Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The French, who continued to march forward, also saw frost, but they were lucky enough that it did not snow.

Even though there were soldiers falling behind every day, the French army was still barely maintaining its marching column, but there was not much food left.

Some soldiers still had to cut horse meat from the horses that had died on the roadside in order to have something to eat, even if the meat had already gone bad.

At this time, the situation was actually quite bad. Caulaincourt also knew that when it snowed, the horseshoes used by the French army would definitely cause trouble.

But Napoleon now stated that no one understood the army and artillery horses better than him, but he still insisted on his own way.

Of course, for these horses, the only thing worse than falling and breaking a leg is bad feed.

In the army, although everyone talks about food and fodder, for the cavalry, the fodder these horses eat is more important than the food they eat as soldiers.

If a horse doesn't eat properly, it will get sick.

This was bad for the cavalry and artillery, but the infantry had to rely on their own two legs, and if the weather permitted they could do okay.

But in this muddy place, if the cannon got stuck, it would often mean the end of it.

The old duke was right, he just came a little late.

It would be even worse if it were the spring mud-turning season.

Shortly after leaving Maloyaroslavetsky, the weather the French actually encountered was probably more of sleet, so the French probably would not have considered this as snow.

But on the road back to Smolensk, it was a different story.

Napoleon insisted on arranging a route that had not been taken in previous marches. If they encountered any trouble on the road now, such as the Russian army appearing in front of them again, the consequences might be disastrous.

But the emperor insisted on doing so, and the marshals and generals found it difficult to disobey.

During the current march, even the French army's horse-drawn carriages had their wheels stuck in the mud.

Due to the road conditions in Russia, Napoleon himself had to leave his carriage and walk around several times a day with the help of his entourage.

That scene was like a slow-motion version of the action of helping Brother Guangting into the trench.

After all, everyone was in the mud, and Napoleon himself had mud all over his boots and trouser legs.

But he didn't look ready to give in to the mud on the road, trying to prove to the soldiers that the harsh environment could be overcome.

At the same time, he also changed the previous deployment, letting Ney and Davout serve as rear guards on both sides.

In his view, ensuring that his army could reach Smolensk was victory.

And this time, he even hopes to fight back.

However, he could not hear the complaints of the old guards.

"Even the emperor cannot walk on water."

The distance was too far and the wind was too strong, so I couldn't hear clearly.

Not everyone can do it, and by now, more and more French soldiers are falling behind, and only the Old Guards can ensure the integrity of the marching column.

"It looks like it's starting to snow again, which isn't a good time to be here."

When the French arrived at the campsite, they were now terrified. After all, no one knew when someone might pop out of the surrounding woods.

Maybe someone had captured them, so it would be better for them to gather around the campfire. Many soldiers were even unwilling to stand guard at this moment.

Several guerrilla groups were still harassing the French flanks, but it was not as easy for them to get close to the emperor as the Cossacks did in Maloyaroslavetsky.

In fact, Napoleon himself did not say how shocked he was at the time, so others can only guess.

But on the way back he was still stubborn and even more obstinate, and it seemed like he would not listen to advice.

Caulaincourt could only make a final struggle. He said, "Your Majesty, in this situation, we should pay attention to the severe winter climate. In the winter in Russia, even in those cities with better conditions, there will always be people who freeze to death."

Lauriston also expressed his affirmation. After all, he was the ambassador to Russia before the war. The two of them had lived here for a long time and were naturally more familiar with it.

What's more, before leaving, Josephine made it clear to her ex-husband that when her cousin came, she would say that the winters in Russia were very cold, and except for her stepson who was a soldier and often away from home, her family usually stayed at home in the warm winter.

Even with this reminder, Napoleon still had to complete his great goals.

But no matter how you look at it now, greatness seems a little ridiculous.

As the snow fell, Caulaincourt realized the problem earlier than Napoleon, the islander from the Mediterranean.

When Hannibal crossed the Alps, the environment was worse than when Napoleon and Suvorov did the same thing, and he had no experience.

But he always found a way, and even released many Gauls and veterans he brought from Iberia back home in advance.

Napoleon had no idea that he would have to fight in winter, and some of his soldiers were still wearing the uniforms they wore when they set out.

Although soldiers of this era wore thicker clothes in the summer, they also had to take the environment into consideration.

At the same time, the Russian grenadiers were advancing towards Yelnya. Solovyov received an order to prepare for battle, so he adopted a search and attack posture.

Moreover, except for the Guards, all the elite troops in the Russian army were in his hands, so he finally had the opportunity to show his abilities.

He even wanted to change the tactics.

If we don't take into account the heavy losses in the Battle of Borodino, he might have really wanted to show the French how he could defeat the French with a skirmish line.

Now because of the weather change, he also ordered the troops to stop marching.

"Sir, why do you want to stop now?"

"Tell the brothers to unroll their coats. Winter is coming. Keep warm and put on the coats the emperor has given them. And don't be sorry for your leather boots!"

Winter has arrived. Although the temperature may not drop too much at the beginning, it will be severe later.

If your cotton-padded clothes are a bit thin, you won’t be able to last long when you’re outside alone in the winter.

Cotton-padded clothes and leather jackets are always useful if they are worn.

Compared to the French, the Russian army was well prepared, as they always had to fight in winter.

As for some veterans, their coats may still have some patches, which may have been issued when Paul was in office.

It must be said that the military coat is probably a very down-to-earth piece of equipment, and all soldiers who have used it say it is good. Other things related to Paul include the Red Square military parade, the modern system of the Order of the Knights, and the Paulownia tree named in honor of his youngest daughter Anna's sponsorship of botanists.

As for the French, the situation is not optimistic. If anyone is far away from the campfire at night and does not have a tent, they will probably freeze to death soon.

Martial doesn't have to look after prisoners these days, but he feels better now just by warming himself by the fire.

In addition, he was very lucky. He got a Russian robe on the road, which was warm enough. Compared with the miserable state of others, it could be said to be quite decent.

Now, those who have rations in the army may be murdered if they are unlucky, especially those troops with poor discipline.

"Sergeant, do you have any food?"

"Be quiet now. Don't let the thieves hear that you have something valuable on you. They don't dare to steal clothes because wearing them will always alert us."

"Oh, the emperor has led us out for such a long distance this time. Do you think we can still go home?"

"Yeah, can we go home?"

Several of his soldiers, as well as some stragglers picked up on the road, also came over to listen to him.

"If you ask me, as long as we pass Smolensk, we can probably go home, and nothing should happen. We have been following the emperor for so many years, and we have fought many battles. When we were in Poland and East Prussia, we fought against the Russians. Compared with now, it may be similar. But I remind you, get more clothes and cloth to wrap yourself up. It doesn't matter if you look ugly, but don't freeze yourself to death. Many of you are new recruits and have never experienced fighting in Poland. At that time, we were wearing winter clothes obtained from the Prussians, and we felt cold when we stood guard at night."

In short, veterans are still useful.

But for this team of retreating soldiers, the arrival of winter is not always a good thing.

Because the Russian cavalry will be more active in winter.

Ney himself was not feeling well here, and if he was left to cover the rear, he would always have to perform some difficult tasks.

Once they pass Vyazma, perhaps they will be able to adjust the position of the defenders, and then maybe everything will be fine.

From marshals to soldiers, many people think so.

But worse things happened soon.

Martial no longer has to guard prisoners, and when he is not chatting with people, he is always highly alert. Perhaps this is an instinct.

"You can hear the noise after it starts snowing. It could be the Russians."

When he said this, the team of veterans and senior officers around him began to become alert.

After seeing the bonfire, some people took action, and the French people's concerns were indeed not unnecessary.

But unlike the Cossacks who always had a friendly "communication" with them before, what was flying across the night sky were arrows, which was a completely different matter.

Although his eldest son Ogedei led the Western Expedition and the army turned back after reaching Hungary, the French did make serious preparations for the war.

What I missed back then, I made up for here today.

These Tatar and Kalmyk cavalry were equipped with their usual weapons according to their respective customs. They originally fought in small teams, and harassment was their specialty.

As for the sound of horse hooves, it doesn't matter. When you shoot arrows from a bow, there won't be any fire to expose yourself. If you shoot arrows during the day, there will be no smoke rising like from a musket.

This was a very uncomfortable night for the French army.

Although not many people were shot by the arrows, they still had no peace for the whole night.

After a night of trembling, the French soldiers began marching again the next morning.

However, some people could no longer get up, while others who still had the strength to move on were unwilling to do so. They would rather be captured by the Russians and have their heads chopped off by the barbarians they called them, than continue the movement.

Martial is still thinking about going home. He has been single for so many years and he is not young anymore. The serious thing to do is to go home and find a country woman to marry. He doesn't want to stay in Russia. He wants to be closer to home at least.

Then, he saw the soldiers who had frozen to death. These people had experienced the previous hard battles without falling down, but in the end they were frozen to death here.

Some people still had some gunpowder or rations, or even some alcohol to warm themselves up.

Martial decided to take a risk and get something from the dead body.

He really wanted to lead the platoon he was in charge of. When there were no experienced officers, veterans like him were the core strength of the squad.

However, when he went to take off the boots from the dead man's feet, he also saw several cavalrymen in the woods.

He was left here alone. If anything happened, he would probably have to say goodbye to the army, and might even become a bounty from the Russians.

I don't know what happened to the gentleman who chatted with him happily. At least two days ago he saw some prisoners being shot by German soldiers and their bodies thrown into a ditch on the side of the road.

Now he looked at the situation, the rifle in his hand was loaded with gunpowder, and he was leaning against a big tree.

But because he was wrapped like this, he looked like a hunter coming out in winter.

In particular, he was careful enough to throw away his Shaq hat and replace it with a Russian fur hat, but the Cossacks didn't pay any attention to him.

Even when these people passed by, he just gestured according to what Pierre taught him.

The Cossacks also felt strange, but when they heard "Don't shoot", the accent was not serious and they did not take it seriously.

There are also some officers in the Russian army who do not speak Russian, and there are quite a few of them.

Martial was lucky to escape because he stripped the corpse of something and the Cossacks didn't pay much attention to him.

At this moment, the French soldiers threw away their weapons and armor, and even threw food and ammunition on the ground.

And some cunning Russian farmers would probably come to the roadside corpses to pick up something at this time.

When Martial returned to the team, he was still feeling scared.

Fortunately, the soldiers here waited for him for a while, and they were able to form an anti-cavalry circle with their backs to each other.

In this way, they still support each other and move forward.

This means that the team, which has veterans as its core and some of whose veterans have been killed or seriously injured, has gradually fallen apart.

The Cossacks on Platov's side ignored Ney's troops, but instead took care of Eugene's troops.

The marching order of the 4th Army has been seriously disrupted, so this is a good opportunity. (End of this chapter)