Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 517 029 Solovyov is more accurate than Xinling Jun

Russia's navy has long been among the top three in Europe, and in the early 19th century, it was very easy for them to obtain some warship blueprints.

If anyone sees the "Grace" in this state, they will definitely think of the St. Trinidad. Indeed, this ship has partially borrowed other people's blueprints. To say that it is "borrowed" is already shameless. Even many advanced ships from Spain and Britain have been borrowed by Russia.

The current battleships of the Baltic Fleet that can be equipped with more than 100 guns are more or less in this situation. Even in this era, it is easy for Russian spies to get something in Britain.

For example, after the complete set of high-pressure steam engine technology was destroyed by James Watt, although the people who possessed this technology did not go to the United States, many of them ran to Russia. This was the result of Count Vorontsov's instigation a few years ago.

However, advanced warships must always have high-quality sailors and excellent commanding officers to be able to exert their combat effectiveness at sea.

The flag raised on the "Grace" undoubtedly belonged to Admiral Peter Hanikov. When Solovyov and Kron arrived here, they both knew the answer.

And Solovyov was very concerned about what Kron had said to him before: "Maybe Khanikov was a hero in the past. He once led a squadron to perform well in the Battle of Reval, but he has always lacked courage."

Kron was also concerned about the words used by the outside world to evaluate old Chichakov. What about the evaluation of the two old superiors? Old Chichakov was always cautious after winning a battle and would not rush to expand the results of the battle. Although Hanikov had strong business capabilities, he was always timid.

You know, in the Battle of Reval, old Chichakov faced 11 battleships with 22 battleships and finally won the battle. Although the opponents were mostly Type 64 battleships, the comparison of the two sides' forces was very clear. They also captured a battleship and had even been active in the Atlantic recently.

And after talking to Hanikov and Solovyov several times, they also found that he was indeed not brave enough. If he were in the army, he would probably run away as soon as the war started. Only the thick oak boards and copper-plated shells could wrap him up, otherwise he might even refuse to go to sea now.

He was more of an old seaman than an admiral, and evidently grew more timid with age.

"Robert, I'm actually considering letting you go on the Warrior, but..."

"It doesn't matter. It's easier to see on the flagship. And Hanikov, are you really going to use the imperial edict from His Majesty?"

"If we face the Swedish Navy, which has three 3-gun battleships, one of which was captured from us, one was converted from the Type 74, and the rest are entry-level Type 1 Baltic battleships, shouldn't we fight a battle with our battleships, which have more than 1 guns? If we choose to escape in this situation and get stuck in a fjord, it may not be such a simple problem."

"If you are not in the army, you can be in the navy of any country. People like you who are proactive and active will definitely be able to accomplish something."

"How did you come to be here from the Royal Navy?"

"I came here with the Mercury, and was directly appointed as the captain of the Baltic Fleet. If I had stayed in the Royal Navy, I would probably have been lucky enough to be a first-class captain by now, and it would be unlikely for me to be a vice admiral here."

You know, when Nelson died in Trafalgar, he was actually only a vice admiral. However, according to the internal rules of the Royal Navy, from rear admiral to admiral, and then to admiral of the fleet, generally translated as marshal of the navy, there are actually many levels divided according to flags and qualifications.
It can be said that according to the British way of thinking, a tenant farmer like Crown, a seaman who was a shop apprentice, would be very lucky in terms of his future prospects, even if he became a trainee officer and could retire as a naval colonel or rear admiral after a long life - after all, although he claimed to have a slight blood relationship with some Scottish families, it would be difficult for him to do well without a backing.

"Perhaps one day, you can also become an admiral, either by virtue of your seniority or merit."

"In that case, I would like to be promoted by a glorious naval battle."

After saying this, while waiting for the rope ladder to be lowered, Robert Crown once again climbed onto the battleship "Grace" as skillfully as a monkey.

"Count, why don't you give it a try? This way you can get along better with the sailors. You are young and good at talking, and you always care about the soldiers. Aren't sailors and soldiers the same?"

"Of course, I'll go up right away."

Solovyov was also very agile. He quickly climbed onto the "Grace" wearing this uniform. Now the sailors all welcomed his arrival.

"The master used to speak for us sailors, but now he is really in the same group with us, but he doesn't know us..."

"It doesn't matter. If your clothes get dirty, you can wash them. It won't delay your hands from falling down. Besides, they will be clean soon after washing in the sea water."

"Well, that's all. When you came to us as an inspector before, I just thought you were a kind-hearted young master. Now you are a sailor, even though you are an army soldier."

"Don't you have them on your ship too? The Marines have to fight, don't they, like the Army?"

"That's true, but, Count, you haven't received any training in boarding warfare, otherwise you could really be the one commanding the Marines."

As for Admiral Khanikov, the gentleman is not on board today.

After Kron got on board, he skillfully moved between the cables and masts, and also got to know the situation with the sailors. It was obvious that he had entered the state of deputy commander.

But now he himself knows that he has no command authority unless Alexander makes another appointment. The fact that he is a Scotsman will have some impact on his position in the navy.

It was in this environment that the Baltic Fleet formed such a squadron, with 9 battleships as the core combat force, and accompanied by frigates, and left Kronstadt and prepared to go to the Hanko Peninsula.

Now they only know that the British often operate in the western Baltic Sea, but the intelligence is not clear about which specific warships are involved.

After all, although France and Russia are allies, the relationship has always been rather delicate, and Denmark has not shared any intelligence with Russia.

All we know now is that a squadron of the British Royal Navy has entered the Swedish base, but its actions have been relatively scattered. It has been committed to patrolling and harassing various ports, disrupting maritime trade around the Baltic Sea in the summer, but has not concentrated on blockading the Gulf of Finland. At present, the main force of the Russian fleet is still in Kronstadt.

After arriving at the sea, Hanikov's performance was indeed rather confused. After issuing the order, he handed over the work to his subordinates to carry out, and took the opportunity to go to sleep.

At this time, Kron was still on the deck, paying attention to the situation at sea.

He was even given a pair of silver-inlaid binoculars by Solovyov. Although he loved them very much, he just hung them around his neck.

"This thing looks good, but old sailors like us are more accustomed to using monoculars." "But this one is clearer. I can see a mast in the distance."

"You have a good eye, Count. I saw it, too."

As for the observation post on the mast of the "Grace", it also discovered the mast in the distance, but whether it was an enemy ship or not still required more careful observation.

However, according to Kron's judgment, those who appeared in the Baltic Sea during this period of time were most likely enemies, and if they could be seen more clearly, with many masts, that would be enough.

He was also estimating the speed of the enemy so that he could issue combat orders - apparently he didn't pay much attention to it, because now that he was the deputy commander, he still wanted to command the battle as the fleet commander.

While Kron was assessing the enemy's situation, Khanikov's adjutant went to wake up the elderly admiral.

"Kron, what's going on? I heard that the enemy was spotted?"

"Yes, if we were closer, we would be able to see more clearly. Do you want to give an order?"

"I think we should go to Hanko Harbor now instead of staying here. I want to give an order. Should we retreat?"

"Retreat, retreat from the Swedish and British fleets?"

"Yes, Count, you are an army officer. Even if you have the emperor's edict, you should not get involved in this matter. We must ensure that the squadron arrives safely on the Hanko Peninsula."

"In fact, I went to the Swedish naval base a few years ago. To be honest, their warships and sailors are far inferior to ours. Even if there are British troops operating here, how do their combined numbers compare to the Battle of Reval?"

"So what?"

Now Solovyov looked at old Deng and found that he was indeed hopeless. Even without a God's perspective, one could tell that the strength of both sides was equal, and if they wanted to turn around and escape, the Russian Navy had large ships, which would not only be a matter of embarrassment.

In fact, the combined fleet on the opposite side at this time had 11 battleships, including the Royal Navy's "Ruthless" and "Centaur", and the rest was mainly from the Swedish Navy.

Even if the flagship of the British fleet, Victory, arrived this time, considering that the Grace and Warrior had a total of 250 guns, and even apart from these two ships, the third-class ships of the 7th level were not the majority among the remaining 74 battleships, they could obviously fight and have a good fight with the British.

"I think you are so lacking in courage that you will bring disgrace to the flag, and you are running away without even considering the direction of the wind."

"An army also needs to know wind direction?"

Kron was watching the argument between Solovyov and Khanikov at this time, and was a little surprised by Solovyov's behavior. The other party might not know much about the navy, but in this environment, it was obvious that such words still carried a lot of weight.

"A soldier should understand the weather, no matter if he is in the army or the navy."

After saying that, Solovyov also felt that today's wind was not so noisy. At least if he shouted a few times, the sailors on the deck could hear him.

"Brothers, I am the fleet inspector sent by the Emperor, Solovyov from the Army. You should have seen me some time ago. My wife went home for a few days to give birth, and now I am back with Lieutenant General Kron. This time we are going to fight the Swedes and defeat them, for our honor, as well as for the rewards and medals of our brothers. And what are the Swedes? If there hadn't been a strong wind, they would have been wiped out in the bay more than a decade ago, instead of fighting us like this! But now, our commander-in-chief, Peter Hanikov, is going to go to Hanko Port at this time when the enemy's situation is unclear. Do you allow this?"

"no way!"

Someone shouted, which made Hanikov angry: "Who is responding to such a disorderly rebellion?"

If you say it this way, it's really a bit of a suicide ploy.

Solovyov realized the problem, but the problem he faced was different from that faced by Xinling Jun. After all, he was a real imperial envoy and an inspector with Baltic insights.

"Then you are no longer the fleet commander. I am here with the Emperor's edict. Do you want to come and see what it is?"

By the way, maybe Alexander has become a little addicted to playing ball and reading books at Louisa's house recently, and he even gave Solovyov a Chasik as his "treasure sword".

This knife, of course, cannot be used to kill people. Even twenty men would not be enough to beat an old man like Hanikov.

After all, Solovyov knew very well what a caterpillar was, so he just held a knife in one hand and the imperial edict in the other, and easily dismissed Hanikov from his post and put him in the confinement room.

To be honest, this confinement cell is quite safe. After all, there are several layers of wooden boards between them, so it is difficult for shells to penetrate.

As for Hanikov's general flag, it was still hanging on the top. Kron didn't care about this trivial matter and immediately issued an order.

"All fleet, hoist all sails, steer to right, and prepare for battle!"

The other ships also discovered it, and the flagship quickly sent out a signal, requiring the entire fleet to engage the enemy, which instantly ignited the captains' desire to survive.

However, when sending the signal, Solovyov also specifically instructed the flag officer selected by Kron, Lazarev, who was only a trainee officer at the time.

"Mishka, put up this flag too!"

Everyone called him Mikhail. Kron knew this young man. He was the third graduate of the Naval Academy, had some relationship with the count, and seemed to have good abilities. However, he did not expect Solovyov to know him so well.

What Lazarev hung behind the signal was the Z-shaped flag, which was very familiar to Kron.

(End of this chapter)