Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

After crossing the river, the Russian army waited for Golitsyn and Dokhturov who withdrew from Golimin on the road for another day. After the whole army was assembled, they changed direction and marched to the designated area for the winter camp.

At the end of the year, the weather in Poland was still like autumn. Because of the continuous rain and the melting snow, the roads were very muddy and vehicles often got stuck in the mud.

However, for the Russian soldiers, their new boots would at least not be eaten by the mud, which could improve their morale.

The generals who were still riding in the car at the beginning now changed to horses and chose to stay with the officers and soldiers. In addition to the convenience of marching, it was also to boost morale.

At the same time, it should be noted that there were very few Cossacks and Hussars in the marching columns of the Russian army. They were all sent out for reconnaissance and various tasks.

Those who stayed in the legion were mainly dragoons and cuirassiers classified as heavy cavalry, especially the Guards cuirassiers transferred from the Guards, which were the most valuable in the East Prussian Legion.

To spread out all the soldiers, they also had to be highly vigilant about the movements of the French army.

In addition to the large-scale battles between the two armies, there were also many small battles. Some young cavalrymen might not go into battle for the first time in a certain battle, but more likely in such exchanges of fire, and light cavalry would grow up quickly.

Count Stroganov volunteered to serve as the colonel commander, taking the Mariupol Hussar Regiment and some Cossacks, and left the main force. As hussars directly under the legion, their goal was to wander between the various legions and camps of the French army, and it was even more common to act in a squadron smaller than the squadron.

At this time, it was indeed a test of the ability of cavalry officers. Not everyone could be a cavalryman. It was no wonder that some cavalrymen were naturally arrogant and not very friendly to other arms.

Even Durova, when she was still a new recruit, dared to say such a thing to the commander of the Bryansk Infantry Regiment.

Well, she is indeed very individual, and now she is also an excellent lancer and signalman.

The reason why she was asked to be a signal officer was probably because the number of officers familiar with Russian in the Polish Lancers was really worrying, so she had to let this lieutenant who was particularly brave when charging.

Even when she captured the eagle flag of the 3rd Light Infantry Regiment, she stabbed the flag bearer with a long spear, which allowed her comrades to successfully capture the flag. Because of this achievement, she can also be awarded the fourth-level St. George Medal.

How to say it, everyone knows that the superiors take good care of her. As for whether she is a man or a woman, because she claimed to be 17 years old when she reported it, she had no hair on her mouth, so she could only be said like this.

Now, she was temporarily assigned to the Mariupol Hussar Regiment. The signalman of the regiment was injured in Putusk, so they had to ask for someone from the Polish Lancers Regiment that was resting.

So Durova stayed by Count Stroganov's side and was responsible for communication work.

Speaking of which, the count was the richest heir in Russia and he was so handsome that any girl would easily become crazy about him. Even though Durova had tried hard to make herself identify as a boy (a cute boy who had given birth to a boy), she could not restrain herself. Besides, the count was indeed well-spoken and respected by those around him.

"Ah, Lieutenant Sokolov, send a signal to the east. The officers we caught this time are from the Fourth Army. Their winter camp is near the Ukla River, close to the battlefield where we fought before, and they have entered the town."

"Colonel, this..."

"What's wrong with you, little Sasha? You seem to have a fever."

"No. I was just thinking about how to spell the 'Ukla' River in the signal book. After all, this is in Poland. Although I am in the Polish Lancers, my home is on the Ukrainian steppe. That's about it."

"If you feel uncomfortable, you can find a warm place in the village when you camp and stretch yourself."

The count is indeed too charming, but he doesn't know this situation, nor does he know Durova's inner thoughts.

The girl still tried to calm herself down in the state of "I am a soldier, not a girl".

As for the receiver of the signal, it was a Cossack regiment in the woods. They had completed their previous mission and returned from another road.

For the French, they are still very troubled in this regard.

They could see the Russian army's small moves, but they were always defeated when they sent squadron-sized cavalry to pursue them, and the Russian army would slip away very quickly when they attacked with cavalry regiments, and they could only catch a few lone light cavalrymen. It was really uncomfortable to continue like this.

If left alone, the winter camps of various armies would continue to be scouted and harassed by these scouts, and officers on the road would not dare to be alone, so they would be easily caught, and the intelligence would fall into the hands of the Russian army.

Napoleon himself went to Warsaw at this time. After all, he had Countess Walewska, and his days in Warsaw were still very happy.

But if Soloviev knew about it, he would probably laugh at his uncle's taste. After all, the real Countess Walewska... Although she was born in 1786, she didn't necessarily look that young.

In this kind of thing, it's best for the parties involved to be happy.

Therefore, whether it was the court steward Dirok or the personal servants Constant and Rustam, they didn't care about their boss's taste.

However, military intelligence, as long as it is transferred, is not good news, and it also gives Napoleon's "wife" Berthier in the army a very headache.

"These Russians are really cunning. After they retreated, they scattered the light cavalry on the entire front of the Vistula River."

"Do you want to tell His Majesty?"

"Let's talk about it in an hour. There is no reception today, and it won't cause those Poles to worry at this time."

"Are they afraid the Russians are coming?"

"I think so."

Berthier's schedule was very clear. Napoleon's time with his lover was generally strictly limited. Only when his official duties in Warsaw were reduced, his time to sleep with women increased.

As for the sloppy image of wearing pajamas, that is, in front of acquaintances.

"Bertier, what's the news?"

"Your Majesty, I believe it is Soult and Augereau's report that the Russian hussars are frequently moving around us."

"I know this. The Russian light cavalry is really good. In comparison, their dragoons are not so good."

"Although it's not great, we still lost the eagle flag, Your Majesty."

"We captured their flags just as well, and more."

"But the Russians' communication methods are obviously somewhat regular, Your Majesty. You can first read the report of the Fourth Army. What it talks about is the situation in which our Chasseurs observed the signals sent by the Russian army."

Napoleon, who had a strong foundation in geometry, quickly understood the report after reading it in person.

"There is a smart Russian who is using the reflection of sunlight to send signals with light. It's just a pity that we don't know what kind of pattern they use, and we can't crack it. But this can be used, and our cavalry , Find a way to use their signal to narrow the search area, attack the Russian cavalry, and keep them away from our winter camp. "

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will draw up an order for the hussars and chasseurs to launch operations to expel the Russian cavalry."

"Also, have the messengers who issued winter camp orders to the armies arrived?"

"At present, only the First Army and the Sixth Army have not responded. The First Army's position is not bad. They have already gone to find a suitable winter camp location. The Sixth Army Ney is closer to Königsberg. He had previously Prussian troops in pursuit of Lestock."

"Is he chasing the Prussians? Don't run too far. I can feel that with the Russian army's current use of troops, Langeron, the royalist, may put a bait for us and let us take the bait. But this kind of rapid dispatch , is obviously not a Russian general we are familiar with, maybe he is someone new."

"Your Majesty, what will happen?"

"You know, Berthier, my wife Josephine actually has a cousin in Petersburg. I have never said anything about it. But I can confirm that the one in Dürenstein, Motier and Gazan The Russian staff officer she was chatting with was her stepson."

"Your Majesty, have you told the Queen?"

"I never said it. If Motier hadn't always been honest, and the evidence and logic were reasonable, I would have just thought it was a joke made by the Russians."

"But Your Majesty, is there any connection between this?"

Berthier, when he was chief of staff, was always a master at pretending to be confused.

"Bertier, don't be as stupid as Caulaincourt. When I had my son, he didn't even understand the situation. Russia once sent diplomats to Paris, and the military attaché there was a pretty boy with green eyes. ', do you have any impression?"

"Your Majesty, speaking of this man, he seems to have a good relationship with Moreau. I got some information and heard that he is very smart and likes to make some military inventions, but they are not stupid 'tactical innovations'."

"Yes, from my wife's side, he is still a relative of mine, but the relationship is a bit distant. At least I know that he invented the Russian breech-loading rifle, and maybe this ingenious and simple communication method , is also a Russian military innovation.”

Napoleon was right. Now his winter camp location was constantly being harassed. It was indeed Solovyov's "little trick" that kept reporting the position of the French army.

"In this case, additional messengers need to be sent. While driving away the Russian cavalry, Ney is asked to retreat quickly without giving them a chance."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will send someone to the Sixth Army right now."

"In addition, Bernadotte's position seems safe, but it is very isolated. He and Ney need to carry out some cover operations to guard against possible Russian attacks."

But the messengers sent by Napoleon would always encounter some trouble, because the Russian cavalry would always catch some of his messengers when they were scattered. As for whether the letters could be destroyed in time, it was a question. The Russian army would use them later. The Great Memory Restoration Technique is another problem.

However, Count Stroganov does not advocate the use of physical punishment. He only needs to have a good chat with the Frenchman for a while in French with his Parisian accent. Even if these chatty Frenchmen cannot remember all the information, they still need to share the information. , it’s almost possible to get it out.

The count received information from a captured officer that Ney's Sixth Army was relatively isolated. His mission was to find the Sixth Army and ask them to move closer to nearby friendly forces and enter the winter camp.

For this reason, Count Stroganov also decided to send the news in time when he led the team back.

As for who to send, Durova volunteered again, but the count did not let her go, after all, she was now the officer in charge of communications.

And if Solovyov knew about it, he would complain that the Mariupol Regiment had no one and had to let the seconded officers serve as messengers.

That's why Stroganov sent his adjutant to the Russian winter camp near the border at this time.

There, Langgeron was officially appointed as the commander-in-chief of the East Prussian Corps, responsible for commanding the two armies of Wittgenstein and Buchholden, as well as the divisions under it.

The messenger sent by Alexander also showed that the Russian army would have reinforcements arriving later.

And the 1st Division of the Guards had already arrived in Riga, but it still needed to wait for further instructions.

Langgeron also knew that the Guards came out this time mainly to cover the rear.

But if Grand Duke Constantine really came, the order of command would be hard to say. Letting a real foreigner command the heir to the throne would definitely make some people complain.

He now has enough troops on the front line, but he has no idea how to take the next step.

Until Count Stroganov's adjutant came back with important intelligence, the French Sixth Army was relatively isolated at this time and had not yet entered the winter camp area.

The commanders of the Russian army, including Kutuzov, are all very cunning.

Even Marshal Kamensky, who is now an Irish old man, was attacked by the Turkish army at night on the Danube front. He was quick-witted and drove away the enemy with a barrage of artillery.

If it was Kutuzov, he might be more patient. As long as Ney was far away from him, he would not move.

After all, the old man is still a little lazy.

However, it would be different if it was someone else. Bennigsen would launch a sneak attack, and Langeron would think so too.

But Langeron might be more resolute than Bennigsen.

If Bennigsen said that, he would make himself look like a mine stealer, but Langeron was thinking about getting over quickly and dealing a fatal blow to the French army.