Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 315 017 Royal Review Ground in Spring

The commander of the Guards appeared in front of the Tsar under the leadership of Grand Duke Constantine, which usually means only one thing, that is, war preparation.

However, there is a problem with the Guards. Although they are well-equipped and soldiers and officers are selected based on merit, they have been the protagonists of palace coups throughout the 18th century, rather than the main force fighting the enemy on the battlefield.

Russia's two recent large-scale wars were also mobilized from local garrisons, both against the Ottoman Empire and France.

In other words, the Russian army previously fought with general troops stationed in local areas, but the Guards rarely appeared.

It is indeed necessary to verify the training results of each unit. Now it is the spring of 1805, and it is time to go to the theater in Gatchina again.

The mobilization of the Guards this time is not based on the training of the training ground arranged in the Paul period, but focuses on live-fire shooting and small-scale confrontation training.

This kind of thing is not the first time that it has been done on the training ground. It was just that it was often done during Paul's time. In Alexander's time, it was somewhat relaxed.

But Solovyov was not worried. In the few months since he returned to the Guards, he found that the training of the Guards Chasseur Regiment was still strict before it was upgraded. At least according to the plan of the former battalion commander and the regiment commander, he did not have to start from scratch when he took over.

From this point of view, it is also good for the regiment commander to be Bagration. At least the training ideas can be implemented. However, the "penetrating impact" training that Suvorov has always required rarely appears.

Today on the training ground, the Russian army's training subjects, in addition to live-fire shooting, also include formation changes.

If you encounter the French cavalry on the battlefield, these guys may not be the most well-trained, but they are a group of outright desperadoes. They are desperate to fight and their courage is not inferior to that of the Russian cavalry.

Among the Russian cavalry, there are still some troops. They really did not perform well, especially some newly formed cavalry regiments, the quality of the soldiers is worrying.

Although the position of the Tsarist Russia is easy to form a stereotype, the cavalry should be stronger.

However, the fact is that the Tsarist Russia and its main fighters, the various Cossacks, were mostly infantry at first.

This problem has been demonstrated by Khlimenitsky and Ivan Baohong in the era of "Fire and Sword". In addition to cavalry, the Cossacks also have Cossack infantry.

Moreover, the Russian army has done several things in the Russo-Turkish War, such as building a strong camp and fighting a stupid battle.

Of course, it is not as exaggerated as Zeng Shatou, mainly using earth fortification to fight.

The resilience of the Russian infantry is indeed very strong.

As for the performance on the exercise field, Solovyov is actually very concerned.

It still takes time to arrange the hollow square and solid square on the battlefield.

It is indeed very important to form a faster formation on the battlefield.

That is, the cavalry will not directly attack the phalanx on the battlefield, otherwise it will suffer a lot if it is slow.

The Guards Chasseur Regiment is the most comprehensive unit. It has to spread out the scattered lines and form a square formation. In addition, there are many things to do.

Even including the transmission of important orders from the Russian "Messenger Corps", Chasseurs, who are shorter and more agile, are more convenient to do these tasks.

Light infantry or auxiliary soldiers have been doing this since ancient times.

In the era of Alexander the Great's Eastern Expedition, Cretan archers, in addition to being excellent archers, also had many useful functions as mercenaries. Messengers and reconnaissance were routine operations.

Daily training will also be reflected in such an exercise field.

However, the opposite Guards Hussars did not penetrate the impact. After the infantry square formation, they also controlled the horses to shuttle through the square.

Cavalry sometimes feared hurting themselves, especially the square formations of the Guards Infantry, which were all holding their spears when they were in formation.

Because of this, if people are not afraid, horses will also be afraid.

If a hollow square is broken on the battlefield, it is often a "crazy horse" effect or a fatal blow in cooperation with other arms.

Therefore, when these cavalrymen rushed into the gaps between the hollow squares formed by several battalions, they looked very impressive, but in fact they were just pretending.

In training, more verification is done on the cavalrymen's control of horses and the time it takes for the infantry to form a formation.

The Guards Chasseur Regiment needs even longer. Their two battalions must first be arranged in a skirmish line, first in a queue, and then in a square.

I don't know who arranged it this way, but the three major Guards Regiments have more soldiers, so they are arranged in three rows and move faster.

It's no wonder that Solovyov's Guards Chasseur Regiment has more complicated tasks to undertake, so he accepted this arrangement.

On the battlefield, it is necessary to quickly build positions, and there are actually many tasks to undertake. Doing this in training and exercises will make it easier to deal with troubles in the future.

In the battles in Italy, due to the battlefield environment and the fact that the Russian army always took the initiative, they rarely formed a square formation like today.

Solovyov saw in the middle of the square formation that the cavalry passed quickly between the camp square formations. If this kind of attack was really coming towards the square formation, it would also be considered a penetrating attack, which might make it difficult for a solid square formation to block it.

What is more terrifying is the enemy's artillery. For such a dense formation, a solid shell can cause great damage.

On the battlefield, anything can happen, and it can be very cruel.

Alexander saw the situation of the Guards' phalanx drill in the monocular telescope, and he was very satisfied with the performance on the exercise field.

"This is very good. Our Guards are well trained. In this way, they should be able to perform very well on the battlefield."

"Your Majesty, we have the best soldiers in Russia."

This is the court of Petersburg. There are flatterers in the courts of various countries. The best compliment is undoubtedly here in Petersburg, and it is very pompous.

Well, as a huge origin of satire, Russia is still very important in this regard.

"We want to drive the French back to their borders, but we just hope that the British side can agree to our demands."

"Your Majesty, that's true."

"Czartoryski, if the British do not agree to the Malta issue, we can also offer a price, they can provide additional assistance, and we need enough ships for transportation in Naples and Pomerania."

Speaking of which, Alexander should not have listened to the advice in the court.

Many people told him that it was not appropriate to disperse the troops. There were cases of coordination failure in the previous Second Anti-French Alliance, but he did not pay attention.

After all, the battle force was 500,000 to 250,000. This advantage was in my hands, so there must be no problem.

But this way.

Soloviev really heard someone say this after the exercise.

This is not a good thing to say. If you really think the advantage is great, it is hard to say what the result will be.

There are too many examples of slapping in the face, but it cannot defeat the generals.

He just went over silently and came to the side of the Tsar.

"Soloviev, I heard that you are translating military theories again recently?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"We have such a good army that we can defeat the enemy with strength alone, you should know this."

Since the words have come to this, Soloviev actually knows it and can't hide it.

"But Your Majesty, this is at the royal review ground. Well, we are just showing the results of our usual training. The French are also training, and we can't take it lightly."

"You are worrying too much. These strategies can be used as teaching materials. You are obviously worrying too much when you take them out now."

Soloviev heard it and knew that the Tsar himself was still very arrogant.

But he saw Louisa next to the Tsar, who now looked worried and winked at him from behind.

The Queen said so, obviously when Alexander was happy, he couldn't spoil his fun.

Otherwise, Kutuzov went from Vyborg to the manor before, which was a result.

"Yes, Your Majesty. But our officers do need to learn more military theory, so that they can be prepared for any eventuality. The brothers of the Guards Chasseur Regiment also believe that under the leadership of the Emperor, we will achieve a brilliant victory."

"Just be confident, Colonel Solovyov."

Ah, when he was happy, he casually promoted Solovyov.

Of course, this is also a necessary administrative result. How can the commander of the Guards always be a lieutenant colonel?

"Misha, you kid, why don't you thank me quickly?"

Sergei Kuzmich, this old fool, was purely out of good intentions.

Soloviev thanked me like this, and these old guys around the Tsar obviously wanted to praise Alexander to the sky.

Looking at Louisa and Maria Naryshkina on the side, the queen and her lover were holding hands and worried about the man who was surrounded by flatterers. They all had worried expressions on their faces.

The two of them have such a good relationship. Alexander is really lucky to have a harmonious harem. Even in novels, it is difficult for anyone to do this.

Step down. In addition to these flatterers, the young officers are also full of confidence.

Among them, Solovyov's friends are also expected to make meritorious contributions in the war and get further promotion!

And Solovyov obviously considered more.

After he stepped down, he also met Kutuzov who was "dozing" on the side.

"Mikhail Illarionovich, you dozed off again."

"Ah, it's Misha. The weather is good today, and there's no artillery fire on the training ground, so it's inevitable that you'll fall asleep."

"Let alone pretending to doze off with others, there's no need to tell me this, right?"

"Yes, kid, I know what you're worried about."

"What do you think?"

"Once this war starts, it will be very important for us to cooperate with the Austrians. What I'm even more worried about is the cooperation between the Austrian army itself, not with us."

"We have a lot of German officers here, and it's not a problem to communicate with them. The trouble is that the Austrian army's institutional reform has not been successful."

"We're the same, but our soldiers and officers still have some extraordinary courage, which is also our rare reliance."

Of course, Kutuzov also knew that there were other problems, and he was indeed pretending to sleep just now.

But even so, in the Petersburg court, people said he was old and blind, gluttonous, lustful and sleepy. Even in the presence of his sons-in-law, they would say this to his face, which inevitably caused some trouble.

"My son-in-law is with the emperor, so he knows something. You also came from the position of aide-de-camp. You know, there are always such people around the emperor, but you can't drive them all away."

"I know that after sending this group away, there will be another group of people coming. They are very good at guessing people's hearts, rather than... studying business."

"Yes, but this is also a skill. Even if you don't like it, you have to find a way to learn it. Misha, in addition to the skills of fighting, the areas that Alexander Vasilyevich has pointed out to you, there is also this kind of ability to guess people's hearts and perform in front of the emperor. You can't be completely ignorant of it. You still have to learn more."

"Yes, what you said makes sense."

"Go back. It's tiring enough on the training ground today. Go back and have a good rest. We still have to train well in the future. This time on the battlefield, we also need young people like you. Good officers are needed everywhere."

"What about Andrei?" Speaking of it, Solovyov was also quite curious. Andrei had a relationship with the old duke, but he was always kept by Kutuzov.

You know, the old prince always said that adjutants have no future.

"You said Andrei that I always need a young man who can understand my ideas, and you definitely don't want to do this. You have always liked the front line, which is good. It is hard to find young officers who are willing to lead troops on weekdays. Of course, young people should not forget personal emotional issues. I have five daughters, four of whom are married, and the youngest one, Dalia, is left. Someone has also come to discuss the issue of engagement, but you are no longer included."

His joke was not good, but the countess was not bad, but the girls were somewhat You look at Kutuzov's face, he was not famous for his handsome appearance since he was young.

Moreover, the two of them didn't know that even Kutuzov's sons-in-law were more or less unlucky.

Solovyov didn't know that he had escaped a disaster again, which was more frightening than Paul's arranged marriage.

"Why do you say that?"

"You are good-looking, Misha, there should be a girl who will fall in love with you."

"I understand what you mean, but it's a secret."

"Since it's a secret, I won't ask."

This old man, I don't know if he is deliberately leading people into a ditch.