Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Although there was a new combat plan, Kutuzov did not make any judgment at first, but only asked the Russian army to continue withdrawing from its existing position.

If they wanted to continue retreating, they would have to find a place to restart the fight. Kutuzov couldn't help but sigh when he saw the army's condition had recovered somewhat.

"With such good brothers, why should we continue to retreat? Now we have to fight a battle and find another place. The monastery is not enough, so where can we go?"

Now the generals in charge of each infantry army, the two army group commanders, Grand Duke Constantine and the chief of staff Count Bennigsen are all here, and it is inevitable that everyone will have some discussions about the current actions.

You guys wouldn't quarrel like those veterans in the south. Big Kamensky was obviously different from his brother. He would have conflicts with his superiors wherever he went. So after a quarrel with Admiral Tormasov, he left the army and returned to his estate in Oryol.

What happened in the 3rd Army has also been reported here. With a powerful enemy at the doorstep, there should be no internal fighting even when the pressure on our side is relatively light.

Obviously, the debates on the front battlefield were much more civilized, and all parties would report the news to the Tsar himself and Count Arakcheev, so there would not be such embarrassing things happening in the south.

Kutuzov's questions will also lead to debate among the public.

But when it comes to the terrain, everyone has seen the problems with the monastery.

But they did not do what Solovyov did, who took the opportunity to talk and drink tea with Barclay to survey the terrain.

But the content was consistent. Everyone believed that the canyon near the monastery was not suitable for the army to retreat, although it was an extremely advantageous defensive terrain.

If it were a division-level force, fighting a rearguard battle here might be a good place to go. But with tens of thousands of people crowded here, it would be a disaster if they failed.

On the battlefield, one must always consider avoiding failure first, which is also in line with the overall strategy.

Therefore, everyone's attention will be focused on Borodino, where there is a river blocking the way, which can just block the terrain in front.

But they didn't know that after the French encountered continuous rain in Vyazma, they were allowed to continue advancing on a sunny day.

Napoleon did indeed sigh for a moment about the sunny day, for he thought the sun was coming out again at Austerlitz.

This idealistic and fatalistic approach allowed the French army to continue moving forward and pursue the retreating Russian army.

Unlike the repeated rearguard battles that had taken place before, from the west of Smolensk all the way to near Vyazma, now the French pursuit saw a desolate scene all the way. The Russians had all withdrawn, and there were only burning cities and villages. Not even a foal was left.

At this time, the French were falling behind and suffering even more casualties, and only the veterans of the Guards could maintain general order.

The present Grande Armée is no longer the same as the Grande Armée before 1809, when all the troops from the 1st to the 10th were French, perhaps with a few foreign troops mixed in.

But now, more than half of them are foreigners, and many troops always receive more troublesome tasks when a real battle breaks out.

For example, the 8th Army composed of the Westphalian Kingdom Army was rebuked by General Junot for its poor performance in Smolensk and Valentino. He said that he would never get the marshal's baton and asked the soldiers of the 8th Army to clean the battlefield and carry corpses.

This army looks different from the past in every way.

However, if we really want to fight in Borodino, the deployment of troops will naturally be a problem. In addition, we have to build fortifications, so we always have to arrange everything carefully.

Kutuzov wanted Andrei to join his headquarters, but was politely declined. Now Andrei would rather go to the front. With his rank of colonel, he could even become the commander of some less experienced infantry divisions.

If everyone in the General Staff could go to the troops and gain full understanding, the situation might improve.

Napoleon was now far away from his soldiers and could not hear their voices, so he probably could not hear most of the soldiers' complaints.

On the Russian side, the situation of the 1st Army is worse than that of the smaller 2nd Army. The generals and officers of the latter, even if they are from high-ranking families, will try to establish good relationships with their subordinates. No matter whether they express it by drinking or by not drinking at all like Solovyov, just by being with the soldiers, they can know what they are thinking.

After Kutuzov arrived, the Russian army abandoned the positions around the monastery and turned to advance towards Shevardino, which was very close to Borodino. These two adjacent places were always able to respond to each other.

Then the entire battle line was formed, but the speed of building the artillery here must always be faster, otherwise it would be difficult when the French come in the future.

"The Kolocha River can provide some terrain cover, but now it seems that we need to hurry up. Don't worry about too much. We must always deploy all the existing positions. As long as we make fewer mistakes and control the positions, we will probably be able to win."

He said this, but he kept looking at the map ahead, always feeling uneasy.

"If the enemy moves quickly enough, the French will come from the main roads on both sides and launch an attack around Shevardino, which will also be a huge threat to us."

In this way, the situation of the Battle of Borodino will be completely reproduced.

But if the French did not attack Shevardino, it would probably become an outpost fortress of the Russian army, and would be attacked from both sides. It is hard to say what the battle situation would be like at that time.

If this place is really called the real one, it is also the new battlefield chosen by Bennigsen. The opinion within the Russian army is to fight, but because there is no way to retreat in the monastery, it is appropriate to put it here.

When Solovyov met Kutuzov before, he also took this into consideration. The width of the front battlefield would not allow the French troops to fully deploy.

But when the time comes, with the deployment of troops and the ever-changing battlefield, who knows what will happen.

Now is the time to have a good chat with the veterans.

He also discovered that except for Konovnitsyn who served as the rear guard, the rest of the troops had begun to move towards the Kolocha River, and it was even safe for his troops to camp at this time.

It was already dusk when he arrived at the Grenadiers' station, and even the veterans seemed to be in good condition.

Colonel Shatilov, the commander of the Moscow Grenadiers, was Solovyov's predecessor and elder brother when he served in two grenadiers regiments, but now Solovyov is a general and his superior.

But there was no airs between the two of them, and they talked about the past instead.

"Ivan Yakovlevich, it's great to see you here. I remember when I first arrived at the Pavlovsk Regiment, you were also in the regiment at that time."

"I was earlier than you in every place, but you were promoted very quickly. Over the years, I seldom spoke to you directly. You were transferred to the Guards, and I was in the Guards when I started my service."

"It was just so clever that when we were at war with the Turks, we started to communicate more." "Your nephew was transferred before the war. To be honest, this guy is quite smart, but he is not suitable to be an officer forever."

"I can't help it. My family is a well-known 'profiteer'. I myself prefer to lead light infantry in battle. Otherwise, I can't let all my brothers use this kind of rifle."

"It would be nice if there were more. Many of the infantry brothers are still using old ones."

"The thing in his hand is an old guy. If the soldier is also an old guy, it can't be worse."

Solovyov was also referring to the veterans in the regiment. If the veterans were equipped with outdated rifles, they probably wouldn't be able to perform well in combat.

"You want to meet these old guys, right? We still have quite a few veterans. With their new weapons, they all think they can still fight for a few more years."

"Is it?"

These old guys probably feel that life won’t be easy back in the village.

Thinking of Arakcheev's methods, Solovyov thought that if his teacher, Marshal Suvorov, were still alive, he would definitely oppose the frequent use of whips to punish soldiers.

Of course, the veterans are less likely to be subjected to corporal punishment in the army because of their long service time. However, if they return to their hometown or live in a settlement with military farms, it may be a different story.

Shatilov took Solovyov to the old soldiers, and these old guys were very happy to see the young commander coming.

"Sir, we know you don't drink much. Here's soup. Would you like a bowl?"

"What's in there?"

"The pot was given by the Emperor, and canned food was invented by you. We can always have a decent meal, and we can't gnaw on the belt."

"If you ask me, the French will probably be hungry now when they see Vyazma's condition, right?"

Someone said so, and Solovyov thought about it, and then said: "No, they also have logistical supplies, but some of them will be taken away by our Cossacks. They are hungry, but it's not all like this."

"Now that we have come this far, sir, we still have to fight those Frenchmen, right?"

"We will fight. We will make them bleed dry and then fall into the muddy swamp. We will let them starve and even eat horse meat. Count Kutuzov told us that this is how we dealt with the Turks before, right?"

"Yes, we old guys followed you to beat the Turks again. If only wars were so exciting. Of course, you, Mishka, are not a lively little bear, but a cunning fox. You kept us marching, and the enemy finally collapsed as we walked."

"But the French are different. You old guys, the youngest Igor has been in the regiment for almost as long as I have been in the army. You should know that those of us who are officers have been on the conscription books since we were young. Semenov, the oldest, you should go home this year. You have a wife at home."

"It's not possible now. If the French hadn't come, I would have been fine if I had gone home. But the French are coming. No matter if you are a rich lord or a poor man with nothing, they all burned down your house. Even though my house is in Kaluga, I can't sit here any longer. My lord, you must be with us when the time comes and strike hard at the French. Don't worry about your relatives there."

"Aren't my relatives also relatives of the emperor?"

Indeed, Napoleon had relatives on both sides, and the veterans did not find this fun at all.

"Yes, he is also the emperor's brother-in-law and the uncle of Emperor Paul. We heard that some officers had gossiped about him before. Are you familiar with this devil's sister?"

The veterans' questions were conservative, but Solovyov spoke freely, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

"Napoleon's sister Paulina slept with me willingly and gave birth to two children for me!"

"what!"

This matter was also told by the parties involved. The soldiers of the Moscow Grenadiers Regiment, who were sitting closer, did not expect the army commander to be so relaxed.

Some people even laughed. Although this was a bit vulgar, it was also a victory.

Shatilov knew that what was coming might be a fierce battle, and if he only talked about rewards and medals, it might not be of much use.

But there's nothing wrong with talking about other things that can liven up the atmosphere.

But General, you are a big workshop, and you are so generous in cutting materials.

Of course, when the old soldiers heard what the commander said, they naturally followed suit.

"What about that chick? We heard she's about your age."

"She is one year older than me, but she is still my aunt. My stepmother is the cousin of the former Queen of France. Do you think this is the right way to calculate it?"

"The important thing is that the woman must be very good. We all know that the lady is a virtuous and loyal girl."

The topic gradually went off topic, but when it came back to the issue of his wife, Solovyov spoke in a serious tone.

"There are some things I can't tell you, but when we were in France, Katya was still a little girl, and I never thought she would become my wife. This was before the Emperor and the Queen arranged our marriage."

"Ah, you have not only this French woman, but also that lady before you got married."

"There was also a lover, an Italian girl, I remember, who looked pretty."

This topic gradually became a topic that the people liked and loved.

If we really compare them, Solovyov is so relaxed and he is too indifferent.

After talking about his own romantic affairs that could be made public, he still wanted to talk about something serious.

Of course, there are some things, such as the matter with Louisa, the Queen of Prussia, and Maria. She is probably preparing to leave Weimar because of the war, and find a place to take refuge with her second sister and the children, right? (End of this chapter)