Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 141 The Battle of Gyumri (Part 1)

Endless grasslands, terrifying swamps, and bandits everywhere – this is the current state of affairs in the North Caucasus region.

Since the fall of the Astrakhan Khanate, this area has been Russian territory. However, it was not significantly developed before Peter the Great, and this remains the case today, as some non-Buddhist groups have not yet submitted.

"Elder, are we really going to do this? This is our last thing."

In the village, an elder stood in front of his house with a torch. The people around him felt a pang of heartache. This was the place where they had lived for decades, and they were naturally reluctant to give it up now.

"Since we are leaving here, let's not leave these things for the heretics."

The elder set the house on fire with a torch and led the remaining villagers away from the land where they had lived for decades.

Such scenes were playing out across the Circassian blockade zone, with residents burning down their homes, killing any livestock they couldn't take, and then heading south.

Most of the Circassian elders realized this was their last chance to break free from Russia, so they naturally wanted to seize the helping hand extended by Iran.

They acquired enough muskets to equip 4000 men and 10 artillery pieces from Iran, all under the noses of the Russian army. To transport these items, they dug tunnels, which, although laborious, were eventually completed safely.

The Russian blockade had loosened considerably after the outbreak of war, and some elite troops were transferred to Crimea, presenting them with the best opportunity to break through the blockade. Meanwhile, to unify command, they established a grand council and elected a seven-member military committee specifically responsible for foreign operations.

Mohammed Hassan Said Suzdal is the chairman of this committee, and he carries the hopes of millions of Circassians on his shoulders, so success is imperative.

"Fire! We must break through the encirclement! Freedom is within reach!"

After the order was given, the artillery pieces unveiled themselves and launched a counter-battery attack on the Russian fortress. Subsequently, tens of thousands of Circassians charged the fortress, and with their fearless spirit, they finally broke through the blockade on the fourth day of the battle, leading the remaining civilians southward.

Not only the Circassians, but also the Chechens launched an uprising, sabotaging Russian army transportation and killing stragglers. They also exerted maximum effort in harassing the North Caucasus.

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At dawn, the crimson sun rose high in the sky, showering the earth with light and heat. As its rays shone on the cannons, they cast long, slanted shadows. The artillerymen were busily preparing for battle; these cannons would teach the Russian army a lesson in Iranian might.

It was now July, and Iran's progress was going smoothly. However, the Russian army was continuously reinforcing its troops in the Gyumri area, and Iran had not been able to break through the defenses there. Therefore, General Salami decided to gather 100,000 troops from six corps to the front line and launch a large-scale annihilation campaign.

The Russian army continued to reinforce its troops in Gyumri, with Vorontsov deploying all available troops there. Now, the Russian forces there number 80,000.

There hadn't been a battle of this scale in the South Caucasus for a long time. The surrounding civilians either fled or were conscripted by the two armies as laborers to transport supplies for them.

At the front lines, there are small-scale battles every day, either capturing prisoners or looting supplies. However, in the last few days, I sensed that a major battle was coming, so I basically stopped going out.

"My lord, we have confirmed that the Persians will launch their attack the day after tomorrow." Several scouts reported to Skvortsnik. They had been very lucky these past few days, and had learned quite a bit. The Persian soldiers even said that this was all the country's resources, and there were no more soldiers available to deploy.

"Are these reports all true?" Skvortsnik was somewhat uneasy; he needed to be absolutely certain about the news from the battlefield.

“It’s very reliable; one of our insiders told us that.”

They believed their infiltration was flawless, thinking they could get a single person to reveal the information they knew for 1000 rubles, allowing the Russian army to launch an attack and utterly defeat the Persians.

"In that case, we'll attack tomorrow, no, tonight."

The governor kept urging them to attack, saying that everything would be fine as long as the cavalry attacked. If he continued to remain inactive, his position would be in jeopardy.

No one in the Russian bureaucracy today is without the ambition for promotion. They are corrupt, nepotistic, and these common bureaucratic ills are amplified to an extreme degree in Russia. Most are still basking in the glory of the Napoleonic Wars, weary and even fearful of the changing times, and harbor strong contempt and a desire to conquer Iran and the Ottomans. These infidels shouldn't exist in the world, especially the Ottomans; the fall of Constantinople centuries ago still pains them, and now is the time for partition.

On the evening of July 15, the Russian army, following the example of the Iranian army, decided to launch a surprise attack. Russian artillery opened fire, and shells whistled past, landing behind the Iranian army positions...

Seeing the artillery firing, the Russian commander believed that this would definitely cause trouble for the Iranian army's command post, and it would be even better if the logistics center could be destroyed.

However, due to the Russian army's terrible logistics, the shells had to be used sparingly, and the bombardment only lasted for an hour before stopping.

"attack!!!!"

The Russian commander at the front gave the order to move out, and 6000 Cossack cavalrymen charged forward, brandishing their swords, while the infantry behind them shouted "Hurrah!" and rushed toward the position.

A night raid would catch them off guard, and the recent artillery barrage must have thrown the Persian army into disarray. So, we should seize this opportunity to break through and drive them out of Yerevan.

The cavalry were getting closer and closer to the Iranian positions, 200 meters, 100 meters, and they were about to reach the positions when suddenly, the enemy's gunfire came from their side. Then, some soldiers didn't know what had happened, and their lives were over.

Skvortnik could never have imagined that the information he received was deliberately leaked by Soleimani. Russia thought it was easy to infiltrate Iran, but how could they believe they were impregnable? Moreover, infiltration was not only easy, but extremely easy; a few tens of thousands of rubles were enough to bribe many people to pass on information.

To maximize the effectiveness of its new weapons, Iran decided to adopt a defensive strategy, aiming to inflict maximum damage on the enemy to achieve its offensive goals. It announced preparations for a general offensive the day after tomorrow, which would likely prompt the Russian army to launch a preemptive strike. All Iran needed to do was prepare the Nadir machine guns.

To avoid Russian artillery fire, Iranian troops placed their command posts in concealed locations, while Soleimani used tunnels to transport supplies and soldiers. As a result, Russian artillery fire landed on open ground, having little impact on the front lines.

Now that the Russian army has taken the initiative, it's their turn. They've worked so hard to develop this machine gun; it would be a waste not to use it properly.

(End of this chapter)