Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Vorontsov and Krasnov fled after fighting with the French for a while. He was moving very quickly. Soloviev was still moving slowly among the rear guard, and he had already let the cuirassiers approach.

After hearing about the battle situation, it was indeed a bit ridiculous and embarrassing. With the current size of the French army, it is impossible for all of them to be French.

Just like the Japanese pirates, not all of them were a group of people who didn’t have a good life.

"It looks like this opponent might be troublesome, especially after the brain is replaced."

"Changed the brain, why do you say that?"

Neverovsky was a little puzzled. Solovyov was famous for his fighting ability in the Russian army. Even when he met the Turkish trash soldiers, he could still score higher points than others.

He must have been very proud inside, and even seemed confident that he would eventually defeat Napoleon.

But now, he is quite cautious.

"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Although I've said before that we will eventually defeat the French, I have no confidence in when we can actually win. The deeper the enemy goes into our country, the weaker their strength will be due to supply difficulties and epidemics. But we must also note that the enemy's strength far exceeds ours, and even if it is weakened, it is unlikely that we will be able to succeed soon. What's more, if we really defeat the French, we may have to go to Europe again, and then the advantage of logistical supply will be with the enemy, not us."

"Are you worried that this war will last a long time?"

"Yes, but it's very difficult now. Brothers, you went to collect food and evacuate civilians. Did you encounter too much resistance?"

After he said this, the division commanders also explained that at least where they were marching now, the locals were still willing to go with them, and some of them evacuated to nearby areas.

In the middle of some swamps, camps with hundreds to thousands of people can be built, and farmland can be reclaimed there. If the French are not on the marching route, they are unlikely to discover these places.

But even if they did find out, it would probably not be easy for the French to get in. The cost was simply too high, and it would also be easy to encounter resistance.

The French army is now advancing eastward, but is able to collect very little food.

Barclay, like Kutuzov in Austria in 1805, ordered all villages along the way to be burned. Civilians could retreat with their property and soldiers, or evacuate to places far away from the French. For example, nobles like Paskevich who served in the army had estates on the edge of the war zone and could be used to temporarily shelter civilians.

For example, some people who have relatives in distant places can naturally go there to seek refuge and come back after peace is restored, but not everyone has relatives there.

Bringing civilians along would also be a huge drain on the army's supplies.

If it were Bagration, the generals under him would be more sympathetic to the civilians. They would take them away with them and share their food, which would cost a lot of logistics.

On Barclay's side, the problem was similar, and there was also a Tsar in the army, although he was not with his headquarters, but only a few guards were present in the army as escort, which had some supervisory effect.

Of course, compared with the French, who would surrender at the sight of foreign enemies after fighting for several years, the Russians are obviously much more resilient.

They had experienced several years of war before, and even when the French had come to their doorstep, they still chose to support the Russian army.

However, with nearly 20 troops, and with civilians who were willing to retreat, even if they took away all the food along the way, it might not be enough.

Some soldiers did not even have enough food to eat and were often only given a small amount of biscuits and pea paste.

But there was always something to fill their stomachs, and the French following behind them would be in trouble.

The Guards might still have sufficient protection, but it was different for other armies. The Russian troops in front had eaten most of the food, and the French troops behind had to be supplied on the spot. The first batch might still get some leftovers, or some supplies left over by the Russian army that had not had time to destroy, and the soldiers behind would start to starve.

Moreover, the hot climate and the billowing smoke and dust make this environment prone to arouse a large number of pathogens.

After only a few days of marching, some French troops began to run out of food before it even reached July.

In the chaotic situation, some French soldiers could not even get supplies. Coupled with the French's usual style of robbing everything, it was obvious that the locals were unwilling to cooperate with them.

Some of the French troops who were walking in the front entered a village, trying to find animals to pull carts and some food.

However, these soldiers were probably going to be disappointed. After walking through the entire abandoned village, they only found a colt that they didn't have time to take away. It was probably impossible to use it to carry anything, and it couldn't even carry heavy loads.

When the barns in the village were opened, the mice would find a pillar to crash into and die. There was nothing inside except the wood of the house structure itself.

"Where have all these Russians gone?"

French soldiers began to complain and it was difficult to get supplies.

Under such circumstances, within a week or so, some French soldiers in the marching column began to starve and some even fell behind.

The most terrifying situation is probably that when traveling in hot weather without paying attention to personal hygiene, the epidemic will soon come to you.

At first it was just dysentery, but later typhus also came along.

This is very troublesome, but the Russian army can still find some ponds and rivers. When they stop temporarily in such places, many soldiers will take the time to go in and wash.

The Russian army always maintains overall cleanliness, and a sloppy appearance is still easily despised.

As for the French army, they started to get lice due to lack of hygiene and got into even bigger trouble.

Napoleon himself was still in Vilna and had not made any progress. He was always thinking about negotiations, the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and new negotiating conditions for Russia.

However, Alexander directly put Napoleon on the blacklist and ignored the matter at all.

Therefore, even the French emperor himself could feel the strange atmosphere.

"What are the Russians going to do now?"

"Your Majesty, I think they are planning something while they are retreating. And you also know..."

"Our generals like to ride in carriages in Paris, hug their mistresses, eat high-end food, and wander around instead of commanding battles seriously. They are all full of laziness!"

Obviously, the emperor was also angry.

"Your Majesty, I think it's possible that you said that." Although Duroc wanted to advise Napoleon, he was not like Mr. Carnot and Marshal Lannes who could give Napoleon their opinions frankly, so he spoke more tactfully.

And if Napoleon insisted on his opinion, he would have nothing to say.

"Diroch, I know what you want to say, but the reality is always there."

He was not only angry at his generals, but also at his careless brother who had fallen into the Russian army's feint and pursued the Russian army in the direction of Lida but came up empty-handed. His subsequent pursuit of the Cossacks was also disappointing.

It was indeed a bit outrageous that he was active at the beginning, but ended up slacking off because of the failure of his early actions.

Napoleon then ordered Davout to command the corps on Jerome's side, and dismissed Vandamme from his post, replacing him with General Junot.

Jerome himself was also happy that his brother didn't want him to serve on the front line, and he could just run back home with his entourage to be with his wife.

He can just walk away, but others can't.

The French also chose to move on, but the weather was a torture for both sides. Even for summer uniforms, the material was indeed uncomfortable.

Even someone like Solovyov who is relatively heat-resistant could not bear it after a while.

After the 8th Army caught up with Bagration's main force, they quickly chose to cross the river. Thanks to Vorontsov's previous feint, the 2nd Army was finally approaching Minsk.

"When we get to Minsk, Misha, you can probably take a good bath. I know you like cleanliness and even live near a public bath."

Bagration was happy to see him. At least this time the rearguard battle was very easy. After the opponent's stupidity and reckless actions were exploited, they even left the French far behind by 100 versts, which was equivalent to three and a half days of journey.

"But I always feel unhappy. I don't know why."

"It's still your old habit of being cautious and suspicious, but we..."

Bagration was still discussing the journey to Minsk, but he received some bad news.

That is, the French army commanded by Marshal Davout has approached Minsk and will soon enter the city.

Such proactive actions are indeed different from those of the French troops on other routes. There are always people willing to launch military operations quickly.

Solovyov was not surprised when he heard the report. Davout, the bald man, ran faster than the British reporters, and this time he made big news among the Russian army.

The Russian troops that had arrived at Slutsk had to choose another marching route.

"It seems that I can't take a shower in Minsk. When I rest at night, I have to ask my orderly to boil a bucket of water to keep it clean. If you want to take a shower, I can prepare a few more bathtubs. If that's not possible..."

He pointed to a few children in a nearby village who were bathing in the trough used to feed the horses. They were not shy when the generals saw them.

Probably, that's how it is in Russia.

"It would be easy to let those kids take off their clothes and go in, but look at us, we are all bigger than you."

"Ah, that's right. If we go to someone's manor, it might be more convenient to take a bath. And brothers, when you go to the pond, please watch your clothes."

The Russian army's route of advance also changed. Seeing this, Bagration headed east to prepare to move to Mogilev.

However, before moving, they saw another group of hussars coming from the north.

It was General Dolokhov and his Izyum Hussars, cut off from Barclay on the march, who discovered that the French had cut off their routes of movement to the north and east.

So the cavalry general led his own hussars towards Lida, and met Platov's Cossacks on the way. Because of the actions of the French army, they had to join Bagration.

Although some cavalry have been strengthened, the current situation is not very optimistic.

Moreover, General Dolokhov brought some intelligence, which helped people to roughly understand the movements of the French army in the center.

Even though he knew the situation in advance and was mentally prepared, Solovyov was still shocked by the size of the French army, and even under such difficult conditions, the action was still swift.

Compared to the side that was fooled by him and Vorontsov, the enemy here was still chasing Barclay from behind and moving quickly.

"They came really fast. Even our flanks were affected. We should not underestimate the enemy."

Everyone agrees that given the current situation, difficult days may still be ahead for the 2nd Army.

The French troops approaching from Mir's side would not be too far away. If they caused any trouble, the advantage they had gained in terms of distance would be wiped out.

What followed was another long march. Such days were a routine. Between battles, the long marches might be the most effective.

The Russian soldiers are continuing to retreat, and the 2nd Army must find a way to reunite with the main force.

"Where are we going to meet up with Barclay?"

"It looks like it could be Orsha or Vitebsk, but the French could also move quickly, and if they come, we'll have to go somewhere else."

Some people are just outspoken and directly describe the current situation.

Bagration was here, his serious expression making his face look even longer.

After thinking for a while, he finally spoke: "Not every action can rely on the enemy's mistakes. The side that makes fewer mistakes will eventually appear to win. Not all enemies are as stupid as the enemies in Grodno. Now we are going to Bobruisk and Mogilev. If we can move faster, we may be able to meet up with the 1st Army in advance before the enemy moves out of Minsk."

His attitude was also very firm. At this moment, the actions must be resolute. If a large-scale military operation is to be carried out, discipline must be strict.

Looking at his three army commanders, Bagration now has some confidence. At least they are all bold and resolute people, and his junior brother is quite cunning.

A new round of retreat began at this time. (End of this chapter)