Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 418 060 Bald Davout failed to capture the Russian army
Solovyov's idea was to take the initiative in the offensive, which was supported by both Kamensky and Langeron.

Kamensky was indeed old and useless, and he even misjudged the movements of the French army and let the bald man Davout come from the other side of the Vistula River.

But now he can still command Bookholden and let his army move closer to Wittgenstein's army.

As for Wittgenstein, he was quite brave in battle, but he was not very good at it, and he still needed to rely on Langgeron for command.

Among the four divisions of Wittgenstein's army, Count Ostermann-Tolstoy was the one with the highest hopes. His regiment had more elite troops and performed very well in pre-war exercises and training.

As for acting as a pioneer, the vanguard of the entire "East Prussian Corps" does have this ability.

In addition, Solovyov had connections in this division, namely the Pavlovsk Grenadiers, the first regiment he arrived at in St. Petersburg, and they had to shine.

You know, among the grenadiers in the Russian army, this regiment is the only one that has undergone the most organizational and equipment reforms since it was established by Paul drawing reserve soldiers from the Moscow Grenadier Regiment.

There was no way around it. The regiment was stationed near the Winter Palace and was a group of selected grenadiers, so they had this opportunity and treatment.

As for the current equipment of the entire regiment, it has indeed become "grenadiers". In addition to a breech-loading Izhevsk-Slovyov 1805 rifle, each grenadier carries a modified wooden-handled grenade.

This configuration is already at the level of the Guards, and the four main regiments of the Guards have not yet completed the replacement of their breech-loading rifles - one reason is the cost issue, and the other is that the productivity of the Tula and Izhevsk arsenals is really limited.

From the perspective of the good-natured Minister of War Sergei Kuzmich, he advocated that the Guards should be re-equipped first, but Arakcheev believed that the artillery needed to be re-equipped more and the infantry's priority was not that important at the moment.

It's true. No matter how much people hate him for what he does, everyone still agrees that strengthening the artillery is the idea.

The huge demand for the cavalry's accompanying cavalry artillery, the infantry division's direct artillery, and the independent artillery's unicorn guns and 12-pound guns, as well as the achievements of the Russian army's horse management over the past decades, have enabled them to have a large number of pack horses and draft horses, so that there are still enough horses for transporting supplies or towing artillery.

In addition, the quality of the Russian artillery is uneven. For example, the Guards Artillery and some old artillery battalions formed in the early years still have considerable firepower, but they can make up for it by using the number of artillery pieces when they cannot hit accurately.

With this density of firepower, the French will be in big trouble if they don't shoot accurately.

Solovyov even wanted to play an artillery march to liven up the atmosphere.
Although he finally gave up the idea, the firepower density of the Russian army at this time was at least twice that of the French army.

However, the strength of Ostermann-Tolstoy's division is comparable to that of the French Eighth Army that Kutuzov and Schmidt designed to destroy. If he acts independently, there is indeed a certain guarantee.

But at Charnovo, after Napoleon learned of the Russian army's actions, he gave orders to Davout.

"Your Excellency Marshal, His Majesty wants us to launch an attack on Charnovo, but this time the operation must be carried out at night."

"At night?"

Davout's doubts were that it was not easy to organize a night battle, especially for the Third Army, which was the most hard-working unit and had very tight supplies.

However, considering that the Russian army is right in front of us, we cannot give up the opportunity in front of us and we really need to fight back.

It happened to be raining and snowing those days, making it difficult to use the latest communication technology in the places Ostermann-Tolstoy passed through.

It was the Alexandre Hussar Regiment. When they met the French courier, the weather had cleared up, so communication was relatively smooth.

There is no telegraph at the moment, so we have to make do with optical communications. It is better than nothing, and the several Hussar and Cossack regiments that have been sent out have made great gains.

Therefore, Kamensky's headquarters, although receiving Barclay's express intelligence, still knew nothing about what had happened to Osterman-Tolstoy.

The reason why this young teacher had such a double surname was that his great-grandfather Count Ostermann had no male descendants, so he passed the title to his son-in-law Count Matvey Tolstoy's family.

"He shouldn't be like this, being as punctual and precise as a Kraut in battle."

There was no traitor behind this joke in front of the Kamenskys and Langgeron, after all, none of the four of them had any connection with the Germans.

"But it's time for news. If Sasha discovers the enemy, he will report it immediately."

Count Kamensky the Younger said this, but he was not sure either.

The reason why he appeared in his father's headquarters was that he was asked to lead troops into battle later. Although his father always felt that he was no longer adapted to the battlefield, his two sons were still full of energy and could still serve the Russian emperor.

If possible, in subsequent battles, he will have the opportunity to command a division or even higher-level troops.

Among these young talents of Russian aristocrats, young Kamensky was considered the most capable fighter. Although his elder brother had a brilliant performance at Austerlitz, he was generally regarded as just a reckless man.

Some other noble generals were not so highly regarded. Miloradovich and Bagration were already middle-aged, while Solovyov and Mikhail Dolgorukov were still considered to be at the children's table, and the former was not even a general.

Among the Russian generals of Kamensky Jr.'s age, he is the only one who can take on the important responsibility, while the others are at most considered to be able to become division commanders or army commanders in the future.

As for Osterman-Tolstoy, he and Count Stroganov came here only because the army was short of manpower. The former could have accompanied his frail wife on a trip abroad, while the latter came back from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and condescended to be demoted from a second-class civil servant to a fifth-class colonel to lead troops - in the future they will both have to return to the civil servant table.

"It's not about reporting, kid."

Although Marshal Kamensky believed that he was no longer able to command the battle, his experience was still there.

Kutuzov was really pretending to be asleep. He was different. Although he was not very energetic, he was still clear-headed and self-aware. He was also experienced and always alert to what was happening on the battlefield.

"What I'm worried about is that Corsican. He wants to take advantage of the fact that our troops haven't gathered together to defeat Wittgenstein first, and Buckholden. The three of you are all reliable. Don't spread the news. Buckholden is a reckless man. With his marching speed, if I were five years younger, I would have him whipped!"

The old man's bad temper, like the abstract image of Marshal Suvorov, are personal labels and stereotypes. It's just that Kamensky really has a bad temper, and Langgeron commented that he was very cruel.

"But you have to know that it would be very troublesome for him to come here in a hurry. The road conditions in Poland are very bad, which is very disadvantageous to both the enemy and us."

"The road conditions are very bad, Count. I don't think the French can mobilize so quickly, but we must act quickly." "Yes, that's it."

Langgeron still admired young Kamensky very much. Although he was a little direct, he had a clear mind and knew what to do now.

And by speaking in this way, he could always persuade the old man, who knew he was dying, to give the next order.

But he looked back at Solovyov. The guy had been working on the map and paying attention to the actions of all parties.

"If there is no news from Charnovo tonight, I'm afraid the French want to capture the 2nd Division."

Although the old marshal was not very energetic, he still remembered that when this young colonel was only 15 years old, he was favored because of his outstanding map work.

"Misha, your map work has always been very good, ever since you were a second lieutenant. Although your master and I are enemies, he has also helped my son. I think you have the ability to be a chief of staff, but it's a pity that your background still limits you, otherwise you can go out and lead troops like my son."

This leadership of troops refers to the level of division commander, so the old marshal's self-knowledge is somewhat useful.

Of course, Solovyov also knew that with his level, he could only rely on Grand Duke Constantine to find an opportunity next time to promote him to general. If he were a civilian, it wouldn't be so troublesome.

Ilya Ulyanov, the son of a freed serf, was able to become a fourth-class civil servant before his ancestral cerebral hemorrhage and had been in educational positions for many years. This does require a look at one's personal background.

Of course, this happened after Solovyov's time, when there were more redundant officials and people waiting for promotion than there are now.

At this time, people who could be promoted were often still very young, but Solovyov suffered from the disadvantages of seniority and status.

According to his achievements, his current rank of colonel is slightly lower, but still within the normal range.

Mentioning this matter at this time might be a gesture of goodwill from Kamensky. After all, in Suvorov's faction, the only two people who were going to be promoted to generals in the army were Solovyov and the Marshal's son Arkady, while the other senior members had already been promoted.

Arkady had connections with Alexander himself and the Naryshkins, so he would have a bright future even without considering that he was the son of the Grand Marshal.

As for Solovyov, his situation always seemed strange. He was the confidant of Grand Duke Constantine and the teacher of the two young grand dukes. He had weight but lacked a pusher.

As he was saying this, Solovyov's adjutant came in. He happened to be on duty at that moment.

"Marshal, urgent news from Charnovo, the 2nd Division is in conflict with the French!"

"Why did you arrive so late?"

Langgeron knew that Ostermann-Tolstoy was always efficient, and the delay must be due to something happening.

What worries people the most is that if the French army moves quickly and cuts off the 2nd Division’s retreat route, it will be a big trouble.

"Sir, the messenger said that they had a fight with the French chasseurs on the road."

"According to the rules, 2 to 4 groups of messengers should be sent out. Does that mean the French are trying to launch a powerful attack, or even to destroy the 2nd Division?"

Seeing this situation, Langgeron and Solovyov also went to ask the officer.

Solovyov saw that the person who came was none other than Bauchon, the Cossack of the Guards who had gone with him to Weimar.

"Why is it you?"

"That's not surprising. I went from being a Guards Cossack to a frontline Cossack officer, so I was able to get a position among the Don Cossacks. Anyway, the French fought very fiercely. On the one hand, they bluffed on the other side of the river and attacked our flanks, and on the other hand, they launched a strong attack from the front. When we came out to report the news, the French were still sending light cavalry to attack us."

"Thank you for your hard work. There are other messengers, how are they doing?"

"If it hadn't fallen into the hands of the French, it would probably be taking a long detour now! It's dark now, and we can't use your signal machine, so we can only travel in the dark."

"Good boy! The French are planning a night attack. It seems they want to surprise us. How is your division commander?"

"Alexander Ivanovich is now fighting and retreating. The Pavlovsk Grenadiers have made great contributions! They fired a volley at the French who were rushing over, then greeted them with grenades, and then charged with bayonets, driving the French back."

When he mentioned this, he was still somewhat proud and beaming with joy. Solovyov even felt a little embarrassed for bragging about his old troops like this.

After all, the Pavlovsk Grenadiers Regiment was formed on the basis of the Moscow Grenadiers Regiment, excluding the Suzdal Regiment where he first served. It was obvious that the relationship between them was second only to that of the Guards.

Moreover, this regiment will have the opportunity to be promoted to the Guards in the future.

"It looks like they really fought a good battle."

Solovyov looked back at the map. Charnovo was not far away. According to the current deployment, Wittgenstein's Corps should move closer to Pultusk.

He looked at the map and thought of a question.

The French army has now crossed the Vistula River. If the entire army were to take action, given the current standoff between the two armies, the formations of the French army would not be so dense, and there would always be some who were left behind.

At this time, is it possible to choose an area during the retreat and deal a heavy blow to a French division or even an army?

Although it is a bit path-dependent, and Poland does not have a convenient area to hide troops, it is still a solution.

Solovyov still wanted to meet Napoleon and his marshals again. This idea led him to act more actively, and he even had the idea of ​​striking hard with the local superior forces and firepower.

(End of this chapter)