Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The problem with Barclays is that it has always lacked determination. Even after changing its strategy, its actions have been relatively slow.

Napoleon had left Vitebsk and moved forward personally, determined to capture the main force of the Russian army in Smolensk. Since both armies were here, if they could be dealt a heavy blow, it would also be helpful for the subsequent peace talks.

He didn't know at this time that Alexander had blocked him this time.

Even if the French were to leave Russian territory, there would not necessarily be the peace talks outcome that Napoleon wanted.

But action must be taken on the battlefield, so Napoleon had to take the initiative.

Here he sent part of Murat's cavalry, led by Nansouty and Grouchy, to cross the newly built pontoon bridge to the Dnieper River. Their actions were very quick.

The detachment under the command of Major General Olenin, who had already arrived in Krasnoy, had just set up its positions in the city. The instructions they received were very clear: wait for Neverovsky's 27th Division and the Kharkov Dragoon Regiment to come to support and protect the flanks of the entire corps.

Barclays is still acting very cautiously, and it is impossible to gamble if it wants to fight this battle now.

He was not a gambler like Bennigsen, so after the 1st Army's operation was launched, he left some troops on the flank. If the enemy did not take any action, they could at least monitor the activities of the French army in the front and keep in touch with some detachments that had just been sent out.

Now the Russian army also had some detachments. Barclay sent Baron von Winzengorod to the north of Smolensk and took away several cavalry regiments to ensure the safety of the road to St. Petersburg and attack the enemy's flank.

This was the first detachment that was proactively organized before Davydov established a large-scale guerrilla force.

By the way, this baron has rich experience in fighting the French. He is from Hesse-Kassel and has served under Kutuzov and Archduke Karl in the past. He was seriously injured in Aspern and now has returned to the Russian army.

Besides these, the first to act were the Platov Cossacks, as always these cavalrymen were the first to act.

However, they did not encounter any large French forces along the way, but they did annihilate and repel many French squads along the way.

However, when Platov's Cossacks arrived at a small town called Poleshy, they encountered a counterattack from the French. The Cossacks had to give up the idea of ​​capturing the town and annihilating the French.

From the news Barclay had heard before, it seemed that considerable victories had been achieved on all fronts, but he was still worried.

When he arrived in Polechi, he heard the news that the Cossacks led by Platov had suffered a setback, which made him feel uneasy again.

As a result, he always slowed down the marching speed and even slowed down the movement of some troops.

There is obviously nothing wrong with being cautious, but it also depends on the situation.

Although his decision was correct, his generals generally expressed dissatisfaction. They had already decided to order an attack, but now he ordered several advanced armies to concentrate on the main road on the Polisi side. They neither wanted to fight nor retreat, which looked very awkward.

Napoleon decided to make a bold detour, but he did not consider your current attitude, Barclay.

Because the Russian army stopped, Napoleon felt that his flank was no longer threatened.

Barclays' response was obviously slow.
Napoleon's headquarters has now moved forward and he is ready to take action.

Berthier's staff continued to operate as usual, and soon a messenger sent by General Montbrun sent another message.

"Sir, the Russian Cossack cavalry and the cavalry division commanded by General Sebastiani have broken contact."

Berthier knew that Napoleon had always been worried about the Russian army's proactive actions, and even adjusted the position of Ney's Third Army.

But now the Cossacks and the French army had broken off contact. Although the French cavalry suffered heavy losses, they were able to barely break away from the battle until the subsequent Württemberg Light Cavalry and the 14th Light Cavalry Brigade arrived. Platov's Cossacks and Count Palen the Younger's Hussars did not pursue them excessively.

Both sides already knew the opponent's position. Since the French appeared here, Napoleon was still very concerned about Barclay's actions.

"Anything else?"

"Sir, this is a letter from General Montbrun. It seems that there are large Russian troops behind the Russian Cossacks."

Napoleon was eating chicken at the table when he heard it.

After he put down the chicken leg, he said slowly: "They have exposed their target. What will they do next? When we reach Smolensk, if they still intend to attack, we can cut off their retreat."

"But, Your Majesty, what if Barclay follows his previous move and goes back to the flank?"

"Berthier, since their main force has left Smolensk, we can take action and launch an offensive across the Dnieper River. It will take time for the Russians to maneuver back to Smolensk."

His core idea is that speed is of the essence in war.

But handwritten things are like heavenly books.

However, the oral content is still understandable.

"Your Majesty, how do you want to arrange it?"

"If we change the deployment, Montbrun's cavalry will also be put into battle, after Nansuti and Grouchy. We have to capture Krasnye and then go to Smolensk."

He didn't say anything extra.

Berthier also made deployments and sent Jomini to Ney to convey the orders.

As for Marshal Ney, he didn't care so much.

If it were another French marshal, he might have asked why the 3rd Army was previously required to defend on the spot against the Russians, but now it was required to quickly switch to the offensive.

He didn't think much at this moment and directly led the 3rd Army into action.

Jomini was somewhat worried when he saw him like this. Berthier asked him to pass on the order and also to check the situation of the 3rd Army and assist the army in completing the tasks assigned by the emperor. So, Ney now had an external brain, and suddenly it seemed that his intelligence had taken over again, and he was much more useful than his current chief of staff.

However, the 3rd Army is mainly composed of infantry, so its movement speed is definitely not as fast as that of the cavalry.

The three cavalry divisions under Murat's command moved one after another. The dragoons under Grouchy's command had already approached Krasnay. They encountered some Cossack patrols on the road, but because they encountered them in an open field, Grouchy was discovered from a distance. He could not catch up with the patrol even if he wanted to chase it.

The Russian troops in Krasnoy also received the news soon. They took up their positions and began to prepare for defense, while also summoning the nearby Neverovsky Division.

Just by looking at the serial numbers of the two Jager Regiments, one can tell that there are many new recruits among the 27th Division's regiments, and their equipment does not look very good.

But there was nothing to say at the moment. The 49th and 50th Jager Regiments were not far from Krasnoy. They finally arrived here quickly by forced march, followed by four infantry regiments.

Now that the French army has already started to act, the Russian army is also mobilizing troops.

However, although Neverovsky acted quickly, the various Russian troops might not be able to move as quickly.

Solovyov had been sulking the night before and didn't look well rested.

He talked with Rajevsky, and both of them were worried that the Russian flank would be exposed this time.

Although Laevsky advocated a fight, he was not a reckless person. He was a man of some skill and had to consider how to protect his own retreat.

But what happened was that when Barclay was delivering the order to them, the adjutant and the messenger were delayed on the way.

The 2nd Grenadier Division commanded by Christian received the news very late. When they were hesitating and preparing to set out, and finally could not disobey Barclay's belated order, the messenger from Neverovsky arrived.

After all, the 27th Division was still under the command of the 8th Army. Although Solovyov himself opposed active attack and advocated defending Smolensk or retreating, Bagration also transferred several divisions under his command when he took command this time.

However, similar to Bagration who only obeyed Barclay's command for the sake of the overall situation, although he could only directly mobilize the 2nd Grenadier Division, the other troops could still more or less obey his command directly.

Under such circumstances, he went to inform Rayevsky who was in Smolensk to see the current status of the 7th Army, while at the same time he had already begun to mobilize troops.

In order to ensure the safety of the road from Smolensk to Krasnoy, Solovyov needed cuirassiers, so he first mobilized Norin's 2nd Cuirassier Division. These five cuirassier regiments could be used if they encountered the main force of the French cavalry.

In addition, Christian, who was still hesitating, had to immediately move to Krasny's direction. Before Rajevsky took any action, he had to support Neverovsky.

It would be fine if the 27th Division could withdraw relatively intact, but if it suffered a devastating blow, the grenadiers would be stationed across the road to ensure the flank of the entire corps.

Therefore, Solovyov called Christian to his place and said to him very seriously: "Even if all our people are killed, we must hold the French back here."

"Don't say such tragic things. Our six grenadier regiments have fought in many battles before. The battle with the Turks has also trained some of the new recruits. What's more, I think Dimitri can return safely via the Moscow Highway. You are not unaware of his ability to lead troops."

By the way, Neverovsky was previously the commander of the Pavlovsk Grenadiers Regiment and had participated in several tough battles.

After his brother-in-law said so, Solovyov finally felt relieved. Moreover, after calming down, he also remembered one thing: Neverovsky had served in the Marine Infantry Regiment, so it was always a bonus to go ashore.

"Yes, he performed very well in Sweden. Even though there are many new recruits in the 27th Division, I think the fact that the division can still be organized intact after such a long period of operation, marching from Grodno to here, is definitely the result of intensive military training before the war. You must have confidence in him, and also in your brothers."

At this time, he realized that he had been too cautious before, so he naturally gritted his teeth and decided to fight the French.

Fortunately, the troops belonging to Bagration's two armies were either deployed on the flanks, or had set out not long ago. Some, like the 2nd Grenadier Division, were slow to move, while others had gone a long way but were called back by messengers on fast horses.

These troops of the 2nd Army were always active near Smolensk and could be pulled back for a while.

However, Bagration was somewhat dissatisfied with Barclay's procrastination.

You know, people in the Caucasus all have bad tempers.

Even in his opinion, if the action was decisive, the French probably would not have reached Krasny, and might have continued to fight the French army in Platov.

But since it was already like this, he had no choice but to acquiesce in Rayevsky's decision to withdraw his troops back to Smolensk, and in Solovyov's decision to station his elite grenadiers and cuirassiers on the Moscow Avenue to block and intercept the French army.

As for Barclay, some of his troops set out very early, and the 1st Army had only the Guards as a reserve force that was delayed in action. The faster-moving Bagovut, whose 2nd Army had already advanced to the vicinity of Rudnia, learned from the militia that the French army had left.

All in all, the command was a mess.

The French army was now about to attack Krasnoy directly and launch an attack on Neverovsky's new recruits.

It seems that the French still have a great advantage. Ney only mobilized part of the 3rd Army and the Cavalry Army, which has at least people. On Neverovsky's side, his division has only people, and including the friendly forces nearby, it will not exceed . Moreover, he only has one Kharkov Dragoon Regiment, which has to fight against several French cavalry regiments.

Even from a distance, Neverovsky could see the French dragoons' helmets decorated with horsetails in the distance from his position.

"That's great. The enemies are here. We have to have a good fight."

He took up his post, and except for the 49th Jager Regiment and part of the artillery that remained in the town of Krasny, the rest of the troops blocked the road.

Since the French army has so many cavalry, in order to offset their impact, they naturally have to form a huge square formation.

It seems that everyone always learns from each other. The scale of the Russian army's phalanx is very large, and it is used to defend against the impact of the French cavalry.

By showing this posture, the courage of the new recruits can be boosted to a certain extent when they are in a large square formation.

And there are cannons, which always give courage.

The battle will begin soon. (End of this chapter)