Ming Zhengzhi, I am Zheng Kezang

With the addition of Upper Baikal Buryats and more Ulianghai Kyrgyz, the Xia army team is obviously bigger than before.However, this is not good news for the Russians. After all, just as Prince Hasut judged, most of the robbed cattle and sheep in Russia were raised in the plains along the Irkutsk River, and they were not yet fully developed. All kinds of wheat, barley and oats that could not be harvested were chewed in the burned farmland. As a result, the Xiameng coalition forces who attacked from multiple directions calmly took them back under the eyes of the Russian settlers—although Russia, which had long been on guard against the Xia army’s comeback, People also tried their best to rush some of the livestock into the city before the Chamon coalition army arrived in their own city, but most of the cattle and sheep returned to their original owners.

What?Since they could bring livestock into the city, why didn't the Russians collect all the cattle and sheep before?

The reason is also very simple, and it can be explained in one word, which is "small", specifically, the city is small.Russian cities in Siberia during this period were basically like a large village, with an average capacity of only 800 to 3000 people. Provincial capitals like Irkutsk only had 800 to 400 people. And know how big such a city is.A small city means less space. In addition, the Xia army burned a large number of suburban villages before, causing the surrounding population to flood into the city. As a result, the people who could only live in [-] people now have [-] or [-] people. How can there be extra people? Local captive livestock.

What?Why not slaughter all cattle and sheep and turn them into meat products for storage?

You must know that it is only mid-July, and the weather has not started to cool down. The Russian settlers in the Upper Baikal region lack sufficient sea salt and cannot purchase spices that can be used for marinating. How can they preserve a large amount of meat products? What about rotting in vain?So it's not that the Russians didn't think of it, but that they couldn't do it.

It's just that the loss of a large amount of winter reserves dealt an extremely heavy blow to the Russians who were struggling with hunger, and what made the Russians even more horrified was that the Xia army, with the participation of the local Mongols, made a long-term siege posture. There are strong signs of starving all the Russian settlers in the Upper Baikal region.

"Now we either have to fight the Chinese, or we have peace talks with the Chinese." Death in battle is not terrible, what is terrible is slowly starving to death, so there is such an argument among the Russian dignitaries in Irkutsk. "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose the war. Half of the people die, and the rest may live until the spring."

"But can you guarantee that when spring comes, the reinforcements sent by His Majesty will arrive in the Upper Baikal region with enough supplies?" Baron Sergeyevsky, the financial commissioner, disagreed with the hysterical suggestion of the military chief. "I think it's better to have peace talks in order to convince the Chinese to allow us to evacuate some of the population to places like Bratsk."

"I don't think the Chinese will accept our terms." Colonel Slopnin pouted. "And disperse the population around the Irkutsk River to Bratsk, Kansk, Zhigalovo, Taishet, Krasnoyarsk, Uskikut, Ust-Ilimsk It will increase the food burden in the above-mentioned areas, which in turn will affect the raising of military rations for future reinforcements."

In the eyes of the Russian aristocracy, the settlers who came to the East for adventure were local hooligans, beggars, escaped slaves, criminals and other rubbish, so it is not a big deal to die some, but compared with the lives of these inferior people Therefore, the need to protect the tsarist army is much more important, because the army is the guarantee to maintain the Russian territory.

"The problem is that the death of half the men does not guarantee that the rest will hold out until reinforcements arrive," insisted Baron Sergeyevsky. "And the loss of too many personnel may make it impossible for us to hold the city."

Colonel Slopnin retorted: "Then, can the withdrawal of some personnel ensure that they will persist until the arrival of reinforcements?"

"Colonel, Baron, I don't think you two need to quarrel." Baron Slakiyev-Kirbeyevsky-Begchev, Provincial Judiciary Commissioner, separated the red-eyed two sides. "Whether it's fighting or negotiating, it doesn't matter what you two say, and it's still up to the governor to make the final decision."

When it was time to make a decision, Earl Orsk hesitated: "Fighting is actually an easy choice, but we must consider the outcome of the defeat. In the East, Russia cannot afford a new defeat; as for fighting with the Chinese Negotiation, no, we do not have His Majesty's authorization"

The matter was delayed like this, but the Russians did not expect that a catastrophe was quietly approaching.

"How many rockets are there?"

"The rockets assigned by the Ministry of War to the Beihai Metropolitan Protectorate are too late to arrive. This batch of [-] rockets are all seconded from the Khalkha Metropolitan Protectorate." The quartermaster of the Second Division of the Hussars reported so. "Master Deng also said that the old man has been lent to you, and you must treat him to a good meal in the future."

"This Fatty Deng, you know, I owe him a favor." Wang Ying arranged to the quartermaster. "Go back to Selenge Fort immediately, and return the things before the snow falls." The quartermaster responded and left, and Wang Ying then ordered to the eager subordinates. "[-] rockets, a lot, can burn several cities, then find a good day, let these Mongols and Kyrgyz people take a closer look, don't let them always think that we are doing things because of people .”

A few days later, Wang Ying hosted a banquet for Ulianghai, who was going north to fight, and local Buryat Mongolian leaders in his tent outside the city of Usoliye in Siberia.After drinking for three rounds, several princes from the Tuojin Banner (the capital governing place) and Hasut Banner (the capital governing place) who received a large amount of cattle and sheep as rewards from the local Buryats expressed their hope that they could Get home before winter sets in.To this, Wang Ying only responded by getting them drunk.

In the dead of night, the drunken princes of Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan were awakened from their dreams. Looking at the heavily armed Xia Jun, they thought that Xia Jun was going to attack them. They were all at a loss, but they were told, please go to the camp. Watching a grand fireworks show before, I was dumbfounded.

It was already midnight at this time. Even though winter had not really entered at this time, the wind and cold were still biting. The soldiers guarding the city of Usolye, Siberia, had long since known where to hide to catch up on sleep. Perhaps in their view, It is impossible for the Xia army who did not bring the siege artillery to take the city quietly.

However, the meteor-like rockets fired by Xia Jun made these Russian land turtles suffer a lot. Since the cities in Siberia were built with local logs according to local conditions, they were not as fire-resistant as the stone buildings in major European cities. When the fire broke out, the Russians in the city woke up from their nightmares.The battered Russians also tried hard to extinguish the fire on the building, but the shrapnel scattered when the Xia Jun rocket exploded ruthlessly destroyed the efforts of the Russians to save the city. In the end, the helpless Russian settlers could only watch the city helplessly reduced to ashes.

When the Russians who had nowhere to stay were forced to flee Siberia by the fire that ignited the entire city, what awaited them were heavily armed Xia Army knights.The Russians who struggled in the middle of the night in the fire didn't even have the courage to resist, so they were captured without a fight, and the very few Russians who escaped through the night before dawn did not have time to run far, and fell into the hunted after dawn. In the hands of the Chamon Allied Forces.

"My lords, do you think this scene is still exciting?" Under the firelight, Wang Ying's expression was like a demon in hell, scaring all the Buryat Mongols and Ulianghai Kyrgyz people out of their wits. I dare not think that Xia Jun has something to ask from others, so I can be sure of it. "This is just the beginning." Wang Ying, who was very satisfied with the response of a group of local aborigines and Wulianghai people, declared so. "Next, we will burn down the cities of these Rakshasa people one by one."

Wang Ying did not speak big words. After burning Siberia Usolye with 550 rockets, in the next five days, he burned Sherekhov with [-] rockets and Svirsk with [-] rockets. Eight hundred rockets burned Angarask, and the entire Irkutsk River Basin was ablaze, throwing the remaining Russian cities into endless panic.

"According to the adventurous exploration of [Ogarburg], we already know that Selekhov, Angarask, Siberian Usolye, and Svirsk have been destroyed." During this period, the Bratsk reservoir has not yet been destroyed. After the completion of the project, the Irkutsk River and the Bratsk River were not connected, and the river channels around Usolye and Svirsk in Siberia were shallow and narrow, making it difficult for even small riverboats to drive. Beware of the attack of Xia Jun's light artillery on the shore, so only extremely daring captains and sailors dare to go up to investigate. "The whereabouts of all the residents are unknown. The only thing that can be confirmed now is that all the destroyed cities have been burned by fire. Obviously this is not an accident, but a deliberate attack."

"These heretics must have called the devil from hell to cause such a fire." The bishop prayed like God while making the sign of the cross. "Almighty Lord, please protect us from such tragedies"

After praying with the bishop, Baron Sergeyevsky, the finance commissioner, repeated the old saying: "My lord, it is now the most critical moment. We don't know if the Chinese will take this kind of Destructive weapons are used in Irkutsk, so we must come to an agreement with the Chinese before they use them."

The governor looked at the military officer who was once resolute in the war: "Colonel Slopnin, can we still fight the Chinese?"

Slopnin said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid it's impossible. Those civilians have been frightened by the Chinese magic. Letting them fight the Chinese can only speed up our defeat."

In fact, the military commander still has reservations. In fact, not only the morale of the Russian army is low, but also the lack of troops. His previous so-called decisive battle with the Xia army was based on the gathering of Sherekhov, Angarask, Siberian Uso On the premise of all Russian male residents in the four cities of Liye and Irkutsk, now the three cities have been reduced to rubble, and the urban residents have been reduced to slaves of the local Buryats. Naturally, they cannot join the Russian army's battle sequence.

"If you can't fight, you can only negotiate." Governor Orsk sighed weakly. "Your Excellency, Baron Sergeyevsky, since you insist on negotiating with the Chinese, the next thing will trouble you. I hope that Russia will not suffer greater humiliation."