Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Soloviev's chasseur company was better than the general infantry, because they had been on guard along the line, and when selecting soldiers and officers, the priority was archery and riding skills. After all, the things in their hands were not the old-fashioned "Queen's Fire Sticks", and they could shoot the enemy accurately on horseback.

But before entering the battlefield, the horses they used had to be handed in, after all, it was a special treatment during the march.

Soloviev himself left Suvorov's temporary command post with a few chasseurs and rushed forward to find General Rosenberg's Grenadiers, Prince Bagration's Chasseurs, and the "Father-in-law's Musketeers" - because the master of the Butyrsky Musketeers was the Prince of Baden, the father of the Crown Princess, Karl Ludwig, who was given such a nickname in the army.

That is why the commander of this regiment is actually the head of the regiment. Major General Viletsky, the head of the regiment, is in charge of this unit. He is now riding a black horse on the high ground to observe the march of the troops.

"General, this is an order from the Marshal!"

Soloviev carried a letter box on his back and took out the handwritten letter from Marshal Suvorov.

"I have read the content. We must continue the forced march to Coligiano and camp there tonight!"

"This section of the road is not short. There are at least 10 versts to go, and the soldiers have no rest, but every minute gained is a victory!"

The general's eyes are firm, and it can be seen that he is very strict in managing the army. Can his men make any jokes?

It is estimated that there is no such opportunity. Now during the march, they complain to each other and become "complaining soldiers" during the march. That's about it.

Further ahead was the marching column of the Moscow Grenadiers. Solovyov could see their iconic bishop hats from a distance, and some officers were marching with the soldiers.

"Look, our old commander's 'little adjutant' is back!"

"Hey! He's riding a white horse, and he's getting more handsome!"

Some people whistled along. Although he hadn't been in the Moscow Grenadiers for a long time, he was quite popular.

The Austrian white horse he rode was the horse that the Cossacks had captured yesterday when they were chasing the French army. It was very docile and was a common Austrian riding horse, the Noriker. There were tens of thousands of them raised around Vienna alone. This population could be said to be quite large.

"Colonel, this is the order from the Marshal, asking our regiment to march to Colignano and camp there tonight."

"I see, but the weather is not good. We are short of everything now. We are short of food, boots, blankets, and everything except the bullets in our backpacks."

"We will be given three days of rations when we get to the camp."

"Ha, the old man still has to continue marching, right? But by this time tomorrow, those who have fallen behind can catch up and have a good rest!"

Unlike Kutuzov, Suvorov's marching speed is still very fast, which may be related to his body shape and personal habits. Solovyov has never seen Kutuzov in a hurry, but when he is with Suvorov, he can deeply feel that although the old man is good to everyone, from generals to soldiers, he can take care of them, but when he uses troops, his intensity is also extraordinary.

Some people have been falling behind in the marching column, which is inevitable. There are only a handful of troops that can keep marching. From the perspective of veterans who have served for more than ten or twenty years, this kind of march is sometimes a torture.

At the same time, the best infantry in the march is Bagration's Jager Regiment. They are at the front of all the teams, and there are not many soldiers who fall behind. '

And what Suvorov can see under his nose is that the Jager Company and the Combined Grenadiers Battalion have a very high marching efficiency, and almost no one falls behind. After all, these are all selected troops before the expedition.

"Your Excellency Marshal, this is an urgent letter forwarded from Vienna."

An Austrian rider came on horseback and handed the old marshal a letter.

"Alexander Vasilyevich, what's going on?"

"It's a letter from the Emperor. He is still sending us reinforcements. Now the Guards Chasseur Battalion has joined forces with Grand Duke Constantine's troops. His Highness will arrive in a few days, and these Guards will arrive on April 20. In order to replenish these new forces, the Emperor of Austria has also requisitioned a large number of livestock and vehicles to quickly deliver the troops. Werosser, your Emperor is still very attentive!"

"Since His Majesty has invited the Marshal to command the coalition forces, naturally our country The state machinery will also be fully operational. "

"Do you understand machinery?"

"I know a little bit. After all, engineering is also a subject that a general must know. Otherwise, how can I command the siege of a fortress?"

"Yes, I don't like engineering, but I have to master it proficiently. Besieging a fortress is indeed a tough job."

Speaking of this, Suvorov remembered that when he besieged the Izmail Fortress, although it was just a few years ago, he suffered a lot at that time. He also fought with the Polish insurgents in the "Braga" district of Warsaw. Fighting in fortresses and cities has never been easy.

"But in military command, all skills must be used proficiently. Weroser, your plan is very good, but it depends on how well they can execute it, from the commander-in-chief to the generals, general officers and soldiers."

"Your Excellency, Marshal, the performance of the Russian soldiers has been outstanding."

"Yes, they are all good people. They can endure hunger and fight against the enemy even if they run out of bullets. We Russian peasants all prefer fighting to working."

"In Austria, too, being tied to a farm is a hard job, regardless of whether the farmers are free. Besides, these young people are not left behind."

"That's because the Jaegers have been training for the past year, and these soldiers are very young. They are willing to do anything for the emperor, their commander-in-chief and their commanders."

When some soldiers from the musketeers in front who were falling behind were resting on the roadside, they had to make way for the following marching columns. This kind of march is indeed very hard. Soldiers who fall behind will be followed by horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts, and the artillery carts can help. If you switch to a baggage cart, you can sit on it for a while to catch your breath. Anyway, it is just a little extra weight for an ox cart.

After this breath has subsided, these soldiers will continue to move forward. Their goal is the same place.

After Solovyov ran all the way to Bagration's Chasseur Regiment and completed all the missions, he rode back to Suvorov.

"Your Majesty Marshal, all regiments in General Rosenberg's marching column have received orders."

"Very good, now we have to look at the situation of Miloradovich's column."

Suvorov paused here for a while, but he did not forget to encourage the soldiers to move forward.

"Children, when we arrive at Colignano, we can rest for a day, and then continue moving forward. Beyond that will be the fertile Italian plains. The people there will warmly welcome us. We have to survive these three days, only three days. Time, kids!”

"Dad, there's nothing wrong with you! When we were fighting the Turks, we all went through marches that were more difficult than this. It's you who always did your best and made sure we had enough to eat when we got to Italy!"

Who doesn't know Marshal Suvorov's famous saying? He also laughed now.

"You are a soldier of the Tula Regiment, right? It's been hard enough these days for just bread crumbs and cold water. Don't hold on any longer, they can take care of two good meals over there!"

After hearing this, the soldiers in the passing Tula regiment's marching column burst into laughter. Besides, the old marshal himself, apart from a glass of sweet wine at night, was no better than what they ate.

Everyone knows that this little old man's stomach was not very good when he was young, but his mobility is very strong. Wherever he goes, the morale of the Russian soldiers is high, even in arduous marches and dangerous battles.

This old marshal is different from other veterans who have been famous since the Queen's era. He was also with these soldiers in the most difficult times.

When his nephew Andrei came over from the Smolensk regiment, he also knew about the march of Miloradovich's column. There were also soldiers left behind. Although the road between the two armies was very gravelly, it was not easy for the soldiers. For me, it's even worse than walking on those muddy roads in my hometown.

"At this time, it's time to sing a song, Misha, can you think of any song that suits the occasion?"

If it is a time like this, it would be most appropriate to play a song called ‘Departure’! However, if he sings too much, he may not be employed as an officer in the future, but instead go to the Little Winter Palace as an accompanist for the Grand Duchess.

"King Frederick said that he would fight all over the world for him, but in the end they couldn't really defeat the Russian and Austrian armies. Let's just go to 'half the world'!" That's right. When General Melas followed Field Marshal Daun, he did not let Prussian "Old Fritz" take advantage of him too much. He was once forced to commit suicide. Field Marshal Prince Moritz, the son of an old man from Dessau, was also killed. captured.

"We have a long march."

This song is indeed very suitable for the occasion, but when the Russian soldiers below started singing it, they started to play Solitaire on their own and walked to the general march song.

However, Suvorov, like King Frederick, was holding a cane. He would not have sore hands. After all, times have changed.

After the remaining 10 versts of forced march, the day's forced march was finally over.

Even the tough Russian soldiers will inevitably complain in this kind of rapid march.

There are many people who, after walking to a certain place, see a clean spot and stand still on the side of the road.

"Damn it, just come out with our old marshal, otherwise I wouldn't have followed such a stupid path!"

"Yes, the big leather boots issued by the emperor are fine for walking on the muddy ground in my hometown, but they are no longer useful here!"

When they get together, they start to complain. Speaking of which, regardless of which country the soldiers serve, if they complain, they are indeed "complaining soldiers."

The Cossack cavalry who arrived here on horseback were quite particular. After completing their reconnaissance work, they rode back, got dry firewood in the open space, and lit a bonfire. Although the rations they ate were kept warm in their arms, this After arriving at the assembly area, it would be good to warm up by the fire.

What's worse is that apart from the military coats they wear, some people don't even have blankets. Many people are warming themselves by the fire while leaning against each other.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, would you like to prepare some hot water for the soldiers? If possible, put up the marching pot."

"That's how it should be, at least let there be heat in the stomach!"

Then, just add some salt to it, and whatever you can find to eat, whether it's meat or sauerkraut, pour it in one after another. Even the soldiers stationed here in the city have hot soup to drink. If they are lucky, they can fish meat out of the soup.

Suvorov himself only took a temporary rest at a farmhouse.

"Master, everything is ready for you. Only hay can be used to spread it, but I have cleaned it all."

"Okay, Proshka, thank you for your hard work."

Now that Suvorov is old, he has lived in places where he could not put up a tent before.

"This farmhouse is not bad, the owner keeps it very clean."

While several adjutants were discussing the place to camp tonight, Suvorov called Veloser and Solovyov over. He also wanted to provide some guidance to Verother, especially in joint operations with the Russian army.

"Your orders should be concise. Although there are heralds who understand Russian and move between the regiments, Russian officers and soldiers are still accustomed to simple orders. Don't pay attention to those military terms. Tell them that we are going to arrive. Where to go, who to fight, and formation, don’t be too precise, that’s what is taught to students in military schools.”

Apparently Suvorov also discovered some problems. The order issued by Verother was actually relatively concise among Austrian military officers, but in his opinion, there were still shortcomings.

The advantage is also very clear, that is, the orders he compiled are conveyed very quickly.

"Let's have a good sleep tonight. If it's sunny tomorrow, we'll continue on our way until the ground dries. When the road dries, brothers will have nothing to complain about. They can wear the big leather boots given by the emperor. On the way"

In fact, the old marshal knew everything. When he rode past those veterans on horseback, he actually heard what they were saying.

As for the officers on duty tonight, Solovyov was on duty in the second half of the night, and an Austrian dragoon was on duty in the first half of the night. They were all young men who came to change the guard.

In any case, this forced march really requires a day of rest. After all, there are too many people left behind.

What about French soldiers? This kind of thing, even if you stamp on it, you will be numb. If the French army were marching at such a speed, many people would still be left behind.