Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 468 045 Bagration's Actions (Part )

If they wanted to build a separate passage on the edge of the swamp by laying out wood, it would take several days to prepare even if they sent tens of thousands of Russian soldiers to act as lumberjacks.

However, when it comes to military operations, Russian soldiers often do not take their lives too seriously and often use their bodies as pads for artillery wheels.

This is also the area of ​​Eastern Europe where the road conditions have always been rather bad.

However, in this operation, even the Russian Guards were not idle. The road widened by tens of thousands of people on the edge of the swamp did make it more convenient for the army to move.

Napoleon was able to guess some of the situation from the two released officers, but based on the information compiled by Jomini, he believed that the Russian army was more likely to take action against Ney.

Although Bernadotte's location is relatively isolated, it is still separated by the Pasager River and seems relatively safe. The pontoon bridge in front is also relatively safe. There are always troops on guard there. The First Army's camp is also very close to the pontoon bridge, so even if the Russian army arrives, they can provide timely support.

However, there are always some unexpected things. Count Stroganov was leading the Mariupol Hussars nearby to scout the crossings along the Pasag River, which ones could be crossed by armed swimming, and which ones had bridges already built.

After completing the mission, he led his hussars and met with Platov's Cossacks at the assembly point, waiting for the Russian vanguard to arrive.

Although Bagration was leading a temporary column, his task was to charge in the front and retreat in the back, which was still very difficult.

Therefore, he always had the more elite sister regiments of the grenadiers, the Pavlovsk Regiment and the Moscow Regiment. The former was formed by drawing soldiers from the latter, and the Moscow Regiment itself was one of the two oldest regiments in the Russian Army. When the army was formed, there was no one hanging on the old crooked tree.

With such a long history, they are naturally a very glorious unit.

"Brothers, we can't live without food. We must be prepared for what we eat!"

"Hey! The old commander's adjutant is now also a general."

"Misha, you've really made progress. We're the ones running around, even more diligently than when the Grand Marshal was here."

"Yes, yes. What kind of orders did you give? We old soldiers are not afraid of death in the war, but we are afraid of your orders to change back and forth. And you use a mirror to send signals, which makes us run all day long."

"But if we want to win the battle, we have to run faster than the French!"

Of course, the veterans of the Moscow Grenadiers did not know that Solovyov had an uncle who was an emperor. If they knew, they would probably make fun of this "kid".

As for the complaint, it is very obvious. Your relative's official position on the opposite side is ridiculously high.

"Yeah, we have to run faster than the French. But after this war, you have to take good care of us old guys who have served for twenty years."

By the way, because of their twenty years of "perfect service", they all have the right to be exempt from corporal punishment among soldiers, and they also have a Soldier's St. George Medal.

"When we fight, we still need you. But when we cross the swamp, it's okay to walk on the bridge, but these boots will get stuck in the mud."

"Oh, that's okay. When we march, we always use foot wraps to clear the way. Boots are so precious."

"If you change your boots, you'll have to get them after a while. By the time your boots break, the war will be almost over."

"You can change broken boots, but Mishka, you are a general now, when are you going to get married? You can't keep fooling around with French women. They are pretty coquettish, but they haven't given you any children. Finding a wife who can give you children is what's important."

These old guys are all quite knowledgeable.

"I am getting married. Her Majesty the Queen asked the Regent's nephew and Countess Stroganova to propose marriage for me, but it is all kept secret for now."

"If you want to get married, you have to go to Moscow. Petersburg is too far from Ryazan."

"Yes, we have to go back to Moscow, but your base is in Kaluga."

"When the time comes, at worst, you can ask for leave. Besides, our group leader, Her Highness Elena's brother-in-law, is your buddy. At worst, we can bring this loud-mouthed German guy with us to show our support for you!"

"OK!"

The veterans of the Moscow Regiment are the best at creating an atmosphere.

While Solovyov was chatting with them, they were also taking a break. Because the speed of passing through the swamp ahead was not very fast, the rest time was increased to half an hour.

Only when the Guards arrived here did they follow the infantry of the Pavlovsk Regiment in front and continue to advance through the swamp.

Although it was hard work for the engineers, the Russian army made rapid progress. They completed the marching goals according to the predetermined plan every day, and even walked a few more miles than expected.

Although these old grenadiers often complained, they were also very determined when marching.

After chatting with the veterans of the Moscow Regiment, Solovyov rode back to look for Bagration ahead.

This time, it can be said that the operation was commanded by Bagration, but unfortunately, the target was not the Germans.

But the suddenness of the Russian battle was certainly beyond the French's expectations.

"The old guys in the Moscow Regiment are in good shape now. I think they will perform well in the next battle."

"That's what they are like. They also said a lot of grumbling things to you."

"Yes."

"They are afraid to see me. You are too close to the soldiers. You should keep a little distance. Being an officer is different from being a general. And you can't learn from Alexander Vasilyevich. He can treat the soldiers as his children, but you can't do that at your age. Wait until... when you are my age, it should be about the same."

"I don't want to be like you. When I was forty, I wanted to leave the army."

"You're dreaming, but I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to leave the army with your skills."

"Ah, then there is one less traveler and archaeologist, only one general and a profiteer."

To be honest, it is rare to find someone like him who is not ashamed of his origin.

Russian nobles, when describing their origins, would more or less embellish them.

Someone like Bagration doesn't need that, as he is a descendant of the Georgian royal family.

"Ah, profiteer. But judging from the current marching speed, we can still speed it up. You are really cunning. You put the fastest hunter group in the front, so that the speed of the follow-up troops can be increased."

"Nothing, I just had this experience when I was running. If a group of people run, a few who run faster can bring the overall speed up. You know, our veterans are of very good quality." "Well, there is some truth. But what should we do when we reach the shore of the Pasager River?"

"How about finding a few people with good French and using the password we got to take over the bridge?"

Solovyov was somewhat whimsical, but considering that he had French relatives, he would also have the same skills as Lana in deceiving the Austrian army.

But this guy seems to want to do something bigger.

"How did you come up with this?"

"My French accent, the French guys all say it's a mixture of Lyon and Marseille. Count Pavel grew up in the French court. If he disguised himself as a French general, I'm afraid the other side wouldn't be able to tell."

After hearing this, Bagration laughed, and his laugh was uglier than crying.

"You are really self-taught. This kind of trick has been used by others in the past, and it may be used by others in the future. However, this is the first time I have seen someone as arrogant as you."

"No, we only have this one chance to change guards. Also, many of our soldiers are wearing the Prussian leather boots used by the French. However, the soldiers who are going to seize the bridge must take off their foot wraps, as that would easily expose their targets."

"But you have to plan it more carefully. We have to cross the Passage River to attack the French, and then we have to come back after crossing the bridge!"

"Then we have to protect this bridge. I am still very worried about the French deployment at that time. If Napoleon returns quickly, we have to consider planning the marching route before his large group arrives and escape from the possible encirclement."

“There are also transportation lines”

For the Russian army, the issue of transportation lines does require them to give more consideration.

Moreover, as we go further, supply becomes more difficult and the road becomes more difficult to travel.

However, Russian soldiers could always walk where there was no road.

People like them have more say, after all, they all crossed the Ghost Gate Bridge, their battle records can be checked, and the legion has an honorary flag, and both officers and soldiers have medals.

In fact, if someone comes to refute it, it would be difficult to explain what is going on.

When they camped that night, Count Stroganov came to Bagration's camp.

"Pasha, I need your help with something."

The earl was always good-tempered and would always agree to help others and take practical action when they asked for help.

What’s more, this was Prince Bagration’s request, so it must be related to the war situation.

"Of course, but I also want to hear what you want to do. If it's beyond my ability, there are some things I can't do!"

Since he said so, Solovyov told the count all his plans.

".That's it. We send a group of soldiers, disguised as Baden grenadiers, to seize the pontoon bridge over the Passage River. It's just a change of guard. Then the main group will drive across the bridge, give Bernadotte a head start, and destroy as many enemies as possible."

"You are really brave. If you don't know me, you would think you are going to be very big."

Yes, although Solovyov's height was not that impressive after he became an adult, he was not strong, and his body was certainly not a powerful one. If he encountered a tall and strong enemy, he would probably be at a disadvantage.

"But this way we can indeed launch a surprise attack on the enemy. If I go, I can obviously imitate it more closely, but the dispatch of the troops still requires the participation of me as the chief of staff."

"That's no problem. Isn't it just pretending to be French? You have to wait a moment. I've been in Petersburg for so long that I don't know if my accent has changed."

"probably not."

"It's more convenient for you to pretend to be a countryman. You know, Parisians always look down on people from the provinces."

"The French should know what those Gascons did before. However, my tactics are a bit 'unethical'."

However, Solovyov's methods seemed to always be the most severe ones used on Bernadotte.

As for the count, after receiving the order, he took a team of soldiers and began to disguise himself.

But they chose to disguise themselves as Baden Grenadiers and Hussars because their uniforms were easier to obtain, and there was also a group of Polish Lancers in the troops going with them, so it looked like a perfect match.

Although the small detachment led by Count Stroganov was small in strength, it consisted of a number of carefully selected officers who knew foreign languages ​​and lancers with more sophisticated horsemanship.

Therefore, he also asked for Durova from the Polish Lancer Regiment.

Although she had been disguising herself as a man, her figure was always somewhat exposed, although she had also padded it with something to avoid being exposed.

When wearing the uniforms of this era, the trousers on the lower body are still very visible.

As for her coming along, the French did not suspect anything.
After all, in some legions of the French army, there were indeed people who disguised themselves as men to join the army, and some even served as sergeants. However, people like Durova who were already a cavalry second lieutenant were indeed quite rare.

The count's operation went very smoothly. After obtaining the password, they even took control of the two pontoon bridges, allowing the Russian army to cross the river under the cover of night.

But there is one problem that cannot be avoided when operating at night. With so many torches, Bernadotte's scouts will be able to notice them as soon as they leave the barracks.

"What do the troops guarding the bridge eat?"

"Sir, there is a group of Baden grenadiers who, according to our orders, will replace the troops guarding the bridge, and then the Russians will come from the other side."

"This is unreasonable, but it's not surprising. The Russians have rarely played by the rules so far!"

Bernadotte didn't have time to care about so many things. He could only mobilize the troops of the First Army to prepare for battle and send people to Napoleon for help.

He was really not panicking. A French marshal of this level was able to stay in the position of commander of the First Army for such a long time, which must be due to his ability.

If it were someone else, even if they had nepotism, they wouldn't have been able to persist for so long.

Of course, the first punch of the battle would naturally be aimed at his head.

(End of this chapter)