Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 517 029 Solovyov is more accurate than Mr. Xinling

The Russian navy has remained among the top three in Europe for a long time, and in the early 19th century, it was very easy for them to obtain blueprints of some warships.

If someone sees the "Grace" like this, they will definitely think of St. Trinidad. Indeed, this ship is more or less based on other people's drawings. To say that it is a "reference" is already thicker than a bearskin. , and even many of the advanced ships from Spain and the United Kingdom have been borrowed from Russia.

At present, the Baltic Fleet can install more than 100 cannons on battleships, which is more or less the case. Even Russian spies can easily get something in Britain in this era.

For example, after the full set of high-pressure steam engine technology was attacked by James Watt, although those who held this technology did not go to the United States, many of them went to Russia. This was Count Vorontsov's contribution to the flames in the past few years. result.

It's just that advanced warships must have sailors with excellent quality and excellent command officers, so that they can exert their combat effectiveness at sea.

The admiral's flag raised on the "Grace" undoubtedly belonged to Admiral Peter Khanikov. When Solovyov and Crown came here, they each knew it well.

And Solovyov was very concerned about what Krone said to him before: "Perhaps Khanikov was a hero in the past. He once led a detachment and performed well in the Battle of Reval, but he has always lacked courage."

Krone is also very concerned about the words used by outsiders to evaluate the old Chichakov. What about the evaluation of the two old officers? Old Chichakov was always more cautious after winning a battle and would not rush to expand the results, while Khanikov, despite his strong business ability, has always been timid.

You know, the old Chichakov faced 22 battleships with 11 battleships in the Battle of Reval, and finally won the battle. Although the opponents were mostly Type 64 battleships, the comparison of the strength of the two sides is also very clear. , but also captured a battleship, and even recently been active in the Atlantic Ocean.

As for Khanikov, Solovyov talked to him several times and found out that he was indeed timid. If he was placed in the army, he would be the kind of person who would run away as soon as the war started. That is, thick oak boards and The copper-plated shell could envelop him, otherwise he might even refuse to go to sea now.

He should be more of an old sailor than a fleet commander, and he has obviously become more timid as he grows older.

"Robert, I'm actually thinking about letting you go to the Warrior, but..."

"It doesn't matter. If you're on the flagship, you can see it more clearly. And Hanikov? Do you really plan to use His Majesty's edict?"

"If we face the Swedish Navy and have three 74-gun battleships, one of them was captured by us, and one was modified from the Type 64. The remaining battleships are all entry-level Type 64 Baltic warships. We often have 100 guns. Should a battleship with the above-mentioned artillery fight a battle? If it chooses to escape in this situation, it may not be such a simple problem if it is blocked in a fjord. "

"If you weren't in the army, the navy of any country would love proactive people like you, and you would definitely be able to accomplish something great."

"How did you expect to come here from the Royal Navy?"

"I came here with the Mercury, and was directly appointed as the captain of the Baltic Fleet. If I had still stayed in the Royal Navy, maybe I would have been a first-class captain by now. It is unlikely that I will be the captain of the Baltic Fleet. Become a vice admiral here.”

You know, when Nelson died in Trafalgar, he was actually only a vice admiral. However, according to the internal rules of the Royal Navy, from rear admiral to admiral, and then to admiral of the fleet, Generally translated as Admiral of the Navy, it is actually divided into many levels based on flags and seniority.

It can be said that according to the British approach, even if a sailor like Crone, a son of a tenant farmer or a shop apprentice, becomes a trainee officer, his future prospects include retiring as a captain or rear admiral in the navy after a long life. He was very lucky - after all, although he claimed to have some meager blood relationship with some Scottish families, it was difficult to do well without a backing.

"Perhaps one day, you can also become an admiral, based on qualifications or merit."

"If that's the case, I'd rather get promoted with a glorious naval battle."

After that, while waiting for the rope ladder to be lowered, Robert Crown once again climbed onto the USS Grace battleship as skillfully as a monkey.

"Earl, don't you try? This way you can get along better with the sailors. You are young and can talk, and you always care about the soldiers. Aren't sailors and soldiers the same?"

"That's natural. I'll go up right now."

Solovyov is also very agile. He quickly climbed onto the "Grace" wearing this outfit. Now these sailors welcome his arrival.

"The master used to only speak for us sailors, but now he is really on the same side as us, he just doesn't know us."

"It doesn't matter. If the clothes are dirty, you can wash them. Don't let your hands fall down. What's more, you can wash them in the sea water and they will be clean soon."

"Well, that's fine. Before you came to us as a supervisor, I just thought you were a kind-hearted young man. Now you are a sailor, even though you are an army officer."

"Don't you have one on your ship? The Marine Corps wants to fight, doesn't it have to be the same as the Army?"

"That's true, but Earl, you haven't received training in gang warfare. Otherwise, you can really command the Marines."

As for Admiral Khanikov, the gentleman is not on board today.

After Krone boarded the ship, he skillfully walked between the cables and the mast, and also understood the situation with the sailors. He had obviously entered the state of deputy commander.

But now he also knows that he does not have any command authority, unless Alexander makes another appointment. He is a Scotsman, which will have some influence on his appointment in the navy.

In this environment, the Baltic Fleet formed such a squadron, with 9 battleships forming the core combat force. In addition, it was accompanied by frigates. It left Kronstadt and prepared to go to the Hanko Peninsula.

Now they only know that the British often operate in the western Baltic Sea. As for the specific warships, the information is not clear.

After all, although France and Russia are in alliance, the relationship has always been relatively delicate. In the middle, Denmark does not share any intelligence with Russia.

What is known now is that a squadron of the British Royal Navy has stationed itself at the Swedish base. However, its actions have been relatively scattered, dedicated to patrolling and harassing various ports and disrupting summer maritime trade in the areas around the Baltic Sea. Instead of concentrating on blocking the Gulf of Finland, the main force of the Russian fleet is still in Kronstadt.

After arriving at sea, Hanikov's behavior was indeed quite confusing. After issuing the order, he handed over all the work to his men for execution, and he took advantage of this opportunity to go to sleep.

At this time, Krone was still on the deck paying attention to the situation at sea.

He was even given a pair of silver-plated binoculars by Solovyov. Although he couldn't put it down, he just hung it around his neck.

"This thing looks good, but we old sailors are more accustomed to using a single barrel."

"But this one is much clearer. I see what appears to be a mast in the distance."

"You have good eyesight, Count. I saw it too."

As for the observation post on the mast of the "Grace", the mast in the distance was also discovered, but whether it was an enemy ship or not, we really need to observe it carefully for a while.

However, according to Krone's judgment, those who appear on the Baltic Sea during this time are most likely enemies, and if they can be seen more clearly, if there are many masts, it will be almost the same.

He is also estimating the opponent's speed so that he can issue battle orders - obviously he doesn't pay much attention to it. Now that he is the deputy commander, he also wants to command the battle as the fleet commander.

While Krone was assessing the enemy's situation, Khanikov's adjutant went to wake up the old admiral.

"Krang, what's going on? I heard the enemy was discovered?"

"Yes, if we are closer, we can see more clearly. Do you want to give an order?"

"I think we should go to Port Hanko now instead of staying here and give an order that we need to retreat?"

"Retreat, facing the Swedish and British fleets?"

"Yes, Earl, you are a soldier. Even with the emperor's edict, you should not be involved in this matter. We must ensure that the squadron reaches the Hanko Peninsula safely."

"Actually, I went to the Swedish naval base a few years ago. To be honest, their warships and sailors are far behind ours. Even if there are really British people operating here, their combined number is as much as that of the Swedish navy. How does the Battle of the Vaal compare?"

"So what?"

Now Solovyov looks at this old man. He is indeed hopeless. He can know without looking at God's perspective that the two sides are equally powerful. If they want to turn around and escape, the Russian navy is full of big ships. It is not just a matter of embarrassment. .

In fact, the combined fleet opposite at this time has 11 battleships, including the Royal Navy's "Ruthless" and "Centaur", and the rest are still dominated by the Swedish Navy.

Even if the British fleet flagship "Victory" is coming this time, considering that the "Grace" and the "Warrior" have a combined 250 guns, even apart from these two ships, 74 of the remaining 7 battleships There are not many third-class ships, and they can obviously fight hard and compete with the British.

"I think your lack of courage will bring disgrace to the military flag. You don't even consider the current direction of the wind and run away."

"An army still needs to know the direction of the wind?"

Crown was watching the argument between Solovyov and Khanikov at this time, and was a little surprised by Solovyov's approach. The other party may not know much about the navy, but in this environment, it is obvious that this Such words are still very weighty.

"A soldier should know the weather, no matter if it's the Army or the Navy."

After all, Solovyov also felt that the wind was not that noisy today. At least he could still make the sailors on the deck hear him by shouting twice.

"Brothers, I am the fleet inspector sent by the emperor, Solovyov of the army. Brothers should have seen me some time ago. My wife went home for a few days after giving birth, and now I am back with Lieutenant General Krone. This time we go to war to fight the Swedes and defeat them. For our honor, we also have the rewards and medals from our brothers. And what are the Swedes? If it hadn't been for a strong wind, they would have been wiped out in the bay more than ten years ago, instead of fighting us like this again! But now, our commander-in-chief, Peter Haniko! Husband, at this time, when the enemy's situation is unclear, he actually wants to go to Hanko Port. Do you allow this? "

"no way!"

Someone shouted, which made Hanikov angry: "Who is responding to such an disorderly rebellion?"

If you say it like this, it would indeed be a bit suicidal.

Solovyov realized the problem, but the problems he encountered were different from those encountered by Lord Xinling. After all, he was a real imperial minister and a knowledgeable supervisor in the Baltic Sea.

"So you are no longer the commander of the fleet. I am here with the emperor's edict. Do you want to come and see what it is?"

Speaking of which, Alexander recently played ball with Louisa and read a book, which made him a little addicted. He even gave Solovyov a Chasik as a "treasure sword".

Naturally, this knife cannot be used to cut people. Even twenty of them would not be enough to kill someone as old as Hanikov.

After all, Solovyov knew very well what a caterpillar was, so he just held a knife in one hand and an edict in the other, and easily dismissed Khanikov from his post and locked him in a solitary room.

To be honest, this confinement room is quite safe. After all, it is difficult for artillery shells to penetrate through several layers of wooden boards.

As for Hanikov's general's flag, it was still hanging on the top. Krone didn't care about this nonsense and immediately issued the order.

"All fleets, hoist all sails, steer to starboard, prepare for battle!"

Other ships also discovered it, and the flagship quickly sent out a signal, asking the entire fleet to engage the enemy, which instantly ignited the desire for survival among these captains.

However, when sending the signal, Solovyov also specifically warned the flag lieutenant selected by Krone, who was just a trainee officer at this time, Lazarev.

"Mishka, put this flag up too!"

Everyone is called Mikhail, and Crown also knows that this young man, the third ranked naval officer graduate, has some relationship with the count, and his ability seems to be good, but he didn't expect Solovyov to know too much.

What Lazarev hung behind the signal was the Z-shaped flag, which was all too familiar to Krone.