Great Qing Dynasty talker

Qiu Ming.

A famous city, known as the "First City of Siberia".

About 200 years ago, a Russian expedition came here and built a castle as a bridgehead for their march into Siberia.

now,

This is the most prosperous city east of the Ural Mountains.

Catherine appointed Suvorov as the commander-in-chief of the Central Asian Front, commanding an army of 30 to resist the Wu army.

For war~
St. Petersburg borrowed 1200 million francs from Paris bankers, 600 million pounds from London bankers, and 800 million guilders from Dutch bankers.

Purchase 2 flintlock rifles and 150 cannons from Prussia and Saxony respectively.

A total of 500 retired lieutenants and colonels from Western Europe were also temporarily recruited.

……

In Qiuming, a large caravan slowly entered the city gate
Many of the carriages had noble family emblems on them, so they had a smooth journey.

The gatekeeper was bored and asked casually:

"Hey, where are you from?"

"From Yili."

"Isn't that Wu Ting's territory?"

"Yes."

"The two countries are already at war, but the Wu army didn't detain you?"

The caravan leader spread his hands awkwardly: "They said, free trade."

The soldiers were also dumbfounded.

Free trade?

Is there such freedom in the world? Isn't this a bit too much freedom?

……

The tea drinking habits of the Rakshasa people are different from those of Western Europe. They prefer brick tea, perhaps because of its light weight, small size and high value.

If other goods are transported, the caravan's profits will be greatly reduced.

Brick tea shipped from Huguang to Yili was piled up like mountains and sold freely.

Wu Dinh's slogan is:

"Business, keep war away."

The nobles of St. Petersburg were particularly supportive of this, as they could make considerable profits from it as long as border trade continued.

Expanding territory is the Queen's job.

Making money is your own business.

……

Yili is now a hub city for land trade between Europe and Asia, with an adequate market supply. Regular goods include tea, silk, porcelain, and spices, while irregular goods include arms.

Wu Ting accepted four payment methods: gold, silver, war horses, and women.

Arms were only sold to individual customers, not large ones, and were limited to flintlock rifles.

The personal representative of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire also came and asked to meet with the Minister of Army Lin Huaisheng, hoping to further enhance the relationship between the two sides.

Specifically, it is:

“Can we sell a large number of guns to the Ottomans?”

Lin Huaisheng verbally expressed his great hope that the written contract could be signed once Suzhou's clear instructions arrived.

……

As the saying goes:
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

The Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire have fought 5 total wars.

In the last war, the fifth one, the Ottoman Empire lost, and the Russians gained the Crimea region, thus opening up access to the Black Sea.

The sixth war seems to be not far away.

The Ottomans were anxious.

Because the Russians learned all the techniques from Western Europe, various tactics and weapons emerged one after another, and a large number of foreign officers filled the Tsar’s army, and their advantage on the battlefield became increasingly obvious.

Now, the Eastern Emperor has taken action himself.

One can imagine the Ottoman Empire’s mood.

Abdul Hamid I ordered the collection of 300 beautiful women, 100 rare horses, 1000 kilograms of gold, and 20 boxes of jewelry, which were sent to Yili through private representatives.

Please ask Lin Huaisheng to pass this to Emperor Wu to express Ottoman's most sincere and warmest friendship.

If nothing unexpected happens, Emperor Wu will certainly accept it with a smile. The damaged Xiqing cannot be relied upon at present, but Osman can still be relied upon.

……

"Commander Lin, this is today's logistics briefing and factory production briefing."

"Ah."

Lin Huaisheng looks at these two tables every day.

War is about logistics.

While the Rakshasas were still slowly accumulating strength, the Wu army had already begun a small-scale military operation.

Part of the 8th Army, relying on steam gunboats and steam transport ships, began to attack two hubs along the Ob River: Novosibirsk and Tomsk.

There are not many troops, and it is not advisable to form a large military group in Siberia because the logistics and transportation will not support it.

The General Staff set the tone two years ago: elite veterans, advanced weapons, and waterway transportation.

In fact, Rakshasa does not have many troops in the heart of Siberia.

……

Northwest wood is used to build warships and is of slightly lower quality.

But there is no choice.

The cost of transporting timber over long distances is too high.

At the request of Emperor Wu, the Shipbuilding Bureau launched a jaw-dropping project - the Liberty Ship.

That's right, it's the same method that the Americans used during World War II. They used local materials to mass-produce a bunch of junk ships, as long as they could run and last for two or three months.

No matter whether the wood is qualified or dried in the shade.

They cobbled together whatever they had and were so hungry that they could not choose what to eat. All kinds of boats of poor quality were quickly launched into the water in the upper reaches of the Irtysh River and the upper reaches of the Ob River.

……

Ob River.

Four steam gunboats led the way, emitting black smoke.

Thirty small steam-tugboats towed a string of unpowered wooden boats, similar to the principle of a train.

buoyancy!

The heavy fleet only needs to exert little force to move.

The Ob River is not the sea, so there are no strong winds or waves. This is the time when the Liberty Ship can show its prowess.

The journey was smooth and the speed was satisfactory.

……

The city of Novosibirsk is a typical star fortress. Compared with Yaksa, its defense level is more than one or two levels higher and its thickness is amazing.

There are gun emplacements arranged at the hexagonal positions.

There is also a watchtower in the middle.

Part of the city wall was covered with a cover to protect it from mortar shells.

Although there were only 500 garrison troops, 300 of them were regular Rakshasas and the remaining 200 were Cossacks.

But it’s hard to chew!

The Wu army bombarded and attacked repeatedly.

The trenches under the bastion became the most insurmountable obstacle. After finally suppressing the defenders with firepower, the Russian soldiers started dropping bombs as soon as the ladders were set up.

In the light of the explosion, the brave soldiers and the ladders fell into the trenches.

Three consecutive attacks failed.
Li Xiaowu's eyes were blazing with anger and he clenched his fists. At this moment, he had the same feeling as Zhao Erhu, who was thousands of miles away from him.

"withdraw."

I can't afford to die.

They are all veterans. If 200 people died, it would be very sad. If 2000 people died, they would be sinners of the empire.

……

Bastion!

One attack and one silence.

Objectively speaking, Wu Jun actually lacked professional experience in offensive warfare along the way.

Of course, if the Wu army defended and the Russians attacked, the outcome would be the same.

The Wu army dug trenches around the enemy, set up barbed wire, and scattered caltrops.

Relying on Ili logistics, iron production is sufficient.

The Novosibirsk defenders squatted on the city wall and watched silently.

They had extensive experience of being besieged and had nothing to worry about.

Leaving behind a few sentinels, the rest of the people continued to live their lives as usual, drinking and playing with women.

A well-equipped star fortress with 500 veterans stationed there, provided it has sufficient ammunition, can easily hold out for three to five months under siege by enemies no more than 20 times its number.

This is logistically difficult Siberia.

The more enemies come, the more difficulties you face.

……

The 8th Corps held an emergency military meeting, where officers and soldiers expressed their opinions.

"Commander, we have 100 rockets, use them."

Li Xiaowu shook his head:
"We are not sure about 100 rockets. Either we don't use them, or we blow Novosibirsk up in one go. I have sent people to Yili to request 1000 rockets."

Everyone nodded.

Commander, these are words of wisdom and wisdom for the country.

Once we alert the enemy, the next time we use rockets, they will be ineffective.

A veteran suggested:

"Commander, now that the temperature has risen and the permafrost has softened, we can do earthwork and build several platforms slightly higher than the bastions, and then pull up the cannons to fire."

The staff officer shook his head quickly:

“The amount of earthwork is too huge and it’s not realistic.”

The veteran was stunned, and then took another approach:

"Then concentrate the riflemen and conduct long-range crossfire every day to disrupt the enemy's morale." Li Xiaowu nodded.
"Yes, let the Rakshasa people have no peace."

……

Ili.

Army Minister Lin Huaisheng received two military reports in succession.

The two armies attacking along the Irtysh River and the Ob River encountered similar embarrassing situations.

At present, there are 5500 rockets in stock, all of which are allocated to these two siege routes. The Western Expedition Army will lose a powerful weapon in the future decisive battle with Suvorov.

but,

If we don't take down Novosibirsk and Omsk first, we will be passive.

By occupying these two places, the personnel and material connections between St. Petersburg and most parts of Siberia can be cut off.

Siberia became an isolated place.

We can slowly nibble away and digest it slowly.

Finally, he sighed and signed the transfer order, allocating 2000 coins to Li Xiaowu and 1500 coins to Wei Jun.

……

Steamships performed a great service, towing long unpowered fleets to deliver rockets to the front lines.

Novosibirsk city.

The two sides have been deadlocked for 35 days.

When the Rakshasa sentry saw a lone horse-drawn cart appearing outside the city, he immediately sounded the alarm.

The bell sounds long~
That thing outside is not a simple flatbed truck, but an all-terrain artificial intelligence probabilistic firepower long-range projection platform.

After Wu Jun loaded 50 rifled flintlock rifles, he stuffed them into the grid.

Estimate distances and angles.

Manual adjustment of the cart,

Far away~
Use a thin long stick to press a row of triggers one by one.

The hot bullets drew beautiful parabolas and fell into the city, leaving the enemy in no peace.

……

The soldiers who were carrying out normal activities in the city suddenly fled in panic, each looking for shelter nearby.

Next second,
咻咻 咻 ~
Many bullets fell from the sky.

Crackling, ding-ding, clang.

Boom boom,

The Rakshasa artillery also opened fire in retaliation.

Of course, it usually doesn't do anything, it mainly serves the purpose of "swearing".

A Cossack who had just shaved halfway squatted behind the wall. He used his thick fingers to pick up a freshly fallen lead bullet that was still warm from the mud in front of him and held it in his mouth for a while.

Smash it. Smash it.

Spit it out again.

Cursing:
"These are a bunch of boring monkeys."

Outside the city
Wu Jun dragged the cart away, and the sound of instruments indicating the all-clear was heard.

The Rakshasas continued to live.

An ordinary day that started with shelling.

No one can do anything to anyone.

……

The Rakshasa sentry drank tea while looking at the busy Wu army at the dock in the distance.

"What did they bring in?"

"More gunpowder, probably."

"Let's make a bet. How long will it take them to withdraw?"

"Four months."

"No, I think six months."

"Come on, come on, place your bet."

When it comes to betting, no one is sleepy anymore.

Even the usually arrogant officers took the initiative to join in with a smile, dropping a silver coin to add some fun to the boring days.

Mindset is very important.

Everyone is optimistic.

Apart from concentrating massive artillery bombardment, encircling with superior forces, and paving the way bit by bit with human lives, the Wu army could hardly think of any other way to win a quick victory.

……

The next day.

The sound of horns broke the dawn.

The Rakshasa sentry immediately gave a warning:

"The Tatars are going to launch a massive attack, for real."

outside the city,

2500 infantrymen lined up in neat rows.

Shield carts were lined up in one row, trench carts were lined up in one row, and artillery pieces were lined up in one row.

Further away are dozens of launch pads, and the rocket positions are a little far away from the infantry for safety reasons.

Li Xiaowu looked back and forth at the city defenses through a telescope.

behind,

Several staff officers held paper and pens and drew on the spot.

Less than half a year~
The combat subjects of the Army Officer School will add a lot of latest cases, and the topic of attacking bastions will become a key subject. It's disgusting.

……

"put."

The rockets soared into the sky, instantly shattering the confidence of the Rakshasas.

They were confused.

No one has ever seen this new weapon.

It flew from far away and exploded when it landed. It was so terrifying.

The city of Novosibirsk was instantly enveloped in fireworks and explosions. Of course, at least half of the rockets fell outside the city.

Wu Jun, who witnessed this scene, sighed:

Can't the Luosha people build a bigger fortress? If the city in front of us is Yanjing City, the rockets will have a 99.9% chance of entering the city.

……

The artillery also moved.

According to the pre-arrangement, the cannons will be pushed to a distance of 1 mile or even further from the city wall to fire, in order to maximize accuracy.

There is no point in bombarding from a distance.

The bastion was too small a target, and the wall was too low. After finally hitting it, the shell rubbed against the wall and slipped past.

Looking again, the enemy wall was only slightly scratched.

……

"attack!"

A group of soldiers pushed the trench-filling vehicle in front, and the infantry carried dozens of ladders behind.

The soldiers, without their coats, followed behind with their bayonets shining, and rushed quickly towards Novosibirsk.

Li Xiaowu was a little nervous. He had fought for many years but had never encountered such a disgusting enemy. Compared with the Russians, the Qing army was simply a group of idiots.

Thousands of miles away, Zhao Erhu, who was still besieging Nerchinsk, sneezed.

The East Line is quiet in the evening~
At dawn on the Western Front, artillery fire roared.

Fires broke out all over Novosibirsk.

The commander was so angry that he ordered all the soldiers who could still move to go up to the city wall, and drove the family members and slaves in the city to put out the fire.

……

In the city, a gunpowder depot exploded.

Flames flew everywhere, like New Year's fireworks. A gun turret also exploded.

outside the city,

Li Xiaowu shouted excitedly:
"Quick, attack from there."

The veterans knew that they should pick on the weak without him telling them.

At this moment, everyone ignored the bullets and cannonballs whizzing overhead and charged forward with all their might, gritting their teeth.

Veterans are veterans, and they know not to think too much when racing against death.

Your life is limited.

Instead of being afraid, it is better to run fast without thinking about anything.

Soldiers fight for their lives. If they win, they are promoted to officers. If they lose, their families get pensions.

Emperor Wu was quite good to the army.

Last year, in addition to the pensions, he even paid out of his own pocket to give 50 silver coins to the families of all soldiers who died in battle over the years, and 40 coins to each disabled soldier.

……

Fill the trench first, then set up the ladder.

Some people shot at the heads of enemy soldiers who were sticking out from the city wall.

When the first soldier rushed up the bastion on the ladder, Li Xiaowu's back was covered in cold sweat.

He was nervous, unsure of what was behind the bastion.

What if there is something like a urn?

What if there are nesting dolls inside?

In the telescope,

People kept falling from the bastion walls.

There are grey animals, red and black.

Black smoke rose up from the explosions one after another, and our own grenadiers also went up.

The weight of the hammer balls, which were one and a half kilograms, was thrown out with great force, and they could blow up a large area. (End of this chapter)