4342 (AD 1645), January 1st, Tangnu Ulianghai Army Camp.
Ma Xianglin, commander of the 19th Army of the Royal Chinese Army, walked out of the tent.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the place was still full of stars, and he could already smell the dumplings.
Today is the New Year, and the whole army killed thousands of sheep just to make the whole army eat dumplings.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng, wrapped in a light yellow military coat and wearing thick cotton gloves, walked up to Ma Xianglin.
The two of them walked side by side towards the military canteen, chatting about the situation of the 19th Army on the way.
"Lao Ma, please urge the logistics department and ask them to transport the cotton-padded clothes as soon as possible.
There are still one-third of our military personnel who only wear sweaters to fight.
It is too cold here in Tangnu Ulianghai. At this time, the Russian army in Kuznetsk will attack us.
How can our army fight in this freezing and snowy season when we don’t even have warm cotton clothes?”
Ma Xianglin saw Chief of Staff Su Cheng's anxious face, and there was nothing he could do.
It was windy and snowy before Tang Nu Wulianghai, and the Russians would not attack at this time. The wind stopped and the snow stopped some time ago.
The climate here in Tang Nu Wulianghai is not as harsh as the mountainous areas of Central Asia.
The Russians are not celebrating the New Year, and they are likely to attack them during this time.
At that time, soldiers could not be allowed to hide in tents and use coal stoves to keep warm.
Ma Xianglin said helplessly: "Brother Su, you don't have to worry.
Everyone knows what happened some time ago.
The supplies for our army are mainly shipped from Lanzhou.
There is no direct train from Lanzhou to Tangnu Ulianghai, not even a cement road, only a small mountain road.
It is necessary to use mules and horses to carry the supplies and transport them here bit by bit.
Some time ago, heavy snow closed the mountains, making it impossible for the mules and horses to pass, which resulted in a large number of cotton-padded clothes not being transported.
Now that the wind and snow have stopped, the logistics department should step up transportation.
The wind and snow broke the telegraph wires, and the signal troops were repairing them.
Otherwise we can know the location of the mule and horse teams through telegrams."
Su Cheng listened to Ma Xianglin's explanation, and he also understood the situation.
He was just too anxious. The cavalry division's scouting horses found a very bad situation.
They are probably the main direction of the Russian attack.
The telegraph line was damaged and there was no way to understand the situation outside.
Su Cheng didn't know the situation with the main force in Tumu Mansion.
He wanted to complete the military preparations for war as soon as possible.
Su Cheng let out a long sigh and said, "The roads here are difficult, and it is too difficult for the logistics department to transport supplies.
The weather was not that cold before, and the main supplies transported were weapons and ammunition.
Fortunately, we have sufficient reserves of weapons and ammunition. Otherwise, if war really comes, we will not be able to fight this battle.
I don’t know why the General Staff transferred us from Altai to Tangnu-Ulyanghai.
All the fortifications and military factories built by our 19th Army in Altai were in ruins."
Ma Xianglin guessed: "I think it was the General Staff who predicted from various channels that the Russians would mainly attack Tangnu Ulianghai, so they urgently transferred our troops here.
Using our 19th Army to gnaw hard bones shows that the court trusts the 19th Army."
Ma Xianglin's nose smelled a stronger aroma of dumplings.
"Our 19th Army bought thousands of sheep from the surrounding Mongolian tribes.
Half of the sheep were killed yesterday to make dumplings.
Dumplings stuffed with mutton, the soldiers usually don't get to eat them, but today they are in for a treat."
Ma Xianglin met the senior officials of the 19th Army at the entrance of the cafeteria, and together they entered the large cafeteria of the 2nd Brigade and 3rd Regiment of the 19th Army.
This regiment is the backbone regiment formed by the descendants of the white pole soldiers brought by Ma Xianglin. It has always been the heroic regiment of the 19th Army. They were the first to come to this regiment.
They entered the large dining hall. There was a coal stove and a place for cooking. It was very warm inside.
"Ma Zhenfei, you let the soldiers eat, I see many of them are drooling with greed." Ma Xianglin laughed and scolded.
He picked up the dumplings sent by Ma Zhenfei, the commander of the third regiment, and said to the soldiers: "Happy New Year everyone!
The conditions in the army are a bit difficult, so I can only treat you to dumplings.
These are delicious dumplings stuffed with mutton, everyone is welcome to eat, you’re welcome.”
When the soldiers heard Ma Xianglin's words, they immediately started eating dumplings.
The dumplings stuffed with mutton have a strong tangy taste, and many people dipped them in the rich seasoning.
Ma Xianglin also walked near the soldiers he was familiar with, chatted with them for a while, learned about the situation at the grassroots level, and encouraged them to fight the enemy bravely.
He and the senior officials of the 19th Army visited various regiments under the 19th Army at an extremely fast speed.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng walked out holding his stomach.
"I can finally rest for a while, my stomach is full."
Ma Xianglin also covered his stomach. Even if he had a symbolic bite in each canteen, he still needed a good appetite.
Just as he was about to say a few words, he saw his guards running towards here.
"Commander, Chief of Staff, the telegram has been received, the telegram has been received."
The two of them looked at each other, immediately mounted their horses and rushed towards the Chinese army.
Ma Xianglin and Su Cheng stood in front of the telegram, watching the telegram keep ticking.
This newly emerged communication tool has become extremely important as soon as it is popularized in the military.
During the period when the 19th Army lost its telegram, they all felt very tortured, just like a normal person who suddenly became blind and deafened.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng said with emotion: "I wonder what the current situation is like?
The last time we sent a telegram, it was the commander-in-chief Wu Jie who decided to use the cavalry division as the main force.
The Fourth Army is not very satisfied with this decision, but our Nineteenth Army does support this decision very much.
The logistical supplies of the 19th Army are much worse than those of the 4th Army.
If we were really asked to make the main attack, I doubt if we could fight even one or two battles, the ammunition supply would not be available.
The cavalry division has run out of ammunition, they can run, and our infantry can run wherever they want."
The two of them were chatting, and the telegraph operator of the 19th Army had already sent a message to various places, explaining that the telegraph line had just been repaired, and the previous telegram had not been received, and he requested to re-send it.
Su Cheng waited for a while, and the telegraph operator had already compiled relatively important information.
As he looked at these pieces of information, his expression gradually became serious.
"Commander Wu Jie sent news that the Russian army has stationed 150,000 troops in Kuznetsk, which is the main force of the Russian army advancing eastward.
This news means that our place is likely to be the main direction of the Russian army's attack.
The imperial court knows that our army has logistical supply difficulties and has dispatched two road construction corps to prepare to open the road from Lanzhou and Ili to here."
Ma Xianglin nodded and took out a telegram.
"This telegram shows that the Russian army obviously attacked in two directions.
The infantry is concentrated in Kuznetsk, which is closer to the Russian army's hinterland and more conducive to logistical supplies.
The city of Kuznetsk has been occupied by the Russian army for nearly thirty years.
There is coal and iron. This is the steel factory of the Russian army in Asia, which can produce a large number of weapons.
The Cossack cavalry is operating in Central Asia, which is more suitable for cavalry activities. It should be that they want to use cavalry to contain the main force of the empire.
We must be prepared for a big war."
Chief of Staff Su Cheng said confidently: "Our 19th Army has never been afraid of tough battles.
We are a newly formed army, we have no baggage, and we are not afraid of failure.
As long as we don't rush forward and fight on the inside, I can't think of a reason why we could lose."
Ma Xianglin looked at the telegrams that kept coming in. The evidence that the Russians wanted to attack from their defense lines was even more obvious.
He immediately notified the entire army to prepare for war.
Today is the New Year, and we need to be more vigilant to prevent a surprise attack by the Russian army.
They celebrate the New Year, but the Russian army does not celebrate the New Year.
…………………………
Kuznetsk, a heavy industrial city in Siberia, Russia.
The commander of the Russian army's eastward march, Russian Margrave Oleg Ivanov, was looking at the map in a daze.
The infantry commander of the Russian Eastward Regiment, Russian Count Alexander Onukovych, stood aside and waited.
He looked a little anxious and asked: "Marquis Oleg, we are ready, I think we can launch a tentative attack.
Opposite, there are less than 40,000 Chinese people.
There are 150,000 troops stationed in Kuznetsk. As long as the empire's logistics can keep up, all these 150,000 people will be lost. We can afford to lose another 150,000 people.
There are millions of these serf soldiers in the country, so there is no problem at all."
Alexander Onukovych believed that Russia had a large population and sufficient military strength. They could use their absolute force to overwhelm the Chinese on the opposite side.
They chose to station their troops in Kuznetsk, which is the closest to Europe and has coal and iron mines. It is an industrial city.
They could choose to station their troops farther east, but it would be very easy for the Chinese to cut off their supplies. This was too dangerous.
Marquis Oleg Ivanov listened to Count Alexander Onukovych's suggestion, and he was not surprised at all.
He went to the European battlefields for further training and knew that in the age of firearms, numerical superiority was no longer an advantage.
Many officers in the empire are obsessed with numerical superiority, because as long as they have sufficient troops, they will be invincible.
With just one word, they could recruit tens of thousands of serf soldiers.
For the troops under his command, he basically does not treat them as compatriots, but as a tool to increase his military medals.
Marquis Oleg Ivanov said with a serious expression: "Our enemies this time are not the indigenous tribes like Mongolia.
Under our gunfire, they had no chance to resist.
The Dahua Empire is also an empire with a powerful firearms army. Our army cannot pay too much attention to this kind of opponent.
We also had some small-scale conflicts with the Dahua Empire before, but the Cossack cavalry was defeated miserably."
Count Alexander Onukovych said nonchalantly: "Those barbarian cavalry don't even have a few muskets in their hands.
Unlike our army, almost every three people have a musket. It is already a powerful firearms army.
The iron-making furnaces in Kuznetsk are still operating, and the proportion of muskets in our army will continue to increase."
Marquis Oleg Ivanov saw the confident look of Count Alexander Onukovych.
He knew that Count Alexander Onukovych's attitude was that he looked down on the Great China Empire.
Their Russian advance eastward was so fast that they encountered no major obstacles at all.
Many people in the Russian army subconsciously look down on the people in this place.
Only when they are unable to move forward on the battlefield will they respect their opponents more.
Marquis Oleg Ivanov said calmly and seriously: "We still have to wait, at least to ensure that all soldiers learn how to aim and fire.
The popularity of muskets has reached one for every two people. For those who do not have guns, let them use hand grenades.
This simple and lightweight weapon has become famous on the European battlefields in recent years.
It's winter now, and the soldiers are wearing worn-out cotton-padded clothes, and they're prone to freezing when fighting outside.
Note that the key thing is that the logistics supplies cannot keep up.
Firearms and gunpowder can be obtained in the city of Kuznetsk.
Siberia is not a grain-producing area, and grain needs to be transported from within the country.
You should also know the terrible situation that will occur once the army runs out of food.
You must ensure that you stock up on enough food before launching an attack.
Once there are changes in the European battlefield, it is likely that troops will be mobilized to the Far East again.
We command more troops, dramatically increasing our chances of victory."
Count Alexander Onukovych saw that it was unrealistic to suddenly launch a war while the Chinese were weak in winter.
He asked with some confusion: "Why did the Tsar agree to the request of England and France and send heavy troops to attack the Chinese?"
Marquis Oleg Ivanov has his own opinion on this matter.
“There are many domestic opinions on this matter.
Some people say that England and France provided large amounts of loans to the empire to promote its development.
Some people say that the empire cooperates with England and France to deal with the Holy Roman Empire.
The empire hopes to encroach on the Balkans and gain access to the Mediterranean Sea."
Before Marquis Oleg Ivanov left the map, he sat on a chair, took a sip of coffee, and continued to explain.
"These statements are not comprehensive. I have communicated with many big figures in the empire.
I think the Tsar did this to expand the empire's living space.
This is the main purpose, everything else is just incidental.
The empire is like a dragon trapped by a noose. Without its own excellent outlet to the sea, it cannot participate in the struggle for colonies.
The outlet of the Baltic Sea is too close to the Arctic Circle and its geographical location is not good.
The empire wants the Balkans and unites the Slavs of the same species. The Holy Roman Empire is our obstacle and is not feasible in the short term.
The Crimea region has an outlet to the sea, but the Black Sea is blocked by the Ottoman Turkish Empire and is just a slightly larger bathtub.
The empire's only breakthrough direction is in the Far East.
Whether we march eastward to reach the edge of the ocean, or after conquering Central Asia, we march southward to India.
The constraints on the empire will be completely lifted.
Just like how important Crimea is to the empire, even if it takes several generations, we will seize the eastern seaport."
Count Alexander Onukovych listened to Margrave Oleg Ivanov.
His strategy for the empire became clearer.
He had previously thought that the empire was going to war in this way because it wanted to seize the wealth that England and France said.
For example, a loom that can produce tens of thousands of pieces of cloth in a month, or a car that can run on the road without horses.
It has spread throughout Europe, and the Chinese are extremely wealthy.
If they win this war, everyone who leads the army will become rich.
Now it seems that the more important thing for the empire is the eastern seaport.
If the empire does not have an outlet to the sea, it will be just a larger landlocked country, and its development will soon reach a bottleneck.
When Count Alexander Onukovych thought of this, he could also see the art of conducting by Marquis Oleg Ivanov.
The main attack direction will be Kuznetsk and the Central Asian steppes, and breakthroughs will be made in either direction.
The empire will hopefully achieve its strategic goals.