Chapter 64 014 Milan is faster than Berlin and Paris
Chapter 64 014 Milan is faster than Berlin and Paris
General Moreau was riding his horse on the road west of Milan. The reason why he decided to abandon this city and even did not put up effective resistance in places like Arcole was because he was worried that he would be pinned down by the Russian army in front and his retreat would be cut off by the Austrian army behind. In that case, his entire army would be wiped out.
Now it was time for him to demonstrate his true skills. He pulled several French divisions back and gave orders to Sérurier to hold off the Allied forces in their pursuit and to tie down Suvorov's rapidly advancing main force.
His battlefield judgment was correct. Sérurier's troops were now stuck in the path of pursuit by the Russian and Austrian armies. However, this deployment still required the generals serving as the rear guard to have not only execution capabilities but also a certain degree of initiative.
Sérurier's problem was that he was a general of the older generation with good execution ability, but he still lacked initiative. He wanted to buy time for Moreau, and he also expressed in the letter that his division would withstand the Russian offensive on the road and buy Moreau a day to retreat.
After reading it, Moreau thought that it was just like that, but the main force of the French army could be gathered in the direction of Genoa and Turin, so that they could one day meet up with MacDonald's troops in the southern Italian corps. At the same time, a group of troops could be recruited from France to fight against the coalition forces commanded by Suvorov.
For this idea to be realized, the earliest it would take is May, when General McDonald, who is returning north, will arrive in Tuscany. What Moreau has to do now is to wait and seize the opportunity to strike at the Allied forces.
This was his overall idea, and at the same time Suvorov did not seem to be in a hurry to enter Milan.
"Your Excellency Marshal, the city of Milan, the gem among the many cities of Italy, is right before our eyes."
Verose rode alongside Suvorov on horseback, still with a smug look on his face.
"We should go into the city now and accept the keys of the city from the mayor of Milan."
"Don't worry just yet, Franz. We have some minor work to do, and we have a parade and a grand reception to attend!"
Werosser knew that this old marshal was different from the Austrian generals and had almost no personal enjoyment. As an old marshal who already had the title of count, this made him out of tune with his contemporaries.
"What are you going to call?"
"Don't tease me, kid. I did say that I would hold a reception, meet with the celebrities of Milan, and have a military parade. This is a must!"
"Okay, then we really need to make it lively and let the enthusiastic Italian people see the appearance of the coalition forces!"
Solovyov did have some tricks at this parade. Outside the Suvorov Military City, he was organizing people to do the final processing on some display boards, on which were written the names of many corps.
Many of the corps written above are not in Italy, and are not even within the scope of the expeditionary force, but the fact that they are written in Italian proves one thing, that is, the Russian army is very powerful, and this is also a kind of bluff.
However, he knew when to stop in this regard. If there were 8 Russian infantry regiments on the front line, he would number 12 regiments. Anyway, during the military parade, the Russian soldiers in green uniforms had to be distinguished by the bishop's hat on their heads and ordinary military caps.
The "Combined Grenadier Battalion", a temporary force composed of elite troops, is naturally suitable for participating in such activities. Suvorov himself also recognizes this deceptive means and can be used for bluffing.
There are indeed French spies and some pro-French people in the city, and they will provide some intelligence to General Moreau through some channels.
Suvorov officially entered the city the next morning after the Russian vanguard had already advanced west of Milan and conducted reconnaissance of several villages and towns.
The mayor of Milan presented him with the keys of the city and said: "It is an honor for all Milanese citizens that Count Suvorov, the Austrian and Russian Field Marshal, can come to liberate our city."
"Ah, sir, it is my personal honor to be here in Milan. I have been to many places in my life, but this is my first time in Italy. It's a pity that I am already this old. If I want to go further, it all depends on whether God will give me time."
"You will receive more glory, Your Excellency Marshal."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Mayor, and thank you to the citizens of Milan. I just don't know how the preparations for the reception I sent the military envoy to request are going?"
"Although we are a little rushed, it is almost time now, in the afternoon. The French were here in the past. General Bonaparte once left a lot of good things here. You will know when you arrive at the venue."
"That young man left too quickly and did not consolidate the land he had conquered, which ultimately led to the current situation. I would like to meet him for a while."
Just as the Russian army entered Milan, General Bonaparte, who was in Syria, encountered a tough battle in Acre.
Suvorov knew that at his age, it would be difficult for him to have a head-on confrontation with the young man from Corsica, but Melas, who entered the city with him, might have a chance.
During the military parade before entering the city, many generals from both Russia and Austria stood on the stage. Then at 3 pm, the Russian army officially began the parade.
However, there were no speeches or anything. These "selected" soldiers just marched through the street in a line. When they passed the rostrum, there would be a white wooden sign next to them with the name of each regiment written on it.
As for the spelling, Solovyov asked an Italian officer in the Austrian army to check it and confirmed that there was no problem before releasing him.
The French spy in the crowd saw this and wrote it down.
"The Russian troops that arrived in Italy included at least 20 infantry regiments and a greater number of cavalry regiments, including a large number of main forces, and even a large number of troops were mobilized from St. Petersburg."
This information was intended for Moro to interfere with his command, but it cannot be used as a conventional means. After all, a general who is a little more careful should be able to find the flaws before he falls into the trap.
However, Moro was retreating at the time. Even if he received the intelligence, it was still a question whether he could respond correctly under pressure.
That is a problem that the French need to worry about. Now that the coalition generals have entered Milan, local dignitaries have come out to entertain them, including representatives of local nobles and wealthy businessmen, as well as their families.
"Mr. Marshal, you must try the red wine and champagne, which are our specialties here." "Thank you, but as you can see, I have always been moderate in my diet. You can ask all the generals to try it. Of course, you still have to have a glass of champagne. This occasion is also quite special. Mr. Mayor, then please start?"
The mayor's attire was a bit funny, with a ribbon and medal on, and no one knew which official had given them to him.
After he raised his glass, he said to everyone present: "I propose a toast to the liberators of Milan, Marshal Suvorov, General Melas, and the Russian and Austrian generals, to wish victory in advance, and may God bless everyone's health."
"Mr. Mayor, thank you, and cheers to the citizens of Milan and our officers and soldiers who fought bravely!"
As an elderly man, Suvorov had a limited alcohol tolerance, so he just drank a glass, ate something simple, and then left.
The next stage was the reception, which he was unwilling to participate in. However, General Melas and a group of Austrian veterans liked this occasion, as these Austrians loved dancing.
Of course, on the dance floor, these old men usually dance with middle-aged and elderly women. Some of the old comrades were more romantic when they were young, and now they are also idols of middle-aged and elderly women.
As for the young officers, there would naturally be local girls flirting with them, or they would take the initiative to invite them.
General Miloradovich, speaking his pidgin French, quickly invited a silk merchant's daughter to the dance floor. It must be said that he was really popular with women, and he was popular with all women.
And Prince Bagration was looking at himself in the mirror beside Solovyov.
"Your Highness, you should go there too."
"Misha, I think about my image."
"It doesn't matter. There are always people who like warriors, and not everyone looks at appearance."
That being said, Bagration came to the field with a serious face, because he was dressed in a neat military uniform, with medals and awards on his chest, and he looked like an "Othello".
There were indeed many people who were willing to dance with him. After all, his title was Prince of Georgia. He came from a glorious family with a long history of more than 1,500 years. He was also a staunch warrior. With this identity, it was easy for him to invite a dance partner.
Then there were these young officers. When Solovyov was in St. Petersburg, he did not often attend balls and rarely appeared in salons, but he had no problem dancing, as he still needed to deal with such situations in social occasions.
However, when making invitations, he always prefers the one he likes based on his appearance. After living in the Winter Palace for a long time, his taste has become more sophisticated.
Of course, Italian girls are still very attractive. Solovyov likes the facial features and slim figures of southern European girls.
When he was in St. Petersburg, he privately complained that Countess Skafronskaya was a "little fairy", but the girl's face was a little round, and her hand felt chubby, probably because she was still growing. She was cute, but she always wanted to seduce people, which was always unacceptable, so although he often went to No. 7 Million Street, he still kept a polite distance.
At this kind of ball, he would probably not have many opportunities to meet these Italian girls in the future. This was just a ball, and he would have to return to Russia in the future. Unless he went abroad to fight again or was sent abroad as a diplomat, it would be difficult for him to have the opportunity to appear in Italy.
The Russian army will not appear here, so it doesn't seem to be dangerous.
So he plucked up his courage and invited a pretty girl.
"Dear young lady, I would like to invite you to dance a waltz."
"Of course, like those Austrians, what should you call them?"
"Mikhail Solovyov, everyone close to me calls me Misha, what should I call you?"
"You can call me Silvia. My family has lived in Milan for generations."
It is true that the other party accepted the invitation, but Solovyov noticed a coat of arms, which showed that this girl must be from a prominent family!
The pattern of a snake-like dragon head devouring a person makes people feel alert. It is completely inconsistent with the girl's innocent smile and bright light brown eyes.
"You've noticed that I'm from the Visconti family, my last name is Di Cassano Magnago, and I'm a descendant of Carlo Urbano. But my family isn't a noble family. My father is just a lord, and I'm his only daughter."
The girl spoke in a very relaxed tone, but her posture seemed as if she was waiting for something.
In fact, her family background is very close to that of the uncertificated barons like the Soloviev family. However, in Italy, they are descendants of the Visconti family that ruled Milan more than 300 years ago, so they are incomparable in some aspects.
But he had a good appearance and attracted many girls' attention. After all, after the young and middle-aged generals on the dance floor, the next group of young Russian and Austrian officers passed by.
Arkady was also at the ball today. Although he was young, he grew up in the palace and learned some court etiquette and social entertainment methods from his brother-in-law. Although he smelled of milk, such boys were more popular.
As for Solovyov, he felt a little cold now. After all, he defined himself as a pure soldier. Even before coming to the ball, all he thought about was how to kill people and capture prisoners efficiently on the battlefield.
Most girls, seeing this pair of green eyes, although they think they are beautiful, will always associate them with Romulus’ “milk brothers”.
But the lady of the Visconti family was not afraid at all, and she didn't know what she was planning.
Probably according to the sequence of titles, among the young people who have been ranked below, Arkady has the title of count because his marshal father has the title of count, and Solovyov's status is neither high nor low.
When dancing, the girl's steps were very light. At the same time, I have to say that Italian girls are really great for these unmarried guys! Although they are not as passionate as Spanish girls, nor as passionate as the conductor said, they are gentle and charming. If they are Russian girls, they will have to add heating measures to their balconies in the future.
(End of this chapter)