Tuqing: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 286 Industrial Miracle! Brilliant Victory!
When night fell, the battle was over.

For the Russian army, this nightmare was finally over.

But now my ears are still full of auditory hallucinations.

The hell is, this is not the auditory hallucination of an explosion, but the auditory hallucination of the whistling sound of falling artillery shells, like the kind of ghosts crying and wolves howling.

Throughout the day, the Chinese army dropped countless artillery shells.

Just keep blowing, blowing, blowing, blowing.

In previous wars, the Chinese army also liked to use artillery fire to clear the ground, but only in the initial stage of the battle there would be large-scale bombing. Then when a large number of infantry charges and attacks, this large-scale bombing will end.

And today's battle is bombing all the time.

What's even more disgusting is that the Chinese army's airships are in the sky, so the deployment of the Russian army in the trenches is almost unobstructed.

After the observers on the airship monitor the position of the Russian troops, they report it to the troops on the ground.

And this reporting method is also very simple, just use a mirror to reflect the light and shine it on the target location.

On cloudy days, use high-power searchlights to illuminate the target location.

Immediately afterwards, large-scale mortar crews fired at the target.

Just a moment later, shells rained down like raindrops.

The Russian troops in the trenches were blown to pieces.

In this way, mortars were used to clean the trench defense lines, and then a large number of infantry rushed forward, occupied the position, and killed the surviving Russian troops.

Keep pushing, keep pushing.

On this day, the entire front line was pushed forward by more than three kilometers. As for the casualties of the Russian army, they have not yet been counted.

………………

Inside the Russian military headquarters.

There was a dumb bomb on the table, and the Russian general was watching carefully.

"This is an unprecedented weapon, somewhat similar to the previous mortars."

"It just looks similar, but the principle is different. This is an infantry massacre."

"The emergence of large-scale trenches has protected the lives of soldiers, but the emergence of this weapon has made the trenches more deadly."

If it explodes on flat ground, the shock wave will spread. The trench is a narrow area, and the power of the explosion can be released to the extreme.

Therefore, the Russian soldiers who died today were very tragic.

Quite a few of them have incomplete bones.

"We must find ways as soon as possible to prevent this weapon."

The Russian governor of Eastern Siberia suddenly said: "I have a very unreal dreaming feeling."

Many senior officers present did not quite understand what he said because it was their first time in China and their first time facing the Chinese army.

But the Cossack cavalry officer present had a completely different feeling.

Because just a few years ago, they faced Heilongjiang General Yishan and the Eight Banners soldiers led by him.

At this time, the combat effectiveness of the Cossack cavalry was already weak, but when they moved south on a large scale, these Eight Banners soldiers fled one after another and did not dare to resist at all.

Later, sporadic conflicts also occurred.

These ridiculous Eight Banners soldiers are extremely decadent and backward regardless of their tactics or appearance.

Among them were muskets, bows and arrows, swords and all kinds of weapons.

Of course, there are also more advanced rifles.

But these Eight Banners soldiers, who were dragging their whips and wearing ridiculous costumes, even with their advanced rifles, were just beating them randomly. After the Russian army rushed up, they dispersed.

How long has it been? Five years at best.

What they faced was such an elite new army.

They were all wearing straight new military uniforms and their hair was neatly trimmed.

Equipped with the most advanced weapons.

Although he is still very immature, he is very heroic.

It's as if there is no transition at all. It went directly from being incredibly backward to being incredibly advanced.

"Times have changed. The most advanced repeating rifle in the world was ostensibly produced by the British, but it was designed by Su Yi of China. It was even named the Su's repeating rifle." The governor said: "Now, they "There's this whole new kind of artillery that looks almost ridiculous, crude artillery."

The commander of the expeditionary force said: "We have captured the artillery shells, but have we captured the barrels as well?"

"No, General. Because they are all in the rear and well protected."

"But there is one thing. Their gun barrel looks ridiculous. It can't even be called artillery at all. One person can just pick it up and run away. However, it is very difficult to make." An officer said.

The commander of the expeditionary force asked: "Why?"

The officer said: "This kind of artillery is not loaded with explosives, but is loaded directly into the shell. It is activated by the firing pin, and the explosive in the rear half is used to launch the shell. The warhead in the front section is responsible for exploding after landing, killing the enemy. ”

"There are two places here that are very difficult to manufacture."

"The first place is the cannon barrel. Although I didn't see it clearly, judging from the movement speed of their individual soldiers carrying the cannon barrel, this thing is very light, so the wall of the cannon barrel is very thin, which imposes requirements on the metal smelting process. Very, very high.”

The governor asked: "Can't our country reach that level?"

The officer said: "It can't be achieved."

The governor said: "We can't achieve it, how can the Qing Dynasty achieve it?"

The officer said: "Mr. Governor, you may not know that the finished products of Jiujiang Iron and Steel Plant are already among the best in the world."

The Governor said: "Impossible. How old is the Jiujiang Iron and Steel Plant? It has only been in operation for a few years, less than four years. And how old are the iron plants in Europe? Decades, hundreds of years."

The officer said: "Your Excellency, the longer you are, the more advanced you are. Sometimes, newness is also an advantage."

This sentence goes to the core. Because Jiujiang Iron and Steel Plant started from scratch, it avoided many detours and adopted the most advanced ones from the beginning.

The first is the advancement in design, and the second is the advancement in the introduction of production lines.

Of course, there is another core reason. Su Yi's WeChat group can have the most advanced craft recipes and so on.

The officer continued: "You probably don't know that some British arsenals even import high-grade steel from Jiujiang?"

The governor said: "This, this is impossible."

The officer said: "This is a fact."

The governor said: "China is so backward and decadent. When you look at it, it seems like it was in the last century."

The officer said: "This does not hinder their advancement in very few aspects."

The commander of the expeditionary force said: "You continue."

The officer said: "The second thing is that the production of this artillery shell is more difficult than the barrel. Even the Chinese have not mastered it, so a large number of dumb bombs have been produced. This artillery shell requires two kinds of gunpowder , one is the primer, used for launching. The other is the anti-personnel explosive. According to my estimation, the two explosives are also different, both in terms of explosive technology and fuze technology. It has reached the advanced level of our country and even the world.”

The Governor said: "State your conclusion."

"We are facing a very dire dilemma," the officer said.

"All of you are thinking about this war from a military and political perspective. I am an engineer and have worked in an arsenal for a long time, so I look at the problem from an industrial and technological perspective."

"Our opponents are advancing at an incredible speed, even flying."

"We only saw this kind of...infantry division artillery, but who knows if they have any other secret weapons? What will they bring to the table in the next war?"

The Governor said: "Continue."

The officer said: "The pace of time is on their side, not on ours."

"If we fail to win this battle, we...may never lose the chance to win. If we continue to grow at this rate, the 600,000 square kilometers of land we just annexed will be lost. The entire Far East will be lost, All of Siberia will be lost."

"At that time, we will face blockade from China in the east and blockade from the British and French groups in the west."

"We are very likely to become a second-rate country."

Everyone present was stunned. Are you being too sensational?
It's just an infantry-style artillery piece. Why do you make such a big judgment?
The commander of the expeditionary force said: "This topic is too far away, let's talk about the problem we are facing now, how to face this new weapon?"

A colonel said: "The reason why they hit so accurately is, firstly, because of the density, and secondly, because the airships always mark their position, use high-power searchlights, or use mirrors to reflect light. There is nothing we can do against their airships. , so we can only find other ways.”

"There are two ways. The first is to retreat immediately when the searchlight shines on a certain direction of ours. The second is to cover the trenches with coverings, such as wooden boards or tent cloth, etc."

The commander of the expeditionary force said: "We can only use the first method. The second method is too late now."

First of all, it was impossible to find so many wooden boards without demolishing the houses and barracks.

But if the house is demolished and the barracks are demolished, where will they live?

October is about to enter, and the temperature here is already very cold. It is several degrees below zero at night. If the house and barracks are demolished, they will freeze to death.

And I don’t know how long it will take to transport these supplies from Europe.

........................

next day!

Once again a war broke out.

The Chinese army's mortars have begun to show off their power again.

The Russian army has been ordered to evacuate all soldiers in that place when searchlights or mirror reflections shine on it.

result……

After waiting for a long time, there were no searchlights or mirror reflections at all.

Do not have!
However, these places were reflected by mirrors and illuminated by searchlights, and the Russian troops here desperately evacuated.

However, the shells did not fall.

On the contrary, certain places that were not reflected by mirrors or illuminated by searchlights were bombarded by countless mortar shells with extremely precise accuracy.

Once again, corpses litter the land.

Shattered to pieces once again.

Damn it, the Chinese army, how do you mark the target location?

This is more advanced and more difficult to calculate.

The observers on the airship used cameras to take pictures of the enemy's entire defense line.

Then, scale it up proportionally.

Then, coordinate and grid the entire battlefield layout map.

Which point needs to be bombarded, just use semaphores directly, plus flashing searchlights and other methods, and report the coordinates at the same time.

Specialized calculators will use the shortest speed to calculate where the coordinates are and inform the mortar operator.

In short, it is very high-end stuff.

These two thousand mortar crews have been training on these things for several months.

Of course, they are not experts in mathematics, nor in geometry, and they do not need to calculate.

It was a completely instinctive reaction.

What parabola, what elevation angle, etc. etc.

For them, it is an instinctive reaction after countless trainings.

As for the difficult calculations, they are left to specialized mathematical talents.

In fact, it shouldn't be like this. These gunners should be able to complete the calculations independently. But there was no way. Su Yi could select dozens or hundreds of mathematical talents. Even top students from the UK could be hired with high salaries.

However, it is impossible for him to demand such a high level from all 2,000 mortar operators.

Therefore, today's battle is still a horrific massacre.

The damn thing is, because of the order from the headquarters, once you find the reflection of searchlights and mirrors, you must evacuate and escape immediately.

The airship troops obviously discovered this, so they searched and irradiated randomly.

As a result, the Russian troops on the ground were exhausted. Every time I ran and evacuated desperately, the shells did not fall, but the Chinese army might have touched them.

So, later they decided not to run away.

However, when they stopped running, the shells fell again.

………………

That's it, the next day's battle.

The Chinese army advanced more than three kilometers.

The Russian army once again suffered heavy casualties.

Moreover, they faced another problem.

Behind it is Aihui City, and behind it is Heilongjiang.

Now, faced with two choices.

The first option is to use Aihui City as a stronghold and fight the most resolute defensive war without retreating.

The second option is for a part of the army to use Aihun City as a stronghold to delay the Chinese army's attack. Most of the troops took the opportunity to cross the Heilongjiang River and return to Blagoveshchensk (Hailanpao) on the north coast.

However, Aihuicheng and Hailanpao are some distance away, not across the river.

After rounds of discussions, it was finally decided to adopt the second option.

Because Aihui is just a small town, it is far from impregnable. It is extremely difficult to rely on it for a decisive battle.

If you are not careful, the whole army may be destroyed.

But Blagoveshchensk is different. They have been operating for a long time. They have many strong fortresses and many large artillery. Moreover, they are separated by a wide river. Before it is frozen, it is difficult for the Chinese army to fight across the river. .

Therefore, the Russian Expeditionary Force made the final decision.

After the 10,000-strong army was defeated, Aihui City was used as a stronghold to hold back the Chinese army.

Another 20,000 people crossed the river at night and headed north to Blagoveshchensk to set up defenses.

Now, the Russians have also recognized the reality, and it is difficult to win quickly.

The only way is to prolong the war and drag it into winter.

Then take advantage of this winter to let St. Petersburg continue to increase troops, regardless of the cost.

Increase the number of troops to 100,000 and 150,000.

We must, must win this battle.

We can no longer give China time to develop. We must take advantage of this battle to oust Su Yi.

China's development must be interrupted.

Otherwise, there will be big trouble in a few years.

Final resolution.

Two days later at night, the main force of 20,000 troops crossed the river and headed north, returning to Blagoveshchensk.

........................

The headquarters of the Chinese Army.

Su Yi was holding a high-level meeting above the division commander level.

"The problem we are facing now is the next move of the Russian army."

"They will use Aihui City as their base to fight a decisive battle with us."

"Or will they choose to cross the river and head north, return to their Hailanpao base camp, and drag the war into winter and into next year?"

"Once they retreat to the Hailanpao base camp, it will be difficult to fight this battle because they have built a large number of fortresses there, and winter is coming soon."

"Of course, when winter comes and Heilongjiang freezes, it is suitable for our infantry to cross the river."

"And our logistics are better than the Russians. Even if we fight in winter, it may not be impossible."

"But the worse result is that even if we take down Hailar with huge casualties, if the enemy army continues to retreat, we will be at a disadvantage and will be fighting deep in enemy territory."

"So, try to end the battle before winter and completely eliminate the enemy."

Chen Yucheng couldn't wait to raise his hand.

Su Yi nodded and said, "You tell me."

Chen Yucheng said: "I think the Russian army will definitely adopt the second option."

More than a dozen senior generals present nodded in agreement.

Seng Gelinqin said: "If they adopt the second option, they will cross the river and go north one night to avoid our airship detection. In that case, we will have to dispatch the navy to this area of ​​​​water in advance to carry out the investigation. The water struck."

"Aihuicheng is about eighty miles away from Hailanpao. If they don't have more than 20,000 troops crossing the river, it will take about nine hours to complete the crossing."

"According to our investigation, the total number of their various types of ships is about 700, and it would take two groups to transport 20,000 people."

"The waters of Heilongjiang are not wide enough. Once our fleet enters, it will be easily attacked by the opponent's artillery fire."

"There is another key issue. It is relatively cold this year. Heilongjiang may be frozen in twenty days. If our fleet does not evacuate at this time, it may never be able to leave again."

In the end, everyone's eyes turned to Su Yi, waiting for his decision.

If the fleet came to attack, the maximum result would be to wipe out about 10,000 people.

But they face the risk of being shelled, or the risk of being unable to return after being frozen.

Taking a deep breath, Su Yi made a decision.

"Order our fleet to approach immediately!"

"Yes!"

Soon, the airship took off and headed towards the naval fleet on the river two hundred miles away.

Convey Su Yi's orders.

A few hours later, Xu Youren and Count Jurgen led the fleet and marched westward, taking great risks and entering the war waters.

........................

next day!

Another big fight.

The Russian army used Aihun as a stronghold and carried out a stubborn defense.

These days, there were once again massive casualties, but they were much better than the previous two days.

Because after all, there is Aihui City as a stronghold, and this is a large castle after all.

After Night General.

The commander-in-chief of the Russian army ordered that 20,000 people come to the dock to assemble.

Countless ships went south from Hailanpao Pier to Aihuicheng Pier.

More than two hours later.

These hundreds of ships came to the river near Aihui City.

More than 20,000 Russian troops began to prepare to assemble and board the ship.

They resolutely implemented the second plan, and the main force moved northward to Blagoveshchensk.

But just at this time.

A team of scouts rushed into the headquarters.

"Your Majesty Governor, General, we have discovered the Chinese navy and are charging at full speed."

"We are only a few dozen miles away."

Damn it, the Russians still found out.

The actions of the Chinese fleet are already very secretive, and this section of the river is basically under the control of the Chinese army. The Russians do not have airships, so it is generally difficult to detect the movements of the Chinese navy.

However, there are usually Russian reconnaissance troops on the right bank of Heilongjiang. Despite being frantically hunted by the Chinese army, the reconnaissance teams have become fewer and fewer, and the time is so short, it should be difficult to detect the movements of the Chinese navy.

but……

It was such bad luck that he was discovered by Russian scouts.

"Governor, General, the retreat plan must be suspended. Our navy is gone. Once these hundreds of small boats are on the river, they will be completely slaughtered lambs."

"Although the Chinese navy is still dozens of miles away from us, it will take time for our soldiers to board the ship."

"According to calculations, we may have enough time to land in Blagoveshchensk before being attacked by a devastating attack. But this is only theoretical. If there is a slight mistake, we may be strangled."

Ever since.

The commander-in-chief of the Russian expeditionary force and the governor of Eastern Siberia ordered to stop boarding ships and stopping crossing the river.

………………

"Your Majesty, the enemy has stopped crossing the river. The enemy has stopped crossing the river."

The airship troops immediately informed the enemy of their movements.

"It seems that our navy has been discovered."

"It's just a little bit short, just a little bit of luck."

Su Yi suddenly asked: "Has the main Russian army returned to their positions and defense lines?"

"No, they are still gathering by the river. They must be waiting for new movements of our army and new orders."

Su Ye suddenly asked: "What will happen if...our main force now rushes directly to the left bank of the Heilongjiang River and kills the main force of 20,000 Russian troops?"

Although that place is backed by Aihui City, there is no fortress or trench defense.

Seng Gelinqin said: "Your Majesty, this... this is a night battle. We... have never fought before. And with such a close distance, our movements will probably be discovered."

Su Yi said: "If you haven't fought before, then give it a try! As for whether it will be discovered, the benefits outweigh the risks. It's worth a try."

With an order.

Four divisions, with a total of 50,000 troops, rushed towards the rear of Aihui City like a tide.

Directly bypassing the dense defense lines of the Russian army.

At this time, if discovered by Russian scouts, the main force of the Russian army will shrink back to the defense line as quickly as possible.

but……

The wonder is in the wonder.

The movements of the Chinese fleet hundreds of miles away were discovered by Russian scouts.

Not far away, the Chinese army attacked at night, but the Russians did not notice it.

Russia's 20,000 main troops are still gathering by the river, waiting for new trends and new orders.

Time is like fire.

Time is life and death.

More than three hours later!

China's 50,000 troops successfully entered the target battlefield.

The Russian army was cut off directly from it.

The war broke out.

Su Yi seized the enemy's fleeting flaw and achieved the most glorious victory.

........................

Note: Tomorrow there will be an update with over 10,000 words, thank you all! Happy May Day everyone.

(End of this chapter)