Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Even in Moscow during the day, thick smoke can be seen from a distance, and the heat wave can only be felt up close.

"Oh my God, Moscow is still burning"

People who could be seen nearby always made the sign of the cross and prayed at this time, but they were also powerless to stop the fire in Moscow.

After the fire was extinguished in some places, many French soldiers temporarily placed some items in open areas to avoid being affected by the fire.

In fact, many places near the Moscow River were not spared. As for the buildings that survived the fire, they were either relatively sturdy, or their owners were at home, or the citizens who stayed there and the French soldiers who entered the city and were able to maintain discipline did something.

The fire continued to burn, and Napoleon had to come out again just after entering the Kremlin.

He had previously planned to arrange for the citizens of Moscow to carry supplies. Was this to show the French magnanimity or to show the French conquest of Moscow?

Now he is on the other side of the Moscow River, but cannot enter the city.

What was it that he had used before on Italy and Egypt?

At least there the French had written a document regarding the looting of cultural relics as part of their war compensation, and the Egyptological discoveries were clearly major discoveries, much better than the past displays of ignorance and total ignorance of Egypt.

After that, it was basically robbery.

During this moment, the French soldiers' usual style can also be revealed.

They didn't notice where Kutuzov had gone at all. It can be said that even if the Russian army suddenly appeared in Mozhaysk and cut off their retreat, they might not be able to detect it.

Unless something like this happens, someone will come over as if to announce a death.

The Russian army was currently on the Ryazan Avenue, and their target was Kaluga.

"Commander-in-Chief, according to reconnaissance from Moscow, the entire city is on fire."

Kutuzov also remained silent when he heard this.

After a long while, he came to his senses and said to Yermolov beside him.

"It looks like he really did it this time."

It naturally refers to a series of strange behaviors of Rostopchin, which eventually led to the Moscow fire. It will be difficult to say clearly in the future which aspect it was.

Yermolov did not say anything, and if one were to look for traces of events later in his notes, he might have said more about the march, but very little about the period from the retreat from Moscow to Maloyaroslavetsky, and then there was more content about the pursuit phase.

However, what he felt now was also shock.

"Commander-in-Chief, this..."

"Don't make any comments, Alyosha. What we need to do now is to ensure that the army's next actions are safe."

Although there was a conflict with Bennigsen, Kutuzov still listened to his advice and adjusted the direction of the march.

As his proposal to move in the direction of Vladimir was rejected and his health became unsustainable, Barclay left the army, and the entire army was now in the hands of Kutuzov, just as he had done on the Danube.

If he could directly control the army, although his personal ability to act was not as good as before, given the current situation, only if he took action could he resist Napoleon's actions.

“Where to go next?”

"Waiting for Miloradovich's reply. As for Solovyov, he will bring reinforcements from Podolsk. At this moment, the French have no intention of caring about what his more than 10,000 men are doing."

For the French, Podolsk is just a temporary dark place.

The experienced Kutuzov also thought that as long as the French could get away, it would be dangerous for those reinforcements.

"But Misha doesn't have a staff now, and he doesn't even have a few adjutants. Can he still command the battle like this?"

"He should be able to do it, and he might even do well. If he were to leave from Podolsk now, he would probably be in Mtsensk soon."

As for Mtsensk, it is already between Oryol and Tula.

As a result, Kutuzov issued an order to Solovyov to take the Russian reserve troops in Podolsk to the south.

As for what kind of troops they would meet there, Kutuzov did not specify.

His arrangement was to withdraw the 17th and 24th Divisions, which had suffered heavy losses, from the original structures of the 2nd and 6th Armies respectively.

Solovyov was familiar with the Tatars and Kalmyks, so if he could hand them over to him along with a part of the volunteer cavalry, he would be able to accomplish something in about a month.

At that time, there might be a chance to attack from the flank.

As for Solovyov, who received the order, he quickly took action the next day. He wanted to send the reinforcements and part of the baggage transported from Moscow that had been concentrated here to the south.

But he knew better than to go directly to a conspicuous place like Maloyaroslavets.

The mission to return to Ryazan was probably changed directly by Kutuzov. He went to Tula just in time to meet Count Bobulinsky and old Prince Peter, who could mobilize the nobles there.

In addition, these more than 10,000 people, together with the possible arrival of Russian veterans, can also defend Tula, which is after all the location of an important Russian arsenal.

But he also handed over the staff team headed by Clausewitz, and now he only relies on a few young adjutants and orderlies.

Even Uncle Prosa's grandson and a boy of fifteen or sixteen like Petya had to be sent out to deliver orders.

But first of all, he should focus on the direction of action.

The advantage of having served as a staff officer in the past became apparent. The army he commanded now was not large, so it was quite easy for him to organize the staff work himself.

"The straight-line distance from Podolsk to Tula is about 128 versts. Considering the road conditions, we should arrange a 7-day march. If we move slowly, it will take about 10 days, and we also need to transport the baggage. Petya, come here for a moment."

"Sir, what do you want to tell me?" "Go to the replacement soldiers and tell the commanders of the replacement regiments to pack up tonight and set off tomorrow morning in the direction of Tula. If there are not enough people, you want each regiment to send two soldiers who can ride horses to pass orders to the headquarters. Other than that."

Petya had previously thought that Count Solovyov was an excellent commander, but he had never expected that he could do the work of two people.

"What are you doing standing still?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Let's go for a race, and be careful on the road to see if any of our people are following us, like the Cossacks, who might come out of the woods."

It’s a pity that the Russian army’s mobilized forces are still limited.

After Krasnov's death, the Cossacks of the 2nd Army were commanded by General Karpov, but he was supposed to act together with Kutuzov's side.

We have a new batch of recruited Cossacks, but the number of them is probably limited.

But Kutuzov's order to him was very clear: do not let the reserve corps fight the enemy, but just keep away from Moscow.

Such a task was easy. He quickly gathered his troops and, after loading all the baggage onto the carts, led the army away.

Naturally, local civilians also have to be taken away, as it is still very dangerous to be close to the war zone.

As for the French, when they came to their senses and sent out cavalry huntsmen to scout the mainland in the three directions of Tula, Ryazan and Kaluga, they often found nothing on the way.

Solovyov's reserve troops left quietly, and he had no intention of attacking Podolsk. This small empty city meant little to the French.

Of course, the letter also said that Solovyov should train the young people who had just served, and they might become the core force of the army in the future.

The French in the city had no time to care about the actions of the Russian army. After failing to pursue Yefremov's Cossacks, they began to gather their troops around Moscow.

At this moment, the only visible Russian troops are Miloradovich and Murat, two guys who like to wear strange clothes, who are making contact somewhere near Moscow.

The French believed that Alexander would now propose peace terms, or the French would propose a treaty and the two sides would negotiate.

But now, Russia's vast territory has its advantages.

The news sent by the first batch of messengers by the French fell into oblivion, and there was no reply.

Moreover, the fire in Moscow happened to hit, so obviously the efficiency of the French would be affected.

In Napoleon's view, he had already "won" at Borodino and entered Moscow. According to past practice, the Tsar himself would probably choose to negotiate.

He thought he knew Alexander well, but he still didn't know enough about this man's character.

Moscow was now burned like this. When he passed by Arbat Street on his way back to the Kremlin, he found that there was only charred charcoal and the wooden structures there had been burned.

There are only a limited number of surviving houses in Moscow, although the French soldiers probably still have a place to live, and even the remaining houses have been tested by fire and may be in better condition.

But the order of the French army was worse than before. Although they were still able to restrain their younger brothers due to the lack of women in Moscow, the French army began to loot on a large scale, and even some disciplined troops could no longer be controlled.

It always seemed that it was the French themselves who could destroy the French army in the first place.

As for the Russian army, they are now beginning to rest and reorganize. After hiding their whereabouts, they began to gather in various places. Training can also restore the organization of the army.

From the border to Borodino, the losses were heavy. After abandoning Moscow, the army finally had some time to rest.

At this time, the balance of power will probably change.

What the generals fighting in the south probably didn't know was that the mentality in the court of St. Petersburg was constantly changing like a roller coaster.

Alexander already knew from Kutuzov's report that at Borodino, the Russian army finally chose to retreat instead of continuing to fight.

Although he hopes to get news of the "final victory" now, there are always times when his requests will not be fulfilled.

But the conflict with Kutuzov had to be put aside for now.

After all, the army has been handed over to him, and the entire strategy is still implemented according to Barclay's original plan. Even if the Tsar himself is dissatisfied now, he knows that at this time, he is far away in St. Petersburg and is unlikely to micro-control the actions of various legions. He can only acquiesce in this series of actions.

But the panic in St. Petersburg was so great that they soon got the news within a day or two after the fire in Moscow was extinguished.

This has caused panic in the city.

Those nobles and merchants who benefited from trade with Britain suffered losses under the conditions of the Continental Blockade, and prices in Russia began to soar. What was even more outrageous was that after finally putting a brake on this trend, Speransky, who was in charge of the reform, was demoted and lived in an idle manor in the country.

Now that the French are attacking, these people are starting to panic again, and are even beginning to openly worry that the French will attack and come to St. Petersburg. What will be the fate of this city then?

Such emotions were inevitable in the palace, and even the queen, who lived in seclusion, had heard many rumors.

Except for a few old girls who were still unmarried, most of the maids around Louisa had already married at this time. The girls who replaced them were all from the next age group, and many of them were only a little older than her eldest daughter and younger than Katya, who was already married and had four children.

These girls did not seem that nervous. Although Napoleon had defeated the Russian army many times when they were in girls' schools or receiving family education, this did not leave any deep impression on them.

On the contrary, when those former maids who had already married came to the palace to participate in the activities of the Patriotic Women's Association, they revealed a sense of panic. After all, in several anti-French alliances in the past, the Russian army was finally defeated, which was also a daily topic.

"Now the He who cannot be mentioned has arrived in Moscow."

"Oh my God, what happened? Where is our army?"

"I don't know. My husband is in the army, but he is with Count Wittgenstein in Riga, where our troops are holding off the French. I don't know much about what's going on in Moscow."

“Maybe someone knows”

These married women were all looking at Katya, but she just sat aside with her children, even holding the youngest in her arms. (End of this chapter)