The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 828 The Gap in Strength

In mid-March 1803, just as Li Xingtai's vanguard had crossed the Emba River and was advancing toward Guryev (Atyrau), Major General Mikhail Barclay suddenly ordered the Russian army to retreat.

Chen Jinchuan, located on the edge of the Guliyev Desert, had not yet completed his mission of separating the main force of 35,000 Russian troops from the 15,000 who had advanced. Seeing that the Russian army was about to withdraw, he had no choice but to risk a blockade.

3 month 21 day.

Three thousand Dayu cavalrymen in the Karajye Salt Desert were the first to discover the movement of the Russian army. They quickly concentrated their forces under the command of Zhang Tianxing, the deputy commander of the 7th Regiment, to block the retreating Russian vanguard of 15,000 men from the edge of the Salt Desert.

Originally, Chen Jinchuan's plan was that these cavalrymen, who were a special operations squadron of over a hundred men and had infiltrated the Karajye Salt Desert, would not be used in a concentrated manner, because their mission was to cut off the connection between this Russian vanguard army and the main force.

Only after the main force and vanguard of the Russian army have completely lost contact will Chen Jinchuan personally lead his troops into the Karajye Salt Desert to intercept them.

Dong Jinfeng will then lead 8,000 Beiting garrison troops to follow the retreating Rakshasa vanguard and finally annihilate them in the salt desert.

Of course, Chen Jinchuan also made contingency plans. In order to avoid the army losing command due to his inability to reach the Karajye Salt Desert in time, he specially sent Wang Shaoze, the colonel commander of the 28th Regiment of the Yaowu Army, as the reserve commander.

As a result, the battlefield situation changed too quickly. First, Major General Mikhail Barclay, the commander of the Russian army, keenly perceived the changes on the battlefield and withdrew his troops in advance.

Secondly, when Colonel Wang Shaoze, the reserve commander, was leading more than 20 cavalrymen to arrange the infiltration mission, he unexpectedly clashed with a group of more than 300 Russian cavalrymen. Although the Dayu cavalrymen won a great victory in the end, Wang Shaoze was killed in battle.

Fortunately, the emergency response mechanism in the Great Yu Army was quite sound. After seeing that the Rakshasa army had retreated, the four lieutenant colonels discussed the matter and immediately decided to appoint Zhang Tianxing as the commander.

Zhang Tianxing was born in Bozhou, Huaihe River region. His family was a wealthy local family in the Bozhou area during the Yongzheng period. They owned tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, employed thugs to engage in the smuggling of salt, and were also the leaders of the Bozhou Nianzi bandit gang.

When the government arrived in Dayu, due to changes and improvements in the fiscal and tax system, the state no longer needed to rely heavily on salt tax as a disguised poll tax. As a result, salt prices plummeted, and after several consecutive price drops, the opportunity for smuggling salt disappeared.

Meanwhile, due to the significant expansion of the territory of the Dayu Dynasty, Nanjing, located in the south, was transformed into a central region and directly assumed most of the responsibilities of the capital, which led to a sharp decline in the status of Beijing Shuntian Prefecture.

As Beijing became less important, the function of the Grand Canal also began to diminish.

These two changes dealt a heavy blow to the local tyrants of Huaihe River region. Fortunately, in order to restore the tradition of Han cavalry, Mo Zibu recruited soldiers on a large scale in the Huaihe River region, making the sons of the local tyrants of Huaihe River region one of the three pillars of the Dayu cavalry.

Because the Zhang Tianxing family belonged to the top tier of the Huai River local tycoons, many talented people emerged from the family. Although none of them climbed to particularly high positions, sixty or seventy middle and lower-ranking military officers were produced, spreading throughout the Northeast, Northwest, and even Beihezhou.

For example, among the three thousand cavalrymen this time, more than six hundred were from the Huai River region.

Therefore, although they were all lieutenant colonels, Zhang Tianxing's prestige and appeal were unmatched by the other three, so he was automatically elected as the commander.

Zhang Tianxing deployed 500 cavalrymen to guard against the undiscovered main force of the Rakshasa army coming to provide support, while simultaneously seizing the high ground and allowing the remaining cavalrymen to dismount and fight on the high ground.

At this time, the 3,000 cavalry had been infiltrating the salt desert for more than ten days, and their numbers had dwindled to about 2,500 after continuous battles.

In other words, Zhang Tianxing only had two thousand men at his disposal to block the enemy, and apart from four lightweight three-pound cannons with a total weight of about 150 pounds, he had no heavy weapons.

Zhang Tianxing thought for a moment, and immediately began to sweat.

I never expected to encounter such a problem on my first time commanding thousands of troops in battle.

It wasn't that the ambush itself was difficult, but rather that these men were the cream of the crop, the essence of the Great Yu cavalry, and would be of great use on the battlefield in the future.

If these were used as ordinary infantry in a defensive battle to fill gaps, even if only ten thousand or so Russian soldiers were spared, it wouldn't be worthwhile.

Zhang Tianxing had to consider not only the simple act of blocking, but also whether it was worthwhile.

If too many elite cavalry are lost here, their absence during the final battle could lead to irreparable losses.

The problem is that if he doesn't stop them, not to mention whether the soldiers who recommended him will agree, it would undoubtedly be a sign of weakness, which goes against the tradition and spirit of the Great Yu army that the brave will win when they meet on a narrow road. In the post-war reckoning, Zhang Tianxing would not be able to get away with it either.

“We’ll split into two groups, each taking control of one of these two hilltops, and clear the rest of the area.” Under immense pressure, Zhang Tianxing quickly forced himself to calm down and came up with a solution in a very short time.

In the area where Zhang Tianxing and his group were located, there were two hills that were not far apart and could be seen at an angle from each other.

There are passable areas on both sides of the two hills, but they are not very flat. The easiest part to pass is the area between the two hills.

This is a relatively important transportation route. If you don't go this way, you can only go south along the inland coast, where the moisture content is high and the salt flats are softened by the water, making travel inconvenient.

To the north lies an even more vast salt desert. This terrain lacks reliable landmarks and water sources are hard to find. Unless forced into a corner, the Rakshasa army would rarely choose to enter this area.

The only passage through the salt desert is between the two mountains they occupy. Originally, there was a Russian army of more than two hundred men guarding this place, but after being driven away by the Dayu cavalry, the Russians have never been able to retake it.

"Do not stop the returning army. If we forcibly stop the Rakshasa army with heavy weapons, we cannot stop them. We cannot let our brothers sacrifice in vain."

Therefore, we will clear the way, dampen the Rakshasa army's fighting spirit, and flank them from both sides. After intercepting their supplies, we will pursue them relentlessly, buying time for the main army to arrive.

This plan was reasonable, and all the cavalry officers and soldiers agreed with it.

In the early morning of March 27, the advance reconnaissance troops of the retreating Russian army reached the blocking position set up by Zhang Tianxing's troops, but were forcibly blocked by Zhang Tianxing's troops.

Zhang Tianxing naturally couldn't allow these Rakshasa cavalry to pass through here and make contact with their main force too early.

Half an hour later, after blocking and eliminating most of the dozens of Rakshasa scout cavalry, the vanguard of the Rakshasa retreat force of more than 4,000 men also arrived at Zhang Tianxing's location.

The Russian officers weren't fools; they immediately understood Zhang Tianxing's plan. Therefore, instead of using the passage left for them, the four thousand men immediately began their attack on the two hilltops controlled by Zhang Tianxing.

The two sides fought from a little after 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. The Russian vanguard, lacking heavy weapons, was unable to take down Zhang Tianxing's troops on the hilltop. Then the main force of the Russian army arrived.

Commander Lieutenant General Feodoro immediately decided to bring out the six-pound cannons and bombard the mountain, and five thousand Russian infantrymen were also selected to launch a strong attack.

The Russian army was highly experienced in combat and had a strong fighting spirit. After the artillery bombardment, the infantry immediately began their charge.

After securing a section of the position, they would immediately begin digging shallow trenches to avoid bullets, and then fire upwards. Even when they were hit and suffered heavy casualties, they would not leave, completely risking their lives to prepare for the next wave of attacks.

Once they had established a foothold, the remaining infantry, along with a small number of artillery pieces, began to approach the hill, attempting to gradually erode Zhang Tianxing's position.

"The officers' tactics were effective, and the soldiers were resilient and fearless in the face of death. What a strong army!" Zhang Tianxing exclaimed, but then he shook his head.

"It's a pity that our equipment is too poor. We don't have rifled guns, high-quality field artillery, or even enough grenades. Otherwise, we would be in big trouble today."

After saying that, he personally picked up a rifled gun and fired a shot, killing one of the low-ranking officers who was giving orders on the hillside, outside the range of the Russian soldiers.

The Dayu cavalry, positioned on higher ground and armed with rifled muskets with an effective range of about 200 meters, could kill the Rakshasa soldiers more easily than they could kill gazelles on the grasslands.

Han Zaibai squinted. As a sharpshooter, he was even more accurate with a rifled gun than with a bow and arrow. As a result, the Rakshasa artillerymen who were pushing the cannons were shot down one after another under his fire.

The mere five or six hundred meters high hillside was transformed by the elite cavalry of the Great Yu into a bloody path for the Rakshasa people to hell.

However, by 3 p.m., the situation had changed. Zhang Tianxing's troops had consumed a large amount of ammunition, and the barrels of many rifled guns were also overburdened. The Russians, after losing more than a thousand men, still showed no signs of slowing down their attack.

It wasn't that the Rakshasa people were so fearless; rather, they were genuinely afraid. They had already wasted five hours here, and if this continued, they might be overtaken by the Great Yu's pursuers.

So this isn't bravery, but rather entering a semi-stressful state.

At 4:30 PM, the cavalry reconnaissance team from Dayu brought extremely bad news: the main force of the Rakshasa army, which had not appeared until now, had come to meet them.

Zhang Tianxing knew they couldn't continue fighting. They had been holding out for almost seven hours, killing 1,500 to 1,600 Rakshasa soldiers, but they themselves had suffered over 50 dead or seriously wounded, and over 100 lightly wounded. Now they were facing attacks from both sides and could not continue fighting.

Just as he himself analyzed, he was leading an elite cavalry force, and they couldn't afford to die here. If he had been leading an infantry division, he wouldn't have chosen to break out even if they were all wiped out.

"Deputy Commander Zhang, you guys break through, don't worry about us." A captain with a bleeding eye looked at Zhang Tianxing and pulled out a bitter acid bomb.

This thing is too easy to explode, so it is rarely used in the military now, but because of its great power, it can be used in certain special situations.

For example, this bitter acid bomb is a glorious bomb, which can not only bring glory to oneself, but also bring glory to others.

“I am from Pingyindu, Qinzhou, Lianzhou Prefecture, western Guangdong. I am His Majesty’s son-in-law and will not disgrace him.”

A proud look appeared on the one-eyed captain's face. "Jiao Jilang will only die, he will never be taken prisoner!"

“I am from Luokun Prefecture, Xinglong Province. My grandfather’s entire family was saved by His Majesty. Three generations of our family have served in the army, waiting for this moment. Ah Wu, go back and tell your grandfather to leave me the blank half of the genealogy. From now on, my son will be the eldest son of the family!”

The speaker was a burly man dragging his broken leg, and the man he called Ah Wu was already in tears.

These were all seriously wounded soldiers or those who had severely lost their ability to move; it was impossible to take them with us during the breakout.

"The Aizu Domain's soldiers have long been prepared with 'gyokusai' (suicide bombs)." In the crowd, a short man muttered and took out a bitter acid bomb.

As a loyal and righteous domain that was promoted after the conquest of the East by the Great Yu, the samurai of the Aizu Domain have since adopted a more resolute fighting style.

To date, thousands of samurai have emerged from the Aizu Domain, yet not one has dared to violate the loyalty and righteousness personally certified by the Emperor.

Zhang Tianxing turned away with great discomfort. More than 80% of the troops he was temporarily commanding were selected from the Twelve Imperial Guards and the Sixteen Armies of the Capital Garrison, each one an elite of the empire.

"I will personally petition His Majesty for your merits!" After saying this, Zhang Tianxing gave a military salute and left immediately.

Meanwhile, the Rakshasa army, which was preparing to continue its attack from below the mountain, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the Seris army, which had been blocking their advance, break through and retreat.

He waved for a battalion of soldiers to go up and take over the position, and then quickly ordered the soldiers to speed up their advance.

Just then, with a loud bang, a huge mushroom cloud rose from the position, and the explosion not only destroyed the grenades but also the gunpowder that could not be taken away.

Fedoro's face suddenly turned deathly pale. He immediately realized what it was, because similar deeds had also occurred on the Russian side during the Russo-Turkish War.

This is also an important reason why the Russian army, which was weaker than the Ottomans and did not have the advantage of terrain, was able to win one victory after another.

"Go, go, go!" Lieutenant General Feodoro shouted "go" three times, abandoning even the Rakshasa soldiers who had been killed or wounded and unable to retreat.

At six o'clock in the evening, Chen Jinchuan finally led the remaining five thousand cavalrymen to Yanmo.

He was paying close attention to the Russian army's movements, but Lieutenant General Feodoro also left several hundred men in the camp and launched the operation in the early morning darkness, so Chen Jinchuan did not discover the Russian army's movements immediately.

Therefore, even though Chen Jinchuan dispatched troops immediately, it was still too late after he dealt with the hundreds of people in the Rakshasa camp.

Fortunately, the loud explosions caused by the wounded soldiers' resolute suicide pointed Chen Jinchuan in the right direction.

After gathering the remaining 2,100-plus men in the salt desert, Chen Jinchuan personally led the pursuit, and the two sides' cavalry clashed and fought back and forth in the salt desert.

3 month 28 day.

The 10,000 Rakshasa soldiers who came to meet them joined the 11,000-plus retreating soldiers, and they set up an ambush on the spot.

The infantry would hold the line in the middle, while the mobile forces would spread out to the left and right flanks. After the central army engaged the enemy in fierce fighting, they would then outflank the enemy from the right flanks or even the rear.

However, Chen Jinchuan quickly saw through the Russian army's scheme, because it was highly unusual for just over ten thousand Russian infantry to so brazenly block his seven thousand cavalry.

Chen Jinchuan immediately expanded the search area and soon discovered the Russian army's encirclement force.

In an instant, the Russian army's pocket formation became a broken pocket, and Chen Jinchuan's seven thousand cavalrymen chased after and brutally beat more than six thousand men on the right flank.

Because the Russians were a combination of infantry and cavalry while Chen Jinchuan was entirely cavalry, the Russian army was unable to shake off the pursuit and could only hold their ground on a small hill near the river, waiting for reinforcements.

Chen Jinchuan did not choose to devour these 6,000-plus people. Instead, he used 1,000 cavalry to keep an eye on them and personally led the remaining cavalry to continue chasing after the main force of the retreating Russian army, determined not to let them escape easily.

Finally, after pursuing and eliminating several hundred members of the Rakshasa army, Chen Jinchuan discovered the Rakshasa army's main camp.

A place called Ivanov, which later became a small port in Zabruniye, Kazakhstan, was where the Russian army built a naval port to transport supplies from both land and sea.

Now, Chen Jinchuan, who had no heavy weapons, dared not attack. This was a small port with relatively tight defenses. Not only did the port itself have simple city walls, but several high points around it also had gun emplacements, which were then connected by trenches and breastworks. Chen Jinchuan's scouts could not get close to this port.

Moreover, there are at least 35,000 Rakshasa soldiers here, and the cavalry alone may number close to 10,000. If we are not careful, we could be attacked from behind.

On April 3, Dong Jinfeng led 4 Beiting garrison troops to the scene, bringing with them a large amount of supplies and artillery. Only then did Chen Jinchuan dare to attack and begin using artillery to eliminate the Russian artillery outside the port of Ivanov.

However, progress was not smooth, as the Russian army continued to reinforce from the port, and the resistance was very strong.

In fact, firearms have advanced to the point where they are almost invincible with their shells. They can still slowly chip away at them now, but once they reach the era of barbed wire and hand-cranked Gatling guns, before tanks appear, attacking well-defended castles or positions will be a nightmare.

Seeing that this wouldn't work, Dong Jinfeng pointed to the west side of the port and said to Chen Jinchuan, "Infantry can't get past those gun emplacements on the west side, but cavalry can."

"General Chen, why don't I stay here and attack, while you lead the cavalry around? I reckon the Russian army is constantly retreating from the west; a surprise attack will surely yield considerable gains."

Chen Jinchuan took the map and looked at it. "If my calculations are correct, Ivanov Port should be right here."

According to the scale of this map drawn by the Imperial Guards at the cost of several lives, Astrakhan is only 160 kilometers away from here, about the same distance as Guryev.

However, our army has not yet captured Guryev, so the Crown Prince's main vanguard cannot arrive quickly. Moreover, most of the vanguard's cavalry is with us, so reinforcements will arrive even more slowly.

In contrast, the Russian army still had at least 40,000 to 50,000 men in Astrakhan, ready to reinforce at any time. The fact that the Russian commander in the city retreated so decisively suggests he might have made defensive preparations.

After thinking for a while, Chen Jinchuan made a choice: "I can send a thousand cavalry to try and see if it is as I expect."

Then, Chen Jinchuan summoned Zhang Tianxing and said, "Take a thousand cavalrymen and go check if there are any ambushes. This isn't about you eliminating a lot of enemies; survival comes first."

Dong Jinfeng felt a little relieved. He thought Chen Jinchuan was being a bit too cautious. Chen Jinchuan also noticed the senior's expression and smiled faintly.

"I estimate that the Rakshasa army will lose at least 10,000 men in this battle, which is quite a lot. We have more people than them, so let's take what we can get first."

In the afternoon, Zhang Tianxing indeed came to report that the Russians were indeed retreating westward, and there were indeed ambushes along the way; he had almost fallen into one.

Moreover, not far past the port of Ivanov, beyond the salt desert, there are many places where an ambush can be set up.

4 month 10 day.

Li Xingtai's messenger arrived, and the vanguard forced the Russian garrison in Guryev (Atyrau) to surrender. The main army immediately prepared to march west to support them.

On April 13, Chen Jinchuan and Dong Jinfeng's troops captured the port of Ivanov, and most of the remaining two thousand defenders in the city were killed in battle.

On April 15, the remaining 4 Rakshasa troops trapped in the salt desert collapsed under the siege of the superior forces of the Dayu army and were completely annihilated.

Thus, even excluding the garrison of Guryev, of the 45,000 Russian troops who came to provide support, 12,000 to 13,000 were lost, a third of their force, making it a very serious and disastrous defeat.

More importantly, this is a case of suffering such heavy losses without having experienced any particularly fierce battles, which vividly demonstrates the disparity between the two armies.

. . . .

In Astrakhan, Major General Mikhail Barclay was in a very heavy mood, and had even prepared himself to take the blame.

He never expected his withdrawal to be so swift and decisive. He thought it was completely beyond the Khitans' expectations and that he would lose at most two or three thousand men, but he never expected the losses to be so great.

However, the head coach Kutuzov did not blame Major General Barclay. "Misha, you did very well. If I had gone, I wouldn't have done much better. This only shows that the Khitan army's fighting power is extremely terrifying."

Hearing his coach say that, Major General Mikhail Barclay felt much better; thankfully, he wasn't made to take the blame.

However, the next words from head coach Kutuzov immediately plunged his heart into despair.

“Misha, you’re right. I’ve decided to choose Tsaritsyn as the location for the decisive battle, but I need an experienced general to take my place in defending Astrakhan.”

"If I can keep the Khitans at Astrakhan for at least a year, I'm confident I can defeat them." Kutuzov said, looking at Major General Barclay, his meaning very clear.

Suka!

Mikhail Barclay almost uttered a curse from the Russians; it seemed he was being asked to guard Astrakhan again.

He's still taking the blame; when will this ever end?!

(End of this chapter)