Chapter 28 028 The most complaining man in France, Mr. Langgelon

Chapter 28 028 The most complaining man in France, Mr. Langgelon

Chapter 28 028 The most complaining man in France, Mr. Langgelon

Count and Countess Stroganov lived at No. 17 Nevsky Prospect, which was convenient for work and raising children. In St. Petersburg and Moscow of this era, there were no traffic jams, which were a bit abstract and postmodern in 1797. Pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages and horse-patrolled guards were the mainstream on the street, and there were private and public transportation systems.

The city of St. Petersburg was actually a new city built by Peter the Great after he drove away the Swedish "lumberjacks". It has a relatively short history, but because of this, the city has accumulated fewer problems throughout history. Many places were rebuilt after the fire in 1736. Coupled with the expansion of the city and the increasing planning of palaces, houses and various buildings, the city was still very trendy in this era.

In particular, many buildings from the Empress' period still have typical Rococo style, and Solovyov himself also likes this style of architecture.

Today, he saw Madame Lebrun walking along the causeway in the street.

"Bon après-midi, madame." (Good afternoon, madam)

"Bonjour, Capitaine." (Good afternoon, Captain)

In fact, Solovyov was also curious about why Mrs. Lebrun and Julie were so friendly to him. This was different from the situation between ordinary customers and partners. Moreover, every time they met, they were at her customers' homes, and it was not convenient to talk. Now there were not many people here, and even the patrolling police were far away. In this environment, he decided to raise this question.

"Madame, I think that apart from that incident, with all due respect to you and Julie, you seem to treat me differently from ordinary customers or partners." (Madam, I think that apart from that incident, with all due respect to you and Julie, you seem to treat me differently from ordinary customers or partners.)
To this, the lady responded with a polite smile: "Captain, you look a bit like my brother. Just like he looked when he was sixteen. You are also sixteen years old this year, right?" (Captain, you look a bit like my brother. Just like he looked when he was sixteen. You are also sixteen years old this year, right?)
The reason is so simple. No wonder Julie sometimes writes to him from a perspective of asking for help. It turns out that she is really like the child's uncle. The pun is "老叔老救". However, in St. Petersburg, she has no chance to show the profoundness of the Chinese language.

However, in terms of age, Julie is actually one year older than Solovyov. But whether Solovyov was hit by a flower pot or not, he is indeed handsome, mature beyond his years, and has a bit of the liveliness and playfulness of a young man, otherwise he would not be a young man.

It's no wonder that the noble young masters and young ladies in St. Petersburg now generally behave precociously, not to mention the girl at No. 7 Million Street who is communicating with a cavalry officer. She is very cunning and in terms of emotional issues, she is no different from Julie, who is a bourgeois commoner. She is just a little more cunning than simple and childish.

The countess was very proud of having hooked up with a handsome cavalry officer, whose wealth and status were similar to hers. This match was made through free love, and if it could work out, she didn't want to trouble the emperor to choose another one for her. Not everyone is like Marshal Suvorov's daughter. After marrying Count Zubov's family, the empress's favorite family respected this lady very much, but when discussing something, they were afraid that she would tell her dear father directly in a letter, which would expose everything, no matter if it was gossip or something else.

Although Solovyov was a little young, he was very polite to everyone. That was how he was. The superiors felt comfortable meeting him. Ladies, even when he later went to No. 3 Million Street for duty, the "old witch" did not cause him any trouble except for her harsh words.

Madame Le Brun came to the causeway just to relax. After all, her daughter might really have a blind date in a while. The young painter was coming from Rome for a visiting trip. The French were not very welcome outside of Italy at the moment, but there was no obstacle for them to come to Russia.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many French officers in the Russian army. It was a common practice for foreigners to serve in the Russian army. Even the duel was introduced from Western Europe. The local people were simple and had never thought of solving the problem in this way. In the past, everyone from the lord to the serf used the law to solve the problem.

Then, Solovyov saw a French officer whose clothes were obviously different from those of the Russians. He complained in his heart that this French general was still wearing clothes from before 1789, as if he wanted everyone to know that he was from France.

In comparison, Madame Le Brun and Julie, who always wore beautiful straw hats, were not so conspicuous. After all, there were many ladies who were dressed gorgeously, and the fashion that came from France could be boasted among the women in St. Petersburg for a while.

Men, however, are not used to such dressing.

This gentleman was only 34 years old, but he was already a general. His promotion speed in Russia was no slower than in France. He even had many opportunities to receive commendations because he had the opportunity to fight the Turks and volunteered to go to Austria, where he participated in the battle between the Austrian army and the French Republican army.

This gentleman was the Count Langgelon, the magical troll who served in Russia for decades and complained about all kinds of Russian masters in his notes and autobiography.

Now he is in St. Petersburg. Because of the rotation system of the military meeting, he was asked to come here from the Ufa Musketeer Regiment stationed in Little Russia. He has nothing to do today, so he is walking on the streets of St. Petersburg on Nevsky Avenue without even an adjutant.

What a maverick. Solovyov was too close to him and therefore could not avoid him. According to military regulations, he should have saluted his superior.

"Hello, General."

"Are you a captain in the Pavlovsky Regiment? You look like a girl at your age, and you are quite pretty!"

This guy speaks Russian with a French accent, but the amazing thing is that people can still understand him.

It's no wonder. In Russia, if an officer cannot command Russian soldiers in Russian, he is indeed a bad officer. He has always been a big hater. He criticizes everything and everything, including Lavoisier's discovery of oxygen. He even respects Marshal Suvorov. Even the old marshal's old rival, Marshal Kamensky, while praising him as a famous general, could not help but complain about this "cannibal". However, his notes have not been published yet, and I don't know what he usually complains about.

As for Solovyov, one can directly comment that the captain is as handsome as a girl.

Of course, the captain was too young and did find some flaws.

"General, you shouldn't judge a person based on his appearance."

"Oh? You do arouse my interest. Since you are from the Pavlovsky Regiment, you must have some skills. It's a pity, Your Majesty. Hasn't your regiment commander been appointed yet?"

"Never. My situation is even more strange. I am the captain of the newly formed Hunter Company, but I don't have a single Hunter."

"So you are the 'little inventor'?"

"Yes, General, I am Captain Soloviev of the Pavlovsky Grenadiers."

"It's very straightforward. If all Russian officers were as smart as you, coupled with those tenacious soldiers, they would be able to get through even if there is no road."

It seems that he must have chatted with Suvorov in the past. After all, the old marshal had high praise for his country's soldiers.

Otherwise, he would not be able to translate this sentence from Russian to Russian and express it in another form.

Of course, he had a strange accent and he himself was not aware of it until Pushkin visited him, when he wrote it down for the first time.

After all, it is quite rare to hear people understand Russian with such a strange accent.

"And you, Captain, what are you laughing at?"

"What you said does make sense, but I also have to say that you haven't introduced yourself yet!"

"Ahem, I was just so curious about you that I forgot to explain who I am."

"I can't just call you General. You look like a Frenchman. I can't call you 'General Bonaparte'. He is very famous here!" "Please don't compare me with that islander. I am General Alexandre Louis Andre de Langeron, the commander of the Ufa Musketeers."

"But you don't address me in the Russian way, General."

"What a clever kid, you are quite clever!"

Langgeron likes to criticize people, but when the little devil criticizes him, he shows his magnanimity as a superior and does not cause trouble for Solovyov.

"General, I used to be an adjutant. My father was also an adjutant before he retired."

"So, this is a family craft?"

"You can also say that!"

After all, Mr. Langgeron is a foreigner, and he is not in charge of nobility certification. He doesn't know that this is an ancestral skill of the Solovyov family. He has to be smart in his work, otherwise it will be difficult to survive in such a circle.

"Well, Captain, it is fate that we meet here today. I would like to have a chat with you and hear what the young people in Petersburg think. For example, about the new gun you presented to the Emperor."

"This is a secret. Although there are rumors, it still needs to be kept secret from unrelated people."

After hearing this, Lang Jielong did not start complaining. He was a man with a sharp tongue. He had seen too many boastful officers in the past. Here he actually met a little brat with a lock on his mouth, so he just choked back.

"Anyway, it's all the same thing as the chasseurs. The most important thing is to shoot accurately, not to shoot quickly! Those Prussians spend all day practicing with rifles, cleaning rods and inserting gun barrels. They don't practice shooting or bayonet fighting. Sooner or later, they will be punished! Poor King Frederick the Great, he has been gone for only eleven years, and the Prussians have become like this. You won't see such a bad scene in any other country in Europe!"

This guy was also complaining about the current Prussian army, and he seemed a little contemptuous.

"So, General, what about other countries?"

The two of them turned from Nevsky Avenue to the Green Bridge and started chatting as they walked.

"Which country are you asking about?"

"I want to have some common sense. What if I become an adjutant or have the opportunity to become the 'first major' in the future?"

"Well, there is still some ambition. What I want to say is that the Austrian soldiers are good soldiers. The Hussars and Hungarian soldiers are all good."

"But these are all Hungarian specialties, right?"

"Yes, the Austrian army's combat effectiveness needs suitable generals to be brought into play. These old men may have been heroes in their time, but they have not mastered the 'divide and conquer' strategy. No wonder they were defeated one by one."

"Are you referring to the Italian campaign of 1796-1797?"

"Even if the battle reports of both sides concealed the figures of losses or exaggerated the number of enemies annihilated, it can be seen that Bonaparte's army moved very quickly, which is why he always gained the upper hand. This guy is really good at it. I have a lot of experience in marching, but I am not sure I can run as fast as he does!"

"I'm afraid the French have adopted some special methods, such as sending the baggage train to the front."

"Cough cough."

"I'm sorry, General, I forgot that you are also French. But our superiors here have an old saying that foreign officers are only here to serve, but for Russians, this is our home and we will always be here."

"Oh, don't worry. I won't be like those Germans who work here for a few years and then go home."

What he said was indeed true. Many of the French officers who had fled to Russia had stayed in Russia, and from the perspective of professionalism, his seven years of service were much better than those of some less intelligent Russian generals.

After all, what these French officers brought with them were some of the summaries of the French on military science over the years, especially General Vauban's methods of attacking and defending cities. Although the Russian army had known about them in the past, except for a few commanders, they were all fighting stupid battles. Their arrival helped to fill in a lot of gaps.

At the same time, newly built fortresses and various fortresses in the western border areas were also expanded and strengthened.

Langgeron kept talking incessantly. He was always known for his wit, humor and sarcastic comments. He described the British army as "idiots", which was no wonder. He was a Frenchman, and even if he changed his nationality, he could not avoid this point.

As for his evaluation of the armies of various countries, apart from his high praise for the French military system, Russian soldiers and some generals, the rest of his complaints were brilliant.

"I think it's wonderful that you can express your evaluation of the armies of various countries in such a civilized manner, just like a letter from a Zaporizhia Cossack to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. I have learned a lot from you."

"Ah, really, Captain, you mean it, and it doesn't sound like a compliment."

"Indeed, General."

"I really hope that those officers under my command who only know how to charge with 'Ura' can be as smart as you. It's not a bad thing to use their courage in exchange for some brains."

This day was really amazing. We were still discussing art sponsorship during afternoon tea, and when it was almost time for dinner, we met this "No. 1 troll in France". Even in terms of the ability to complain, General Bonaparte was far behind him. After all, this guy had a very rich vocabulary, while the general from Corsica mainly expressed abstractions.

General Langeron even said that he had been in Petersburg this month and would come out to chat more if there was a chance.

Well, this guy who loves to complain but has a good heart is still a good person to ask for advice.

(End of this chapter)