Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 449 026 Picked up Clausewitz
The Guards staff system was itself the work done by Solovyov before he led them to establish the Russian General Staff in Sukhteren. Now they have to fill it out according to this framework, which is always a standard practice to fleece the Germans.

As for Prussian officers, although they are often useless, they do have one advantage, which is that their staff capabilities are relatively outstanding.

Taking into account the German officers in the Russian army, it would be more useful to use them as staff officers at the corps and division levels instead of establishing such a corps.

In addition to the Russian military tradition, these people will have work to do after they arrive, and they will also receive a salary increase.

In comparison, even the Polish officers within the Russian army benefited more during this period because of their cultural level, not to mention that they already had relatives in Russia.

This problem is even a systemic problem. Many of the pro-Russian nobles among the Poles serve in the imperial Russian system in this capacity, but it has not yet been extended to the gentlemen who remain in Warsaw.

As for Warsaw, the French are now there, and Napoleon is planning the next step of the battle to get Russia and Prussia to the negotiating table. Naturally, this regulation did not benefit the Polish nobles.

The purpose of the Polish upper nobility was to escape from Prussian rule. In comparison, the rule of the Russian emperor here was not so unacceptable.

As for what did the Prussians do?

It was probably an early version, and Prussia obviously needed a large amount of tax revenue to support its army. Danzig could participate in the Baltic grain trade, and the land occupied by Prussia for more than 30 years happened to be the essence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

And then, that's it.

So, when Solovyov was on his way back to Jelgava from Riga by sleigh, he first went to Memel to visit His Majesty the King of Prussia.

This coward has a virtuous and capable queen, and they are so loving. If Alexander knew, he would probably be jealous.

But Alexander's problem is that if he treats a punching bag like Louisa well, no one will be able to successfully launch a sneak attack on her.

When His Majesty issued the Order of the Red Eagle, he only looked at the list. The Queen was more careful. She knew that Solovyov was Alexander's aide-de-camp. Although his military rank had just been transferred to this position, his personal ability was still reflected through his talent.

Of course, the queen herself only hoped to obtain information from the Russian court by having her husband make friends with this aide-general.

But Solovyov had a rather strange idea. He wanted to find a wife for his apprentice. The weak Princess Charlotte was not a "dragoon" at all and was very cute. If he could act as a matchmaker, it would be easier for her to get approval from Alexander in the future.

But this is not something that can be said for a person of his level. Perhaps if he becomes the son-in-law of a prince in the future, his status will be improved.

What's even more annoying is that he and Napoleon are double relatives, and I don't know if this will cause the queen's disgust.

What looks like a cherry cake, but is actually the Queen of Prussia of Chili Pepper, is a very sharp-minded person and would not make a stupid mistake on this issue.

Solovyov recalled that when he was with Paul, the emperor once mentioned his travels in Paris.

At that time, Louis XVI and his wife still had some brains. Louis XVI was not good at speaking and almost caused a diplomatic dispute because of a slip of the tongue. It was the queen who was smarter and interrupted in time to avoid a possible diplomatic dispute between Russia and France.

But Paul was a very easy-going person. He treated the French king and queen as his friends, so even if Louis XVI was wrong, he wouldn't make a big deal about it.

In comparison, among the current young queens in Europe, Louisa may have the advantage in knowledge, but her shy character has always shrouded her in mystery, and her presence in the social circle is relatively weak. There are only many people who sympathize with her, including the Guards officers who want to develop an intimate relationship with her. Solovyov himself was the only one who succeeded.

Alexander knew that he was in the wrong regarding the issue of his wife, because he had so many mistresses outside. Constantine only had one or two long-term mistresses, and he usually only stayed with the Polish girl's sister.

Because of this, even though he knew that the little Lisa born recently by Louisa was not his child, he still acknowledged her.

Girls, after all, are very useful when it comes to marriage alliances.

As for Queen Louise, with her personal abilities, if she had been a queen, she would have solved the Prussian problem long ago.

However, among the German princes, there has always been the Salic Law of Succession, and many disputes have arisen because of it.

Speaking of which, if a European country has a queen, no matter whether she is a little girl or an old lady, she will actually have a strong cohesive force on the country. As long as her appearance and personal abilities are acceptable, she will not cause too much trouble.

But on the way to Memel to meet the Prussian king, Solovyov didn't know what would happen to him.

Queen Louise had not been in good health recently, so she stayed in Jelgava with her daughters, and the king returned to Memel on his own.

As for this generous yet cowardly King, the only thing he was determined to do was to oppose Napoleon, and he made this determination only with the support of the Queen.

If he had married Amalia instead of Louise, he would have been even more cowardly. And because of Amalia's image, Solovyov could imagine a typical German joke.

Behold, a Merkel in fancy clothes!

Well, that's about it.

When Solovyov thought of this, he still wanted to smile.

But in the hotel, it is not appropriate to speak loudly or laugh out loud.

When he went out, he often brought only a groom, an adjutant, and an orderly with him, and nothing else.

Obviously, he doesn't look like a general on a trip, but fortunately he didn't take off his coat, so you really can't tell that he is a general.

He didn't even have the officer's iconic bicorne hat. Instead, he looked like an Englishman, with a top hat on his head and a cane in his hand.

This time, he doesn't look like himself anymore.

But when the time comes, she will have to change into normal attire in front of the King of Prussia.

But in the hotel, he didn't take off his coat, and the green outfit made him stand out among the group of Germans.

If it were just this golden hair, he would probably be mistaken for a Bavarian if he played the accordion.

At this time, there is always someone who comes to ruin the atmosphere.

"What would you like to order, sir?"

"Just don't give me pork knuckle. How about your grilled sausages?"

Fortunately, this is in Memel, not Jena. After all, Jena's grilled sausages are quite famous.

As for his love of slapping the Prussians in the face, he became friends with the Duke of Brunswick and his son.
This can only be described as a strange relationship, and Solovyov also wanted a beer. After all, in Memel, it does feel a bit strange not to drink.

It’s just that there are too many customers, so the food is always served slowly.

He even had time to go back to the guest room and put on the medal hanging on his clothes.

At this time, the Order of the Red Eagle was still a single level. This medal was introduced into the Prussian medal system from the duchies annexed by Prussia in 1792.

Compared with the medal systems of Britain, France and Russia, Prussia's is relatively shabby, especially when there is not even an Iron Cross. The more important medals awarded to soldiers are probably the Black Eagle Medal, the "Blue Max" Medal of Merit and the Order of the Red Eagle.

The awarding standards for the first two are relatively high, while the Order of the Red Eagle is relatively vague, so it can also be used as a medal awarded to foreign military personnel.

Speaking of which, the Prussians are quite stingy, but the queen is very generous.

While lying in the Jelgava Palace, the queen had asked about the Russian generals and even suggested that medals be awarded to the ladies.

The king himself was apparently always more willing to give orders when it came to awarding medals.

But now, the level of the Order of the Red Eagle is not as complete as in later generations, so it is impossible to define which one it is. It may become out of print like Paul's Order of Malta.

As for this medal, it can also be hung around the neck. German medals are always hung around the neck, and there are no oak leaves at present.

After he had put on his medal, he went for a walk in the yard, waiting to see whether the sausages were ready.

However, the back of the yard led to the main street, so he could see the local police beating someone.

You can't understand what a bad combination of English cooks, German policemen and French engineers is unless you see the Prussian policemen.

They actually beat people indiscriminately. If you see this kind of situation, people who love to stand up for the weak and meddle in other people's business will always take action.

"What are you doing? Why are you beating this gentleman?"

Obviously, Solovyov did not notice who the ragged man in front of him was.

"This tramp, wearing shabby clothes, is obviously a French spy. Who are you?"

"Don't worry about who I am. If you want to arrest someone, you need evidence. I know why there are always inexplicable wrongful convictions in Berlin. It's because of you policemen."

As for when he showed the Red Eagle Medal, it was obviously able to intimidate those stupid policemen.

The East Prussian police are essentially no different from Ochumelov; they are all chameleons.

British police, on the other hand, generally perform their duties faithfully to the best of their ability.

And this poor man has not yet gotten rid of suspicion, but because Solovyov took off his coat, revealing the medals and green Russian military uniform underneath, there is no problem now.

"Thank you, young general. I think there is something I need to tell you. I am not a spy. Instead, I am a Prussian officer who escaped from the French."

"Ah, judging from the accent, there shouldn't be any problem. You look like you've suffered a lot. Let's go have some grilled sausages. I wonder if the chef has prepared them now."

"Thank you. I don't know what to call you. I am Carl von Clausewitz, adjutant and staff officer to Prince August."

Well, this guy was indeed captured by the French, and he was a prominent figure.

"Mikhail Solovyov, Chief of Staff of the East Prussian Army. We are all staff officers. You look so pitiful. You should change into decent clothes. Otherwise, you can't go to the palace to see His Majesty the King. I just happened to come here to discuss important matters and to see your Majesty the King."

By the way, when Clausewitz was alive, although he had good staff capabilities and was also an expert in military science, his works were all compiled by his wife.

As for Solovyov's fame in the military theory circle, Clausewitz had heard of him, probably because of his correspondence with Archduke Karl and the fact that he was Suvorov's last disciple.

Of course, this guy was born into a merchant aristocratic family, and his family was not short of money. He was even willing to take the initiative to pay for Clausewitz to buy clothes.

"Thank you, Michael, that's all"

"You don't have to thank me for this. You've suffered a lot along the way, haven't you?"

"Yes, I wanted to go back home, but it was requisitioned by the French. I couldn't go to my fiancée's place either, and I was afraid of causing trouble for Mary. But I ran away from the French because I wanted to find any Prussian army. The road to Friedland where General Lestock was was blocked by the French. When I passed near Warsaw on the way, my wallet was stolen."

Solovyov broke into a sweat when he heard this. This unlucky guy ran away from the French, speaking French with a strange accent and pretending to be a Dutchman, and only then was he able to get here, and he was beaten by Prussia's own police.

"And so you have come to Memel, penniless as you are."

"But I didn't expect this to happen. But I also know that the French didn't fight very well in Eylau. You did a great job. It's just that you are the chief of staff of the corps and you come here."

"His Majesty Frederick William should be looking for me to discuss the coordination of the Russian and Prussian frontline corps. You should know that before I was promoted to general, I was an aide-de-camp and a guard officer by the side of Grand Duke Constantine. The coordination of the two armies still needs to be more or less completed this summer."

"I think so. I've been studying the habits of the French while on the road."

"I am somewhat interested. This is also the issue I have been studying recently. Moreover, the commander-in-chief of our legion is also a Frenchman. However, Count Langgeron is a royalist and has different political views from Napoleon, the republican empire."

"It is indeed a coincidence. I want to go to your Majesty to report some situations. Since I am the adjutant of His Majesty Augustus, I can still help you to some extent."

However, if Prince August heard about Solovyov and Madame Recamier, he might think that they were love rivals.

But Clausewitz was just an adjutant, and Solovyov knew that after the war, he would have the opportunity to command a brigade or even a division, or be promoted to the commander of a regiment.

If he had Clausewitz to help him, at least he wouldn't have to spend so much energy on staff work.

(End of this chapter)