Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 374: The heir to Russia's richest man is a capable special forces soldier

This mansion at No. 17 Nevsky Avenue is the most important asset of Count Stroganov's family and where they spend the winter. Now that spring has arrived and the weather is getting warmer, the old count has moved to his manor in the suburbs. Usually only the young count and his wife and their four children live here.

Of course, the Earl came back from London early, and the short separation made the loving couple suffer for a while, and it seemed that someone would die.

The count called Solovyov to come, more or less in order to have the Tatar doctor feel his wife's pulse.

"Well I can only say congratulations to you. Madam Sonya must be pregnant. At least if couples interact more, like you do, you will always have more children."

"Why don't you get married soon, boy? It's not good to fool around all the time. Although Madame Recamier is a very charming lady, she is not suitable for marriage. Right now in Petersburg, there is a lot of opposition to the French. Patriotic enthusiasm is good."

"No, you misunderstood, Pasha. She and I will only be lovers. If I really want to marry a wife, Her Majesty the Queen once said that she would choose a girl with a good family background for me from among her 'kittens'. Vasily Yurievich also once suggested introducing me to a wife."

When he said that, the gossipy spirit of the Count and Countess was also ignited. Although they loved each other very much, it did not stop them from asking about other people's gossips.

Due to the special family structure of the Count's family, the old Count and his wife separated but did not divorce because of a court scandal. Count Pavel's sister followed his mother to Moscow, and the relationship between the siblings was actually quite weak. Instead, the daughter-in-law Sofia had more contact with her sister-in-law.

Solovyov, the guy who often comes here, is more like their nominal younger brother. In addition, due to his social circles, he moves around a lot. The old baron is also doing business in partnership with the old count's relatives. Naturally, the count and countess are also concerned about what kind of wife he will marry in the future.

"Lisa will introduce you to a wife, or a maidservant by her side. Exclude those who are married, those who have been around for a long time, those who are not very liked, and those who are always on the Queen Mother's side."

The Countess had already started to think about it. After all, she was one of Louisa's few close friends. She quickly narrowed down the scope, but she was still not sure.

What's more, the marriage that was announced in advance might not count.

Unlike other couples, Count and Count Stroganov were like this: Pavel was more handsome than his wife, but in terms of intelligence, the wife was slightly better than her husband.

She guessed it was little Katya. Given Louisa's habits, it must be this kind of person. The reckless little Natalia and the other girls were unlikely.

"Sonia, please stop talking. Mishka is going to be embarrassed."

"Ah, Pasha, if you say he is like this, even though he has several lovers, he is surprisingly innocent! Misha, I think you must have invested a lot of feelings in each of your lovers."

The Countess's words revealed the actual situation.

The problem with Solovyov is that he is popular and will not refuse. Even his lovers, except Sylvia, are older sisters.
"Okay, that's me. But right now, that's not the point."

Although the Countess was gossipy, she also knew that Solovyov was called here today to discuss serious matters.

However, there was no need to arrange accommodation for him, after all, he lived in Laundry Lane, not far from Nevsky Prospekt.

"Then, let's discuss the core of the problem."

Count Stroganov motioned to his wife to prepare food, and the Countess understood and went out.

"I want to join the cavalry. After all, when I was five years old, I was enlisted in the Royal Guards Cavalry, and I also have the qualifications of the Royal Guards. If you think about it, I am still your big brother in the Royal Guards!"

Solovyov was not surprised. After all, there were many nobles who had been in the army since childhood.

"Pasha, if you go to the cavalry, I think you are very suitable for a certain type of warfare."

"What are you going to do?"

Count Stroganov knew that Solovyov had a lot of clever ideas. Although he sometimes made minor mistakes and had some personal shortcomings, he was still much better than other people in St. Petersburg today.

It’s a pity that he has always been a soldier. If he could transfer to the civil service or the court system, he could let his father help him.

But now, it seems that I have to accept the "advice" of military experts.

Of course, he was also curious about what Solovyov was going to do, so he listened attentively.

"You grew up in France and were even a member of the Jacobin Club. Of course, what I want to talk about is not your political stance, but that you are very familiar with the living habits of the French. If you get to know the French in our army better, you can still do a lot with the French military regulations."

Solovyov's idea was simple, but he still wanted to inspire Count Stroganov. Broadening one's thinking is always more reliable than cramming.

The count was a smart man. When Alexander went on the expedition, he finally caught up with the main Russian army before the defeat at Austerlitz. However, he did not meet Solovyov or Prince Bagration along the way. He just watched the entire Russian army's defeat in Alexander's headquarters.

Therefore, he did not know about Bagration's magical operation, but he also used his brain to some extent and discovered the problem.

"You don't want me to pretend to be French, do you?"

"That's how it was. In the village of Schöngraben, our troops were surrounded by the French while retreating. It was because of a young officer who knew French and spoke to the French in French that we were able to escape. No matter how you look at it, our green uniforms look like those of chasseurs, or they are similar in form to the uniforms of some French infantry regiments, which gave us this opportunity."

The count listened and agreed with it.

So he said, "I can give it a try, but most of our scout cavalry are Cossacks, and a small number are hussars. Even if we let our soldiers master French and try not to have an accent, this is still feasible."

Since he was willing to give it a try, Solovyov gained confidence.

In fact, what needs to be done is very simple, that is, to organize some special operations with elite troops of hussars and Cossacks, to carry out harassment and reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines, and to enhance the effect of disguised reconnaissance.

However, there is a problem. Special forces are definitely not omnipotent. No matter whether it is cuirassiers or lancers, they are extremely powerful on the battlefield, but individual cavalrymen may be stabbed to death by bayonets of tough infantry.

There is no need to look for anyone else for the answer to this version. Although defeated at Austerlitz, the tenacity of the Russian infantry still left a deep impression on the French.

Solovyov never believed in the theory that special forces were invincible. No matter how high their skills were, they could not defeat bullets on the battlefield. In many places, they were no match for sabers, lances, and bayonets. Special forces were not meant to be super soldiers when fighting others. The key was to play their own role.

However, he did not understand the Russian army. Elite scouts were often used as elite infantry on the battlefield. This practice probably started before Peter the Great.

Even the nuclear recruits who were not doing well once lamented: "Your scouts are excellent, but they should not be used in the trenches."

Forming an army is one thing, but how to use it is another.

When Solovyov talked about this issue to Stroganov, he had not thought about how the Russian army used scouts and special forces.

"We still use these special forces by dispersing them among various cavalry regiments to carry out important reconnaissance missions. The feedback is reported to the brigade or division-level staff through the chief of staff of each cavalry regiment. Intelligence can still be shared."

To do this, we must focus on establishing a staff system and an intelligence system.

Among military intelligence personnel, in addition to military attachés stationed in embassies abroad, intelligence collection and analysis during combat is also very important. This is why Solovyov and Peter Volkonsky attached great importance to intelligence when they were tinkering with the Russian General Staff.

The failure of the Battle of Austerlitz was largely due to the failure of intelligence processing, which led to the Allied forces being fooled.

If we had conducted sufficient battlefield reconnaissance, we would not have been defeated so completely even if we had made a wrong judgment.

It is precisely because of this that Solovyov attached great importance to the collection of military intelligence, and the issues he mentioned in the memorandum were all supported.

"I can consider doing this, but I have no experience in military command."

"But the Emperor didn't either. Commanding a cavalry squadron or a cavalry regiment is much easier than commanding a large army. I'm not saying that it's good for a novice to do this when facing Napoleon."

Although Solovyov always wanted to complain about Alexander's arrogance, he dared to confront the big boss of this version, Napoleon, right from the start. No one else should have this courage.

Courage and ignorance are always put together, there is nothing that can be done about it.

After hearing this, Count Stroganov did not say anything. He did not want to leave any excuses for praising someone, but rather it was a form of protection for the person involved.

After all, they didn't know whether there would be spies infiltrating No. 17 Nevsky Avenue. The old count had always been tolerant of his servants, and who knows what might have sneaked in. There were many people and many mouths.

After 1805, the Russian customs did change. Count Stroganov, who had returned from abroad, was also very clear about this.

Whatever the liberals wanted to do would always provoke a backlash from the conservatives. Even an emperor of all Russia like Alexander, who had almost unlimited power, had to face this problem and maintain a factional balance among the various factions.

But it is indeed a more euphemistic way of putting it.

"Well, I'll command the cavalry squadron, so there shouldn't be any problem."

"Yes, even those French ruffians, who have not received rigorous training, dare to charge forward with cavalry swords. And you, although you have never been on the battlefield, this should not count in the emperor's camp. What I want to say is that you should still be very talented."

There is actually no problem for the count himself to command the cavalry regiment; he is capable of doing it.

"If that's the case, I could go and support a regiment of hussars or Cossacks."

If he personally sponsored it, with the financial resources of Russia's richest family, Solovyov couldn't even imagine what kind of luxurious army it would be.

After all, if you are the richest man in Moscow, you will be able to set up a fully equipped militia regiment in the future, and the equipment will be no less than that of regular infantry.

"In that case, you can write to the Emperor. You can mention the construction of the Hussars. If possible, I think the Mariupol Hussar Regiment is good. This regiment has good combat effectiveness."

Solovyov originally had some selfish motives, as his friend Davydov was still in the Belarusian Hussar Regiment, and this guy was quite capable.

However, the Belarusian Regiment's garrison is far away from here.

Unfortunately, the Mariupol Hussar Regiment was recently transferred to the Baltic coast and appeared here as a reserve force. It was also to be deployed to the battlefield when any changes occurred in Prussia.

Such a force is certainly more suitable for reconnaissance missions, and its equipment can also be strengthened.

Solovyov also knew that in addition to the Tula Arsenal, Izhevsk would also be able to start production soon.

The weapons he designed, regardless of patent fees, could be used to strengthen such a regiment.

After all, Count Pavel was his good friend, elder brother, important sponsor and partner. He really couldn't let anything happen to him on the battlefield, so he had to arm himself in advance to be prepared for any eventuality.

As for a hussar regiment armed to the teeth, it can indeed be used for experiments. In addition to cold weapons, the cavalry can come up with a "Mamluk" weapon configuration, and the equipment is more advanced. What effect can it have?

If nothing unexpected happened, given the stupidity of the Prussians, by the winter of 1806, the two sides would have to fight the French in Poland. At that time, it would be a good opportunity to test the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Solovyov told Count Stroganov about this idea, and the other party readily agreed, which was a good thing.

So, the next day the count wrote to Alexander, requesting that he join the cavalry regiment, join the battlefield as a volunteer officer, and sponsor a cavalry regiment out of his own pocket.

Alexander was also very happy when he saw the count's letter. After all, he was his closest friend and could always share his worries at times like this, so he approved the plan.

As for what kind of weapons the Hussars will be equipped with, that depends on how much money Count Stroganov is willing to spend.

(End of this chapter)