I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1114 New Strategy

The captain lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and trembled all over.

He wasn't afraid of being whipped; that would at most keep him in bed for half a month, but the humiliation of being whipped by the Tsar's personal order would follow him for the rest of his life!

Paul I glared at him and shouted, "You lazy bums, are you so slow even when carrying out orders?!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The captain hurriedly stood at attention, and before the military police could come over, he turned and ran towards the military discipline officer.

Suvorov suddenly became somewhat anxious.

He had just confirmed by the flags that the infantry regiment training at the Gatchina Palace was an infantry regiment of the Izmailovo Guard. This was the elite of the Empire's elite!

If that officer were publicly whipped, he would be essentially ruined—how could an officer who had been ridiculed by all the soldiers command a battle?

He immediately strode up to Paul I and was about to bow as usual when he suddenly remembered the edict on the implementation of chivalric etiquette. The most important of these edicts was that all nobles must kneel on one knee when they see the Tsar, and on necessary occasions, they must also kiss the back of his hand.

Suvorov had no choice but to kneel down first: "Your Majesty, your humble servant pays homage to you."

The people behind him also hurriedly knelt down and bowed.

A satisfied smile appeared on Paul I's face as he gestured to the group, "Please rise."

Are you here for a military parade?

Suvorov had forgotten his original purpose for entering the palace. He glanced at the officer in the corner of the square who had taken off his shirt and said urgently, "Your Majesty, the mistake that captain made... perhaps he should not suffer such a heavy punishment."

"If you absolutely must do this, please at least give him some basic dignity, such as in the execution chamber of a military court..."

Paul I immediately interrupted him: "Absolute discipline, the most rigorous training, and merciless punishment are the ways to build a strong army."

"Frederick the Great personally punished officers who violated military discipline on many occasions, which ultimately led to the creation of the invincible Prussian army!"

Suvorov muttered to himself, "He has suffered quite a few defeats," but patiently explained, "Your Majesty, the Prussians won the war because of their courage and their targeted training to adapt to the battlefield situation, such as high-intensity loading and aiming exercises, and the ability to launch group charges."

"As for drill training, including pace control, it's mostly just to make them look imposing."

Paul I said coldly, "You have no need to make excuses for the army's laxity and laziness."

"The fact is that our army's combat effectiveness is the worst among the major European powers."

"It's time to change this situation!"

From a corner of the square, the cracking sound of a whip piercing the air could be heard.

Suvorov turned his head, just as a square of Imperial Guards marched past him.

The soldiers' German-style tight-fitting uniforms, high-top leather boots, and wigs all looked extremely comical. Hair powder was even constantly falling from the wigs.

Then he saw that each infantry company had at least 20 men wielding halberds, and he could no longer contain himself, so he shouted to Paul I:

"Your Majesty, you cannot use the perfume powder on your wig as gunpowder! Nor can you use shoe buckles as bullets! And the braids on your wig are definitely not as useful as bayonets."

"We are not Prussians, we were born Russians, and we have repeatedly defeated the Prussian army, so why should we learn from them?"

“If you truly wish to enhance your army’s fighting capacity, you should learn from the French. Their crown prince defeated nearly 5 British and Prussian troops with only 10 soldiers!” King Paul I was taken aback by the rebuttal, instinctively retorting, “The French army is indeed strong, but that’s because of their superior weaponry and ample funding. The Prussian army’s rigorous training and absolute discipline are far more suitable for us…”

The captain's muffled groan came from afar again.

Suvorov said with a grim face, "Your Majesty, you are destroying the army's fighting capacity!"

He is currently the Russian general with the most military achievements and the highest prestige. Even Ye Er has to give him some face. At this moment, in his anger, he is also very rude to Paul I.

"You! You..."

Paul I was disliked by Ye Er from a young age, which led to his inferiority complex, paranoia, and sensitivity.

Suvorov's words made him feel as if he were being scolded with disdain by his mother.

He instantly flew into a rage.

He is now the great Tsar, the most powerful man in all of Russia, and no one will be allowed to reprimand him anymore!
"How dare you question me?" He glared at Suvorov, then suddenly pointed towards the palace gate. "Now, you're dismissed. Go home and retire!"

Suvorov was startled. The ministers around him hurriedly pleaded for him, but Paul I held his head high and remained unmoved.

A moment later, Suvorov, the Russian military genius, bowed angrily with a livid face, took a few steps back, and turned to leave the Gatchina Palace.

Count Ostermann, Count Bezberodiko, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. They hadn't even had time to discuss their business when they lost Suvorov, their pillar of support.

Count Osterman was about to return to plan the rescue of Suvorov and was about to bow and take his leave when he saw Paul I smile and say, "Since you are all here, I will tell you about the future plans of the empire."

Yes, he was disliked everywhere during Ye Er's era, but now he can manipulate the most famous marshal at will, which makes him feel extremely happy.

Count Osterman and the others had no choice but to stand still and pretend to listen.

Paul I appeared very satisfied and looked around at the group, saying, "First of all, I intend to withdraw all the troops from the South Caucasus."

“We wasted millions of rubles there and all we got were some desolate mountains.”

"Going to war with the Persians was a huge mistake!"

He became increasingly pleased with himself as he spoke—the invasion of the Middle East was a strategy devised by his mother, and now he could criticize it without restraint, which gave him a strong sense of vengeful pleasure.

Count Osterman took a deep breath. Since Suvorov wasn't there, he was the only one who could step forward.

Before he could speak, Arakshiev stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, although central Persia is of no value, it is of great importance to stabilizing the situation in the Caspian Sea."

Osterman was overjoyed. Araksheev was one of the Tsar's most trusted confidants, currently serving as the Military Prosecutor General and the Director General of Military Standardization, among other positions; he hadn't expected him to oppose the withdrawal from the Middle East.

Yes, any Russian with a sound mind would not agree to lose millions of square kilometers of land.

This time, Paul I did not get angry. Instead, he smiled smugly and said, "Why must we conquer Persia to solve the Caspian Sea problem?"

"We can have a better strategy."

"For example, forming an alliance with the Persians."

(End of this chapter)