Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 623 055 Is the theme in Serbia drinking water?

After capturing Vidin, Solovyov was waiting for a meeting with Karageorge. Before that, he was also paying attention to the movements of the Turkish army.

He originally thought that the Turks would retreat, so he could find a way to have the Serbs harass them along the way, and he would lead three divisions to intercept them halfway, which would make it easier to achieve victory.

What surprised him was that the Turkish army had not made any moves during these days in Vidin.

"What are they going to do?"

After reading Durich's letter, Solovyov was also a little confused, but he could only choose to wait.

But there are still complaints. The letter says that the Turkish army is currently in Nis and Belgrade, and that troops will be transferred from Bosnia.

"All we can do is wait. Mick, you should relax a little. Vidin is very safe here, and our army also needs to rest. The garrison troops that will be dispatched later are still on the way."

"I know. The Turks are hiding in the city. If it were just us besieging them, it would be fine. But the problem now is that there are Serbs here."

"Are you worried about another Belgrade?"

"That's true. If we enter the city and fight, who knows what the untrained army will do."

There are many settlements of various Yugoslav ethnic groups in the areas south of Nis, but the Serbs' military discipline in the past was indeed very poor.

When the Russian army comes, they are at least treated as the royal army. But when the Serbs come, or if some warlord who cannot be controlled comes, that would be bad.

Now Solovyov really wants to meet Karageorge, and the two sides need to agree on a strategy for joint operations.

As for the captured Turkish prisoners, they would naturally be sent to the other side of the Danube, where they might be retaliated against.

The more prisoners captured along the way, the greater the bargaining chip, although the Tsar might not like capturing so many Turkish prisoners.

Kamensky captured more than 4,000 people, and because Solovyov was engaged in a siege, he captured more than 8,000 people. It took some time to find a place for these Turks to build wooden houses and lock themselves up.

Solovyov really wanted to get a deeper understanding of the Serbian situation, but it might not be enough just through Karadzic and Duric.

The news of the victory in Vidin was slow to reach St. Petersburg. Although Russia also had optical communications, and more advanced portable optical transmitters, these were still popular among the military. There were relatively few places where local governors could use them, and the communication distance was also easily limited.

The fast horses leaving Odessa should still have some time to reach St. Petersburg.

Asking for instructions from superiors will definitely delay things. Kamensky Jr. is besieging Rushchuk, but it is just a siege now. If they really attack by force, the casualties will be heavy.

Although the Turkish troops in Rushchuk were not very strong in combat, their defenses were tight compared to a place like Vidin, which was completely unprepared and was surrounded and quickly captured by the Russian army.

Therefore, it was the Kamensky brothers who won several battles in the first stage and defeated the Turkish troops that came to rescue them, and the main front fell into a stalemate.

Solovyov also knew the problem. If he could break the deadlock, the situation on the entire battlefield would naturally be reversed.

Even for the Russian army, finding a guide was a very convenient thing. The local Slavs and Wallachian Romanians on the north bank of the Danube, as well as the Greek nobles and Armenian merchants widely distributed in the European part of the Ottoman Empire, were all looking forward to the entry of the Russian army.

It would be funny to say that Russia's attack on Turkey improved the cohesion of the Ottoman Empire. After all, the Ottoman Empire really oppressed all ethnic groups, especially Christians. Among the European powers, the one that cared the most for Christians and fraternal ethnic groups in the Ottoman Empire was Russia, which has always been badly criticized.

The Ottoman Empire's governance capabilities were only possible because it had the support of foreign countries, otherwise it would have been torn apart by Russia long ago.

Even Austria posed a great threat to the Ottoman Empire. If these two countries had not been distracted by issues on the European continent, they would probably have focused their attention on the Balkans, and then as three empires and the third Rome, they would have rushed towards Constantinople.

As for what are foreign countries, for Austria it is France, and for Russia it is other European countries.
Solovyov was determined to meet with Karageorge, but the only difference was the meeting place this time.

Karageorge said they wanted to meet in a mineral spring village.

This place is Soko Spa Village, which later became a famous health resort in Serbia. This was clearly stated in the letter that Karageorge asked Duric to write.

I just hope to meet formally to deepen the relationship between the two sides.

Although Karageorge was the leader of the Serbian uprising army, he also had a problem: he had never met with the main senior generals of the Russian army.

Solovyov's position at this time was very suitable. He was the actual deputy commander of the Danube Front and the commander-in-chief of the army advancing westward. Before Kutuzov arrived, it was indeed more appropriate to find him.

Not to mention that he actually had the authority, and his purpose of coming here was to arm the Serbs so that he could get himself an auxiliary legion.

Karageorge also knew this, and for this reason, as he was usually a serious person, he decided to entertain Solovyov at the mineral spring.

After all, this guy's lust has been heard of in the Serbian camp.

Although in fact, Solovyov's intimate relationship with young ladies was of relatively high quality, the few lovers known to outsiders were indeed... Madame Recamier and Pauline, two French women who were too famous.

But in the mineral spring village, you don’t have to worry about this. After all, during the mixed bathing, everyone is wrapped in towels. It’s not like in the Turkish baths, which might cause some misunderstandings if you have seen Ingres’ paintings.

The bathing customs of the Ottoman Empire were more or less a legacy of the Romans.
In the Turkish baths nowadays, men and women can bathe together or separately. However, men usually wear a bath towel wrapped around their waists in such occasions. Is it the same for women?
In the 21st century, the Turks still have this custom in remote villages, which is to go on blind dates in bathhouses before marriage to see the girl's body shape, whether she is healthy, and whether her body shape is conducive to having children. That's about it.

Mihrima, who knew this custom and was the daughter of a Turkish officer, blushed a little when she heard the meeting place.

After all, she was not old enough to get married, but she had to serve her master and follow him. "What's wrong? You seem to have a fever? I have some herbs here. You can use them to make a medicinal soup."

"No, sir. If you want to go to the mineral spring, you must take a bath, and someone will serve you."

"Ah, I know the customs of Turkish baths. After all, there is a Turkish bath near where I live, but there are rarely mixed baths. Girls bathe in their own bathrooms. If you feel embarrassed, I will bring it up with Karageorge. It's interesting, isn't it, to negotiate preconditions with the leader of the other side for a maid."

This child is really cute. If any other Turkish woman were to be a maid, serving her master might be a good opportunity to get promoted. It is even possible that the little girl has this kind of ambition. Turkey is probably the most lively place for palace fighting dramas.

Even a wise ruler like Suleiman the Magnificent could kill his most capable son, Prince Mustafa. However, he was not as shameless as Emperor Wu of Han, who launched a large number of projects to show the people that he regretted killing his son.

Suleiman truly regretted his decision, but he could not allow it to pose a threat to other sons who might succeed him. According to the Ottoman Empire's succession law, he even executed his favorite grandson.

“Neither”

"You can just wait outside while Karageorge and I go in to talk. We don't have to follow the Romans and talk in the bathhouse."

Ah, the Romans were so good at seducing that, except for a few emperors, very few passed the throne to their sons.

In any case, he still had to set off from Vidin to Soko Banja.

Karageorge was definitely not a "time traveler" or something like that, because Soko Spa Village was the favorite health resort of his later political opponents, the Obrenevich family. The most famous feature of this place is the 25℃ sodium carbonate cold mineral spring, which is also very effective.

No wonder Serbs like to drink water. The quality of mineral springs in their area is very high. Karadzic should drink more so that he can become stronger as a Serb.

Karageorge had made careful arrangements. He set out early with only Duric and a few followers, arranged some elite Serbian troops to take on the guard duty there, and left some of his confidants outside the city of Belgrade.

The Turkish army is now hiding in the city and refusing to come out. The Serbian rebels are not like they did during the first attack on Belgrade, taking advantage of the Turkish army's shrinking forces and Selim III's eagerness to establish a domineering Janissary.

Now the Turkish army's strength has been strengthened, but they are only in Belgrade. Pancevo on the other side is the Austrian border area, and it is difficult for them to get any supplies.

Although Austria has always been willing to give Russia a sly look and has always wanted to infiltrate Serbia, Emperor Franz is now in such a weak state that he certainly does not have the ability to interfere.

And if they helped anyone, it probably wouldn't be directly helping the Ottoman Empire. Instead of "helping" the Turks, it would be better to let them cause trouble for these people.

".The current situation is like this. We also need cannons that can blow open the Turkish fortress."

"Have you ever tried digging a tunnel and blasting it underneath?"

Karageorge actually arranged an all-male occasion. Although the conversation was still in the mineral spring, the situation here was that the commander and his entourage were on both sides, which was more reliable. Any entertainment items were probably after the conversation in the mineral spring.

Solovyov mentioned that after the explosion, he was still enjoying the cold springs here, which were much better than places like swimming pools.

He also looked at Karageorge, hoping that the other party could make a decision as soon as possible.

"As for the explosion, we have tried it before, but the enemy figured it out."

"I think your army is not good at siege warfare. Although these soldiers are strong and are the best group of soldiers, and the brave mountain people have always been excellent soldiers for infantry and light cavalry, they are not a regular army, so they obviously can't do anything."

"You may be right. When we attack a city, we can't use cannons, blast it with explosives, and throw a bunch of grenades like you did in Vidin."

"This requires your troops to be regularized. According to the current actual situation of the army of 50,000 people, I suggest that you streamline the combat force to 40,000 people. This is generally a large army that can be commanded more flexibly and is a more ideal size. We will consider expanding the army and recruiting soldiers later. We also need to use the attack on Belgrade and Niš to train the soldiers."

"Can we train soldiers during a war?"

"If possible, I will send engineers. If you need troops, that's fine too. We are meeting in a mineral spring village to discuss this matter, and of course we have to finalize the aid plan."

"Yes, but we also know that there must be some political purpose."

"It's good that you understand this, but the price Russia wants Serbia to pay is not that high. Our foreign minister has set the goal of maintaining Serbia's autonomy under the jurisdiction of the Turks. However, given the situation in the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mahmud will definitely find loopholes."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because the French emperor encountered the untrustworthy Turks in Acre, we must be cautious here. Also, this mineral water is really good, suitable for drinking or soaking in mineral springs."

"If you like, you can come here often in the future, and you can also bring the Countess here for a trip."

"Thank you for your kindness, but for a soldier like me, I may end up in a different location in the next war, and I may not have the opportunity to come here again."

Solovyov said this and he knew that the war would continue, and all he could do was to make the Balkans more lively.

As for after soaking in the mineral springs and settling the matter, there was not much more to say.

Solovyov decided to go and see the situation in Niš himself and then decide whether to send engineers to support the Serbs.

As for the armament, what he could finalize was the British and French rifles seized from the Turks. He could now take out more than 10,000 of them, and some of the rifles in good condition could indeed be delivered directly.

Horses are fine, but cannons?
He was also worried if the Serbian army was not fully regularized.

(End of this chapter)