Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Napoleon's attitude is indeed curious.

In fact, the Austrians should not be angered at this time, but Napoleon, who believed that he had no chance of retreating, showed a very tough attitude at this time.

By the time Metternich met with Napoleon for the second time and the conversation still had no effect, it was clear to all parties that as long as Austria joined in and attached their own conditions, the French would definitely not accept it.

To be precise, Napoleon would not accept it. He believed that an individual could represent the will of the country and that he was the country.
"Anyway, at a time like this, we should continue to prepare for war, and even deploy more troops to completely defeat the French."

Neselrode was surprised at Solovyov's attitude. He had always been opposed to war, although military merit should be his main way to improve his rank.

"Do you really want to fight?"

"The opponent won't listen to any of our opinions anymore, so we have no choice but to fight. But what conditions will the Austrian side put forward?"

"Their demands include Illyria and northern Italy, and beyond that, they want to restore the borders of the countries to the 1806 borders, so that there is no Rhine Confederation. But there are some interesting things here. Baden and Württemberg, as well as Saxony and Bavaria, will largely maintain their existing territories. This price is obviously intended to win over these countries."

There was no other way, the Queen Mother and the Queen were from here. Although Saxony stood on the side of France, it was still related to Austria and could also keep an eye on the Prussian sentry at the door.

"Prussia hasn't mentioned it, but they're certainly going to covet it."

As long as Austria was not involved, Nesselrode's position was probably reliable.

This problem really needs to be corrected. After all, Austria is keeping an eye on Prussia, attacking France, and guarding against Russia. This is determined by its geopolitics.

"The Austrians can be very tricky. I've seen that happen once before."

What he said was already very tactful. Emperor Franz's previous outrageous actions had destroyed the Second Anti-French Alliance.

Moreover, it is still hard to see how despicable Austria is in diplomacy.

When the Crimean War came, it was disastrous for Russia.

What would have happened to Austria if Nicholas had not helped Austria suppress the Hungarian Revolution at that time is another topic.

The result that followed was Austria's betrayal, and they did this even more smoothly than Britain.

However, Solovyov's statement has not yet attracted Nesherrode's attention.

As the representative of the Tsar, he was now also eager to achieve the goals of the alliance.

Obviously, precautions are not enough to deal with the Austrians' small plans.

Alexander might have done better in this regard, as he had always been wary of the Austrians.

The demands put forward by Austria were basically recognized by Prussia and Russia.

But the British were not satisfied. They believed that the negotiations did not include the issues of Spain, the Netherlands and Naples, and only met Britain's demands in Hanover and Brunswick-Lüneburg.

"Compared to that, what do you think of what the British do?"

"The British are muddying the pot. The Dutch issue can be left for later, but Napoleon will obviously not give up Spain and Naples. He won't even accept the current treaty that would maintain his native power and the Rhine border."

"Oh? Looks like you have some ideas."

"There are indeed some ideas, but this is also related to the military. For France, their natural border should be the Rhine River."

"I'm not surprised that you have this idea. For France, to ensure its national security, it should also control the Netherlands and Flanders, including the Rhine region."

"But Napoleon wanted more, just like the Romans before the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Arminius taught them a profound lesson, three legions, and from then on the Roman border remained at the Rhine River, not at the Elbe River or the land further east."

"That was in the time of Augustus, which is a long time ago."

"Karl, don't think like that. The present will always repeat the past. Napoleon obviously wants more, so he will not back down. But the situation is different for France and Rome. It is enough for the French to guarantee the Rhine River, and the Romans did not know where the barbarians would come from. In addition to the Dacians and Germans who can be seen in front, there are also barbarians coming from farther away."

Solovyov was obviously the one who read more, Nesherrode was not as careful as him.

Rather than being a soldier, Solovyov may have behaved more like a scholar.

"But there are also differences. What Napoleon needs now is time."

"For Rome, the situation is different. The Romans at least still have time. They can choose to take the initiative to attack, or build fortifications like Hadrian's Wall, and adjust the deployment of the field army. Karl, Napoleon's failure to be satisfied with the Rhine will inevitably lead to his final defeat, unless he has the ability to defeat opponents who far outnumber him on the battlefield."

If this could be achieved, the whole of Europe would probably be terrified, and it could even be said to be a divine drama against European monarchs.

Considering that the French’s opponents had monarchs of German descent, it would be an anti-German drama.

If it were Solovyov, he would probably compromise at this time, reach an agreement, retreat to the west of the Rhine to lick his wounds, and wait for the opportunity to counterattack.

But Napoleon was not like that; he obviously wanted everything.

At this time, it may be more important for him to complete the stable handover of the monarchy.

He could have maintained stable relations with European countries through marriage, but he chose to fight them instead, making it hard for people to even understand what his attitude was.

It seems that he has formed path dependence. Although the French army still looks strong, for France, defeating such an army composed of a large number of young people will make their next battle a different matter.

"So what will Napoleon do next?"

"He will mobilize the army. If he wants to fight Austria, there will be an additional battlefield in Italy. At the same time, Austria will send in their troops. Although they are numerous,..."

Think about the commanders of the Austrian army. Except for Archduke Karl and the deceased veterans led by Melas, the rest were there to provide military merits for the French.

Even if there are armies that perform relatively well, the final results may not be satisfactory.

The poor level of the Austrian army is also reflected at the commander level.

It is no wonder that after Archduke Karl retired, Metternich always adopted a prudent diplomatic strategy, waiting for the French to make mistakes.

Although this was an act of waiting for something to happen, no one expected that Napoleon would give it to them himself.

Now that the Austrians were joining in, all parties would naturally enter the next stage of negotiations. Napoleon was just stalling for time, and the personal representative he initially sent to Prague did not even have any authorization, and just sat there to listen to the allied forces and the Austrians wrangling.

The situation will not change until Mr. Caulaincourt arrives in Prague with his authorization.

But at this time Napoleon was still wishful thinking. He tried to reach a separate agreement with Alexander, or he was delaying time, waiting for his army to replenish its strength and for these new recruits to become more skilled.

Napoleon had a lot to do, and the Allied forces were also not idle.

After leaving Reichenbach, Solovyov went to Teschen.

Since it is a ceasefire period, some generals who do not actually command the army can move freely at this time.

Solovyov visited Archduke Karl's home, which was located on the border of Bohemia, close to the lands of Silesia and Poland.

The Grand Duke lived a happy secluded life here with his wife and several children. His lack of concern for the world helped to improve his health.

However, the height of the Grand Duke is indeed hard to describe.

Considering the poor physical condition of Crown Prince Ferdinand, the Archduke was probably only one step away from a serious genetic disease.

"You come to me at this time, I don't think you have any instructions from your monarch, right?"

"Yes, I just thought that there is a war that will decide the fate of Europe, and I always wanted to come to you to discuss it."

"As long as we act decisively and don't send our troops into Napoleon's pocket, the war will be half won. Even if you understand this, there is no need to come to me at all."

Solovyov was not surprised to hear this, as Archduke Karl and Metternich had a very bad relationship and their goals were different.

"But since you've come to my place, it's unreasonable not to entertain guests. But why didn't you bring your family with you?"

"Her Majesty the Queen of our country has come to Königsberg. My wife used to be the Queen's maid, so it's normal for her to go there."

"Yes."

The dishes served at Archduke Karl's home were also venison dishes that are very common in Bohemia, and the portions were also very large.

It's no wonder that the atmosphere in his family's life is still very relaxed. It can also be regarded as a way to heal his wife's psychological trauma. They always have to live a more peaceful lifestyle so as not to evoke painful memories.

As for the French princess, her big belly shows that she is pregnant again.

"Your Highness, I am glad to see you here too."

"Count, it was not clear to me that you were a relative of the usurper."

"Although I am, I still want to fight him on the battlefield and participate in this war."

Speaking of it, the harm Napoleon inflicted on Princess Marie-Thérèse was not as serious as that caused by those who voted to send her to the guillotine.

"I hope you can achieve great things. My husband is very optimistic about your future as a soldier, but you are too cautious. This is what Carl said. I don't understand the things between you men, but I have heard about it many times."

Of course, although the Grand Duke often mentioned these things, he was no longer directly involved.

Solovyov also knew that unless there was a subversive change in the political situation in Austria, there would be no such possibility.

He came here because he had some doubts.

In addition, he also saw the Grand Duke's children. After the two of them got married, there was no delay in having children.

The Grand Duke's older son looked at him curiously, probably because the Grand Duke had mentioned him once before and affirmed his talents.

But now, Solovyov does not have his own army to command, and he has not even performed the duties of chief of staff. Before, it was Wittgenstein who placed his men into the headquarters, and next it was Barclay with his team.

However, the personnel composition also changed. Yermolov went to the Guards Division, and some generals who had not participated in major military operations before also joined the war.

The current war is still very exhausting for individual strength. Even a young general like Solovyov felt exhausted in the first half of 1812.

In a war like this, the pressure is still very high.

However, when talking to the Archduke, he obviously avoided talking about topics related to the war.

"I am content with my life now. Planting roses in the flower beds and decorating the newly built greenhouse are all interesting jobs. If you want to try it, please come and try it."

"Your Highness, I also participated in gardening when I was on duty in the Guards. What you are probably saying is that, like Emperor Diocletian, ruling as a 'domina' is not as interesting as growing cabbages."

"You read a lot of books, so naturally you react quickly in this area."

"It's a pity that it's wartime now, otherwise I should be doing translation work for a long time and be able to earn some royalties."

Although this amount of money can be considered a small sum compared to his family's income.

The Grand Duke still avoided talking about the current situation, and the two of them mainly discussed their previous annotations on ancient war examples.

During this brief period of peace, both sides will naturally not be idle.

When Solovyov was in Teschen, he also learned that the Austrians had mobilized troops to Bohemia and would join the anti-French alliance after the meeting in Prague.

However, the composition of the army is still changing.

Scharnhorst also adjusted the composition of the coalition forces due to the addition of a large number of Austrian troops.

However, the overall strategy will not be finalized until the arrival of the Austrian Minister of War or the representative of its emperor.

In fact, if Bernadotte was really on the coalition side, his command could not be said to be excellent, and there were even frequent problems.

As for his and Moreau's contribution to the strategy, it can only be said that they went with the flow. The War of 1812 had already demonstrated this once, but this time on the battlefield, the disadvantage for the French was not so obvious, it was just that the coalition forces had more people.

In this way, both sides will have to think over and over again before finally deciding on how to act. (End of this chapter)