Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

For Nikolai Kamensky, he had never expected that his life would pass so quickly.

His father, Marshal Kamensky, was also hit on the back of the head with an axe because of his bad attitude towards serfs. This put an expected yet somewhat unexpected end to the life of a serf-owning "tyrant".

Although he, as a son, like his older brother, inherited his father's quick temper.

However, because he was willing to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, naturally there would be no vicious curses behind his back by the soldiers.

He was now lying in his official residence in Odessa, where the Duke of Richelieu had come to see him.

Now he is holding on, hoping that his wife Anna can come here to visit him.

But he himself didn't dare to hope that he would have such luck.

His wife was the only daughter of the Orlov family, and her father-in-law bred the Orlov Trotter horse.

He once mentioned to his wife that if he returned victorious this time, he would probably ask for a white horse and appear before the Tsar.

However, this chance still seemed very slim, and he knew it very well that the doctor was unwilling to tell him the diagnosis results.

For him, who had made many military achievements and had a bright future, and was already an infantry general at the age of 34, this was an unacceptable result.

But he can also face his fate calmly, maybe that's it.

If it had ended there, he might have felt a little regretful. He left his mansion in Moscow shortly after his marriage and fought in Sweden and Türkiye. He only saw his son once in a hurry, and probably he would never have the chance to see him again in the future.

It is a pity that he has fallen here now, just like Prince Potemkin twenty years ago, who was unable to see the Queen for the last time.

But Prince Potemkin ultimately won the war and was able to see the outcome.

My future here is unpredictable. Although things in Türkiye seem to have produced results, the final peace talks have not been confirmed.

"When he first arrived in Odessa, the count still felt that he was in good health and wanted to go to Moscow first after he recovered. But when he got here, he kept having a fever and was often in a coma. He is relatively conscious now. My lord, if you go in and take a look, please be careful."

"I know that Count Nicholas may have been infected with some infectious disease. I am also prepared, and he can understand my approach. After all, we have known each other since the Italian expedition."

Solovyov also wanted to visit the patient at this time. After all, little Kamensky was his friend. He was now critically ill and was just waiting for his wife to come.

It's really unfortunate that no matter whether Anna is in St. Petersburg or Moscow now, she is too far away from Odessa and cannot come here for the time being.

Little Kamensky, however, managed to hold on for a long time.

At least a few friends in Odessa and at the front were able to come and see him from the beginning of his illness until now.

"Kolya, are you okay?"

"Misha, it's not appropriate for you to come and see me now. I can probably guess that I have an infectious disease, but you came here with your wife, children and lover. Even if you are not afraid, you should consider Katya and the children."

"It's okay. Let me see how you are. This fever is probably a respiratory infectious disease. I'm wearing a mask. As long as you pay attention to hygiene, you'll be fine."

"If you say that, I can rest assured."

Little Kamensky has been a strong man all his life. Now he was trying to force himself to sit up, but he no longer had the strength.

"Kolya, don't be like this. Just lie down. If you need care, I can help you."

"Yes, you started out as an aide-de-camp, and when Alexander Vasilyevich was dying, you served him for a long time."

He was clear-headed and able to treat his fate calmly. Even at this time, he still had a lot to say and always felt like he could not finish.

"But you have this kind of disease. Alas, there are some evil people who are lively and energetic all day long. They will not get sick. It is always the good people who get sick."

"If I can't make it until Anya arrives, I'll ask Katya to take care of her when she's in Moscow. After all, they are close friends, and our two couples got married at about the same time."

"If I hadn't been married at that time, you probably wouldn't have thought of this."

"maybe."

Little Kamensky also felt tired. After he fell ill, his brain was hot. As long as he was awake, he was always conscious and his thinking was clear.

"It's a pity that I probably won't be able to take up the post. If I can't go, it will probably be Bagration or Barclay, but the relationship between the two of them has always been delicate."

"I know that too, but don't worry about it. Maybe things will turn around."

"You are trying to comfort me, but I know the doctor didn't tell me about the symptoms. Also, you have a good relationship with both of them, so you must mediate their relationship and avoid any conflicts. Even my eldest brother has some conflicts with me on a daily basis. Barclay's qualifications have been questioned, and cough cough cough..."

In fact, the old earl favored his younger son, while the countess favored his older son. There had always been conflicts between them, which were only somewhat resolved when they joined the army.

"Let me tell you. If you have a different opinion, just shake your head. This is not Bulgaria, where shaking your head actually means agreement. If you really want to say something, don't say too much."

He spoke more humorously, and little Kamensky laughed.

"Really? I'm like this too. I'll just follow your arrangements."

"Well, Barclay's rise in status is entirely due to the emperor's trust. Because of this, when he is promoted to general, he will inevitably be criticized. In addition, his character as a commander will definitely make things difficult for others. In our place, we always look at military achievements or qualifications. If a person lacks both, he may be capable but looks like a courtier, which is a problem."

"Yes, it's always like this here. Misha, you have to be careful too. Although you have always had a lot of military achievements, you even overshadowed me this time. You have to be more careful when flying high."

"I understand, but we can't avoid these difficulties. When we perform on stage, we must let the audience see us. We can't hide from them." Kamensky Jr. was indeed a little worried about the relationship between Barclay and Bagration.

But for him, such a fatal disease, especially at this time, made him very uncomfortable.

Although he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle for his battle in the lower Danube during that year's war, what he saw and heard was very distressing to him.

"If I'm really useless and called away by God, it's probably because my father misses me. I'm afraid you know this."

"Yes, Mikhail Fyodorovich cares most about you. The old man always favors his youngest son, and my father is the same."

"Count Sergei, Misha, that's because you are destined to achieve something on your own, so he won't worry."

"Yes, besides Yulia, I have two younger brothers and three younger sisters. The old man is getting old, and I will have to take care of the family affairs. He favors his younger brothers because he hopes there will be successors. I am a soldier, and the family's livelihood will have to be inherited by others."

"Yes, if you come from a family with generations of military service, you can be promoted to general now for your merits."

"That was just a dream, Kolya. If you don't mind, Katya asked the servants to prepare some snacks for you. If the doctor allows it."

"I have to be able to live comfortably when my mind is clear. You are also a person who understands medicine. Can you diagnose this disease?"

"It's a bit difficult, but your fever is probably an infection, and your sputum is green, so it could be a pathogen infection. You know, there are always some diseases in the Turkish territory. When the war is over, something will inevitably happen. I have also told Duke Richelieu about this, and he should be prepared."

This was definitely a fever caused by a bacterial infection, and Solovyov had no good solution. However, Kamensky's infection was quite severe, and without the development of medicine, there was no better solution.

For example, George III's youngest daughter, Princess Amelia, miraculously recovered from tuberculosis on her own. That was also good luck.

If history were restored, he would probably not be alive and well this year, but George III finally went completely crazy.

"Also, this kind of infection may be treated in the future, but for now."

Aniline yellow dyes have not yet been synthesized, so don’t even think about sulfonamides. If chemistry doesn’t progress, then Western medicine will be useless. The same is true for biology. Penicillin is not that easy to synthesize. If it could be synthesized, Solovyov would have started selling Western medicine ten years ago instead of thinking about opening a Chinese medicine shop.

Solovyov also thought about prescribing some antipyretic medicine for little Kamensky, but his symptoms really depended on his own willpower.

Also, he still has some obsession and is waiting for his wife to come and see him.

Seeing him like this, Solovyov felt that he was still very happy. Even though his wife was far away in Greece, she was willing to bring the children over to accompany him.

"Misha, that's it. That's how my illness ended. If you hear news about me one day, don't be too sad. I was born here, and I started my military service as my father's adjutant. It was also here that I finally won an imperfect victory. It looks like this is my final destination. My son Sashka, if he can grow up, I'll leave him to you. My eldest brother's temper makes it difficult for him to raise a child. Anya has no opinion of her own, so she can't raise a child. I envy you for this. Katya is really a good wife who is tolerant and has her own ideas. If Anya is willing to remarry, you can help her find a good husband. Others will covet her property, and I'm still very worried."

He still said this forcefully, and Solovyov nodded in agreement, and continued, "Kolya, don't worry about this. We have been through Italy, Austria, Poland and East Prussia together, especially the Ghost Bridge, Austerlitz and Eylau, and we are all like brothers. As for Sashka, I will take good care of him."

"That's good. It's getting late. You should go back and have a good rest. As a patient, I can't do much."

"You should just focus on recuperating and stop being so pessimistic."

It was getting late, and Solovyov was about to leave Odessa, next to little Kamensky's bedside.

He is only 34 years old this year and has great potential. He is considered one of the best generals of the post-70s generation and may be a suitable candidate for army group commander.

But he fell ill. If Solovyov could recall the conversation between Kutuzov and Andrei in the book, he would probably have guessed the fate of Count Kamensky.

But that's all, he has to leave now.

But now it was getting late, and his family had been sent to Crimea. Katya, Madame Recamier, and the children were preparing to take a boat from there, across the Don River to the Volga River, and first go to Moscow.

As for myself, I have to go to Kiev first, wait for arrangements there, and then decide whether to go to Moscow first or return to St. Petersburg.

Looking at the night sky now, in Odessa in spring, the night sky feels pretty good.

Not only are the stars brilliant, but they are also easy to observe. If there is an astronomer who is not observing the sun, the stars are worth seeing at this time.

But he could also see that there was a broom star in the night sky. Although it was difficult to be accurately spotted due to the twilight, it could still be barely seen with the naked eye at the edge of the sky.

Yes, this is the great comet discovered by Honoré Flogelgues, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory, on March 1811, 3. In the second half of the year, this comet appeared very clearly in the sky, but the observable record was not broken until 25 by Comet Hale-Bopp.

Someone interpreted it as a good time to invade Russia and told Napoleon, who actually believed it. But astrology has never been reliable, except for the one astrology divination that Ulugh Beg gave himself, which was super accurate.

To the Russians, this was the great comet that had brought so many disasters in 1812.

And if you’re serious now, it’s not as obvious as it is in the summer night sky.

"Master, are you paying attention to the stars?"

"Mihlima, this isn't stargazing. There's a comet coming, and it doesn't look good."

"Do you think it will be a disaster?"

“Disasters don’t necessarily happen to an individual, but to a group of people.”

He looked at the stars in the night sky and his expression remained calm.

Sometimes fate is willing to play tricks on people. Disasters will still come, and they will arrive on time. (End of this chapter)