Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

During his time in Astrakhan, Solovyov also kept track of letters from Paskovich, wanting to know the latest developments in the south.

Although the news headlines were mostly about the Persians preparing for war, there might also be something like, "Why isn't the Shah panicking?"
Solovyov sometimes felt that the people writing the reports on his own side were biased.

Nicholas refused to accept the treasures of the Persian Shah.

"That's probably a characteristic of Russia. Some people who control the propaganda department will speak Persian when they're using their mouthpieces. But the spiritual Persian is Alexander the Great, and there haven't been any more Europeans like that since."

"Dad, you're going to say that again."

“Pasha, that’s exactly what I’m going to say! Ah, it would be one thing if these people just criticized our country, or even had some complaints about the Emperor, but they say Russia is backward! Then where is it advanced? I’ve been to England and seen how they suppressed the workers’ movement, and those workers were peacefully assembling! Our Emperor only cracks down on rebels, and there’s a difference.”

If Solovyov had said more, it would probably have been recorded. The Tsar liked to hear his teacher talk about exciting things, especially as a liberal figure in name only, offering sharp critiques of various figures.

Moreover, what he said made a lot of sense, and the other party often couldn't refute it.

In fact, when Solovyov saw articles written by some people, he wanted to curse these authors as big colonists.

This was in 1829, and long-distance animal husbandry was already quite advanced; they didn't even need keepers to feed them, they started on their own.

Having seen what Europeans were like, Solovyov had no expectations of the British ways. When the newspapers published the news of the executions of Ryliev and Kakhovsky, the British had already commented on it.

Solovyov said something similar to what he had said earlier: the repression in Manchester was evil and unforgivable.

As for many parts of Europe, they are filled with barbarity, and this is not limited to Russia.

Solovyov simply doesn't have the time. If he were to spend his time at home writing articles criticizing others, it would probably be quite entertaining.

"My lord, this is the latest letter."

"We're here again? That was fast!"

Solovyov opened Paskovich's letter, which clearly stated that the main force of the Russian army had already entered the border area of ​​the Caucasus Mountains. They would not easily attack without orders, but would only send out cavalry for reconnaissance.

The Persians were known for their brutality in executing any captured Russian soldiers, a characteristic consistent with the Persian army.

Moreover, villages in the border region were always on fire for various reasons, and the Shah, like the Sultan, suspected that his subjects were providing intelligence to the Russians.

Because there are still many Armenians in the border area, there are many refugees fleeing there. After learning about this situation, Paskovich asked Solovyov whether they should launch an offensive first and eliminate several key points in the border area.

In addition, Russians serving the Persian Shah, some from Tabriz and Tehran, also brought messages.

They seemed to be losing the Shah's trust, and the Russians in this "Guards Regiment" began to be marginalized, while the Poles were given important positions, which was a deliberate move by the Shah.

As a result, morale was low, and even the Poles among them were worried about the future.

Solovyov also learned of the situation at this time: Nicholas's decree was still valid, and these people would be pardoned if they returned, and even their military service in Persia would be counted.

There were no more lenient conditions than this, but Solovyov wanted something bigger; he hoped these men would defect on the battlefield or, at the right moment, switch sides to the Russian army.

Although it's somewhat opportunistic, it still works.

Solovyov did not want to linger too long in Persia, especially on the step of defeating the Shah.

He had plenty of ways to deal with his subordinates, though.

It's hard to imagine that these people could endure the oppression of the Qajar dynasty for over a hundred years, only to be overthrown by the next dynasty.

Of course, the latter one was also unpopular.

These Persian dynasties didn't impose any economic blockades; they simply exploited the people to the point of exhaustion, squeezing every last penny out of them. It's no wonder that public resentment was boiling over.

Then they resorted to religious means.

Solovyov wasn't worried about the Persian jihadists. According to the unique matchmaking mechanism in the Middle East, they would only spawn useless units and wouldn't be of any use.

Moreover, the Persians would probably be more afraid of the Russian army's new weapons.

Solovyov made considerable preparations for this expedition.

The reason he waited like this was that troops stationed in various locations needed to reach their designated positions by sea and land.

In addition, it allowed the soldiers at the front to watch the Persians run amok and build up their anger.

“Reply to General Paskovich. He can find some Azerbaijanis to carry out this plan. Our Russian soldiers are most afraid of seeing churches destroyed by the Persians and people slaughtered by the Persian army.”

"father!"

"Pasha, this is a scheme."

Solovyov was well aware that the Persians had been doing these things all along, but the Russians hadn't seen it much.

This was a method Tian Dan had used before: since the Persian army was most adept at doing brutal things, let them do it.

The brothers on the front lines will surely be filled with righteous indignation when they see Armenians being slaughtered and churches being burned.

At this time, they should also be told that Marshal Solovyov is in Astrakhan, and when he arrives at the front, he will lead everyone to destroy the Persians together with General Paskovich.

He still had confidence in the soldiers at the front. He believed that once news of his upcoming mission arrived, the officers and soldiers would likely prepare to make a name for themselves.

Since he led a division as a detachment to attack Sweden, Solovyov has rarely suffered a defeat.

This gave the soldiers a lot of confidence. Although they had often won battles against the Persians before, there were simply too many enemies.

Solovyov, given his numerous victories against the Ottoman army with fewer troops, should also achieve a brilliant victory once he arrives at the front.

What worried Solovyov even more was whether he could successfully establish effective rule in the Persian-controlled areas after heading south.

It's important to understand that the Iranian plateau, if mishandled, could become a larger version of Afghanistan.

When the news reached the front, Paskovich saw Solovyov's letter and, fearing that Solovyov might not understand the meaning of his strategy, he added a note.

Paskovic is a relatively brave player, and he has far fewer ulterior motives.

Unlike Solovyov, who was too cunning to come up with such a despicable method to motivate his soldiers.

However, the Armenians and Nestorians on the other side are not Russian subjects, unless they come to this side.

Following Solovyov's instructions, Paskovich sent men to spread the news. Then the Persians began destroying villages along the way, especially those predominantly Christian.

However, given the discipline of the Persian army, they soon began indiscriminately looting all the villages and depriving the people of their food.

So much so that when Paskovich used Solovyov's "Dark Tactics" for the first time, the effect was astonishing.

Even the local Azerbaijanis came to warn us, saying, "You Russians, hurry up and come! We can't stand the Persian Shah's army anymore. These people are even attacking their Muslim compatriots. God will punish them and send them to Hell."

Paskovich first took in the refugees who had fled there, selected guides from among them, and familiarized himself with the terrain.

As more and more Russian troops arrived at the front, Paskovich's side was ready.

Solovyov arrived at the front at this time, and he set up his headquarters near the border to facilitate his understanding of the situation.

Tatar cavalry also arrived here. In the past, the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate fought repeatedly for Azerbaijan's grasslands, and now it was Russia and the Persian Empire's turn.

Russia is indeed a successor state to the Golden Horde, since its current territory is basically within the Golden Horde's sphere of influence.

"How is the situation now?"

"The Persian army was like bandits, looting and killing everywhere; they were really creating an atmosphere of terror."

"That's good. Our cavalry will strike first in two days."

"what?"

“We need the Tatar cavalry and the Caucasian mountain people to take action first, as many villages in these areas have different beliefs from ours.”

"I see."

Solovyov had always enjoyed some prestige among the Tatars and Chechens and could restrain them from plundering, but the spoils obtained from the Persians were a different matter entirely.

Since everything now belongs to Persia, Solovyov's plan is clear: he will first attack the scattered Persians who come out to plunder, and use this method to win over the hearts and minds of the people.

At least on their way to Tabriz, they need to clear these obstacles.

Moreover, the distance is very short; the Russian army had traveled this route before and was familiar with it.

However, Solovyov had another consideration: he didn't want the Persians to escape, so he planned to lure the Persian army to stay in the area by launching a frontal cavalry raid.

He then led his main force to cut off the Persian army's retreat route to Tehran. If they were willing to flee south, the Russian army would then enter Tehran.

Solovyov had no information about the situation of the Persian garrison there at this time, due to the bloodshed at the embassy.

However, according to reports from the Russians serving in the Persian army, the Shah recently deemed them unreliable and was planning to send them to Tehran instead of keeping them on the front lines.

At this point, it was convenient for Solovyov to go with the flow and ask them to go to Tehran to act as inside agents.

Even if we fail, or if the Persians use some kind of counter-espionage scheme, we will have to strike hard in the end.

To deal with those guys who won't listen to reason, the only solution is to thicken the iron rod and smash their skull.

Solovyov sometimes resorted to these darker tactics in order to achieve a quick victory.

When the Russian army passed the front line, the Persians were surprised to find that these Russian cavalrymen who acted alone were all Tatars. As soon as the Persians gathered together, they would quickly pack up and run away.

As a result, even the Persians, whose confidence had been shattered by Paskovich in the war, regained their confidence.

They had initially thought Solovyov was formidable, but when he arrived at the front, he proved to be nothing special.

Solovyov never expected that the Persians would fall for the trick so thoroughly and even develop a strange sense of confidence.

What he was certain of was that the Russian soldiers who served the Persians had gone to Tehran, and if they encountered them on the battlefield and saw them wearing French-style uniforms, the cavalrymen only needed to pretend to be engaged in fierce fighting and fire their guns into the air along with them.

However, if the Persian army were to arrive, the Russian vanguard cavalry would have to charge straight through.

"My lord, the Persians seem to have taken the bait. They have no intention of heading to Tehran. Instead, they have formed ranks in Tabriz."

“Paskovich, let our cavalry draw them away. If the Persians become so confident, they won’t run away easily. Next, we need to cut off the roads and even drive them towards the Turkish border.”

Sudan had just been attacked, and Russian troops were still stationed in Constantinople; he was unlikely to be foolish enough to side with the Persians.

But if a local Pasha is having a mental breakdown, then we can only deal with it all at once.

Solovyov's troop deployment was consistent with his previous methods of dealing with the Turks.

Of course, after issuing the order, he also required the army to maintain discipline along the way and not to plunder at will before reaching Tehran.

Solovyov had considered the Tehran problem, but the Persian army was the other issue.

He never expected that he would lead 5 men across the border, leaving Paskovich with 3 men to hold back the Persians.

The Persian army was said to number 25.
"Sir, what should we do?"

"There are 25 Persians. Does that sound familiar?"

"Sir, you are well-read, while we are less so. Please enlighten us."

These generals were indeed fierce warriors in battle, but sometimes they were simply not well-educated. They might know more about 18th-century battles, but they probably knew more about ancient warfare from Caesar.

Alexander's expeditions are actually part of the history books.

"At Issus and at Gaugamela, the Persian King Darius III had assembled his army and strategically had suffocated Alexander the Great, but the last two battles ended in defeat, and the Persian King's authority was gone forever."

Next, these people nodded in agreement, and the drama of the Russian court also appeared in his headquarters.

"The Persians now have no strategic advantage whatsoever. We have cut off their route to Tehran, and if they are unwilling to take the mountain road south through the Kurdish-populated areas to Isfahan, only destruction awaits them."

Because of the large-scale attack on the Ottoman Empire, Solovyov was particularly confident in this strategy.

Moreover, he also prepared Roman-style military banners to boost morale.

But shouldn't the Russian eagle banner have a double-headed eagle? (End of Chapter)