Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

After seeing the letter, Berthier's face looked unhappy.

"What did Ney say?"

"Your Majesty, I think we should hurry up and head to Smolensk, find any city that can provide our army with supplies, and rest and replenish for a few days, so that we can restore our combat effectiveness. Otherwise."

"I know what this means for the Russian operation. You call it a failure, but the soldiers have once again repelled the Russians, keeping them on the other side of the river at Vyazma and unable to pursue us. We have escaped the Russian blow."

After he said this, Berthier could only shake his head helplessly.

"Your Majesty, I think you should also take a look at the situation outside. Our soldiers have passed in front of this wooden house. Take a look at what they look like now."

The climate was obviously even worse in the ice and snow. Many soldiers had no place to rest. The villages along the way had been severely damaged in previous wars. Only senior officers could barely find a place to live. Soldiers could only huddle together for warmth if they wanted to spend the night.

Even in this weather, the snow is falling heavier and heavier.

There was heavy snow before, but the temperature didn’t drop that much.

The present situation, when order in the army has begun to be lost, is another matter.

The letter from Ney that Berthier received was also very clear.

"Only the Italian Guards were able to keep up the march, the rest being dispirited and exhausted by fatigue and the previous battles. A great number wandered about in terrible disorder, and most of them were without arms. It is no exaggeration to say that there were about four thousand men of the various divisions of the Grande Armée trudging along the roads, and there was no way of forcing them into line."

This situation is indeed very sad.

The arrival of the snowstorm only exacerbated the situation, making the scene even more tragic.

The generals could still find a farmhouse to spend the night, but the soldiers couldn't do that in the wild.

It turns out that French soldiers could build a bonfire and huddle together for warmth without having to set up tents.

But the current situation obviously doesn't work.

The blizzard not only made camping with campfires impossible, but also froze many people to death.

At this time, many people fell to the ground and couldn't get up, and there was no one to help them.

The number of French soldiers who died on the road was also astonishing. The wounded soldiers on the carriages actually could not receive medical treatment. In such weather, they no longer had the strength to wail, and most of them died of hypothermia.

The wounded soldiers who froze to death had no time to be buried. They were simply pushed off the carts and to the side of the road. It was good enough that they were not blocking the road.

Some of the unlucky vehicles were also stuck there in the snowstorm. The coachmen might still have a chance to leave, but if there were injured people who were unable to move or those who could not survive in such an environment, only death would await them.

The situation became increasingly dire. The snowstorm continued the next day, even though Miloradovich was in pursuit, following closely towards Dorogobuzh and wanting to follow all the way to Krasny.

But the weather was really bad, so he had to stop his march and choose to camp for the night in some dilapidated houses in Vyazma.

Because the Russian army was carrying luggage, and everyone was wearing military coats and new leather boots, and they were fighting at home, many of them were soldiers from east and north of Moscow and were more accustomed to this cold environment.

But who would go out during a snowstorm?
Therefore, after discussing with Platov, Miloradovich also suspended the pursuit for one day.

In fact, although many French soldiers froze to death and turned into baguettes, this blizzard probably also prevented them from being completely annihilated.

Solovyov, who was making a detour from the flank, was also stopped on the road by heavy snow before reaching Yelnya.

However, he was more cautious when marching, and he also took into account the possibility of a blizzard sweeping across the entire Smolensk Province, especially the Vyazma area. Therefore, at the end of each day's march, he tried to circle around villages and towns.

He was also one of the few generals who relied on weather judgment to take action, so he always had to know something about astronomy and geography.

Even the veteran grenadiers thought that the commander was very calculating.

"That's not the case. If we want to maintain our combat effectiveness, we must avoid being a drunkard freezing to death outside in this horrible snowstorm."

After listening to this, the veterans felt that there was some truth in it.

"That year you followed our former general to the manor to spend the winter, and you also recorded the weather?"

"Of course, it's not just about reading, it also depends on the weather. For example, in November, it should snow. The wind is coming from the northeast and then meets the wind from the warm south. That's probably how it is, and then it should snow."

"That makes sense, sir. Following you in battle is much more interesting than following those generals. If you don't join the army, and stay at home and learn from your old father to manage the estate, we think you will be a good hand."

"Forget it. If you want me to farm, I'm good enough that I know about grains, vegetables and fruits."

He smiled awkwardly and prepared to go to bed.

It's different here than at home. In the manor, except for the bedroom, the lights can be kept on at night. You can use a few candlesticks and read at night.

Living in a farmhouse like this, I can no longer read at night, and even when I open the pocket watch I can't see the portrait of my wife clearly.

Speaking of which, he also wanted to go home. This kind of battle was too difficult. Although he looked thin, he was also an iron man. He couldn't hold on during the pursuit and fell ill. Others were probably also very tired.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh at the changes in fate. It had changed too much.

It turned out that Kutuzov had made up his mind to intercept Napoleon, but the weather was terrible.

Damn it, you’re playing dirty tricks on me.

Liu Xiu summoned meteorites, Li Keyong had heavy rain when he was defeated in a battle, and the weather was always on Napoleon's side when he took action, right?

He would not be able to reach Yelnya on time, let alone lead the grenadiers to intercept Napoleon's defeated troops between Smolensk and Dorogobuzh. However, he did not know that the French army had reserve troops coming from Smolensk to cover the flank of the main French army, but the number of troops was unknown. He only received some intelligence from the guerrillas operating in Smolensk.

There is a battle to be fought, but what will happen exactly?
He didn't care about that. As long as the grenadiers here had a place to sleep and could warm themselves by the fire, it was a victory as long as no one froze to death.

Although this sounded like a spiritual victory, Kutuzov still acquiesced in him doing so.

If it was a rainy day, his entire army would probably be soaked in the pursuit.

At the same time, it was obviously very easy for the Russian pursuit troops to track the enemy after the snowstorm passed.

The French who froze to death along the way were the most suitable landmarks for pursuit.

Before the "German Baguette" was invented, there was actually the "French Baguette" in 1812. Although the number of people who froze to death was limited, they could quickly find the trace by following the path.

There were even some carriages that looked somewhat decorated, with their doors open. Some French women, or maybe Polish women, who looked fashionably dressed, also froze to death on the roadside after that night. If their furs had been stripped off, it was because the surviving French soldiers had taken them away in order to find some warm clothes for themselves.

Don't be surprised to see French soldiers wearing women's winter clothes.

There is no need to figure out how these people died. At least we know that they are dead, and we probably know their identities as well. We can always find a place to dig a hole and bury them.

Some French soldiers couldn't even be identified. These "baguettes" filled the ditches on the roadside and were lying everywhere in the open plains.

"Oh my God, so many people are freezing to death."

Miloradovich also sighed, but it was just a sigh. Now he was commanding his troops to move forward. After the weather improved, the Russian army would continue on their journey, so naturally they didn't have much time to take care of it.

However, the Cossacks who were chasing in front saw not only people frozen to death, but something even more terrifying.

In some places where the French army was stationed, you can see a lot of horse bones, especially complete skeletons. It seems that the French killed the war horses, or these war horses died of malnutrition.

In this way, it still provided the French soldiers who were retreating with the last bit of food, but the food eaten by a horse was too clean, and even most of the internal organs that the French did not usually eat were cleaned out.
But this was just the embarrassment. When they continued to pursue, some soldiers on the roadside even saw more horrifying scenes.

The French were not from America, nor were they the cannibals of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, but they did see some people treating their dead comrades as food.

It was a horrifying sight. After capturing these French soldiers, even the most frenzied Cossacks who loved to burn, kill and loot would probably think of themselves as civilized people.

After all, they will never face such a situation. Even in the most critical situation, they will not choose to eat their comrades, even those who are in the same army and whom they have never met.

After seeing this, one could only feel disgusted. The Russian army had to continue on their journey to chase Napoleon's fleeing troops.

As they pursued the enemy along the way, they now saw that the French army had lost order. If they could see the traces of burning on the roadside and take out some of the burnt tassel edges of the military flags, they would be able to understand what the French had done.

The eagle emblem on the eagle flag was removed and the flags were burned to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Russian army.

This is the situation that Napoleon's Grand Army is facing now. A few months ago, they came from the Neman River, marched towards Smolensk in a mighty manner, fought a great battle at Borodino, and entered Moscow.

Miloladovic was still chasing, and his pursuit with Ney did not stop, still chasing closely.

And because of the poor condition of the French army, even if the Russian army stopped for a day, they were still able to pursue them closely and move forward.

Napoleon still wanted supplies, but he didn't know what was happening.

Wittgenstein defeated Oudinot and MacDonald, and after they reorganized, he got rid of the enemy, entered Vitebsk just as the French army was in disarray, and seized the French supplies there, including 180 tons of flour, 50 tons of various other rations, and more than 20 tons of oats.

As for the other warehouses, they were probably just marked on the map. They were either destroyed or captured by the Russian army, or they had no food stored in them.

During these days, it was not only Napoleon who was losing battles. The same was generally true for the rest of the French armies. Only the Saxon army led by Reynier defeated a Russian army that was covering Chichakov's flank during these days. However, Chichakov's army broke free from Reynier's entanglement and also headed towards the Berezina River. However, due to the winter march and the long journey, he was still a long distance away from there.

The troops covering Napoleon's flank had now arrived near Yelnya.

Solovyov now continued his flank movement, preparing to take control of the city.

Because he led the main force here, the captains of those rangers were only active on the north side of Yelnya, and they were more focused on intercepting the French army.

Even someone like Davydov, who had a close personal relationship with Solovyov, was sent there.

Davydov even complained that Kutuzov's deployment was strange and his pursuit was not aggressive.

However, when he wanted to complain, Solovyov sent him away. If they could capture some French general, it would be a great achievement. Moreover, after reporting it, the Tsar would send people to supervise the payment of bonuses for capturing senior officers. If a soldier captured a general, he would not only have the opportunity to be promoted to an officer, but also make a small fortune in one go.

Therefore, if an unlucky French general was captured, the Russian army might have to compete among themselves to win him.
Solovyov also knew about Davydov's complaints from his letter, so sending him away was also a way to protect him.

As for who the enemies coming from Yelnya were, he didn't care. Among the few French marshals and generals who could fight, the old soldier and the rogue were not there, Marmont who had not yet become a traitor was not there, and Soult, another who liked to rob, was not there. The rest all followed Napoleon or had their own single room in the Pantheon (Lanas).

No matter who comes, even if it is the king of heaven, he will beat him.

It was just that the Cossacks captured a prisoner, a French messenger. After hearing this, Solovyov was a little confused.

"Augereau? Marshal Augereau's 11th Army has arrived?"

"The general, not Marshal Augereau, but his brother."

Solovyov thought about it and realized that Marshal Ogero did have a younger brother, but he had never met him, so he probably didn't have any special abilities.

He was right. This person is almost useless except for loving soldiers and having a good relationship with his brother. (End of this chapter)