Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

In Yermolov's opinion, there were indeed reasons for Bagration's 2nd Army to remain near Smolensk.

At least it was clearly written in his diary on the battlefield that the 7th Army of Rayevsky could not guarantee the drinking water supply for his soldiers because of the poor water quality in the garrison, so this part of the troops had to return to Smolensk.

As old acquaintances of Solovyov and Yermolov, they actually knew very well what this fox was planning.

He even had a good sense of the overall situation. The 8th Army was often split up and used during the march, and the troops under his command were often those that had been split up by Bagration.

That is to say, they are brothers in the same school, have a good personal relationship, and cooperate well in the army. If it were someone else, there might be some other considerations behind letting Polozkin initially command the 8th Army.

But now that Solovyov is here, it is natural that we have to change the way it is used.

The 1st Army did not learn of the French actions until nightfall.

Barclay was shocked. He could have anticipated that Napoleon might take a roundabout approach, but he did not expect that he would take such a long route to maneuver behind him.

If it were not for a series of problems, the two infantry commanders under Bagration would have found reasons to retreat, leaving only one infantry brigade to support the main force of the 1st Army, then only the 27th Division and some other troops would have been in Smolensk.

This dumpling is quite big, just like a bald man who led a bunch of soldiers to attack, and then was defeated and almost shot like Pavlov.

Barclay had returned from Tuchkov, and now Yermolov did have to report.

"Commander-in-Chief, you have already heard the news from the Second Army. What we need to consider now is how to gather the troops and return to Smolensk. As for what course of action to take."

"Alyosha, what do you think?"

Barclay's own idea was to leave part of the troops as a rear guard, and the main force would take this opportunity to go to Vyazma, and then continue to move eastward from there to avoid a direct confrontation with the French army.

But before that, he always had to listen to Yermolov's opinion, after all, he was now the chief of staff.

"Mikhail Bogdanovich, we should retreat, but we must also fight in Smolensk and destroy the roads here as much as possible. We must destroy the bridges on the Dnieper River. Then we will continue eastward from Solovyov Ferry to the Old Smolensk Road and then move to Vyazma."

"But we have seven infantry corps, as well as a large number of cavalry and artillery. The baggage also follows the troops. If we take the Old Smolensk Road, won't it be too crowded?"

Yermolov took one look at Barclay and knew that he thought a lot, and it was this caution that allowed the Tsar to use him. But it was precisely because of his caution that the position of commander-in-chief had always been acting and could not be permanent.

At this moment in Alexander's court, some people are probably still arguing about who is the official commander-in-chief.

Anyway, Tormasov was too far away from here, and he was leading his troops to threaten the rear of the French flank. When the committee met, he was rejected at the first opportunity.

The remaining candidates are Kutuzov and Bennigsen, and you have to choose one of these two old men.

If some of the Petersburg nobles had the opinion, Kutuzov
In fact, the problem with Barclay is that Barclay was completely promoted by the Tsar himself, so he will definitely receive more criticism. Many people within the Military Commission will also express dissatisfaction with letting a German-Scottish man serve as commander-in-chief.

What's more, because of Barclay's performance, many people are slandering him behind the scenes.

But his strategy was not wrong. No matter how much Yermolov advocated war, he also considered a lot of things.

At least for now, Barclays' approach, apart from some inexplicably cautious actions recently, is fine.

He thought about it and put forward his own suggestions based on the current situation.

"We should ensure that troops can be transferred along both routes. Your consideration is correct. Prince Bagration has sent some people to Dorogobuzh. In his opinion, they will be in charge of the retreat route of our 1st Army."

Although Bagration himself was dissatisfied with Barclay's approach.

But this attack was launched more or less after the arrival of the people of the 2nd Army. After a long march, their morale was high, which was in sharp contrast to the 1st Army, which had been retreating and even encountered accidents along the way.

With his own support, the Russian generals, except for the ambiguous Osterman-Tolstoy and Solovyov who intended to defend, all called for an attack.

Barclay then arranged this operation against Rudnia, but the main force of the French cavalry quickly maneuvered and actually approached Smolensk.

It seems that most of the main generals of the Russian army have some problems, and they now need to work hard to make up for their previous mistakes.

Yermolov also had to follow Barclay's instructions and start the transfer of the 1st Army. Bagration was to ensure the safety of the Valentino and Solovyov crossings and ensure that the Russian army could transfer to Moscow from the two routes of Smolensk.
But at this time, all the troops of the 1st Army were deployed, and Bagration could only rely on his own troops to defend Smolensk on the first day.

Late at night before the French army arrived, Rajewski had already begun to deploy his troops. The defense of the "Five Ryokaku" was handed over to Paskevich. His division had to face the possible attack of the French army. After all, this fortress was built by the Poles when they occupied Smolensk 200 years ago in order to control the road to the west.
But the commander of the 2nd Grenadier Division now became Solovyov.

It's embarrassing to say that Christian drank alcohol the night before
Solovyov had to take charge of his brother-in-law's unreliable behavior. He had commanded these grenadier regiments in Türkiye, so he naturally knew what was going on.

But he didn't know what Yermolov complained about in his notes. If he knew, he would probably laugh out loud.

Yermolov's Notebook of 1812, note 24: The 2nd Grenadier Division was commanded by Prince Karl August Christian of Mecklenburg, who had spent the previous night with friends, got drunk, and slept late the next day, recovering so that he could keep fit to march the division. After that, getting drunk was a sacred act, and the prince deserved a glass of "national wine".

As for Solovyov, probably when Yermolov complained, there was nothing to blame during the march, except that in the last two years he began to learn the abstraction of Marshal Suvorov.

Now he was facing Baron Ash, the civil governor of Smolensk. This skinny general was probably complaining in his heart just like the fat Yermolov.

It's just that his rank is higher than Yermolov's, and he has always been the Tsar's favorite and the actual "Crown Prince's Guardian", so he can publicly criticize the civil servant's reckless behavior to some extent.

"If everyone is like you, not understanding the movements of our army, the few carts of black bread sent to Admiral Barclay would probably end up in the stomachs of the French, and we also prepared snacks for them. What you should do now is to prepare 200 carts to transfer the wounded and supplies first. Local civilians who have their own carriages should also be encouraged to move to nearby villages and towns, and then take the small roads to seek refuge while the weather is good. This will not only avoid the French and ensure the safety of their lives and some of their property, but also help our brothers in the future. At least we can transfer a lot of people."

The baron was indeed of little help to the army, and almost made matters worse by sending bread to Vitebsk.

As Solovyov spoke, he could only listen. On the contrary, some local old nobles might be more reliable.

Instead, the local noble leaders delivered some food to the troops of the 2nd Army stationed here, and even transported some drinking water in barrels, which always solved the urgent needs.

Previously, Rayevsky's 7th Army had to return to Smolensk due to problems with water supply.

Now it is thanks to Mr. Leslie's help that the army's supplies are still normal.

As for the organization of the militia, it actually required the assistance of several old generals before it finally took shape. They also asked them to drive carts to get a lot of bread, which ensured that the Russian troops in Smolensk did not starve.

"It's the same now. If you were an imperial envoy in normal times, it would probably be the same."

The baron also knew that people like Solovyov were okay, he would probably just say a few words, even if he was of a higher rank, but because he was young, he naturally would not say too much.

If it were any other general with a bad temper, it would be a different story.

"But at this time, the French are coming, and you can still be so careless. If I didn't know that you were working hard, you could still call this convoy back. I think you should also experience the "shame" that only the nobles in Petersburg can "enjoy". Just like Alexander Vasilyevich was forced to live in his home in Konchanskoye, or Fyodor Fyodorovich lived a retired life in Tambov."

But as for Ushakov, he returned home because he was too old, and he defeated the British in the Baltic Sea. This is different from what the baron "might" face.

"Count, what do you need me to do?"

"If it were me, we could just dump the gold, silver and other valuables on the street when we finally retreat, and let the French plunder them to get rich, which would also cause them some chaos. Most people need to leave here safely, especially since there are still thousands of civilians in the city who have not been evacuated. You know, even a place as far away as Vyazma is about to be designated as a war zone, not to mention that you have already seen the French here."

It’s just that this baron was still looking at Saint Prix, causing the young royalist to almost start complaining like Langgelon.

"Baron, I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about Napoleon. Don't misunderstand us because there are French in our camp. You should arrange some carts to take away the people and supplies that can be evacuated, as well as the 6 poods of fodder and food in the city. Anything that can't be taken away should be burned."

The more Solovyov looked at this guy, the more headache he got. It was almost laughable.

But it is still useful. The baron's brain is not working well. Yermolov "euphemistically" said he was "incompetent". In fact, he probably drank too much, just like the dead drunkard Buckholden.
Perhaps his only advantage is that he knows he is not capable of doing it, but he always succeeds when he does what he is told.

Solovyov simply asked Saint Prix and Clausewitz to make a list of the materials that needed to be transferred, and also to requisition some large carts to transport the wounded.

As for the lightly wounded, it is not so difficult, as they can be added to Rayevsky's troops. As for Solovyov's side, since the 8th Army had experienced relatively few battles before, and only the 27th Division suffered heavy losses due to recent battles, this is not so difficult - but without reinforcements, they have to rely entirely on the experienced grenadiers on hand.

Bagration came back soon. He saw that Solovyov and his two chiefs of staff had almost arranged everything, so he and Polozkin divided the work. The deputy commander would go to ensure the army's retreat, while he himself would stay here to meet Barclay's troops.

"At least the supplies are well prepared now."

Bagration was very familiar with Yermolov, so he knew that this fat man who had lived in Smolensk for a long time had some feelings for the local area, so he did not hesitate to complain about some people.

The incompetent baron, looking at Solovyov's expression, knew that this communication took a lot of effort, otherwise he would not have sat there drinking tea.

"What should we do now?"

"Mishka, you will take the 2nd Grenadier Division and cover Paskevich. I am going to move Kolyubakin's 12th Division to the Old Smolensk Road. Here, you will obey the command of Nikolai Nikolayevich."

"That's no problem. Temporary formation is common. But how do you arrange it for Vorontsov?"

"I want him to send a battalion of grenadiers, with a battery of artillery, to the Smolensk road, which will always be in need of support."

"It seems that this is the only way. It is a difficult task to play as a defender in Smolensk. Christian, this kid, can drink too much at this moment."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have to command the 2nd Division directly."

"I know, but you shouldn't keep writing to Barclay. I think his opinion is correct. If you report it to Count Arakcheev, the letter will definitely reach the emperor. What's important now is that the whole army must be united and share the same hatred of the enemy in order to defeat the French." (End of this chapter)