Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 416 058 Morse Code and Optical Transmitter

However, because Alexander had not yet issued a formal order to march to the Vistula River, the East Prussian Corps remained in Russia.

This way, there is still some time to prepare. In terms of logistics, the transportation line from St. Petersburg to Königsberg should be improved, warehouses should be established in Wilno and Kaunas near the border, and the troops preparing to fight abroad should be trained.

They even added that military coats and new leather boots must be distributed to all soldiers.

God knows how bad the weather will be this winter. Even in Poland, it is not as cold as in Russia.

"This way, we still have time to prepare. We also need a means of communication. If we rely solely on messengers, we will encounter the French on the way. Also, winter is very dangerous for communication officers."

"You must have some inspiration for this consideration, Colonel."

"Speaking of inspiration, it probably comes from light. We can use light to transmit signals, but this is limited to daytime.

Solovyov said this with some consideration. When he was walking in the Jelgava Palace, he accidentally discovered that Madame Recamier also came here with a white-faced British shorthair in her arms.

The most famous British shorthair is undoubtedly Tom. As for what this cat did
If you think about the ways Tom and his three stray cat friends tried to contact each other, but were blocked outside by Spike, also known as Han Da Gou, Tom even used Morse code once.

Speaking of which, Solovyov thought of this and realized that light could be used for encoding.

As for how to make a signal machine, the principle can be mastered quickly, and there will be engineers in the army to help.

It is actually easy to find someone who understands mathematics. First, we need to find artillery. However, when it comes to coding, we always need some knowledgeable people.

Solovyov then called in artillery officers to discuss the use of Morse code and the feasibility of optical communications.

"Okay, brothers, we are here at this time to study the communication problem. You know, in the past, the communication officer was responsible for delivering messages, and it was easy to encounter enemies on the way. When an adjutant was delivering messages at the front line, he might encounter something, such as the French or bears."

"Why are you talking about bears again, Misha?"

Yermolov said this, considering his size
"Well, Alyosha, at this time, in addition to some necessary urgent matters, there are also daily communications, and signal machines are also very important. You know, if you can't understand flags and signals, the navy can't fight. I think these ideas can indeed be used in communications between corps, and if possible, even at the division level."

"What kind of signal are you going to use? Colonel, we noticed the French signal machine when we were in Austerlitz, but theirs seemed to need to form a pattern."

"We are going to use optical signals. We can use optical signal machines to convey messages, such as a few sets of signals like this, and give some short commands or even speak a group of sentences."

"As far as we know, the French are very good at mathematics and may be able to crack our 'code'."

"That makes sense, so we need to encrypt. You are all artillery officers. Of course, I am an infantry officer, but I am also a math enthusiast. At a time like this, I naturally have to contribute my own strength. At the same time, it also avoids a problem that some of us can speak French."

Langgeron was here today too, but it didn't matter to him, after all, he could understand Russian, it's just that the accent was very strange.

"Michelle, you don't have to worry about me. I can understand Russian, and such standardized signals are very important for the staff to issue orders."

Now that Langgeron had said so, Solovyov continued his performance.

"In principle, we use the light from the sun to transmit information to the ground, whether it is seen with a telescope or with the naked eye. We can take advantage of the roundness of the earth and combine various environmental factors to communicate over long distances."

"If this is the case, Colonel, we can use two transmission systems and even provide feedback and convey messages to the troops below."

"That's the truth. Which group are you from?"

Solovyov looked at this unfamiliar young officer, who was a little older than himself and only a lieutenant in the artillery.
"I am Alexander Tikhomirov, Colonel of the 4th Division's Artillery Battalion."

Like Durova, this was probably an officer who dressed as a man to fight in the war, and he was even older than the 23-year-old Durova.

"How long have you been in service?"

"Fifteen years, Colonel."

"You've been in service for so long, and you're only a lieutenant. But the ideas you put forward are indeed very constructive. I only thought of issuing orders, but didn't think about the feedback from the subordinate troops."

"Encryption is also very important, as we just mentioned."

"Yes, so the code we use must first be able to reflect a sentence. For example, 'I want to drink milk', first the я of 'I' is expressed, followed by 'drink' and 'milk' (Молоко), which is a set of codes."

The coding went smoothly. As for how to make a signal machine, you only need two mirrors with diameters between 38 mm and 305 mm to make an optical signal machine, which has a very simple structure.

For engineers, this is very simple, especially now that many legions in the army are located around Jelgava and Riga, so it is very convenient to obtain materials.

The optical signal machine was completed the next day even after Solovyov proposed the principle.

Unlike Zhukov who used searchlights at night, Solovyov's method was to harass the people during the day.

However, considering the battlefield environment, it can only be used when the weather conditions are good.

Solovyov asked the artillery lieutenant, who was actually Tikhomirova, to take a set of signal machines to a point 5 kilometers away, which was a relatively long distance and also a suitable distance between the headquarters and the front on the battlefield.

If optical communication is more reliable, effective communication can be achieved even up to 20 kilometers away, and relevant signals can be accurately received through effective observation.

Speaking of the world record for this type of communication technology, it is still the 1894 kilometers set by the US military in 294, which can be achieved when weather conditions permit.

Generally speaking, the maximum effective distance of optical communication in plain areas is between 32 and 80 kilometers, so an attempt at a distance of 5 kilometers can prove its reliability.

Solovyov sent a signal: "What did you have for breakfast?" The reply he got was "earth apples", that is, potatoes. "It actually works!"

A few Hussars who came to join in the fun were all surprised.

"You hussars, if you go out to fight as regiments or squadrons in the future, you can also bring this kind of signal machine to transmit signals in a fixed area and then continue the operation."

"That saves us the trouble of sending a messenger!"

After hearing this, Solovyov saw his old acquaintance Davydov.

"Dania, why are you here?"

"I came with Prince Bagration, and now I am his adjutant."

Solovyov didn't ask any further questions, but it was a good thing that Davydov came back.

But he could not have imagined that this trouble-making Hussar poet had come to the front line through the Polish girl's connections.

"If you are an adjutant, don't be so nosy. Also, you must learn this new thing of mine well. It will be useful in the future."

"Of course I know that you can always come up with some new inventions!"

"Well, poet, you should know that we are going to fight again, and officers are needed everywhere. If you can learn it quickly, let your friends in the Hussars learn it as soon as possible. We will rely on this method to transmit intelligence in the future, and we also have to deal with the French!"

After listening to Solovyov's words, Davydov quickly understood his purpose.

"When the time comes, all the Hussars and Cossacks will be pulled out to fight the French. You are really amazing! In the past, it was said that only artillery soldiers needed to learn mathematics well, but now you, an infantryman, have made all officers learn this knowledge."

"This is just a practical application of coding, Dania. If you think it's okay, let's do it."

"That's great. If we keep sending messengers back, it will be easy for the enemy to intercept the information."

In fact, the Russian light cavalry had always been able to act boldly in unfamiliar areas, conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations, and had long been experts in this field, even more adept than their Hungarian hussars.

Now the artillery and cavalry officers have supported this opinion.

Finally, it was Langgeron and Solovyov who had to do the work of Marshal Kamensky.

This old marshal is not as humorous and abstract as Suvorov. He has always been more serious.

But after listening to Langgeron's explanation, he realized that although he was old, he was not confused.

"Did you really succeed in the test?"

"Yes, Mikhail Fyodorovich, at a distance of five versts one of our artillery lieutenants saw the signal and responded."

"It's really interesting. This can indeed save the need for messengers in some places. It would be even better if more complicated orders could also be delivered."

Optical signal machines are just the beginning. If we have a radio in the future that can receive signals, we will be able to send short messages on the way back, just like a battleship.

"Commander-in-Chief, we can now convey some simple orders. If we undergo training, we will have the first batch of qualified officers to perform communication tasks in a month."

Of course, without the phone, the communications director’s head would still be fine.

In principle, Marshal Kamensky agreed. He even wanted to be a hands-off boss. Langgeron and Solovyov could help him with everything, and he only needed to make the final decision.

He is not like Suvorov, whose physical functions weakened before his consciousness. Instead, he is in good health, his thinking and consciousness abilities are slowly declining, and he even has self-awareness, so he is not confused.

Now he can endorse this matter because his youngest son had mentioned this experiment to him before.

As for the French, they still use signal machines, without optical signals. They are about to enter the next era, but they are also more efficient.

There was just one small problem: Napoleon's signal machines were always set up on site, unlike the optical signal machines that the Russian army had just started using, where an officer and a soldier could run around with the equipment and even communicate in real time.
In 1806, even if you count those optical "telegraph towers", the convenience of carrying and the use of Morse code were considered black technology.

As for the order to set out, Alexander’s edict arrived in Jelgava shortly after Kamensky heard Langeron’s report.

The Russian army had Wittgenstein and Buchholden as the commanders of two corps, and the commander-in-chief Kamensky was to lead this army to East Prussia, to support the Prussian army and to fight against the French army. However, when the Russian army set out, it did not know how many troops the Prussian army had left, and even the intelligence was in the dark. It was nothing else, but this humiliating defeat of Prussia, which led to confusion in the intelligence sent from Berlin. It was even unclear whether the French would rest in place or continue to advance eastward after quickly passing through Berlin.

Alexander would not interfere with the command at the front this time. He was in Petersburg, accompanying his wife. In addition, he was also worried that Kamensky would mess things up again, so he ordered his second brother, Grand Duke Constantine, to lead the main force of the Guards. If Kamensky was in a disadvantageous situation at the front, he could provide nearby support and take over the command of the corps.

In this way, he was fully prepared, and what he would focus on next was the affairs in the palace.

What made everyone feel relieved was that Louisa gave birth to a girl, which put Alexander's mind at ease.

However, seeing such a "little meat ball", it is very cute when it is born, and Alexander can accept it. If the girl is raised, she is still worth marrying, no matter whether she is married to a big country or a small country, or married to a great noble in the country.

Come to think of it, he has slept with other people's wives many times, so this can be considered a cycle.

The birth of a girl was a happy event for St. Petersburg. After all, the royal family had a new member. If Alexander wanted an heir, he and his wife were still young and it seemed that they would be able to have one if they tried hard.

Of course, science was still underdeveloped, and the Russian royal family always liked to spread feudal superstitions. They always thought this was a sign of something.
(End of this chapter)