Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

However, while Solovyov's 20 Russian troops entered Belgium, the Austrians have made no progress at the border.

It wasn't just the Austrian army; the same applied to the German princes joining the coalition.

Along the Jura River on the Swiss border, in addition to the Austrian troops who had already arrived, another 20,000 Swiss troops have recently joined the effort.

Then, they continued to be blocked at the border by Legob, making it impossible for them to move an inch.

The Württemberg army could not defeat Lapp's 5th Army of the Rhine, and was defeated in Strasbourg, after all, the army of the small princes was not very strong.

But the Austrians besieged Legob's defenses, and there was no movement until early July, which was very strange.

The main force in this intervention is the Austrians; the Russian army has only just entered the battlefield and hasn't even had time to deploy yet.

Solovyov sat in Liège's city hall, enduring the terrible July weather, while listening to reports.

He's starting to feel it too. July in Europe is just different from St. Petersburg, even during the fighting in 1813.

Since neither Lü Cen nor Bao Cen had anything to do with him, there was no need to think about it so much. After the war resumed, although the weather was hot at first, it would cool down later, and it wouldn't be like it is now.

"Bonaparte is going to mess with us in the summer, but if we can win quickly in Belgium, that would probably be a good thing."

“Misha, I rarely see this kind of impatience on your face. Also…”

Yermolov looked at him and sized up his figure.

"what happened?"

"None of us fat guys complained about the heat, it was you who started it."

"I think he misses his wife at home. It was summer when he went on the expedition to Italy. He was by the side of the Grand Marshal and had gone through so many battles and marches. It's impossible that he couldn't stand this kind of weather."

"That's because you're all army commanders or chiefs of staff now, not like me, who's still acting as commander-in-chief. I'm waiting for news from the Austrians. If they can't deal with the French on the border, that's another problem."

"Yes, the pressure is all on us."

Raevsky was talking about something else just now, but now he's become serious again.

Barclay is temporarily relieved; he can go to Oldenburg for recuperation, as his already poor health had deteriorated rapidly recently.

However, for the successor, although the strategic situation was favorable at the time, he had to face Napoleon.

The pressure suddenly increased.

Solovyov predicted that Napoleon's army would only suffer a rout rather than be annihilated, and that the Austrian army would be idling on the border while the Austrian army in the south remained silent.

He will definitely stay in Belgium, whether it's an offensive or defensive maneuver, he's determined to fight.

Giving him time might actually be a bad thing.

To date, Solovyov has not seen Napoleon adopt any defensive posture outside of the war of 1812.

There was probably only the Battle of Leipzig, but the charge he launched with Murat's cavalry inflicted considerable losses on the Allied forces. If it weren't for Raevsky's valiant fighting and the counterattack of the Guards Cossacks, there probably wouldn't have been a final victory.

Therefore, many people were always uncertain when facing Napoleon, even if they marched to his doorstep, they would still face his initiative.

Solovyov is also employing psychological warfare tactics; he currently has no clear strategy for the overall war situation.

However, the Ardennes Forest was not a suitable terrain for large troop movements in this era. The terrain was unfriendly to tanks, and it was probably even less friendly to artillery.

The Austrian issue, ironically, seems to be of great importance now.

If they had fought well, Napoleon probably would have had no choice but to leave Belgium instead of confronting the Russian army. In that situation, the Russian army's pursuit would probably have been relatively friendly.

However, it cannot be ruled out that Napoleon might have sought a decisive battle in order to make greater progress against the Austrian army.

Solovyov's formation wasn't exactly a long, straight line; he knew the distance between his troops couldn't be too great.

Therefore, he had to weigh the pros and cons and did not issue an order to march on Brussels.

Napoleon was also paying attention to the movements of the Russian army.

He didn't intend to just wait in Brussels, nor would he head north to the Netherlands.

To win the war, he needed to achieve further victories.

However, this was quite troublesome. In his temporary headquarters in Leuven, he was also trying to figure out what Solovyov was going to do.

"I never expected this kid to become the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. If he had more troops, he would have come from Liege. I know his methods all too well. But he only has courage; he is far from having the mind that a great general needs."

Napoleon maintained this opinion, knowing that the Austrians on the border were once again being easily defeated, and they would even find it difficult to continue their advance.

There was no news from the south from Suchee and Brune, and Eugène's Italian army did not move, so it seemed that southern France was not very involved in this war.

For Napoleon, who always wanted to take the initiative, and Solovyov's current location, a few days' journey away, provided him with enough space to take some action.

"Surte, issue the battle orders."

"Your Majesty, aren't we being a bit too hasty?"

"No, I think the Russians will advance along the waterways to the north. That kid Michel never greets you kindly at the front gate."

Although he often held enemy commanders in contempt, Napoleon also had his own ideas.

If they approached directly, that would actually be the situation Napoleon most wanted to see. He would send out light cavalry to scout ahead and find ways to launch an attack along the way.

He was also certain that Solovyov, since he dared to go against his uncle, would carefully study his strategy.

Both sides were concerned about logistical supply issues at this time. Solovyov wanted to make use of the Dutch water network and use these canals to support the replenishment of some supplies. Since the Netherlands is located in such a low-lying area, it did indeed rely more on water transport, taking into account the environment.

He first entered Genk from here, and then approached Brussels from the north, aiming to maximize his troop advantage.

“Your Majesty, if that’s your perspective, don’t forget that the Russians love to set traps, especially during the time in Poland.”

“But Belgium is too small, unlike Poland which has much more room to maneuver.” Napoleon pointed to several locations on the map, where the army commanders were also present.

"Your Majesty, it would be one way to deal with the Russians if they came from Genk."

"And even if we missed our target, the Russians really did take the shortest route from Liège, and the troops left in Brussels were able to hold this place, just like they did in Dresden."

Dresden?

Unfortunately, many marshals did not choose to return to Napoleon's side this time.

It was Saint-Cyr's steadfast defense in Dresden that led to a tremendous victory.

However, that time was not friendly to Vandaam, because he was taken prisoner in Korm afterwards.

"In that case, if the Russians enter the forest and then come back to Brussels, the forest behind them will leave them with no easy way out. If it were Schwarzenberg, he would definitely fall for this trap, but Solovyov, that kid, still has his cleverness."

So Napoleon left Lamarck and the Vendée's troublemakers behind, with the regular army inside the city and the Vendée's men outside.

Although the country folk enjoyed watching the excitement, they also knew that what the emperor had given them this time was a reward.

Living in the countryside is much more comfortable than living in a spacious house in the city.

The emperor's army set out and was reinforced with more troops, as it was impossible to fight solely with veteran soldiers.

In fact, Napoleon was not wrong in his judgment.

Solovyov, seeing that his allies were not putting up a good fight, decided to concentrate his forces for a major battle.

However, he was also worried that Marshal Blücher, who had not listened to him in 1814, might cooperate better this time.

But the old marshal was clearly a very easygoing person; he didn't dwell on the past.

Moreover, as a young general, Solovyov became an infantry general at the age of 34, and he actually had better interpersonal skills.

He sent Blücher a bottle of fine liquor, as the old man liked to have a drink now and then. Solovyov, who was about the same age as his child or even younger, was clearly being flattered by the old man, who was so good at currying favor and whose words in the letter were gentle and humble.

Therefore, he decided to lead 75000 Prussian troops who were still combat-ready to join the battle and cooperate with Solovyov's operations.

This time, the forces may be even stronger. The total strength of the Russo-Prussian allied forces, plus the Dutch and Oldenburg troops, as well as the Hanoverian troops that arrived later, has reached 30.

Napoleon's side was just a patchwork; he only had a maximum of 15 men in Belgium.

This is a 2-on-1 troop ratio, and the main Russian force already has 15 troops involved in the front-line battle.

Solovyov left General Sabanev to protect the rear supply lines, while the rest of his troops marched toward Antwerp.

Clearly, he was going to use water every last drop of its kind along the way.

Solovyov not only wanted to cooperate with the Prussians, but also hoped that the defeated British could help him.

Even two years ago, Solovyov probably wouldn't have written directly to the King of the Netherlands. King William was a general, but only a count; there was still a significant difference between them.

But Solovyov continued to pursue side businesses even during his battles.

This also includes a meeting with the Prince of Orange, who has already been captured, but that will have to wait until he is rescued.

That was Grand Duchess Anna's marriage. In order to arrange for Constantine's brother-in-law to go to London, Anna also needed to marry a young nobleman of suitable status.

This brought in the work of the marriage agency; in addition to military matters, Solovyov also had to handle matchmaking.

Therefore, he was determined to write to the king no matter what.

King William knew that Belgium would certainly not fall into his hands, but being able to retain some overseas territories was still a good thing for a trading nation like the Netherlands.

Whether her son married the voluptuous but independent Princess Charlotte or the tall but somewhat eccentric Grand Duchess Anna, the Netherlands gained a rather powerful ally.

If the Duke of Brunswick's grandson were to become king in the future, without his father, his entire family would probably be buried alive in The Hague or Amsterdam—and even King William wouldn't be able to say anything about it.

He would be better off establishing a constitutional monarchy, living a carefree life as the king of a small country in the Netherlands, and maintaining good relations with the surrounding countries.

Solovyov wrote the letter as the acting commander-in-chief of the Russian army and as a matchmaker between Russia and the Netherlands. However, the marriage was secondary at this time. He also reminded the King of the Netherlands that to defeat Napoleon, it was necessary to ensure an absolute advantage in military strength, as well as sufficient logistical supplies.

However, he did not try to extort money from them. He simply mentioned that he needed the Dutch to guarantee that the Russian army's operations here would proceed smoothly, mainly in terms of supplies.

The British will probably have to put in a lot more effort to deal with Napoleon.

That is why the ports of the Netherlands, and Antwerp in particular, are so important.

The King of the Netherlands was well aware of the problem and promised to provide canal vessels and arrange workers for the port.

However, Solovyov did not request additional Dutch troops, also taking into account the current situation.

More troops are not necessarily better. The reason Blücher was able to be kept is because he is an invincible old man, and it is necessary to maintain a numerical advantage, as well as the Queen's letter.

The things the Queen mentioned, always
Solovyov was indeed easily persuaded; what he saw in the letter was the Queen's anxiety about her daughter, Charlotte of Prussia, marrying into Russia.

I hope Solovyov will treat her like his own daughter.
Meanwhile, the queen also has a daughter, and he's quite proud of her.

However, that was only a temporary situation. The Queen of Prussia was more like a political ally, and Solovyov was trapped by his own daughter this time.

The queen's feelings for him were clearly not just liking; they also carried some other purpose.

She's a terrible woman, but she's also a notorious glutton, which is something that can't be helped.

In addition, on the Prussian side, the Queen also persuaded the King to send the Prussian Guard, which should arrive within three days after the letter reached Solovyov.

The fact that the Prussian guards were commanded by the queen's half-brother, the king's youngest brother-in-law, rather than the Prussian princes, demonstrates the queen's power.

It's worth noting that Blücher only stayed because of the Queen. (End of Chapter)