Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

However, because Alexander had not issued a formal order to march to the Vistula River, the East Prussian Army remained in Russia.

After this, there is still some time to prepare, in terms of logistics, to improve the transportation line from Petersburg to Königsberg, to establish warehouses in Wilno and Kaunas near the border, and to train the troops preparing to fight abroad. .

There is even an added requirement that military coats and new leather boots must be issued.

Who knows how bad the climate will be this winter, even in Poland, it is far less cold than Russia.

"After this, we still have time to prepare, and communication means are also needed. If we only rely on messengers, we will encounter the French on the way. In addition, winter is also very dangerous for communication officers."

"You must have some inspiration for this consideration, Colonel."

“When it comes to inspiration, it should still come from light. We can use light to transmit signals, but this is only during the day.

Solovyov said this with some consideration. When he was walking in the Jelgava Palace, he accidentally discovered that Mrs. Rekamir also came here, holding a white-faced British shorthair in her arms.

The most famous British shorthair is undoubtedly Tom. As for what this cat did?

If you think about the various ways Tom and his three stray cat friends tried to contact each other, but were blocked by Spike, the big dog Han, one of the times Tom used Morse code.

Speaking of which, when Solovyov thought of this, light could still be used to encode.

As for how to make a signal machine, I can quickly master the principles, and there will be engineers in the army to help.

People who understand mathematics are actually easy to find. You have to find artillerymen first, but when coding, you always need some knowledgeable people.

Solovyov then called artillery officers over to discuss the use of Morse code and the feasibility of optical communications.

"Okay, brothers, at this time, we are here to study communication issues. You must know that in the past, communication officers were just messengers, and it was easy to encounter enemies on the road. Those who used to be adjutants delivered messages on the front line If so, we might encounter something, for example, we might encounter the French or a bear."

"Why are you still talking about bears, Misha?"

Yermolov said this, considering his size

"Okay, Alyosha, at this time, in addition to some necessary urgent messages, there are also daily communications, and the signal machine is also very important. You know, if you can't understand the semaphores and signals, the navy can't fight the war. I think these creative ideas "

"Which signal do you want to use? Colonel, when we were at Austerlitz, we noticed the French signal machine, but their gadgets seem to need to be formed into patterns."

"What we want to use are optical signals. Several sets of signals like this are used to convey messages through optical signals. We can also issue some short commands or even speak a set of sentences."

"As far as we know, the French are very good at mathematics and might be able to crack our 'code'."

"It makes sense, so we need to encrypt. You are all artillery officers. Of course, I am an infantry officer, but I am also a math enthusiast. At this time, I naturally have to contribute my own strength. At the same time, Averted a problem, some of us speak French.”

Langeron is here today, but it doesn't matter to him. After all, he understands Russian, but his accent is very strange.

"Michelle, you don't have to worry about me. I can understand Russian, and standardizing signals like this is very important for the staff to issue orders."

Now that Langeron said so, Solovyov continued his performance.

"In principle, we use the light emitted by sunlight to transmit information below. Whether it is seen with a telescope or with the naked eye, we can use the roundness of the earth and combine various environmental factors to transmit information at a long distance. Communicate on.”

"If this is the case, Colonel, we can use two sets of delivery systems, and even provide feedback and convey messages to the troops below."

"That's the truth. Which regiment are you from?"

Solovyov looked at this young officer whom he was not familiar with. He was older than himself and was just an artillery lieutenant, but...

"I am Alexander Tikhomirov, Mr. Colonel, from the artillery battalion directly under the 4th Division."

Like Durova, this was probably an officer who dressed up as a man to fight, and he was even older than the 23-year-old Durova.

"How long have you been in service?"

"Fifteen years, Mr. Colonel."

"You are only a lieutenant after serving for so long. However, the ideas you proposed are indeed very constructive. I only thought of issuing orders, but I did not think of the feedback from the subordinate units."

"Encryption is also very important, as we just mentioned."

"Yes, so the password we use must first be able to reflect a sentence. For example, 'I want to drink milk', first of all, the 'I' must be expressed, and then 'drink' and 'milk' '(Молоко), this is a set of codes."

The coding went smoothly. As for how to make a signal machine, two mirrors with a diameter between 38 mm and 305 mm are needed, and then an optical signal machine is made. The structure is also very simple.

For engineers, this is very simple, especially now that many corps in the army are around Jelgava and Riga, and it is very convenient to obtain materials.

The production of the optical signal machine was completed the next day after Solovyov proposed the principle.

Unlike Zhukov, who put a searchlight at night, Solovyov's method is to harass the people below during the day.

However, considering the battlefield environment, it can only be used when the weather conditions are good.

Solovyov asked the artillery lieutenant, who was actually Tikhomirova, to take a group of signal machines to 5 kilometers away. This is a relatively long distance, and it is also a more appropriate distance between the headquarters and the front on the battlefield.

If optical communication is more reliable, effective communication can be achieved even 20 kilometers away, and relevant signals can be accurately received through effective observation.

Speaking of the world record of this communication technology, it is still the 294 kilometers set by the US military in 1894, which can be achieved when weather conditions permit.

Under normal circumstances, the maximum effective distance of optical communication in plain areas is between 32 and 80 kilometers. In this way, an attempt at a distance of 5 kilometers can prove its reliability.

The signal sent by Solovyov was "What did you have for breakfast?", and the reply was "earth apples", that is, potatoes.

"It actually works!"

Several hussars who came to join in the fun were surprised.

"If you hussars go out to fight in regiments and squadrons in the future, you can also bring this kind of signal machine to transmit signals in a fixed area and then continue to carry out operations."

"That saves sending messengers!"

After hearing this, Solovyov saw his old acquaintance Davydov.

"Dania, why are you here?"

"I came with Prince Bagration, and now I am his adjutant."

Solovyov did not ask in detail, but it was a good thing that Davydov came back.

But he could not imagine that this trouble-making Hussar poet had come to the front line through the Polish girl's way.

"If you are an adjutant, don't always talk too much. Also, you must learn this new thing of mine well, it will be useful in the future."

"Of course I know that you can always come up with some new inventions!"

"Okay, poet, you should also know that we are going to fight again, and officers are needed everywhere. If you can learn it quickly, let your friends in the Hussars learn it as soon as possible. We will rely on this method to transmit intelligence in the future, and at the same time we have to deal with the French!"

After listening to Solovyov's words, Davydov soon understood his purpose.

"When the time comes, the Hussars and Cossacks will be pulled out to fight the French. You are really amazing! In the past, it was said that only the artillery needed to learn mathematics well, but now you, an infantryman, have made all officers learn this knowledge."

"This is just the practical application of coding, Dania, if you think it's okay, let's do it."

"That's great. If we have to send messengers back all the time, it will be easy for the enemy to intercept intelligence."

In fact, the Russian light cavalry has always been able to act boldly in unfamiliar areas, conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations, and has long been an expert, even more handy than the Hussars' Hungarian counterparts.

Now the artillery and cavalry officers have supported this opinion.

Finally, it is Langgeron and Soloviev who are going to do the work of Marshal Kamensky.

This old marshal is not as humorous and abstract as Suvorov, and has always been more serious.

But after listening to Langgeron's explanation, although he is old, he is not confused.

"Did you really succeed in the test?"

"Yes, Mikhail Fyodorovich, at a distance of 5 versts, one of our artillery lieutenants saw the signal and responded."

"It's really interesting. This can indeed save the messengers in some places. It's just that it would be great if more complicated orders could be conveyed."

The optical signal machine is just the beginning. If there is a radio in the future that can receive signals, it will be able to send short essays on the way back like a certain battleship.

"Commander-in-chief, we can now convey some simple orders. If we are trained, we will be able to have the first batch of qualified officers to perform communication tasks in a month."

Of course, without the phone, the head of the communications department will still be fine.

In principle, Marshal Kamensky still agreed, and he could even be a hands-off boss. Langgeron and Solovyov could help him do everything, and he only needed to make the final decision.

He is not like Suvorov, whose body functions weakened before consciousness. Instead, he is in good health, his thinking and consciousness abilities slowly decline, and he even has self-awareness, so he is not confused.

Now he can endorse this matter because his youngest son mentioned this experiment to him before.

As for the French, they still use signal machines, without optical signals. They are about to enter the next era, but their efficiency is also relatively high.

There was only one small problem, that is, Napoleon's signal machine was always set up on site, unlike the optical signal machines that the Russian army had just started to use, where an officer and a soldier could carry the equipment around and even achieve real-time communication.

In 1806, even if those optical "telegraph towers" were counted, they were easy to carry and used Morse code, which was considered a black technology.

As for the order to set off, shortly after Kamensky listened to Langeron's report, Alexander's edict arrived in Jelgava.

The Russian army used Wittgenstein and Buchholden as the commanders of the two corps, and the commander-in-chief Kamensky had to lead this unit to East Prussia, on the one hand to support the Prussian army, and on the other hand to fight against the French army. It was just that when the Russian army set out, it was unknown how many troops the Prussian army had left, and even the intelligence was always in the dark. Nothing else, it was this humiliating defeat of Prussia, which led to a mess of intelligence sent from Berlin. It was even unclear whether the French would rest in place or continue to advance eastward after quickly passing Berlin.

This time, Alexander would not interfere with the command in the front. He was in Petersburg, accompanying his wife. In addition, he was also worried that Kamensky would mess things up again this time, so he ordered his second brother, Grand Duke Constantine, to lead the main force of the Guards to set off. Once Kamensky was in a bad situation on the front line, he could provide nearby support and take over the command of the corps.

In this way, it was considered to be fully prepared, and what he would focus on later was the affairs of the palace.

What made everyone feel relieved was that Louisa gave birth to a girl, which made Alexander feel relieved.

However, seeing such a "little meat ball", it was very cute when it was born, and Alexander could accept it. If a girl grows up, she is still worth marrying, no matter whether she marries to a big country or a small country, or marries to a noble in the country.

Speaking of which, he has slept with other people's wives, which can be regarded as a cycle.

Giving birth to a girl is also a happy event for Petersburg. After all, the royal family has a new member. If Alexander wants an heir, they are still young and it seems that they will have one if they work hard.

Of course, science is still underdeveloped, and the Russian royal family has always liked to spread feudal superstitions. They always think this is a sign of something.