Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 540 052 Soloviev's waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out (Part 1)

Another reason why Soloviev was not in a hurry to march was that he was sending cavalry to scout the situation on both wings.

He had heard that Sweden was not a monolithic country, and even had plans to invade Finland. The War Department learned about the situation through a general from Sweden, and then issued instructions to the General Staff Headquarters. However, although the plans of Peter Volkonsky and Soloviev were adopted, they were not fully implemented.

The Swedish army ran so fast, which was indeed beyond the expectations of the Russian high-ranking officials. Except for Sanders, who had no threat on the flank, who won several battles, it was rare to see the Swedish army have a relatively outstanding record.

However, Soloviev always needed to rest because of the rapid march on the ice, and it was not what a qualified general should do to immediately put the troops into battle.

He also had a basis for this. When the Russian army marched to Verona, it failed to catch up with the Austrian army to fight the French army. During the subsequent march, there were more rest periods between small battles.

Moreover, this time they crossed the sea and drove 200 versts on the ice to get here.

After the hussars' reconnaissance report came back, Solovyov was very satisfied.

"It seems that the Swedish army in the north will not make any moves. We are here and they cannot easily contact Stockholm."

"Sir, what should we do?"

"Lebu, do you want to take the Selenge Regiment to get the first merit?"

"That's not the case. Even if the brothers are here, it would be unreasonable not to fight a battle."

"Don't be anxious, and don't be anxious for everyone present. We must be patient and let the Swedes act first. After we cross the ice, the soldiers must also recover their strength. And there must be a kind of determination. Although I don't appreciate the performance of the Prussians in the Seven Years' War, they are right about one thing. Russian soldiers are the most resilient. We have such good brothers. We don't fight now, and it is also to let the brothers rest for a few days. After walking such a long distance in five days, we must rest for two days. And we have no advantage in marching to Uppsala."

Especially on this road to Uppsala, many places in the middle are covered with snow. People who have suffered a loss in Sweden in winter will naturally be more careful. If you really drive on this road, it will not be so easy.

This is 20,000 people with baggage. The roads in Sweden are probably not as reliable as ice, especially with so many forests here.

So he still had some understanding of Gustav's eagerness to fight.

What was beyond his expectation was that the scouts reported that they had seen a Swedish infantry regiment appear in Tieppe and even headed north to Gavle and Sandviken.

Solovyov even thought of a way to ask the Pavlovsk Regiment to ambush on the road with its weapon advantage.

But before he mobilized the troops, the Swedes suddenly retreated south, and even the Grenadier Brigade only had time to assemble near the church in Sandviken.

He even thought that there was a problem with his information gap. He really didn't expect that Amfelt wanted to assemble troops to prevent the Kalmar Regiment from advancing too far, and then to assemble troops together.

However, it was not a problem for the Russian army to fight a battle like this. Solovyov had also seen the terrain of Gavle and Sandviken before the war.

Speaking of which, Gävle may be more important. Sandviken is an industrial city that developed in the second half of the 19th century. It just connects the narrow plains along the northern coast of Sweden with the wider forests and plains on the Stockholm side. It is a key point, which is right at the neck.

It is also due to the limitations of communication conditions in Sweden at that time that the north and the south cannot effectively respond.

Gustav was indeed very anxious and wrote to Amfelt several times, urging him to go north.

In the end, under the urging of the baron, he finally assembled an 18,000-man force to go north, including the Swedish Army's Guards Infantry and some Swedish light cavalry.

Such a force finally looks decent. Amfelt had to march more than 100 kilometers before he could reach the vicinity of Gävle.

At this time, Solovyov was already estimating the movement of the Swedish army, but he had to take the main road. When the hussars of the Elizabethgrad Regiment passed by the road along the river, they found that it was not suitable for the troops at the regiment level to march here.

Therefore, the key defense target was the main road extending from the forest. There was a small section of river in the middle, which just divided the preset battlefield into two parts.

"How about we fight the Swedes here?"

He looked back at Clausewitz, who also took down the telescope.

"If the enemy is willing, the river surface is very thick in winter. This is a battlefield that will not be divided. If they have enough people, they may have to fight a very fierce battle."

"Although the enemy's supply line is behind us, the villages along the way look very poor, which is indeed a place for us to use our skills."

"Of course, you have occupied the oldest city in Norrland, and the enemy's supply is certainly not easy to deal with."

"The church and the small town of Sandviken in the west look more like a village. We can station the Kostroma regiment here to attract the attention of the Swedes. Although the main battlefield is along the middle road, the two sides There cannot be any deployment on the side, and it is also suitable for the Kostroma Regiment to serve as a reserve force. In addition, the Pskov Regiment and the Kazan Regiment will not be used as reserve forces. "

"If you do this, you will lose two thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry."

"The battlefield is too narrow. Naturally, reserves will be deployed. Whichever side is forced to invest in reserves first, they will be almost done in this battle."

"But you still need to be fully prepared, and you can't do it according to your own ideas."

"Karl, of course I know this, but the climate here is very similar to Stockholm. We are lucky that we did not choose landing sites and garrison points further north or south."

"You just have to think about it. The final plan and the marching regulations are ultimately my business."

"That's right, how else could I get you here?"

Conveniently, Solovyov also pushed Clausewitz on the shoulder.

"Hey, you guy."

"It's nothing, Karl. Just remember one thing. We have to wait for the enemy to approach Gavle before taking action. The preset position must be within the distance from Gavle and Sandviken to the battlefield."

"It's fine here, but you said it, and action can be taken in both directions."

Solovyov just looked at the inevitable terrain and ignored a bit of what he had said before.

As for the Swedes, Amfeldt indeed did not take this coastal route.

In addition to terrain factors, the baron also believed that the only places suitable for the army to deploy were a few river valleys emerging from the forest.

This is caused by the geographical factors of Sweden itself. In addition, in the past, attacks on Sweden's mainland were always in the south, while the north was always protected by forests and various favorable terrains.

If the Russian army makes further moves, it will most likely come from this main road.

The two sides thought of it together, but Solovyov had to squat in a pit before setting off and let the troops get sufficient rest.

Another big advantage is probably that the port of Gavle also stores a large amount of food.

Solovyov did not requisition directly, but used a check from a bank in Petersburg to purchase it. When exchanging it, it was silver rubles. Moreover, after the war, the Russian bank must open to Stockholm to facilitate the Russians here. Doing business also makes it easier to cash those checks written along the way.

The reason for this is simple. Solovyov believes that Sweden is still a country with serious internal strife. Although the special system of the Four-Level Conference allows farmers to have certain rights, the rigidity of the operation of the national system has also This leads to a serious sense of direct division between various classes.

Speaking of which, if it weren't for the fact that Russian aristocrats are now so flirtatious with foreigners, the boyar gentlemen in the past would have been more willing to take on civilian lawsuits in the litigation courts.

It was only from the late Rurik Dynasty that the serfdom system of dual relationships of personal dependence and protection turned into serf trading, and even free people became serfs in large numbers, leaving only personal dependence and exploitation.

Is this the master here?

It would be best if we could win the support of farmers.

Therefore, he asked the Russian soldiers not to loot, and even the officers to uniformly manage the expropriation issue. Such checks must be issued according to the specified amount, even if it is lower than the price.

He had no idea what the result would be if he continued to execute it.

However, judging from the fact that Gavle confiscated the frozen fish in the warehouse and the excess grain reserves, it seems that the other party is still satisfied with the price.

Back in Gavle, Solovyov actually ran to the Selenga regiment and looked at Statsenko, the officer in charge of logistics.

This guy is still working as a logistics officer, and he really hasn't made much progress, but his level as a profiteer is still good.

"Your Excellency General, at least according to the exchange rate of the Swedish krona before the war, the other party will be satisfied even if we give paper rubles."

"Really?"

"Even the locals said that if Sweden's own army, their stupid ass army, would collect money, sometimes they would not pay at all."

"That's great. It looks like we're on to something."

"It's just, Your Excellency, this is a loss of money."

"It doesn't matter if you lose a little. We want the Swedes to know that this war was initiated by their king and upper-class nobles. Our emperor only passively responded to the war. We also need to let them see that the Russian army does not fight every time it goes out. The army led by Mikhail Solovyov is one of the most disciplined in Europe!"

"Sir, what about housing?"

"What should I do? If you expropriate the houses of civilians, should you pay? You can still afford a few rents, right?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Solovyov left with satisfaction. It seems that the hostility of the civilians here in Gavle towards the Russian army is not that serious.

As for the movements of the Swedish army, he continued to pay attention to the issue of preset battlefields. Clausewitz also continued to survey the terrain and found that the places to the south were frozen swamps and wetlands, which were not suitable for military operations, even for Sweden. For people, it is very uncomfortable to stop there during the march.

They would still drive north and get through these areas as quickly as possible.

Sweden is such a big place. Due to latitude and terrain, the population north of Uppsala is mainly dense in the coastal areas, but it is also the standard of this area. If it is placed in Europe, it is not good enough.

In Sweden, Solovyov is also glad that in addition to the necessary supplies, he has opened a transportation line on the ice, which should have been protected by Kunev and Platov's cavalry at this time.

If he wants to fight a battle, he needs two outstanding cavalry generals to cover him, which can also show the importance of this operation.

Of course, it also requires the enemy to take over well.

After four days of marching, Amfelt passed through these river valleys. There were forests on both sides, which was not convenient for large-scale operations of the troops. His people also lost personnel due to bad weather along the way, and many people were frostbitten on the road.

Some Swedish guards even thought it was a tough job, and it was better not to.

There have always been people in Stockholm who want to overthrow the king, especially some middle and senior officers in the guards. Unfortunately, when they were planning, Gustav IV received a report that Gävle was attacked by the Russian army, so he mobilized the Kalmar Regiment and Baron Amfelt, and also took away two guards infantry regiments.

If they want to overthrow the king, they must have a chance to go back.

After passing through a series of swamps, they are finally in the sight of the Russian observation post.

In order to catch the opponent, the Russian army gave up the Overhard area. The intersection in the south is not suitable for retreat because of the narrow forest.

If the Swedish army comes, they are exhausted and will most likely choose to camp here or in Tavern on the back.

At this time, it is very suitable to start a battle. It is not to annihilate the enemy, but to launch a direct attack when the enemy has just arrived and has not yet established a firm foothold.

In short, this time, the Russian army was well rested and the morale was high after resting, and the fatigue of marching on the sea ice for several days gradually dissipated.

Under such circumstances, it was indeed suitable to launch an attack.

Solovyov looked at the situation of the Swedes and made deployments, but the original plan to place a regiment in Sandviken was cancelled, because there was a river blocking the main battlefield, and the road was also narrow.

"Change to a full-scale attack?"

"Yes, in such a situation, how can we not use all our strength?"