"Oh - I see, I said how did Saltykov come back?"

At the end of February, it was still freezing in St. Petersburg, but the atmosphere in the palace was lively.

Because France and Austria were pressuring the Ottoman Empire at the same time, half of the Russian troops originally stationed in Ukraine and the Astrakhan region were transferred to the Polish border to assemble, and together with the Cossack troops in Zaporozhye and the Don, they were ready to cross the Polish border to Austria.

For this battle, some officers from the Imperial Army stationed in Courland were also sent back to St. Petersburg, and then sleighed south.

"Long time no see, Lord Duke"

Seeing Saltykov again, Ekaterina was no longer as impulsive and emotional as she had been.

"yes, long time no see, Grand Duchess"

Because Empress Elizabeth did not actually designate an heir to the throne, both Peter and his son Paul could have been heirs, and in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, only Peter and Paul are now referred to as archdukes.

"Why did the Duke come back this time?"

"Haha, the mission in Venice was just completed, and then I caught up with the urgent edict, so I came back early"

Saltykov said with a smile.

"Oh? Are you going to be sent to the front, duke? ”

Catherine asked in surprise.

"Alas, I'm a soldier, so I'll go wherever I need to."

"How so..."

Catherine said with concern.

"Haha, don't worry about anything, I just went to show my face, and I didn't have to go to the front line to personally command the battle, so it should be okay, maybe I can get a St. Andrew's medal after returning home."

Saltykov seemed to want to act like he didn't care.

"Duke, your boldness and fearlessness are exactly the same as they were back then!"

Catherine was shocked by Saltykov's words, and couldn't help but recall the ignorant self she had seen for the first time in front of her, who she once regarded as a handsome prince.

"How? Seeing how excited you were when you saw Catherine again, huh? ”

Peter held up his glass, Noye Saltykov.

"Haha, it's just that the Grand Duchess is still beautiful, and even I sigh to myself!"

Bite!

Saltykov gently touched Peter's glass, then drank it down.

"I'm just kidding, we're friends after all."

Peter smiled and took a sip of red wine.

"You went to Kyiv to join the army this time, and I have nothing to do but pray that God will bless us"

Peter made a cross on his body.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your good words, you will definitely live up to your mission and serve the country!"

"Okay, okay, tonight we are all mortals, how about not getting drunk and not returning?"

"Okay, since His Royal Highness is confident in his drinking power, of course I will also sacrifice my life to accompany the gentleman, haha!"

The two clinked glasses again.

At the beginning of April, just after the Russian troops in the south entered the Polish border, the Russian troops in the north also began to reorganize and entered a state of mobilization one after another.

Receiving orders from Empress Elizabeth, Peter and Catherine were also to join the Guards and participate in training.

On this day, Peter, dressed in a light green and gold-lined Guards uniform, stood in front of the window and wandered, as if something was causing him to be very anxious.

"Why are you here?"

Waiting and waiting, I heard my aunt suddenly appear from behind.

"Your Majesty, I, I..."

Peter was so frightened that he turned around, trembling and not knowing how to explain it.

"Peter. Fedorovich, I don't understand what you have to complain about? ”

Queen Elizabeth pulled the corners of her skirt on both sides and bowed her knees like a lady.

"I have already awarded you the title of deputy regimental commander, incorporated you into the Izmailovsky Corps of the Guards Army, and given you the real power of a company commander, do you still think it is not enough?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but、But I want to contribute to the map table..."

Peter said timidly.

In front of the map table, it naturally refers to the conference room of the marshals and generals, that is, the place where the strategy is strategized.

"Little Peter, this is not your 1,000-strong toy corps, this is real war! Start by commanding a company and learn how to serve the country, okay! ”

The empress raised her voice abruptly and shouted.

"Okay, then I'll make two suggestions, and it's up to you to decide whether to adopt them or not..."

Peter hesitated, but decided to speak up.

"One is that if the southern army wants to enter Hungary from Novosunch, west of the Western Carpathian Mountains, and then support Vienna, it is better to cross the Vistula River directly and attack Silesia from the north of Krakow, so as to cut off the supply routes of the Prussian army attacking Vienna from their own country."

"Well, what else?"

"Then there is the ship from Courland, landing in Sweden at Greifswald in Trans-Pomerania, then occupying the city of Szczecin at the mouth of the Oder, and then using it as a base to seize Post-Pomerania"

"Okay, I see, you go down"

Empress Elizabeth said unmoved.

"Huh? ... Okay"

Peter left the room as if he had been beaten with a quilt and punched with a fist.

"Hmph, you know how to grab land!"

When Peter was gone, Queen Elizabeth pouted to herself.

"Vienna is about to fall, and you want to force Frederick to withdraw by attacking Silesia? He, Frederick, is not a fool! How can there be a reason to open your mouth after the meat you have already bitten! Cut, I know cranky all day long, and I haven't grown at all! ”