Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

No one had lived at No. 4 Laundry Lane for a while, and the door was even closed all the time, with only servants coming to check on them.

Every room here had to be cleaned, and in the summer, the windows were opened, which was quite effective.

These days, Solovyov moved his personal belongings from the Moika River Embankment to the old house. After all, there was a canal separating them, and there were some bridges in the middle, so it was no problem for carriages to travel back and forth.

It was just that when he was transporting them, he drove a steamboat from the Neva River, which also attracted the attention of passers-by.

But compared with the people who embezzled from the Tavrid Palace, many of the things Solovyov moved from his home were piled up materials.

He needed a carpenter to build a set of bookcases, and he also had to change the layout of the old house.

During this period, he did not live in his home on the Moika River Embankment, but went to the headquarters of the Guards.

"Your personnel relationship is still here. If you want to transfer out, you will no longer be an officer of the Guards Regiment. Especially in the Putin Regiment. Misha, don't you consider it?"

"Your Highness, I will go to Smolensk next, where I will serve as a staff officer for General Apraksin."

"Ah, the appointment has been made."

"That's right."

"My brother finally let you go, but being a staff officer in Smolensk is essentially no different from being in Petersburg. I think it would be better for you to take on a concurrent job of leading troops, such as leading an infantry regiment. Your resume and rank are just right for being a regiment commander."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"If nothing else, you risked your life to save me in the Po River, so I should help you. But I'm not sure which regiment to assign you to."

Then Constantine started writing with a feather pen, but the effect was not good.

"Damn it, this thing is always not easy to use."

"Your Highness, you actually need a good dip pen."

"What is that?"

"A steel nib, mixed with some alloy, and then add an ink tube. When I was in the United States, I heard that someone was planning to improve it according to an ancient design and invest in a patent."

"It sounds good. The feather pen is too easy to break. If it is made of metal, it will be much better. You don't have to dip it in ink again after signing."

Constantine thinks this is also more useful. When issuing orders, if you use a pencil, the handwriting is easy to be blurred, and it is more reliable to write with ink.

"Your Highness, but if all the new factories are in St. Petersburg, it is not suitable for promotion. I want to take the opportunity of returning to my hometown in Ryazan this time to visit some nobles in Moscow and ask them to invest. In addition to fountain pens, there are also canned supplies carried by the army, not only glass cans, but also iron cans."

He has already thought about it. After the cans are eaten, the cans are hung with barbed wire and placed in front of the position to prevent the opponent from attacking.

In Napoleon's era, firing squad was just one form of combat in a battle. In fact, war was still very complicated, and it was not only European countries that fought according to certain rules, but also the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire. Their way of fighting, except for some new armies, remained in the period of the Polish "Great Flood".

Solovyov did not have to swing a giant sword and chop off three heads before he could marry a wife, but the Ottoman army liked to launch sneak attacks, and it has always been like this.

"Well, you can do it. Have you told your brother about this?"

"I mentioned this to the emperor before I went to Sweden."

"Very good, you go and do it. Also, just work hard in Smolensk, you still have a bright future."

So, as the actual commander of the Guards, Constantine approved Solovyov's transfer, but the unit he was going to take over as the head of the regiment was the Selenge Musket Regiment formed in Selenginsk in Buryatia.

This regiment was reorganized after 1796. It was in two orders with the old Selenge regiment. Moreover, from Siberia to Smolensk, there were only two infantry battalions and one grenadier battalion, and the troops were relatively streamlined.

But such a team was enough for the new commander to lead, not to mention that Solovyov had temporarily led such a team in the Italian campaign.

He still had to be prepared. After all, a new regiment that had only been formed for 8 years still needed to do a lot of things.

When he saw the appointment, it was already June, and he even needed to go to Smolensk in advance to change the original plan.

In this way, he set out from St. Petersburg in advance and went to Smolensk. He had to come back before Maria's wedding in July.

After all, the prince had specifically asked him to attend the wedding, and even the invitation had been sent to his home in Laundry Lane.

Considering the friendship between these young ladies and him, he couldn't not go. Although Maria was going to marry far away in Weimar, she was still closely connected with Alexander and Queen Mother Maria.

However, after that, the leave would be approved, because he went to Moscow and Ryazan to do business, and the Tsar himself approved it. It was impossible for the regiment leader to not approve such a leave.

In addition, the regiment leader, Major General Nikolai Zubov, also knew that he was a favorite of two generations of Tsars, so this leave would still be approved.

After all, several brothers with the surname Zubov were sent back to their respective estates for house arrest.

The corps was stationed in Smolensk, which was indeed a new transfer.

This regiment may not have much to do with Soloviev when the Third Coalition War begins, but it will also experience fighting in Smolensk.

This road is the only way to Moscow from Europe.

Therefore, Soloviev will not neglect it. This place must be an important strategic center as long as someone wants to enter Moscow.

He had many opportunities to fully investigate the terrain around Smolensk when he served as a garrison staff and the head of the Selenge Regiment.

There are so many things to think about, but it still needs to be put into practice.

General Apraksin also received him warmly in Smolensk. After all, he is also a friend of Count and Count Stroganov. The general and the count are brothers-in-law and both married the daughter of the "Queen of Spades".

The term "Queen of Spades" does not exist now, but it was used by Pushkin in the future.

"Misha, you came to Smolensk just to report to me, right?"

"Yes, Stepan Stepanovich, the position of chief of staff is still the head of the commander's staff, responsible for assisting the governor-general or the corps general to handle various affairs."

"You came here to be a staff member, but His Highness Constantine also recommended you to be the commander of the Selenge Regiment, serving as a staff member and a soldier at the same time. That is, you are still young and brought up by Alexander Vasilyevich. If it were someone else, he might not be able to do two jobs well."

When Solovyov was in Italy, he often switched back and forth between several identities. He was indeed a multi-functional talent, but he needed to be stuffed into the position instead of stuffing accessories like a multi-functional infantry vehicle.

Although Admiral Apraksin himself was also born into a noble family, he was able to become a cavalry general because Suvorov had promoted him in the Crimea and Danube campaigns in the past.

The ability may not be the strongest, but there are still some skills in it.

"I think after I officially take office, I have to understand the situation around Smolensk. An important task for the military governor's staff is to understand the terrain of the defense zone. Whether it is recruiting soldiers or dispatching troops, it is still necessary to improve road facilities and supply lines along the way."

"Just do it as planned, I will support you."

General Apraksin is obviously a hands-off boss. Many cavalry generals have this problem.

But when taking action, subordinates have more freedom and can do things more flexibly.

In this way, Solovyov will go to the barracks.

He is really not at ease with the general musket regiment, even if the Selenge regiment itself has two Siberian infantry battalions in Selenginsk as its foundation.

This kind of ordinary-sized troops is not very reassuring.

And after arriving at the barracks, he did feel weird.

The stupid soldiers of this regiment are now watching their new commander arrive.

"Brothers, you can't do this. You have to wear your clothes neatly and don't wear your hats crookedly! Also, your leather boots must be polished!"

"Commander, we know what you said, but we have always been short of everything here. We haven't changed our stuff since the old camp, and our clothes are still old."

"Ah, which Siberian frozen fish is responsible for your supply? Also, according to the emperor's order, live-fire shooting training must be conducted every year. Have you practiced before?"

"Master, there is no shooting training this year."

"Are there military exercises?"

"There are, but it's just rushing forward with bayonets 'Ura'! 'Ura'! They say it's to exercise courage."

"Your previous commander was really good. When I was in the Guards, there was never such a thing."

Compared with the Guards and some well-trained troops, the spirit of the Selenge Regiment is indeed not very good.

Moreover, the leather boots issued by Moscow are of poor quality, and these soldiers all bring their own leather boots.

"Even when the former German regiment commander was still there, it wasn't that good. At that time, we had to use a cleaning rod to hit the gun barrel all day long. When the old emperor was there, the food and drink supply for the soldiers was fine, but we were all thrown to the Germans."

"Yes, sir, when the emperor comes now, we don't have to worry about becoming a German team, but our own people are not very good either."

"You are from St. Petersburg. If there is anything, you have to report it to the higher-ups, first to the regiment commander."

This is simple. If he has anything here, he can report it directly to the Governor General Apraksin. After all, he holds two positions. At present, many regiments in the Russian army are still independent units in peacetime, and will only be incorporated into the corps later.

As for the establishment of division-level units, the Russian army's divisions are larger than those of other divisions, and in fact, the troops are more abundant.

If it really comes to fighting, it will be another story.

As for the Russian army, which is still on the elite route, it can even increase in number when expanding its army, but after just a few decades, it has become a "gray animal". This problem still appears to some extent on Nicholas I.

The style of the Russian army has changed since then, that is, it has fallen behind when it should have made rapid progress.

During the Alexander period, this tendency was not so serious, and the army had undergone two reforms and still had some results, and then the artillery was strengthened.

Although the artillery is now an independent branch of the army, it will still be deployed to each regiment in the future.

Soloviev still needs to train his troops well in Smolensk. When he was in St. Petersburg, the Guards and Grenadiers were elite troops, and they had a lot of training and exercises. These troops not stationed near the capital have a different set of training.

Fortunately, there is still a long time, and there is still a chance to adjust.

As for the quartermaster, Solovyov still needs to have a good chat with him.

"You are the quartermaster, what's your name?"

"Stachenko. Ivan Ivanovich, the quartermaster of this regiment, captain"

Ah, a good surname, it is very suitable for a frozen fish.

"How many soldiers are there in this regiment now, and how is the distribution of supplies?"

"Sir, it's all in the account book. I've recorded every single one, including the military pay and supplies for each soldier. Sometimes there are some deviations in the military pay. It's common to be a few kopecks or half a ruble less. Sometimes it's paper money, which is not as valuable as silver rubles. But there have always been some problems with the supplies here. Sometimes the things sent are damaged."

"Ah, I have to go back to St. Petersburg in July. During this period, I will report to the Governor-General first. In addition, when I go to St. Petersburg, I will also find a way. In short, the leather boots on the feet of the brothers must be new and durable! As for eating and dressing, these things can't be delayed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

This frozen fish is a bit smart. Although he sometimes secretly deducts a little, he has a good relationship with people. In addition, he can also get a lot of things back for these soldiers. Therefore, he is still a qualified quartermaster, at least he doesn't need to be carefully examined.

Someone is needed to do the work. The bureaucratic phenomena in Russia have existed since ancient times. This is a worldwide problem that no country is immune to.

Solovyov has other things to do, but he has to wait until he returns from Moscow to do them.

Fortunately, the regimental master system was not so strict after Alexander took the throne. The management rights of many regiments actually returned to the commanders. Copying all the Prussian army's is actually a big problem.

Based on the daily life of the Prussian army that Solovyov witnessed, even with a brave general like the "Black Duke" leading the troops, the quality of the troops' training was not high. It would be better to follow the Russians' own methods.