Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 425 002 The Latest French Intelligence Received by the Hussars

After crossing the river, the Russian army waited on the road for a day for Golitsyn and Dokhturov who withdrew from Golimin. After the entire army was assembled, it changed direction and marched towards the designated area for the winter camp.

At the end of the year, the weather in Poland was still like autumn. Due to continuous rain and melting snow, the roads were very muddy and vehicles often got stuck in the mud.

However, for Russian soldiers, their new boots would at least not be eaten up by the mud, which could boost their morale.

The generals who were riding in carriages at the beginning now changed to horses and chose to stay with the officers and soldiers. This was not only for the convenience of marching, but also to boost morale.

At the same time, it should be noted that there are very few Cossacks and Hussars in the Russian army's marching columns. They have all been sent out for reconnaissance and to perform various tasks.

Those who remained in the legion were mainly dragoons and cuirassiers classified as heavy cavalry, especially the Guards Cuirassiers Regiment transferred from the Guards. This was the most valuable existence in the East Prussian Legion.

We need to deploy all our troops and remain highly vigilant about the movements of the French army.

In addition to the large-scale battles between the two armies, there are also many small-scale battles. Some young cavalrymen may not go into battle for the first time in a battle. Instead, it is more likely that light cavalry will grow up quickly in this kind of firefight.

Count Stroganov volunteered to serve as a colonel and left the main force with the Mariupol Hussar Regiment and some Cossacks. As hussors directly under the legion, their goal was to move between the various French legions and camps, and it was common for them to operate in teams smaller than a squadron.

At times like this, the ability of cavalry officers is indeed tested. Not everyone can be a cavalryman. It is no wonder that some cavalrymen are naturally arrogant and not very friendly to other arms.

Even Durova, when she was still a new recruit, dared to say such words to the commander of the Bryansk Infantry Regiment.

Well, she does have a lot of personality, and she is now an excellent lancer and signalman.

The reason why she was asked to be the signal officer was probably because she was the only officer in the Polish Lancers Regiment who was familiar with Russian. The number of officers was really worrying, so she, the second lieutenant who was particularly brave when charging into battle, had no choice but to be the one to do it.

Even when capturing the eagle flag of the 3rd Light Infantry Regiment, she stabbed the flag bearer with her spear, which allowed her comrades to successfully capture the flag. Because of this achievement, she was also awarded the Fourth Class Order of St. George.

How can I put it? Everyone knows that the superiors take good care of her. As for whether she is a boy or a girl, because she claimed to be 17 years old when she reported it, and she has no hair on her face, that's all we can say.

Now, she was temporarily assigned to the Mariupol Hussar Regiment. The regiment's signalman was injured in Pultusk, so she had to recruit someone from the Polish Lancer Regiment which was resting.

So Durova stayed by Count Stroganov's side and was always in charge of communications.

In fact, this count was the richest heir in Russia and he was so handsome that any girl would easily become infatuated with him when she saw him. Even though Durova had tried hard to psychologically identify herself as a boy (a cute boy who had given birth to a boy), she still found it difficult to restrain herself. Besides, this count was indeed well-spoken and respected by the people around him.

"Ah, Lieutenant Sokolov, you send a signal to the east. The people we captured this time are officers from the Fourth Army. Their winter camp is near the Ukla River, close to the battlefield where we fought before, and they have also entered the town."

"Colonel, this..."

"What's wrong with you, little Sasha? You seem to have a fever."

"No. I was just wondering how to spell the 'Ukra' River in the signal book. After all, this is Poland. Although I am in the Polish Lancers, my home is on the Ukrainian steppes. That's about it."

"If you feel uncomfortable, you can find a warm place in the village when you camp and stretch yourself out."

The Count was indeed very charming, but he was unaware of this, and he had no idea of ​​Durova's inner thoughts.

The girl tried hard to calm herself down by thinking, "I am a soldier, not a girl."

As for the one who received the signal, it was a Cossack regiment in the woods. They had completed their previous mission and returned from another road.

For the French, this is still a headache for them.

They could see the Russian army's small movements, but they would always be defeated if they sent squadron-sized cavalry to pursue them. On the other hand, if they attacked with cavalry regiments, the Russian army would slip away very quickly, and they could often only capture a few lone light cavalry. It was indeed very uncomfortable to continue like this.

If left unchecked, the winter camps of the armies would continue to be scouted and harassed by these scouts, and officers marching on the road would not dare to be alone, as they would be easily caught and the intelligence would fall into the hands of the Russian army.

Napoleon himself went to Warsaw at this time. After all, with Countess Walewska, his days in Warsaw were quite happy.

But if Solovyov knew about this, he would probably laugh at his uncle's taste. After all, the real Countess Valewska, although she was born in 1786, did not necessarily look that young.

In this kind of situation, it is best if the person involved is happy.

Therefore, whether it was the court steward Diroque or the personal servants Constant and Rustam, they did not care about their boss's taste.

However, any military intelligence that was passed on was not good news, and it caused Napoleon's "wife" Berthier in the army a lot of headaches.

"These Russians are so cunning that after their retreat they scattered their light cavalry all over the Vistula front."

"Should I tell His Majesty?"

"Let's talk about it in an hour. There is no reception today, and it won't cause those Poles to worry at this time."

"Are they afraid the Russians will attack?"

"I think so."

Berthier's schedule was very clear. The time Napoleon spent with his lover was generally strictly restricted. It was only when his official duties in Warsaw were reduced that the time he spent sleeping with women increased.

As for the sloppy image of wearing pajamas, it was only in front of acquaintances.

"Berthier, what's the news?"

"Your Majesty, I think it was Soult and Augereau who reported that the Russian hussars were frequently active around us."

"I know that. The Russian light cavalry did a good job. In comparison, their dragoons were not that good."

"It's not great, but we did lose the eagle flag, Your Majesty." "We also captured their flags, and more."

"But the Russians' means of communication are obviously somewhat regular, Your Majesty. You can first take a look at the Fourth Army's report, which talks about our chasseurs observing the Russian army sending signals."

Napoleon, who had a solid foundation in geometry, quickly understood the report after reading it himself.

"There is a clever Russian who is using the reflection of sunlight to send signals with light. Unfortunately, we don't know what pattern they use and we have no way to crack it. But we can use this to our advantage. We need our cavalry to find a way to use the signal they send to narrow the search range, strike the Russian cavalry, and keep them away from our winter camp."

"Yes, sir, I will at once draw up the orders for the hussars and chasseurs to proceed and drive out the Russian cavalry."

"Also, have the messengers who gave the winter camping orders to the armies arrived?"

"Currently, only the First Army and the Sixth Army have not responded. The First Army's position is fine. They have already gone to look for a suitable winter camping site. The Sixth Army's Ney is closer to Königsberg. He was previously pursuing the Prussian army in Lestock."

"He's chasing the Prussians? Don't run too far. I can sense that the Russian army is deploying troops now. Langgeron, the royalist, might be laying out a bait for us to take. But this kind of rapid deployment obviously doesn't mean that he's a Russian general we're familiar with. He might be a newcomer."

"Your Majesty, what will happen?"

"You know, Berthier, that my wife Josephine has a cousin in Petersburg, a fact I have never told you about. But I am certain that the Russian staff officer who was chatting with Mortier and Gazin in Dürenstein was her stepson."

"Your Majesty, have you told the Queen this?"

"I never said it. If Mortier hadn't always been honest and his evidence and logic were not reasonable, I would have just thought it was a joke played by the Russians."

"But your majesty, what is the connection?"

As for Berthier, when he was chief of staff, he was always a master at playing dumb.

"Berthier, don't be as stupid as Caulaincourt. When I had a son, he didn't even understand the situation. Russia once sent diplomats to Paris. Do you have any impression of the military attaché, the green-eyed 'beautiful boy'?"

"Your Majesty, speaking of this man, he seems to have a good relationship with Moreau. I heard some information that he is very smart and likes to make some military inventions, but they are not stupid 'tactical innovations'."

"Yes, he is still my relative from my wife's side, but the relationship is a bit distant. At least I know that the Russian breech-loading rifle was invented by him. Maybe this ingenious and simple means of communication is also a Russian military innovation."

Napoleon was right. His winter camp was constantly being harassed. It was indeed Solovyov's "little trick" that kept reporting the position of the French army.

"In this case, we need to send more messengers to drive away the Russian cavalry and ask Ney to retreat quickly and not give them a chance."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will send someone to the Sixth Army right away."

"In addition, Bernadotte's position, although seemingly safe, is very isolated. He and Ney must perform some covering actions to guard against possible attacks by the Russians."

However, the messengers sent by Napoleon always encountered some troubles, because the Russian cavalry were scattered and would always capture some of his messengers. As for whether the letters could be destroyed in time, it was a problem. Later, when the Russian army used the great memory recovery technique, it was another problem.

However, Count Stroganov did not advocate corporal punishment. He just wanted to have a good chat with the French in his French with a Parisian accent. Even if these talkative French people could not remember all the information, they would be able to get most of the necessary intelligence out of them.

The count obtained information from a captured officer that Ney's Sixth Army was relatively isolated. His mission was to find the Sixth Army and have them move closer to nearby friendly forces and enter the winter camp.

For this reason, Count Stroganov also decided to send this news in time when he led the team back.

As for who to send, Durova volunteered again, but the count did not let her go, after all, she was now the officer in charge of communications.

And if Solovyov knew about it, he would complain that the Mariupol Regiment had no one and had to use seconded officers as messengers.

That's why Stroganov sent his adjutant on horseback to the Russian army's winter camp near the border.

There, Langeron was officially appointed commander-in-chief of the East Prussian Army, responsible for commanding the two armies of Wittgenstein and Buchholden, as well as the divisions under them.

The messenger sent by Alexander also pointed out that Russian reinforcements would arrive later.

Moreover, the 1st Guards Division has already arrived in Riga, but it still needs to wait for further instructions.

Langgelon also knew that the main purpose of the Guards' coming out this time was to cover the rear.

But if Grand Duke Constantine really comes, the order of command will be difficult to say. If a real foreigner is allowed to command the heir to the throne, someone will definitely complain.

He now has enough troops on the front line, but he has not yet decided what to do next.

It was not until Count Stroganov's adjutant returned with important intelligence that the French Sixth Army was relatively isolated and had not yet entered the winter camp area.

The Russian commanders, including Kutuzov, are all very cunning.

Even Marshal Kamensky, who has now become an Irish old man, was attacked by the Turkish army at night on the Danube front. He used quick wits and fired a barrage of artillery to drive away the enemy.

If it were Kutuzov, he might be more patient and would not move as long as Ney was far away from him.

After all, the old man is still a bit lazy.

However, it would be different if it were someone else. Bennigsen would try to steal the ball, and Langgeron would think the same.

But Langgeron may be more resolute than Bennigsen.

If Bennigsen said that, he would make himself look like a mine stealer, but Langeron was thinking about getting over quickly and dealing a fatal blow to the French army.

(End of this chapter)