Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

At Hellenthau, the number of Russian troops eliminated was not large enough to satisfy Napoleon.

That Sakhen actually ran to the other side. All in all, Napoleon only managed to kill 8,000 Russian soldiers here, while losing 4,000 of his own.

However, the captured cannons and supplies, along with the more than a thousand prisoners and wounded left behind, still allowed him to declare victory.

"Your Majesty, Davout has already withdrawn from Westeros."

"Surte, how's the situation over there?"

"The Russians were a bit slow, probably because there was some problem with their communication."

"That kid Solovyov was probably observing our actions the whole time, when we were dealing with Davu. After all, he's the one who set up these reflected light communications."

"But strangely, he deployed grenadiers on the main road leading to Helenthout, and only sent a grenadier division to attack Gérard in the afternoon, which ultimately failed."

Napoleon was analyzing the battle situation. He saw the actions on both sides and knew that there must be a problem with Solovyov's communications or something else.

"He must have made a misjudgment for some reason, right?"

Napoleon looked at Demid and then had him play a little game of "guessing what his father-in-law is thinking."

Demid understood his uncle's meaning. He looked at the map and finally gave his opinion.

"I think the Russian army didn't send the message in time, or the Russian troops in Westeros hesitated because of the situation."

"Hesitation at this point means defeat. I think what the Russians need to do next is to use their main force to cut off our supply lines when we have reached the vicinity of Antwerp."

"Your Majesty, shall we have the Russians drive us into the sea instead?"

“Soult, Solovyov is also my nephew. I’ve always spoken with him. He’s a very quick-witted person and always makes decisions rapidly. This time, he’s going to take action, and the target will be between Antwerp and Brussels. He’ll use 25 Russian and Prussian troops to deal with our 15.”

Napoleon had a strange trait: he could understand advanced mathematical theories and make grand military plans, but sometimes he would make strange, simple calculations, and the answers were often wrong.

If he were to take the college entrance exam, he would probably fail.
Moreover, they often make basic mistakes on these kinds of small issues.

But that doesn't stop him from being the Emperor of France and a great commander.

After roughly estimating the troop strength, he knew that the situation was not good. If he waited like this east of Antwerp, something bad would definitely happen.

He then ordered the entire army to break away and return from Hellenthaus to the vicinity of Brussels, where they would rendezvous with Davout.

Solovyov did not act immediately, but waited for reinforcements and news from the Prussian army.

It wasn't until evening that Major Falkenhausen of the Prussian Army headquarters found him.

"Sir, a Prussian army major has arrived here."

"Is that Major Manstein?"

"No, it's Major Falkenhausen."

Solovyov did know a number of relatives, and possibly even direct relatives, of future famous generals in the Prussian army.

Major Manstein was a master at leading cavalry.

But Falkenhausen...
Many of them were probably ancestors of the old acquaintances. There was even a man named Betty in the British army that fought a bloody battle with the French at Saint-Jean-Baltistan. His great-grandson's ship was in particularly bad condition.

As for the descendants of Kleist, Burke, Manteuffel, Mackensen, and Blücher, they would likely be among the paratroopers, probably going to Crete as cannon fodder.

It wouldn't be surprising if a few of these people surnamed Feng showed up, and they might even look alike.

It was as if when he saw Charlotte of England, she was like a younger version of the old Buddha, rounder and softer, while the Regent was like the former Crown Prince, a more plump version of the current King.

"You came from Marshal Blücher?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. I am Major Falkenhausen, a staff officer at the General Headquarters, and I have brought a personal letter from the Commander-in-Chief."

"He was really strong. He fought so many battles with Napoleon, and although he lost most of them, he always managed to come back. I really admire his perseverance. If he had listened to advice, he would have been an outstanding cavalry commander."

The words were complimentary, though there was a hint of sarcasm in them.

When Solovyov opened the letter, he also asked about it.

He had originally come to inquire about a few acquaintances, but it turned out that Colonel Schwerin, who had once served under him, had been killed in action at Mont Saint-Jean. His friend, the Black Duke, had also been killed in action at Four Arms.

Major Manstein was killed in action in Ligny.

Good heavens, he only knew a handful of people in the Prussian army, and one of them was gone in one battle.

"My friends in Prussia who I was quite close to are leaving so quickly. Poor Frederick, he'll be King of Belgium soon."

This can also be seen from Nesserrodie's letter; the Dutch had no objection to Belgium having a young boy as king.

There have been quite a few young boys becoming kings in Europe lately. Gustavus Aquinas has just come of age and is preparing to formally marry the daughter of Archduke Constantine.

Another one from Belgium. If things go according to the agreement he and Talleyrand reached before the Tsar, France will also be ruled by a young ruler in the future.

This is indeed quite fun.

Because having a group of children and women on stage can actually help stabilize European countries.

But we must not have an empress like her; she is truly an anomaly, expanding even more ruthlessly than some tsars.

"Major Falkenhausen, did you notice anything on your way here, such as the movements of the French?"

"I encountered French scouts before I arrived at your camp, but they did not come any closer."

"The French lack light cavalry, and their scouts have been less active lately. These are all normal occurrences, but what I am worried about is where the French are headed."

"For example, before the Battle of Ligny, we discovered that the French were planning to quickly advance through Charleroi toward Brussels, which eventually led to two battles."

"Were the French not very proactive in their reconnaissance efforts throughout this period?"

"I think so. When the Commander-in-Chief sent me to monitor Grouchy's movements, I found that the French cavalry were not very active and there was a lack of infantry guards on the perimeter, with only some obvious outposts."

"So that means the French are still somewhat lax in their actions. No wonder so many strange things are happening." "You know all this?"

"It's not just that I know, Major. Ever since I returned to the army, I've been keeping a close eye on all the developments. I've also received battle reports, and even on the way to Paris, French battle reports might have been transferred to us through intelligence channels."

Solovyov wanted to take bold action, while Falkenhausen seemed like a meticulous professional soldier who would surely present his opinions based on what he saw.

"But there's another point, Major. The French might change their approach after their initial actions. The army's laxity is often closely related to the year-long ceasefire; this brief peace is a real poison."

"Your Excellency, I agree with your opinion."

"If Napoleon comes to his senses, I think he will take some action. Just like before Pharsalus, Caesar fought Pompey. We need to defeat him in terms of strategic maneuvering, which is not an easy task. A small mistake in the process may end up letting them escape."

He is quite clear-headed and has already begun to take action.

Napoleon's thinking was similar.

During the battles of June and July, Napoleon himself noticed that discipline within the Northern Army was generally poor.

Aside from occasional squabbles and internal conflicts, as well as officer defections, their fighting style has deteriorated significantly.

In 1813, the French army's reconnaissance was poor, mainly due to a lack of cavalry.

The problems exposed by the Battle of Saint-Jean were the French army's lack of vigilance, insufficient reconnaissance, and the generals' neglect of intelligence work.

This problem isn't limited to brigade commanders and division commanders; even corps commanders can have it.

Even the most important intelligence in the Battle of Saint-Jean was obtained by Jérôme from a restaurant.

Of course, after this battle, Jerome has obviously given up the three most reliable days of his life, and now he can only be described as mediocre, much better than before.

Based on this situation, Napoleon strengthened vigilance and also increased reconnaissance work.

Since the cuirassiers themselves are not suitable for this operation, it is necessary to send out some of the more mobile heavy cavalry, such as the Queen Dragoons, to expand the scope of reconnaissance.

It actually worked. When Solovyov's troops were preparing for a night march, their torches gave them away, allowing the dragoons to detect them.

Upon seeing this situation, Napoleon, who had originally intended to flee Antwerp, now turned back as fast as the wind.

He and Davout were to meet up, and then go to Brussels to meet Lamarck. Clearly, he also wanted to take advantage of the area around Brussels, and if Solovyov caught up quickly enough, they would fight a battle there.

If not, then he would continue to draw the Russian troops forward, and there would always be a point in time when the Russian troops would be separated due to the pursuit.

Although Solovyov devised many methods to deal with Napoleon, he could not always strictly control all his troops.

Now it's Napoleon's turn, ready to take advantage of the Russians.

He is very good at learning and can notice subtle changes on the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, are we really going to retreat like this?"

"Let's go to Brussels first and see what the Russians are up to!"

As for Solovyov, after hearing that Napoleon had slipped away from Hellenthaus, he also sent out cavalry to scout and try to capture the French rearguard.

As a result, several cavalry skirmishes occurred, with Solovyov's Cossacks and Hussars repeatedly clashing with the French charioteers.

This cavalry warfare also meant that Napoleon had increased his vigilance; he was on guard, and Solovyov's attack strategy was less likely to succeed.

Moreover, after pursuing them, the difficulty of capturing the main French force continued to increase.

Fortunately, Brussels and Antwerp are not too far apart, so the Russian army still had time to make a full turn.

But to Solovyov's surprise, just as his army began to make a move, Napoleon fled.

However, he did not choose the route he came by, but instead followed the line that Wellington had previously deployed, heading towards France.

Now, Solovyov also realized the clue. In the winter of 1806, until January of 1807, during that cold winter, the French had used a similar method to pursue the Russian army.

Now, due to the change in strength, the two sides have switched positions and are moving in opposite directions.

Napoleon intended to use the same tactic Solovyov had employed to subtly intimidate Lannes and Murat, luring the Russian army into southern Belgium, or even into France.

However, they cannot let him run too far. If he joins up with the army that Cano is recruiting, then the French will have a local advantage.

During the pursuit, they also encountered French counterattacks, but Napoleon was not the kind of person who would easily suffer losses.

At this point, it becomes a battle of wits between the commanders-in-chief, staff officers, and other commanders on both sides.

This war is getting more and more interesting.

However, Napoleon's retreat was a purposeful one, and he knew that although the Russian army could pursue, it would be difficult to keep up with the French army in time due to the large number of troops and the deployment of the Allied forces.

Even after learning of the French army's movements, Solovyov contacted Blücher, ordering the Prussian army to head towards Saint-Jean-sur-Mer and Charleroi, while he led the Russian army in pursuit along the French army's retreat route.

The two sides will attempt to meet in Lille in the future and engage in further combat with the French army.

The operations involved, as well as the various strategic and tactical arrangements, are not an easy task.

Napoleon was indeed retreating towards the French border, and his previous victories were temporarily ensuring the safety of Paris.

There was still a batch of new recruits in Paris, and Cano called Bernardo back, so that there was someone who could help the ailing Lefebvre control Paris.

Those ambitious individuals have temporarily quieted down, because the latest news from Vienna indicates that Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria have issued a joint statement expressing their opinions on the regime change in France.

While the Allied forces did not approve of Napoleon's seizure of power in Paris, they also opposed any coup attempt to change the status quo in Paris.

In addition, the Allied forces also stated during their expedition that they would respect France's current natural borders, namely the 1790 borders, consistent with previous treaties.

But in the end, the outcome still had to be decided on the battlefield. When Napoleon withdrew his troops to Lille, he had actually anticipated that Solovyov would temporarily split his forces with the Prussian army and then reunite with them.

Therefore, after arriving in Lille, he did not continue to retreat, but instead prepared to start the battle there.

Meanwhile, Solovyov's army was also approaching Lille, awaiting reinforcements from all directions. (End of Chapter)