Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 76 026 Four Days of the Battle of Trebbia (Third Day)

By late at night, Russian soldiers could be heard cheering on Rosenberg's side, and some were waving torches. There were also sporadic exchanges of fire on the banks of the Trebia River.

"Those grenadiers are really brave!"

"Misha, don't worry about them. Go to bed first. I'm afraid there will be another beating when you wake up tomorrow."

Major von Byström told him to lie down and huddle under the blanket. In this weather, since it was summer, he could find a place to rest with a blanket. This would definitely not be possible in the mountainous areas of Switzerland.

After Rosenberg's grenadiers returned, the day's fighting came to an end.

The losses on both sides were great. For the French, the situation was already very bad. Many troops had suffered heavy losses in the two days of fighting. The Polish Army now only has one battalion of infantry that can still maintain its structure. Half of the infantry under each division The brigade also suffered heavy losses in strength.

This situation always occurs on the battlefield when fighting the Russian army. When the battle is at its most intense, many troops will suffer heavy losses in their organization, and each section may be the most intense section on the battlefield.

As the battle enters the third day, it will undoubtedly be more intense. For MacDonald, he has to wait for the arrival of Moreau's legion, while Suvorov, on the other hand, wants to crush the confluence of Moreau and MacDonald. Pincer plan.

Bellegarde was outside the Alexandria Fortress at this time, and he could learn about Moreau's movements. However, judging from the fact that the Austrians always reported flooding, no matter good or bad, Suvorov and Mei What kind of reports Rath can receive, and how many enemy troops there are, are all questions.

On the third day of the battle, the two sides were now separated by the Trebbia River. The French army, despite suffering heavy losses the previous day, still sent soldiers to advance from the river bed to the Russian side.

During the battles on the Trebbia River, it seemed that there was always great impatience on this side of the river.

Solovyov slept for the first half of the night and changed shifts with the Guards officers in front for the second half of the night.

With personal power, it is so insignificant on the battlefield. After he came out of his shift, he stood on the flat ground and looked at the movements of the French army on the other side. Their campfires were much smaller than on the 17th. It could actually be seen that the strength of the French army had been greatly weakened.

Under such circumstances, the coalition forces are about to face a decisive battle. At this time, for some young officers, it seems that they can feel that the time for them to make contributions is now. They must use all their abilities to achieve meritorious deeds on the battlefield.

But individually, they are very insignificant on the battlefield. Even if they are a general or even a military commander, it may only take one bullet to kill him.

Solovyov is not timid because of this. For an individual, death may only be a matter of a moment. Besides, he himself cannot say whether he has good luck or bad luck. Whether it is a duel or on the battlefield, when faced with a life and death crisis, it has already happened. Several times.

He would not choose to be insignificant. There is always a saying that makes sense. He may die at home, but he may come back alive on the battlefield.

What he has to do now is to show his abilities on the battlefield and survive at the same time.

"How about it, Misha, you changed the shift in the middle of the night and saw the performance of the French?"

"They have no intention of backing down. If this continues, there will still be a tough battle to fight today!"

"These French people, they are much more resilient than the Poles."

However, what I am talking about is that the Polish Army in Warsaw may still have little organization, which is different from the Polish Army that is now exiled around the world.

Of course, the troops now have to line up, and after the sun comes up, the soldiers also get up one after another. The battle on the first day lasted until late at night, and the small force of the Russian army crossing the river disturbed the French army for a while.

When the sun just came up, news came from the commander-in-chief that the frontline combat troops would line up at 6 o'clock in the morning to prepare for the battle.

"Damn Austrians, they need to start preparing for war now. They are not afraid of getting tired. They are not the knights of the past. They also need to wear armor!"

Some old officers who have served for a long time are now starting to curse the Austrians on the staff. They are very old, and many of them are from registered nobles in remote areas. Their promotion to major may be the end of their career, so naturally they are a little unscrupulous.

When preparing for the war, many Russian soldiers took out biscuits that had been captured by the French army, and some also had bread and cheese.

For some veterans, eating out this time is much better than eating at home.

The Russian troops were neatly arrayed here, but the speed at which orders were delivered was as fast as the entire Trebia battlefield. The people who issued the orders and received them the fastest were the Russian troops on the right wing of the coalition and the Austrian dragoons, led by Melas. The Austrian army and his reserves were all in the north. They actually received the combat order five hours after the order was issued.

The French were still very efficient at this time. They had been organized on the other side of the Trebbia River, and even the cannons had opened fire, shooting at the Russian array.

The French still tried to attack from the front of the Trebia River as they did the day before.

However, at the same time, Dombrowski's Polish Legion, which can only be called the remnants now, was allowed to attract the attention of Bagration's column, and then open an opening to launch a breakthrough operation.

However, at this time, the pebbles on the Trebbia River bed will cause huge damage to the French army after the artillery shells fall.

The Russian army did not go head-to-head like in the previous battles. Dombrowski's army was almost exhausted: the first battalion was annihilated by Russian chasseurs as an outpost and lost 4 cannons; The 2nd Battalion suffered heavy losses in yesterday's battle, and more than 200 people were captured; now only the 3rd Battalion is still intact. Even this small number of troops responsible for attack and containment tasks seems to be far from enough for the French army. .

Even if they send out a few more half-brigades for a frontal attack, after such a battle, the French army will have to consider how much losses they will suffer under the constant attacks of frontal artillery.

Compared with the previous two days, the Poles had lost their passion for revenge in the battle. Under continuous precise shooting and Russian artillery fire, these people were unable to contain Bagration after crossing the river. Ang column.

The day before, they were able to contain the Russian army and allow the French army to launch an attack from the front.

By this time, June 19, they were being driven back to the other side by bullets fired by Russian Chasseurs from behind a low fence between shrubs and farmland.

The situation of the French frontal offensive troops was not good either. The Russian artillery kept firing, just like when they retreated yesterday. The shells bloomed on the cobblestone river bed, whether the shells fell in the water or directly on the shore. , the losses caused by the French army were not small.

This time, no matter how stupid and slow the French commander was, he should have realized that their battle on the Trebbia River was already difficult to win.

The Austrian army in the north had not been fiercely engaged before. Today, Melas encountered a powerful attack by more than 10,000 opponents. However, he also placed 12 cannons on the front to bombard the French army preparing to cross the river.

The French's performance today can only be described as heroic and stupid. When the two armies faced each other across the river, their opponents lined up on the west bank of the river with similar forces and used artillery to block the ferry. In this way, they were not like the way they faced the Austrian army in the past. This kind of battle where both sides were roughly equal turned into a unilateral massacre.

The French army had to rush across the other side to cause some losses to the Russian-Austrian coalition. However, after two days of fighting, this spirit was no longer like the previous day, when they heard the artillery fire from the rear of the Austrian army, they could keep fighting impassionedly. By late night, both sides had shown great courage.

Today, after experiencing a desperate afternoon, the French began to withdraw to the other side one after another. Their losses were already huge.

The coalition forces did not choose to pursue. Today, because the two sides were fighting across the river, the French army suffered heavy losses. At the same time, the coalition forces were short of ammunition after fierce fighting and were waiting for replenishment.

This became a "boring" day. When Suvorov came to the rear of the battle line, he was very satisfied with the results of today's battle, especially when inspecting the Bagration column.

Although he looked tired due to old age and frailty, his energy was still there and he still had to summon the officers on the front line.

"Dad is really good at it. He basically didn't get off the horse for three days."

Of course, by now, he was also a little tired, so he asked his servants to spread blankets and make the ground softer.

"Well done, thank you all, well done! We gave Macdonald a profound lesson. Today is the third lesson, and we will continue to teach him tomorrow! A profound lesson for our French friends Lessons learned!”

Then he leaned on the ground. This posture was very familiar to people, that is, "XX paralysis". It was indeed very hard for an old commander who had commanded for three consecutive days. Compared with a few years ago, his vitality was much lower. It has also weakened somewhat.

"The brothers fought very well today. In Rosenberg's regiment, a captain captured a military flag. This should be given a special reward and recorded!"

The person who captured the military flag was Gryazev, but there was no one above him, and his uncle was not in the expedition, so he only received a verbal commendation from the marshal himself.

The hunters who had been squatting in the trenches for a day had no chance to perform after driving the enemy back to the other side with intensive and precise shooting today.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, I think that in addition to what is recorded, a report on this battle should also be submitted to the Emperor."

"Misha, why do you say that?"

Although Solovyov was only a junior captain, his status as aide-de-camp and guard squadron leader beside Suvorov was not lifted. In addition, he rescued Archduke Constantine in Bassignano, so he spoke beyond the limits. Several levels were raised directly in person without anyone objecting.

Even when the marshal himself said this, Konstantin was patting Solovyov on the shoulder, encouraging him to continue.

"Captain, it will be all right if you speak directly to Alexander Vasilyevich."

Anyway, even Tsar Paul, in order to show his openness, would always call his officers to show their faces to him after work, and everyone knew that the only "Frenchized" jaegers in the military reform were this guy who made guns. It doesn’t matter if you talk about it as a by-product.

"Fool" and "hero", as well as honesty and integrity, are not contradictory.

"Everyone in our army, from the marshal to the soldiers, is fighting bravely. The Emperor should also be informed that everyone who performs outstandingly on the battlefield should receive the rewards they deserve."

"Well, that makes sense, but the battle is not over yet. We must prepare to teach the French a lesson next time."

"Yes, whoever is alive can see it."

"Misha, haven't we all seen it?"

Bagration came in and made a joke, but it was not like his usual serious behavior.

Then the officers burst into laughter and continued to discuss the current military situation.

General Bellegarde sent a despatch from Alexandria, stating that Moreau's legions had assembled more than 20,000 people and were attacking him.

But this is obviously nonsense, because Moreau's troops are only 20,000 after replenishment, and some troops are left to guard communication lines and important strongholds. It is impossible to use so many people to attack the remaining Austrian troops. .

He didn't quite believe it, and some generals in the coalition were already wavering and even wanted to retreat westward.

Coincidentally, Macdonald is also like this. There are more bonfires in the military camp on the other side tonight. This method of pretending to have bonfires is not because the Scots have watched the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but it is a little trick that military commanders may use since ancient times. .

However, the number of soldier activities around the campfire dropped, and it was actually very clear to see among the Russian outposts near the Trebia River.

After considering all the military information, Suvorov thought that he should stay and continue fighting.

The Austrian troops in Melas are still relatively sufficient, and the subsequent reserves still have a certain strength. At the same time, there are also Austrian artillery and cavalry activities on the other side of the Po River. If the team is assembled, the fight can still be continued.

For the French army, this may not be the case.

But it is too early to say this now. After all, the coalition forces have consumed a lot of money, and it is not clear what MacDonald's final decision will be.

Moreau is still unable to break through Bellegarde's defense area, and it is impossible for him to bring his troops to Piacenza on a forced march. Except for the Corsican man, few French soldiers can pull the marching column. At Suvorov's speed.

Therefore, the coalition forces still need to continue preparing for another battle. However, according to the order issued by the staff this morning, Suvorov adjusted his deployment before taking a rest. After taking a full rest, he would launch an attack on the French army the next day.