Chapter 11 011 The old wily General Kutuzov has the art of playing dumb

Chapter 11 011 The old wily General Kutuzov has the art of playing dumb

Chapter 11 011 The old wily General Kutuzov has the art of playing dumb
In this upper-class salon, there are still more people speaking French, but some people may feel embarrassed. Colonel Miloradović is one of them. He is from Herzegovina, so-called because his great-grandfather was from the Balkans. In fact, he was born in Poltava, in the manor that Catherine II gave to his father for his military exploits against the Ottoman Empire. He is considered a Ukrainian nobleman.

His father had a good relationship with Suvorov, Kutuzov and others, and he had studied abroad in Europe. However, he had the same embarrassing thing as Solovyov last year. He spoke German well, but his French was really terrible. It was a pity that he had been to Strasbourg. When he studied abroad, he learned French and German, arithmetic, geometry, history, architecture, law, painting, music, fencing, military science: fortifications, artillery and military history, and even studied philosophy with Kant when he was in Königsberg.

It is just that it is not clear what use what he learned during his study abroad was. Moreover, Colonel Miloradovich has always been known for his bravery and performed outstandingly in the Russo-Swedish War from 1788 to 1790, when he was only a lieutenant.

Before they met, Solovyov's impression of him was probably Lieutenant General Khalilov's "March of General Miloradovich". As for Russian history, foreigners know more about the wars. As for revolutions, people always mention the February Revolution and the October Revolution. The Decembrists are just a concept.

He was handsome and had a good family background. Although he was a descendant of the nobles brought up by Peter the Great, he was very elegant. When he returned to his country, he ordered 365 tuxedos and was envied by those playboys in social occasions. He was so popular with women in his life, from young girls who were just beginning to fall in love, wealthy women to some middle-aged ladies. After all, he was a friend of women. He always received letters from ladies, and he kept collecting them.

However, today's occasion was relatively formal. The ladies in the salon were separated according to age, group, region and familiarity. The men were mostly talking about serious matters. Even the young men found it interesting when he saw them. These guys, who still had a milky smell, were actually discussing how to do business and were making serious plans.

He had seen the two Dolgorukov boys before, but he had never seen the one with brown hair and green eyes. His uniform belonged to the Moscow Grenadiers and he should be in Dmitri Volkonsky's team. He did not pay attention to him but walked straight over and talked to several commanders of similar age.

Don't worry about it for now. The content discussed in this salon was initially just some popular "fashions" in St. Petersburg and the recent family gossip here, but then it suddenly deepened to General Bonaparte's past battles in Italy, which quickly defeated the Austrian army and forced the Austrian emperor to sign a peace treaty.

At this time, the Russian nobles did not know much about General Bonaparte himself. Perhaps the only ones who praised the speed of his march were Marshal Suvorov and his entourage who were imprisoned in their own estate in Novgorod. Emperor Paul was still emphasizing discipline, and the ladies probably only knew that this was a general from Corsica.

"Corse, où est cet endroit ?" (Corsica, where is this place?)
Someone also came to ask Miss de Riviera that Russian ladies usually don't need to know geography, and perhaps there are some beautiful clothes in Paris, which may be what they are more concerned about.

"I was born in the West Indies, in Corsica, which is also an island, but I am not a soldier. Perhaps my cousin knows, for she married a French officer when I was a child. My brother-in-law may know, but I can't remember his name. " (My hometown is in the West Indies, Corsica, which is also an island, but I am not a soldier. Perhaps my cousin knows, for she married a French officer when I was a child. My brother-in-law may know, but I can't remember his name.)
Solovyov, who was standing by, didn't know whether she was pretending to be confused. The only clues available about his stepmother were that she was born in the West Indies. His cousin was also in the West Indies and married a French officer, but no one knew who this man was. As for the marriage between the islanders' plantation owners and local nobles, it was not uncommon and was sometimes seen as a means of shelter.

Perhaps Mademoiselle de Rivery had been in Algiers for too long, but she still remembered some things, such as that she had three cousins, the oldest of whom was called Rose. Being familiar with the Berber language is always helpful in saving lives. Fortunately, she has not forgotten French, but learning Russian is somewhat difficult for her tongue. On the contrary, this may not be the case for the British.

Solovyov could also see the British ambassador to Russia appearing in this salon. The fat General Kutuzov moved slowly over to clink glasses with the Englishman, and when he heard the tongue-twisting sound of "for Britain", he was sure that the British ambassador was very familiar with Russia, but he was not sure whether he had the potential to become a Russian spy. However, it was hard to say about Count Vorontsov (Russian ambassador to Britain).

After all, Emperor Paul had just that kind of temper. These people tried to get information from the smooth-talking General Kutuzov, thinking that he was very versatile, but he kept pretending to be confused and seemed unwilling to get involved in some things.

Among the generals trained by Suvorov, few of them had any connection with the conspiracy group. Even the marshal himself was just a complainer. Of course, he really opposed Tsar Paul's approach. After all, since he was a regimental commander, the Prussians had always been defeated. Even the Russian generals at that time were always able to break up an army during the march, and many times they were unable to effectively mobilize the troops into place. However, the Prussian army, which was able to move at a rapid speed, was often defeated by them. Moreover, King Frederick the Great praised the Russian soldiers. By the time of Guderian, everyone remembered it very clearly.

Kutuzov just hummed and hawed in response to what the British diplomat said, but he glanced at another female companion of Countess Saltykov, and didn't care much about what the British said.

He also deliberately pretended to be confused and answered in Russian to waste the British diplomat's time: "Yes, your idea is very good, I think we can continue to exchange ideas later."

He just laughed it off. As for the lady he was staring at, she was the famous French painter, Mrs. Le Brun. Although she was already 42 years old, she looked very pretty.
Solovyov didn't understand how Kutuzov could use one eye and that fat body to make the same expression and demeanor as Captain Jia. The old general did have many advantages, but he also had a lot of disadvantages, such as his greed for alcohol, his love of food, his lust, and his laziness. On the way here, Baron Sergei and the general met by chance on Bolshaya Moskaya Street. The other party even laughed at his long-term laziness, and now he actually went there just to get closer to Count Saltykov and take a look at the beautiful woman - the old beauty is also a beauty, right?
If you exclude his noble status and the military power he holds, he is actually an amiable old man. The Dolgorukov brothers also saw Madame Lebrun's only daughter, Julie, who has been her mother's model since she was a child. She is seventeen years old this year. After seeing her face, Prince Mikhail whistled happily.

"Oh, Bejianka, that girl is so lovely, with such rosy skin and hair like a waterfall, she is even more beautiful than the portrait of her mother."

"If you say so, it seems that you are underestimating Mrs. Le Brun's paintings."

Dolgorukov looked at Solovyov. It was obvious that the two Mikhails had a little disagreement, but it was obvious that the girl was very attractive.

"Why do you say that?"

"The little Katya who loved to put on make-up, her mother, the Countess, had a portrait painted by Madame Le Brun. I saw it in Moscow, and it was exhibited in the salon at that time."

"It seems, Mishchenka, that the other 'you' has a lot to say about this, but you told my brother that last year you couldn't even speak French well."

Prince Peter's statement was obviously a joke, and his expression was friendly and kind. He was a good person, but he was not very good at observing people's expressions. If he met an old hand, he might suffer. "It's hard to predict the world. If you speak French with a Russian accent, you will probably be laughed at by the French. Even if these masters have lost their homes, it will still be the same." (If this is a book written in Russian, it might be translated as "pidgin French")
"Now that you've got that, we're going to talk about what happened in France. What do you think of the revolution?"

Obviously, Prince Mikhail was still a passionate man, but the official Russian attitude towards the Great Revolution was always negative. However, the tutor hired by Catherine II for her grandson was a republican. Both the crown prince and the current emperor did not completely deny the revolution. Of course, as representatives of feudal monarchy, and the most backward feudal monarchy, their official attitude was firm opposition.

"Revolutions certainly have a huge impact on the world, but sometimes those who are sent to the guillotine are not only those who are considered counter-revolutionaries by the French Revolutionary Republican Government, but are actually counter-revolutionaries. They are also some of France's best figures, artists and scientists. Otherwise, Madame Lebrun would not have brought her lovely daughter to St. Petersburg. Do you know Mr. Lavoisier?"

Some people, even after leaving their original environment, cannot forget that things should be looked at from two sides. In Russia, this matter had to be said more subtly, taking into account Solovyov's own position and the era he lived in. The limitations were not only the era, but also class issues. Even Crown Prince Alexander, who was influenced by the republicans since childhood, could not say some things casually, after all, he was the crown prince of the Russian Empire.

Seeing that this boy didn't express much opinion on politics, but focused on scientists and artists, he also wrote a sentence in French on a piece of white paper. The two princes understood after reading it.

Liberté, que de crimes on commet en ton nom!
This was a famous quote by Madame Roland, the heroine of the Girondists, before she went to the guillotine. Solovyov then said this with an expression and tone that was more serious than his appearance.

"I still like order. Even if some people pursue revolution, innocent people should not be harmed. Take France as an example. If there is a real problem, the Jacobins, Girondins, and royalists can learn from the ancient Gauls and solve the problem with sword duels. It's not that duels are not allowed. There are too many times when innocent people are hurt. I think sometimes the biggest crime of Queen Marie is that she is an Austrian woman, and the role she played in Louis XVI's escape. In addition, she is the queen. She should have a proper trial to announce it to France, and post the trial results on the squares of every city in France, instead of the Jacobins doing that. In the end, Robespierre also paid the corresponding price. Sometimes, executing others seems to be a way to solve problems. Killing people, the head falls into the basket and it's over, and what's left is the flesh without a soul."

"Bravo, Misha, it seems that you have been thinking a lot about life after living in Prince Volkonsky's house for a winter."

As soon as Peter finished speaking, Prince Mikhail came next: "So, what do you think should be done?"

"Lock up all of these guys who haven't committed capital crimes. They will always be a group of 'negative examples'. Before they rot in the cells, they will always let us know why these people committed crimes, and it will also serve as a warning."

"that's it?"

"Is that really all?"

"The opinions expressed by the children here do have some of the meaning of a philosopher king."
This is a real Parisian who speaks French and still wears powder like that. Although this kind of dress had become less common in the Russian court in the late 18th century because of Tsar Paul, those who speak like this are obviously real Frenchmen.

In other words, he is a noble lord with an authentic old Parisian bed sheet flag.

Eugene François Léon de Béthune. Fortunately, he pronounced his own name. He was also the holder of a long list of titles such as Marquis de Herdinho. If he pronounced his full name, there might be some spelling errors that made Béthune become Bethune, which is only one letter different. Dr. Bethune's family was still a fur trader in Canada at the time, and they were Scottish, which had nothing to do with the French sheet master. Especially since this man, who once served as a eunuch of Emperor Joseph II, was actually an Austrian.

Considering the mutual flow between the masters, it is not a strange thing, and the approval of this master is just the same.

However, when she thought of the fact that Madame Le Brun was painting Madame du Barry's portrait during the heated exchange between the two parties in the Bastille, the mistress of Louis XV thought: "If Louis XV were still alive, this would never happen."

In other words, if the monarchy strikes hard, the scene will be just as bad, and many people obviously don't want to see rivers of blood, so the Austrian lord agreed with Solovyov's opinion.

But it is impossible to reconcile now. When it develops to the peak, the bloodiest state will definitely appear. Russia will encounter it more than a hundred years later. In fact, this is also the problem that Russia has faced since Paul.

This question was too complicated. Solovyov understood why Kutuzov always pretended to be confused. This was a practice full of life experience.

However, these people did not intend to have a heated debate. They just agreed with the statement, and the salon was coming to an end.

Of course, there was also the nosy Prince Peter Dolgorukov who tried to find out about Miss Julie Le Brun.

(End of this chapter)