Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The Second Army's own goal was also to attack the flank. After the First Army attracted the main force of the French to the Drusa area, it would attack the French from the flank there.

However, the deployment of the entire plan is too complicated, and it also involves a major battle.

When Solovyov saw the excessively high proportion of Cossacks in the 2nd Army, he began to think about it. He also called Bagration's adjutant, his friend Davydov.

"Daniel, your brother is already a general, and your current promotion speed is still a bit slow."

"Although I say that, I'm not as proud as you are."

"I can only envy such things. If I run into trouble, I will probably be like Speransky. I went to Novgorod to see him but failed because I didn't have a pass issued by Petersburg."

As for Davydov himself, he also envied Solovyov's popularity with women, but he also knew that his appearance was far inferior to that.

"But you didn't call me here for these things."

"Peter Ivanovich also advocates fighting the enemy near the border. This is actually inappropriate, don't you think?"

Solovyov still disagreed with Bagration's proposal. At least he was very clear about Russia's current situation. If he really wanted to fight, he needed to let the enemy in and weaken the enemy as much as possible.

For example, he knew very well how the old scapegoat Adu was dragged down in the Northeast. Except for the first year or so, the rest was a crushing defeat.

It’s just that he has both sides of the mind, so it’s hard to say which side affects the other, and the final result is almost a closed loop.

"You've changed, Misha. You used to be a little soft-hearted. When I was on duty in the palace, I heard that you would become soft-hearted when you saw a girl crying, and you would give in to your wife and lover when they acted coquettishly to you. Now, you seem to be a little cruel."

"I don't have any feelings. Katya has always been very nice, just like Madame Recamier. I get along well with them. The situation you mentioned is probably because I have been on the battlefield for a long time, and I tend to think about things without emotion. If the French were allowed to come in, it would indeed cause great damage, but we fight a war to destroy the enemy and win the final war, so in the end we can only continue to fight them."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I called you here because the Hussars and Cossacks have strong mobility. They can be organized into teams and move behind the enemy. Let them attack the enemy's rear transportation lines. Don't our Cossacks often do this?"

"You're still going to do the same thing you did in Poland, aren't you?"

"But this time, we will not appear near the battlefield. Instead, we will launch operations near the occupied towns and villages behind the enemy lines, turning every place into a battlefield."

Solovyov said this, and Davydov really did this, but it just inspired him earlier and may have had some effect.

"If that's the case, many of the detachments wouldn't be suitable for more than a cavalry squadron."

"That requires more pistols. Many of our cavalry have bought revolvers, and some have even bought breech-loading carbines for their own use. The current head of the Tula Arsenal is really bold."

"You're planning to use these people to fight and run, and make the French run for their lives, right?"

Davydov didn't care what Solovyov said; he had made the point.

This time Solovyov said nothing, but smiled and nodded in agreement.

"This doesn't seem like your style. You usually like to talk a lot. But the order is very simple."

"Dennis, because the guerrilla commander often needs to make decisions on his own, if I give too many instructions on this matter, it will definitely cause confusion."

He has said this, which means he wants to delegate power to the captains and let them play a role behind enemy lines.

Davydov had rarely heard of such an opportunity to delegate power, and he was eager to try it. However, if the troops were to be divided and organized into such a unit, Bagration himself had to approve it.

At the beginning of the war, there seemed no need for this, but as the fighting became more intense and moved deeper into the Russian interior, these operations needed to be organized.

"I like this, but the main force still needs cavalry."

"We still have a lot of dragoons and cuirassiers here, especially the 2nd Cuirassier Division, which has five Cuirassier regiments. As for the replenishment of the cavalry, someone will organize some new light cavalry regiments. You don't have to worry about the main force being affected after the hussars and Cossacks are deployed. What's more, we still have a lot of soldiers to replenish. There are always many good riders in our country."

Everyone is aware of this. If these nobles still dare to cherish their little property when the French attack, then the French may benefit from it.

Therefore, a large number of cavalry will definitely be able to be recruited by then.

As for the method that Solovyov later studied, it was probably that after the main force of the French army penetrated into a certain depth, various guerrillas here could harass the French from behind.

Since many places in Poland and East Prussia are already sparsely populated, the French army already has difficulty in supplying troops in Poland. When they arrive in Russia, which is even more sparsely populated, supply will certainly be very difficult.

There will definitely be problems if the French supply the troops on the spot. After all, if the Russian army really attacks this time, the French army will have targeted tactics when encountering the Russian army.

"If you really want to go, choose some experienced veterans as the backbone, but you can't have a whole army of veterans. You should always let veterans lead the new recruits in combat, so that they can quickly accumulate combat experience. The biggest problem with our military training in recent years is probably that the new recruits are enthusiastic but their daily training is just so-so. They can quickly accumulate experience in combat."

This is something I speak from experience, and it is also very useful for veterans to guide new recruits.

Davydov also agreed. He already had a lot of experience in commanding battles. It was indeed a headache for him to figure out how to accumulate experience for those recruits who performed poorly, especially those in the cavalry units. The performance of several previous cavalry regiments in the Balkans also proved this point.

The Russian army usually did not perform well on the battlefield if there were more new recruits and inexperienced officers.

"I will discuss this issue with Prince Bagration when I return, but if there is anything, I think you should go to his army headquarters to take a look." "We have to meet each other, especially for combat plans."

After seeing Davydov off, Solovyov kept looking at the map of the Belarus region hanging on the wall.

Seeing that he was free, Clausewitz came in from outside.

"How are you thinking about it?"

"To deal with the French, we have to wear down their morale and force them into areas where supply is difficult, and then we can attack them from the rear. This is what I discussed with Davydov here before, and we have to consider which direction the French army is more likely to enter from."

"It's still our front. After all, Poland is a solid base for Napoleon and a strategic center."

"If he really came from Poland, he could indeed win the support of some Polish and Lithuanian nobles, who might not have been Russian subjects 20 years ago. Of course, when Poland was partitioned, it was Prussia that got Warsaw."

"If you say so, the Poles will definitely support the French actions."

"But that's the point. If they really come from this straight line in front, their goal is probably to cause heavy losses to our army before we retreat to the designated area of ​​Drusa. The French are still very mobile, especially in the swamp area. The actions of both sides will be affected, which will be more advantageous to the French."

"If you want to bypass these transportation hubs, some roads may be more difficult to travel."

"Karl, there's nothing we can do. I proposed to do it in Mozhaysk, but the General Staff thought that it would let the enemy in too deep. But in Drusa, I heard that the construction there is in terrible condition."

"Yes, Count Bennigsen worked there, and it was a shoddy job, as you would say. But what are the shreds of tofu?"

"Haven't you eaten something similar to this at my house?"

"Ah, if I were to describe it as pudding, it's a little too elastic."

Solovyov also knew what Clausewitz said. Perhaps the General Staff's plan was not working again. The quality of the engineering in the designated area was so poor. If he were in the War Ministry, he might be held directly accountable.

Perhaps, this is still a traditional European skill. If Prussia really embezzled military funds, its actions would be much more outrageous than those of the Russian army.

Now he is really studying the enemy in front of him carefully, and even hopes to get some intelligence related to Poland.

However, judging from the enthusiasm that the Poles have recently shown for their independence and for fighting against Russia, this should not be very likely. Those Poles who are relatively loyal to Russia are currently already in Russia, and they have little interest in inquiring into the actions of the French.

But some channels are still open, for example, some news has been received from the intelligence stations in Berlin and Vienna.

Judging from the large warehouses and reserves built by the French in some places along the Vistula River, the French should have provided supplies for a large army, but it is not clear how many people there are.

Although Solovyov knew the answer was 60 troops, this also included the troops of various vassal states and allies. The situation in Spain has been relatively calm recently. Although the guerrilla activities are still rampant, they do not pose a great threat to the French. Wellington just came out of Lisbon and fought around before running away, playing hide-and-seek with Massena, whose troops were withdrawn.

As a result, the number of French troops that can be mobilized here may be more than expected.

If a war really breaks out, it will be a rather daunting challenge for Russia.

"We have to avoid fighting the French by coming from the main front. In addition to giving up places like Drusa, we may have to move to places like Smolensk or Vyazma. Otherwise, we won't be able to effectively consume the enemy throughout the summer. This is also a difficult task for us, and we also need to take in the soldiers who have fallen behind."

"If you look at it this way, Mick, you should build military stations on both sides to accommodate the stragglers and add them to your guerrilla plan. Look at this side, the French should be heading east along the road. Their goal is to fight a decisive battle with the main force, so their ability to control both sides of the road is actually very limited."

"This is our chance to take action, Karl. You've discovered the key point. We can work together on a plan to form guerrillas and special forces to attack the French from behind. If necessary, we can also organize some local militias and use them to supplement our troops later."

"In the past, General Scharnhorst advocated avoiding battle when it started, but due to a series of factors, the Prussians chose to advance, which resulted in the failure of the battle. Now we have enough space for the large army to retreat, and while moving inland, we must also complete the goals set by the Minister of War."

"We have to sabotage along the way. The enemy's looting is also a form of sabotage, but it will put a lot of pressure on our economy."

Economically, although Russia has temporarily eased its financial pressure through tax reforms, the foreign debt accumulated over the years is a huge problem. Even though the British have provided Russia with military funds for a long time, it has still accumulated a lot of holes.

It is no wonder that when the British arrived at the Russian army, they dared to interfere with the opinions, hoping to defeat Napoleon with the help of the Russians. But they themselves just spent some money to solve the problem.

This is an old joke. It is probably the last person in the village to come down to fight who always brags the loudest.

"If that's the case, we may end up going to Moscow."

"Then some people will say that you Germans have given your country to Napoleon."

"We don't want this to happen either, but considering the performance of my motherland Prussia in recent years, it's not surprising that they took the initiative to challenge and ultimately failed. As for Austria, their army should be undergoing a transformation. What will happen in the future?"

"They will probably come along, but their numbers will be limited, since the size of the army is limited after all."

"That way, the pressure on General Tormasov's Third Army will be less, right?"

"However, due to the obstruction of the swamp, they cannot quickly join us. I have even roughly determined these roads. If the Danube Army Group can move quickly, they should be able to reach the flank of the battlefield in late autumn and threaten the French from behind."

This is the case, but there are some difficulties in implementation. (End of this chapter)