"It's 1 o'clock in the morning, let's go!"

By the dim light of the oil lamp, Colonel Pushkov glanced at the pocket watch in his hand, then raised his head and ordered the officers in front of him.

Although Königsberg is located at a slightly lower latitude than St. Petersburg, it is also above 55 degrees north latitude, belonging to the middle and high latitudes, and there are only short twilight and long days in summer, so it is not easy to sneak up in the dark, so it is possible to attack only in the second half of the night when the Prussians are tired.

"For the Izmailovsky Corps! For the sake of the Russian Empire! ”

The officers clenched their right fists against their left chests and shouted in unison.

Bang la la - bla bla bla -

Small boats, each carrying a six-pounder cannon and a dozen soldiers, were pushed to the shore one after another, wider than the average wooden paddle boat. These were the Guards artillery of Orlov's plan to sneak up on the Prussian army from the flanks through the swamps.

Strictly speaking, a swamp is an irregular lake, that is, a wetland. There is water, there are shoals, there are undercurrents and mud puddles, and if you are not careful, you will be dragged by the mud and sand and aquatic plants hidden in the water, so you have to find out the feasible route in advance, and sometimes you have to take a long detour. In order to make it easier for the army to walk, the road was also paved with wooden planks when necessary, and pontoon bridges were built with wooden boats.

However, in this era, the leaders of the military in most countries are still conservative and rigid, and it is difficult to make groundbreaking measures, and the truly radical liberation of the army will not be decisive until after the Bastille in France in 1792, when civilians and non-commissioned officers appear. In other words, it was almost impossible for the Prussians to imagine that anyone would dare to venture the swamp road.

"Brothers, dry this glass! I wish us every success and everyone will receive the Order of St. Andrew! ”

Ding Ding Ding Ding!

The Orlov brothers toasted each other and drank it all.

"Report to the marshal, the soldiers of the Guards have already set off by boat"

"Got it, let's go down"

In the tent where the temporary headquarters was located, Marshal Apleksin Jr. was pondering the layout on the map all night, and after hearing the report of the herald, he waved his hand very casually, and then took a sip of the wine glass beside him.

"Marshal, we must not put all our hopes on the side of the Guards! The variables of the swamp raid are too great, and the Prussians have worked hard here for hundreds of years, and if anyone knows the terrain best, it is of course the Prussians, in case the other side also wants to sneak up on the swamps, right? Huh"

A gray-haired general who sat with him raised his glass with a smile.

"You're right, I allowed the Guards to attack from the swamps just to attract the attention of the Prussians"

Marshal Apleeksin Jr. took another sip of red wine, and then turned his gaze to a green spot in the sandbox.

"At dawn, part of the cavalry will make a sneak attack through the forest around the rear of the Prussian flank, and that's my real killer weapon."

"Awesome, Marshal, you really have you!"

"It's worthy of you, marshal, haha!"

Several generals praised together.

At 4 o'clock in the morning, after a short rest, Marshal Apleksin Jr. led a group of middle and high-ranking officers out of the commander's tent, and under the gray sky in the direction of the main battlefield, all kneeling on one knee, holding the cross in their hands and bowing their heads in prayer, a chaplain of the army holding a golden icon and looking down at them.

"Take off your hat!"

Marshal Apleksin Jr. first took off his triangular hat, and all the officers followed him with serious expressions and compassion.

"O Lord Almighty"

Then little Apleksin took the Bible in his left hand and began to read it, and drew a cross on his body with his right hand for each sentence.

"His Savior"

"Forgive the servants, ask for hearing, ask for protection, forgive us for our sins"

"The enemy is around to destroy us, and to give glory to the Savior, and in your name you cannot let the enemy say, 'Behold, the Lord has forsaken them.'"

"You are our true God and the people of the world, and we are a people under your protection"

"Lord, We Praise You Forever"

"Amen"

After the pre-battle prayer, Marshal Apleksin Jr. stood up, walked up to the priest, and bowed down to kiss the golden icon.