Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

"You like Rubens?"

"Yeah, Mick. It's just that you look so shocked. What's going on?"

"When I was in St. Petersburg, I talked about painting with Madame Le Brun, and she admired Rubens's paintings very much."

"Do you fancy her daughter?"

"Not really. Madam often uses her daughter Julie as a model for her paintings. It's just that she was very cute when she was a child. Of course, she was not deceived into marriage when she grew up and became the wife of a painter."

"Sounds like a good story, doesn't it?"

This time it was Queen Louise who was hugging Soloviev, which was different from usual. Soloviev leaned down and stroked Louise's thighs. Although they were a little fatter, they were still beautiful legs, just like the women in Rubens' paintings.

During the few days of mineral spring treatment here, the two of them quickly developed feelings for each other, and the queen herself also relaxed and was willing to discuss many aspects with him, naturally including art.

"It's not good. I investigated this matter and found out that a duel took place."

"I heard you're a good duelist!"

"That was in the past. I don't want to duel again. I have a wife and children."

"Back to the topic of Rubens, do you know why I like Rubens' paintings?"

"Isn't it just the tension expressed by the twisting movement of the body on the canvas?"

“You really do know.”

"Yes, there is a painting in which the two princesses are quite sturdy. When they were kidnapped by the son of Zeus, their bodies twisted."

"Not this one, but you're right. Rubens was very good at this."

But more often than not, although they are depicting mythological stories, the physical appearance is closer to that of ordinary people, and they are even a little fat.

She was much fatter than Queen Louise was now, but she had still maintained a symmetrical figure. Even the figure of the girl in the painting was that of a
"Ah, like me?"

I have been looking at Louise's body these days. Solovyov always gives himself a reason to like others, but now it seems...
He was somewhat deliberate and self-anesthetized.

"I guess so. Unfortunately, this is all the time I have left with you. I have to return to the army."

"Can you come back?"

"I'm a little worried about your health. If this time is like when you were pregnant with Prince Albrecht, you'd better protect yourself. Your life should not be short."

"Mick."

Queen Louise also knew that he was probably worried that his body would not last long, as the last time he did was very dangerous.

Is she just going to knock Solovyov down?
It's still like a lioness pouncing on her prey. When it comes to protecting her cubs, the lioness's behavior is probably more obvious.

"Okay, you do this."

"Mick, kiss before you leave, and don't forget me. I know you're a picky little rascal. You only eat the most delicious food, don't you?"

"You could say that, Louise."

Then, the usual kiss.

Solovyov also knew that he would have to leave Louise, even if he did not go to Odessa to take up the post, he would still have to leave her.

But Louise had a strange request, but she gave it to him.

Solovyov also found it very strange. Louise was in good health now, so why did she start to worry about what would happen after her death?

The reason is probably that the method of autopsy is to open the body cavity in a Y shape from the front, which does not look good even after being sutured.

This kind of thought is indeed strange, he doesn't think about this.

But it also inevitably reminded him of the method of making mummies. When taking out the internal organs, a very small opening is made on the side and all the internal organs are taken out. This requires skilled surgical techniques.

After he sent Louise back, he was about to embark on a new journey.

When leaving Breslau, Louise came to see him off again. Solovyov let Clausewitz go first with his entourage, and he stayed behind alone on horseback.

Queen Louise also came on horseback, but she was wearing a skirt and rode sideways, the female way.

"Louise, there's no need to send me off like this. Even if we can't see each other on the road, people will inevitably gossip. Besides, we did have a few pleasant nights together, and this is always..."

"Stop talking, Mick. My followers are all very reliable. Come and touch here. I still want to say that you can't forget me."

Louise grabbed Solovyov's wrist and let him feel her heartbeat.

"Unless I grow old and senile, I shall not forget you, and you are a queen."

By the way, the discoverer of Alzheimer's disease was a native of Breslau.

But that was a matter for the future. This time, Solovyov hardened his heart and rode away on horseback.

Although Louisa was also the queen, the two of them could always meet each other and were not always separated.

As for Polina, her situation is a bit absurd and different.

Others can also be seen frequently. Sylvia's situation is very special, but she is with Polina, and their relationship at the beginning was also very delicate.

At this point, Louis Solovyov tried his best not to let himself think that this queen was probably similar to Louisa, a punching bag who needed protection. She was always a strong and charming woman, impressive and unforgettable.

After arriving in Brest, Solovyov finally reunited with his staff, which marked the beginning of his official inauguration as the Governor of Odessa.

Then he also saw that the Moscow Grenadiers were all here, and apparently his future brother-in-law, the little Prince Christian of Mecklenburg, was also here.

"What do you think? We are both here. Although I am a lieutenant general, you are also a lieutenant general. In terms of seniority, we are very close, but your military merits are higher than mine, and you are the acting governor, so I still have to listen to you." His tone was always very good, but his loud voice was unbearable. Even when he was already very restrained, it was still so powerful.

"Well, how many days do you guys rest here?"

"It's only been four days. How come you're so slow? Normally, you should have arrived in Odessa by the time the Grenadiers Division gets here."

"I was sick in Breslau and took a few extra days off."

This is true, but there are some things that cannot be said.

Fortunately, Christian doesn't have such thoughts and it is unlikely that he would think of this.

"My father agreed, but if we want to get married, I'm afraid we have to go to Odessa."

"That's great. It's near the Black Sea. If you two are going on a honeymoon trip, it would be very convenient to choose a place. And..."

Christian could tolerate his nagging and even agreed to his series of requests.

"Very good, this way I can safely hand Yulia over to you. My only sister, I love her so much, even though I sent her to a girls' school."

"That's fine. If she's still the 'wild girl' you mentioned, my father won't agree."

Christian's words reminded Solovyov that although the two families in Mecklenburg always had strange problems with their married daughters being very amorous, they were not quite the same.

The Schwerin family attached great importance to court education, so the relatives' homes seemed much more lively.

It was probably the difference between the styles of the nobles and the common people. After all, Charles II took over his elder brother's position and did not make any preparations for his own inheritance. In addition, the first children born and raised in his family were basically daughters. After the son born to his first wife, he only had a second son born to his second wife.

"It seems to have some effect. But you have to love my sister well, otherwise, I won't forgive you."

"I will treat Yulia well, just like a brother dotes on his sister-in-law."

"After you get married, you should have more children while you are still young. It will be better to have a more lively home."

His request was not surprising, but Christian did not have a duchy to inherit, and if he had too many children, his property would probably be dispersed.

Solovyov's statement was purely to give his sister more dowry. After all, Christian was an old colleague and friend, and his own background and resume were closely related to the Guards and Grenadiers.

But Christian was also under a lot of pressure, as there was actually someone trying to induce labor.

"You're really good. If you give birth to many children, Yulia will suffer."

"My wife loves children very much, although she is always worried at times like that. Speaking of which, there is another thing, which is the situation on the Danube front."

"In the past year, we can't say that there has been much progress. Even when Prince Bagration went to the front as commander-in-chief, it was hard to see any progress."

"I think the core problem lies in the key areas connected to Serbia. The Danube Delta is only able to consolidate the coastline."

"Are you still going to take care of Serbia's affairs? Wouldn't that extend the battle line too long?"

Christian was a brave general. He might be good at leading troops in battle and charging fiercely, but strategically, his thinking was obviously not as unconventional as Solovyov's.

"There's nothing to worry about. The Turks, facing the inferior forces in Langgeron, couldn't even get the grapes in the suburbs of Bucharest. As long as we concentrate our forces in a local area, win a few battles, and continue to send troops to the north bank of the Danube, it would be best if we improve the roads here. We can win a big victory by next year."

Solovyov said this, but he also had his own ideas, which was to take Constantinople directly and lay at the gates of the city, so that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire could see the strength of the Russian army and prevent them from having any unreasonable expectations in the future.

The idea was great and exceeded everyone's expectations, but there was also something inevitable.

Even such a grand plan must be based on Russia's greater investment in the south.

In fact, Russia has not relaxed its military deployment on the western border since the marriage with France. Who knows whether France will encounter opposition from Prussia and Austria in the future, or whether the French will attack.

Therefore, the Russian troops deployed in both directions were limited. It was just that Tormasov went to the Caucasus to replace Gudovich, and this year's Russian commander changed from the old Marshal Prozorovsky to Bagration, and now to Kamensky the Younger.

By the way, he got along well with the only daughter of the Orlov family. After they got married, they had a son, who was named after his father. However, the old marshal never lived to see his grandson because his head was chopped off with an axe by a serf in Orel's estate who was avenging his abuse.

Solovyov's idea was actually bolder than Kamensky's. He planned to use three armies, each with 20,000 to 30,000 people, to attack from three sides of the Danube front.

His appetite was even bigger, and such a plan would not be implemented now even if a mature memorial was sent to Alexander's desk.

Last year, due to the hesitation of Marshal Prosolovsky, the Russian army had not launched an offensive. It used a similar plan, but the ambition was not so big. It just occupied the left bank of the Danube first and then spread the war to the right bank of the Danube.

Solovyov's idea was even to push all the way from Romania to the north of Greece and the city of Constantinople in one breath. The old plan had failed due to the old marshal's hesitation, and the new plan seemed even more unrealistic at this time - Alexander might send some reinforcements, but the number would be limited.

Moreover, Solovyov is still the acting governor of Odessa, not a front-line commander, so the front should still be handed over to Kamensky Jr.

As they rushed along the way, they were also paying attention to the changes in the situation on the front line.

When we arrived in Odessa, we finally had an open urgent report for Miloradovich.

The Russian army's combat efficiency on the front line is obviously not high. It has won all the battles, but because of its slow action, the only major victory so far is Bagration's battle across the Danube last year, but the impact on the Turkish army was also limited.

Although they brought the British Empire in, they could still provide funds and instigate the Ottoman Empire to oppose Russia. This was also a common tactic that the British and French had used many times.

The Ottoman Sultan always fell for this trick. The previous Selim III has now been replaced by Mahmud II.

So the question is, who is the empress dowager now? Even Solovyov was curious about this guess. My stepmother is Aunt Josephine's cousin, so who is this woman?

But guesses are just guesses after all. Napoleon III's outrageous theories and unofficial history are always the kind that Marx likes to laugh at the most.

This rumor was probably deliberately fabricated in order to get close to the Ottoman Sultan.

Moreover, before Solovyov had even gotten comfortable in Odessa, he received an invitation from Kamensky the Younger, hoping that he could go to the headquarters of the Danube Corps.

If Solovyov's idea were followed, this corps should probably be called the Danube Front now.

In a Russian environment, it always feels uncomfortable not to use this name. (End of this chapter)