Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 427 004 Two Young Leaders Made a Big Profit
What Markov discovered was that the French army was already preparing to deploy opposite him.

He took the initiative and blocked DuPont's way.

At this time, neither side knew that the French baggage train behind them had been hijacked by the Russian cavalry that was out for reconnaissance.

Nine cavalry squadrons, used to deal with the French convoy, was more than an overkill.

However, due to the lack of infantry support and the possibility that French troops could pass by at any time, Palen and Mikhail Dolgorukov chose to retreat to a safe area, and two cavalry squadrons were always keeping an eye on the French troops appearing from Morungen's side.

Although they were both a bit rookie and had good luck, they were also quite proactive. Compared with those grumpy old cavalrymen, they paid more attention to coordinating with friendly forces.

If the fighting situation on one side is more intense, these two squadrons can launch another attack from the back, which will also be helpful to the friendly forces in the front.

Even if it's not launching an attack, it's just like the Three Kingdoms novels they've been reading recently, setting fire behind the enemy as a signal. That's about it.

As for Solovyov, he had just become a general and did not play any tricks. He just included an analysis in the orders he gave to his two friends.

"Ah, it's Mishka. This guy is no longer a colonel, but a general like us."

"In his case, he served as both an infantryman and a staff officer. After returning home, he sat in an office for half a year. He was not like us cavalrymen, who were promoted faster."

In fact, when Count Palen the Younger said this, he had already taken into account that Solovyov also had some connections and was a noble with a title, which put him in the same category as them.

This was a question of type of work, and Dolgorukov didn't care about it. He continued to read Solovyov's analysis.

"If Bernadotte knew about our actions, he would definitely avoid being threatened by us on his flank and his winter camp, and take action to get closer to Ney. The other troops are far away, only the relatively isolated Ney is close. Moreover, if the two armies and some scattered troops gather together to delay us, it will also be beneficial for the main force of the French army to take action."

"Is there anything else to come?"

"It's probably to lure us in and contain us, then set a trap and start a battle. This guy is so long-winded when writing a written analysis."

"It's good to be meticulous, Misha. Otherwise, how could he get engaged to your cousin?"

"Yes, although Uncle Vasily is a very kind man, he still values ​​ability when choosing a son-in-law. As everyone knows, Katya almost became the daughter-in-law of the 'old witch'. It sounds like a horror story."

“Horror story.”

If Solovyov knew about these two funny guys, he would never have known that they could come up with a lot of strange things in their imaginations.

After all, in social occasions, where there are girls around, one always has to maintain a chivalrous demeanor.

"Why? You don't agree?"

"No, I think Solovyov is quite capable. His analysis is very logical and his judgment is reasonable."

"That's why we have to maintain a positive contact posture. If there is any movement from Markov's side, we have to find a way to cooperate."

As soon as they finished speaking, they could hear the sound of artillery fire in the distance.

Bernadotte is different from Rana. He has always been more cautious and good at protecting himself.

Especially at Austerlitz, after suffering a barrage of volleys and artillery fire from Solovyov, they became more cautious.

The artillery of the Dupont Division had also been in the marching column. Seeing that the Russian army had occupied the advantageous terrain and controlled the roads between the swamps and lakes, they had no choice but to prepare for battle.

After all, the Russian army followed the routine and blocked the way here.

Moreover, the poor terrain in places like Poland and East Prussia did indeed restrict the actions of both sides.

Under such circumstances, DuPont had no choice but to launch an attack.

Markov had a lot of troops in place, but they were still relatively scattered, and most of them were hunters.

These light infantry usually formed two or three lines to join the battle. Everyone knew that the French army on the opposite side had a stronger impact.

Even when facing the Turks, we have to consider that those kebabs prefer hand-to-hand combat. Although the infantry is rotten to the bone, the light cavalry still has some fighting power.

Therefore, the Russian army's chasseurs, except for a few troops engaging in skirmishes, fought relatively well most of the time. After all, the enemy would not easily give them any room to maneuver.

If a bayonet charge was launched at this critical juncture, the formation would be dispersed and they would certainly be vulnerable.

The narrow terrain is more favorable for the French and Russian armies to perform well.

Both of these two are ruthless guys who like to launch an attack after firing one or two volleys.

However, today, the Dupont Division's leaping soldiers, for some unknown reason, after repelling the Russian chasseur battalion in front, actually launched an attack on the subsequent reinforcements.

As for the height of the vaulters, 1 meters is a relatively standard height. The French vaulters are light infantry, usually hiding in the bushes and shooting more accurately in a scattered formation.

Bayonet charges are something that ordinary line infantry and grenadiers who are good at hand-to-hand combat often do.

However, if he has to do something that is not his job, something unexpected will always happen.

After all, the Russian army coming to support was a grenadier regiment.

The Russian army's conscription standards were lowered again and again, because the black-hearted serf owners in the countryside always kept the strongest serfs on their estates, and many short serfs appeared.

But the grenadiers were, after all, carefully selected. Moreover, the Russian grenadiers were tall and strong, good at hand-to-hand combat, and were much more ferocious than their French counterparts when charging with bayonets.

However, seeing this situation, the 1st Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment did not plan to use bayonets.

After firing a round, they did not reload bullets. Facing the leaping soldiers rushing over, they beat them to a pulp with the butts of their rifles.

The leaping soldier was knocked to the ground and kicked several times. He was very lucky that his brains were not smashed out.

As for this kind of thing happening on the battlefield, DuPont felt very embarrassed when he saw it.

He had no choice but to replace the vault soldiers with standard line infantry, launching an attack under the cover of artillery fire.

Moreover, Dupont had no intention of fighting with these grenadiers who wore bishop's hats and were very fierce in hand-to-hand combat. After all, this would not bring any benefits.

The Pskov Regiment on the side became his target. In such a narrow area, Dupont's on-the-spot command was excellent in attracting the attention of a powerful opponent on one side and then launching a fierce attack on the weak side.

After the Pskov Regiment suffered a blow, it began to retreat, so the grenadiers could not continue to hold on here. If they did not retreat, they would be isolated by the French army.

Seeing this situation, Markov no longer thought about controlling the area of ​​Morungen, but decided to withdraw from the battlefield by alternating cover.

Because the passability on both sides of this land is too poor, and the swamps and lakes are not frozen solid, it is difficult to bypass even if the ground is suitable for passing. The French and Russian armies repeatedly fought for a while on the narrow road until the Russian army withdrew from the battlefield in an orderly manner.

In this battle, both sides lost more than a thousand people, and the French army won a small victory on the battlefield.

However, when Dupont sent his adjutant to Bernadotte, he saw that the commander had a very ugly face.

It was not because of anything else. The reason was that the convoy that the Russian cavalry rushed into during the previous battle was directly under Bernadotte's command!

Although Bernadotte himself was not present, many officers in his command were present. Among those arrested were several staff officers in his command and his personal secretary.

As for the fact that the Russian cavalry was able to reach the First Army convoy behind the Dupont Division, it was obvious that there were other Russian troops nearby.

However, the Russian troops in this area are obviously not like Stroganov's hussars and Cossacks who take turns to scout and attack. If they want to do something, they are willing to do it big.

When Palen and Dolgorukov camped that night, they were also curious about what was loaded on these vehicles.

They already knew the identities of the prisoners, and among them were indeed Bernadotte's secretary and some staff officers.

The things loaded on the roof of the car would probably make the French officers of the First Army feel painful.

When Palen and Dolgorukov saw this, they also laughed out loud.

Among them were a lot of property looted by the French army from Prussia and Germany, as well as "taxes" collected in Prussian cities that were actually looted, and some of Bernadotte's collections, including some jewelry.

Dolgorukov saw a sapphire necklace and started to put it around his neck.

"What are you doing?"

"If you are preparing a birthday gift for Her Highness Catherine, a necklace like this would be more suitable. It goes well with her fair neck."

However, although the two of them are ambiguous, they are more like siblings than lovers. Catherine may like the second brother more than the eldest brother. Her ambiguous objects are all soldiers, and they are all brave warriors with extraordinary courage.

As for this prince, when His Highness was very young, he often acted as the "big brother". Although the mutual affection between the two could be considered a lover's relationship, this "uncertain" relationship was very clear compared to the uncertainty theorems.

Of course, among the young military officers, the Queen Mother still prefers this blond and silly prince. After all, he is not so cunning.

Queen Mother Maria did not like people like Solovyov, who looked smart and alert. If he had not been a tutor to her two young sons, her impression of him would not have changed so quickly.

If we talk about marriage someday, maybe the Queen Mother will agree.

In fact, the soldiers had no interest in the confiscated "taxes".

The money could not be touched. According to the rules of the allies, the personal property of the French army would naturally be the spoils of the cavalry. However, the "taxes" extorted from Prussia would naturally have to be returned to the cowardly Prussian king.

In addition, these two captains are of noble status, have a certain spirit of chivalry, and usually take good care of their brothers.

Therefore, no one cared about the Prussian thaler, and simply divided the food in the convoy and the French spoils and collections.

Dolgorukov only kept this nice-looking jewel necklace for himself, and distributed the rest to his subordinates.

Count Palen did the same thing, and he didn't even leave anything for himself.

When his property was confiscated, only his father's property in St. Petersburg was confiscated. Alexander later returned the property in Courland to the count.

These two captains are usually a bit naive, but that's how they manage to get along well with the cavalrymen.

As for the people we captured, excluding those who escaped, there are still more than a hundred prisoners who can be sent to the rear.

And what about Bernadotte? Although Dupont won the battle, he evacuated on his own initiative and gave Morungen to the Russian army.

Now that's great. Although he didn't actively want to set a trap for Ney, one of Ney's escape routes has been cut off.

If this guy continues to go to Königsberg, he will obviously be isolated.

That night, when Langgeron received Markov's report, he felt regretful. After all, the road here in Morungen is still very important.

But when the two cavalry commanders who were sent out for reconnaissance joined forces to attack Bernadotte's convoy and captured many French officers, Langgeron was overjoyed.

In the current situation, some important intelligence of the First Army has fallen into his hands.

Langgeron got hold of the latest correspondence between Bernadotte, Napoleon and Ney, many of their replies, and some letters that were not sent in time.

"These two guys are too proactive. If they hadn't encountered Bernadotte's baggage train, they would have kicked Dupont's ass."

"That's good. Dupont is still a very difficult division commander to deal with. It's hard to shake him with just nine cavalry squadrons attacking from behind."

"Why, after we captured Scherer, that information is still useful now?"

"It's not the Count. Listen to me. What I'm more worried about is that Napoleon will use Bernadotte and Ney as bait to trap us."

"There is some truth to this. The letters we have now cannot prove anything."

"If there were a letter from Napoleon himself, or a dispatch from the headquarters in Warsaw, it would be confirmed."

Langgeron also agreed with this point, but it also depends on the results of the Cossacks and Hussars scattered outside.

As for the places lost during the day, the Russian army finally regained them at night and took control of the entire battlefield.

According to the general rules of engagement, this could be considered a small victory for the Russian army, but the Grand Army bulletin certainly would not state it that way.

As for the more embarrassing things of the French, only the Prussian newspapers published in Königsberg and newspapers in Russia would report them. In fact, because the British always made fake news, which was then reprinted by friendly forces and finally exposed, the credibility of these newspapers was greatly affected.

(End of this chapter)