Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The battle fought by Solovyov left so many bodies of Turkish soldiers floating on the Danube, which would soon be known to those living downstream of the Danube.

When the Turks governed Europe, they always used the Phanarios, who were also representatives of the Greeks who ruled the upper echelons of the Ottoman Empire.

Now that they see this situation, they probably know that the blow suffered by the Ottoman Empire this time will be greater than before.

Although the empire would easily mobilize 300,000 people, the number of them were garbage soldiers and those who could not fight was actually well known to the civil servants in Constantinople and the soldiers on the front line, including those Phanarios who had some business insights. Those who did business for His Majesty the Sultan were always Greeks or Armenians.

They were well-informed and quickly sent messengers to the Russian camp.

When Kamensky the Younger heard that the Greek envoys were visiting, he received them at his headquarters.

"Your Excellency, the victory of the Russian army on the Danube is truly astonishing, and we would like to congratulate you here as well."

"Thank you for your compliments, but I don't know if you came here from Constantinople on behalf of the Sultan, the Grand Vizier, a Pasha, or someone else. The Turks probably all know that we generally only receive Greeks and Armenians as envoys. People from other places are definitely not trustworthy."

What Kamensky Jr. meant was too straightforward: the Turks really have no credibility.

They are even liars. In the Middle East and India, they often appear as Turks, so much so that even Chinese people sometimes think that Turks are liars.

As they went along, they indeed narrowed the road.

In this situation, only a few Greeks can maintain a bridge of communication.

"No, Count. We represent the Chamber of Commerce and the Fanario nobles of Constantinople. In addition to congratulating the victory, we wonder if His Majesty the Emperor of Russia is interested in Greece."

"I can't answer that. I am the commander-in-chief of the Danube Front on behalf of the Emperor. I am just a soldier on the front line. Although I have the power to decide whether to start a war or to cease fire, the final result depends on the Sultan. If Sultan Mahmud is unwilling to sit at the negotiation table, we can only put cannons at the gate of the Golden City before the Sultan himself can feel our sincerity in the negotiations."

After hearing this, the envoy sighed, knowing that this kind of thing was not so easy to negotiate, so he said: "Sir, we will always support the actions of the Russian army. As long as you are willing, we can do what we can." Of course, he couldn't say it for sure.

But Kamensky the Younger's hospitality was still very thoughtful, and he stated during the meal that according to the peace treaty of 1791, Russia would protect Christians in the Ottoman Empire, especially Orthodox Christians, and this principle would not change.

Therefore, the visitor was very satisfied and quietly returned to Adrianople and delivered the message to the Phanario Greek elders there.

But this was not satisfactory, because Kamensky Jr. could not make any final decisions because he was not sure about the attitude of the Greeks.

"The Russians will certainly reiterate this, but it will not be enough. If they continue to fight, what will happen next? Now the whole of Thrace and Greece may have known that the Sultan's army was defeated. If they suffer such a defeat again, we may have a way."

The leader said this, and the people below were whispering to each other. The Fanario Greek group was not only composed of Greeks, but also some Armenians. They still had to communicate in Greek.

"President, you should also know that the Russian army has more than one commander-in-chief. Count Kamensky is only the highest-ranking one."

"It's a pity that Prince Bagration is not here. At least he is a member of the Georgian royal family. We Armenians can still promote this old face."

That being said, Georgia and Armenia have always had close relations, and even the bards of the two nations share the same system. If we force an arrangement, considering that Bagration was born in Dagestan and had the misfortune of being a prisoner of the Chechens, he at least has not completely severed ties with the Caucasus.

But some people remembered something, and a voice said: "I remember that someone from Komnenos in Dalmatia went to Italy and later transferred to the Russian army."

"That's a solution, but what about the status?"

"Although his position is not low, I know from the Greek Chamber of Commerce in Moscow that he is only a major general and is not young anymore. If the queen were still alive, he would still be able to have a say."

"Is there anything more suitable?"

These people fell into deep thought. The Greeks in Russia would not always provide updates, so some things would easily be misreported.

Of course, Solovyov had no idea what they were doing, and by now he was already outside Sofia.

Because the outcome of the Battle of Lom was so horrific, the Turkish defenders of Sofia fled without a fight.

"Look, we are here, and there is no resistance. I originally wanted to besiege this city, but now it seems that sometimes the idea is unnecessary."

"Mick, what if someone does the same thing in Skopje? Besides, the Serbs haven't taken Nis yet, so we can't advance too deep."

Clausewitz's statement was also a cautious attitude.

Solovyov really had no intention of rushing to the Aegean Sea at this time. His troops were still too small, and the number of troops Alexander gave to the Russian army on the Danube front would not exceed 12.

Therefore, while the Kamensky brothers were leading their main forces and the main force of the Turkish army to fight between a large number of fortresses, he would not be able to increase much field force.

If he continued to disperse his troops along the way, it would probably take a lot of time for the troops he had to besiege Skopje.

"Yes, we can't go too deep. And after we settle down in Sofia, we have to collect supplies locally and improve the roads. It's very hard for our infantry to walk from Vidin to here. Karl, have you estimated the distance to the seaside?"

Solovyov knew that his chief of staff was also familiar with logistics and supply, and he soon heard a reply.

"To reach the sea in this way, according to the previous estimate, it would take 260 versts."

"You are quite familiar with this method now."

"Otherwise it would be difficult to communicate with the officers below because they use different weights and measures. And I also know that many people in Russia have opinions about the Germans."

"Regardless, if there is no enemy blocking the way, the infantry can arrive in a week if we march quickly every day. If there is a safe marching route and sufficient rest along the way, it will take about half a month. However, if we want to fight the enemy directly, the road along the way is not easy to travel. In this case, I don't know how long it will take."

Moreover, in Greece and Thrace, in addition to the Yugoslav peoples and Greeks who believed in Orthodox Christianity, there were also Albanians who were loyal to the Sultan.

I couldn't feel it in Vidin and Lom, but when I arrived in Sofia, I was not far from the Albanian area.

Thinking about these tobacco dealers, it is really difficult to deal with them. "From Sofia to the west is Skopje, and then to the west is Kosovo, and then to Albania. Anyway, we have to rest here for a while, and set up the headquarters here."

He also wanted to arrange a better house for himself, and now he saw the archbishop and imam in the city coming out, ready to offer bread and salt, as well as the keys of the city on behalf of the city.

"Mick, you still have to accept what they offer. We seem to be quite popular."

After Solovyov accepted the bread and salt, the Russian army officially took over Sofia.

If this city were in the Roman Empire period, it would be called Serdica. Like Vidin, it would also be an important Roman city in the region. Vidin is located on the bank of the Danube and serves as a stronger defensive stronghold.

When we arrived in Sofia, we found that when this place was still called Serdica, there were still many residents in the city, and even a Roman emperor was born there.

The next thing Solovyov had to do was probably to find a place to live.

To his disappointment, the Turkish Governor's Palace was on fire, and it had obviously been damaged and burned before the Russian army arrived.

"It won't work here, let's go somewhere else."

The most numerous thing in the city is mosques. As long as it is a city controlled by the Ottoman Empire, even if it is a place dominated by Christianity, there will be a large number of mosques, not to mention Sarajevo, which was established as a key point to control the Balkan Peninsula.

Solovyov wanted a place where he could move in with just his luggage and in a clean environment because Madame Recamier was going to live with Clara.

If Katya had not just given birth to a child, she might have wanted to move in with them. The climate here in Bulgaria is good and very suitable for living, especially since there are many houses vacated by the Turks.

But when they saw the local Christians, the Russian soldiers felt very uncomfortable. After all, most of the soldiers were serfs, and there were more poor nobles among the junior officers. When they saw the poor, they would naturally empathize with them.

The locals are very poor. Before the 18th century, the economy here was prosperous. The Turks' sustainable exploitation of the local resources, the devastation of the local area by the warlords, and the subsequent retaliation by the Turkish army after the local people revolted, all caused this place to decline rapidly.

Soloviev rode up to the front of the grenadiers and saw the veterans of the Moscow regiment.

"Hey, what are you old guys doing here?"

"Look, it's our little army commander again."

The grenadiers did not turn back immediately. The first thing they did was to distribute the things they had to the local poor.

Solovyov also saw it, and while Semenov and Igor looked at him, he also got off his horse.

"How is this going?"

"Look, the people here are too poor. If it were in our countryside, they wouldn't be this poor."

"What can we do? Now that we are here, maybe we can change something."

The local religious beliefs are also quite diverse, and several major branches of Christianity have churches here.

All cities built by the Ottoman Empire are like this. Sarajevo may have a higher proportion of local residents in this aspect.

He also came to take a look at these people. It was true that the locals were extremely poor. Not only were their clothes ragged, but among so many children here, few could wear shoes, even slippers.

"Sir, these Kaza (districts) in Sofia, half of the local residents, regardless of their beliefs, cannot afford to pay even a penny."

"It's really poor. It should have been very prosperous in the past."

"Sir, if you know this is a prosperous place, you should know what the Turks do. The trade here has declined because of the war. It's not like those port cities. Once the war is over, the ships will come here quickly."

"There's not a lot we can do when we get here at this time."

"It doesn't matter. If you can win the war, peace will be the greatest help to us. Don't be like the Ecumenical Patriarch, who is a complete tool of the Sultan."

"He even had his church taken away from him, so it's not surprising that he became a tool of the Sultan."

After saying this, Solovyov also looked at the buildings here and still frowned.

“It’s not a good place here.”

"If you want to find a place to live, the houses in the city are not very good, but the Dragarevsky Monastery at the foot of the mountain is okay."

"If you bring a woman and a child, will it be convenient to live there? Not to mention that my maid is still a pagan to you. The child is very well behaved and she only stays around me."

"The Lord will always help those in need, not to mention that you are Sofia's liberator. But will you still be able to stay here in the future?"

"It depends on whether the French agree. If they gather troops in Poland, we have to go back to the other side of the Danube. If they don't come, we may be able to mobilize 20 troops to Constantinople and drive the Sultan to Asia first. If he still doesn't behave, we will let him fuck goats in Alexandria and make horse urine in Jerusalem, and then kick him to Babylon!"

Although it sounds dirty literally, it is appropriate for the situation.

The archbishop also knew that the general seemed very enthusiastic about fighting the Turks.

As the local Orthodox religious leader, he naturally had a way. It seemed that Solovyov was going to live in Sofia with his women for a period of time, so naturally his request was met.

He was going to stay here for a while, and he was quite satisfied with the monastery, so he stayed there. He just asked the serviceman to clean it, and asked Mihrima to tidy up his bedroom.

After all, there were relatively few outsiders here in the past. Although the monastery has many functions, it is not a place to collect incense money, nor is it a place to sell indulgences like the church. (End of this chapter)