Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Wellington's retreat was relatively orderly; at least the Coldstream Guards and the Scottish Highland Regiment continued to fight, and they returned in phalanx formation.

"Unbelievable, we were actually defeated by the French. What's wrong with those Vendée people?"

"Sir, I heard that the Prussians were sent there after they entered Paris."

"The Vendée people should be supporting the royalists; they shouldn't be doing this. But there's no point in saying that now. We should find a port first, and if the French come after us again, we'll board the ship, just like we often did in Spain."

That same evening, Wellington hurriedly took away all the supplies he could carry from Brussels. As for where the citizens would flee to, he could only guarantee that they would have a safe route to Antwerp under the cover of the British Imperial Guards.

Meanwhile, Napoleon himself was preparing to enter Brussels.

"It was Julien, the peeing boy, who supposedly extinguished the fuse."

“Ah, interesting. At least it’s a French name. The statue should be protected. I’ve heard that the king once tried to dress him up. We could prepare more, such as a French soldier’s uniform and a hat.”

In this respect, Napoleon was always so uninteresting.

The mayor of Brussels has already handed him the keys to the city.

However, since Brussels is located in the French-speaking region and has a close supply line, Napoleon would not actively plunder it; on the contrary, he was quite lenient.

After the French army entered the city, the people of Brussels changed their tune like chameleons.

As for whether there will be Belgian "scalpers," that's probably unclear.

But before, they were welcoming the British and even preparing to enthrone a new king; now it seems like nothing has been done.

"Your Majesty, we have captured the Prince of Orange."

"This is really unexpected. What exactly happened?"

After reporting, Comprona also had to explain to the emperor.

"The Dutch didn't run as fast as the British or Prussians, and unfortunately they were surrounded by the Guards, so they surrendered."

“We should treat prisoners of war well. I’ve even heard some rumors that Catherine’s sister Anna is going to marry the Prince of Orange. We are brothers-in-law, after all. If my old friend Tsar Paul were still alive, his house would probably be quite lively.”

This refers to the fact that his five daughters married out and lived in different cultural regions.

The three eldest daughters lived in North Germany, South Germany, and Saxony, which borders Prussia.

"Your Majesty, what does this mean?"

“The cultural differences are obviously huge, but I think there will be even more trouble in the future, like Demid. You said Michel has so many daughters, who will they all marry?”

"Your Majesty, you are quite the joker."

This wasn't the General Staff headquarters, so Demid spoke rather seriously, at least in terms of how he addressed people.

“I think Michelle’s daughters will all marry respectable noblemen in Russia, and Aunt Amy probably thinks so too.”

"I think Russians are probably very diverse. They even have black nobles. This is probably only something that Queen Marie Antoinette had when she was alive. It was probably the only good quality that Austrian woman had."

But Demid wanted to complain that Napoleon had restored slavery in Saint-Domingue. However, this reminded him of his father and uncle, who cared for him so much, so he couldn't say anything.

Even after the Battle of Saint-Jean ended, Demid had already become a brigade general, a record that probably wouldn't be repeated among generals who were promoted through regular channels.

Although the old guard liked to call him "the emperor's baby bottle-fed nephew," they couldn't deny that the greatest victory against that troublesome "Russian pretty boy nephew" came from here.

As expected, to deal with a gigolo, you still need a gigolo yourself.

Even now, the old guards are still grumbling.

"See that? The youngest general. But he's quite capable, using the inventions of that damned Russian nephew of the Emperor, which is making the British quite embarrassed."

"And there's something else, Victor. Everyone's talking about Polina and that pretty boy. Our 'Little Bottle' isn't bad either; he got his hands on that kid's daughter."

"which one?"

"It's that tall girl who walks like a swaying laurel tree!"

“I remember now, Polina has a housekeeper, who is her daughter. She’s a real beauty. This kid is so lucky.”

Of course, they grew up together and were practically half-siblings.

Even the next generation replicates the strategies of the previous generation, striking at the heart and vitals of the enemy.

Polina was Napoleon's favorite sister, while Octavia, though not raised by his side, was the apple of Solovyov's eye.

Solovyov was in Trier at the time, and his feelings were very complicated.

He was delayed on the way, while Barclay and his troops had already reached the other side of the Rhine.

Solovyov was waiting here for the last of the guards and a group of Cossacks.

What shocked him most was that his daughter was getting married, and that shortly after he left, she and Demid had a premarital affair.

"Ah, she really looks like her mother. Fortunately, they share the same faith and it's true love. They should be able to grow old happily together."

Despite his own circumstances, Solovyov was very concerned about his daughters' marriages.

The other girls are too young, so he probably doesn't need to worry about them.

Alexander wouldn't inquire about his and Louisa's two daughters; the girls would just get married eventually, and the worst arrangement would be a German duchy.

"Misha, what's so shocking about this?"

Staying here with him was Yermolov.

"Alyosha, my daughter is getting married, which you should know about my situation in Italy."

"Yes, but who is the groom? You were in Vienna recently, with the Emperor, so we don't know who he is."

"What, are you sending a congratulatory gift too?"

"No matter how many daughters you have, or whether they are Katya's children, these adorable babies will all get married in the future, and we uncles should congratulate them too."

Although Yermolov was in dire financial straits, he himself was not very interested in getting married.

"Alright then, don't be surprised to hear it, it's Prince Leclerc, Polina Bonaparte's son."

“Wonderful, truly wonderful. You are Bonaparte’s ‘nephew,’ and your son-in-law is Bonaparte’s nephew—that’s so French.”

Yermolov couldn't help but want to laugh, but he held it in. "However, there's another urgent report that probably won't make you laugh after reading it."

Solovyov showed another note to Yermolov, who, after reading it, also looked very serious.

"It's unbelievable that after Napoleon returned, he defeated the British and Prussians in succession."

"I didn't expect it either. He actually had a smaller force, about 14 men, and in the end he defeated the 17-strong Allied army. Although the French have suffered considerable losses, they still control key locations in Belgium. How we should fight next has become a problem again."

"Has the message reached the Commander-in-Chief?"

“We’ll normally go there anyway, so we can’t stay here any longer.”

Solovyov had gathered many adjutants, but lacked a chief of staff.

This time, he won't have Clausewitz as his chief of staff again. He's part of the Prussian army's retreat order and is slowly retreating towards Liege.

Napoleon did not pursue them, because the losses would be too great.

Soon Clausewitz's private letters will also reach Solovyov.

He hadn't expected that the nails he planted would be so effective.

Based on the descriptions in several letters, and the fact that negotiations had just begun and the Saxon uprising against Prussia had been quelled, it seems that the only place where he could have succeeded was in Belgium.

What he wanted was a stalemate between the French and Allied forces, which would be more advantageous for the Russian army's subsequent entry into Paris.

After all, the Tsar and Nesherrodi had already reached an agreement with the foreign ministers of Britain, Prussia, and Austria, depending on Napoleon's situation.

The defeat of the Anglo-Prussian forces resulted in the Prussian army retreating towards the Rhine, while the British army regrouped in Antwerp.

However, the Prince of Orange was captured by Napoleon, and the Duke of Brunswick was killed in action and was being carried in a coffin to his hometown in Brunswick.

The situation in Belgium will have to wait a while, as most of the country is under French control.

"Ah, there are good things and bad things, but the most shocking thing is that I'm going to be a grandfather."

Yermolov couldn't hold back any longer. That kid Solovyov never knows when to stop talking.

There's just too much excitement going on right now.

For Solovyov, it was a complex situation, with both good and bad aspects.

The general standing next to him is still single.

"Should I congratulate you? The Emperor promoted you to Infantry General yesterday, which is a result of your past merits."

"But it's also a death sentence. Should we join forces with the Austrians or deal with Bonaparte alone? Each of our armies, taken individually, outnumbers his main force, but the battle might not be so easy. Getting promoted at this critical juncture is simply a matter of life and death."

“But now, apart from Barclay, the Emperor doesn’t have many trustworthy generals. That old fellow Tolmasov is going to Moscow as governor, Miloradovich is going to St. Petersburg as governor, and the rest are just army commanders. It’s impossible to send Langeron again.”

"French fighting French is probably a rare occurrence. If we win this time, it will be an honor. But if we lose, we'll be the scapegoats."

Although Yermolov was a cunning man, he knew Solovyov well enough to not betray him to others.

“You were the one who stopped him in Lance, you should know him very well.”

"That's why some people will inevitably feel jealous."

Solovyov looked unwell, mainly due to the pressure of combat.

With the mobilization of his small army, he was still able to hold off Napoleon.

But when it comes to large-scale operations, when he was chief of staff, he didn't need to make a final decision.

Now Alexander wants him to go to Barclay, and it's even possible that he'll be put in charge before the war even begins.

The situation was very delicate. Although Solovyov had a good relationship with Arakcheyev, Balasov was always afraid of Solovyov's retaliation after driving Speransky away.

Therefore, if the situation on the front lines deteriorates, Balasov will likely take advantage of the situation.

Solovyov knew exactly what was going to happen; this kind of drama always played out in the Russian court.

Of course, there was also good news: the Tsar himself would not come to the army, leaving the front lines to Barclay and Solovyov.

Barclays' health has been very poor recently; he appears to be ill and needs to find a place to recuperate as soon as possible.

This gave energetic young generals like Solovyov the opportunity to step into the limelight.

Raevsky, Dokhturov, Langeron, and others had all been his superiors before, but because of the Battle of Reims and their generally good relationship, they wouldn't cause him any trouble.

There's nothing really going on in the military; Solovyov's worries are all outside the military.

As for the position of Chief of Staff, he still hadn't found a job. Although Jomini was familiar with the French army, he probably wouldn't take the job because of the Emperor's past favors to him.

Therefore, Solovyov probably just sent Yermolov.

Their physiques make them look like they've reversed roles, and that's also reflected their past performance on the battlefield.

But that's exactly how it is in terms of one's job.

"Alyosha, I'm more worried about Sasha now. I wonder how his recovery is going."

"He's taking his wife to Switzerland. You know his wife, who was also Her Majesty the Queen's former maid, but she's always been in poor health."

"Both of them should go to the sanatorium to recuperate, and I heard that Earl Bruce's heir is there too, so at least they'll have some company."

"Isn't that lady your wife's aunt's daughter-in-law?"

"Yes, we have a lot of assets, but since Moscow was burned down, that's a small matter."

Solovyov himself didn't have much of an opinion; he simply mounted his warhorse once again and went to the front lines with Yermolov.

"Also, Mr. Lawyer, you should choose a good time to open your business. I think these days are quite nice. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Your Excellency, this is simply what we should do when entertaining guests."

"It's such a pity. Trier is a beautiful city, but our time here was very short. I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to come back."

Of course, Solovyov also noticed that it was probably a family trait of Mr. Ma's large beard, as Mr. Ma's father also had a very large beard.

Now that Solovyov is also going to join the army, Vienna is even more shocked. (End of Chapter)