Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 420 In just one night, the Marshal becomes old
The Russian army is gradually concentrating on Pultusk, and intelligence from all sides is now being gathered.

"This optical communication system was useful before the war, but the Hussars sometimes made spelling mistakes, so we still need to pay attention to this in the future."

"Michelle, your method is indeed effective and quick, but spelling mistakes are inevitable."

"Even Bonaparte has a lot of spelling errors. I heard this in Paris."

"How is Paris now?"

"It would be better to renovate the garbage dump in the northeast corner of Paris. Otherwise, when the northeast wind blows, the city smells bad. This is far worse than St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is better, but it's too cold in winter."

"Well, let's not talk about this for now. It seems that we should issue an order for all divisions to move closer to Pultusk."

As they were talking, they saw through the window a lancer riding up on horseback.

"It's from the Polish Lancers. It looks like there's some news ahead."

As for the cavalry officer who came in, Solovyov recognized him. Isn't this Durova?

However, he never exposed Nastya's identity, and always used male titles when addressing her.

"Lieutenant, what news do you bring?"

"When our squadron met the Mariupol Regiment in the woods, we encountered the retreating troops of the 2nd Division. Count Stroganov needed a volunteer, so I volunteered."

"Okay, Lieutenant."

But Solovyov would not say that he lost to a girl in a singles match. Maybe she was still a mother, after all, she had given birth to a child, which could be seen from her buttocks. Even if she could walk in a man's way, you could tell where the flaw was if you looked closely.

It's like the men in the regiment. When you are performing a mission, no matter whether it is charging, reconnaissance or other tasks, if you lose to a girl, it will be embarrassing no matter how you look at it.

".You go and rest first, I will send another messenger."

Working for Solovyov's staff is a relatively easy job. He will arrange the work in an orderly manner, and an orderly command structure will not bring the traditional chaos to the Russian army.

In the past, Austrian staff were always used because of the shortage of staff in the Russian army. Now this is a great improvement.

At least, this is a very orderly staff department. After the logistics department was separated, the operation of both departments was very normal.

Solovyov looked at the news brought by Durova and still had some confidence in defeating the French in a place like Pultusk. As long as Napoleon himself did not come with the main force, the arrival of Ostermann-Tolstoy's 2nd Division in Pultusk would mean that most of Wittgenstein's troops had arrived, and only a few troops could not be concentrated now.

This is more than enough. Solovyov calculated the troops at hand. Now he can mobilize 5 people. The entire Wittgenstein Army has more than people. In addition, he also requested an infantry brigade as a reserve, which is on the way from Russia and is expected to arrive in the next two days.

The troops Soloviev wanted were the Selenge Regiment and the Smolensk Regiment. He had led the former when he was in Smolensk. As for strengthening the reserve of a brigade?
He always felt that he had learned from his uncle. It would be uncomfortable if he didn't have some soldiers to tour the battlefield, even if they were ordinary troops.

This matter went smoothly, probably because he had a good relationship with General Apraksin. The other party sent out this temporary brigade, as well as the Novorossiysk Dragoon Regiment formed by drawing troops from the Smolensk Lancer Regiment, and an artillery battalion that was urgently needed on the front line.

When Count Osterman-Tolstoy and his troops were on their way, Solovyov took on another job.

"And the Cossacks?"

"Yes, this requires you and Major Bao Hong to go there. They will appear east of the Ukla River."

Cossack.
Solovyov thought about it and realized that there were no regular military academies in Russia now, otherwise he would have to recruit some non-commissioned officers.

However, this is not the Mozhaysk Line of Defense, but he might really go there in the future. Given Napoleon's behavior, there would definitely be an armed parade in 1812.

Then, he and Bao Hong came to the "pick-up station" with a squadron of hussars and saw these cavalrymen wearing Cossack cloaks.

Wow, it’s really a whole regiment of Cossacks, and there are helmeted dragoons behind them.

The soldiers were just a little embarrassed, but many of the soldiers of the Selenge Regiment were still the original old guys when it was formed. When they saw the former commander, they were still there to greet him.

The problems mentioned are always related to women.

"Little Captain, have you found a wife yet?"

He was engaged to little Katya, and it was a secret engagement, so there was no way to tell anyone about it.

"If there is any news, I will tell you!"

Prince Vasily Dolgorukov had served as an officer in the Old Selenge Regiment, and the grenadiers in the regiment would not have been surprised to know this.

After all, the "young leader" married the daughter of the old leader, who is both his leader and his leader's son-in-law, so he must help out.

But Solovyov was also a little worried. Although the equipment of the Novorossiysk Dragoon Regiment looked good, there were too many new recruits.

They just transferred several squadrons from the Smolensk Lancer Regiment. They were originally Ulan Lancers, but now they have changed into dragoons. It looks weird no matter how you look at them, and they need some time to adapt.

But this group of fresh troops who came here suffered no losses at all, and they crossed the river along the road they came from and arrived at the town of Pultusk.

After returning to the headquarters, Langgeron was still having a final debate with Marshal Kamensky about which type of plan should be adopted.

But today the marshal seemed to have entered the Irish old Deng mode and was dozing off the whole time.

"Now, this landlord who loves to use a whip has started to take a nap."

Solovyov also heard such a witty remark, which did not sound like something that those German officers could say.

But Langgeron had a sullen face, and it looked like he wanted to complain, but he was helpless.

"Michelle, have you brought back all the troops?"

"Two cavalry regiments, two infantry regiments, and an artillery battalion. Fortunately, they are all 6-pound guns, so they won't get stuck in the mud. And the combat effectiveness of the Smolensk Regiment is guaranteed." "How do you plan to deploy it?"

"Still a two-layer formation. Talk to Wittgenstein. Bagowut will deploy his troops in Putusk. Put the hussars and Cossack squadrons on guard in the front line to lure the French in, and then attack them."

"This is only the south side, so what about the west side?"

"West. Wait for Barclay first. His brigade didn't suffer much damage, so it's just right to be placed here. As for the reserve, place the new brigade and the Cossack regiment behind Barclay. Place the Sacken Division on the far right of the entire army, and be prepared for ambushes in the front and on the flanks."

"Are you planning to use these light cavalry and Bagowut as bait?"

"Although we can't underestimate the French. Ah, sorry, Count, you are also French. What I mean is that Bonaparte's army cannot be underestimated, but they may attack with their own strength. If we are too confident in the combat power of the army, we will have the opportunity to take advantage of this battlefield, just like in Dürenstein."

"Ah, there's no terrain to exploit here, so you're going to set up ambushes and bait, right?"

"Yes, let's have a good fight with the French army right here."

Seeing how confident he was, Langgeron was ready to strongly recommend this plan to Marshal Kamensky after he woke up.

However, when they were receiving and deploying troops, they did not take into account Marshal Kamensky's movements.

Wittgenstein was on patrol at the 4th Division and was not at the headquarters.

When we returned to the headquarters at night, Marshal Kamensky had already left.

"Why did the commander-in-chief leave?"

"As a son, I don't know either. I only left an order and a handwritten letter that I dictated."

Count Kamensky the Younger's face was also full of embarrassment. His father was the commander-in-chief. In terms of prestige, he was a field marshal who had made a name for himself during the era of the last empress. He could suppress these young people, but he left Wittgenstein's headquarters on his own and left behind the entire staff.

“This is amazing, don’t blame yourself.”

Langgeron was no longer in the mood for jokes. After all, the commander-in-chief had left, and now only one of him and Wittgenstein could be responsible for commanding the entire army, and he also had to find a way to contact Bookholden.

Solovyov couldn't complain when he saw this.

It is really a wonderful combination. Now there is no commander-in-chief in the Russian military headquarters. The two army commanders are a brave and honest man, and a drunkard who is drunk all day long. The one who looks more reliable is the Frenchman.

If we want to fight this battle in Pultusk, it is obvious that only Langgeron can command it.

When Wittgenstein returned, he was also puzzled by the situation.

"Ah, it's late at night now. Maybe the French will call tomorrow."

"The problem is that when the commander-in-chief left, he left a letter asking us and the Buckholden Corps to retreat to the border. This is unacceptable."

Langeron showed the letter to Wittgenstein and Berg, who read it and circulated it to all the teachers.

"It would be hard to explain if we retreated without fighting now. We are all preparing for a battle with the French in Pultusk. If we retreat hastily, our morale will be affected."

Baron Sacken said this and Ostermann-Tolstoy also expressed his support. The two of them each commanded a division and also represented the opinions of the generals present.

Even the more cautious Barclay said that a battle should be fought in Pultusk.

Everyone advocated fighting, and according to reconnaissance, French troops were approaching from the west and south. Even in several towns in the west, some Russian troops that were gradually retreating had already engaged in fighting with the French vanguard.

Given the current road conditions, it would be ridiculous to organize a retreat directly.

"Perhaps the commander-in-chief is about to suffer from Alzheimer's disease."

Solovyov just thought so, and what he said out loud might offend people to some extent.

The Russian marshal became the Irish old man. This absurd thing, in the final analysis, was the absurd personnel arrangement in the Russian court. It is hard to say what Arakcheev's motive was in recommending Kamensky.

If Kutuzov had not been demoted, or if several other veterans of similar age had been left here to hang out, it would have been better than abandoning the troops like Kamensky did, leaving only a letter and ordering a retreat.

Since each Russian division carries 60 or even 72 artillery pieces, and as few as 36, exerting firepower is not a problem.

However, such a large-scale artillery can display powerful firepower when attacking, but when retreating, it takes up a lot of road to mobilize the artillery, and even a large amount of baggage and artillery have to be abandoned.

In this way, since Langgeron and Solovyov are both members of the headquarters, they may not be punished. The one who will be unlucky is likely to be Wittgenstein, after all, he is the commander of these four divisions.

As for the role of commander, Wittgenstein felt that Langeron was more suitable, and Solovyov thought so too. However, he was only a colonel and had no decision-making power. Instead, he was the one who formulated and planned and participated in the execution.

Compared to Bennigsen, Langgeron's speculative nature is not as strong, and his performance has always been stable.

You know, if Bennigsen was still here, he might catch the French army off guard in one battle, but in the next battle, he might be defeated by Napoleon because of some unnecessary tricks. At the same time, when it is time to steal, he is always timid, which is not good.

There is another more serious problem. The war reports written by Bennigsen seem to be published by the headquarters. In addition, he also likes to tell tales and flatter the Tsar.

Although Langgeron was a big hater, he was relatively cautious in combat and commanded his troops relatively steadily. He would not do anything magical and would react quickly at critical moments. At the beginning, he and Kamensky's counterattack on the Pratzen Heights bought some time for the coalition forces on the heights. No matter how you look at it, there was no big problem with his ability.

This was acceptable to everyone, and since his seniority as lieutenant general was greater than Wittgenstein's, it was natural for him to serve as the temporary corps commander.

What Solovyov is thinking about now is that the unlucky Arakcheev should never play any tricks on the selection of commander-in-chief in the future.

In addition, the failure of the Prussian army's operations in the Toruń area also prevented the Russian army from completing its plan to drive the French army to the banks of the Vistula River.

No wonder Marshal Kamensky, who had become an Irishman, muttered to himself "You have all been betrayed" before leaving.
(End of this chapter)