Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 495 007 The Fishpond Bureau wants to find Lao Deng as the head coach

"We have to keep warm on the way back to St. Petersburg from Sevastopol. Katya, it would be better for you to spend the winter in a warmer climate instead of accompanying me back like this."

Solovyov was still saying this before getting in the car, but Katya was determined to follow him, so she was still willing to go back with him.

"It's better for me to go back to Petersburg with you. You won't have the heart to leave me here. It's the same if I'm sent to someone else to be taken care of."

"Well, we should dress warmly in the car. It would be great if we could get the steam locomotive out so we can stay in the warm carriage."

"You have unrealistic fantasies again. I think your fantastic ideas may not be realized so quickly. You can't do everything yourself."

"Yes, there are enough things to do in the army. You poor little thing, wrap yourself up better."

When Bao Hong saw this, he felt that Solovyov was too caring towards his wife. If it were another couple, they would not be so meticulous in their management.

They set out from Sevastopol and followed the main road along the Sea of ​​Azov to Taganrog and Rostov-on-Don, then chose the route of Voronezh, Lipetsk, Mtsensk, Kaluga and Smolensk, which would lead them to Bald Hills, where they would rest for a few days and then continue their journey back to Petersburg.

Here, Solovyov also wanted to meet Andrei first.

Solovyov's views never changed, but Andrei's attitude changed. He left active service and began to devote himself to the management of the estate and returned to family life.

Lisa was also very happy to see Katya. She was still as lively and sociable as before. In Smolensk, although the old prince took good care of her and Maria was there, there were still relatively few visitors.

"Misha, why didn't you and your wife enjoy your honeymoon in Crimea? Why did you suddenly come back?"

"I have an urgent mission and need to go back to perform my duties. How is life in Tongshan? Is Lisa going to give birth again?"

"You know what I'm talking about. The due date is in the next few days, and the weather isn't very good these days. You guys should just stay with me for a few more days."

"It is surprising that you did not spend the winter in Moscow. Besides, this hall is too spacious."

"What else can I do? My father's schedule is unshakable, and so is the arrangement at home. Only Lisa and my son are more lenient."

"Yes, but when Nicholas grows up, Grandpa will have to be strict with him."

"Misha, don't talk about this to Andrei. I have already asked the servants to arrange a room for you. Why don't you keep Katya here to keep me company? If you want to hire a companion, just invite her here next spring." When Lisa saw that there were guests coming, she wanted to keep Katya here to keep her company, even if she was a few years older than her.

"That's what I thought, but Katya."

As he spoke, he stroked Katya's hair and shoulders.

"I told her several times on the way, but she didn't want to. I can't force her to do that, and my father also wants to see his grandchildren."

"Your family atmosphere is really enviable. Andrei, when are we going to Moscow or St. Petersburg?"

Obviously, Lisa still prefers the lively scene, but in terms of personal concepts, she and Katya are probably similar.

"In the summer we can go to Petersburg, just the two of us."

"I really envy you. I still hold a position, and I am even the commander-in-chief of the Selenge Regiment. I may be even busier with official duties."

"But you're close to home, and I'll bring the child to visit you every day."

Katya, this girl is actually a clingy kitten, the type that won't let go once she grabs his arm. She is also quite sensible and won't disturb him when he is working.

"But you have to be careful. You can't go out casually when the weather is bad. Besides, the baby is still in your belly, and you have already made arrangements for what will happen after the baby is born."

"So what are you going to name your child?"

As a mother, Lisa is more concerned about this.

You know, the name of the eldest son of Bolkonsky from Tongshan has always been switched between Nikolai and Andrei, just like a cycle of baldness and non-baldness.

For families like Solovyov, who came from lower-class nobility or even commoner backgrounds, there were not so many restrictions on naming.

However, due to popularity, the name should be given according to the monarch. Normally, Alexander is now the emperor of all Russia, so the name should be based on his name, such as Alexander.

"I, Solovyov, am where I am today thanks to the care and promotion of His Majesty Paul. If it were a boy, he would naturally be named Pavel."

"What if you were a girl?"

"As for the name, I'll follow Katya. What do you plan to name it?"

"Then let's follow Her Majesty the Queen's name and call her Elizabeth."

"But Her Majesty the Queen had her real name before she married and came to Russia."

Lisa must have said it unintentionally, but it also reminded the young couple.

"If that's the case, Maria would probably be everywhere."

Katya has a lively personality, and even when she speaks, she is a little eccentric.

"But they can be called names, and they can't all be given new names like Her Highness Svetlana."

Well, after Lisa said that, Solovyov couldn't say anything, after all, he was the father of the younger of the twins.

In Russia, there are certain rules for naming.

"That can't be the case. My mother and I both have the same name as Her Majesty the Queen. That's not good. We should choose a less common name."

"That's not impossible. There are some names that are not very common, but they are quite common. When you went to Crimea, it was always related to the story of Iphigenia. How about calling her Diana?"

There is nothing wrong with the romanization of Artemis' name. If it was the name Iphigenia, Solovyov would not sacrifice his daughter, and Agamemnon's end was not good.

"That's great, what if it's twins?"

Lisa and Katya's ideas were a little unconventional, forcing Solovyov to think of a contingency plan.

But he also wanted to ask first: "Lisa, what about you? Our child needs to be named, and you are about to give birth, so your child should be named first."

"We should indeed consider it, but the name is just that."

The Bolkonsky family had a strange habit of always naming the next generation, except for the eldest son Nikolai-Andrei cycle, they also named the next generation using the names of deceased family members.

It made it seem like a reincarnation, and when Solovyov heard it, he also laughed.

It turned out that Andrei and Maria had a sister, Varvara, who died young, or the old prince's living cousin, Alexei, from whom they were named.

"This is your family's custom. My family names people casually. The flower girl at the wedding was my nephew Veniamin. This name is rare. You haven't seen it in St. Petersburg, right?" "That's true. It's rare in Moscow too. It's suitable for naming a boy."

After all, a name is also a person's name and code name in the world. If others have less famous names, his name can stand out a little.

The Russian name structure is a combination of the Greek and Roman naming habits. The Romans always named their eldest sons similar to their paternal grandfathers, and the Greeks always indicated who their fathers were.

While we were chatting here, the old duke came in wearing a bathrobe.

"What are you saying here?"

"Nikolay Andreevich, I am visiting you again."

"Mishka, you are quite accomplished, but it is unexpected that you are related to that Bonaparte."

"Yes, just"

He was about to speak when the old prince interrupted him.

"It's rare for you to bully your uncle like this."

"If he had been diligent in beating up the Krauts, we wouldn't have had to go abroad to fight him."

After he finished speaking, the old duke also laughed.

He had said this before, but he didn't expect to put it to good use here.

"And how about the trip to Sweden?"

"That's why I came back with Katya. Nikolai Andreevich, but if we go back to Petersburg, we don't know how the Emperor will arrange the task."

"You will probably be with Beijia and serve as his deputy, right?"

"That's what the appointment says. You've been retired for so many years, but you're still so familiar with Petersburg affairs."

"My family and the Volkonsky family are from the same family. His uncle even wrote me a letter! He mentioned the situation of the kid Bejia. He only went to the battlefield once in Austerlitz, and his strength was in planning. But you have been on both the front and the back. It's different."

"I am going back to Petersburg, but it is unlikely that I will go directly to the front. I will probably stay in the War Ministry in the Menshikov Palace."

"But how can someone like Buckholden be the head coach just because he is a general?"

It was obvious that the old duke had always had a problem with German officers, but when he mentioned Buckholden, his tone was sarcastic.

"Probably not. After all, he is the Governor of Vyborg."

"Let my grandson be the Governor of Vyborg, it would be better than him."

But little Nicholas was still sucking his thumb.

"You said this"

The old duke does have a bit of a bad temper, but if you think about it, his strange words do explain something.

If he thought Andre was dead, he would have just cried and cursed.

The scolding was not wrong, Buchholden did make a mess of things at Austerlitz, but now he can still be a commander in a certain area, commanding a secondary directional corps of three divisions.

Although his skills were sufficient to defeat the Swedes, he was also disliked, otherwise Langeron and Wittgenstein would not have found a way to drive him away.

But it would not be so easy to fight this battle well. Going to Finland would inevitably face guerrilla warfare. With Bukholden's previous style of leading troops, although his subordinates were Bagration, Gorchakov and Tuchkov, and there were Barclay and Laevsky in the reserve, and Denisov, Kunev and Platov on the cavalry side, he did not have the command ability.

"But Bookholden doesn't have the ability. He has two rookies under his command who can lead only a few troops. What can he do?"

Moreover, Nikolai Tuchkov was more or less involved in the original assassination of Paul. Although the old duke was completely driven back home by Paul, he was still somewhat dissatisfied with those who participated in the regicide.

The tone of this speech is naturally more sarcastic.

"So, if the Swedish army and the locals are dispersed, it will still be a great threat to our transportation lines, and we have to disperse a large number of troops. Then the Swedes will attack from the rear and transfer troops from the Åland Islands, attacking from both sides and trying to defeat us in a battle."

“Some ideas, if you do that, are really troublesome.”

"Barclays has proposed a concept before, and I think the Finns are likely to do the same."

However, if the old duke mentioned doing this in Russia, he might still be the one who took the initiative and wanted to fight a decisive battle with the French army.

But he is not confused now. Even though he has been retired for many years, he knows clearly what the Swedes might do.

"In this case, we still have to lure the Swedes to take the initiative to fight. If possible, we can start before the beginning of spring next year, and then end the war in winter."

The old duke just snorted and said nothing.

After all, Alexander had forced Kutuzov to fight at Austerlitz before, and Gustav IV was even more incompetent, and must have been eager for success on the front line.

However, even at home, one cannot express dissatisfaction with the monarch casually, not to mention that the old duke still has some affection for Alexander, so he would not say such a thing.

But what Solovyov said is indeed a solution to the problem.

"Nikolai Andreevich, this is probably the idea, but it also requires the cooperation of the enemy. However, before diplomatic means are exhausted, no war should be launched."

"Yes, Andre, you should come home and prepare dinner, and we will let the Count and his wife stay here."

Of course, Lisa's situation is more delicate. Katya is just pregnant, but she is about to give birth.

Solovyov looked at her and suddenly said, "Since Lisa is going to give birth soon, we will leave a few days later. This will at least help you."

"How can you help?"

Andre knew it, and he was worried but trying to hold back his laughter at the same time.

After all, he knew that this guy had delivered his own brother at home, but he couldn't tell anyone about it.

But Solovyov took over and said: "If you two are going to have a baby, no matter whether it is a boy or a girl, there will always be some advantages if the first person you see when you open your eyes is a stranger. If she is beautiful, it is fine. But if she is not so good-looking, like Langgeron's wife, it will be bad."

Putting aside the question of whether or not this custom exists in Russia, it does make sense.

The couple were guests and they looked good. Although little Katya was not the prettiest, she was youthful, lively and healthy, and the old prince agreed.

(End of this chapter)