Mlava Red

On July 26, 1824, near the Saxon town of Zulburg, the newly crowned emperor of France Buonaparte fights the troops of the Prussian kingdom and the Russian state , in the ranks of which the heirs of the Prussian and Russian thrones Johann and Sevastyan, Baron Alexander von Schulenberg, Herbert von Plummet, Colonels Bula Orlov, staff captain Taubert and many other officers. At a decisive moment, they jointly manage to repulse the attack of the imperial guard , and Buonaparte retreats to the Rhine . When the Anglo-Svej army landed in France and seizes Paris , the emperor is finally defeated in the battle for the capital and commits suicide.

September 2, 1849 in Anasseopol (an analogue of St. Petersburg , however, standing not at the mouth of the Neva , but at its source from Lake Ladoga ; Moscow is never mentioned in the novel, and Vladimir is called the previous capital) Vasilevs Arseniy Kronidovich read out the ultimatum manifest , threatening war to the duke under the Prussian protectorate of Livonia , if he does not stop the oppression of the loyal (analogous to Orthodoxy ). Despite the objections of the gendarmes Orlov and Taubert who became the Minister of War and Chief, Vasilevs sends to the Russian-Livonian border, which runs along the banks of the Mlava River (in the novel), the Second Army Corps under the command of General Shakhovsky, which includes, among others, the Ugra Rifle Colonel Sazhnev and the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment Colonel Rossky. The Prussian ambassador to Anassopol, Count von Schulenberg, suspects the British of pitting the Power and Prussia and unsuccessfully tries to convince Berlin that the Russian plan does not include a military capture of Livonia.

The second building goes to Mlava on October 29. Sazhnev personally sets off for reconnaissance on the other side, violating Shakhovsky’s direct order, and discovers the famous hired brigade of retired Prussian general von Plammet, who, according to intelligence, was to fight in Spain. Sazhnev reports the enemy to Shakhovsky, but he and his chief of staff, Prince Lominadzev, are outraged by the violation of the order and do not want to listen to him, and only the intervention of Rossky makes the headquarters take his words seriously. Nevertheless, when von Plummet suddenly crosses the river that night and attacks, the only part that manages to offer him significant resistance are the arrows of Sazhnev himself. Having detained von Plummet, they give Rossky time to collect the remains of the Second Corps near the village of Zayachi Ushi, while Shakhovskoy with headquarters leave for Köchtelberg. Rossky takes over the command of the improvised “Mlava consolidated brigade” and the next morning repulsed the attack of von Plammet, forcing him to retreat back behind Mlava. During the battle, the hussar Count Bogunov is distinguished, capturing several Prussian guns and injuring his arm. Rossky sends him to Anasseopol with a report for Orlov, and meanwhile, contrary to Shakhovsky’s orders, he crosses Mlawa and pursues von Plummet.

British and Prussian intelligence reports to their ambassadors in Anasseopol about the defeat of the Second Corps, claiming that the Russians were the first to cross Mlawa. Soon, a report by Shakhovsky arrives, which brings down the blame for the defeat on the Ugra residents and Sazhnev personally, who at first crossed Mlava without authorization, and then allegedly fled, throwing the banner . Vasilevs Arseniy Kronidovich is killed by the news of the flight of one of his favorite rifle battalions and sends reinforcements to Mlava under the command of General Bulashevich, an ardent admirer of Suvorov ’s methods . Soon, however, the wounded hussar Bogunov, who Taubert and Orlov immediately brought to Vasileus, also gets to Anasseopol. Thanks to the eyewitness report, the true state of affairs is becoming known, the honor of the Ugra residents and their commander has been restored, and the latter, along with Rossky, is presented to the orders .

Meanwhile, Rossky is chasing von Plummet, retreating to the city of Anxalt. Although the locals do not interfere, but do not welcome the Russians (even the “loyal ones”), the ambushes left by von Plummet carry out partisan actions against them - here, incidentally, the combat experience gained by the Ugra residents in Kapkaz falls . In Anxalt, von Plammet stops, and the city itself is surrounded by fortifications built in advance, so Rossky decides to take time until the rest of the troops approach. After one of the hassles, he sends his chief of staff to the Vyazemsky parliament to agree on an exchange of wounded, but he dies under suspicious circumstances. Rossky keeps his officers from reprisal against the German parliamentarian who brought the body of Vyazemsky, but gives the Bavarian the word to do everything to destroy von Plummet together with his entire brigade. Soon, Bulashevich arrives and immediately removes the arrived Lominadzev from command. Rossky manages to dissuade the general from a frontal attack on Anxalt and propose his plan of assault.

In Anassepol, Taubert and Orlov discuss the situation and understand that von Plummet not only prepared for war before the Vasileus manifesto, but also knew in advance where and when the Second Corps would enter the Livonian border, which means that a high-ranking spy is operating in Anasseopol. A little later, Orlova at the social gathering “accidentally” meets von Schulenberg and, appealing to the old Zulburg friendship, asks for a frank conversation, during which both realize that only England will win in the clash between the Power and Prussia and that to prevent the escalation of the “Great incident” into a big European war, none of them have any opportunity.

• Sergiy Grigoryevich Orlov - Count , Minister of War of the State. Member of the Buonapartov Wars , later - the uprising of 1827 (analogous to the Decembrists ). After the disclosure of the conspiracy, he dismissed his parts and surrendered to the authorities, was exiled , but subsequently forgiven by the Vasileus and appointed Minister.
• Nikolai Leopoldovich Taubert - Count, Head of the Gendarme Guard . In 1827 he gave the order to open fire on the rebels who shot Prince Peter Ivanovich Artsakov-Kaluzhinsky (an analogue of Mikhail Miloradovich ), as a result of which they were suppressed. The godfather of Princess Zinaida Avksentievna.
• Alexander von Schulenberg - Count, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Prussia in Anassopol.
• Arseny Kronidovich (Aldasyev-Serebryany) - ruling Vasileus (emperor) of the State. The Aldasyev-Serebryany House comes from Prince Kiy and rules the Power for about two centuries. Arseny Kronidovich (approximate analogue of Nicholas I ) was crowned approx. 1829, after the sudden death of his father, Kronid Antonovich, and the abdication of his older brother Sevastyan.
• Alexander Afanasevich Bulashevich - Prince , general from the cavalry , "the son of a hero and the hero himself." He began military service at the age of 15 and is very popular among the troops. In everything he tries to imitate his idol, Prince Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov .
• Fedor Sigismundovich Rossky - Colonel , commander of the Life Guards of the Kaluga and Zulburg Grenadier Regiments.
• Mikhail Konstantinovich Vyazemsky - lieutenant colonel, chief of staff at Rosssky.
• Grigory Panteleevich Sazhnev - lieutenant colonel, commander of the 2nd separate Ugra rifle battalion, armed with the latest fittings (see Kammerlader ) under the personal patronage of Vasilevs Arseniy Kronidovich. Veteran of the Capcaza War , who served on the Green Line .
• Egor Onofrievich Petrovsky - non-commissioned officer of the Ugra battalion. He owns folk magic - he knows how to speak “zimovice” (they are “winter women”), otherworldly forces from Ugra folklore. Repeatedly saves Sazhnev from supernatural dangers (the reality of which in the novel remains ambiguous).
• Nikita Stepanovich Bogunov - Count, hussar staff captain .
• Leonty Appianovich Shakhovskoy - prince, infantry general , appointed commander of the Second Corps.
• Irakli Luarsabovich Lominadzev - Prince, Lieutenant General , Chief of Staff of the Second Corps.
• Mikhailo Shigorin is a prince serving in the Second Corps in the lower ranks for the redemption of past misdeeds. The nickname is Michelle the Devil.
• Auxentius Markovich Aldasiev - Grand Duke , distant relative of Vasilevs ("great-great-grandson of the reigning monarch"). The residence is in Hotchin .
• Zinaida Avksentievna ("Zyuka") Aldasieva - Grand Duchess.
• Gennady Avksentievich ("Geda") Aldasiev - Grand Duke, officer of the Life Guards of the Cavalier Guard regiment .
• Lord Greeley is the ambassador of the English Queen Anne (an analogue of Victoria ) in Anasseopol.
• Herbert von Plummet is a retired Prussian major general , a former military attaché in Anasseopol (expelled from the country for conspiracy). With the tacit support of the Prussian Kaiser, Johann (analogous to Frederick II ) formed a mercenary division, known as the “New Condottiers,” “Black Wolves,” and the “Bavarian Black Dragoons,” which the Second Corps encounters on Mlawa.

In 2007, Perumov denied a possible project in collaboration with someone, but as an ideologically close science fiction writer, he named Vera Kamshu in the first place:

However, Vera Kamsha in an interview with Fantasy World called 2005 the beginning of the creation:

The book was created since 2005 at a slow pace and initially did not go beyond the framework of a draft inter-authorial work. However, after Perumov took the drafts of “Red Glory” to the publisher, the pace of writing the book increased sharply.

Published in the collection “Heroes for All Times” (2010), the story “Voivode and Night” (co-authored by Perumov and Kamsha) is a prequel to “Mlava” and is dedicated to the accession to the throne of the first representative of the Aldasyev-Serebryany dynasty, which ended the Time of Troubles .

Criticism warmly accepted the book. Thus, the magazine Fantasy World rated the book nine points out of ten possible, noting the good elaboration of the universe, excellent battle scenes and secondary characters as pluses, but excessive straightforwardness of the plot and a small number of manifestations of secondary characters were mentioned as minuses. ^[3]

Rewards

• World of fiction , Results 2011 // Alternative History ^[4]

Nominations

• World of fiction , Results 2011 // Book of the Year [nomination] ^[4]
• The world of science fiction , Results 2011 // Domestic fiction [nomination] ^[4]

• Nikolai Kalinichenko. Mlava Red // If: magazine. - Moscow: Favorite book, 2012. - No. 2 . - S. 246 . - ISSN 0136-0140 .