Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

With the troop movements at the front, the Tsar himself also had to take action.

In fact, Solovyov did not want the Tsar to go to the front lines. Even a general like Dibich, who was capable of independent action, would be disturbed there.

It's nothing. Wittgenstein's poor performance on the front lines was due to the Tsar's influence. Not only was he mediocre, but he also had to listen to the self-important ministers in the rear giving him orders.

Although Solovyov's ability level is higher than that of Arakcheev and others, his command from the rear still interferes with the front lines.

Therefore, he also intended to take a step back at this time and suggested that Peter Volkonsky and Jomini organize a general staff.

"So what do you want to do next?"

"As Minister of War, you should actually be doing more of the work of Quartermaster General, ensuring that the front lines have sufficient supplies, that every soldier receives rations, and that our artillery has enough shells, and more."

The Solovyov who used to be so courageous, sometimes competitive, but very steady in battle was no longer the same.

Nikolai was somewhat displeased upon hearing his opinion, as he too longed to earn merit on the front lines.

Yes, the Tsar also had this need, as did Paul and Alexander when they were still alive.

But after Austerlitz, Alexander realized that his micro-management would cause problems, so he rarely intervened.

Paul only manages training and supplies from the rear, and he only comes back to do the debriefing.

Nicholas has only been Tsar for a little over a year now, and it seems he hasn't adapted to the position yet.

If Alexander Saltykov hadn't been marginalized, Solovyov would have thought that the deputy foreign minister's promotion to full-fledged position would have been enough to guide Nicholas through the process, allowing him to understand the Tsar's decisions without needing to personally intervene in many matters.

The most suitable position for a monarch is to hold great power, let his civil officials and generals do things, and then intervene appropriately to make the final decision. However, he has to do more in this regard than European monarchs.

Because Russia is relatively large, and the monarch has always held real power, even if a constitutional monarchy were established, this situation would still be inevitable.

Solovyov found it hard to believe that these young people wanted to establish a constitutional monarchy and then retire from politics after succeeding; what kind of magical operation was this?

Once they have power, there is no chance to back down, according to some young officers.

And it has also caused a lot of trouble. In fact, Nikolai also had the same problem in this regard.

He also needed to find a way to let Nikolai know the army's decision while he was at the front, without requiring him to know too much about the situation at the front.

This would give the army greater flexibility on the front lines.

Less interference is actually quite necessary.

Solovyov inadvertently revealed a lot, and Nikolai agreed with his teacher's statement.

After all, the Romanov Tsars in the past did not perform well on the battlefield. The only one with the ability to independently command troops was his second brother, who was unwilling to become Tsar.

Nikolai had only served as an adjutant in the past, training in those legions, but had never commanded an army.

Solovyov worries that Alexander, like himself, is overly energetic and overconfident, and might do something foolish.

Fortunately, he is now obedient, and Nikolai promised Solovyov that he would not interfere with the military operations at the front.

The first phase of Dibich's operations at the front had already been reported to Kiev, where the Tsar was at the Mariinsky Palace, meeting with representatives of the Kiev nobility and learning about their situation.

After General Raevsky retired, there were indeed many things to be done here.

Solovyov breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the report. After Dibych took over command of the forward troops, he quickly controlled the Danube crossing and defeated a Turkish cavalry unit that attempted to interfere with the Russian army's crossing in an encounter battle.

As for the ingenious use of machine guns, the Turks also realized it. Half of the two thousand cavalrymen, including men and horses, did not return. The fresh horse meat could be used to supply the front-line troops with horse sausages.

The only problem is that there's too much horse meat.
“That’s good, Antoine. But once the Turks retreat into their fortresses, we’ll have to wage a siege all spring and take down those three damned fortresses before autumn.”

"Then we still need artillery. Varna can be supported by the Black Sea Fleet, but sending heavy artillery to the front line is not an easy task."

After Jomini joined the Russian army, he worked in the General Staff. He often did what Clausewitz did: teaching the Grand Dukes while also being responsible for some of the General Staff’s work, especially drafting operational plans.

In reality, the current situation within the General Staff is that the Minister of War, the Chief of the General Staff, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and Jomini all have extensive experience in staff work. In addition, the Quartermaster General von Toll and his personal staff have created a situation where several brains are fighting each other.

This situation arose because the Tsar brought too many important figures with him to the front lines; thankfully, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not bring any.

Otherwise, in addition to soldiers, there would also be civil officials at the front. Solovyov even streamlined the staff, leaving some people from the court in St. Petersburg, indicating that the Empress Dowager and the Empress always needed someone to take care of them, including the Tsar's sister-in-law. The court had to maintain a certain number of people to ensure smooth operation.

Therefore, that annoying Balasov was left in St. Petersburg, and Solovyov no longer had to worry about anyone gossiping about him from the rear after he also went to the front.

After all, he and Speransky had a deep-seated grudge against Balasov, and this brother-in-law and sister-in-law combination, one a scholar and the other a warrior, was highly trusted by the Tsar.

The cabinet leaders in St. Petersburg were Neserrodie and Arakcheev, who assisted Grand Prince Mikhail, the regent, in handling various affairs.

That unfortunate fellow also had to face the group of administrative officials led by Speransky in St. Petersburg. The former Minister of Police, who had caused trouble before, had actually been reappointed for a period of time, but had now been kicked out of the core political circle of St. Petersburg.

Solovyov wasn't the type to kick someone when they're down; he simply let his political enemies return to their estates to enjoy a life of luxury and a lifetime of gardening leave.

After all, Nicholas is still very young, while many of the ministers are quite old. Their return will make room for the newcomers.

As for the newcomer, Solovyov, he couldn't help but complain about his son-in-law's untimely involvement in the Decembrists' group, which not only led to his own demotion to a soldier but also forced his daughter to suffer in the mountains of the Caucasus.

He had originally planned to have Konovnitsyn the younger as his adjutant, as his son-in-law was even more reliable than his son among the adjutants. This was because his son's abilities were something he had cultivated himself; if he didn't work hard, his skill level would suffer.

But sons-in-law can be chosen based on ability and other factors. Solovyov knew this very well. As long as the children of lovers were happy, that was enough. As for Katya's children, daughters should always marry reliable sons-in-law so that they could be carefully raised in the future.

Another good thing is that he will soon become a grandfather, and also a maternal grandfather.

But for Lisa in the Caucasus, life would probably be a bit harder.

Pasha followed her out. After all, Nastya was a princess, and if it were a child, Katya had converted the children's room in the Winter Palace and the Marble Palace, which had been vacant since Constantine went to Warsaw, into a nursery for nobles. During the day, many nobles would leave their children there.

Because of Katya's age, Solovyov knew very well that he would have many children younger than his grandchildren.

"Father, should we show this battle report to His Majesty?"

"Don't rush. If Dibich wins at the front and can capture these fortresses, he can control the main transportation routes by summer, making our advance into the mountains in the fall easier. Also, have you noticed, Pasha, that mountain advances have always been very difficult in this Bulgar territory?"

"Yes, Father."

"If we can't clear the mountain road in the fall, we'll have to spend the winter along the Danube. We also need to control Sofia, just like I did more than a decade ago. Then we'll launch another attack on Constantinople next year. War is like war in the past; we always have to consider political issues."

"As General Clausewitz said?"

"Yes, he sent me the latest manuscript. I've seen the contents, and they make a lot of sense. We should take advantage of the fact that the British are on our side to maximize our gains and play all our chips. This game won't lose us anything."

“You’ve never really liked playing cards, Father.”

"But you must remember this. Don't always play cards with those adjutants and staff officers; they like to play cards to kill time, and there are no girls here. You're getting married, and to a noble prince no less. You need to be more ambitious and take many things as your responsibility. When I was your age, I followed the Grand Marshal to establish merit in Italy, and almost got crippled by a bullet in Novi. I hope you won't forget the hardships your father endured, and I hope you can avoid making the same mistakes."

"Yes, father."

Solovyov was somewhat dissatisfied with the lack of ambition among some of the younger officers.

The officers of that era, even if they were a bunch of spoiled brats, were usually carefree, but when it came to fighting, they were fearless.

Unlike the people nowadays, there was a group of immature people trying to get involved in politics, and now there are some who spend all their time playing cards.

After all, the staff around the Tsar was not personally managed by him. Even if he gathered his subordinates from Crimea, it was still just his staff as the Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief. They could not control others, including the young officers in the army.

Some of them seemed to think that a single charge would be enough to defeat the enemy.

Solovyov has been at war for almost thirty years since 1799, and his military career is even longer, so he certainly knows what the enemy is like.

"This letter, Pasha, is to be given to the commanders of the Imperial Guard. Instruct them to reorganize their troops after arriving in Odessa and not to rush to the front lines."

"why?"

"Asking why proves you're still thinking about the problem, which means you're still my son."

Solovyov was a good father at home, and although he did not advocate corporal punishment in the army, always replacing it with labor and service, he was still strict in disciplining his troops.

He would also get angry if his son didn't think things through.

"So, what should we pay attention to?"

"Although the Turkish army is rubbish, we must not underestimate them. I caused 150,000 enemy soldiers to collapse on the banks of the Danube because they entered a death trap. If we had encountered more enemies on the plains, we might not have won so easily. In addition, all corps, divisions, brigades, and down to regiments must undergo rigorous training before reaching the front lines. This is in the context of war. Back then, we never needed to remind officers what to do; everyone did a good job. This is not an army that relies on whips to maintain discipline, and where officers are blindly arrogant."

Solovyov spoke to his son about his worries.

His worries are just like those of Suvorov and Kutuzov back then, who started complaining even before they were fifty.

"Yes."

Pasha went to relay orders to the Guards, while Nikolai had just returned from the reception.

“You didn’t attend the reception, Mikhail Sergeyevich. The nobles of Kiev are so hospitable.”

"Yes, Your Majesty. But I also have many concerns. The 3rd Army is in good condition; it is an army that I personally trained. But the Imperial Guard and the 2nd Army require special attention."

Solovyov then raised a series of questions, and after listening, Nikolai understood why his master had been nagging more since becoming Minister of War.

But he didn't say much. As the Tsar, he had to trust his ministers, especially since Solovyov was very capable.

"Please follow these methods; our army does indeed need reorganization."

"There's still some time. Our main force won't be deployed on the Danube front until summer. I believe Dibich can achieve victory, but how many roads can we open up? Should we proceed according to plan, or change our course of action? Besides, I'd also like to know the British attitude, Your Majesty. I hope the Foreign Office can bring the news sooner."

As for the initial victory at the front, Nikolai only sent a commendation to Dibich and said that the army was on its way to Bucharest.

"There should be oil fields in Bucharest, right?"

"Comparatively speaking, the oil near Ploiești is of better quality and can be used directly as a lubricant."

"If that's the case, I'd like to take a look. If we refine oil using the method you mentioned, we might be able to get better quality fuel."

Nikolai was still quite interested in oil; Carnot's theory of heat engines, and Solovyov's repeatedly emphasized internal combustion engines, represented the direction of application for a long time to come. (End of Chapter)