I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1159 The Exile Master
Lieutenant Colonel Malawiev walked out of the desert amidst anxiety and grumbling.

When he felt the soft sand beneath his feet turn into hard Gobi Desert, he became increasingly impatient, thinking only of capturing Kabul as soon as possible so that he could be transferred back home.

General Bakhov's order came quickly, instructing him to send two companies to collect supplies from the vicinity.

However, when a Cossack cavalry company returned at dusk, they had only brought less than half a cartload of food, consisting of potatoes, barley, and dates mixed together in bits and pieces.

Malawiev glared at the company commander: "Damn it, which village did you go to find girls?"

The latter hurriedly replied, "Commander, there's no one in any of the villages within a 10-mile radius around here. You can ask Captain Vorobyov."

Just then, another cavalry company returned, but with even less loot.

Bakhoff soon received news that the nearby Afghan tribes had all migrated, and he was immediately filled with anxiety.

Previously, the supplies brought by Mitchkov were not much. Now, they can probably only last for another three or four days.

While sending messengers to Bukhara to urge them on, he also ordered the army to speed up its march and capture Hari before running out of supplies.

Yes, Prince Salma of Afghanistan has close ties with Britain and has already ordered all the tribes near the border to relocate east of Khalid, as requested by the British envoy.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of grass in the Afghan desert, which allowed the Russian horses to regain some strength.

1797 7 Month 30 Day.

Bakhov finally spotted the city at the foot of Mount Palumamiss through his telescope.

Before supplies for Bukhara had arrived, he decisively ordered a full-scale attack on Khare.

This is the richest city in western Afghanistan; you can definitely get a lot of supplies here.

Malawiev loudly ordered the Cossack cavalry to line up, but these soldiers, who ate five meals in three days, were listless and it took them a full hour to complete their battle preparations.

In fact, most of the so-called Cossack cavalry had become infantry at this time—Malawiev's regiment had less than 400 horses left.

The Afghans, however, seemed to have been prepared all along; they even brought out two cannons.

The Russian army's weak and ineffective offensive was quickly repelled. Afghan tribal soldiers, who had been lying in ambush at a bend in the Hari River on the south side, then charged in, routing the unprepared Cossack infantry, who fled for more than ten kilometers.

Bakhov had no choice but to gather his troops and rest on the spot, hoping that the supply corps from Bukhara would arrive as soon as possible.

He had no idea that the Grand Emir of Bukhara, Murad, was having a fierce argument with a Russian logistics officer.

This year, in order to meet the Tsar's demand for cotton production, Bukhara had to mobilize almost all adult men in the country to participate in the construction of irrigation systems, and at the same time convert more than 20% of its arable land to cotton cultivation.

This caused a sharp decline in Bukhara's food production.

Now, this small country with only 400,000 to 500,000 people has to provide logistical support for 20,000 Russian troops, almost exhausting its domestic food reserves.

Severe famine has even occurred in two southern provinces of Bukhara that are closer to Afghanistan.

The previous batch of grain was enough for the Bakhov Legion to last a month, but the transport convoy was attacked by unknown assailants, and all the supplies it was carrying were burned.

Requisitioning a month's worth of food from the Russian army would inevitably incite an uprising among the people of Bukhara.

Whether he was killed by the Russians or by the rebels, he was going to die anyway. Murad ultimately decided to leave some food for his own people.

Outside Kharek, Bakhov finally saw the supply convoy. But he was also told that this was the last batch of supplies brought from Bukhara, enough for the army to last only 10 days.

After that, he either stayed in Afghanistan for a month and a half to wait for supplies from Orenburg, or he immediately retreated to Merv.

Bakhov glanced at the soldiers, who were so hungry they could barely stand and whose morale was at rock bottom, and then looked at the desert where countless Afghans were lying in ambush. Without much hesitation, he ordered a retreat.

However, Mulu is still half a month's journey away.

Bakhoff had no choice but to order all the oats meant for the horses to be reserved for the soldiers' rations. Horses continued to starve to death along the way. Afghan tribes also followed and harassed them from behind.

When the Russian army emerged from the desert again, they had fewer than two thousand horses left.

……

Paris.

Inside the speeding "Gemstone VIII" carriage, Security Director Lavalette was reporting the latest situation in Russia to His Highness the Crown Prince.

"...After that, Murad was unable to provide any more logistical supplies. Bakhov also failed to capture Khare and had to lead his army back to Bukhara."

"According to reports from St. Petersburg, the Bakhov Corps suffered more than 4 casualties and lost almost all of its horses, rendering it incapable of fighting."

Joseph couldn't help but sigh: "His Majesty Paul I is truly efficient."

The last time he heard news from Russia was when the army was assembling in Orenburg. Only three months had passed, and already 3 troops had fled back to Central Asia due to starvation.

Lavalet continued, "However, the Tsar does not seem prepared to give up. He has ordered the redeployment of troops from Kazan and Perm and a renewed southward march into Afghanistan."

"However, several officers who had previously been exiled to the Urals were reinstated as a result."

In less than a year, Paul I had already exiled three marshals, 97 generals, and more than 700 officers. The vast majority of them were exiled for opposing his military reforms that followed the Prussian model.

Well, the Prussians would certainly say – this is definitely not our model, we have never had our army practice any kind of “chivalry” or anything like that.

However, this brought one advantage: no matter where Russia was fighting, it could quickly find exiled officers nearby and thus rapidly form combat power.

Joseph suddenly thought of a question and looked at the head of the security bureau, saying, "There must be a lot of opposition to this plan in St. Petersburg, right?"

“Indeed, Your Highness.” Lavalet nodded. “Led by Marshal Lepnin, more than 30 generals jointly petitioned the Tsar to abandon the India plan, but their petition was not adopted. Beredev, Platov, and others were even exiled for their strong words.”

As expected, Joseph frowned immediately.

Historically, Paul I was assassinated by his officers because of the heavy losses he suffered during his expedition to India, which aroused opposition from the Russian military nobility.

Currently, an unfavorable atmosphere seems to have emerged in St. Petersburg for him.

This unconventional Tsar, who wreaked havoc in Eastern Europe, was of no benefit to France; it would be best if he could continue to rule.

Joseph hurriedly instructed Lavalette: "Send someone immediately to warn the Tsar that someone may be trying to assassinate him..."

He thought about it and then realized something was wrong. If the security bureau were to remind him of this, Paul I would most likely dismiss it.

(End of this chapter)