Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

"The artillery is coming again. It seems that the emperor will not leave us alone on this side of the river."

Solovyov's battlefield was carefully chosen, taking into account the terrain of Reims. If two rivers had to be crossed, the engineering workload alone would be huge, and there would be no way to hide the intention.

What Napoleon lacks now is time. He does not have time to argue here, so the only way for both sides to solve the problem is to the southeast of Reims. As long as the French can break through this ferry, they can threaten the Russian army's transportation lines.

"Give Peric an order that when the enemy's cavalry crosses the river, there will be artillery attacks, but once the infantry comes up, the Balkan Division will join the battle and attack only with bayonets!"

The purpose of his action was clear, which was to use the Serbian big men who were good at hand-to-hand combat and had high morale to surprise the French army crossing the river.

But they should not attack only when the cavalry comes.

The French artillery was indeed suppressing the ferry, but the terrain there was so great that even a "cannon master" like Drouot could only suppress the Russian troops on the opposite bank.

However, these artillery positions were not easy targets for the French artillery, and the Russian army was also unable to hit them accurately.

"That's it. Let the French emperor see how difficult we are."

As the French cavalry crossed the river, they were soon bombarded by Russian artillery, some of which were 6-pounders stationed nearby, firing shotgun shells at a very close range.

Although this trick was copied from Drouot, Solovyov had already known about the "bayonet on cannon". Even these cannons were for one-time use. After firing, the artillerymen would drop the cannons and ride away on their horses.

The French cavalry that followed could do nothing but watch the Russian artillerymen abandon their cannons and run away.

Whenever they were pursued, there would be hunters behind bushes and stone walls shooting at them.

This harassment did make the French army very uncomfortable, but Napoleon was still very confident.

The hunting cavalry who had crossed the river first had already deployed along the edge of the Russian front and were even making detours.

"That's it, our Chasseurs did a great job!"

After receiving the report, Napoleon prepared to deploy part of the Young Guard to join the battle.

What he wanted now was to open up the situation and allow more troops to cross the river, while also using artillery to attack any Russian troops who dared to show up.

Therefore, for Solovyov, although his deployment was aimed at ambush the enemy, he also had to take into account the situation on the battlefield. The intensive falling of artillery shells would seriously undermine the morale of the soldiers.

But these Serbs were obviously too excited, and some of them even started singing.

"Karadzic, what are they singing?"

"I can't hear it clearly, but it seems that someone is attacking from somewhere to Petrovich."

"Damn it, I taught you that!"

Solovyov was also so angry that he laughed. Now the Serbs are really huge. The entire division is shrouded in artillery fire, and they still have the mind to sing this.

"We need Peric to hold the position. Our artillery should also do something. Karl, we need our Unicorn to fire all the grenades that can be fired!"

"Yes!"

As this order was issued, Solovyov obviously also showed an attitude of not going too far.

The Young Guards who were marching behind were subjected to heavy bombardment from Russian artillery.

Although the firing rate of this thing is not very high, the explosive power is still strong enough.

When Napoleon saw this, he was not surprised.

"Good boy, you have learned everything you can! But if you want to inflict heavy damage on my Guards with just this little artillery fire, it's not enough!"

The artillery battle between the two sides became more intense during the mobilization of the infantry.

But neither side showed any intention of backing down. The Serbs kept singing and even became more enthusiastic.

As for the French army, they shouted "Long live the Emperor" and after crossing the river and forming a battle line, they arrived first before the Serbs launched a bayonet charge.

The two sides had the same idea at this time. They did not want to allow the other side's artillery to be used and wanted to gain the high ground in the hand-to-hand combat.

The weather in Reims was not very good that day, and the weapons in the hands of both sides were about to become firewood sticks. The bayonet on top was always useful.

Some Serbs even drew out their scimitars and started hand-to-hand combat.

Although the Young Guards have the word "young" in their name, there are also many veterans. Some of them have served for enough years but were not selected into the Old Guards and are still here.

They recalled the old days when the Emperor, then General Bonaparte, had met the Turks with them at Acre.

Some officers in the back row couldn't help but speak.

"Damn it, are we going to fight the opponents we fought in the past again this year?"

Of course, at the age of the officer who said this, he probably wouldn't encounter any British people in Toulon, but he encountered all these opponents later.

In the evergreen forests of Italy, in the land of the Pharaohs in the Egyptian desert, in the plains of Russia, and on many battlefields in Europe.

Over the years, the emperor and his guards have traveled to many places and although they have won glorious victories, the victories have now been lost.

While the battle here was still going on, Solovyov was also observing the situation on the battlefield.

"To hold on today is a victory. Don't let them get any spoils worth boasting about at the ferry."

"But you left those cannons, Mick, and that wasn't a wise move."

"But there are not many. It is enough to kill the cavalry who cross the river first. The rest is not left to me, but to my brothers. If we want to win, we need not only a powerful commander-in-chief, but also brothers who can fight well. Only then can we win the battle."

At this point, his facial expression became a little serious.

After all, the Balkan Division came because of the face he had given to the Ottoman Empire's regular army, and there were both Serbs and Greeks among them.

Although they were willing to die for their own sake, defended their positions at all costs, and even took the initiative to launch a hand-to-hand combat counterattack, their sacrifice could not be made in vain.

In fact, Solovyov also knew one of Napoleon's flaws, which was that if there was a threat near his headquarters, he would always pull out his most elite old guards to protect the safety of the area.

If he wanted to replicate Platov's methods, he would also face two rivers.

Moreover, he has been in Reims for quite some time and has familiarized himself with the terrain here.

In short, to launch a cavalry counterattack, it would be nothing more than sending some light cavalry to harass.

But it can allow Napoleon's troops to shrink somewhat.

"Karl, let's dispatch Count Palen's cavalry. It's just a little troublesome to cross two rivers, so we need to bring cavalry artillery." "What about other support?"

"Without infantry, we can only fight on a small scale to attract the attention of the French first."

After all, if you choose a battlefield that makes the enemy uncomfortable, it is likely that your own people will not be too comfortable either.

Count Palen set out with his cavalry, and a battery of horse artillery.

Napoleon was still focusing on operations in the southeast at this time. Since the troops under his command were basically veterans of the Guards, he was more comfortable using them.

At the same time, he also had to launch an attack and counterattack more aggressively.

The reserve troops left now are the cavalry led by Nansuti and the part of the old guard that was originally the "Imperial Guard".

When these cavalrymen came to harass, Napoleon quickly began to mobilize Nansouty's troops to drive them away.

"It's the same old trick again this time. I already know what he's going to do."

Napoleon also realized the problem. He was still sending troops to attack, but because some dragoons were transferred to deal with the hussars who crossed the river, both sides were between two rivers, so there was always a lack of reinforcements.

In addition, he himself saw clearly that the Russians were just trying to delay time and would fight as long as possible.

But as the man who is always favored by the goddess of victory on the battlefield, and as he always has to achieve his strategic goals, Napoleon still has to work hard on the battlefield.

Solovyov was now relaxed. His way of fighting was to muddy the waters when the Allied forces had an absolute advantage in strength, so that Napoleon could not act on the battlefield according to his wishes.

"Napoleon's inability to dominate the battlefield was not because his abilities had begun to decline."

"Why did you say that suddenly?"

Clausewitz was still worried about the tense situation of the war and the breakthrough that the French army had forced upon him, but Solovyov was actually a little relaxed, although he was not as nervous as he was before the war.

"We learned his tricks. The French army invaded so many countries in Europe and aroused the patriotic enthusiasm of the people. He brought the embers of the revolution here, which naturally caused a big fire."

"You can say that, but what about the gap opened by the enemy?"

"We can only let the Brunswick Brigade take over. His Excellency the Duke will finally have a chance to take revenge."

So the Black Duke led the Brunswick Brigade into the battle.

Considering what Napoleon had done in Germany, these soldiers also joined the battlefield and rushed directly towards the French army with bayonets at attention.

The weather is indeed more bloody. On normal days there are gunfights, but here in Lance, it's all hand-to-hand combat, as if we had returned to an earlier era.

The Guards continued their attack until the afternoon, but could no longer sustain the attack.

And Palen had to withdraw his plan to cross the river. He lost one third of his hussars, but he did bring back all the cavalry artillery.

Both sides were exhausted that day and confronted each other at the front line.

The attacks on Reims were always unsuccessful, which also changed Napoleon's determination.

Even because of this special battlefield, he did not see the possibility of completely defeating the Russian army on the battlefield the next day.

It would be another matter if those Prussians came to their senses.

The Prussians joined the battlefield, and their strength was probably about the same as that of the Russian army, which would be absolutely disadvantageous to Napoleon.

Solovyov may not be able to defeat Napoleon, but he always has ways to change his mentality.

This dispensable action formation, coupled with the French army's limited manpower, made it unlikely to achieve a quick victory, and even a complete victory here was quite difficult.

Napoleon was also thinking about this problem after nightfall.

"Your Majesty, I think there is always a chance to defeat the Russians when we continue the battle tomorrow."

"Berthier, do you have any information about Paris?"

"Not yet. And because the Austrians have been active on the road to Paris, many signal tower operators have fled, making it difficult for news to be transmitted on the eastern line in a timely manner."

"That depends on the messenger."

Napoleon had encountered such uncomfortable things before, but instead of aiming to win the battle, he wanted to prolong the battle. This was the first time he had encountered such a thing.

"Also, tell Suchet to come close to us. If we move south from Reims against the Austrians, the veterans he has with him may be of use."

Although Napoleon was confident that he would win, his determination was always somewhat shaken.

If there were enough time and manpower, then Solovyov would have to wait another ten years before challenging him.

However, the Russian army built positions inside the city and deliberately left a breakthrough in the southeast direction, just to allow the French army to attack from here and consume them bit by bit.

Napoleon could not afford to lose old soldiers now. The loss of time did not even matter, but every loss of an old soldier was worth another.

It even made him feel a little painful. The loss in 1812
Anyway, it was all his own fault, but Napoleon really couldn't accept continuing the war.

On Solovyov's side, at night, he went to the hotel where he had his temporary command post and asked the owner to cook a few dishes, but there was no wine.

After Nicholas saw it, he also felt a little curious.

"Boss, we stopped the French attack today, why can't you be happy?"

"If Napoleon continues to stay here, we will have to resist the enemy's attack like today. The French offensive did not weaken until nightfall. If they come again, it will probably be another bloody day."

"But now"

"Kolya, you have to remember one thing. As a soldier, you can't be like me, always emotional. Although I can restrain that kind of impulse and sadness, it will not be good for anyone if it continues. Especially in a battle, when it seems that we can't win, it's even more so. Although it has some strategic benefits, people will never remember the loser, unless that person forgets. It's not good for me to be like this now. Go back and rest after eating. We will continue to fight when the French come."

Then he asked everyone to go back and rest, and he sat there himself.

Although the results were significant, the losses were also staggering.

If the fighting goes on like this for a few days, regardless of how long they can hold out, these Russian troops will probably be wiped out.

Although the Allied forces won the battle in terms of overall strategy, it is possible that the British benefited from it.

What Kutuzov had said to him before was still fresh in his memory.

Therefore, he always has to continue to have Napoleon's mentality and shamelessly engage in psychological warfare. (End of this chapter)