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

Chapter 270 Conquering the Cossacks (please subscribe for monthly tickets)
In 1812, when Napoleon invaded Russia, Kutuzov adopted similar tactics. He fortified the walls and cleared the country along the way, implemented a "scorched earth policy", and finally burned Moscow directly, leaving Napoleon with a ruin.

However, the situation of this Chinese invasion is different.

First of all, the Chinese army's sudden advance into Moscow did not encounter fierce resistance from the Tsarist Russian army, and the losses suffered were not large.

Secondly, although the supply line of the Chinese Army is long, it is very safe. The large number of Mongolian cavalry ensures that the supply line will not be harassed by Tsarist Russian cavalry.

Moreover, the Chinese army is very well prepared with supplies and materials and does not need to rely on plundering them on the spot.

The Russians' scorched-earth policy could only destroy the Chinese army's garrison environment, but could not cut off their supplies.

The last and most important thing is that Tsarist Russia is now facing the siege of four powerful powers: the Chinese Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Duchy of Poland and Lithuania, and the Kingdom of Sweden.

It was a far cry from the situation when Tsarist Russia was fully engaged in dealing with Napoleon's invasion.

And compared to Kutuzov's planned clearing of the country, Survov's burning of Moscow this time seemed much more hasty.

Neither personnel nor materials were transferred in advance, nor was the sequence of burning routes planned.

It was basically a temporary burning before the hasty evacuation of Moscow.

Because there was no preparation in advance, the Tsarist Russian soldiers' work of setting fire was relatively rough.

They immediately set fire to all the important buildings in sight and fled Moscow in a hurry.

Some places were wiped out by wind and snow before they even burned for long, and many places did not burn at all.

And Chinese soldiers quickly entered Moscow.

They immediately devoted themselves to fire-fighting work. In addition, not all Moscow citizens in the city evacuated, and they were soon organized to fight the fire.

After a day of firefighting, most of the buildings in Moscow were still saved, and about one-third of the city's buildings were burned to varying degrees.

Although Moscow is still smoky and dusty today, and many places look like ruins, it is not difficult to find some accommodation.

Li Shizu lived in the Tsar's Kremlin.

Inspired by the "Persian Treasure" last time, this time Li Shizu immediately organized thousands of soldiers to excavate the Kremlin, and actually found an underground vault.

Although there is not much gold and silver inside, it contains a large amount of art.

In addition to the jewelry and vessels of Kievan Rus and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, there are also many cultural relics from Hungary, Poland and the Holy Roman Empire. These should have been things that the Golden Horde robbed from Europe.

Belongs to the private collection of Tsar Michael I.

But now these all belong to China.

Without saying a word, Li Shizu packed all these things and sent them to Beijing. His father established a Chinese Empire Museum in the capital, which happened to lack exhibits from Europe.

I believe that with the expansion of the Chinese Empire, the exhibits in this imperial museum will become more and more abundant, and the people of China can visit exquisite cultural relics from all over the world at any time!

After the Chinese army occupied Moscow, they did not retreat due to supplies and severe cold.

And their transport teams are continuously delivering various supplies to Moscow.

On the contrary, the Tsarist Russian army led by Count Survov retreated hastily in the ice and snow, looking extremely embarrassed.

Although they have currently retreated to Vyazma, west of Moscow, the Chinese army is likely to continue to pursue them westward.

When Sulvov saw this situation, the only way to defeat the Chinese was to take risks and cut off their supply lines.

Although these Tsarist Russian cavalry wore white cloaks and wanted to blend themselves into the surrounding environment, it was impossible for thousands of cavalry to dispatch without leaving traces on the snow.

When the Tsarist Russian cavalry robbed a Chinese transport team, they were surrounded by Chinese and Mongolian cavalry who were also ambushing.

In the end, Sulvov escaped from the Chinese army's ambush with only a few dozen cavalry.

At this time, the Chinese army launched a massive attack on Tsarist Russia, and news of the occupation of Moscow spread like wildfire.

When Poland and other countries heard the news that China had captured Moscow, they stepped up their siege efforts like chicken blood.

Smolensk and Kiev, which were still in a stalemate before, suddenly became tense when they entered the city.

Even Sweden, which has always attached great importance to controlling the scale of war, also sent an unprecedented 2 reinforcements to the Novgorod front line.

These kings are not fools. Now that Moscow has been lost, the defeat of Tsarist Russia is certain.

Naturally, they want to speed up the pace and strive to carve up a larger territory and obtain more benefits.

In less than a month, Smolensk and Kiev were declared lost.

Afterwards, Poland and the Ottoman Empire went north together with the Chinese army to assist Sweden in capturing Novgorod.

After all, the Swedes faced the main force of Tsarist Russia led by Mikhail I personally, with nearly 4 people. It was expected that they failed to capture Novgorod.

Facing the more than 200,000 troops from the four countries, the Tsarist army could only choose to defend.

After all, the territory of Tsarist Russia has been occupied by these four "robbers". Even if Mikhail I surrenders, there is absolutely no possibility of Tsarist Russia surviving as a country.

Therefore, the Tsarist Russian army in Novgorod refused to surrender, and they decided to fight the final decisive battle with the four-nation coalition for Tsarist Russia.

So the most brutal offensive and defensive battle broke out in Novgorod.

China provided artillery fire and long-range fire cover, while Poland and the Ottomans assisted the Swedish army in attacking the city.

At this time, China's heavy siege artillery had already arrived in Moscow, but Li Shizu was unwilling to use these heavy artillery to attack the city.

Easily blowing open the city wall would not only expose China's strength, but more importantly, quickly capture the city and consume the Swedish troops.

After all, this "Northern Army" is still very powerful, and it would be good to weaken it a little more.

Of course, the Poles and the Ottomans also had their own thoughts. After all, Novgorod was also captured by the Swedes.

They were not willing to sacrifice a large number of soldiers to attack the city.

It's just that now they control a lot of the land and people of Tsarist Russia.

If Tsarist Russia is not completely eliminated, they will not be able to rule these areas with peace of mind, so they have to continue to spend their time here.

So they work hard but don't work hard.

Under the cover of artillery and Chinese rifles, tens of thousands of Swedish soldiers rushed towards Novgorod pushing city rams and ladders of engineering projects.

At this time, the Tsarist Russian soldiers on the city were also resisting desperately. The artillery and muskets on the city were also firing wildly. Many Swedish soldiers fell on the way to the charge.
After three months of siege, Novgorod was finally captured by the "Quadruple Alliance".

Tsar Michael I set himself on fire in the city!

He was the first Tsar of the Nomanov dynasty and the last Tsar of Tsarist Russia. His death also announced the official fall of Tsarist Russia.

In the past three months, because the Russians refused to surrender, the four countries have spent countless artillery shells. Is this all money?

Sweden suffered the greatest losses, with more than 8000 soldiers killed before they finally captured this place.

So in order to vent their anger and show their authority to the Tsarist Russian people in their own occupied areas, the four countries decided to massacre Novgorod.

The army will not seal its sword for ten days, and any property in the city can be plundered at will.

The Polish and Ottomans, who had been struggling during the siege, were more energetic than anyone else. They rushed into the city and began to rob and kill.

Although the Swedes were not happy, after all, the Ottomans and the Poles had helped themselves a lot this time, and they had to join them in the end.

After the armies of the Three Kingdoms entered the city, they chopped down everyone they saw. They also continued to set fire to the buildings in the city. The whole city was like a hell on earth. There were corpses everywhere in the city, and almost no living person could be found.

As for the Chinese military, this behavior is a violation of Chinese military regulations.

If it were Tsarist Russia that was resisting, the Chinese army could also massacre the city in revenge.

But now that Tsarist Russia has been eliminated, this kind of behavior is expressly prohibited by military regulations, so they did not participate.

Li Shizu had something he was more concerned about, and that was the Cossack cavalry that caused him a lot of trouble.

The Cossacks tied themselves to Tsarist Russia's chariots and naturally suffered heavy losses.

After successive battles, the Khasacks lost a large number of cavalry.

Obviously after losing the protection of Tsarist Russia, they needed to find a new master.

The Cossacks originally turned their backs on the Poles and defected to Tsarist Russia.

There is a saying that "a good horse never turns back to eat grass." It is definitely not possible to go back and seek refuge in Poland.

Then the only choice is between China and the Ottomans.

Although the Chinese and the Ottomans are both enemies of the Cossacks, the Chinese have even killed far more Cossacks than the Ottomans recently.

But the Crimean Khanate, the number one brother of the Ottomans, was a mortal enemy of the Cossacks.

Even if the Cossacks defected to the Ottoman Empire, they were only the "second younger brothers" of the Ottomans.

And judging from the results of their battle, the Chinese people's combat power is obviously stronger than that of the Ottomans. It is obvious that it is more promising to join the Chinese people.

Of course, religious belief is also a factor. The Cossacks have long believed in Orthodox Christianity, and the Ottomans believe in Islam and exclude other religions.

Although the Chinese do not believe in Orthodox Christianity, they practice freedom of belief and will not force you to change your beliefs. This is also the reason why many nomads are willing to attach themselves to the Chinese Empire.

Although Li Shizu recruited a large number of Khalkha Mongolian cavalry to assist him in fighting.

But the base camp of the Khalkha Mongols is in Mobei after all, and it is impossible to fight in Europe for a long time.

Moreover, the Mongolian tactics are outdated. Czarist Russia and the Ottomans both started their careers fighting the Mongols of the "Golden Horde", so they are most familiar with the Mongolian tactics.

The Cossacks are obviously more suitable than the Mongols to assist the Chinese in Europe.

It can be said that the two sides hit it off immediately.

Soon these Cossacks joined the Chinese.

Fortunately, the territory previously given to the Dzungars was on the right bank of the Volga River and did not conflict with the territory of the "Don Cossacks" on the left bank of the Volga River.

Li Shizu changed "Don River Cossack" to Don River Protectorate.

Li Yan was appointed governor-general of the Don River Protectorate, and Cossack leader Bazhayev was appointed deputy governor-general of the Don River Protectorate.

And a brand new city was built in Kharkiv on the west bank of the Don River, and used as the seat of the Don River Protectorate.

Li Yan will lead 2 Chinese troops to Kharkov.

Li Shizu could give the Cossacks material assistance and a high degree of autonomy, but China must appoint its own officials and garrison troops.

Fortunately, the Cossacks originally joined Tsarist Russia in the form of mercenaries, and were not the princes who occupied one side.

They are not very resistant to this. As long as it is beneficial to the mercenaries, they are willing to work for you.

After Tsarist Russia was eliminated, the original "Four-Nation Alliance" ceased to exist.

Now that they have changed from a cooperative relationship to a competitive relationship, it is naturally impossible to continue the alliance.

After taking Moscow and the Volga and Don river basins, the Chinese Empire's power has penetrated deep into the Dnieper River plain.

The Crimean Khanate, which occupied the fertile land along the Black Sea coast, naturally became Li Shizu's target.

But after all, beating a dog still depends on the owner. Although the Crimean Khanate is extremely weak, its "big brother" the Ottoman Empire is still an ally with China.

At this time, China still relied on the Ottomans to maintain the balance in Europe, and Li Shizu's appearance should not be too ugly.

The Cossacks and Dzungars could only be allowed to slowly encroach on the territory of the Crimean Khanate.

However, he never expected that someone would take a fancy to his own territory before he started to seize other people's territory.

The Poles who occupied the important town of Smolensk pushed their border with Tsarist Russia 200 miles eastward.

The Security Council said that with Poland's strength, it should be content to take over large areas of Tsarist Russia's territory with the help of the "Quadruple Alliance".

But compared with the Poles' original plan to go straight to Moscow, it is really far away.

Of course, Wladyslaw IV was not so arrogant that he came to ask for Moscow directly. He took a fancy to Vyazma, west of Moscow.

Soon Polish envoys arrived in Moscow.

The Polish envoy cried to Li Shizu: "Vyazma is the homeland of Poland and was robbed by Tsarist Russia. Now, fortunately, His Highness has recovered this place. Please also return it to Poland for the sake of friendship between the two countries."

"Poland will definitely obey China's instructions in the future."

Li Shizu was also disgusted. Other people's younger brothers recognized their elder brothers as offering land.

Poland is really weird. It recognizes its elder brother and at the same time asks him to cede territory to him. How can such a good thing in the world be possible?
Li Shizu said: "Vyazma is now our territory of China. China has never had any precedent of cutting off territory. Anyone who gets an inch of land in China will be destroyed and his country will be destroyed."

"Wladyslaw IV really dares to ask for Vyazma?"

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(End of this chapter)