Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Just as Kutuzov was planning a counterattack, the guerrillas in other directions had already begun to take action.

Solovyov could not sit still in Tula, so while arranging the actions of the garrison, he actually ran to the front to observe the combat status of the guerrillas.

He came out only with his entourage and two squadrons of hussars to see the situation ahead.

After all, some militia forces really exaggerate their battle results, as if they had really fought with the French.

It would be a waste to allocate supplies to such a team at that time, and there would inevitably be a chaotic vacuum period in the areas where the French passed.

If there were to be a bandit problem, it would be a lot of fun.

Therefore, the governors and militia commanders who were actually responsible for the guerrilla operations from Tula to Smolensk always hoped that a general of the regular army would go to the front to take a look.

Solovyov couldn't sit still, so he set out to the front with his entourage to see if he could do something behind the French.

However, he was already a corps commander-level general, but he still took such a risk personally. This courage was probably quite rare, especially since he was an infantry officer.

If it were to be put in the context of those protagonists in online articles who think they "master history", it would be even rarer for them to be willing to conduct field investigations.

Their team's target was the French-controlled area north of Kaluga.

While Murat and Miloradovich were having a great conversation, someone was worrying about the affairs of the entire legion. That was Napoleon's chief of staff, his "wife" in the army, Marshal Berthier.

Speaking of which, the background of this chief of staff was somewhat politically incorrect. His mother was a nanny to Louis XVIII, and his father gained noble status after impressing Louis XV with his abilities.

Many of the people around him are still figures from the Bourbon dynasty, such as Count Ségur. As for this Count, he even now often adopts the court etiquette and behavior of the Bourbon period.

It's no surprise that he will turn to some strange people in the future.

The report he received now was that Russian guerrillas were frequently launching operations behind the French army's back against French strongholds near the transportation lines. They not only harassed these strongholds, but also broke into the French camps to burn military supplies, attacked solitary French soldiers, attacked small units of the French army, and even defeated the punitive forces that came to hunt them down.

This was particularly evident in Davydov. After he left Bagration, he began to move around Vyazma, making the French restless.

Even Napoleon himself issued an order that if Davydov was captured, he should be shot without interrogation.

It is conceivable how much trouble the guerrillas he led here caused to the French.

When Solovyov found his old friend in the camp in the woods, Davydov was leading his team to rest.

"Why are you here now?"

"Nothing, I just want the brothers to fight a big battle. If they don't rest, they will have objections."

"That's right. The guerrillas have been fighting all the time, unlike the regular army which can still rest now."

"But you come here, Misha, I'm afraid you won't see anything. The main force of our entire guerrilla unit is the militia around Vyazma and the hussars I brought from the regiment, as well as some Cossacks. That's about it."

"But I am interested, otherwise I wouldn't have come 200 miles to see you."

"You don't want us to attack a French-held town, do you?"

"I will not have you attack Vyazma or Yelnya, but I will find a weak spot for you. This way, I can present a memorial to the Emperor stating that the French have been weakened and that they should be able to launch a counterattack in October."

"You may think so, but we are free to move around. If we don't encounter any enemies, we can have a good rest and drink some wine to warm ourselves up."

"But you know, I don't drink much."

"So being your subordinate is a tough job. A general doesn't drink. I wouldn't even go when you asked me to be the commander of a cavalry regiment in the 8th Army!"

Davydov could rely on the fact that he was Bagration's former adjutant and ignore Solovyov's orders.

Typical hussars are a bit like this, and Solovyov also prefers to use dragoons to join the battle - although the Russian dragoons are very weak, their mobility is still good and they are still convenient to use.

Having travelled 200 versts to come to him, he naturally wanted to see if Davydov could take any action.

What's more, bringing two squadrons of regular cavalry to help in the battle was also a great encouragement to the guerrillas.

Solovyov did not bring a large number of cavalry at the regimental level because he was afraid that it would be too big a scene and would alert the French at this time.

At this moment, Kutuzov had just received the news of Bagration's death and was planning the next move with Raevsky. There was no definite course of action for the journey from Kaluga to Vyazma.

The biggest problem of the Russian commander-in-chief is probably his relatively slow action. As he is 67 years old, this situation seems to be even more serious.

He could imagine that the guerrillas would inflict a considerable blow on the French, but he somewhat underestimated this power.

It’s just that Kutuzov is very good at using leverage. If he realizes the role of some forces, he will make great use of it.

The ambush area chosen by Davydov was on the edge of the controllable area of ​​the Old Smolensk Road. The French supplies would pass through there, and the convoys coming out of Smolensk would now also provide supplies to the French along the way.

However, due to the attacks of the Russian guerrillas, the French suffered heavy losses along the way, especially on the section from Smolensk to Vyazma. Not only were there many accidents, but even when the French army was operating on a large scale, they would often be attacked by the Russian guerrillas.

After waiting for two days, Solovyov saw the battle he wanted to see in the Davydov guerrilla zone.

Although his rank was higher, he still let Davydov give full play to his abilities. In terms of cavalry, he only had experience in leading reconnaissance teams and squadrons, and they were all temporary assignments. He was not like this little nose who could lead the cavalry to launch large-scale attacks.

The French who fought against them were quickly defeated. Davydov's attack was so sudden that the French did not even have much time to react. They were overwhelmed by these cavalrymen at the edge of the woods.

As for the supplies obtained, after Davydov drove away the carriages, he did not give any preferential treatment to the captured French prisoners.

But here Solovyov just whipped with a horsewhip.

Normally, it would have been more brutal. "Well done, this is probably one of the fastest cavalry attacks I've ever seen."

"one?"

"When Kunev commanded the Hussars here, that's all in the past."

Solovyov discovered a strange point, that is, the cavalry officers who were on good terms with him were often unlucky. Kunev was killed in the early days of the war while covering the operations of Wittgenstein's 1st Army on the Baltic coast.

Davydov is a typical guy with a tough life. He faced danger several times but remained unscathed, which is quite outrageous.

He counted the results of the battle and found that hundreds of French soldiers were killed or captured, and several large carts full of food were seized.

It is no wonder that the intelligence personnel lurking in the French-controlled areas always heard news about the French army's supply difficulties among the messages sent by their messengers.

The guerrillas made it very difficult for the French to collect grain in the controlled areas east of Vitebsk. The locals were already in a state of fortification, and the masters who were willing to be betrayed to the French at this time were probably not very human beings in normal times.

If they were truly patriotic, and the serfs' normal living conditions were better, they would probably be bullied by the serfs at most.

Under such circumstances, the French could do nothing in Smolensk.

Strangely, Napoleon was either completely ignorant of what was happening in the rear, or he turned a deaf ear to it, or his arrogance made him selectively ignore it.

At this time, it was obvious that he had no idea where his attention was focused.

Perhaps there won't be any problem with Suvorov's past evaluations.

Returning to the guerrillas, Solovyov also wanted to extract something from the French.

But to his disappointment, many of the soldiers in charge of escorting the transport were not French.

The French army also has limited manpower. This time the coalition forces seem to be very powerful, but in fact, there are more people who come here to cheer and wave flags.

Even an infantry division composed of Danes turned back before leaving the Danish border.

In the German region, the stronger members of the Rhine Confederation, who were always coerced by Napoleon, were always formed into teams, and some armies were not very willing.

If there is something more outrageous to mention, it is probably that the Poles were more active in military operations than the French.

But this is also expected. After all, Poles always bully others when they are rich, or they become accomplices of the evil.

After receiving repeated reports that the French army's transportation lines were attacked by Russian guerrillas, Napoleon was obviously a little impatient and he always asked Berthier to write letters to Kutuzov.

However, Kutuzov did not accept anything mentioned in Berthier's letter.

The Russian people have the right to take up arms to defend their homeland, and it is not the French's request that will stop their actions.

Therefore, Kutuzov could also choose to ignore Berthier's request.

However, he still had to use some diplomatic tactics and would not be directly blacklisted by Alexander like Napoleon was.

If Lauriston comes to Kutuzov in the future, he will probably get the same response.

The difficulties encountered by the French will only increase. Even during the rainy season, the muddy roads may cause greater losses to the French than the Russian guerrillas.

But the weather works both ways, and when Solovyov returned to Tula Station from Davydov, he also noticed the problem with the road.

Of course, the Russians are fighting on their own land and are more familiar with the environment and every tree and blade of grass here. They will not be as blindly fumbling as the current French.

When winter comes, there are some more serious things. For example, it is common sense to put snow tires on cars, but don't forget to reinforce horseshoes on horses in winter.

After getting his new mount, Solovyov took great care of it and even prepared horseshoes for the horse to use in these harsh terrains.

When we return to the base, we need to give the horses a thorough cleaning.

The Russian troops in Tula were still in training, and they did not know that Napoleon was sending a further signal to Alexander by releasing the Yakovlev family to St. Petersburg.

However, Alexander also instructed Arakcheev to imprison Yakovlev in his estate in Novgorod. However, because Yakovlev was also a prominent nobleman, Arakcheev was always polite to him.

After confirming that he had been unlucky to be captured by the French in Moscow, Arakcheev entertained the family as guests in his home, but did not allow them to go to St. Petersburg.

At the same time, Alexander himself had some confidence at this time. Judging from the reports from the messengers sent by Kutuzov and others, the French were already trapped in Moscow. If they wanted to survive the winter, the constant attacks from the surrounding militia would also make it difficult for the French to obtain supplies.

Napoleon was in Moscow during this time. If he wanted to fight, his army had no intention of fighting. If he wanted peace, Alexander was not willing to negotiate with him.

Among the demands for peace talks, Napoleon's demands for Lithuania and Russia's rejoining the Continental Blockade were obvious. Even if he annihilated the Russian army in Borodino, this goal would probably not be achieved.

Because from the monarch to the common people, Russians actually have a strong sense of self-esteem.

Things changed after the breakup of the Golden Horde. The Poles, Swedes, Turks, the German princes, and now the French, all wanted to defeat Russia, but they also had to take into account the course of history and the current situation.

Napoleon was unwilling to issue a declaration to liberate the serfs. He claimed that he was unwilling to face a Russia without order. In fact, the Russian masters were probably doomed in this way, and the serfs could still run away.

If the French method of conscripting young men had been used, the serfs' resistance might not have been to run away, but to treat the French well with pitchforks, like the guerrillas did some time ago.

Time passed, wearing out the patience of both sides, and soon it was October 1812.

Napoleon finally couldn't sit still anymore, and he wanted to send General Lauriston to Kutuzov, claiming that he wanted to negotiate. (End of this chapter)