Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Kutuzov had to make the final decision; after all, he was the commander-in-chief.

Abandoning Moscow's decision and letting someone make the final decision will all face enormous pressure.

From a military perspective, what Barclay said before was correct, "As long as the army is there, Russia has not lost." Russia's territory is so vast, and after the French came in, they only made great progress on the Napoleon axis. It cannot be said that there was no progress in the other directions. It can also be said that they were taking a big step backwards. There was even a strange scene where the Saxon army was defeated by Tormasov's 3rd Army on the road, and the Austrian army was slacking off on the road all day.

But after Bennigsen's speech, it was obvious that some people also advocated fighting. Barclay was shocked by his betrayal and pacesetting, and still insisted on retreating. He also saw that Kutuzov supported his opinion. The two people who were called to be "neutral" also advocated abandoning Moscow.

Even among those who advocate fighting, there are those like Dokhturov who think that fighting is necessary but the timing is not right, and those like Konovnitsyn who advocate fighting but have an ambiguous attitude towards Moscow.

Yermolov had relatively little experience. Among all the generals, only Solovyov was younger than him. Therefore, he later said that this was why he did not dare to advocate abandoning Moscow.

After all, he was not like the other three young generals. Stroganov was a good friend of the Tsar himself, Solovyov had long been a confidant of Grand Duke Constantine, and Osterman-Tolstoy had a good family background.

Of course, although he looks burly, he is also delicate and has more concerns.

Even when he was speaking, Kutuzov said in the tone of an elder lecturing a younger person: "Alyosha, you can make such a claim because you don't have to bear this responsibility."

Before Kutuzov made his decision, the last person to speak was Raevsky, who made a summary speech.

Interestingly, the generals of the 2nd Army, which had fought more actively before, including Dokhturov who took over temporarily after the battle, all had the same attitude, that is, the losses were heavy and they should retreat at this time.

The opinions of the people in the 1st Army Group are very different, and it can also be seen that there is a group of restless people on Barclay's side.

"Now that everyone has expressed their opinions, Count, please calm down and sit down first."

Kutuzov twisted his fat body in the chair and looked like he was about to take a nap again, but at this time, he usually had a plan in mind, either he had already made up his mind or he lay down and waited for the final judgment of fate, just like what he said to Andrei after midnight at the Battle of Austerlitz.

Bennigsen was obviously provoked by Solovyov, but this kid was holding a white glove with his other hand on his waist. If he really got angry, it would be even more lively.

After all, he came to the venue with a revolver, and it would be bad if he really triggered something.

"Commander-in-Chief, you are the one who makes the final decision."

After saying this in a nonchalant manner, Bennigsen sat down on the bench.

"Well, since everyone has expressed their opinions, then as the commander-in-chief, I will use the authority granted to me by the emperor and the motherland to evacuate and leave Moscow."

When making this decision, Kutuzov's face showed embarrassment again.

Several generals stated their final opinions in front of him. Barclay and Solovyov were reluctant to leave and they still sat on the table.

It is also partly because Barclay has been suffering from malaria recently and is not in good condition.

Solovyov was still sitting at the table after Stroganov left, looking at the map that was hung up temporarily.

"Mikhail Bogdanovich, you look physically fit and need some rest."

"Yes, but how can I rest in this situation? Why are you still sitting here?"

"I have nothing to do but think about which way to go."

"You are still considering your next move, Misha. I know you still want to take the initiative to fight."

"The premise is that we didn't lose so many excellent officers and soldiers in Borodino, but there are no suitable positions around Moscow. It would be great if we could fight in Mozhaysk, but the conditions at the time did not allow it."

Barclay knew that although the positions of Solovyov and Bennigsen had been changing, this young man was serving the overall situation, unlike Bennigsen, who was trying to stir up some internal disputes.

"Misha, you are looking at Kaluga, you must have some idea."

"Nothing, Commander-in-Chief. I just want to prevent the supply outside Moscow from falling into the hands of the enemy. And we have to conceal our actions. If we go to Vladimir, the enemy will be in places like Vereya, Klin and Kaluga."

When he spoke, it was like he was reciting poetry, or even singing.

"Musician, your idea is to go south?"

"For Napoleon, it was no longer possible to extend his lines of communication eastward from Moscow. 800 leagues was far enough."

Kutuzov looked at him and was very satisfied. At least his choice and judgment at this time were very accurate, and Suvorov was indeed not wrong back then.

Solovyov's considerations were still based on the battlefield environment. If the Russian army was deployed towards Tver, the roads here would not be so convenient for movement, which would easily put the army in a desperate situation. It would be more appropriate to move south and east.

Barclay's proposal was to avoid fighting in Vladimir, but Bennigsen had previously mentioned maneuvering in the direction of Kaluga and Tula.

But this despicable man obviously had some ideas today. It would be better if he could use his brain for serious purposes instead of fighting for power and gambling.

This is what Barclay thought. Unlike Bennigsen, who was a complete foreigner, his ancestors had already come to the Baltic coast and settled there before the Jacobite exile began. Like Solovyov, he was a native of the country.

"Okay, that's it, except these three places happen to be on the two wings."

Barclay can understand the reserves in Kaluga.

Kutuzov remained silent, but von Toll discovered the key point. Although he, the quartermaster general, always made mistakes, he still had the basic skills.

Vereyya is near Maloyaroslavetsky, Kaluga is where the warehouses are located, and Klin is to the north.

What they didn’t know was that Solovyov was talking about the critical situation in 1941, in winter.

But since von Toll had asked, Solovyov was naturally obliged to answer.

"In addition to the warehouse, Verea and Klin are both on the flanks. With these two places, or the surrounding locations, we can threaten Napoleon from the flanks. If he can't wait for the peace treaty he wants in Moscow, we can either trap him to death in Moscow, or attack him from both wings when he is about to retreat, but the main force can only be on one side."

When Kutuzov heard this, he smiled with satisfaction, although he pretended to be dozing off.

"My child, it's a pity that you are so young. If you were qualified to be the commander-in-chief now and acted so decisively, we might not have to be here. Call the quartermaster Mr. Lanskoy. I have something to tell him."

He sent all his adjutants out, leaving only Kaisarov and von Thor by his side, and said the same thing to Barclay and Solovyov. "You can go back too. We have to take action anyway."

Barclay rode in a carriage with several adjutants. As Minister of War and Army Commander, he always had a large entourage. Solovyov only brought a serviceman, Khryukin. Both of them rode horses.

"Your followers are quite simple."

"The losses of the 8th Army are so severe that General Polozkin has gone to the rear to take in new soldiers. I may have to change my position in a while."

"I think you can still serve as a corps commander. The commander-in-chief appreciates your idea. At this time, only those who have courage and determination, as well as calmness and selflessness, can be saved. It's a pity that Prince Bagration is not in good condition. Is his injury serious?"

"I was not far from him at the time. If a veteran hadn't thrown me to the ground, I probably wouldn't be standing here, attending today's meeting."

"I see. I hope he can pull through. The situation right now is really bad."

Having said this, Barclay got into the carriage with the help of his adjutant.

Solovyov also mounted his horse and returned to the 8th Army's base.

Kutuzov also called Lanskoy to make a final decision to transfer all the army's supplies to the direction of Ryazan Avenue.

That evening, the 8th Army also received the order to march out.

At the same time, Solovyov was also relieved of his post as commander of the 8th Army. Among the troops of this army, the 27th Division had to be split up for rest and recuperation, the cuirassiers had to be concentrated, and the 2nd Grenadier Division had to be added to the 3rd Army. Stroganov or Raevsky would probably be in charge of the unified command.

The military department had lost its meaning. As for his new appointment, it was to survey the road towards Ryazan after the army withdrew from Moscow.

Among these generals, he was the only one who was a native of Ryazan and was more familiar with the place.

As for Uvarov, probably because he is from Tula, he might go there.

For this reason, Solovyov now had to say goodbye to the old grenadiers who had fought with him, and he didn't even bring any entourage with him.

Because he knew that the Russian army needed outstanding staff officers, and without troops, excellent staff officers could not give full play to their capabilities.

So he sent Clausewitz with his staff to Kutuzov; the commander-in-chief always needed help.

What's more, he was preparing to replace the chief of staff with the general on duty these days, and Bennigsen's noise was really annoying.

"Brothers, I have a new assignment now. You must obey orders, follow the instructions of your superiors, and win more battles."

As for the extra words, he didn't say anything.

Just like that, we left the 2nd Grenadier Division. Since Christian and the brigade and regiment commanders were all in the hospital, not many officers were able to come and say goodbye.

These soldiers were very calm at this time, and they were indeed useful troops.

Several veterans who had served since before the Italian campaign came forward and took hold of the reins of his mount.

"Sir, will you come back?"

"I should be back, but the 8th Army's headquarters has been disbanded, and the commander-in-chief has another job for me."

"If you come back, we will continue to fight with you. After all, we watched you grow up from a lieutenant whose milk smell has not yet faded."

"Igor, I know."

Of course he also knew that the old soldier Semenov died for him.

He pulled a St. George medal from his pocket and handed it to Igor.

"This is for you. Everyone fought well in Borodino. The emperor will also give out bonuses. Each soldier will get 5 silver rubles. As long as you appear on the battlefield of Borodino, you have proved your courage. In the future, you must fight bravely under the command of the new commander. We will meet again on the border of Russia!"

Hearing this, the nearby grenadiers all shouted "Ura". As for the other troops stationed nearby, they were a little surprised at the high morale of the Moscow Grenadiers.

Considering how they'd behaved at the Salient, that wasn't a big deal.

As for Kutuzov, after Lanskoy left, he wept before his adjutant and said with tears in his eyes: “They will eat horse meat like the Turks!”

Compared with these people in the army, Count Rostopchin's performance at this time was embarrassing.

When he arrived in Bennigsen, he was also shocked to hear that the Russian army was preparing to retreat.

But even Bennigsen looked at the infantry general, the count who was the governor of Moscow, as if he were looking at a clown.

He changes his mind almost every day, and Moscow is now in some chaos. Many people left Moscow from June to August, and their concerns about the current situation are not unreasonable, but he always says that those who fled Moscow are cowards, and at the same time he does a lot of strange things, agreeing and supporting the evacuation, sometimes wanting to drive all the French away, and sometimes keeping them in Moscow.

He was even more schizophrenic than Humphrey, and it would be strange if he wasn't sent to a mental hospital.

“How could you?”

"You have to pay a price for victory. There are only about 200,000 citizens in Moscow, but our army, including the reinforcements, has 100,000 soldiers here. Many of your volunteers are drunkards. How can they fight?"

Even Bennigsen disliked Rostopchin.

“What you should do now is to get those who should leave from Moscow to where they should go.”

After saying this, the general also mounted his horse and went to his station.

Only late at night, Rostopchin was left standing beside the campfire in a daze, disheveled by the wind.

Moscow, after all, has become an undefended city. (End of this chapter)