for Alexander was of quite high level, but the educational effect was not very good.

This was also due to the limitations of the times. Nikolai happened to be in a good time. In addition to assigning homework, Solovyov also prepared test questions and standard teaching materials.

Nikolai and Mikhail will have to suffer in the future, and they are now showing their strength.

Moreover, according to the educational model discussed by Alexander and Louisa, children should be educated in several stages, and royal family members and noble children should be admitted to schools in general. In addition to being divided into boys' and girls' schools, the school system of aristocratic girls' schools has been fixed, and boys' schools are based on the Tsarskoye Selo High School and St. Petersburg High School. At the same time, they should also include primary education and higher education. The Tsarskoye Selo High School itself is equivalent to the junior high school level, and university education is the final stage.

In this way, the more than 900,000 rubles that Louisa saved every year had a place to go, and everyone was happy.

(End of this chapter)