Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 522 034 New Strategic Planning in the War against Sweden
Alexander was persuaded to go to Erfurt for talks, but he actually had his own purpose.

Although the news will be transmitted relatively slowly, France's setback in Spain and Russia's victory in Sweden will now spread across Europe. What happened in Spain will be spread through Britain, while the British do not actually want news about Sweden to spread too quickly.

But he would always find out. In fact, Alexander learned some information from Solovyov.

"We learned from the surrendered Rear Admiral Samuel Hood that the British army currently has a troop stationed in southern Sweden. Moore and Gustav have conflicts, but because the front line is extremely favorable to our army, Gustav still chose to keep the British army to guard against the Danes and French troops in the south. However, the French army may have been transferred away. Hood also said that the situation of the French army in Spain is not good. Napoleon has been there before."

"He is your uncle, why do you call him like that?"

"You know, the Marquis of Caulaincourt first approached me to inquire about the situation in Russia. Your Majesty, this gentleman is a very sensible person. He will definitely not ask me for any important military or political intelligence, and I will not tell you about it."

Alexander nodded in agreement when he heard this. Although Solovyov did have a connection with France, he knew from the last report that Mr. Caulaincourt would not ask for any important information.

"And it's still a question related to marriage. If Napoleon's brother Jerome hadn't married my cousin, maybe this matter could still be considered."

"Your Majesty, the problem may lie with the emperor himself. He currently has no legitimate heirs of his own, but as far as I know, he should have a son with my aunt's maid, which is very delicate. You have to know that Creoles always have a tendency towards spiritualism and mysticism. Although Aunt Josephine did not give him a child, when she was there, the French emperor himself, no matter what his status was, his career was on the rise. But later."

"What will happen in the future? Isn't your stepmother also a Creole?"

"Your Majesty, my stepmother did bring good luck to my father, but she was too fertile and gave me so many brothers and sisters."

"Haha, it would be great if Lisa Lisa could give me a son. There's a weird saying that having a son will bring a turning point in the family's destiny. But that only works if the boy is promising. Otherwise, he'll just be a burden."

"Your Majesty, don't worry about this."

Solovyov was also worried. Who knew when Alexander would suddenly come up with some strange problems? Besides, this ball was indeed difficult to catch.

"Why do you say that?"

"Your Majesty, you and the Queen are still young. When Her Majesty the Queen Mother had Nicholas and Mikhail, she was no longer young."

"Thank you for comforting me, but besides the two children you had with Katya, you also have quite a few illegitimate children, right? Although you don't have a good relationship with the Kurakin family, your style is very similar to that of Prince Alexander Kurakin, but you don't have a lot of romantic debts, do you?"

"Your Majesty, if you let me return to the army, this will not happen."

"Well, go home and see your wife and children."

"But your majesty, we still have business to discuss!"

Alexander was distracted by Solovyov and had to prepare for a possible marriage, so he was indeed distracted.

"Well, come to think of it, you should know who the French are targeting, right?"

"Your Majesty, after all, three of your majesties have already married, and Your Majesty, Anna is still a child. Your Majesty, as for your child, it should not be within this range."

"Yes, yes, but it seems that you are still on your aunt's side."

"Your Majesty, I am on your side. You and Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother are too partial to Her Royal Highness Catherine. But as the Queen of France, I wonder if you have read the part about marriage in Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"

"You mean General Lubu's daughter is marrying off to form an alliance between the Sun and Liu families?"

Although the Tsar was not a studious person, his brain was very smart and he could always remember any story he had heard.

Although he did not want to have any contact with some illiterate Chinese emperors, Solovyov could only think of Shi Le and the Grand Tutor Li Siyuan.

There is always some reaction to what you hear, and that's a good thing.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is only the French credit, just like our country always has people who default on their debts, and the British have to invade the Netherlands to settle their debts."

“You have a great sense of humor.”

Alexander smiled, but he also understood what Solovyov meant. In fact, no matter what choice Napoleon made now, it would not affect the status of Solovyov's family in Russia. After all, his status was earned by himself, and his old father knew those people when he was in the army, and his wife's family also had considerable power. However, the status earned was still more important.

After all, if he wasn't capable, Louisa couldn't have found a young, lively, and well-born wife for him. She might have found a nice girl, but she wouldn't be that helpful in his career.
As for his attitude towards Catherine's marriage, Alexander also knew that his third sister Maria and fourth sister Catherine were inseparable all day long, except when they went back to their respective rooms to sleep, according to the strange custom of raising children in pairs in the Russian court.

Although Solovyov received the most favors from Elena, he interacted the most with these two girls.

Especially the clingy Maria, but as for Ekaterina's matter, since they interacted a lot, there was still some friendship between them.

Alexander himself was worried that if Solovyov had not been abroad for a few years on a mission, Maria would have been like Catherine now, clamoring to marry the man she loved.

Fortunately, the marriage was arranged when her father was still alive, so Maria went to Saxe-Weimar. Unlike Catherine, she had never been engaged, so she wanted to marry Mikhail of the Dolgorukov family. Things on both sides have now been settled, that is, the end of this war.

Because Mikhail was always away on the battlefield, he did not have the opportunity to confirm his marriage with Catherine during the Anti-French Alliance War. He was not like Soloviev who chose to get engaged in advance. Moreover, Prince Vasily's family did not have any requirements for the title of the son-in-law (sufficient status, ability and prospects are enough, and a title is even better), so there was no obstacle, and there was even time to promote their relationship. As for Catherine always showing off the jewel necklace that Mikhail gave her, it also proved that the two of them had done everything before except rolling in the sheets.

When Catherine was young, she got into danger several times due to her reckless behavior, and it was Mikhail who protected her. Later, the two kissed in the greenhouse of Pavlovsk Palace. In fact, Alexander knew more or less about it.

In other words, this is the Grand Duchess of the royal family. As a princess, she has a noble status and has always been very careful about matters before marriage. If she were a prince, earl or from any other high-ranking aristocratic family, she would probably have babies by now.

Queen Louise can testify to this. After her sister became a widow, she fell in love with a duke of low status and soon got married with a child. This may not be the last marriage in her life.

With such a sister, Alexander was indeed very concerned about her marriage, hoping that she would be happy and marry well, and preferably not travel far away. Prince Mikhail was naturally a more suitable candidate, and he even knew their family situation very well. His father was Paul's confidant, and he was from Alexander's guard, so he was absolutely loyal and reliable.

As for Napoleon, Alexander also considered that at this time, he should delay and wait until Catherine got married.

As for Anna, Alexander had no idea how old Napoleon's mother was when she got married. If his younger sister was also threatened by Napoleon's "claws", it would be unknown what Alexander's attitude would be.

The marriage issue has been considered almost completely, and now Alexander has a clear idea in his mind. He always has to get back to the key issue.

"Have you ever thought about how to solve the Swedish issue?"

"Your Majesty, I think we should send troops from the Gulf of Bothnia, the Aland Islands, and some of the frozen areas on the Baltic Sea to attack the Swedish mainland in winter. Then we will have a chance to end this war quickly."

"Or is it a strategy of attacking on ice?"

"Your Majesty, since I went to Sweden, I think this approach is feasible. After all, the Baltic Sea is frozen for a long time in winter. This way we have the opportunity to regain the places we lost in the summer and completely destroy Sweden's war potential."

"Your ideas seem to be the opposite of Barclay's."

"Yes, Your Majesty. However, on our territory, we must always reduce the enemy's ability to obtain supplies in response to possible events on the western border, so we adopt a strategy of clearing the countryside. Barclay's idea is based on defense. We are the offensive party in Sweden, so we must also be proactive. Judging from the current situation, most of Sweden's naval forces have been destroyed, and the resistance in Finland has begun to weaken. The last thing we need to attack is Sweden's homeland, destroying Sweden's army and its war potential."

"It is worth considering doing so. Solovyov, have you been thinking about strategic issues in recent years?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. It's not just the Swedish direction. There have been similar plans in several major western and southern directions, except for Persia, which I don't know in depth. And in Sweden, there is one more important point."

"Which one is more important?"

"Your Majesty, you will decide who will be crowned the King of Sweden. You must not give the French any chance. Although my uncle has always claimed that the final decision on Nordic affairs is left to Your Majesty, I know his ways too well."

"Will Napoleon break his promise?"

"There's a Chinese idiom, 'breaking one's promise leads to obesity'. You see he's starting to gain weight, so how can he not be getting fat?"

"Ah~ha~ha! There is some truth in this, and it is quite vivid. It seems that you will really be asked to be an envoy to China in the future. No one else can solve this problem. As for Napoleon, since your uncle knows how to use some tricks, we will also have ways to deal with him. But you don't have to think about these things. Go home and enjoy a few days of happy life with your family. Then think about the Swedish issue. You can command a division and join the front-line battle. Being a chief of staff means you can only manage adjutants and staff, which has no future. As for the composition of your division, it should include four to six infantry regiments. You can freely choose the personnel. Those infantry regiments that did not go to Sweden to fight, except for the Guards, are all within the range of choice. But for this, you need to do something in Sweden."

Alexander did not say what happened next, but Solovyov knew it very well. After all, his master, Marshal Suvorov, and his uncle, General Kutuzov, had both been exiled and sent back to their hometowns, and his father-in-law, Lieutenant General Prince Vasily, had even been sentenced to exile with his entire family.

Although Alexander considered that Solovyov was left to him by his father Paul I, he would not send him too far away - after all, his family's properties, except for the manor in Ryazan, were all near St. Petersburg, and the rest was a property prepared by his father-in-law in Moscow for them.

There is not much difference between being exiled and not leaving.

At times like this, it is indeed time to use people.

Moreover, Alexander himself did not trust the peace treaty with Napoleon from the bottom of his heart.

Both sides are making intensive preparations. Even if they will not fall out, they should take advantage of this peaceful period to make preparations and expand their strength.

Fortunately, the British are not very aware of this situation now. If they knew, they would probably think that the glory days have returned.

The more troublesome thing is that Austria may be ready to make a move. Emperor Franz is not clear-headed. If he wants to give away his life, micromanipulation will soon follow.

In addition, Solovyov had to form a new infantry division under his command, which always required him to mobilize manpower, expand the troops, and select several suitable infantry and cavalry regiments to join.

According to Alexander's promise, the division he commanded would not only be composed of six infantry regiments, but also be equipped with cavalry regiments and artillery regiments. Therefore, the number of combat troops would definitely be far greater than that of a Russian infantry division in the general sense, and even more than that of a Guards division.

That is to say, his military rank promotion happened last year. In addition, he has little experience but great military achievements. If he can reach the rank of lieutenant general, he should be able to command a corps in the future, and at least an army or an elite division.

But he is a major general in the literal sense, and a "young general" in terms of seniority, so we can only wait.

He even felt that if he reached a higher position in the future, even if the Napoleonic Wars were over, he might play the leading role in the next war.

(End of this chapter)