The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 673 Rakshasa is not beside my bed

In a little over a month, the hilly artillery batteries to the east of the Semipalatinsk Fortress, which was painstakingly built by the Russian Empire and was considered the backbone of the fortress's defense, fell.

Well, to be precise, it hasn't fallen yet.

Because the two battalions of the Kutuzov Musketeer Regiment guarding the hill were very tenacious.

They were divided into two groups, one group defended the fortress on the top of the hill and refused to surrender, while the other group was scattered in caves throughout the hills, coming out at night to launch sneak attacks with daggers and strange Ross hatchets.

This made the Western Expedition Army extremely passive. The presence of the remnants of the Russian army prevented them from safely bombarding the Semipalatinsk Fortress on the hills.

In order to get rid of these people as quickly as possible, Chen Guangyao had to let Mo Chongshan, his personal bodyguard who came from the Ryukyu Prince family and was given the surname of the country, lead elite martial arts masters to clear them out.

The founder of karate in history brought dozens of people and divided them into five groups to enter the dark cave and clean it out one by one. The battle was extremely brutal in the bloody close combat.

Yoshida Toko was also in the crowd. He was holding two wakizashi and looked relaxed. Those following him were all Japanese samurai.

Because the arrow soldiers from the northeast and the White Lotus Sect monks from the northwest are too tall and not suitable for moving through the narrow caves, only these dwarfs are suitable.

It was pitch dark, but a strong smell of body odor and urine suddenly rushed into everyone's nostrils. Everyone held their weapons tightly because they knew that they might have found the lair where the Rakshasa people were hiding.

(Yi) Tian Dongguang vaguely saw that the short Mo Chongshan lowered his body a little bit and walked forward slowly, like a dwarf.

Mo Chongshan took a few steps forward. The smell became stronger and stronger. He could even keenly hear the rise and fall of breathing.

He took a deep breath of excitement and finally found it.

Ever since he killed eleven Russian soldiers in a row in Xinwan Town last time, Mo Chongshan's understanding of martial arts has reached a new level. After he realized that there was a turning ahead, he suddenly took a few steps forward.

This immediately alerted several Russian sentries at the corner, and they all thrust their weapons forward at the same time.

But suddenly, he missed.

This made several Rakshasas very confused. They clearly heard footsteps, so why didn't they stab anyone?
Well, Mo Chongshan was only about 1.55 meters tall, and he was squatting, so he was probably only 1.23 meters tall. The Rakshasa, with his normal height of more than 1.6 meters, naturally couldn't hit him if he stabbed him.

Immediately afterwards, Mo Chongshan, holding two eight-cut knives, relied on his keen sense of smell and the instincts of thirty years of martial arts training to kill the Rakshasa people in the darkness, making them scream in pain.

In panic, the Rakshasas could only light weak oil lamps in an attempt to find the intruder.

However, this is more beneficial to people like Mo Chongshan, who practice martial arts. Their training in fighting in dark environments is far beyond what ordinary people can compare to.

Lighting up a little firefly-like light did not improve the Rakshasa's vision much, but instead allowed people like Mo Chongshan to see more clearly.

This is a very wide platform, but it is very low, only about 1.6 meters high. The Rakshasas can be like clumsy giants in it, while the Orientals are much more flexible.

In addition, they were all martial arts masters who were good at secret combat, so it didn't take long for the eight warriors in this team to deal with the twenty or so Rakshasas.

After the battle, Yoshida Toko, gasping for breath, lit the brighter wax torches they carried.

Inside the cave, there were a large number of corpses lying in all directions, and the blood made the already rotten soil of the cave even softer.

(Yi) Tian Dongguang stepped over the corpses on the ground and walked inside. He saw a larger platform at the deepest part.

The underground river gurgles, bats fly around on the cave ceiling, and the strong smell of urine and body odor actually comes from here.

Because there were at least sixty or seventy wounded Rakshasa soldiers lying here, some of them were groaning with only their last breath, some were looking at the warriors who broke in with horror, and there was also a group of about twenty women and children huddled behind a rock and shivering.

It really is the lair of the Rakshasa soldiers!

"Master, please go out first. We will clean up this place." (Yoshi) Tian Dongguang said respectfully to Mo Chongshan.

Since the Ryukyu people have both Chinese and Japanese cultures and were previously under the actual control of the Satsuma Domain, the Ryukyu Islands were also counted as part of the Toyo Mission and were regarded as a part of the Japanese by many Japanese, or at least as close relatives.

Mo Chongshan was born into the Ryukyu royal family and was given a surname. He was also the instructor of gun and sword techniques (bayonet techniques) and boxing in the Beijing camp, and was therefore highly respected by the Japanese.

Even those who had never served in the Beijing Camp or learned martial arts from Mo Chongshan called him their respected teacher.

Mo Chongshan naturally knew what (Yoshi) Tian Dongguang and the others were going to do. He nodded lightly, put the Eight-Cut Sword back into its sheath, and left without looking back.

When Mo Chongshan walked away, (Yoshi) Tian Dongguang showed a look of hatred on his face. It was real hatred and was definitely not a disguise.

Because in the past, even in the chaotic battle of Yaqiping, the casualties of the Dayu army were only more than 200 people. Compared with the war that lasted for four years, this was nothing. This loss was only about one-third of the deaths due to acclimatization and various reasons.

But in this hill, in less than two months, the 3,000 samurai soldiers responsible for the main attack, more than 1,000 White Lotus monks, and more than 200 Beijing troops suffered heavy losses, with more than 300 people killed in battle and over a thousand seriously injured.

Of the twenty brave men who had rushed through the Rakshasa people's fire blockade with him just a few days ago, only he, Leng Tianlu, Lan Ting, Shi (Chuan) Zhaobai, and a White Lotus Sect expert from Shazhou survived.

"As long as they are men, not a single one will be spared. Every one of them, even if they are dead, must be stabbed in the vitals!"

After (Yi) Tian Dongguang finished speaking, he was the first to take action and stabbed the nearest injured Rakshasa soldier with a knife.

Then he added, "Don't keep any older women either!"

A shrill scream suddenly rang out in the cave.

At the same time, the street fighting in the fortress on top of the hill has entered its final stage.

In such a narrow alley, spears have become useless and all soldiers are armed with pistols and long swords.

However, the soldiers of Dayu did not rush in rashly. They wore armor outside, and all the people they sent in were Kazakhs.

You are willing to be the emperor's lackey, right? But you can't just say it, you have to pay your tribute with the blood and the heads of the Russians.

At this moment, it was as if the veterans of the Han and Tang dynasties were reborn in these Dayu soldiers. They ate honey rice balls while putting on their armor, and watched indifferently as the Kazakhs were driven into the Russian fortress.

The sound of hand cannons firing, the sound of weapons entering flesh, the battle roars and shrill screams, mixed with the groans calling the names of loved ones, the cruelty of war is vividly displayed here.

It was not until more than 300 Kazakhs were killed and nearly 1,000 were injured that there was almost no sound of musket fire during the fighting.

After the Kazakhs refused to go in even after being stabbed with knives, two hundred elite soldiers of Dayu, fully armored, finally entered the last stronghold of the Russians.

The narrow streets were littered with corpses, and there was almost no place to step at several dangerous intersections.

A Rakshasa soldier rushed out from the corner with a roar, and the spear in his hand stabbed at the nearest Western Expedition Army warrior like a poisonous dragon.

With a clang, the stab was very accurate, but unfortunately, this spear picked up from the dead Kazakhs could not penetrate two layers of heavy armor.

The warrior of the Western Expedition Army grinned fiercely, thrust forward with his left hand, and stabbed the Rakshasa warrior through. Then he swung the axe in his right hand and directly cut off the Rakshasa warrior's neck, leaving only a little flesh and tendons on the neck.

Then, the search team continued to move forward, searching house by house and alley by alley.

Two hours later, Lieutenant Colonel Andreev, commander of the Rakshasa Hill Fort, committed suicide by detonating the last two barrels of gunpowder in the ammunition depot, and the Western Expedition Army finally occupied the hill fort.

Then it was simple. This hill was the natural barrier and support of the Semipalatinsk Fortress, but it could also make or break the Semipalatinsk Fortress. Although the small-caliber cannons could not reach the top of the city, the 24-pound cannons on the fort were ready-made and only needed to be turned.

Fifteen days later, the Western Expedition Army successfully adjusted six large-caliber artillery pieces to face the fortress.

The Roman troops in the city knew that the end was approaching, so they led 2,500 Russian troops under the leadership of Brigadier General Fedor and took the initiative to go out of the city to challenge.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

If they had come out in full force before the hill fort fell, they might have posed some threat. However, because they were not in desperate need, they were unwilling to fight to the death and only sent out a few hundred people to harass and provide support.

At this point, 2,500 people were too few compared to the Western Expedition Army, which had nearly 100,000 civilians. Even the 30,000 people around the fortress were more than ten times their number.

As expected, the Western Expedition Army had 10,000 rifles, which were epoch-making weapons that the Russians could not contend with. They wanted to fight the Western Expedition Army in a line-up and shoot them, but in fact, before they even got close, they were defeated by the Western Expedition Army's riflemen.

Brigadier General Fyodor prepared three times, but failed to complete the battle three times and was defeated, so he had to retreat back into the city.

Afterwards, the Western Expedition Army set up their cannons with confidence and continuously bombarded the interior of the fortress.

Huge projectiles could hit the city directly day and night. People had to be on guard against falling shells at all times and defend the city. The enormous pressure almost made the people in the city mentally collapse.

After five days, Brigadier General Ferdow realized that he could no longer hold the city and could only hold out for a month or so.

The commander, whose ancestors came from the Netherlands and followed Peter the Great to establish himself in the Russian Empire, took out a piece of paper covered with words and handed it to his adjutant.

"Take this, cross the western mountains and return to Yekaterinburg, and be sure to tell Lieutenant General Fedorovich what happened here.

The situation in the East has completely changed. The Khitans are not just making a small move. They have really sent an army of more than 100,000 to compete with the Third Rome for Siberia.

These Khitan soldiers were very brave, with a strong desire and fighting ability. They also had a kind of firearm that was very suitable for hunters to use, with a range three times that of ordinary firearms.

The Empire had to find out immediately what kind of weapon this was, as it was most likely supplied from France or England.

The Third Rome must be equipped with such weapons, otherwise it will likely fall into a disadvantage and even be unable to fight against the Khitan Empire."

Well, the Russians are really keeping their information secret. Britain and France have already figured out the secret of the Minié bomb and have even started to equip it on a small scale.

However, among the Russians, only the great nobles knew a little about it. The lesser nobles were completely unaware and even thought that the Minié bombs were provided to Dayu by Britain and France.

However, Brigadier General Fyodor, who was born in the Moscow Honor Orphanage, had average combat skills, but his loyalty to the empire and sensitivity to new things were sufficient.

The adjutant hesitated for a moment. "General, let's break out together. The Khitans don't understand the surrounding terrain, so it's impossible for them to completely block every point. We can definitely reach Yekaterinburg safely."

A strange smile appeared on Brigadier General Fyodor's face. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, shook his head, then took out a jewel-encrusted pistol from the desk and began to load it slowly.

"I won't leave. Her Majesty the Empress has ordered me to defend the Semipalatinsk Fortress.

But it does not say that you must also hold on. This letter is enough to save you from a military court. Go quickly and bring the news of my death in battle to my mother.

The adjutant actually knew why Brigadier General Fyodor would not leave, because the Brigadier General's entire family, even the entire clan, were in Moscow and St. Petersburg. If he escaped or surrendered, the entire family would be ruined.

After saluting in gratitude, the adjutant took the letter and immediately went down to select his close associates to prepare for the breakout.

After he left, Brigadier General Fyodor called the quartermaster and asked him to "take out all the food and make the most sumptuous meal.

Tell the soldiers that I need them to hold out for three more days. This is a demonstration of our loyalty to Her Majesty the Empress and the Third Rome.

In three days, I will not stop them from finding a way out for their lives."

. . . .

Three days later, early in the morning.

Brigadier General Fyodor drank the last glass of bread wine, raised his dagger, looked westward in the direction of St. Petersburg, muttered "mother" softly, and then suddenly plunged the dagger into his neck.

Outside the door, a lieutenant colonel saw the brigadier general collapse in the dawn, then hurried out, holding Brigadier General Fyodor's fortress commander's scepter in his hand, and said to the officers gathered outside:

"I will go out and surrender to the Khitans. If they agree, you will lay down your arms. If I never come back, then it will be time for you to die fighting for the Third Rome."

September 1791, 9. This was the 16th year of Emperor Guangzhong's reign in the Great China, originally the th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, and the th day of the eighth lunar month.

Chen Guangyao agreed to the surrender of the remaining Russian soldiers and civilians in the Semipalatinsk Fortress.

Our Duke Dingguo Chen Youjun was very wise. He knew that Dayu’s enemy in Central Asia was not the Russian Empire. As long as they were willing to get out of the river, there would be no fundamental contradiction between the two sides.

Of course, in addition to interests, there are also reasons of strength.

It would also be difficult for Dayu to completely defeat or conquer a big country with a population of 30 million, a relatively wise monarch and corresponding system, and barely on the verge of industrialization.

Perhaps if the Russian Empire was moved to Southeast Asia, where it was close at hand, China could and must defeat and assimilate it, but this would not be necessary if it were in Europe.

Dayu came to control the river, eliminate the root cause of the continuous greening in the northwest, and eradicate this toxic soil, not to destroy the Russian Empire.

At this time, there were still 1,100 Russian soldiers and more than 9,000 citizens in the Semipalatinsk Fortress. Chen Guangyao glanced at Annenkov who was following behind him.

This man was the son of Jacob Ivanovich, the former governor of Irkutsk. After Governor Jacob committed suicide for the Russian Empire, Annenkov surrendered to Dayu.

He recruited more than 3,000 remnants of the Cossacks hiding in the ice field for Dayu, and was therefore awarded the title of garrison commander, and was barely considered a Dayu noble.

"Pick out the Cossacks and tell them that I, the Prime Minister, am now conscripting them and will triple their salaries. After we conquer Transoxiana, I will also seek titles for them in warmer lands, allowing them to become nobles appointed by the Great Emperor of the East."

After dealing with the Russians for a long time, Chen Guangyao knew who could be recruited.

The laws in Rakshasa are strict, and they also practice collective responsibility like China, so the nobles generally dare not surrender. The soldiers under them also have certain national sentiments, so they are quite stubborn.

Only these Cossacks can be said to be Russians, and they can be, but if they are said not to be, then they really are not.

These bandit gangs composed of various Slavs can be regarded as the Tsar's cheap semi-mercenaries.

At the same time, they are very suitable for colonization, so absorbing a small amount is beneficial.

After obtaining Chen Guangyao's permission and the guarantee of a former St. Petersburg nobleman, the captive Cossacks cheered and soon expressed their willingness to serve the Dayu Dynasty as long as the salary and land could be paid.

Afterwards, with Chen Guangyao's permission, the Cossacks called over all their clansmen who had settled outside the Semipalatinsk Fortress, and a total of more than 4,000 people joined the Western Expedition Army.

On September 9, Chen Guangyao left Yao Zhifu to lead 21 people to guard the Semipalatinsk Fortress, and left two thousand households of Mongolians in the northern desert and one thousand households of Kazakhs to settle here as nomads.

The army continued to move south. This time, with the support of Hasmu, the new acting Khan of Yuz in the left wing, they would directly raid the city of Ili and take back the territory east and south of Lake Balkhash.

(End of this chapter)