Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2447: Record of the Western Expedition (XIV) Battle of Smolensk (6K chapter)
In the Moscow Kremlin, the golden dome of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower reflected a cold light under the morning sun. Erdemutu stood in the center of the square wearing a bright yellow cloak. The snow under his feet was creaking under the footsteps of the Western Sentinel guards who were patrolling nearby.

The carriage of the Swedish envoy Oxenstierna drove slowly in. The Swedish three crowns emblem and the Russian trident emblem of Rurik on the shaft crossed each other, startling the crows on the eaves.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince of Shunyi, I would like to greet you on behalf of His Majesty King Carl IX of Sweden." Oxenstierna knelt on one knee and presented the letter of credence inlaid with Baltic amber.

His blue eyes swept over the special forces lined up in the square, noting the alternating old and new double-headed eagles and Ming-style cloud patterns on the soldiers' shoulder armors. The leader of this army seemed to be trying to find a delicate balance between the two civilizations. As for the guards around the "Tatar Prince", the Swedish envoy felt that they seemed to have only vigilance and indifference in their eyes.

Erdemutu did not pay much attention to the young Swedish envoy. He unfolded the parchment and saw the handwriting of Charles IX clearly visible on the back of the paper. Unfortunately, he could not understand Latin, so he just glanced at it and turned to hand it to Alexei beside him.

Grand Duke Stroganov had to act as a temporary translator, and after the translation, Erdemutu was only concerned about one sentence: "The Swedish dragoons will cross the Neva River and go to Livonia to contain the Polish army in the north." As for the rest, he thought they were just polite remarks and had no meaning.

Erdemutu nodded slightly, and the bend of the Neva River on the map flashed through his mind. It was said that the ice there would become fragile due to the surge of warm currents in early spring every year, which was a godsend opportunity as the military strategists called "attack halfway across the river"... Unfortunately, the Swedes did not seem to intend to take advantage of this, but to take the initiative to attack Livonia.

But it didn't matter, he didn't care about the lives of the Swedes and Poles. Moreover, judging from the situation, it would be difficult to lure the under-strength Polish army in the north to attack the Neva area.

"Please tell the king of your country," Erdemutu motioned Alexei to hand the letter to his guards, "Prince Mikhail Vasilyevich Skopinshuisky will lead his army north to join your army and provide fire support for the Swedish cavalry in the battle of Livonia."

When Oxenscherna stood up, he keenly caught Erdemutu's reserved attitude in his words - he said "provide support", which shows that in the mind of this prince, the alliance between Sweden and Russia or the Ming Dynasty is just a stopgap measure. Duke Mikhail's mission is subordinate to the Swedish army and it is obviously unlikely that he will participate in the offensive mission. However, this did not surprise him. After all, Sweden and Russia are often in a state of hostility, and the mutual trust between the two sides is almost non-existent.

Oxenscherna bowed slightly, his attitude was very polite, but his words were very straightforward: "According to the plan of His Majesty the King, after crossing the Neva River, our army will make a short rest in Narva, then bypass Lake Peipus and attack Dorpat. Our plan is to use Dorpat as a springboard or logistics base for attacking Riga.

Therefore, we hope that Duke Mikhail of your army can attack Dorpat from Pskov, so that your army and ours can attack from the south and north, and there is a great chance to quickly capture the city. As long as Dorpat can be quickly captured, Riga will be greatly shocked, and maybe when the Swedish-Russian coalition arrives, Riga will open the city and surrender..."

"I don't expect you to surrender, but I agree with your plan." Erdemutu smiled faintly and turned to his guards. "Give Mikhail an order. He doesn't need to join the Swedish army directly. Let him march from Pskov to Dorpat and then follow the Swedish army. Note that the command is in his own hands."

After hearing this, Oxenscherna bowed and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Your Highness. The situation is urgent, so I will take my leave now."

"Goodbye." Erdemutu nodded slightly, and when the Swedish envoy left his sight, he glanced at Alexei and ordered, "Pass the order down, implement a scorched earth policy outside Smolensk, and burn all food and grass within 30 miles outside the city. The main force of our army will set out early tomorrow morning, and you must get the special forces ready."

"Yes, Your Highness." Alexei agreed without hesitation, not caring at all about what the scorched earth policy in Smolensk would bring - Smolensk was not his fiefdom anyway.

Two days later, Mikhail Skopinshuisky, who had already arrived in Tver, stared at the imperial edict in his hand. The cinnabar ink on the parchment had not yet dried, and after the title of "Duke of Nizhny Novgorod", there was an additional Mongolian note "Ming Dynasty Western Court Defense Envoy".

He stroked the emblem on the edict with his fingertips, and suddenly said to Marquis Tver beside him: "Your Excellency, I heard that your father was also injured in the Livonian War?"

Marquis Tver, who had successfully "jumped off" from Duke Shuisky a few days ago, said calmly: "That battle was fought very poorly, and many nobles suffered heavy losses. My father... his horse was shot dead by the Swedes, and several ribs were broken."

After a pause, Marquis Tver frowned and said, "Our march seems a little slow. Aren't you worried that Grand Duke Stroganov will be suspicious of our movements?"

"Everyone knows that Stroganov is the white glove of the Ming Dynasty, but Your Excellency the Marquis does not need to worry, because we are also the hidden chess pieces of the Ming Dynasty." Mikhail put the imperial edict into his breastplate and said calmly, "Prince Erdemutu is a very smart man. He will not allow the Stroganov family to dominate Russia. Otherwise, I will not be allowed to inherit the private army of the Shuisky family, and you will not be recognized as being deceived by my poor uncle...

Your Excellency, the reason why you and I not only survived but also retained our military power is not because we are loyal or have done a good job, but because Prince Erdemutu still needs us to check and balance the Stroganov family, that's all."

Marquis Tver was silent for a long time before he nodded, "You are very insightful, Duke Mikhail. I will obey your orders in this battle, you can rest assured about that."

"Your Highness needs someone to tie up the Polish troops in the north, and we need to use the power of the Ming Dynasty to rebuild Rurik's reputation. The Swedes covet Livonia, so let them fight! Our goal is to form a faction in Russia that Stroganov cannot control, and it would be best if they have some military achievements."

Prince Mikhail pulled out the Longqing Type 2 musket presented by the Ming army. The inscription "Made in Beijing" on the barrel shone coldly in the snow. "Remember, our target is not Livonia, but the power field of Moscow... War is just to create qualifications for us, not achievements."

Marquis Tver nodded and said nothing more.

In the meeting room of the Warsaw Royal Palace, Sigismund III kicked the map at his feet in annoyance. The Sejm finally approved only 12,000 troops, on the grounds that "the Lithuanian nobles need to give priority to protecting the Courland trade route." The only good news is that the Sejm "allows the king to recruit troops to fight on his own" - screw you, I, the king, spend my own money to fight for the kingdom. If I lose, you won't lose much, but if I win, you will take the lion's share of the spoils. You have taken all the good things in the world, right?
Jan Zamoysky's cough came from behind the screen. The old general covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and blood was faintly visible between his fingers.

"Your Majesty," Zamoysky managed to straighten up, "Duke Shuisky's relationship with us has been discovered. He has been placed under house arrest. His family's private army is controlled by his nephew Mikhail, and it seems that he has defected to the Ming Dynasty... Now he has led his army into Pskov, and it seems that he intends to form a pincer attack on Livonia together with the Swedes."

"Livonia?" The king's fingers suddenly clenched the scepter. "They want to take this opportunity to retake Riga?"

"I think so, and what's more troublesome is," Zamoyski unfolded another urgent letter, "the joint forces of Ming and Russia have reached Smolensk. The city's defenses have been strengthened a lot compared to last year, and all the food stored in the surrounding small castles has been transferred to Smolensk. According to reports from insiders, Erdemutu sends small groups of cavalry to move around every day. I don't know what his intention is."

Sigismund III suddenly remembered something and turned around to stare at the map on the wall again and again. He suddenly realized that the Ming Dynasty was going to drain the Polish army's food and fodder supplies - the Sejm Council was already stingy, and the logistics of a long-distance expedition were stretched to the limit, making it difficult to sustain a long-term war.

"Humph, even the Ming people know about the weakness of the Sejm," Sigismund III sighed, "Send someone to tell Żółkiewski to try to find an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the Ming-Russian coalition forces and not to get entangled in Smolensk."

Zamoyski was hesitant to speak, but finally had to agree - everyone could understand the logic, but only God knew whether the goal could be achieved.

On the Smolensk front, Alexei Stroganov was frowning at the map. A spy knelt on one knee and presented intelligence: "Your Excellency, Duke Mikhail joined forces with the Swedes in Livonia, and the coalition forces successfully captured Dorpat, but after that they did not attack Riga by force. Instead, they built a temporary fortress outside Riga, and it seems that they want to trap Riga to death."

"No, he's just waiting." Alexei poked Livonia on the map with the scabbard of his silver knife. "Riga is a seaport city. Our army has no navy. The Swedish navy can't blockade Riga after losing the support of Denmark. It's impossible to trap Riga to death.

Mikhail is just watching. Now that the main force of the Polish army has been held in Smolensk by us, he wants to see if we can defeat it successfully. If we succeed, he will take advantage of the situation and quickly capture Riga. If we fail, he can immediately lead his army back... and we won't be able to blame him for anything then." Another mansion in Smolensk has temporarily become Erdemutu's tent. He unfolded Gao Youshi's latest secret letter, and the wax seal glowed dark red under the candlelight. The red comments in the letter were as clear as iron: "The Polish army has different desires, and the battle cannot last long. You can defend the city, wear down their will, and waste their food, and let Ildukqi lead the light cavalry to take a detour, and the two of you can attack them when they are in a state of decline, and maybe you can win."

He looked up at the starry sky outside the tent, and the image of the Prime Minister, who was always confident, emerged in his mind. After a long time, he took out a copper token engraved with "Book and Sword" and handed it to his personal guard: "Send it to Ilduzhi Taiji overnight, and tell him not to entangle with the Cossacks anymore, and to reach the outskirts of Smolensk before the Polish army runs out of food. If he has any objections, tell him that this is the Prime Minister's intention."

The guards took the order and left, and Erdemutu unfolded the map again. The walls of Smolensk looked as grim as iron in the moonlight. He knew that if he delayed for another ten days, the Polish army's bread ration would be reduced to half a piece a day, and Ildukzi's cavalry would descend like a god - Ildukzi's status was indeed not low, but he would never dare to act on his own under the threat of "this is the intention of the division minister".

As the snowstorm in the distance intensified, Erdemutu blew out the candle and let the darkness swallow up the swordplay on the map. He knew that the real winner was not on the ice, but on the people's support when the Polish army wasted time and effort, or even retreated step by step - when the Polish and Lithuanian nobles found that the cost of the eastern expedition far exceeded the benefits, the quarrels in the Sejm would be more deadly than the blizzard.

Time flies. The stone walls of Smolensk glow with a cold blue-gray light in the January snowstorm. Thirty-six sidecars have been assembled and parked in a corner of the city, ready to be pushed out of the city for combat at any time.

Erdemutu stood on the top of the city wall, his eyes sweeping across the Polish army's camp that stretched for five miles below the city - the silver-winged battle flag of the Polish Winged Hussars drooped in the wind, staying at the farthest point of sight, while the smoke from the cooking fires of 30,000 troops seemed to blacken half of the sky.

"The Polish artillery fire today was more than 30% less than yesterday." Alexei Stroganov lifted the heavy bearskin curtain, and frost condensed on the chain mail of the special forces. "It seems that their gunpowder is running out."

Erdemutu silently counted the craters under the city. In the past ten days, the Polish army launched seven attacks, all of which were repelled by the artillery and musketeers set up by the Ming army on the city wall. Not to mention the artillery, after all, only the No. 3 gun could be pushed onto the city wall. The real key was the Wanli Type 3. Its firing rate was much faster than the Polish matchlock gun, and with the temporary reinforcement of the cross-firing holes, it formed an airtight fire net.

The most thrilling moment was when the Polish ladders had already been placed on the top of the city wall, but were blown to pieces by the palm mines of the Ming army grenadiers. More than a dozen Polish soldiers fell to their deaths on the spot amid flying wood fragments.

"Pass on my order," Erdemutu pointed to the birch forest thirty miles south of the city, "Send out four more scout cavalry. Don't let the Polish army see that our focus of investigation is in the south... Once you find Ilduqi's troops, immediately return to the city and inform them."

He was not worried that the Poles would be able to intercept his scouts. Although the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was known for its cavalry, the Mongolian cavalry without their armor were not afraid of pursuit. The Polish army had limited manpower and could not completely surround Smolensk, so there would always be gaps.

The Polish commander, Stanislaw Żółkiewski, kicked over an empty barrel in the central tent. The scout's report confirmed his worst fears: "Sir, the Sejm has rejected the proposal to continue funding and requires us to end the siege of Smolensk within this month, otherwise the subsequent operations will be fully paid by His Majesty the King."

He stared at the line connecting Smolensk and Livonia on the map and suddenly realized the real intention of the Ming army: to use the Shuisky family's private army and the Swedes to continuously attack Livonia to shake some nobles in the Sejm Council - they had gained a lot of local benefits in the Livonian War that year, and now that their interests were damaged, they would naturally ask the Federation to ensure the safety of Livonia first. At the same time, they used a scorched earth policy on the Smolensk front to drag down the Polish army's logistics, forcing the Polish army to retreat.

"We must break through one of the gates tomorrow," he drew out his sword and slashed at the table, "otherwise when the ice melts, we won't even have a way to retreat!"

At dawn on the thirteenth day of the Battle of Smolensk, Erdemutu finally received a secret letter from Ilduzzi: "The light cavalry has arrived forty miles south of the city." He stroked the wax seal on the letter and turned to Alexei: "Let the special forces change into new cotton armor and open the city at 3 p.m. today."

At 3:30 pm, the west gate of Smolensk was opened with a bang. Six thousand special forces infantrymen filed out and quickly formed a large horizontal battle line. The Longqing II matchlock rifles in their hands glowed blue in the sun - they had been used to these firearms for a while and were now proficient in using them. As for the special forces' iconic long-handled axes, they naturally made the Polish army's eyes glow with hatred - in the Livonian War launched by Ivan the Terrible decades ago, many Poles died under these long-handled axes.

Alexei himself came out to support the enemy, holding the flag of the commander of the special army in person, and deliberately turned the flag towards the Polish army, revealing the Ming-style cloud pattern embroidered on the back.

"The Ming army finally couldn't bear it anymore!" Ruokuevsky mistakenly thought that the Ming army's strong defense would cause his logistics to collapse, so he immediately waved the flag, and 15,000 musketeers advanced in three rows, while the winged cavalry deployed in a wedge formation on both wings. He didn't know that Erdemutu's armored heavy cavalry was hiding behind the special army, and the Taotie pattern on the horse's head iron was covered with thick snow mud.

The Polish army's matchlock guns opened fire first, but because of the distance, they posed almost no threat. At Alexei's command, the front-row soldiers of the Special Administrative Army knelt down and fired, while the soldiers in the back row loaded their weapons simultaneously, inserted their long-handled axes into the ground, and then placed the Longqing II-style on the long-handled axe's unique axe hook to aim - this was the "double-row round shooting" that Erdemutu personally improved for the Special Administrative Army. Although it was not as good as the three-stage continuous shooting of the Ming Army, it was half a beat faster than the traditional volley shooting of the Polish Army.

When the infantry of both sides got into a melee, Erdemutu's flag was finally waved. Six thousand heavily armed cavalry rushed out from the two wings of the Special Administrative Army, and the Wanli three-style short carbine formed a silver line in the sun. Roukevsky's pupils shrank suddenly - he originally thought that the Ming army would not care about the life and death of the Special Administrative Army, and would only supervise the battle from the rear and would not fight unless it was absolutely necessary. However, he did not expect that the main force of the Ming army would move as soon as the melee started.

"Winged Hussars, crush them!" he roared. Three thousand Winged Hussars turned to meet the attack, and their several-meter-long lances formed a dense spear wall during the charge. However, the Ming cavalry did not confront them head-on, but used diagonal maneuvers to avoid the sharp edge, and the lances were specifically aimed at the belly and legs of the Winged Hussars - the flexibility of the Mongolian horses was fully demonstrated at this time. The cavalry completed two rounds of horse shooting during the charge, and the Winged Hussars who were shot fell off their horses one after another. Although there were not many people in fact, it was enough to cause the formation to loosen.

The muskets were too late to be reloaded, and the two elite cavalry were about to engage in hand-to-hand combat. At the critical moment, black smoke rose from the southern horizon. Ilduzzi's light cavalry descended from the sky like a god, and their position was very suitable, just in time to cut into the weak point of the Polish right wing.

These riders from the Seven Rivers Tribe had been on the Western Expedition for nearly two years and were already very good at running on the ice. The anti-skid nails on their horseshoes pierced into the ice, making a harsh friction sound. The butts of the Wanli Type 3 carbines in their hands spewed flames and black smoke, aiming directly at the Polish artillery positions - where the last gunpowder of the Polish army was stored.

"It's the Tatars!" The Polish soldiers shouted in despair. Ilduzzi's light cavalry rolled over the ice like a black wave, shooting at the artillery, and as the distance got closer, the Mongolian light cavalry began to throw palm mines - aiming at the wooden boxes storing the tinder and ammunition.

When the dense explosions rang out, Rołkiewicz knew that the situation was over - the special forces holding the front line, the Ming army's armored cavalry charging out from both wings, and the Mongolian light cavalry cutting into the battlefield from the south were all linked together like precise gears, and the Polish army's real main force, the wing cavalry, could only collide continuously with the Ming army's armored cavalry at best, and had not yet formed an advantage - even if they could really form an advantage, it would be useless, because the wing cavalry were not in sufficient numbers and it was impossible to use them here and there.

Before dusk fell, the Polish army collapsed. Złółkiewski retreated westwards under the desperate protection of his personal guards. The winged cavalry, which had lost 30%, received his order and returned to the commander with grief and anger.

Zhołkiewski looked back at the top of Smolensk City and saw the nine-flag white banner and the double-headed eagle flag of the Special Army flying side by side. On the ice field, the bodies of the Polish soldiers were frozen into dark red ice sculptures, and the Ming soldiers were collecting scattered matchlock guns and armor - these trophies would be melted into Ural Mountain ironware.

Erdemutulma stood in the center of the battlefield. Alexei rode over with blood on his face. "Your Highness, Ildukzi Taiji has cut off the Polish infantry's retreat route and is expected to complete the prisoner mission soon. In addition... Mikhail Skopinkhuisky reported that three important granaries have been captured in Livonia. Someone in Riga has secretly contacted him and the Swedes, trying to buy them out."

"Pass the order down," Erdemutu wiped the blood off his saber, "Clear the battlefield quickly, dismantle all the Polish weapons, and only send a batch of intact ones back to Beijing for research."

He looked towards the south, where the hoof prints of Ilduzzi's light cavalry were still on the ice. "Tell Prince Mikhail that our army won a great victory in Smolensk and the main force of the Polish army was almost completely destroyed. Tell him and the Swedes to stop dragging their feet and quickly take Riga, otherwise they will be subject to military law!"

The snow was getting heavier, and the Dnieper River in the distance could be heard cracking ice. The Battle of Smolensk, which lasted for half a month, would eventually become another monument in the history of the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition. It not only shattered the myth of the Polish Winged Hussars, but also made the Russian nobles see clearly that in the face of the Ming Dynasty's firearms and military strategies, any force that tried to compete would collapse like the Polish army today.

On the way back to Smolensk, Erdemutu suddenly turned to Alexei and said, "Your Excellency, based on your understanding of the Poles, after this battle, should we continue westward to Minsk, or wait here for the Polish request for peace talks?"

"The Polish army has lost its main force, so they will definitely send envoys to negotiate. As for whether to march west to Minsk..." Alexei bowed slightly, "It all depends on the Crown Prince's opinion."
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PS: It’s a long chapter of 6K, but I fell asleep while writing in the first half of the night, so it’s a little late.

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