Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 500 Kutuzov Comes to Discuss the Art of War (Part 012)
As for what he heard next, Kutuzov seemed to be dozing off, but Solovyov knew that he must be pretending to be confused.

This old fat guy has always been like this, always looking so abstract.

But you also need to pay attention to when he suddenly asks a question, or when he asks a set of questions after a series of discussions and statements are over.

".In short, we still have to take the initiative and not rush for short-term gains and losses."

"Can Buckholden do this?"

"He always drinks when you are asleep. When you are asleep, you can hear what people are saying outside and make some arrangements. If you are drunk, I am afraid you can't hear what others say."

When Solovyov said this, there was a hint of sarcasm in his words towards Kutuzov.

But the old man had a good attitude. No matter how Solovyov spoke, he still had some patience.

"Yeah, even if you fall asleep you have to keep one ear perked up."

"We've talked about all this before. When we deal with the Swedes, we should also find a way to wear them down instead of exhausting our own troops. But the current plan doesn't look like that. It's as if we're going to draw a circle on the table to indicate that all the food belongs to us."

"Interesting, if I can do it with a fork, it wouldn't really be that effective, would it?"

"So what do you think should be done?"

"If someone can come up with the idea of ​​luring the enemy deep into our territory and doing something on the enemy's land, then they must be very familiar with it."

This cunning old man couldn't have made it any clearer.

The army during the war, that is, the Russian army on its home ground or in areas with a large Slav population, will not do what they often do when they go abroad.

Italy was an exception, because when fighting on the occupied territory of their allies, the Russian army would restrain its troops and maintain a certain degree of discipline, but looting still existed.

After all, the military discipline in European countries is relatively poor. If it weren't for the whip, the British would probably be at the same level as France and Russia in this regard.

"So."

Barclays has now realized the problem. His strategic enemies will also use it, and compared with each other at this level, both sides have no bottom line.

If one day Russia is really invaded by Western European countries, his strategy will obviously result in great losses and will easily face controversy.

The Russian court has always been like this: when rumors start spreading, you are like an old blind man when you are weak, but you are great when you are in power.

Kutuzov has a very good mentality in this regard. He looked at Barclay, wondering if he had the same mentality.

Barclay said nothing afterwards, seemingly thinking about something.

Of course, outside opinions cannot affect him, and he will still firmly adopt this strategy.

But he also needs to consider what it will cost.

Kutuzov was not talking about the war against Sweden at all, but about the possible next battle on the western border.

Of course, Kutuzov did not have the long-term vision to consider that within a few years, the French would suddenly go crazy and attack.

At the same time, according to Solovyov's idea, the battlefield is actually a mathematical model. The more variables it brings, the greater the variables.

However, there is no need for him to say this here. What he is most concerned about is the current combat plan against Sweden. In fact, as the Deputy Minister of Operations, he still has a great responsibility.

"I'm wondering if we can adjust our deployment to focus on controlling the southern part of Finland and not try to seize Torneo and other areas. The further we go, the longer the battle line will be. If the war continues until the next winter, we will have to go to the north."

"But there will be a problem, Misha. What if the Swedish army threatens your flank in the north? You have to take this into consideration, not just the Aland Islands in front of you. I can guess what you are thinking, because the Swedes were the first to start marching on the sea ice, and they have achieved considerable results."

The ice march that Kutuzov mentioned at this time was an actual case when Sweden and Denmark were at war, and the Swedish army launched an action on the ice and eventually defeated the Danish army.

Solovyov still felt that it made sense and that one should not rely too much on the incompetence of the opponent, but Torneo was located at an absurdly high latitude. In winter, it was even close to polar night most of the time.

On the contrary, in summer, because of the daytime nights, the effective combat time may be longer, which also poses a test for officers and soldiers on both sides.

In short, under the current war mode, some self-indulgent plans place too much demands on officers and soldiers.

"I still remember those Germans. They always came up with some fancy plans, and finally had to let the lower levels to execute them. This was not very good, and they suffered a final failure in the 'Kimchi Field'. We should learn from this."

Indeed, Hohenlohe's violation of the Duke of Brunswick's orders on the battlefield led to a rare defeat in the history of the Prussian army.

However, our opponent is Sweden, which seems to be weaker in comparison, but has a higher tolerance rate.

But he thought that the combination of Russia and Finland was still a bit dangerous. After all, with the old Finnish Bi Ma Wen, they could still achieve some local victories when the opponent was not well prepared.

In this way, they are always criticized. The level of this part of the Russian army was relatively high at times, especially during the Napoleonic Wars. It was not even the "gray beasts" that some people called them. It was still a mixed army of serfs and civilians with relatively high training levels.

To be honest, the strongest army in Europe as a whole is still the French, and the British army is not strong enough at this time.

Solovyov did have an idea. If the Swedes really brought the British troops here, he would still like to go down and meet them in person. When young Kamensky came to his house and discussed these issues with him, he had more or less revealed this idea.

However, this question still depends on the performance of the other party's monarch.

The King of Sweden certainly has not read the Art of War. His cultural level is not very good. Louisa's sister Frederica is favored as the queen, not because of her love for music, but purely because of her big breasts and big buttocks, which makes her very favored, and the King himself drives away all his mistresses.
As a monarch, perhaps his only qualified qualities were his relatively frugal lifestyle, his devout faith, and his ability to have children. In other areas, he was not qualified at all.

Kutuzov must have asked his wife to read the "Military Struggle" part to him. Solovyov and Barclay must have had a purpose in reading this part when they came to visit him.

As for the in-depth content, this old man is actually more abstract than when Suvorov was there, and he will not give a clear explanation, only when he wants to say something. There is no way, the fat old man Kutuzov is still relatively lazy, but he is also cunning enough, as long as he wants, he can always keenly grasp the few opportunities.

Solovyov and Suvorov spent very little time together, but the Field Marshal would still explain the situation to him clearly beyond abstract behavior. Unlike with Kutuzov, there were too many guessing games, unless he would pull you aside and talk to you actively.

"It looks like you are tired."

Seeing that he had fallen into a "dozing" state again, Solovyov could tease him.

"That's not the case, Misha. My current position is the Governor of Kiev. You and Barclay came to me just to exchange ideas. When it comes to taking real action, it's always Buckholden who has to do it, isn't it?"

"It hasn't been finalized yet, but I will propose a revision."

"It's just that the final execution always depends on the person. Don't forget what I told you before."

Kutuzov then asked his butler to prepare to entertain the two visiting generals.

When leaving, Barclay was still in deep thought. Seeing him like this, Solovyov did not ask anything.

After all, Barclay has a disadvantage that he is not valued by his colleagues and is sometimes even hostile to them. What he should consider now is how to communicate with Booker Holden, as this old drunkard is not likely to listen to advice.

As for Solovyov, he would naturally go to Laundry Lane and continue to work in the Operations Department tomorrow.

If the time comes to 1808, the situation will also change significantly. The French seem invincible, but at this time they are going to invade Spain. It seems that Napoleon's achievements have been difficult to shake before. Even with the disadvantage in military strength, he still faced the strange situation of tearing up the anti-French alliance three times.

The one who could defeat Napoleon was himself.

And it was in this year that the relationship between Aunt Josephine and Napoleon began to cool. Napoleon was still obsessed with having his own legitimate son and needed an heir of his own, so the couple would divorce later.

At that time, it might be more beneficial to Solovyov. You know, his relationship with Napoleon is completely based on the premise that his stepmother is Josephine's cousin, and his brothers and sisters, except Julia, have a blood relationship with Eugene and Odas.

Well, nobody in St. Petersburg will gossip about this anymore.

It’s just that he and his father would often receive invitations from the French Embassy. Caulaincourt always held receptions, and their family were relatives of the emperor, so they were often invited.

He himself did not want to express his attitude. Solovyov was not pro-French and had no clear inclination. He was not even interested in being taken away. However, going east was really meaningless and might even be a huge burden in the future.

But now, although there is no label on his forehead, as a translator of Oriental literature and a relative of the French emperor, these two countries always have some relationship with him.

Of course, he rarely agreed to show up in response to Caulaincourt's invitation.

But this time, he really couldn't avoid it. After returning to the laundry alley, he even saw Katya coming over.

"Katya, it's still a little cold here. It's not good for your health."

"It doesn't matter. An invitation was sent to our house from the French Embassy. I think Mr. Caulaincourt must have something to do, otherwise he wouldn't have sent his adjutant to our house."

"Did you open the letter?"

"I've seen it. Mr. Caulaincourt said that this is a reception to promote friendly relations between the two countries, and many celebrities from St. Petersburg have been invited. I've also thought about it. I can't miss this kind of social event. Besides, in winter, the doctor also advised me to go out more."

Speaking of which, my father-in-law, Prince Vasily, is considered by outsiders to be a relatively friendly person towards France, and this cannot be avoided.

As for socializing with the upper class, it is also very important for the nobles. Katya's lively personality will be very popular in St. Petersburg, but any man who wants to covet her has to consider whether his marksmanship can win a duel.

In this regard, Solovyov still makes his wife feel safe. After all, his personal strength is still acceptable. In duels and shootings, he even killed six people in a day.
In fact, I could go to the French Embassy to find out more information. Given my embarrassing status, I couldn't keep refusing such an invitation. What's more, the people of Caulaincourt were pretty nice, and I should be able to establish a friendship with them.

But we must always be highly vigilant about what happens in France and not let too many personal factors get involved.

After spending a long time in St. Petersburg, Solovyov also found himself facing a strange situation.

It was just like the days when Stirlitz was lurking in Berlin. He already felt like a German, and Solovyov, even though he still had his own characteristics in his consciousness, was no different from a Russian at this time.

This situation is inevitable, after all, he is here.

And Caulaincourt's invitation was to the New Year's reception in 1808.

In fact, this one at the French Embassy was scheduled after the large reception at the Winter Palace.

Their marriage was arranged by the Alexanders, so they should go there at a time like this.

"You have to arrange your time well. It's just that if you go to the party like this, it's too late."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not too old to walk yet, Mishka. You're taking care of me too much, and it's making me uncomfortable. I'm not a fragile glass bottle."

"Yes, you are not a glass bottle, Katya. But how do you plan to dress yourself? I remember there are some beautiful dresses in the trousseau."

"But it's definitely not okay for me in my current state. So I asked the tailor at home to make a loose-fitting suit based on my current condition, which I can wear for the next few months."

Speaking of which, Solovyov's illusion came from Katya's belly.

They had been married for only four months, and the girl was indeed pregnant, but her belly was very obvious.

Thinking about Louisa's past situation, could it be that she was also pregnant with twins?

It is not uncommon for pregnant women with twins among Russian nobles. General Komnenos, who was encountered in Crimea, had a son who died young and was born to his eldest daughter.
(End of this chapter)