Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 744 046 Moscow 125 kilometers away
Solovyov did not go back to sleep. Outside the lost Shevardino position, he rode his horse halfway up the hill, looking at the fire in the distance and hearing people cheering.

"It looks like Napoleon himself has arrived here. Karl, this battle will probably end in two days. It won't drag on any longer. We'll have to see who wins."

"They are shouting Long Live the Emperor again."

"Karl, you've adapted well. My wife's sister Sonya wrote to me saying that any girl in Moscow who speaks French will have to pay a fine and donate it to the army."

"What kind of rule is this?"

"When the war is going on, nothing that happens is surprising."

Solovyov held the letter from his sister-in-law in his hand, and he was worried about her and his mother-in-law, who had returned to Moscow.

As for the reply, since it was sent by a servant, Solovyov was very happy to write it. He wrote it very formally to his mother-in-law, asking her and Sonya to go to Ryazan. It happened that Solovyov's cousins ​​were helping their master transfer property.

However, he also made it clear to his mother-in-law that if any of the properties could be sold in the next two days, don't worry about the problem, and the argument with Aunt Praskovia should be interrupted by the arrival of the French.

The situation is critical now. Another war will break out in two days. No one knows whether there will be another fight in Mozhaysk by then.

Mozhaysk. The wounded had already been evacuated there, and while in Gzhatsk, Kutuzov and Barclay discussed transferring some of the wounded to Moscow.

Moscow
The fighting is still going on and the consequences are unknown. After Borodino, abandoning Moscow without any fighting would not be wrong from a military and political point of view. However, emotionally speaking, it would not be appropriate to abandon Moscow when there are still a large number of wounded left in the city.

Although Solovyov seemed to be more ruthless than others in using troops, at this time, he was unable to make up his mind.

He therefore sent his adjutant to Kutuzov and explained his opinion that the wounded should be evacuated to Vladimir and Ryazan, and some of them could be transferred to Kaluga and Tver by minor roads.

Pierre also built a horse-drawn carriage railway, which made it easier to transport personnel and materials and reduced the pressure on the roads.

But even so, there were still a large number of nobles and civilians in the city who were ready to leave Moscow.

It even sounds strange that someone is preparing to trade real estate at this moment, but there are indeed people who want to buy Count Rostov's house in Moscow.

But at this time, it is indeed.
Pierre is in Mozhaysk and he is a little numb.

At this time, he himself wanted to go to the front line to take a look. After all, he provided too much sponsorship and always had some ideas of his own.

Except for himself, all his friends went to the army. Regardless of whether they were sincere friends or ordinary friends, they were still his old friends.

Before leaving, he still had to confirm a few things.

Apparently, he didn't get enough rest that night.

A few days ago, he went to Count Rostov's house to deliver the notice of Nicholas's meritorious service and the award, and had a brief chat with Natasha.

But as for the Countess and his wife, their eldest son was already at the front line. The medal they received indicated that at least he was fine for now. If he was smarter behind enemy lines, he would be fine. Besides, Nicholas was a veteran who had fought in wars, so they were less worried.

What was even more terrible was probably Petya. Count Rostov knew that Pierre and Andrei were good friends, as well as Solovyov, but he had never thought of asking these two people to help get his youngest son back.

Before Petya went to the regiment, he rode to Prince Dolgorukov's estate to say goodbye to the prince's little daughter, Sonya.

Then the child went to receive training, and it was not known when he would be able to return to Moscow.

It was because of this that the Countess and Natasha never left Moscow and returned to Ryazan. They had to wait for their son/brother to come back before they could leave with uneasy feelings.

The war itself was getting closer and closer to Moscow. If a Frenchman appeared on the street, he would be easily beaten and become a perfect target for everyone from nobles to slaves.

If it were a woman, the situation would be better, and she might just suffer some verbal humiliation.

Moscow is different from St. Petersburg. There may seem to be more foreigners in St. Petersburg, but if you go to a place like Smolensk, there may be fewer.

Pierre felt it at this moment, but he always revealed some strange things in his words and deeds.

For example, Maria's friend Julie is still in Moscow and is well-informed.
When a reserve officer was speaking, he mentioned the expressions of Maria and Pierre, which was not a good start for Katish, who had never married.

"These old girls are basically fleeing to Moscow and getting married at the same time."

Julie had spent a night with Maria before and had a general idea of ​​the situation, so she was always better off.

Considering that the old duke is still alive and did not fall off his horse, Solovyov might be a little surprised, but Pierre would be sincerely happy for the old marshal.

He also had to leave Smolensk. If he were a few years younger, as he put it in his abstract yet humorous way, he might have met Napoleon on behalf of Suvorov and some of his deceased old friends.

This was not because of any other reason. The young local nobles and retired officers who stayed behind wanted to organize a cavalry to attack the enemy's rear. Although Nikolai Nikolayevich could now provide them with guidance, he was no longer able to command such operations as he did in the past.

"You shouldn't talk like that. Girls have the right to make their own choices. Maria is getting along well with Nikolai from the Rostov family. I'm happy for them."

Pierre is still the same as always, he always worries about others.

When I get home, I may see a completely different scene. My unmarried cousin has been getting more and more irritable recently, and she doesn't even have anyone to talk to.

Although she had also fought for the family property, it was always for her two younger sisters, and the three sisters had been by the old earl's side until his death.

Speaking of which, when Solovyov was with Emperor Paul, he arranged a method of property division in addition to the will, so that the sisters did not get involved in the disputes and always stood on his side in the end.

"But in Moscow, Mr. Pierre, I can only say," the reserve officer continued chattering, "a few days ago, there was an unfortunate young man, probably a college student, who was frightened crazy by the French's behavior near Moscow. He talked nonsense and was killed by the minions sent by Count Rostopchin in front of Lubyanka Square. If this is the case, there are still some French among us, like..."

"If I were to say, the fathers of the young Prince of Württemberg and Prince of Mecklenburg are on the side of the murderer. For example, our outstanding Prince Bagration, his wife is still in Vienna and has not returned yet. Which of the Grand Marshal's disciples doesn't have French friends? For example, Solovyov, who is very good at fighting, is even directly related to the murderer. Isn't he very good at winning battles?" What the officer said made the people sitting here feel a little more relaxed.

Yes, that young general had an outrageous number of French relatives at home, but during the war, when he became a general, he had always been against the French.

"I would also like to say that it would be better to drive all the French people in Moscow to the countryside. There is no need to cause such a panic."

Some people always say this, and Pierre still looks worried. He gets in his carriage and prepares to go back home. His cousin is probably going to complain to him at home.

If there is a way, her age is actually suitable and her appearance is not bad, but her face is rather serious and she is very nosy, which is something that the old guys may not be able to stand. When they want to get married, they always want to find a young one.

From Solovyov's perspective, this might be a little too Roman.

When he returned home, Pierre also saw the leaflets brought by his servant. It was clearly written on them that they were all instructions from Governor-General Rostopchin.

The first leaflet said it was nonsense to say people were strictly prohibited from leaving Moscow.

This is true. Many noble ladies and young ladies, as well as a large number of civilians, are now moving to the surrounding towns and villages. At least they still have relatives there.

The men seemed to evacuate later, and many of Pierre's acquaintances also left one after another. The only family that would definitely not move was the Rostov family. If there was any result at the front, or if their son came back, they would take some action.

The later version says that the headquarters is still in Vyazma, and the commander-in-chief of the Russian army is now Count Kutuzov. Apart from this, it was Count Wittgenstein and Baron Essen who defeated the French in Riga.

This is not a battle report from the base camp, it is true, but the level of cooperation between Oudinot and MacDonald cannot be said to be earth-shattering, it can be said to be mediocre.

MacDonald's strengths, Pierre still remembered Solovyov saying, were that no matter how he was defeated he would never collapse and that he could never be caught.

If it was Oudinot who was replaced, it would be impossible to kill him no matter how hard you hit him.

And this time it was indeed written in the report that French Marshal Oudinot was killed.

Although the battle was won, in the specific circumstances, Count Rostopchin must have been talking nonsense.

As for the following content, it is about civilians armed with cheap weapons.

Unfortunately, Pierre thought he knew nothing about military affairs and probably did not have much talent in this area. His two knowledgeable friends were still at the front. When Solovyov wrote to him, he hoped that he would visit his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, but there was little news from Andrei.

After all, his family had been in Bald Hills before the Battle of Smolensk and had only recently been evacuated here.

But even so, after seeing these flyers, he still saw a lot of parts that looked fake at first glance.

However, Rostopchin and his group were still inciting hatred against France among the common people on the streets. Even if a local noble spoke French, he might be attacked.

In this regard, perhaps Solovyov's "experiences in Haiti" that he told him at a salon may provide the answer.

Tontons Macoutes, this is the thing. Solovyov said that this thing should not be a French word, but may be a language from somewhere in Africa.

As for its content, even Dessalines and the subsequent Haitian dictators did not know that they were being scripted.

This is probably what Rostopchin and his gang are like.

"Have you seen the Earl's leaflet?"

When he asked his cousin Kadysh like this, he also had to endure endless complaints about an old girl in her thirties who was unable to get married and who was also suffering from the difficulties in her spiritual life.

Such complaints were closer to what he was thinking.

"That count is a great liar, a hypocrite, a villain. His people have done something to us. Varvara Ivanovna was nearly beaten to death by people in the street because she spoke French. Even my maid has gone wild now. She may not obey me in a few days."

"So, ma cousine, what are you going to do?"

Pierre is a little confused now. He is still playing cards in his hand. I don’t know if he is fortune-telling or doing something else. Anyway, that’s it.

"Mon cousin, please send me to Petersburg. I cannot be a subject of Napoleon here and submit to his rule."

"Well, I can do it. But you'd better have some companions, ma cousine, so that you can have someone to look after you on the way."

Now Pierre's worries were getting worse and worse, and he finally decided to go to Mozhaysk. In addition to selling the farm to prepare the army, he also remembered Solovyov's advice to him to transfer the property to other cities and villages. If something unexpected really happened in Moscow, he might be able to recover with these.

Although the more his property losses increased, the more at ease he felt, but there was not much to say at this moment.

He finally decided to set off. In addition to going to Mozhaysk, he also wanted to go to the front to see what was happening.

Pierre also needs to take a look at his donations to see what the current situation is and whether they have been properly used.

As for the time on the road, he also saw a lot of new and interesting things and heard even more.

For example, several regiments stationed in Moscow on weekdays fought a fierce battle with the enemy at the front this time. In addition, a hot air balloon rose in a manor near Moscow, which was said to be used as a secret weapon.

However, he still remembered Solovyov's previous witticisms when he mentioned military equipment, which corresponded to the Marshal's "vegetable vendor" theory.

The Prussian army is the vegetables displayed by the vegetable vendor. - Suvorov

Some novelties, good-looking but useless, we bought good seats in the circus to watch the circus. -Soloviev
As for the hotel in Mozhaysk, it was now full. Pierre saw that it was full of officers and wounded soldiers transported from the front, so he could only keep moving forward.

(End of this chapter)