Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 467 044 Napoleon's Anti-Fraud Prevention Center Can't Prevent This Kind of Trick

This deception would be easily exposed if Bagration had only followed the first layer of his tricks.

The problem was that Solovyov had to change his plan and use the original combination of punches to attack Ney on Bernadotte's side, turning it into a multi-story hotel structure.

In fact, when Ney saw these officers who had been released, he was always able to judge Bagration's first meaning based on the cooper's family's previous business experience.

The Russian army was about to launch an attack, and it seemed that they were coming in his direction.

There was nothing wrong with his way of understanding. After all, Bagration invited these two unlucky French guys to lure him into the trap. However, Ney's own ability to understand was enough to make this plan fail.

However, Solovyov's thoughts went beyond this.

It was true that Ney was the only one on this side of the Pasague River, and it seemed quite isolated, but he had already considered the road traffic issues first.

Adjusting the troops to advance westward to confront Bernadotte on the flank of the entire army should be the least likely option.

When Jomini was listening to the conversation between Ney and the two unlucky guys who were released, he noticed something was wrong.

"Your Excellency, the Russians are always very cunning. You have to be more careful and pay attention to their traps."

"They are just two messengers. If the Russian army really wants to attack, we don't need to worry. We should be prepared here. According to your plan, Antoine, we have to reserve a retreat route for ourselves and build suitable fortifications. If the Russians attack, we can also wait for reinforcements from various directions."

"This is indeed safer. Bagration has used similar methods before."

"But the matter of Shengraben has little to do with us. What we should pay attention to now is the river to our east. The Russians are more likely to come from here."

"Indeed, according to our reconnaissance in the past few days, the main force of the Russian army is deployed in the northeast. However, if they want to attack from the north or the east, both are ideal options. Our deployment is indeed more isolated."

"It doesn't matter. I, Michel Ney, have always fought the toughest battles. Before the winter camp, we ran into the Russians, but we escaped safely, didn't we?"

"It was a surprise to both sides. According to the information seized from Mark by His Majesty the Emperor and the new annotations that have been published, the Russians' previous actions were a 'feint to the east and attack in the west' strategy. If we look at the source, it was still the same strategy that Alexander the Great used to bluff in India and change the location of the river crossing."

"It's a pity that such an advanced military strategy seems to be mastered by only a few of our enemies."

"So, I always thought that someone would go fishing. Your Excellency the Marshal, you should report this situation to His Majesty the Emperor. Besides, this Solovyov is looking for his relatives in Dürenstein."

"And it has come back to the Emperor. My brother Jean Ney was killed at the Battle of the Trebbia, and before that he wrote to me that a strange Russian officer, speaking French with a southern accent, was looking for his aunt."

Jomini knew that Ney's enthusiasm for fighting the Russians was still related to this, but it was also due to his activeness and initiative on the battlefield.

"Marshal Mortier encountered the same problem when he asked his aunt to go to the battlefield. When I sent you the letter, His Majesty told Marshal Mortier about this strange thing."

"Give this letter to the emperor, he should have his own opinion. We are all soldiers, so we should not consider such issues. What should we say to the generals who are affected by such tricks?"

Ney has a sharp mind, but tricks are not something he is good at.

"We should focus on the military, sir."

"You could say that if there hadn't been a war, I'd probably be making barrels in my hometown, and you'd probably still be a manager at the Stock Exchange, right?"

"I did work at the stock exchange before, but I heard that Solovyov was from a family of profiteers and had been a Russian military attaché in Paris."

"Haha, the son of a profiteer and a stockbroker, you two should have something in common, right? They are both speculative businesses. You will bet on where you can make a profit."

"But I can tell from his command style that although he is very young, every battle is carefully considered and he is very calm. The overall movement of the Russian army has rarely made mistakes."

"No wonder the emperor is having a headache. This kind of erratic enemy is the most difficult to capture."

As for Jomini, he personally delivered a letter to Napoleon's camp to report the current situation on the front line.

When he passed the Passague River, he also specially surveyed the marching route. Whether the Sixth Army was to retreat from here or reinforcements were to pass through here, it was obvious that the direction of the French army's movement was very advantageous, whether to fight or retreat.

But he also had a doubt. The tactics of both sides seemed too obvious. It looked like they were fishing, but the Sixth Army could not be completely unprepared.

As for Napoleon himself, his rest time every day was very limited. In addition to the military field, he also needed to issue decrees all the time. Energetic people often have demands in all aspects, including intimate communication with Countess Walewska.

However, as the ice and snow melted, summer was approaching, and his main focus was still on the battles this summer.

In his deployment, Ney himself served as the outpost of the entire army. Whether he was sent forward as bait or as the spearhead of the future active attack, he had to play a role in this position.

He would personally open and read the messenger's reports every day, and after analysis, he would draft orders through Berthier and send them to various armies.

But today, Berthier came in with a stern face and reported the latest intelligence that Ney sent Jomini to deliver, which still attracted his attention.

"Berthier, what's wrong with you?"

"Your Majesty, I think it must be some important intelligence, so a senior staff officer came here, the Swiss who presented you a paper last year."

"Ah, it's Colonel Jomini. He's quite talented, but he's always been a bit opportunistic. No wonder, he's just like that Russian kid who claimed to be my wife's nephew, a cunning profiteer."

"So."

"Ask him to come in. Also, Berthier, draft an order to pay more attention to our logistical supply. Whether the Russians attack or we fight back, the supply of the corps is very important. At least in Poland, we can't fall into the same pit for the second time."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Berthier then left Napoleon's office and called Jomini in.

Jomini could feel that Berthier, as a fellow human being, was not very friendly to him.

It was strange that a staff officer who was praised by Napoleon many times would always arouse the jealousy of the marshal. In contrast, the emperor's profiteer nephew in the opposite camp might be a good person, at least that's what the two guys who were released said.

"Sire, I have brought you some information and two letters from Marshal Ney."

"Jomini, sit down. How does it feel to be back in the Sixth Army?"

"Very good, Your Majesty. We are there, after all, closer to the enemy, and we are always the first to know about any disturbance."

"So, what was the intelligence that required you to come here instead of sending an adjutant?"

"I think the Russians will take large-scale action, and the East Prussian Army will probably take the lead in the attack. But if they want to attack our camp, their purpose is too obvious."

"But it is also the most direct method, because it is the closest and it is easier to mobilize troops. This is what we want. We want the Russians to take the bait, and then we can cross the Pasag River and fight them, drive them away from the transportation line, and force the Tsar to sue for peace. This is our goal."

After hearing this, Jomini knew that Napoleon hoped that the Russians would fall into his trap, but based on the Russian army's movements that he had detected, he also had some plans in mind.

"However, Your Majesty, I would like to state my personal opinion. When Suvorov was in Italy, he changed his course of action many times and won the final victory in the Italian War of 1799. Is it possible that the direct attack on the Sixth Army is just a cover? The real goal should be in other directions."

"What's your basis?"

"The Russian army used this strategy in the winter, forming a column with two or three divisions, disguising them as their main force, to attract our attention, thus giving their real main force a certain amount of room to maneuver. From Pultusk to Eylau, and even twice in Ostrolenka, this was the way of action."

"That makes some sense, but the rest of the armies are on the west bank of the Pasager River, so it would be very difficult for the Russian army to attack. Moreover, there are many swamps along the road to the north, and the road condition is also very bad, very muddy."

"Enemy may appear in impossible places. Your Majesty, you probably think so too, right?"

Napoleon nodded in agreement, but at times like this he would not praise his opponent, instead he would make impromptu comments on the battlefield.

In the past, the French army was unable to stop the Russian army at Guimen Bridge. Jomini was a Swiss and might not have been unaware of this.

These Russian soldiers, following King Frederick the Great's tactics, not only fired two shots, they also had to push.

In his opinion, the Russian Cossack cavalry was probably the most elusive, and could emerge from any forest terrain. Although they were only conducting reconnaissance and harassment missions, they still caused a lot of trouble for the French army.

Now, he also has to consider this aspect.

"Antoine, what did our released officer say after he came back?"

"The Russians are in camp, cutting wood all the time."

"Logging? Are these Russians going to build a camp like the Roman legions? Or are they going to build roads before going to war?"

Napoleon himself raised the question, but then he quickly realized that putting some filling material on the edge of the swamp might be the same as widening the road to facilitate the passage of the army.

"His Majesty."

"Ah, Eureka, I figured it out!"

Napoleon suddenly became Archimedes, but he did not emerge from the bathtub.

"What do you think of?"

"If the Russian army wants to disguise their operations, they need to widen the roads no matter which direction they attack. Although it's just a clever trick, they can improve the passability of some roads."

The Russian army was indeed doing this, but Napoleon could not guess in which direction.

Although the Russian army used a trick, Napoleon did not buy it. What he wanted was to strengthen the vigilance, or at least have all the armies mobilized in advance.

However, at this time, the most difficult situation was the French camp. Compared with the Russian camp, it was more scattered. They still needed on-site supplies to ease the logistical pressure, so they camped in towns or villages.

It also takes time for orders to be conveyed accurately.

Although Bernadotte did not encounter the situation where the Cossacks blocked the road and captured all the messengers this time, it rained heavily and the conditions of some roads were too bad, which resulted in the information he received being relatively delayed.

After all, he was the farthest away from both the Russian and French armies.

By the time he received the news, the weather was extremely bad. If he built temporary mud fortifications, they would probably be shoddy projects.

At this time, he only executed one of Napoleon's two orders, which was to assemble the First Army, but he did not make much preparation in terms of fortifications.

It's not entirely because he is away from the battlefield and is just slacking off here, it's indeed a climate issue.

The Russian army could not have had weather forecasts, they were just carrying out operations according to plan. The heavy rain at the First Army’s base caused them to not reinforce their fortifications, but to simply assemble and prepare for action, which was something that was unexpected.

As for Jomini, he also returned to Ney's headquarters. Since the weather in Poland as a whole could not be summarized in one sentence, Ney took advantage of the weather conditions to strengthen the fortifications of the garrison and adjusted the deployment of his troops, down to every regiment.

The Sixth Army's position had indeed become the front-line wedge of the entire army, and any action could be taken.

However, it is still somewhat difficult for him to mobilize his troops to support friendly forces.

Ney did not have time to learn about the situations of other units, but he was clear about one thing: to the east of his base, the Russian army already had a large cavalry unit operating.

This was generally the signal for launching an offensive, and indeed there were troops led by Gorchakov moving in this direction. At least on the French side, it was considered an army with two divisions under its command.

It seems that the Russian army wants to target Ney.

(End of this chapter)