Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 499 011 Kutuzov Comes to Discuss the Art of War (Part )
As for Barclay, although it is obvious that his family is from Scotland and his surname is not Feng, he is always listed among those Germans because of his German ancestry. The Germans will not get too close to him, after all, they are not in the same race.

Whenever he falls out of favor, he is always shunned by others; when he is proud, he is easily attacked by others. Even those who have no personal grudges against him will always have disputes with him.

That's right, I'm talking about Solovyov's senior brother Bagration. However, the Georgian Prince is not considered the senior senior brother. There are rich and idle people like Apraksin and lecherous old men like Kutuzov who are more like senior uncles.

There were too many arguments between them.

Solovyov has always had a good personality. He often does jobs like chief of staff and director of military supplies. He has to deal with people from all walks of life, so he has to be good at dealing with people from all walks of life. In his job of selling camels among six countries, he has to get along well with both superiors and subordinates.

However, if someone takes advantage of the situation to put pressure on others, he will not hesitate and will launch a counterattack.

"Soloviev, it's a good thing you came over. His Majesty has approved the plan."

"But emotionally, no one wants this plan to be implemented in the end. The losses that would be caused would be extremely huge. The British are in a really good position. They don't need to do this. But if they are landed, they will also suffer."

If we really talk about robbery, the French are actually more professional in this regard, and they are not easily hated. Even if they took away an obelisk from Egypt, they would still make a big fuss.
Take the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II for example. He went to France to get a makeover and had a guard of honor and a customs passport. That was a big deal, wasn't it?

If you look closely at the British, they are not good at stealing, murder and arson. If you compare their immorality, they are all the same, but the British are more mean and arrogant.

I have only seen Greece and Egypt accusing the British of plundering cultural relics all day long. Even though the French stole a lot, they didn't make such a big fuss.

"You look down on the British? This guy looks like he has French relatives. I'm going to Count Kutuzov's residence. Do you want to come with me?"

"Of course it would be good to go. The old man came from Kiev recently. He should have something to do, right?"

"I'm not sure, but several generals have been appointed, and it seems like something big is going to happen."

"That's my side of the matter, and you have a part to play as well."

The two men were talking like this on the street, and they were afraid that Swedish spies might come and inquire about the news.

Although Russia's strength is absolutely overwhelming, it cannot withstand the abstraction, and something will always happen internally.

For example, a few years later, if Catherine had not married, some people would even plot to overthrow Alexander and create a Ye San.

As for which side the spy came from, it was not a surprise.

When Solovyov discussed important military and political matters with others, he naturally considered the person. The Barclay family had always been cautious, so this aspect was naturally easy to talk about. If it were someone else, he would not go to the carriage or sleigh to discuss it.

"Your plan is well-intentioned, but Buckholden."

Everybody knew about this problem, but Alexander still used such a person. There was nothing he could do about it. After all, Russia had an ancestral system of seniority. Even for someone like Kamensky Jr., who had made outstanding military achievements and whose father was a marshal, some people had some opinions about the fact that he was only 30 years old when he was promoted to lieutenant general at the rank of major general.

For some old generals, it was a big threshold to go from major general to lieutenant general in their lifetime, and the cases of Bagration and Barclay are two extremes.

Bagration's military achievements and credentials were so impressive that he could lead his troops to retreat in an orderly manner even in a disastrous defeat, and he could command the troops calmly without any chaos when the enemy was pursuing him. In addition, he was a disciple taught by Suvorov himself, so obviously few people could make any suggestions to him.

As for Barclay, his promotion faced criticism from these old men.

In Bookholden’s time, however, such things were rarely heard of. There were many veterans from the same era as him, including Solovyov’s father-in-law, which shows that interpersonal communication is still useful.

However, it is more likely that he was a heavy drinker and entertained guests at home. The Buchholden family had already appeared in Riga during the Middle Ages and was considered a prestigious aristocratic family among the Baltic Germans.

"Is there still this?"

"You can't drink, so you can only recite poems in front of girls. If you don't have some skills, it will be difficult for you to mix in the military social circle. Otherwise, you have to be like me."

Barclay is not making fun of himself, it's true that he always has this problem.

"Well, it's the same in Petersburg and Moscow, and it's much the same everywhere else."

Solovyov has always been good at making empty promises, but Bookholden has always been proud of himself. He performed poorly twice, one of which was a big mistake, but he is still able to have a successful career until now, and has hardly even been able to get a disciplinary transfer to a horizontal position. He really has some skills behind him.

Unfortunately, Old Deng's fighting skills have not improved at all, and he often drinks too much and makes mistakes.

Listening to Barclay, Solovyov thought that his subordinates were all elite soldiers and generals, and basically gave Buchholden a lineup of Kutuzov's men in 1812, except that Miloradovich was missing.

But it won't be easy for this lineup, as Finland is not an easy place to beat.

If Solovyov knew the bizarre operations the Russian army would perform over the next year or so, he might have had even less to say.

As for Kutuzov's house, it was rather deserted. His daughters had all married, and even the widowed third daughter, Elizabeth, lived in the mansion left by her deceased husband.

Barclay's arrival was nothing special, but he was very happy that Solovyov came. Although these two people came to discuss some things, it was more like caring for empty-nesters.

"Misha, how are you doing?"

"Katya and I went on a trip to Crimea, but were called back halfway. These days, I have a lot of official business, so I don't live at home by Lake Ladoga. I often stay at the old house in Laundry Lane."

"I'm married and still living there. I heard from Nikolai of the Kamensky family that the manor is well built, but you are now."

This old man is actually quite interesting. People say he is greedy, sleepy and lustful, but he is very astute in socializing and has a bit of cunning. He is still willing to lend a hand to the young people he favors.

He also went to Solovyov's wedding, even traveling all the way from Kiev.

But when I see him, I always think of my third son-in-law, Tickenhausen. I was happy about it before, but now I feel sad again.

"What are you"

"Nothing, but young man, when you are not on duty, you should enjoy life more. Except for your wedding leave, I seldom see you idle. Now that you have a wife, will you stop going to the salon?" The old man's words were very funny. He should be the best to Andre, and then to other young people.

"Sharon can't be counted on either. Mikhail Bogdanovich and I met him on the road, and he's busy drawing up a new battle plan."

"Who will command the Vyborg Legion?"

"The one who has been decided so far is General Buckholden."

"This is not a bad choice, but he has to be patient and make the enemy lose the will to resist instead of rushing to capture the city."

Obviously, this was Kutuzov's usual approach. He was always patient and even more diplomatic, able to force the enemy to accept the peace terms.

In fact, he and Suvorov were on completely different paths.

As for the six "likes" in Sun Tzu's Art of War, Suvorov can be described as "fast as the wind" and "aggressive as fire", while Kutuzov is probably "slow as a forest", but he is still not as immovable as a mountain.

Bagration may be more in line with this requirement. Recently, a military academy is to be established in St. Petersburg. The "Art of War" translated by Solovyov has been selected as a textbook of the Staff College for use by students.

Even Kutuzov had this book, but he only had one eye, so it was inconvenient for him to read, and he always had to ask his wife to read to him.

Now when he said this, he also motioned for the two to sit down.

"Barclay, and Misha, both of you sit down. Why do we all have the same name? It's very troublesome to call each other in private."

"Mikhail Illarionovich, probably has something to do with angels. I was in the cafe downstairs from the home of Count Sergei, Misha's father, and heard the Count talk about the origin of the name for his son."

"This kid is indeed an angel. But to be honest, he has some knowledge of military theory, even when translating, and can fully understand the content. This is amazing, not to mention a young man in his twenties. When we old guys were young, we were either fighting or having fun, but we didn't have the energy to devote ourselves to this. Misha, I really envy you. You are so young, and apart from enjoying life, you haven't experienced the pleasures other than women. You have done everything else that we didn't do when we were young."

For a moment, Solovyov didn't know what to say, and he didn't know whether the old general was praising him or talking about something else.

You know, Kutuzov is only a general, not an army marshal.

"You remind me of a strange incident in Petersburg."

"What is it?"

"Our field marshals are often honorary. The truly talented generals are all lieutenant generals. Major generals are too young, and generals are often..."

Kutuzov also laughed when he heard this.

"Hahaha, if you say so, I quite support this opinion. Alexander Vasilyevich has always had outstanding military achievements, but his promotion to marshal is very slow. Among our generals on the front line, only Rumyantsev became a marshal at the most suitable age and completed his military career, but it's a pity that he didn't finish it well. Even Nicholas' father was unemployed after he became a marshal."

Speaking of which, there is a rather embarrassing thing that Kutuzov did not tell it even after Potemkin had been dead for more than ten years.

Both Rumyantsev and old Kamensky offended Potemkin.

At this time, it’s not about gossip. Bookholden has a strange ability in this regard, and he has always been considered quite proud in the palace.

"As for this kind of thing, it will probably happen again, Misha. I actually agree with your translation of military theory. How should I put it? I know you wrote the preface and asked my wife to read it to me, but she is out at a salon party and is not at home."

"As mentioned in the preface, the purpose of translating these books is to provide commanders and staff with a suitable methodology, or at least a means of constructing a new methodology."

"Speaking of which, you sound like a philosopher. We need to use some good words so that the young officers can understand. This is good for the staff officers. They are generally well-read and know that you are talking about methodology. But for junior officers who have climbed up step by step, we need to adopt other methods."

"I understand this, and what you said makes some sense."

Kutuzov then signaled to the servant to bring the book.

"I actually always like young people like you. You are talented and energetic, and you are enviable. But you can't always be like us old guys. When we are old, we want to do something. By then, it may be too late to regret. I also regret that I am not so resolute in doing things sometimes, but patience is good."

He asked the servant to bring the book and hand it to Solovyov.

"Misha, you should be very familiar with these contents. What I want to hear is the 'Military~War~Chapter'. Is that how it should be read?"

"Although your pronunciation is not standard, it is still understandable."

Russian has a lot of rolling sounds, which is inevitable.

Solovyov took the book and began to read aloud.

"How about I start here? This part of the command principle, how to mobilize troops."

"Of course, Misha, just start there."

"Well," Solovyov turned the book to the corresponding page, and then found the dialogue and notes, "the principles of military command. The commander accepts orders from the monarch (from the ruling or parliament in the republic), from assembling the army, to planning the marching route, setting up camps, and then to arranging guards, and finally fighting on the battlefield. The main purpose is to seize the initiative in strategy and in battle."

"Misha, have you ever thought about why we can only negotiate at the Neman River during this war?"

"I have thought about this question. After all, I have been serving as chief of staff for a long time."

"Well, you can tell me what you think. I support Barclay's idea, but it is always difficult to implement it."

"We must have enough determination to seize the initiative on the battlefield. If we are to say, the Grand Marshal and the French Emperor are both willing to fight for control of the battlefield. If we are to say, our entire army's supply and command system are all problematic."

(End of this chapter)