Starting in Saarhu, it is a bit difficult to make a comeback.

Potemkin and Li Zicheng finally broke out from Turkestan and returned to Astrakhan.

This defeat made Tsar Michael I so angry that he dismissed Potemkin as the governor of Astrakhan on the spot.

Fortunately, Potemkin often made friends with powerful people, and with his handsome appearance, he was quite popular among the ladies in Moscow.

With the help of a group of noble ladies, he was eventually appointed as acting governor and got a chance to make meritorious deeds.

At this time, almost all the troops of Tsarist Russia had been deployed to the Western Front battlefield, and Astrakhan was extremely empty.

Faced with China's massive attack, Potemkin seemed at a loss.

Including the Mongolian cavalry, the Chinese dispatched a total of 12 troops, while the total number of Astarahan's defenders was only 1.

And most of them are not the main force.

At this time, Niu Jinxing said: "Astrakhan must not be able to hold on. The best solution now is to burn it directly to prevent the Chinese from getting supplies. In this way, even if they can continue to pursue, they will eventually be defeated by the increasing number of people. The longer the supply line is, the more it loses momentum."

Under normal circumstances, for the vast territory of Tsarist Russia, the tactics of strengthening the walls and clearing the country and exchanging space for time are often effective.

But now that Potemkin is guilty, if he voluntarily gives up Astrakhan like this, he will definitely be held accountable.

With Mikhail I's fiery temper, let alone his title and official position, it's hard to say whether he can keep his head by then?

So Potemkin decided to hold on to Astrakhan. Even if he failed to hold it in the end, he would try to hold off the Chinese as much as possible and buy enough time for the Tsarist Russian army on the western front.

Cities like Novgorod, Smolensk, and Kiev are also besieged by heavy enemy troops. They can hold on, why can't Astrakhan?
At this time, Potemkin showed the courage and responsibility of a Tsarist Russian soldier. He must stick to Astrakhan and live and die with the city.

Seeing that Potemkin was like a bastard eating a weight - he was determined.

Niu Jinxing had no choice but to turn his head and do Li Zicheng's ideological work.

He said: "Your Majesty, Astrakhan is now a desperate place. We cannot stay in the city and wait to die."

"Once you are surrounded by Chinese troops, it will be difficult to get out."

Of course Li Zicheng knew what Niu Jinxing said. Once they were caught by the Chinese army, they would definitely not end well.

But now Li Zicheng only has a few followers left, and even his wife got separated during the escape.

Where should he go after leaving Potemkin?
Even if he could break through the Chinese army's blockade and successfully escape to Moscow, how long could Tsarist Russia hold out in the face of the siege from four countries?
To be honest, he has long been tired of this life of being chased around like a dog by the Chinese people.

Finally, he made up his mind. He, Li Zicheng, would not go anywhere. He would fight to the death with the Chinese in Astrakhan.

Li Zicheng's desperate actions did not affect Niu Jinxing. On the contrary, a hint of viciousness appeared in Niu Jinxing's eyes.

For Li Zicheng, falling into the hands of the Chinese was a dead end.

But that's not necessarily the case for Niu Jinxing. As long as he doesn't fall directly into Li Yan's hands, he should still have a way to survive.

If he volunteered Li Zicheng and helped the Chinese capture Astrakhan, he might even be rewarded by the Chinese and become an official.

Niu Jinxing glanced at Li Zicheng beside him and sighed helplessly in his heart. He had finally reached this point.

Then Niu Jinxing ordered someone to bring Tsarist Russian vodka and drank it with Li Zicheng.

The two began to reminisce about the past, and the highlight moments in Li Zicheng's life flashed one by one. Unfortunately, the only one who stayed with him in the end was Niu Jinxing. Li Zicheng was so excited that he didn't notice the Niu military counselor at all.

Li Zicheng's most trusted military advisor secretly poured the wine on the ground without even taking a sip.

Soon Li Zicheng drank himself unconscious and fell asleep.

In the dream, he escaped from the hands of the Ming Army and the Huaxia Army again and again, but he was suddenly tied up by a rope, and no matter how hard he struggled, he could not get rid of it.

Finally he was woken up by a gust of cool breeze.

He found that he was really tied up in a carriage.

He angrily shouted: "Master Niu, what do you mean?"

Niu Jinxing said coldly: "King Chuang, don't blame Niu. I once gave you a chance and asked you to escape together, but you insisted on staying here to seek death."

"Niu has no choice but to make this decision. He will use you, King Chuang, in exchange for a way out for his brothers."

Only then did Li Zicheng realize that the two guards around him had long been bribed by Niu Jinxing. At this moment, they were watching Li Zicheng warily, ready to draw their swords at any time.

Li Zicheng looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, shouting: "I, Li Zicheng, have been famous all my life, but I will end up like this in the end."

"Commander Niu, I don't blame you for betraying me for yourself. Please give me a good time. I don't want to be sent to Beijing to accept the humiliation of Li Xianzhong."

Niu Jinxing smiled sinisterly and said, "King Chuang, it's not up to you now!"

So he quickly signaled to his men to block Li Zicheng's mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.

The value of a Li Zicheng's head is naturally different from that of a living Li Zicheng. How could Niu Jinxing affect his own future just to give Li Zicheng a happy life?

Soon they arrived at the Chinese camp.

Niu Jinxing not only sacrificed Li Zicheng, but also burned Astrakhan's granary.

Li Shizu complimented him casually and said, "Mr. Niu has not returned to his homeland in China for many years, right?"

"The king will appoint you as the escort officer, responsible for escorting Li Ni to the capital."

The straight-line distance between Astrakhan and Beijing is more than 16000 miles. Li Zicheng was wearing heavy shackles in a prison car along the way. It was probably a year before he arrived in Beijing.

The Chinese army only has field artillery such as the 12-pound "Napoleon Cannon", and heavy siege artillery is still being transported.

If Niu Jinxing hadn't taken the opportunity to burn the food and grass in the city, it would still have taken a lot of effort for the Chinese army to conquer Astarahan.

Now that the food and grass in the city were destroyed and the soldiers in the city had no fighting spirit, Li Shizu decided to attack by force.

Although the "Napoleon Cannon" cannot directly destroy the city wall, it is still very lethal to the defenders on the city.

Coupled with the hunting of Chinese snipers, the Chinese army successfully invaded Astrakhan.

After most of the day's fighting, Astrakhan was captured by China.

Fortunately, Potemkin did not listen to Niu Jinxing, burned Astrakhan, implemented a clearing of China, and traded space for time.

Soon he will realize what a mistake he has made.

Another army led by Wu Sangui also successfully occupied Kazan.

The losses of Kazan and Astrakhan also meant that the eastern gate of Tsarist Russia had been opened.

The Chinese army broke through the Ural Mountains and the Ural River, and advanced to the Volga River Basin in one fell swoop.

If it were just the Chinese army, it might not be so scary. But along with the Chinese army came a total of 400,000 Junggar tribesmen.

At the beginning, Li Xianzhong said that he would help them seize the grassland on the Volga River. Now it is time for the Chinese Empire to fulfill its promise.

From now on, the right bank of the Volga River will be the pasture of Junggar.

The most indispensable thing on the Kazakh grasslands is horses. The 5 Chinese troops who followed Li Shizu this time all brought two or even three horses with them.

A large number of infantrymen also transformed into horse-riding dragoons.

Fortunately, all soldiers in China's Western Region Military Region have undergone equestrian training to adapt to this kind of expedition.

Even so, the cold weather in Tsarist Russia still caused great trouble to the advancement of the Chinese cavalry.

However, no matter how strong the wind and snow were, it could not stop their progress.

At this moment, they have only one goal, and that is Moscow.

A few years ago, Chinese military academies made the expedition to Moscow a compulsory campaign course.

All cadets who graduated from the Liaodong Military Academy know Moscow very well.

Chinese instructors have repeatedly warned students that they must be prepared for the cold during the expedition to Moscow and prepare enough food supplies for themselves.

Because the biggest difficulty in the expedition to Moscow was not the army of Tsarist Russia, but the severe cold of more than 40 degrees below zero, and the city of Moscow with solid walls and clear fields.

These two "enemies" would prevent most people from invading Tsarist Russia.

Although the severe winter in Liaodong and North Korea was also extremely cold, even Wu Sangui's Chinese soldiers from Liaodong were still shivering from the cold.

Even Wu Sangui, a native of Liaodong, complained: "The wind here is so cold that even if the soldiers wear leather uniforms, they are still freezing."

Even if people can bear it, many war horses can't hold it anymore.

Although the Chinese cavalry had selected many cold-resistant Siberian horses during these months in Kazakhstan, some horses were still frozen to death and frostbitten.

At this moment, the cavalry team responsible for supply delivered the latest cold-proof artifact.

Ever since China began its campaign against the Kazakh Khanate, Li Xianzhong had expected a war with Tsarist Russia in the near future.

Even in later generations, the cold in Moscow was a difficult obstacle to overcome.

So the Chinese craftsmen were ordered to work day and night to produce 5 down vests.

Wu Sangui picked up a vest and said, "This thing is so light, how can it keep out the cold?"

Li Shizu has been wearing this kind of down vest invented by his father to keep out the cold since he was a child. It is light and has good thermal insulation effect.

He said: "Don't underestimate this vest. It is made from the down under the feathers of ducks or gooses, so it is very light. You can't get much from a duck. These 5 down vests are estimated to cost hundreds of millions." Get it from ten thousand ducks.”

After the soldiers put their down vests on under their military uniforms, they were indeed not so cold.

The morale of the Chinese army was also boosted!
Finally, they finally arrived near Moscow despite the severe cold of minus 40 degrees Celsius.

Anyone who has read a little bit of military literature knows the story of "Li Shaxue's night attack on Caizhou" in the Tang Dynasty.

But if you are not fully prepared, you may have been buried alive by the heavy snow.

At this time, both Li Shizu and Wu Sangui were thankful that the Liaodong Military Academy had accurately previewed the battle against Moscow.

Otherwise, they would probably end up being wiped out today.

Although Moscow cannot be said to be an empty city at this time, there are indeed not many usable soldiers and horses.

When he discovered that the Chinese army was only 30 miles away from Moscow, Count Survov, who was in charge of city defense, was also shocked.

Although he had received news that China had conquered Kazan and Astrakhan, he never imagined that the Chinese could come to Moscow despite the severe cold of more than 40 degrees below zero.

Even Tsarist Russia's own army would not choose to march in such bad weather.

Tsarist Russia's reconnaissance cavalry had already tested the Chinese army, and they did not become timid because of the severe cold.

On the contrary, the Chinese people had a strong fighting spirit, and the Russian cavalry who went out were quickly annihilated by the Chinese.

Count Survov, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, knows that it is impossible to stop the Chinese with the tens of thousands of old and weak soldiers in Moscow.

So he made a difficult decision to burn the city of Moscow.

He wants to burn all the wood in Moscow that can be used for heating and food for hunger.

Let these Chinese invaders starve and freeze to death in Moscow.

A large number of Tsarist Russian nobles and Moscow citizens began to flee Moscow.

And the Tsarist Russian soldiers holding torches began to set fire to all the buildings in Moscow, including St. Basil's Assumption Cathedral and the Kremlin where the Tsar lived!
Although doing so would be reviled by all the subjects of Tsarist Russia, and even he himself would be executed by the Tsar, in order to stop the Chinese, Survov had no choice but to do this.

If China gets a complete Moscow, then Tsarist Russia will be finished.

At this time, the Chinese army was less than 20 miles away from Moscow. The Chinese soldiers could even see the towering spiers in Moscow.

But soon the scene in front of me was replaced by the sky-high flames and billowing smoke!

Li Shizu never expected that the Tsarist Russians would burn their capital to the ground in order to strengthen their walls and clear the country.

China's strong walls and clearing the country were only aimed at outside the city, and they actually burned Moscow directly.

So he quickly ordered to speed up.

He knew very well that in such a severe cold, if he could not find wood for heating, his army might still freeze to death.

In particular, the soldiers originally thought they were about to win and could go into the city to enjoy themselves. But when this happened, the huge psychological gap was enough to destroy the Chinese soldiers' will to fight.

When the instructor at the military academy suggested that the enemy might immolate the city of Moscow, all the students thought the instructor was crazy.

But now this living case is right in front of him.

Moscow, which they captured after all the hard work, was ultimately just in ruins.

The Chinese army will starve and freeze in this dilapidated ruins, and in the end they will have to retreat obediently.

At this time, the Tsarist Russian cavalry will continue to entangle and chase the Chinese cavalry until they are all wiped out.

The Russians are so cruel!
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