Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 390 Elena came back to visit her family, but actually went home to seek refuge (Part 032)
Although Solovyov's administrative position was in the Operations Department of the General Staff, as an officer of the Guards, his relationship was still within the Guards managed by Grand Duke Constantine, so it was very convenient for him to find Constantine.

Constantine strongly agreed to give officers physical examinations. In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army, officers must be given regular physical examinations.

As for those officers who were forced to retire due to infectious diseases, Solovyov did not feel embarrassed.

However, neither Dolokhov nor Fyodor Tolstoy were included in the list of forced retirement. It seemed that syphilis had not yet found these two prodigals.

Or maybe Russian medicine is not well developed.
But Alexey Okhotnikov was indeed among the patients with tuberculosis, a disease that was very dangerous for the court.

Especially recently, Elena is coming back from Mecklenburg to visit her family. Queen Mother Maria and the two unmarried archduchesses are very happy. She married there six years ago and they haven't seen each other for a long time.

Although the Queen Mother's favorite was Catherine, Elena was the Empress's favorite during her lifetime. When the old lady was alive, she liked all five girls she raised, but her favorite was the second granddaughter. It can be seen from the name that only her name was chosen carefully, and she is in the same series as the grand dukes who were born when the three empresses were alive.

Alexandra, Maria, Catherine, Olga and Anna are relatively ordinary.

Elena came back because the situation in Prussia was difficult to determine and she had always been close friends with Queen Louise of Prussia. The queen was very loyal to her sister and after recalling the Duke of Brunswick, she made early preparations to seek reinforcements from Russia and even informed Elena of the situation.

But she was also asked to go home for refuge, and by the way, to inquire about the situation in St. Petersburg through the fourth son of the Mecklenburg family, Christian August, who had been serving in the Russian army.

In this way, both sides can make sense.

After a few years of recuperation, Elena's health recovered a little, so she set out on the journey home with her three children.

This time she came back, she had a plan in mind. Maria herself didn't want to come back, and her son had always been weak and sickly and couldn't travel far, so he stayed in Weimar.

She also wrote to her sister, asking Elena to explain the situation to her mother.

"It is most troublesome when a child is sick, so Maria cannot come back in the spring and has stayed in Weimar until now. Mother also knows that the three of us who are married love our children very much. If they can travel a long way, they must bring them home to see mother and brother."

"It's just a pity for Alexandra. Although she married into my family, she is on the French side."

The Queen Mother said this with a somewhat self-deprecating tone, but she had sent all the maids away, leaving only her daughter and grandchildren here.

"But my sister didn't suffer. It is said that the 'cannibal devil' respected my uncle's family very much, so she didn't suffer either. Even my second British aunt treated her with great courtesy."

The Queen Mother still frowned when she heard this. In short, in the eyes of the royal ladies, the older ones always disliked Napoleon, but she couldn't say anything about her own brother.

You know, the Württemberg family is very complicated and has connections with all walks of life except France.

"After all, there have to be some rules, otherwise he wouldn't have so many allies."

"Come to think of it, I went straight to my mother's place when I came back, and I haven't been to my brother's place yet."

Elena said this, but she has always been good with her brothers and sisters, and she can't forget Alexander.

"Alexander is inspecting the army, and it's not far from Gatchina. We can meet tonight. Don't rush."

While the women were talking here, the Russian army was conducting military exercises near Tsarskoye Selo at the turn of spring and summer, also to guard against a possible war on the western border.

Russia is currently not at peace on the southern battlefield. The Ottoman Empire and the Qajar Dynasty of Persia are each fighting against the Russian army, which also involves a large number of troops.

But on the Prussian side, if a war really breaks out between France and Prussia, it does need to be prepared, at least faster than assisting Austria after the war breaks out.

"Your Majesty, this exercise is just like that. The live-fire shooting is to test the results of the military's training in the past six months, with the focus on the headquarters' map simulation. But the results are not optimistic."

When Van Suchteren said this, in fact, as the Quartermaster General and Acting Chief of the General Staff, he also said it very clearly, that is, the Russian army was not prepared. By the way, there were also opinions from the local generals in the Russian army that Prussia could not stop the French army.

"Don't say that, Sukhteren. I won't interfere with military command now. You can do what you want. For logistics, if you need any supplies, you can tell me and I will send someone to allocate them for you. As for the commanders on the front line, I won't interfere with how they command. Moreover, I have abolished the Military Commission. When Alexander Vasilyevich was in power, he hated this institution the most. The Minister of War will not interfere too much in the front line. We can organize and mobilize any kind of troops needed."

After he said that, Van Suchteren relaxed. Since Alexander would not interfere with the command and returned to the daily life after Peter the Great, the army could be allowed to do its work.

In fact, Alexander had some talent in strategy, but he did not want to interfere in specific commands, and the same was true when he was on the battlefield.

With the level of the Romanov family, there are only a few people who are good at military training and personal bravery. So far, there has not been a qualified commander, but perhaps there will be one in the future.

Putting aside such difficult matters, Alexander has always found it difficult to decide on the candidate for the commander-in-chief of the Russian army on the Western Front.

Now that we are in peacetime, he is even more like this.

There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone in Europe knows that he is an old artist and he loves acting.

At times like this, making a decision is indeed more troublesome.

Speaking of which, there are always people who misjudge others.

Although Paul was tolerant, he was still very decisive in doing things. However, because he was difficult to kill, he ended up in trouble and was murdered by his own confidants.

And what Alexander did was indeed to strike a balance.

"Well, Your Majesty. I just hope that we can decide on the commander of the Western Front as soon as possible, and establish a command structure and staff as soon as possible, so as to facilitate the dispatch of the army."

Of course, the results of Van Suchteren's exercises were all aimed at the Prussian army starting the war in October or November and holding out until the Russian army arrived near Berlin in December.

But what happens on the battlefield cannot be speculated or inferred using common sense.

Van Suchteren looked back at Volkonsky and Solovyov who were accompanying him. One of them was the Minister of Operations and the other was the Deputy Minister of Operations.

"What do you two think?"

Volkonsky had always been Alexander's confidant, and he was not easy to talk to, so he looked at Solovyov.

Anyway, this guy was cultivated by his uncle, so he had the opportunity to rise to the top, and he was not Alexander's follower at the beginning, but was sent by the late Emperor Paul, so he had to speak more. Solovyov knew that the old commander's nephew liked to dig holes for himself every day.

Of course, if I fall into a pit, he will pull me out when he has the ability.

For example, when answering General Van Suchteren's question.

"Your Excellency, I can't help but worry that Prussia may not be able to hold on. In the past, I have observed the Prussian army's combat readiness and met with the Duke of Brunswick. They are still immersed in the martial arts of the past and are just a bluffing shell."

The problem is no longer one that Russia alone can resolve, and Solovyov downplayed it relatively lightly.

"Your concerns don't seem to be our problem."

"Indeed, Prussia is rotten to the core. Their greatest threat is not Austria, France, or us, but their Sanssouci Palace."

Speaking in this way was indeed very disrespectful to Prussia. When Paul promoted Solovyov, a young man who had just become famous, Van Suchteren knew that Solovyov was a pragmatic guy who liked to use various more effective methods to improve the combat effectiveness of the army rather than deliberately imitating any one party.

In this respect, although he was Suvorov's last disciple, he was the most similar to him in military theory, and was quite flexible like a "galloping hare".

Moreover, it was his great contribution that enabled us to return from Austerlitz this time.

"And, sir, it is His Majesty who wants the two of us to accompany him back to Gatchina."

Volkonsky did not let Solovyov say more, and that was about it.

Today, Elena came back with her children to visit her parents, and the Gatchina Palace was arranging the event with great fanfare. The bulk of the royal expenses were spent on the Queen Mother, and when she saw her daughter coming back, she naturally spent money without hesitation.

Solovyov had to go to such occasions. After all, Elena was his benefactor. If she hadn't called him to the palace, he felt that his success would not have been so fast.

"Okay, go ahead."

Van Suchteren still had to call other people to discuss the issue, and these two did not have that much time, but what Solovyov said made sense, and as a Dutchman, he also knew that the young man was telling the truth, but there was nothing he could do.

Among the Russian army's allies, there are indeed few reliable ones, except for the British floating on the sea.

As for the Gatchina Palace, it is also very lively now. The Queen Mother has made a big show in Gatchina and called all the maids who serve the Queen Mother and the Queen.

Luisa also came over. Among these sisters-in-law, Alexandra and Elena, the two "twins" who were not born from the same mother, were closer in age and had interacted with her more before they got married, so they were naturally closer.

As for when Elena appeared in front of everyone, people who were familiar with her would find that she had obviously lost weight due to frequent illnesses in the past few years.

Of course, she is still healthy now after recuperation, but this also made the relatives present shed tears - the Russian royal family, starting from Paul, has always attached great importance to family affection, which is different from other families, and the brothers are also very united.

As for Nikolai and Mikhail, they were very young when their eldest and second sisters got married, so they only have a deeper impression of the third sister's marriage.

However, this sister looked very friendly to them. Nicholas was often hugged by her and still had some impression of her.

Mikhail, on the other hand, was a little unfamiliar.

After all, there are ten brothers and sisters in their family, and from Alexander to Mikhail, there is a generation gap between them.

"Elena, you've lost a lot of weight. Now that you can come back, we would like you to stay at home for a long time."

Of course, when the Queen Mother said this, she had somewhat forgotten how her second son's wife ran back to her parents' home.

But Alexander and Louisa had to put up with her partiality. After all, this was a reunion, and they had to accept whatever the Queen Mother said. She was also her mother, and as the eldest son and daughter-in-law, they had to accept it.

Solovyov, who was working as an aide-de-camp at the side, felt somewhat strange when he saw the two of them standing in such a position.

This kind of first family is no longer the kind of family where "the eldest son in the family means the ministers in the country". Alexander himself is the Tsar, but the sense of déjà vu should not be too strong.

Queen Mother Maria was still the first lady in the court, and she had the final say on many matters in the court, but Alexander obviously had a good grasp of politics.

And next to Solovyov happened to be Christian August, one of Elena's brothers-in-law.

I don't know what's wrong with this guy. He seems to have no interest in women. He just wants to serve in the army and strengthen his muscles. Moreover, he was promoted to general at a young age.

This is different from Solovyov. He is not very good at reincarnation studies, and he has achieved his current status through his own efforts.

"Christian, it's nice to see you again, since you can't go back to Schwerin while serving here."

"Sister-in-law, no matter what you say, it's good that you can come back."

Elena was very good at handling things. She directly took her son and asked him to call the loud-voiced Christian "uncle".

I have to say that the son raised in the Mecklenburg family has a very loud voice.

It seems that the atmosphere in today's occasion is quite harmonious, just like an ordinary visit by a married princess to her parents' home.

However, to be honest, Elena's return home at this time was more or less arranged by her parents-in-law and husband. Mecklenburg and Saxony, whether the main family or the branch family, had close ties with Prussia and were even directly controlled by Prussia.

There will definitely be something going on between Prussia and Russia, but this will not be discussed at the banquet welcoming Elena back.

In addition to the banquet, there was also a ball and a reception afterwards. In order to welcome her daughter back, the Queen Mother actually invited quite a few nobles from St. Petersburg.

This kind of place is naturally also a large-scale blind date meeting. Whether it is an unmarried palace maid or a girl from an aristocratic family who has just reached social age, they may be able to meet their ideal man.

(End of this chapter)