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Chapter 1419 Who Will Be the Cannon Fodder?

As November draws ever closer, temperatures on the desert begin to drop daily, approaching freezing at night. Winter will arrive on the Central Asian steppes once the first snowflakes fall.

Faced with the changing weather, the Russian and Polish-Lithuanian forces were finally starting to feel the pressure. According to plan, the expeditionary force was supposed to capture at least one major city before the heavy snowfall, in order to secure sufficient supplies to survive the winter.

No army in this region could conduct long-distance operations in winter. Neither the Russians, who were accustomed to the cold climate, nor the native Kazakhs, nor the Ming army, which was not very skilled in horsemanship, could do it.

This way, we can hold out until spring. Whether to continue eastward or remain in place will depend on the performance of the European coalition forces on the three main battlefields.

If the allied forces gain the upper hand, then the northern theater won't be considered a hindrance. At least it will disperse a lot of the Ming Empire's troops, and when it comes to dividing the spoils after the war, it can rightfully demand its due reward.

Even if the Ming army has the upper hand, the Russians still have options, and more than one. For example, they could send envoys to negotiate peace with the Ming Empire in private. As long as they sell out the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Ming emperor should be lenient, and they might even be able to deepen cooperation.

Alternatively, they could negotiate and withdraw troops simultaneously, preserving most of their strength even if negotiations ultimately fail. Then, they could shift all the blame for the failed Eastern Expedition onto the European countries, portraying Russia as merely coerced, and even if it had to bear responsibility and pay reparations, it would be a minor one. Compared to the severely damaged Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, they would actually have come out ahead.

But plans can't keep up with changes. No one expected that the Ming army would dare to venture hundreds of kilometers deep into the territory of the Kazakh Khanate, occupying several important cities from north to south, and determined to hold them.

With the allied forces failing to capture a single city, they now face a new problem: whether to advance or retreat before the roads are blocked by heavy snow. They must choose one of the two options; staying put is definitely not an option.

After three days of gloomy skies, the sky finally cleared up, and the temperature suddenly rose several degrees. The bright sun felt warm on my back.

"Whether you leave or not, we will be heading back by the day after tomorrow at the latest. The climate here changes very quickly, and the sunshine these past few days may be a sign of heavy snow. My soldiers don't have winter clothes, and a heavy snowfall could reduce our numbers by 20-30%."

But even the strongest sunlight couldn't dispel the chill in his heart. Marshal Buturin sat at the entrance of the main tent, wearing two layers of clothing and wrapped in a blanket, holding a cup of hot cocoa tea in his hand.

"Then who should cover the rear?" Sitting next to the marshal was also a marshal. Konetspolsky wasn't wrapped in a blanket, but he was in very poor condition, as if he had aged more than ten years.

Ever since the Winged Hussars suffered such heavy losses, he knew the general outcome—not on the battlefield, but on his own. Upon returning to the Kingdom of Poland, he would certainly lose his position as Grand Commander of the Royal Family, and it was uncertain whether his title would be stripped.

If they could secure a victory here, they might be able to salvage some of their reputation. Unfortunately, the Ming army gave them no chance whatsoever, simply dragging things out like this, each day a disadvantage for them.

Now the time for a decision has finally come. In fact, there is no other choice. The remaining 10,000 or so troops of the Bolivian Federation, even with the addition of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, will not be of any use.

However, one question must be clarified: the journey here was difficult, and the retreat will not be smooth sailing either. The Ming army is not blind; once they learn that the allied forces are retreating, they will most likely send troops to ambush them. Whoever covers the retreat will very likely never return home. If the Russians intend to use this opportunity to bully the Poles, using the remaining Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth troops as cannon fodder to hold off the Ming army's pursuit, there is no question—it will absolutely not be allowed, even if it means fighting a battle first!

"How about the Zaporozhye Cossacks?" Marshal Buturlin turned his head slightly to look around, and only after confirming that no one was around did he softly state his first choice.

"...That's wishful thinking! Even if I gave the order, Karajmovich couldn't command all the Cossacks." Upon hearing this, Koniecpolsky couldn't help but chuckle. What a terrible idea, utterly stupid.

The Cossacks weren't the illegitimate sons of the Polish king; how could they willingly die for the Polish kingdom? Not only would unregistered Cossacks object, but registered Cossacks wouldn't agree either. If Karajmovich dared to bring it up, he would most likely be stabbed to death on the spot by an enraged Cossack officer.

“If you are willing to cooperate, I have ways to get them to agree, including those damned bandits across the river!” Buturin was not surprised by the refusal. He put down his cup, took out a cigar, and handed it over, while trying to force a smile to make his expression more sincere.

“…I’m all ears!” After a slight hesitation, Konetspolsky reached out and took the cigar, tilting his head to the left so the other person could light it for him.

"Hasn't the Crimean Khanate's cavalry arrived? Let them launch a few more feint attacks with the Cossacks, and then we'll retreat tonight, taking nothing but provisions and ammunition. If we're lucky, we won't be discovered until dawn. The Ming army lacks a large-scale cavalry force; those few Kazakh cavalry won't be enough!"

Marshal Buturlin's retreat plan was simple: at night, he would send the Crimean Khanate cavalry, who had just arrived two days earlier, to attack Turkestan City together with the Zaporozhye Cossacks. Whether they put in any effort or not was irrelevant; the victory would be to prevent the Ming army from sending any more harassing squads to the camp.

After daybreak, the Crimean and Cossack troops finished their siege and returned to their camp to rest. Generally, the Ming army would not send anyone to harass them during this time. If nothing unexpected happened, they would only be discovered to be deserted near dusk. By then, the main force would have already been retreating westward for a whole day, and the Ming army would not have the ability to pursue them even if they wanted to.

As for the abandoned wounded and supplies, choose the lesser of two evils. If you don't want to lose anything, you'll likely end up losing your life. It's easy to judge which is more important.

Doing this will definitely draw criticism back home, but compared to my life, a few scoldings are nothing. Anyone who disagrees can try it and see if they can survive a winter in the wild without supplies or shelter!

"Sigh... let's do it this way. I'll go talk to Karajmovich, and you go persuade the Crimeans. Hmm... are those vultures?"

The pros and cons were obvious, and Koniezpolsky, despite his immense resentment, could only accept his fate. He sighed deeply, looked up at the sky, and got up to leave. However, his gaze was fixed on the sky, where more than a dozen black dots appeared in the northeast, their flight posture resembling that of eagles soaring through the heavens.

"Damn it, these wretched creatures!" Marshal Buturin turned around upon hearing this and immediately began cursing. Vultures love to appear above piles of corpses; in Europe, they are considered unlucky and bring bad luck.

(End of this chapter)