Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 46 046 Military mobilization has already begun

When Austria and Russia were conducting diplomatic communication, between July and August 1798, some of the Russian combat troops stationed inland had received orders from the Tsar himself to march to the borders of the German states.

When fighting abroad, the Russians usually face a supply problem. This time, Franz II of Austria made a guarantee that once the two countries began joint military operations, they would fully cooperate within Austria, especially the supplies needed by the Russian army.

However, when the war really started, what could be done? After asking some veterans for their opinions, Paul also knew that although the Habsburg monarchs talked well, they were not always stable in doing it.

The Moscow Grenadiers, which set out first, had received the order to set out when Napoleon's army was still marching towards Cairo. Among the troops expected to be mobilized, there were also the 6th Chasseurs, the Arkhangelsk Musket Regiment and the Izmailov Guards.

The commanders of these three regiments were Prince Bagration, Count Kamensky the Younger, and Grand Duke Constantine, who could be said to be representatives of the Russian royal family, the Russian army's backbone, and young commanders. Their troops were the first to go south, while the other regiments mobilized from the inland were preparing to go to Central Europe.

But strangely, Grand Duke Constantine did not leave with his Guards Regiment, but remained in Petersburg, with only the regiment commander leading the team, and the reserve army of the regiment took over the defense of the Guards Regiment in the suburbs of Petersburg.

The infantry corps that had already set out for the joint operation could be dispatched in more than one direction.

News from Malta came that General Bonaparte had already established a foothold in Cairo, and at the same time his retreat was cut off: although some of Nelson's captains were not good at sailing, they were bold enough to drill into the only defensive loophole left by the French at sea, and eventually annihilated most of the French expeditionary fleet.

Although the officers commanding the French Navy fought hard, the fleet commander, Vice Admiral Brueys, still tied himself to a chair to command the battle after his legs were broken, and eventually sank into the sea with the explosion of the ammunition depot of the "Orient".

The only ones who could escape were General Villeneuve and his ship at the end of the French fleet's mooring sequence. The Battle of the Nile was a great victory, and Nelson reported the victory to British India and London from two directions.

As a result, the communication ship returning to Britain was intercepted by the French Navy's frigate in the western Mediterranean, and India got the news faster than London. If it hadn't received the news later, Nelson might have enjoyed the embarrassing treatment of winning a brilliant victory in the naval battle and then being dismissed in London. It was not shameful for him, but it was the public opinion and the cabinet in London that were shameful. This would be a shocking scandal.

The subsequent mobilization of troops has not yet been determined, and Paul has not made up his mind. Just spending a "thrilling" morning outside his daughter-in-law's delivery room has made him worried about his daughter's marriage.

It is a pleasant afternoon now. Several chattering archduchesses are lying next to the crib to watch their niece. Paul is drinking tea and reading reports from all over the place. Although the new anti-French alliance has a contour, it has not yet taken shape. Among the news from all sides, it is clear that Austria has agreed to the conditions offered by the British in order to regain its lost territory in northern Italy, but the time of sending troops will depend on the final attitude of the old enemies, the Ottoman Empire and Russia.

Even if it is decided to go to war, the speed of the army's assembly must be considered. Once Austria takes the lead in going to war against France, it should be a confrontation in the early stage.

In 1798, the French were not idle either. They were ready to establish a republic in southern Italy, but the army was not in place yet. This was just a plan.

The current European situation is more or less because France has thrown its best generals and carefully prepared legions in Egypt, and the Mediterranean Fleet no longer exists, which has led to the countries rekindling their unchanged anti-French enthusiasm.

"What do you know about General Bonaparte, except for fighting?"

When Paul said this, he was a little sarcastic. After all, many of the officers of the Guards were idle and liked to participate in various social activities and drinking carnivals. This was actually an intelligence exchange center. The upper class of Russia was generally "skilled in France". They reported back the news about France very quickly. This was deliberately to test these officers of the Guards.

Then, for General Bonaparte, these officers were talking about his quick actions in Italy and quickly defeated the Austrian army.

"But your majesty, I think when General Bonaparte defeated the Austrian army, he should have exaggerated his victory, reduced the number of his own losses in the battle report, and exaggerated the number of opponents eliminated, so as to make the people of Paris believe that he had won a brilliant victory."

"Your mention of the French general seems to be inconsistent with the facts we know, Captain."

Soloviev had no choice. He really wanted to tell a Russian joke now, but he was troubled by a problem, that is, there was no Waterloo.

In fact, Napoleon did not need Pravda at all to turn the Trafalgar defeat into a rumor in France. It was not until he was completely defeated that he let the French know that the French navy had suffered such a disastrous defeat.

"But this is the fact. If we really go to Austria and ask the Austrian generals, we should know the situation. Bonaparte will not win every battle so easily. That is different from the Austrian army we know. The Austrian generals are still using the tactics of the past. They cannot concentrate their forces on the battlefield, wasting their troops and rich experience in battle."

Speaking of which, Napoleon's on-the-spot performance is only slightly better than that of his contemporaries. What is really strong is the dispatch outside the battlefield.

His marching efficiency can even gain an advantage in the battle situation through the dispatch of troops when he is slightly at a disadvantage.

Something can't be said in front of Paul in front of everyone. There is still a lot of arrogance among Russian soldiers passed down from the era of the empress.

The other young people all disdained his statement, but the older Komarovsky agreed with his opinion.

Komarovsky is the adjutant of Grand Duke Constantine. He is also one of the officers who was promoted quickly. Because he is older, he still thinks that there is some truth in thinking about it. After all, the report sent by Austria and the analysis of the previous Petersburg Military Committee can draw a conclusion.

If you believe in the war report and don't look at the battle line, General Bonaparte can at least speed up by one third.

It is a win, but we must also look at the battlefield situation. It is true that Austria suffered a humiliating defeat, but the functional departments have always changed the soup but not the medicine. Archduke Karl led it well. Why do you put him in the north? Old men like Beaulieu are the commander-in-chief. What can he do? He can't do it!

Even if he wants to complain in his heart, Solovyov can't say it too harshly. If he says so, it is easy to scare some war advocates to think twice.

It is still necessary to help Austria fight France, otherwise the Directory is so rampant. It can be said that the war is going on all fronts and plundering everywhere, which has indeed destroyed the current balance of power on the European continent.

Therefore, Britain and Russia, on both sides, must send troops for their own purposes. Lord Whitworth's previous tricks actually had no effect, but it did not prevent him from reporting to the British cabinet that he had achieved significant diplomatic results with Russia.

This kind of boasting, published in the tabloids in London, did have some effect, but it was limited.

Paul summoned several ministers in the office in the morning. At this moment when he was watching his daughter teasing his granddaughter, he was also listening to the opinions of young people. After all, it was not easy to make a decision. He was also considering whether going to war would be beneficial to Russia.

The Dolgorukov brothers were Alexander's confidants, and being friends with Solovyov was a very minor point. They also believed that they had to fight.

Maybe young people nowadays are all like this, bragging about the enemy while going to the battlefield to see who is stronger, making themselves like fortune tellers. If they are right, it means that I am strong, and if they are not right, the consequence is that the enemy is too cunning.

"You have already said that I think the final decision on France this time should wait until Vienna makes the final decision. After all, they are all paid by the British to fight against France, and then they want to reap the benefits."

Then he stopped asking about the war today, but motioned his entourage to come over.

"Write to our several major military governors and the chairman of the military committee to ask for their opinions on this matter."

"Your Majesty, do you mean to unite with Austria to fight against France?"

"Yes, let the British act at sea, they can only play a role there, and the future joint action plan, the plan to attack the lowlands together with the British army, and the plan to protect Hanover need to be discussed again. We are mainly discussing the issue with Austria now."

He waved his hand again, leaving only the Dolgorukov brothers to stay with him. They will inform the Crown Prince Alexander of a series of decisions of Tsar, so they are still here.

"Vienna and Naples have signed a secret treaty. If they want to take action, they will take the lead in southern Italy."

This point has also been confirmed, but the Austrian general invited by Naples is "Mark, who will be unfortunate in the future". What kind of ability is this guy?

The subsequent actions of the Russian army will also depend on whether Austria formally declares war on France. By October 1798, with the troops that Korsakov had already reached the border, the Russian army had assembled between 60,000 and 75,000 troops in this area, and entered the designated war zone through Austrian territory.

Before this, the first to be dispatched was the Black Sea Fleet. Because the Ottoman Empire declared war on France, the "Third Rome" and Rome, which had fought to the death before, became friendly forces this time. The Ottoman Empire's fleet will be deployed in the battle against Corfu under the command of Admiral Ushakov.

Interestingly, the islands in this region have triggered many wars, including the famous Peloponnesian War, the war between the Antigonid Dynasty and Epirus after Demetrius and Pyrrhus fell out, and now it is one of the first places where the Second Coalition War will be fought.

At the same time, General Bonaparte in Egypt is in another situation. It is unknown what his current mentality is, but after Egypt is winning in Cairo, consolidating France's rule in Egypt, as a senior Roman and admirer of Alexander the Great, his approach in Egypt is obviously a bit of copying books, which seems to be of some use.

After listening to opinions and making deployments, Paul sent his confidant to write to Marshal Suvorov in Novgorod to ask for his opinion on future wars.

Before that, he received a supplement to the will from the marshal himself, hoping that all his property could be passed on to his son Arkady. Although he had not recognized this son for a long time, after his son-in-law misappropriated some of his property without authorization, he made a revision of this will and presented it to the Tsar in Petersburg.

Paul would definitely approve it, and promoted the 14-year-old Arkady to a eunuch. It was also a special care to obtain such a high status at this age. There were also two nephews who were young and were promoted to major general and colonel respectively.

In Suvorov's reply, he made nine suggestions to Paul and also made corresponding petitions.

Paul also understood that he later approved the new will and crossed out 120,000 rubles and some debts that Suvorov had unclear financial affairs during his tenure as commander in several garrisons. Now he still needed the wisdom of the old marshal.

However, considering the old marshal's physical condition, he had been in poor health since he went to Gatchina in the spring and met the Tsar himself in Petersburg. He looked good in August, but he started to get sick in September and even felt numbness on one side of his body. These were all precursors to various diseases in old age. Suvorov even had the idea of ​​living in the monastery in Novgorod, but it didn't come true in the end.

In the letters Paul sent him, he had already smelled the smell, and even wrote to his cousin in the ancestral home in Tver, asking the noble children of their branch to respond to the Tsar's call and join the army.

He couldn't go to the monastery.

"Master, the letter to Kaczynski's hometown has been sent."

"I know, Prosha, you go and have a rest, there is nothing to do today. If I don't get up on time when the cock crows tomorrow morning, you must pull me up. While my old bones can still move, I must meet those French guys."

He was mentally prepared.