The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 335 The Embarrassed Russian

On October 1733, 10, a drizzle made the surface of the Yenisei River even more tranquil. The river water splashed and rippled under the impact of raindrops, sparkling.

The river water becomes clearer in the rain, as if it can wash away the dust in the soul.

The raindrops fell on the leaves, making a rustling sound, as if telling something. On both sides of the river, the trees were tall and green, and the branches and leaves were even greener in the rain, which also brought a chill to people's bodies.

In the rain, a thin mist floated on the surface of the river, as if covering the river with a mysterious veil.

Count Vladimir Gabulov, the Governor-General of the Yenisei Military District of the Russian Empire, wearing a rubber raincoat from Qi State, a valuable sable felt hat, and riding a majestic Don horse, stood on a high slope beside the river, looking at the rushing Yenisei River in front of him, without saying a word for a long time.

"General, let's go back!" Colonel Fedor Smolov, the military commander of the Yenisei Military District, said loudly: "The soldiers patrolling along the river will be very diligent in patrolling the river. If there are Tatars sneaking across the river, they will definitely issue a warning in time. I can assure you that under our strict defense, the Tatars will not be able to cross the river."

"Winter is coming soon..." Count Gabulov said softly.

"Yes, after this autumn rain, winter will come in a few days. Uh..." Colonel Smolov was about to continue what the Governor said, but suddenly realized what winter meant to them, and his words paused.

Yes, winter is coming soon.

The Yenisei River freezes over in late October or early November.

By then, can this river still stop the Tatars from coming?
However, a month ago, they took advantage of the Tatars' unstable foothold, sneaked across the river, launched a night attack on their military camp, killed hundreds of enemies, and burned most of their baggage and supplies.

But he knew that the Tatars in the east would not retreat.

In order to prepare for the attack on us Russia, they have been preparing for two full years and have stockpiled a large amount of combat supplies in Kansk Fort where we were once stationed. Looking at their posture, they will definitely not give up until they achieve their goal and are determined to attack the Yenisei Governorate where they are stationed.

Oh, terrible Tatars!
It's ridiculous that the Russian Empire, which claims to be a civilized world, not only used inferior standard weapons in its army to the Tatars in the east, but even lagged behind them in combat literacy and skills.

The Tatar army was well-trained, well-disciplined, and highly motivated, and they also had a relative advantage in numbers.

On the other hand, the situation on our side is not very good.

Although, after full mobilization, more than 2,000 armed "volunteers" were recruited, together with the shooting corps and Cossack cavalry stationed in the entire defense zone, a total of more than 4,000 troops were gathered.

However, this amount of troops is not enough to defend the nearly 1,000-kilometer Yenisei River defense line. They can only make limited deployments in a few key areas to prevent the Tatars from attacking quickly.

Of course, the biggest challenge facing the Military Governor's District is not the lack of defensive forces, but the extreme shortage of military supplies that can be used for high-intensity combat.

Decades ago, when the empire conquered Siberia, it only relied on dozens or hundreds of Cossacks, assisted by a small number of firearms, to kill people in all directions and slaughter local indigenous peoples at will. As a result, the empire expanded from the Ural Mountains to the Amur River basin in just less than 50 years.

However, the empire's good fortune came to an end after it encountered the Bohai Kingdom established by the Tatars in the Liangjiang River Basin.

In less than thirty years, the Tatars, supported by Qi and Ming, pushed back from east to west the colonial power that the Russian Empire had worked so hard to build.

The fortresses in the Zeya River (Jingqi River) area were lost, the military strongholds in the Shilka River basin were also lost, and finally, even the Irkutsk Military Governorate in the Lake Baikal area was captured by the Tatars.

After lying dormant for more than a decade, perhaps because all the territories it had swallowed had been digested and absorbed, the Bohai Kingdom once again turned its greedy eyes to the Yenisei River.

When it was discovered that the Bohai Kingdom was preparing to launch an invasion war, the Yenisei River Military District continued to send envoys to warn Moscow and request His Majesty the Tsar to mobilize more troops and combat supplies to deal with the Bohai Kingdom's attack.

However, the empire's poor finances and dangerous geopolitical conflicts meant that the imperial government could not afford to spend any extra funds on military defense in Siberia.

Although the empire and Sweden ended the war, both sides still stockpiled hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides of the border. In addition, in order to rebuild the western defense line, countless civilians and materials were mobilized to build one solid military fortress after another, which greatly dragged down the empire's not-so-abundant treasury.

In addition, in the southwest of the empire, the Crimean Khanate would occasionally send troops into the heartland of the empire, abducting people and robbing property, making the local people suffer.

In the North Caucasus Mountains, several kingdoms supported by the Qi and Persians were also constantly encroaching on the southern border territory, and their troops reached the Terek River.

What made the empire even more worried was that in the Volga River Basin, the Kalmyks (i.e. the Torghut tribe) seemed to have received support from the Qi people and the Persians. They not only severed their tributary relationship with the empire, but also frequently sent cavalry to attack the empire's frontier military outposts and immigrant villages, preparing to turn the vast Volga River Basin into their own pasture, posing a serious threat to the empire's southern hinterland. In order to deal with these potential military threats, the empire had to form more armies, making the empire's finances increasingly difficult.

Prior to this, Moscow had continuously sent orders to several military governorates in Siberia, requiring them to send as many furs, gold dust, and other commodities such as tea, silk, and porcelain traded from the East as possible to supplement the empire's weak finances.

Therefore, when the Yenisei Governorate requested military assistance from Moscow, it was unsurprisingly rejected.

When the Bohai Kingdom was making careful preparations to launch a war, Moscow did not provide them with even a barrel of gunpowder, except for sending them more than 3,000 serfs.

However, it would not be right to say that His Majesty the Tsar gave up the Yenisei Military District. At least they sent a diplomatic mission to the Qin State in the east, saying that they wanted to persuade this powerful eastern country to launch an attack on the Bohai State from the direction of Khalkha Mongolia in order to prevent the other side from continuing to invade the Yenisei River basin.

Perhaps in order to strengthen the Yenisei Military District's determination to resist, or perhaps because it did not want to lose this fertile land, Moscow promised last year to dispatch 800 to 1,000 riflemen to strengthen the local military defense capabilities.

For this reason, the entire military governorate was very excited and believed that with the arrival of one thousand elite shooting soldiers of the empire, the combat confidence of local military and civilians would be greatly enhanced when dealing with the massive invasion of Bohai Kingdom, and they would be more at ease when defending or counterattacking.

However, they never expected that three months ago, the imperial government suddenly changed its mind and not only did not send any reinforcements, but also canceled the 1,500 immigrants originally planned to be sent, and even withdrew 800 soldiers from the neighboring Tomsk Military District to return to the Volga River basin where the defense was relatively weak.

It was learned from multiple sources that the Polish King Augustus II had passed away, and the imperial government would prepare to join forces with the Austrians to interfere with the Polish succession to the throne and support Augustus II's son Frederick Augustus III as the new Polish king in exchange for Poland's foreign policy leaning towards the Russian Empire.

However, most of the Polish nobles unanimously nominated Stanisław I Leczynski as the heir to the throne. Leczynski was the father-in-law of French King Louis XV and had strong support from France, Spain and Sweden.

It is reported that Imperial Field Marshal Pyotr Petrovich Lacy led tens of thousands of Russian troops into Polish territory to support Augustus.

The Kingdom of Sweden was not to be outdone. It assembled a large army in Courland and entered Poland to express its firm support for Stanisław I. It then launched an armed confrontation with the Russian army, and a war was about to break out.

Under such circumstances, Moscow had no time to care about the distant Yenisei Military District. It only sent an order, instructing local military and political officials to do their best to resist the invasion of the Bohai Kingdom to the greatest extent possible.

In other words, before the succession to the Polish throne is completely resolved, not only the Yenisei Military Governorate, but the entire Siberia region will not be able to receive any assistance from the imperial government.

Three days ago, scouts who had sneaked into the east bank of the Yenisei River reported that the Bohai Kingdom had sent more troops. According to secret observation, at least 1,500 soldiers were sent, and military supplies were also transported in more than 200 horse-drawn carriages, including more than 20 artillery carriages. The entire team stretched for several miles.

After receiving reinforcements, the Bohai army did not immediately launch a military operation to force a crossing of the Yenisei River, but instead began to cut down trees and pile up earth to build permanent camps, apparently preparing for a long-term military offensive.

Count Gabulov saw through the enemy's intention at a glance, which was to wait for the arrival of winter, when the entire Yenisei River would be frozen, and the Bohai Army could choose any place to cross the river and attack at a leisurely pace.

It has to be said that the generals of the Bohai Navy performed very professionally. They first established a series of logistics supply points step by step, and then reached the Yenisei River before the arrival of winter. They took advantage of weather factors and turned the river, which the Russian army relied on as a natural barrier, into an ice surface that could be easily crossed.

You know, the Bohai Navy came from afar. If they used local materials to build small boats or rafts to cross the Yenisei River, they would inevitably be hit head-on by the Russian army that was ready for battle.

"Colonel Smolov, if the Tatars cross the Yenisei River, how long can we hold out with the defense capabilities of our New Kachinsky Fort (now the city of Krasnoyarsk)?" Count Gabulov asked softly.

"General, the New Kaczynski Fort was built as an important military fortress more than a hundred years ago. After so many years of development, the entire city has more than 5,000 residents. Most of the defensive walls that used to be wooden fences have been replaced by bricks and stones." Colonel Smolov said confidently: "Moreover, in the two years since we learned that the Tatars were about to invade, we mobilized countless civilians to reinforce the entire outer city defense and set up more artillery positions. I believe that when facing the siege of the Tatars, we will definitely make them pay a very heavy price. As for how long we can hold on, it will depend on our material reserves. Yes, General, as long as we have enough supplies, we will firmly guard this city."

"If the Tatars have enough troops, and leave a part of their army to besiege and contain us, and then lead the main force to attack our rear, thus cutting off all our material supply channels, can we still hold on?" Count Gabulov was really unsure. "I am very worried that the issue of the Polish throne will trigger a new large-scale war in the empire. By then, we may not be able to get any support from the western region for two or three years, and we will have to fight the Tatars alone. ... You know, the brutality of the Tatars will make everyone feel fearful when they hear about it."

More than 30 years ago, the Bohai Kingdom spent five years and three times attacking Irkutsk. After consuming countless supplies and suffering thousands of casualties, the Bohai Navy finally conquered the city. To vent their anger, they carried out a brutal massacre, killing almost all of the city's 4,500 soldiers and civilians. In the end, they cut off the heads of the victims and built a terrifying Jingguan to intimidate all enemies who dared to resist them.

Oh, God, if we put up a strong resistance in the New Kaczynskiy Fortress, would we end up like Irkutsk?

“Sir, the Tomsk Military District will not watch us fall into the siege of the Tatars and do nothing to help us, right?” Colonel Smolov’s eyes twitched, and he looked at the frightened nobleman in front of him and comforted him, “Even though the imperial government has withdrawn 800 riflemen from Tomsk, they still have more than 4,000 troops. When we are facing the difficult resistance against the Tatars, they will definitely send troops to support us. If our Yenisei Military District is defeated, it will be a huge disaster for the entire Siberia region. In the past two years, we have reached a consensus with the Tomsk Military District and agreed to rely on each other to face any invading enemies together.”

"How many reinforcements can the Tomsk Military District send in the face of the military threat from the Dzungars?"

"The Junggars have suffered a series of attacks from the Qin people, and their strength is no longer what it used to be. The threat to the Tomsk Military District has been significantly reduced, and it should not tie up too many of their troops." Colonel Smolov said: "It is said that the Junggars sent an envoy to the Qin-controlled area two months ago to discuss a ceasefire. Therefore, I think that in the future, the Junggars will turn to deal with the Kazakhs to completely stabilize the ruling order in the rear. Then, it can be imagined that the Junggars will not risk being attacked from all sides and rashly attack the territory of the Tomsk Military District. Therefore, Sir Governor, please write again and ask the Tomsk Military District to send a corresponding size of troops to arrive at the New Kachinsky Fort before the end of December to fight the Tatar invasion together with us."

(End of this chapter)