Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The Greeks in the Peloponnese spread the news far and wide, and wherever there was a church, clergy would ring the bells to announce the victory of the combined fleet over the Ottoman navy.

This greatly boosted the morale of the Greek people. Although it was with the help of foreigners, this great victory led the Greek militia to actively fight against the Ottoman army still on the shore, while also maintaining close contact with the fleet.

The British knew they were in deep trouble.

A brilliant surprise attack wiped out the Ottoman navy's resources, but the Egyptian navy, thanks to Muhammad Ali Pasha's willingness to spend money, was prepared to recover quickly and continue receiving training from the French.

This means they don't want to play anymore.

The Ottoman Sultan, too, dared not cause trouble for the British. Although he summoned the Grand Vizier, the Pashas in the capital, and some important civil officials, the outcome of their discussions was always the same.

Don't mess with the British, and don't mess with the French either.

However, their thinking was strange. They believed that Russia was a threat and that Russian troops had to be removed from the Danube River region to prevent them from threatening the Ottoman Empire's Rumelia region. Only in this way could the security of the Danube River be guaranteed, and only then could the Greek issue be discussed further.

The Ottoman Empire even planned to bring Austria in as an ally. Vienna had long been dissatisfied with Serbia, which was blocking its doorstep, and therefore also had the idea of ​​supporting the Ottoman Empire's mediation.

However, Serbia's troubles were of its own making by Austria. After the collapse of the Habsburgs, many of the problems in the surrounding areas were related to the head of this nation's prison.

In this situation, the Ottoman Empire issued an ultimatum to Russia.

Nicholas in St. Petersburg was unaware of these things. He was planning his grand blueprint, building Russia's road network, a transportation network with Moscow as its central axis. The Russian Empire had always had two capitals: the coronation ceremony in Moscow and the rule in St. Petersburg.

"Your Majesty, are you really planning to go to Warsaw for your coronation?"

"Why not? We can also emphasize that Poland is 'independent' and that the way Poland is ruled is different from the way Russia is ruled."

“Your Majesty, but based on my understanding of Poland, even if you allow His Highness Constantine to be an independent king in Warsaw, they will still consider it Russian rule.”

Solovyov was very worried about the situation in Warsaw. In his letter, Constantine also expressed that if a war broke out in the future, but it did not involve Poland and Central Europe, Polish soldiers should be granted permission not to participate in the fighting.

This actually refers to the potential war with the Ottoman Empire, a plan that Nicholas could tacitly approve of from his second brother.

But he didn't know that the Poles were simply unwilling to accept defeat.

The planned coronation in Warsaw was intended to highlight the status of the Poles and maintain the system left by Alexander.

But Solovyov is not optimistic about this. His former rival, Cartoreski, was planning to go to Austria, a fact recently reported by the Minister of Police.

Chaltoretsky was unaware that he and Solovyov were rivals, but Solovyov, having served as his adjutant at the Winter Palace for a long time, was well aware of his activities.

This also includes the time when, at the end of the war, he tried to abduct Louisa and elope to a faraway place.
It turns out it was just liking, but adding the sister-in-law part makes it even more exciting, doesn't it?

Then he went to Lithuania, where, under surveillance, many suspected him of having ties to the Polish Zionist movement. However, because he was a friend of the royal family, no one took any action against him.

It was after Amalia's death that Cártorski, now a widower, remarried and left his home in Lithuania, escaping the surveillance of the secret police, which led to the next step in the story.

Poland was ultimately a problem. Even though Alexander had instructed Constantine to treat the Poles well and allow Polish soldiers who had previously resisted Russia to return home, Nicholas eventually approved the Polish army's decision not to participate in some battles.

There will be more trouble here in the future. At first, it was the Polish minor nobles who were getting restless, but later it will probably be a problem for the Russians themselves.

"Do you have any friends in Poland, Mikhail Sergeyevich?"

"Lieutenant Rokossowski, I visited his home when I passed through Warsaw. He was a Polish nobleman who was not wealthy but happy. However, I heard that he later received an award from Poniatowski and then retired to his hometown."

In fact, Nikolai was quite envious of Solovyov, who came from a lower-middle-class family and therefore easily made friends at all levels of society.

The teacher also encouraged him, as a Grand Duke and now as Tsar, to have more contact with commoners.

In this era, there was no People's Will Party throwing bombs everywhere, and the Tsar's prestige was at its peak.

But Nicholas was too busy, and he only had time to receive these petitions when he rode out of the palace on horseback.

Then, it was time to come back.

If only he could be like Paul, but in reality, his only strength was his tenacity, which was even stronger than that of his father and brothers.

His ability to handle government affairs still needs to be developed, and it may even improve with age. Considering he is only 30 years old, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

The biggest problem is probably efficiency.

If it were Solovyov himself, he would be able to do his job without fail and with high efficiency. His long-term work as a staff officer has honed his ability to handle multiple tasks quickly.

Although Solovyov least wanted to do staff work, it was precisely what he excelled at.

“We’re not thinking about Poland anymore. Europe is still peaceful. You’ve always said that the focus is here, in the Balkans and the Caucasus.”

"Russia needs the southern sea, but the Baltic Sea is closed off and frozen for more than a third of the year. Furthermore, the north is unsuitable; we cannot rely on the ice caps melting, much like the conservation efforts for the Great Auk."

Even though conservation efforts for the Great Auk have been carried out at the Royal Aquarium in St. Petersburg for a long time, the improvement in the species' population has been extremely limited, meaning it is unlikely to become extinct easily.

"If you're talking about the ocean, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean are both warm places. If we want to open up a sea outlet, Constantinople and the Persian Gulf are very important, aren't they?"

Solovyov was pleased that at least Nikolai didn't just like drills and military training; those were things junior officers should do. As a monarch and commander-in-chief, he should understand grand strategy.

Of course, even when you have a capable general like yourself in command, you shouldn't engage in petty manipulation.

"Your Majesty, you have grasped the key points. However, we currently do not know the situation of the Mediterranean Squadron, or what Van Heden and his men are doing." "I believe you should be appointed Minister of War, as this would be more beneficial for us in handling various matters. These are the letters that arrived at the Ministry of War and the Ministry of the Navy this morning: the Combined Fleet annihilated the Ottoman fleet in Navarino Bay—a great victory."

In other words, the battle lines on the Ottoman side had changed. Not only through Solovyov's efforts, but also during the Seventh Russo-Turkish War, Russia expanded its sphere of influence to the north bank of the Danube River. If it wanted to attack, it could simply cross the river.

Furthermore, the British methods were perhaps a bit too excessive. By appointing them as joint commanders of naval operations, they crushed the enemy with a single blow, and the fleet commander even received the Order of Bath, First Class.

But what would the Ottoman sultans do?
"This is good news, but I can sense that the Turks are about to take action. Your Majesty, you would be better off appointing a general to Bucharest to command the Danube Legion and the garrison in Odessa."

"So who do you think is more suitable?"

“I am not the Minister of War, Your Majesty.”

"You are now the Minister of War, you are my teacher and an outstanding commander. The only problem is that you are not a Field Marshal. I can appoint you as the Minister of War and our Commander-in-Chief of the Army right now."

Oh no, this kid probably learned too much from me, and now he's developed a complete distrust of people, and he's extremely confident in his own abilities.

As a teacher, although he wished he had more time to relax, spend time with his family at home, and have intimate conversations with Katya and the seriously ill Louisa at the palace, he couldn't avoid the affairs of the front lines.

"His Majesty."

“This position should have been yours five years ago, but you were in Crimea at the time, and our Minister of War did not have your courage and organizational ability.”

“Very well, Your Majesty. I am willing to serve as Minister of War, but I will be going to the south to establish a forward base in Odessa, and the Black Sea Fleet will also be fully cooperating with the Danube and Caucasus directions.”

Although the Ottoman Empire's ultimatum had not yet been delivered, Solovyov was already in the zone.

Nikolai handed over most of his wealth to him and allowed him to deploy troops.

Solovyov also made arrangements, and the Guards, except for the reserve forces, were to be deployed in the spring.

In addition, deciding who to appoint as the commander at the front is also an art.

Solovyov looked down on Field Marshal Wittgenstein, after all, even Murat could defeat him. Although he had defeated the French army on the northern front in 1812, he showed his true colors at Lützen and Bauzen.

As for his appointment as marshal in 1823, Solovyov looked down on him, even feeling that someone as brave but lacking in strategy as Sacken was more deserving of the title of field marshal.

But his senior, Miloradovich, was recuperating at home, and his young dancer mistress, after becoming his wife, soon became pregnant, so they couldn't disturb their family's happy life.

If he were to personally take charge right from the start, it would be like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.

"Let Count Langeron serve as acting commander of the Danube Legion at the front; he is very experienced in this area."

It is well known that Solovyov and Langeron had a good relationship, and Langeron even served as acting commander of a legion against Napoleon.

He is experienced enough, is French, and would be easier to coordinate if the French army joined the battle.

After returning to Paris, Langeron abandoned the idea of ​​going back to his homeland and stayed in Russia with his illegitimate children and lover, a view shared by many royalists.

But Nikolai did not want Langeron to be the front-line commander, and the mentor and student had different opinions.

"As for Langeron, it would be good to put him in charge of the rear in Odessa. This would ensure the safety of the rear, and besides, someone needs to keep an eye on the Austrians. You sent Count Langeron to the front lines, but the rear also needs people."

“Then General Sakhen is also an option, and General Dibich is another choice. Considering the situation at the front, if we continue to increase our troop deployment, we may even need someone else to go to the front to command.”

After hearing this, Nikolai nodded and appointed Dibich as the commander-in-chief of the Danube Legion, with Sacken as his deputy.

As the war progressed, Solovyov would personally go there as the commander-in-chief, leading the Guards, the 2nd and 3rd Western Armies, to launch a decisive blow against the Ottoman Empire.

To encourage these three generals, Nikolai will likely promote the generals who have distinguished themselves in the potential war in the south to the rank of marshal.

The only problem is Solovyov, who has already filled all his medals, with the remaining blanks being the few Polish medals that haven't yet been incorporated into the Russian system.

In addition to being appointed marshal, he also received a special title: Prince of the First Rank, similar to the title bestowed upon Katya's grandfather, Prince Klimsky.

This is the highest honor a Russian military commander can receive, and it is extremely tempting.

In Rome, that would be equivalent to titles like "Africanus" or "Germanicus," which refer to conquerors.

Moreover, after seeing the battle report, Solovyov immediately began to make arrangements.

He also made new arrangements for the Danube Legion.

Ultimately, including the Guards, the total strength on the western front reached 150,000 men, with Dubich being the first to operate on the front.

Following them were the Guards and the Western 3rd Army. After confirming that there was no action from the Austrian side, the Western 2nd Army also joined the battle, leaving only the 1st and 2nd Corps of the Western 1st Army and the Polish Army to monitor the European direction.

In the Caucasus region, Paskovich needed to focus on dealing with the Persians, which required Nicholas, as Tsar, to conscript nomads and Cossacks from the area to join the battle and bolster the Georgian front.

Solovyov had already planned this out, and now was the perfect time to launch the operation. By the time the troops reached Bessarabia via the railway and rivers in the spring, the mobilization of supplies to the front lines would be almost complete.

His operations in Crimea over the years have also increased the number of warehouses. The preparation of military supplies has taken several years since he left. Greg and Langeron have carried out his arrangements. Now, the warehouses at the front alone are enough for an army of 200,000 for a year.

He put a lot of effort into canning for this, but the biggest problem became fresh vegetables, and he couldn't keep relying on pickled cucumbers.

Even by the time the Ottoman Empire's ultimatum or declaration of war arrived, he had probably already sent his troops halfway there. (End of Chapter)