Chapter 53 003 Marshal Suvorov's Inspectorate

Chapter 53 003 Marshal Suvorov's Inspectorate

The Jager Company had already set out and was waiting for the arrival of Marshal Suvorov at the barracks of the former "Gatchina Corps" near Gatchina.

The equipment and supplies of this unit are somewhat different from those of other units, especially the issue of new rifles. The chasseur companies of the various musket regiments do not have this problem, and even the Guards Chasseur Battalion does not have this kind of problem.

Their ammunition had to be sent regularly, starting before Tula was mobilized. Anyway, it looked no different from ordinary gunpowder bags, so as long as there was no copper primer, it could be used universally.

Marshal Suvorov at Konchanskoye was actually prepared, but he still wore a shirt and waistcoat all day and stuck to the daily schedule at home, just as he had done so many years ago.

Before lunch time, he received an urgent letter from Paul, sent by his aide-de-camp Tolbukhin, and the content of the letter was very simple.

"Count Alexander Vasilyevich! Now is not the time for us to settle accounts. God will forgive the guilty. The Roman Emperor asks you to become the commander of his army and entrusts the fate of Austria and Italy to you..."

Anyway, it seemed like the two of them just didn't get along with each other, and they expressed their opinions in letters, sometimes with some sarcasm.

The old marshal quickly made preparations: "Proshka, prepare the car, we are ready to set off!"

"Master, I told you that the Emperor would never forget you."

"Yes, the emperors of the two countries have entrusted the fate of Austria and Italy to my hands."

Unlike his usual crazy appearance in front of others, Marshal Suvorov was particularly serious and earnest today.

His general entourage, apart from the groom, consisted of only his four servants and a doctor. This time he also brought Mr. Antin with him. Although he was not reinstated in the military, he could also serve as a secretary at the front.

What really worries Suvorov is that the current military reform of the Russian army has actually cut off a lot of the followers who perform staff duties, and the command center system of the entire army has huge problems.

Fortunately, they can still negotiate with the Austrians. After a war, they may need to reorganize the troops and pick up those things in the Russian army that were messed up by the Prussian army.

Lacking staff and reconnaissance, Paul's plan is more like turning Russia into a large training ground. Some of the Russian army's training measures can be retained.

In addition to these two points, there are also problems with coordination and communication within the Russian army. The exercises in Gatchina are purely for show. They are helpful in improving the coordination of the corps and can also help discover problems in daily life, so they cannot be called "showy".

When they arrived at the "Gatchina Camp", the jockeys here had already been waiting for Suvorov himself. In addition to them, there was also a team of dragoons here.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, the Jager Company of the Pavlovsky Grenadiers and the Novgorod Dragoon Regiment are at your disposal."

"Where are the senior officers of the Dragoons?"

"Your Excellency Marshal, they have already set off first, leaving only this company behind, and we are also on horseback, to serve as your guard."

"That's good, Misha. The last time you came to my place, you were on foot. This way it's like a hound on a horse, or a 'chasseur' would be more appropriate."

"If you were in France, you would have this. But please get in the carriage first. This is the carriage His Majesty has specially prepared for you. There is also a folding desk on it."

"Your Majesty is very thoughtful. Misha, please get in the car. I have something to tell you."

Solovyov dismounted and tried to get into the carriage again.

"Alexander Vasilyevich, His Majesty is in Gatchina Palace. You should go see him before you leave."

"I know that. We don't need to talk as much in a carriage as we do outside. But one thing to note is that we must act quickly. Except for going to the palace in Gatchina to see the emperor, we have no time to rest unless necessary for rest and supplies."

"Speed ​​is the key to victory. However, when we arrive in Vienna, the Austrian emperor may not completely entrust the entire army to you like our emperor did. You know, the Austrians always have their own ways."

"Since they invited us, they should listen to our opinions. After all, the command of Italy is in my hands, and the young archduke has some talent for command, but unfortunately he is too cautious."

"But Marshal, you must always be cautious on the battlefield. After all, it determines the fate of individuals, the army, and the country. You cannot gamble."

"Are all young people nowadays so cautious? Young people back then were like a pack of hungry wolves. Except for your green eyes, you don't look like a wolf. You look more like a fox."

Speaking of which, Solovyov was indeed lacking in courage and strategy, and this was also his shortcoming pointed out by Suvorov. Having military strategy but being cautious is sometimes not a good thing.

Tsar Paul's wait in Gatchina did not last too long. Both sides knew that at this moment, speed was everything.

Even the waiting area was not in the core area of ​​the palace, but in the front, where you could see the army waiting for inspection.

Suvorov saw this army. Although it was not an army going to war, but the guards who stayed in St. Petersburg, they were in good order.

If we just look at the usual training setup, Paul can be said to have armed a completely new troop with the best horses and cannons, and in terms of muskets, the chasseur company accompanying Suvorov is very good, but now the Tula Arsenal is busy switching to the production of new "Tula rifles" according to the 1796 smoothbore rifle style and the French rifles obtained, and the production order of these more troublesome chasseur guns is also shot later.

If Suvorov needed to mobilize the entire army, it seemed that only the four companies of the Guards Jager Battalion could partially meet the requirement, because one company had not yet been fully equipped with guns.

When Paul met the old marshal, he helped him up and awarded him the Diamond Necklace of the Order of Malta and the Knight of St. John of Jerusalem.

"Alexander Vasilyevich, you can come and see the Guards on the parade ground."

Then there was a walking review of the "Emperor's Guards", which is now the name of the Putin Regiment. Although Suvorov found it a bit unpleasant, he couldn't help but admire such an army, and the regiments that arrived at the front line all had warm winter clothes, shiny bayonets and brand new guns and cannons. "Your Majesty, it is God who blesses our army!"

"No, it is your responsibility to save the emperor. I entrust the Russian army going to Italy to you, Alexander Vasilyevich, the most outstanding commander in Russia. You will lead our army and be invincible on the battlefield!"

The Russian marshal knew that Paul had put aside all his prejudices and would use all his strength when facing the French.

Before setting off, he stayed at the altar of the church for a while, as if he had made the final decision and prayed to God before finally deciding to set off.

But now Suvorov didn't complain about anything. Since there was no complete staff system, he could just reorganize one.

During the four days that Solovyov had been at his estate, he had already tested the young captain's abilities. At least his reactions were quick, which could help him quickly familiarize himself with the current military organization.

Solovyov felt a lot of pressure. If it were another Russian general, he would not need to work so quickly. He would just have to get things up when needed. But Suvorov was already thinking about the route.

"Our entire strength on the southern front of Italy includes Prince Bagration's 6th Chasseur Regiment, General Rosenberg's Moscow Grenadiers, and the Pskov Musketeers, whose commander is Colonel Nesvetayev. The above three regiments and the Butyrsky Musketeers form a column, and the remaining Tula Musketeers, Miloradovich's Absheronsk Musketeers, Azov Musketeers, and Smolensk Musketeers form another column. In addition, there are the combined grenadiers battalions and the Nizovsky Musketeers."

"Well, that's a good point. Did you forget to include your company and the cavalry?"

"Yes, Alexander Vasilyevich, on the battlefield we always need to prepare reserves and deploy them to the right places. Marching and fighting are two different things. What matters at this time is to attack in concert."

"Yes, you lack experience, but you are still very organized. Sometimes I wonder if you are French."

The old marshal had indeed eaten too much bread and salt, which was why he didn't know that there could be such a thing as a "time traveler" in this place, otherwise he would have guessed it, after all, he was a real native.

"I'm not French, but according to the organization, there are two columns, and they need to be coordinated and organized at the same time. On the battlefield, the troops should be deployed to the key places. If necessary, I think we should keep abreast of the situation on the front line at all times."

"Ha, if I were five years younger, I would do exactly what you said. But not now. I am an old lion, and there will always be young lions coming here. Misha, I hope you are one of those young lions."

The old marshal still favored him, which Solovyov could feel. Even now, the initial work of organizing the troops was being done by him in the carriage.

"Come to think of it, this carriage isn't that bumpy. I think something must have been added to it."

"Perhaps it's the springs that are at work, Your Excellency Marshal. This is a new carriage ordered by the Emperor, and he's worried that you'll be bumpy on the road."

"You can get a good night's sleep this way. If you want to use a carriage, it would be better to give it to Kutuzov. He loves to enjoy it the most."

It turned out that the old marshal was indeed a little tired. He wanted to rest for a while and leave the rest of the work to Solovyov.

At this time, he could think about things like a military commander. Although he did not fully understand the Austrian army's deployment, on the Russian side, when launching a battle, when the right wing took the lead, the attack must be swift and sharp.

You need to have time to think things through and also estimate what the French do.

But the French on the opposite side certainly did not move that fast. When it came to marching speed, no one could compare to the man from Corsica.

Moreover, there are too many issues to consider, and he cannot handle them all by himself.

The convoy continued to move forward until nightfall. Although most of the roads in Russia are muddy, the road from St. Petersburg to Minsk in the south is still relatively fast.

Fortunately, Archduke Joseph, who came for a blind date, was not asked to lead the army. He is good at rear-line construction, but if a real war comes, I am afraid it will be in vain.

The known front-line commanders of the French army, apart from the unknown man at the door, are Moreau and MacDonald behind.

Moreau was a first-tier goalkeeper, and whoever won would be able to secure a place in this echelon. As for MacDonald, although this Scotsman would not defect when hearing a little song from his hometown, he was not necessarily in the first or second tier among French generals, but he was not comparable to the painters and doctors who became generals before the Siege of Toulon.

What is more worrying is that on the battlefield in southern Germany, if the French take the lead and march into Bavaria, the Allied forces may be temporarily passive.

In that direction, it depends on the performance of Archduke Karl.

At the same time, Solovyov was also considering a question, that is, what would Suvorov do when the Russian army was commanding on the front line?
If it were him, what would he do? Although he was only the captain of the Jaeger Company, he was currently doing preliminary intelligence analysis and was actually doing the work of a staff officer.

From a military perspective, in Suvorov's view, he might just be a rookie who was diligent in acquiring knowledge and it would take him a long time to comprehend, but time was indeed limited.

This war must be the old marshal's last expedition. In any case, even if he had not died of illness in 1800, he would have reached the age for complete retirement.

Not everyone can be like Radetzky, who at his old age could lead an army into battle and win. And then there was a piece of music that he could play in an exciting way by accident.

If everything goes well, they will arrive in Vienna, the capital of Austria, in mid-March, where they will be received by the Austrian Emperor and will head south to meet up with the Austrian commander, General Melas. There will always be a meeting before the war.

Before he fell asleep, he began to worry about his home, but when he closed his eyes, he was still in the Winter Palace.

One thing Solovyov regretted was that he had grabbed a handful of almonds and dried peach pits before falling asleep, and now Louisa was on his mind.

Things always develop in a more dangerous and exciting direction.

(End of this chapter)