Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The place Adrianople is now called Edirne by the Turks, just like many cities that originally had Greek names.

This place is strategically important, surrounded by water on three sides, controlling roads to all directions, and with its treacherous terrain, it can be described as a place of vital importance to military strategists.

"To get to Constantinople, we must pass through here, but our enemies seem to know my tactics very well and have blocked the road."

Solovyov rarely had blind confidence; he knew that the Turkish army would definitely amass a large force in an attempt to keep the Russian army away from their capital.

Therefore, he is quite careful and cautious when doing things.

After the cavalry at the front had already scouted out the Turkish army's movements, they ordered the Guards Cossacks to get closer and find out exactly what the Turkish army's situation was.

At the same time, he began to mobilize troops, bringing in follow-up forces to control the main road intersections, and also prepared to send the 8th Army to outflank the Turkish army from the flank and rear.

Marmont served as August Pasha in the Ottoman army. He had not converted to Christianity, but the Turks urgently needed a commander who could confront Russia, so they recruited him.

The Sultan trusted him, after all, Solovyov was Napoleon's nephew, and the Sultan knew that the French army was preparing to land in Greece, which is why he chose Marmont as the army commander.

Finding a commander who is familiar with both the Russian and French armies is no easy task.

When Marmont saw the situation of the Turkish army, he actually felt that the new army in his hands was only capable of fighting when encountering passing Russian troops.

Solovyov, with his detachment, was able to sweep through Sweden and Türkiye, even causing the Emperor to retreat empty-handed in Reims, and then conveniently steal Paris.

By 1815, he had led the Russian-Prussian allied forces to outmaneuver and defeat the emperor. Given his own abilities, it would have been very difficult for him to defeat the emperor.

Fortunately, they still have a numerical advantage, and they should be able to hold off the two main road junctions.

However, Solovyov, upon learning that Marmon had become Türkiye's August Pasha, was unimpressed.

“He’s trying to stop us in Adrianople, but I’m not going to let him have his way.”

"Sir, what are you planning to do?"

"His Majesty is still on his way, so we shouldn't rush things. My suggestion is that the 2nd and 3rd Western Armies should operate on the front, while the 8th Corps has already circled around to the rear. Let the Imperial Guards go, but I need to personally take command."

"Isn't this a bit risky?"

“You can do it, it’s just a pity that Dibich is preparing to cross the mountains to Thessaloniki.”

Moreover, the Turkish army was not as attentive to communications as the British and French armies.

Even though the route here is not suitable for the Russian army to advance from several directions, a coordinated attack from multiple directions can still be useful.

Solovyov wouldn't have taken such a risk if he had faced a worthy opponent.

However, he actually knew a great deal about the Turkish army through pre-war reconnaissance, years of analysis, and infiltration into the Ottoman Empire.

Marmont's command on the other side still relied on messengers and adjutants.

However, the Ottoman army had the same problem as the Russian army: the commanders and soldiers often couldn't understand each other's languages.

For this reason, Marmon also needs to issue commands that the Pasha and Bey can understand, while the Russian army uses optical signal communication, and on clear days they can often be seen using graphic signal machines.

However, these messages are usually quite brief and require a high level of skill from the communications soldier.

The biggest pity for Solovyov was the lack of a wired telegraph, otherwise his micro-management would have been easier.

His choice this time was based on the same strategy that Napoleon was unable to achieve in the Battle of Dresden.

While the majority of the main force attacked from the front, he himself led two armies, along with some Cossack and Tatar cavalry, to bypass the Ottoman army from the rear, intending to encircle and annihilate the enemy at Adrianople.

This appetite is far too great. After seeing his teacher's letter, Nikolai couldn't help but feel worried, and even considered personally intervening in Solovyov's command.

"Your Majesty, I think your worries are unnecessary."

Yomini's words put Nikolai's mind at ease.

"General Jomini, why do you say that?"

"No matter how the Sudanese army is deployed, they only have one option: to hold Adrianople to the death, thus losing their mobility. We, on the other hand, can adopt this strategy against the enemy, just like we did in the Battle of the Danube."

“How come you see?”

“Your Majesty, more than 1500 years ago, this was the site of the decisive battle between Constantine the Great and Licinius. If Marmont were on the other side in command, he would surely know this, and therefore he would have adopted a defensive posture, relying on the city. It is a pity that he is not leading the French army now, otherwise our strategy would have failed.”

"Will it fail?"

"Because the Sultan's army simply stopped there, it was difficult for us to find an opening in our frontal attack. At the time, Constantine the Great had fewer troops than Licinius, but he was able to get Licinius to ultimately choose to take the initiative and win on the battlefield."

What kind of action is this?

“Your Majesty, it’s all about the ‘mechanics’ of the battlefield. All you need is a fulcrum to maneuver the enemy. I think what Prince Solovyov is considering is cutting off the enemy’s rear and forcing them out. If we bring too many men, this strategy will be difficult to execute, and even with just the 8th Army, it won’t be easy to win. But if we send the Guards and reinforced cavalry to cut off the Turks’ retreat, that will work.”

Although Nikolai knew how to train troops and was not a military idiot, he suddenly realized the truth.

Furthermore, Jomini explained that this was the concept behind the Battle of Dresden, which Napoleon had failed to complete.

If a truly decisive battle can be waged, then victory will still be in the hands of the Russian army.

Nikolai then did not intervene, and then wrote to Solovyov, affirming his opinion and stating that Prince Volkonsky and General Jomini agreed with him.

"Since His Majesty has agreed, then reply. I am flattered that His Majesty has agreed to our plan at the front. I hope to transfer command of the front to Count Vorontsov, with General Jomini serving as Chief of Staff. We must draw the main force of the Turks to Adrianople, so that we will have the opportunity to flank and attack the enemy from the rear." Constantinople is right in front of us, and the Turkic army has suffered a crushing defeat. Only by uniting can they have a chance of victory.

After capturing Varna, the Russian navy went on to seize several ports on the western Black Sea coast. These places were Greek city-states more than two thousand years ago, and had been subordinate to Alexander's successors.

Later, it became dependent on the Thracian local government, and finally the Romans arrived in the area and brought Thrace under Roman rule.

Greg sent naval infantry down from the warships, and after taking control of the port, he sent in more troops.

The Guards, who were originally marching in central Bulgaria, moved eastward to join the 8th Army and encountered Tatar cavalry that Solovyov had recruited.

These cavalrymen can be described as an exhibition of nomadic cavalry. Most of the nomadic cavalrymen still existing in this era appeared here, except for those within the territory of the Qing Dynasty.

Solovyov himself believed that only after having enough cavalry could he launch this campaign.

He also received support from naval infantry, with naval infantry from the Black Sea Fleet and Guards naval infantry who had been on reserve in Crimea joining the battle.

Solovyov, because he desperately needed officers for this major battle, incorporated many "rebels" who had not yet had time to go to the Caucasus into his army.

They were well aware that Solovyov had done everything he could to protect them; for those who had received lenient sentences, earning merit in the war was the quickest way to restore their honor and status.

Solovyov was quite confident. He did not summon his son-in-law, partly because his daughter Lisa was pregnant, and partly because there was still a chance to fight a battle in the Persian direction in the future, which would still give him a chance to regain his status.

Military merits were first awarded to those deposed officers who were passively involved and who were not active in Senate Square, and Solovyov separately incorporated them into the grenadier unit.

While he was launching his operation, Count Mikhail Vorontsov arrived at the front. Unlike Solovyov, who had always indulged Pushkin, he wanted to use the poet to operate in his own territory in order to enhance his prestige.

However, Pushkin had a good relationship with his wife and wrote satirical poems.

Knowing that Pushkin, under Solovyov's intervention, not only became the Tsar's classmate and follower, but was also favored by the ladies in the palace, this curly-haired boy was sought after by girls wherever he went.

Vorontsov, therefore, actually had some conflicts with Solovyov.

However, Solovyov acted meticulously and was more magnanimous than Caesar at crucial moments, handing over military power to his former friend, which surprised Vorontsov to some extent.

Of course, everyone gets a share of the military merit. As long as he holds back the main force of the Turks on the front and finally annihilates the enemy, he will get a share of the credit. Moreover, if he is rewarded for his merits this time, he will be one step closer to the rank of marshal.

Because military merits are earned, the Russian army is more united than ever before, and Russian troops on several battlefields are actively cooperating with each other.

Vorontsov then ordered the main force to advance towards Adrianople. Seeing this, the Turkish army also fortified its defenses there and deployed its troops to the main road to the north.

After all, the main Russian army wouldn't come from the west like Constantine the Great.

Archduke Constantine himself refused to allow Polish troops to participate in the war, and they all remained in Poland.

Vorontsov's own offensive was not very successful. He left the grenadier corps behind and ordered the 4th and 6th Corps to attack, but the battle went very poorly.

The Turkish army's defensive fortifications still caused considerable trouble for the Russian army.

Importantly, due to transportation constraints, the Russian army could not use all its gunpowder for tunnel blasting, so they could only remain in a stalemate on the front lines.

Of course, given the current situation of the Turkish army, if they were to launch an attack, they would be defeated by the Russian army in a mobile operation.

As for Solovyov himself, he was now leading a special force of 50,000 men, cutting through the Ottoman army's supply lines between Adrianople and Constantinople.

The Imperial Guard has not yet shown their faces on the front lines in this war, and they are determined to make a name for themselves in this battle.

Solovyov even planned to rest for a day along the way, but the soldiers continued to advance.

This exceeded his expectations, just like when he first went to the battlefield. Back then, during the expedition to Italy, soldiers who had fallen behind would catch up with the troops in twos and threes. When they camped at night, it was time to gather up the fallen soldiers.

Solovyov's rapid advance resulted in him arriving at his designated position a day ahead of schedule, and he even encountered Ottoman army wagons transporting supplies to the front lines on the way.

These supplies were taken advantage of by the Tatar cavalry who had stormed out. After they dispersed the Janicheriers with gunfire, they seized the entire convoy.

In the past, Solovyov would probably have gotten angry, because that would have eliminated the element of surprise.

However, this time, if the Turkish army's main supply lines are cut off and they are unable to contact Constantinople via the nearest road, the news will spread and cause panic among the Turkish troops.

They can't go to Greece, that would only make things worse.

In this situation, they would either choose to come and open up the transportation line, or be fiercely pursued by the main Russian forces from behind.

The other option is to wait to die on the spot and be completely surrounded and annihilated by the Russian army.

His Majesty the Sultan would certainly not choose the second option, but no one on the Turkish side expected Solovyov to play this game.

They were also estimating the strength of the Russian army that would cut off their retreat. After learning that there were only two armies, many Bai lords volunteered to fight, because if they retreated with 200,000 troops, they could probably overwhelm the Russians with sheer numbers.

This way, by leaving a portion of the troops to block the Russian forces in front, they can buy three to five days of time. With the current strength of the new army, there is still hope of defeating the Russian army.

Because they had seen Solovyov use dangerous tactics before, but never in such an isolated position, waiting there for them to come and fight.

This taunt prompted Sudan himself to feel that the Russians could not be allowed to continue being so arrogant, so he dispatched a new army to lead the charge towards Solovyov's side.

At the same time, Solovyov ordered all officers and soldiers to join the operation of building fortifications.

In the past, when soldiers were physically punished, the effect of using labor instead of whips became apparent.

The temporary defensive lines and artillery positions that the Russian soldiers had constructed on the front seemed sufficient. This time, the situation was much better than in Shevardino. Even with a forced march, it would take the Turkish army a day to reach the front, giving them ample time to build their positions. (End of Chapter)