Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

More than a dozen militiamen were arrested. This misunderstanding between the two sides caused a very unpleasant situation.

Or it was because the Russian army always used sticks to educate prisoners, and they would naturally suffer if they were beaten.

Greek militias are often called "armatores", a word that comes from armato, meaning "armed", and looks more like local militias.

Solovyov hoped to find some people among them who could tell him about the local situation, so he called all the militiamen over.

There are Greeks in the Russian army, but most of them are on the Danube side. The Fanario Greeks there hold some important positions, which is different from the dilapidated scene on the Greek side.

For example, Colonel Olympios in Kamensky's headquarters is from Larissa, but his posts and activities are always in Serbia and Wallachia. His current activities are still between the Russian embassy and the Russian military headquarters, leading the local militia forces.

But this power is really limited. It would be great if we could have some higher-level figures.

Solovyov stayed in Siatista for only two days, but he did gain something during those days.

Fedor has been performing reconnaissance and guard duties. Solovyov is more worried that Ali Pasha of Albania will send troops over, because this route is suitable for the Turkish cavalry operations. Although Ali Pasha's rule in Albania has actually been far away from Sultan Mahmud, he is still nominally submissive.

Solovyov knew that this kind of warlord was different from Egypt's Muhammad Ali. The latter really had great ambitions and was very capable in seeking Egypt's independence. Moreover, having occupied the prosperous Egypt, he would achieve great things in the future.

In Albania, probably only the rocks in the mountains are valuable, and the same is true for Epirus and western Macedonia.

Therefore, Ali Pasha ruled the area from his castle, and his power was not very strong.

But he has a very bad problem, which is that he always takes risks when he thinks there is profit to be made.

But this man was not completely useless. He raised the sons of his friends, gave them excellent education, and cultivated them into talents.

One of them was called Odysseus Androssos. His father was an old friend of Ali Pasha and one of the leaders of the Greek independence movement. However, he had bad luck. After the failure of the War of Independence, he fled to Venice, hoping to go to Austria and Russia from there to seek strong support.

However, the Doge of Venice, who never disappointed the Greeks, betrayed Andreas Andrusos to the Turks in 1793. After four years of brutal torture and forced labor, he was finally executed and his body thrown into the strait to feed the fish.

If this person still exists, he is probably an old companion of Prince Peter, just like the father of Demetrius who came to deliver the letter.

Fyodor was watching the road in the woods. Although he was paying attention to suspicious people, he also preferred to follow them and then suddenly jump up and capture them.

Then, after interrogating them and extracting information, they will be dealt with.

Although it sounds cruel, such things happen every day during war.

He did this not only in this temporary residence, but also in Sofia, Philippopolis and Skopje.

Solovyov would sometimes condone this practice for the sake of intelligence, and Fyodor always killed very suspicious people, which was within his tolerance range.

But this time, there seems to be something wrong.

Several men on horseback passed by on the road and were captured by Fyodor's men.

Fyodor is multilingual and is fluent in Turkish and Greek, otherwise Solovyov would not have let him do the dirty work.

When he heard a bunch of Greek swear words, he probably knew that he might have caught some big fish.

"Are you Greek?"

"Yes, I am Odysseus Androsus, who are you?"

"Andrusos? I have heard of Andrusos from Prince Mikhail Dolgorukov. Since you are Greek, it should be no problem. We are Russian soldiers, and we are here to capture Turkish messengers and scouts."

"Russians? You guys are running fast. I was in Ali Pasha's court in Ioannina and heard that you defeated the Turks in Lom and there were many corpses floating on the Danube. I'll be frank. My father was the leader of the Greek rebels and I have a paternal grudge against the Turks. Ali Pasha is my father's friend and he won't obey the Sultan. I came out this time just to go to Larissa to find out the situation and maybe I can do something."

"Well, would you like to go with me to our commander-in-chief?"

Fyodor didn't expect that he had caught a big fish, so he hurriedly took Andrussos to Solovyov's tent.

At this moment, Solovyov was still very leisurely. He actually learned to play the Turkish huqin, which sounded like the erhu, but what he played... If someone who knew about it could probably tell that if it was off the tune, it meant he was about to start singing.

Mihlima was borrowed by Madame Récamier again, so she had something to do in the tent, and even a chance to relax.

However, when he was pulling the string with all his might, his brother-in-law came in from outside.

"Misha, sorry to bother you. Count Tolstoy is back and he said he brought back an important person."

"VIP?"

"Yes, he said it was Andross. I heard about this name from my cousin Misha. He seemed to be an old friend of my uncle, but the one who came was a young man."

"Never mind, Vasya, let the man come into the tent, and I will ask him about it."

Solovyov put the erhu aside and tightened the buttons on his clothes. He wanted to look good.

"Boss, I brought back a Greek named Androsos, who may be of some help to you."

"What help? You, I really need a guide for my activities in Greece. I have some impression of Andrusos. Vasya just told me that you can just let him in."

After Andruss came in, Solovyov frowned.

Although this man looks young, his beard makes him look mature and it's a very conspicuous mustache.

"You may introduce yourself. I am Mikhail Soloviev, Lieutenant General, Commander-in-Chief of the Macedonian Army."

The man looked at him and didn't think he was a commander. After all, he didn't have a beard and looked young. "If you hadn't said you were a general, I would have thought you were an adjutant. I'm Odysseus Andrusos. My father, Andreas Andrusos, fought against the Turks for many years, but unfortunately he was betrayed by the Venetians."

"I have heard of it. My late friend Mikhail Dolgorukov's father had been to Greece. He also traveled there and had some experience there. So I also know about your father. He was the one who persisted in fighting at the end of the last Greek uprising."

"Yes, you also mentioned Prince Peter. Although I have never met him, my father is also an acquaintance of his. Is he in good health?"

"Now he is unemployed at home. I have been in the army all my life. The last time I saw him was at my wedding. My wife is his distant niece. He was very good at that time, but..."

"I understand what you mean. Sometimes things are unpredictable. I came from Ali Pasha in Ioannina to get information from Larissa."

"Oh? To Larissa? What are you going there for?"

"Of course I'll start from there, to find the sons of my father's old army. It's time to fight the Turks."

"It's a good idea, but how much power do you have? Will those people listen to you? And let me ask, how old are you?"

“I’m only 20 years old.”

"Ah, this beard makes me look really mature. I am only 29 years old, but look at me..."

"Indeed, Russians don't grow beards now. My mother heard my father mention old Prince Peter, saying that he always shaved his beard, and you look like him. Although I am not very educated, I look like a beautiful boy in ancient stories."

"Hahaha, you know this, which probably means you know more than many seemingly educated people. I don't drink often, but I'm very happy to see you. Would you like some sweet wine to moisten your throat?"

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

The alcohol content of the sweet wine that Solovyov got was very low, so it was suitable as a drink. Anyway, he didn't have a car, so there was no need to worry about drunk driving.

"You are in Ali Pasha's court, and you must know what is going on there?"

"Although Pasha is greedy for petty gains, he still takes good care of his old friends. My father had a friendship with him, so he kept me by his side as his guard. He was willing to let me out this time because he wanted to avoid some trouble. The Sultan killed my father, so he would probably do something to him at any time. Also, even if I return to Greece and make a big fuss, he can sleep peacefully in the Albanian court."

"What an existentialist old sly guy. The more chaotic other places are, the more secure he feels. But if Sultan Mahmud is free, and the Albanian Pasha is very weak, he might not be able to protect himself."

"Yes, just what do you want me to do?"

"You are going to Larissa, and I am going there too."

"With your army?"

"Yes, although the Russian army has been to Corfu, it was the navy. Although they brought the Marines, they had limited manpower. The troops coming this time are my victorious divisions in Lom and Philippopolis, and they are the entire army. I have 50,000 people here, and people will believe me if I tell them that I have 150,000. After all, the Turkish army I defeated in several battles has almost caught up with this number."

"You seem to be ready to make a big move. I am willing to act as your guide. After all, I once lived in Greece before I went to Ali Pasha's place. My mother is from Epirus, so I am quite familiar with the route here."

His godfather, Carthonis, was a privateering captain in the Russian Navy. He had been active in the Adriatic Sea for a long time and was naturally very familiar with this area.

The Greeks were actually somewhat disappointed with Russia because of the last Russo-Turkish War. After all, in the end Russia abandoned the Greeks again.

Although Andrussos believed in the Russians, he did not expect to rely on the power of the Europeans, so he led his armed forces to fight to the end of their rope.

"If you are willing to lead the way, that would be great."

"Yes, my father never waited for the Russian army to arrive, but you came here with a legion."

"I can't make any promises this time. After all, I won't be in charge of diplomatic negotiations, and I might have to return to St. Petersburg one day. The corps on the Danube has changed commanders several times, so don't hold too high expectations."

Solovyov's attitude was very sincere, and Odysseus felt more at ease. At least what he said was true, and Russia would definitely put its own interests first.

In the years since the arrest and murder of old Andrusos, the secret societies organized by the Greeks have become quite large.

He came here this time hoping to use his father's fame to organize his own team.

But he was too lucky, as he was captured by the Russian army and brought to Solovyov. Now he can show his skills.

However, if the Russian army wants to go to Larissa, they also have to choose a suitable road.

Therefore, Solovyov also wanted to ask Odysseus for advice, even though he looked like a warrior and not a wise man, and he would experience many hardships in the future. In the end, although he became a hero of Greek independence, he was also murdered.

Solovyov didn't know the future fate of the bearded young man in front of him. If he knew, he would probably sigh.

It was truly a typical Greek tragedy. The Greeks were always like this. Seleucus, one of the final winners in the Wars of the Diadochi, was murdered in the temple by the eldest son of his old friend Ptolemy before returning home in glory, and died closest to home.

Greece is a place that produces a lot of this.

"We are going to Larissa, what should we do?"

"Your army was able to defeat the Sultan's army with a smaller force. Larissa is a place with a relatively flat terrain. The army you lead has more people than theirs. Shouldn't it be easy to capture such a place?"

"But I want to make a big deal out of this. In the past few months, we have been contacted by friends from the Peloponnese. Maybe there are also some people in Larissa who can take action."

"In that case, I suggest you go to Vergina and cut off the road between Larissa and Thessaloniki from there, so that the Greeks will know you are coming."

"Aha, that's an idea. But I'd rather go directly into the hinterland, to the south of Larissa."

"If this happens, your rear will also be unstable. Although what I learned from Ali Pasha is not as good as the popular military science in Europe, this will definitely make the Turkish army in Thessaloniki have some ideas about your transportation lines."

Since Andrusos said so, Solovyov decided to repeat the method he used in Philippopolis here, and maybe the Turks would be fooled again. (End of this chapter)