It was precisely because of this consideration that Alexander insisted on declaring war on the Swedes in the name of the Emperor of the Russian Empire, despite Bagration's objections.
Because of the suddenness of Alexander's order, not only the Russians were unprepared, but the Swedes were also unprepared. The Swedes' unpreparedness just created a good start for the Russian army's offensive.
Twenty thousand Russian troops, led by Bagration, marched directly from Daugavpils in Latvia and arrived in the eastern Lithuanian city of Utena in four days.
When the two thousand Swedish troops in Utena City saw the Russian army suddenly appearing outside the city, all the Swedish soldiers were stunned, and Bagration did not give the Swedes any reaction after arriving at Utena City.
At that time, he directly ordered the attack on Utena.
The Russian army, under the command of Bagration, captured Utena in only half a day. After the battle of Rekze, the Swedish army commander Osten led the main force back to Siaoliye until Utena.
The news was received five days after it was captured.
After learning about the undeclared war by the Russians, one can imagine the anger in Osten's heart. He immediately ordered the assembly of the main force of the Swedish army. At the same time, Ostein also sent people to quickly return to Stockholm to pass on the information that the Russians had started a war to Sweden.
High level.
Osten spent three days gathering the Swedish army. Fortunately, because Siauliai is the actual center of Swedish rule in Eastern Europe, most of the main force of the Swedish army is deployed around Siaolii.
In this situation, in three days, Osten gathered a Swedish army with more than 30,000 troops.
After gathering the army, Ostein led the army to attack the Utena area that had been captured by the Russian army.
What I have to say here is that you have to pass through Panevezh from Siaoliye to Utena. Fortunately, this area is still under the control of the Swedish army. Otherwise, I am afraid that Osten will have quite a headache.
.
After capturing Utena, Bagration did not stop. He divided his army into pieces and went to capture Utena and surrounding towns, announcing to the Lithuanians the news of the return of the Russian Imperial Army.
!
The reason why Bagration sent these troops even though he knew it was a taboo for military strategists to divide their troops on the eve of a war was because of the strength of the Russian army.
Although the Battle of Redzekone ended with a victory for the Russian side, the Russian army paid a considerable price for this. Even after the captured Kutuzov rebel soldiers joined the Russian Imperial Army, the army's
The troop strength still hovers around 25,000.
What Bagration had to face was a Swedish army of more than 50,000 people!
Ever since the Swedish army set foot on the Eastern European continent, Sweden has never stopped sending troops to Western Lithuania. In other words, nearly half of Sweden's troops have been sent to Western Lithuania. This can also be seen from this.
There is so much desire for the territory of the mainland.
Facing the powerful Swedes, Bagration must integrate more forces. That is why Bagration went to the towns around Utena to announce the return of the Russian Empire. He hoped to use this to win over those who could not say they were still loyal.
The landowners of the Russian Empire gained power in the hands of the gentry.
This time Bagration marched into Lithuania, and Alexander did not follow him.
For Alexander, the suppression of Kutuzov's rebels had already accumulated enough reputation for him. And with a famous general like Bagration, he believed that even if the Russian Empire would not win a great victory, it would still face the
The Swedes will not fail either.
In this case, Alexander chose to return to St. Petersburg. On the one hand, he wanted to rush back to St. Petersburg in person to announce the order to declare war on Sweden. On the other hand, as Kutuzov's rebels were wiped out, Alexander became more and more worried about Moscow.
situation.
Although Rumyantsev dragged his illness and tried his best to support the war situation, everyone knew that Rumyantsev's time was basically running out. According to the reply from the doctor sent by Alexander to Rumyantsev's side, Rumyantsev
The marshal now coughs violently every day, and all he coughs up is bloody phlegm.
The imperial doctor has calculated for this old marshal who is loyal to the Russian Empire that if the old marshal does not get some rest, he will not be able to survive this winter!
This news was like a bolt from the blue for Alexander. Previously, when Rumyantsev was healthy, he could suppress Brankov, but in recent months, due to Rumyantsev's health, Brankov
The rebels actually came back to life, and even captured several towns while Rumyantsev was unconscious and the imperial army was leaderless.
In fact, due to Rumyantsev's health, the top brass of the Russian Empire had long begun to debate the candidate for the Russian military commander after the Marshal, but this candidate has never been determined.
In the current Russian Empire, there are basically no generals with outstanding military exploits except Bagration and Rumyantsev.
Many of the generals who grew up during the period of Catherine II were destroyed because of Paul I's counterattack. After Brankov and Kutuzov rebelled, the number of generals within the empire even withered. A considerable number of them
The generals threw themselves into the rebel camp.
This also makes the current situation of the Russian Empire quite embarrassing, that is, it has soldiers but no generals.
In order to improve the situation, Alexander prepared to order the pardon of some generals who had been under house arrest or even exiled during the time of Paul I.
However, Alexander also knew that this order was not actually very effective, because most of these generals passed away due to super-intensive torture. Even if these generals were released, would they be able to exert their original power?
Military level cannot be said to be two different things.
So Alexander decided that he would personally lead an army to Moscow to suppress Brankov.
The reason for making such a decision was not because of Alexander's arrogance, but because Alexander knew that with the current backwardness of the Russian Empire's military commanders and the Brankov rebels, they could only be improved by stimulating military morale.
The battle of the army. And his status as emperor of the empire is undoubtedly the best stimulant.
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In late September 1793, Ferdinand the Younger commanded the main force of the coalition army, more than 50,000 men, to arrive at the gates of Paris.
The appearance of the coalition forces under the city of Paris caused a lot of panic in the city of Paris. Fortunately, everyone in Paris had already been mentally prepared for the appearance of the coalition forces. Therefore, after a brief panic, under the command of Louis XVI.
Under the order, Paris re-entered the preparations for war.
The dark clouds of war have shrouded Paris.
"Duke Andrew, our time is very tight this time. Therefore, you must do your best on this matter!"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty Marshal, as a member of the coalition, I have the unshirkable responsibility for this matter!"
Standing in the coalition headquarters outside Paris, Duke Andrew spoke proudly to little Ferdinand.
At the previous military meeting of the coalition forces, Ferdinand the Younger, as the commander of the coalition forces, laid out an attack plan for Paris, and this plan was similar to what Hornde had said in front of William.
Ferdinand the Younger was preparing to use the Seine River across Paris to conquer Paris.
There are several water gates at the mouth of the Seine River in Paris. These water gates are surrounded by huge iron fences. The reason for this is to prevent enemies from entering Paris directly from the Seine River.
However, from Ferdinand's point of view, these iron fences are not the biggest problem. No matter how strong the iron fence is, it can definitely be destroyed by hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
The only thing that made little Ferdinand feel a little anxious was if he could get close to these iron fences without alerting the Paris city defenders.
After Ferdinand the Younger decided to march to Paris, he ordered the coalition forces to collect ships on both sides of the Seine River outside Paris. These ships were intended to destroy the water gates on the Seine River on the one hand, and to transport troops into the city of Paris on the other.
Some people may say that the coalition forces have powerful artillery, so why not use these artillery to blow down the city walls of Paris?
In fact, this problem is very simple. That is, the city walls of Paris are definitely not easy to demolish. You must know that during the period of Louis XIV, the Sun King carried out large-scale renovations on the city walls of Paris because of his early experiences. The direct consequences were
The city walls of Paris are all paved with large bluestones, and the top of the ladder-shaped city walls is even nearly six meters wide.
In this case, it is obviously not a simple matter to completely destroy the city wall of Paris by relying on it. After all, the power of current artillery is limited and has not yet reached the point where a shell will be like an earthquake in later generations.
While the coalition forces outside Paris were making intensive preparations to attack Paris, a meeting was being held in Paris, and Napoleon, who had escaped from Compiègne, was among them.
The reason why the military conference was convened was actually because of Napoleon.
After the defeat of Compiegne, Napoleon did not escape all the way, but returned to Paris after evading the search of the coalition forces. Although Napoleon knew that the French nobles in Paris may not have a better attitude towards him than the coalition forces,
But Napoleon, who loved his motherland deeply in his heart, knew what he had to do for Paris!
In fact, when Louis XVI first saw Napoleon fleeing into Paris, his heart was quite complicated. Napoleon had considerable ambitions, and Louis XVI knew this well.
Perhaps of all the people in the world, only Queen Mary could restrain Napoleon, but unfortunately Queen Mary has died of illness.
Under such circumstances, Napoleon is undoubtedly a presence that makes people worry about all the time.
But Louis XVI also knew that Napoleon's military ability was definitely among the best in France. Although Napoleon failed in the Netherlands and Compiegne, Napoleon did quite well by pushing others.
.
In Compiègne, Napoleon relied on less than 2,000 remaining soldiers to resist the attack of more than 12,000 coalition troops for nearly a week. In the Netherlands, Napoleon relied on only coalition troops.
The French army with half the strength was fighting equally with the coalition forces. If there were not too many accidental factors, the coalition forces would not be able to get anything good from Napoleon at all. The previous British Expeditionary Force is a clear proof!
Napoleon did not come to Paris alone. He came to Paris with nearly a hundred guards and his cronies. If anyone in France currently has the most experience in war, then there is no doubt that it is Napoleon and the men under him.
Batch people.
Therefore, in this case, after a day of thinking, Louis XVI chose to use Napoleon.
Seeing Napoleon suddenly appearing in the palace, all the senior officials in Paris except Louis XVI were a little stunned. Even after Napoleon's appearance, the French Finance Minister immediately came out and asked Louis XVI to execute Napoleon.
"Okay, it goes without saying. General Napoleon is the hope of the kingdom. Now is France's national crisis. We don't need to talk about the past. The only thing we need to think about now is how to defend Paris. Do you understand?"
Louis XVI looked a little ugly, waved his hand to the minister who was out of the queue and said. Then Louis XVI seemed to feel that his words were not shocking enough, so he said again:
"I have decided to appoint General Napoleon as the commander of the defense of Paris. Everyone in Paris will obey General Napoleon's orders to resist the enemy's attack. Even I am no exception!"
"Your Majesty, you must not do this!"
"Your Majesty, how can you let a white-eyed wolf like Napoleon dominate the rise and fall of the kingdom!"
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Oppositions were endless, but Louis XVI, who was sitting at the top, looked at the ministers who spoke out against the steps, and his face was filled with sadness.
He didn't want to reuse Napoleon. He knew the ambition in Napoleon's heart. But what could he do now? Even though the ministers at the foot of the steps were shouting more and more loudly, if they really wanted to rely on them to defeat the coalition,
Not to mention that Louis XVI didn't believe it, I'm afraid even they themselves didn't believe it.
That's right. The powerful Kingdom of France has a considerable number of generals. The skills of these generals may not be as good as Napoleon's. But if they only guard Paris, then these people are still competent enough.
But Louis XVI didn't just want to defend Paris like a tortoise, he wanted a victory!
From the beginning of the war to the present, the French army has suffered too many defeats. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as retreating, but who can blame it! The combination of the British and the Prussians, what other country in the world
Can you withstand it?
If it wants to defeat the coalition forces, the French army must have a genius commander, and currently in Paris, the only one who can be described in this way is perhaps Napoleon.
While Louis XVI was talking to the ministers, Napoleon stood aside without saying a word.
Napoleon had feelings for France, but this did not mean that Napoleon was used to these high-level bureaucrats in France. If these bureaucrats had not repeatedly targeted Napoleon, perhaps Napoleon would not have been forced by these people.
He came up with the idea of occupying the mountains and becoming the king in the Netherlands.
But now, just because they want to be loyal to their country, these ministers are still unwilling to let go of their prejudices and insist on putting themselves to death, which makes Napoleon feel even more sad.
"We need victory. Except for Napoleon, if you can give me a guarantee of victory, then I will give up my decision!"
Louis XVI's words immediately silenced the ministers present. Although they all had great hopes of holding Paris, who dared to say that they could definitely hold Paris and win victory against the coalition?
You must know that it is not difficult to defend Paris, but it is rare to defeat the coalition forces. The coalition generals are not fools. If they cannot capture Paris and start a siege, then who among these ministers dares to say that they can lead the army out of the city to defeat the coalition forces. I am afraid one
None.
Seeing that these ministers stopped talking, Louis XVI's face became firm.
"Needless to say, my mind has been decided! From now on, General Napoleon will be the commander of the Paris city defense."
After saying that, Louis XVI stood up and handed the king's scepter in his hand to Napoleon's hand.
"The rise and fall of the Kingdom of France for hundreds of years depends on you, Napoleon. I hope you will not disappoint me or all the people of the Kingdom of France!"
When he took over the scepter from Louis XVI, Napoleon's mood was complicated. Originally, he came to Paris without expecting to take over the power of guarding Paris, but now Louis XVI's move is undoubtedly extremely grand, and he even used
As a saying from the East goes, "Treat yourself as a gentleman of your country."
Even Napoleon's great dissatisfaction with Louis XVI was reduced to nothing at this moment.
"Your Majesty, I will be loyal to the king and serve the country with my death!"
After Louis XVI appointed Napoleon as the commander of the Paris city defense, Napoleon immediately began his mission in the palace. He called all the military officers above the battalion commander in the city of Paris to the palace. At this moment, the Paris palace seemed to have become a
Napoleon's personal command.
Under Napoleon's order, the army in Paris was re-divided. The army of more than 40,000 people was divided into three groups. One group of 20,000 people was used to guard the northern part of Paris. The north was the direction from which the coalition forces were coming. It can be imagined that
It is known that in the subsequent battles, the northern city wall will also become the focus of competition between the coalition forces and the French army.
The other one has 10,000 men. This army will exclusively guard the western and eastern areas of Paris. As for the southern part of Paris, Napoleon only arranged a guard force of 3,000 men.
The remaining 10,000 people will serve as the reserve team of the City Defense Command and serve as firefighters.
After re-dividing the ownership and garrison of the army, Napoleon immediately inspected various city defense facilities in Paris. Because Napoleon had previously held important positions in the Paris City Defense Command, Napoleon could also inspect these important facilities.