Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Kutuzov's attitude was clear. In the afternoon, the Russian army's positions were basically around the village of Semenovskoye. After attacking the French flank, Platov's Cossack troops quickly returned to their starting positions.

If they had not discovered a ferry that allowed the Cossack cavalry to pass quickly during their battlefield survey that morning, the pressure on the front line might have been even greater, and the Russian army might even have been in danger of failure on the entire battlefield of Borodino.

Although the order Kutuzov conveyed was to continue fighting tomorrow, he was already planning how to withdraw the main force from the front.

Judging from the losses of each regiment, the number reported by the 1st Army alone has exceeded people, and this number has not yet been fully counted.

The situation of the 2nd Army was even worse. Solovyov said in the evening that the staff had also suffered serious casualties. If a final statistics were to be made, the staff of the 1st Army would probably be needed to do it.

Otherwise, it would probably be him, the acting army commander, and his chief of staff who would write it personally.

The casualties of the combatants below were also severe. The 2nd Army suffered an astonishing number of casualties in the bloody battle between the two fortresses and the French army.

Sometimes there is not even enough time to count, and now the casualty rate of regiment commanders alone is more than 1, because many regiment commanders who were killed or seriously injured were soon injured in battle even if someone came to temporarily replace them.

Solovyov himself was only hit by one bullet on the icon his wife had prayed for, and another bullet grazed the side of his knee, causing no serious injuries. He was still able to command the battle in full swing. If he went back and told Katya, she would probably continue to donate more to God.

There is no way around it. Among the young ladies in Russia, there are quite a few who are so pious.

He was now in the ravine of Semyonovskoye, awaiting further orders from Kutuzov.

He did not make a rash decision now because the actions of the entire army had to be consistent. The ability to fight the French in Borodino was the result of coordination between the two army groups.

Tormasov is too far away and we can't rely on him.

Watching the French capture two main fortresses, the Russian officers and soldiers in the canyon are now preparing for the next battle. Their morale is different from that of previous defeats.

Including the battle at Shevardino, this time it can be said that the French suffered a heavy loss. Although the Russian army lost its position again, the entire army put in its best efforts.

The French were also surprised. Even though the Russian army had retreated to the second line to rebuild their positions, the enemy still had high morale and fought desperately.

Even Napoleon himself was shocked when he arrived at the Salient Redoubt position where both sides were fighting fiercely.

"It seems that the Russians have the right to be invincible today. We still need to continue fighting and finally decide the winner tomorrow."

His confidence at this time also came from the fact that after a day of fighting, he discovered that the Russian army had no available reserves. As long as he made an extra effort, he could inflict a complete defeat on the Russian army outside of Moscow, and he also wanted to win this war.

However, this view is a bit too idealistic. If everything can be accomplished by proactive action, there must be corresponding forces to cooperate.

But Napoleon didn't know that he had now completely lost the possibility of winning and the Russian army's strategic goal had been achieved.

Moreover, due to the bad weather before nightfall, the Russian army was fully covered. Even if they were to prepare to retreat now, it would probably be difficult for the French to catch up.

In the Russian headquarters, Kutuzov looked at Bennigsen without saying a word. After a while, he lay back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Count, I think it is time to withdraw our troops. We have done enough in Borodino. Let's go to Mozhaisk."

Although Kutuzov's idea at this time was probably to use the people he had to build the last line of defense in Mozhaysk, given his experience and cunning attitude, the Russian army would probably give up Moscow.

It may not be a big deal for those German generals, but for the Russian generals, losing Moscow may still be a big blow.

They did not support this action emotionally, and now Kutuzov also had to find a solution.

"As for the rearguard, I think we can arrange for Platov's Cossacks to guard the front. Who would be more suitable to defend Mozhaysk?"

"Commander-in-Chief, I think the most suitable candidate for rearguard action at this time is General Miloradovich."

Bennigsen said this and Kutuzov nodded.

"He is the only one who is suitable for this position now. If it were someone else, he might get carried away and fight the French at all costs."

"You are ready"

Bennigsen had always wanted to replace him, so he was also trying to guess what Kutuzov meant from his words. If he could defeat him next, he could become the commander of this army.

However, Barclay and Dokhturov, who officially took over the 2nd Army, probably would not agree with his approach.

Barclay was unlucky. On the one hand, he was regarded as a German by the Russian officers, but on the other hand, the German officers also excluded him because of his trust in the Tsar and his Scottish ancestry.

On the contrary, Solovyov is confused about his mother's ancestry. Sometimes he says she is from some ethnic group on the Baltic side, and sometimes he says his mother is a Baltic German. He is not rejected by both sides. Barclay envy this kind of face, because he himself does not have it, and many people are uncomfortable with him and hope to replace him.

Kutuzov also understood that Bennigsen had always been scheming, and that it might be inconvenient for him to intervene during the Swedish war because Bagration and others' cross-sea plan was approved by the Tsar himself.

But given the current situation, he will definitely take action.

In addition to this aspect, Kutuzov also knew that the battle of Borodino had already been like this. It can only be said that when the French suffered huge casualties, the Russian army voluntarily withdrew from the battlefield, which was also a huge victory.

Although this victory seems undeserved.

However, considering the special institutional problems of Tsarist Russia, this is the only way to calm the Tsar's fragile and sensitive emotions.

So Kutuzov drafted a letter to Alexander.

"Your Majesty, I am reporting to you here that on August 1812, 8, we were at Borodino. At Borodino."

"How would you describe it, sir?"

He knew his son-in-law's level, so he went to find his secretary, but the secretary saw that he was hesitant to talk, so he asked a question specifically.

"Thus, the battle we fought with the French at Borodino was the bloodiest battle of our time."

Even "no one", in fact, Kutuzov always pretended to be confused, he knew exactly what happened. "Then you wrote that the battlefield was in our hands and the French retreated to the position where they started the attack."

However, he also knew that he had not failed. The two main fortresses were eventually lost, but the losses inflicted on the French at the Salient Redoubt had exceeded the losses of the 3rd and 8th Armies there, so this was considered a partial victory.

As for the next step, we have to commend the generals for their achievements, which is actually to boost morale.

The Russian army began to move late at night and quietly began to prepare to withdraw from their positions.

The two grenadier divisions and the Guards stayed behind to cover the rear. The rest of the troops not only suffered heavy losses, but some of their organizations were also broken up. The only reason they avoided a rout was the tenacity of the Russian soldiers on that day.

Napoleon also had a serious expression when he saw this situation on the battlefield of Borodino.

Caulaincourt noticed this and felt that he was a little different from the emperor he usually was.

"We captured these positions, but we took very few prisoners and did not capture any valuable booty."

Napoleon did win battles in Russia, but the spoils he captured were very limited each time. He captured two generals twice, but only after they were seriously injured or exhausted from battle.

If there were a few more victories like this, I'm afraid even Napoleon would not be able to withstand it.

He did not say this aloud, but for the French it was a costly victory no matter how you looked at it, and Napoleon’s victory today was not like the one he had won at Austerlitz.

Fortunately, the old soldier, Arboise of Pont-toise, has retired and returned home, otherwise his complaints to the emperor at Austerlitz would now seem to be an accurate prophecy.

Although the French soldiers were still shouting "Long live the emperor", for the French, their troubles were still to come, but no one was aware of it yet.

If the Russians were in this situation, they would not know what their future would be like.

The Russian army was retreating until late at night. They were not worried that the French would come to pursue them. Both sides suffered heavy losses in the fighting that day. If they fought again around Gorky Village, both sides would probably be defeated.

The position here was even strengthened when the Guards were stationed here.

The Russian generals who were left behind finally chose to withdraw from the battlefield after confirming that the main force had been transferred.

In the early morning, the French cavalry arrived at the Russian position and found the tied-up and still burning torches on the position.

When Napoleon learned the news, although he wanted to pursue immediately, the Russian army had already run very far away. During the reconnaissance, the French cavalry captured a straggler soldier of the 4th Army and learned the general situation.

Since the Russian army's retreat was well prepared, pursuing them at this time would probably cost a great price.

So what Napoleon had to do first was to reorganize his troops and then continue to advance towards Moscow.

Meanwhile, Solovyov, who was retreating, was thinking while riding on a white horse.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I just think it's a coincidence. Karl, if we continue like this, the only place we'll have to fight is Mozhaysk. If we choose a position near Sparrow Hills, it won't be good for us to defend the city."

"Are you going to stay in the city?"

"The French want to chase us, and we have to resist them. I hope they won't chase us, but my uncle is always ambitious. He will say, 'Nothing is impossible in my dictionary,' and then chase us along the Smolensk Road all the way to Moscow. I am interested in fighting in the siege of Moscow, but what will be the final result?"

The closer he got to Moscow, the more he found himself worrying about.

The wounded originally evacuated to Moscow are now also being transferred to Vladimir, Tver, Kaluga and Ryazan.

In any case, the actions of the Russian army can always buy time for Moscow, no matter whether it is a fight or a final decision to retreat.

"Although you have always advocated retreat, Mick, you have a strong desire to fight. This is the difference between you and Barclay, but I think we should give up the battlefield."

"If you want to say this, please don't say it in Russian. It's inevitable that soldiers are somewhat hostile to Germans. There are always some benefits when they don't understand what you are saying."

"Ja, you are right. But what should we do next?"

"Let's talk about it when we get to the next station."

For this reason, Solovyov always wanted to take a break. He jumped off his horse and spoke to several artillerymen on a gun carriage.

"Brothers, would you like to lend me a seat? I always want to lie down for a while."

"Sir, you can lie down however you want, but we are all stinking of sweat. What we mean is that you are usually nice to us soldiers, but you are just too particular about cleanliness."

"Fuck your love of cleanliness! When we get to rest, we'll all take a good bath. It's been at least four days since Shevardino, and you guys took a good bath in the river!"

"Then go back, your French woman. Although I don't mean to offend your wife, but..."

"That's too early. I shall not go back to Petersburg unless my conceited uncle returns to Paris to take care of the child."

What he said also caused laughter from the artillerymen, and they even made room for him to lean on it.

Solovyov, who had not slept all night, finally had a chance to rest for a while surrounded by his artillery brothers.

The Russian army's marching column was also winding eastward along the Smolensk Road at this time, and was about to reach Mozhaysk first.

As luck would have it, the unfortunate hot air balloon took off at this moment, and looking at the Russian army's retreating column from the air, it found that the formation was still relatively orderly.

If we take them to a film set and ask them to COS as a marching column with gold-rimmed glasses and Hunan accent, it would probably be possible.

However, we are not attacking anywhere right now. (End of this chapter)