The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 895 Alexander Under Immense Pressure

August 22, 1810, the 35th year of the Guangzhong reign of the Great Yu Dynasty in China, the 15th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, the 13th day of the seventh lunar month.

After receiving the imperial edict from his father, Emperor Mo Zibu, agreeing to send troops, Crown Prince Mo Zhousen of the Great Yu Dynasty, under the pretext that the Tsarist Russian Empire had broken the peace treaty, swore an oath in Stone City (Tashkent) and mobilized 200,000 troops to conquer the Tsarist Russian Empire.

In reality, the troop strength was far more than 200,000.

Accompanying the regular army were armed herders from various tribes, including those from northern and western Mongolia, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Western Torgut (Kalmyk people), as well as Zoroastrian Persians and Azerbaijanis, totaling more than 110,000 people.

This army of 310,000 men was divided into three routes and attacked the Tsarist Rus' Empire from three directions.

The Northern Route Army, consisting of 20,000 regular troops and 50,000 armed herders from various tribes, totaling 80,000 men, set out from Almaty and other places to attack Orenburg, the most important fortress of the Rus' Empire in the middle reaches of the Ural River and the last stronghold of the Tsarist Rus' Empire in Central Asia.

The commander of the Northern Route Army was Chen Jinchuan, the second Duke of Dingguo, who had just finished observing mourning. His father was Chen Guangyao, the emperor's cousin who was posthumously granted the title of Prince of Jiading and the first founding military meritorious official of the Great Yu Dynasty.

At the beginning of this year, Chen Guangyao passed away in Shuntian Prefecture, Beijing, at the age of 61. He was posthumously honored with the title Zhongwu.

The military achievements of the Great Yu Dynasty also began to decline. Most of the generals who suffered heavy losses in their early years did not live long. It was not uncommon for them to die in their forties. Only a very few exceptionally talented "old monsters" could live longer and become more energetic.

In this fast-paced colonial era, the rules for mourning in the Great Yu Dynasty have changed significantly. At most, the mourning period is three months, and for ordinary people, observing the mourning period for three weeks (21 days) is considered filial piety.

Therefore, Chen Jinchuan did not need to take command of the army directly.

The Western Route Army was led by Gui Han, the commander of the Left Guard of the Imperial Guard, and Huang Renyong, the commander of the Beijing Garrison.

It consisted of 21,000 men from the Longxiang Left Guard and the Jingying Xiaowu Army, 30,000 light cavalry from the Western Torgut, and 20,000 auxiliary soldiers and laborers from Persia, Azerbaijan, and other Zoroastrian groups.

The Western Route Army, totaling 71,000 men, crossed the Gaoliang Mountains (Caucasus Mountains) from Gaoliang Prefecture (the Caucasus region) where the Liao vassal state was located, and then marched westward to attack Rostov and other places on the coast of Azov.

The objective of this operation is to first capture Rostov, and then seize the opportunity to move towards the Cossack city (Donetsk), because it has the best coal mines in the entire Black Sea region, and has been mined for over a century.

Taking this place would allow us to obtain anthracite coal from the Tsarist Rus' Empire to supply the Great Yu Black Sea Fleet; otherwise, we would have to buy coal from England, which would be much less timely and reliable.

If the Western Route Army cannot hold Rostov to the Cossacks, it will turn north to assist the main force in besieging Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad).

The reason for the caution shown by the Western Route Army is that the Donetsk region, currently known directly as the Cossack region, is not easy to deal with.

This is the main Cossack settlement area, known for its fierce people and expertise in warfare. Many veteran Cossacks who retired from the Rus' Empire army passed on their skills and knowledge here.

As a result, the fighting power of the residents of this area was far greater than that of the Huaibei Nian rebels, who were around the same time in history.

It certainly won't be lower than the price of a twisted rope.

Consider the immense destruction that hundreds of thousands of Nian rebels along the Huai River could cause, and you'll understand why the Western Route Army of the Great Yu was proceeding with extreme caution here.

The main force of the Da Yu army to fight against Russia was the central army, personally led by Crown Prince Da Laosen, which totaled more than 160,000 men by land, sea, and naval forces.

The battle route was also clear: to go up the Volga River from Astrakhan (the city at the mouth of the Volga River) and attack Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad).

After capturing Tsaritsyn, they continued their advance upstream into the Nizhny Novgorod region, eventually turning west to threaten Moscow.

As for joining forces with the English to launch a sea raid on St. Petersburg, Sen never even considered this plan.

This was due to the series of wars that led to the conquest of the Rus' Empire and the thwarting of Napoleon's ambitions to unify Europe.

Besides its literal meaning, another important purpose was to showcase the formidable military prowess of the Eastern Empire to the world, and incidentally, to cast a golden statue for the patriarch Sen's succession to the throne.

Neither of these goals can be achieved with the help of the Kingdom of England.

A week after the Da Yu army rallied and began its deployment, St. Petersburg received the news, and the prepared countermeasures began to be put in place one after another.

According to the pre-war operational plan formulated by Kutuzov for the Russian army, the Tsarist Rus' Empire also conscripted more than 300,000 troops, of which only about 100,000 could be considered elite.

Russian general Dmitry Golitsyn led 30,000 troops to garrison Orenburg. The area was close to the Xianbei wilderness and had a cold climate. The time available for combat was only a few months each year, making it difficult for the Yu army to infiltrate.

Therefore, General Golitsyn only needed to hold Orenburg and its surroundings, and then wait for the weather to defeat the Northern Route Army of the Yu-led Expeditionary Force against Russia.

Furthermore, if Orenburg could not be defended, they could retreat north to Catherine Castle, a fortified city in the Ural Mountains, for a final stand.

Kutuzov himself led more than 200,000 troops to defend around Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad).

In recent years, the Russian army has also been working hard to build defensive fortifications around Tsaritsyn. They have dug trenches and tunnels almost all around Stalingrad, to the point that communication between people tens of kilometers apart can be achieved without going to the surface.

The final Russian mobile force of 50,000 men, led by Count Bennigsen, was maneuvering several dozen kilometers west of Tsaritsyn, ready to fill any gaps at any time.

When the news reached Bucharest, Mo Gongze and Li Xingtai managed to assemble 15,000 troops, who then marched north from Tuercha County.

They occupied the monastery town of Bessarabia, making it appear as if they were ready to cross the Dniester River and launch a downstream attack on Odessa, a key town at the river's mouth.

The town of Monastery became the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, and its strategic location was quite important. It was situated upstream and could indeed threaten Odessa, which was known as the Pearl of the Black Sea.

But in reality, this was just a gesture, because of these 15,000 troops, only a little over 3,000 were actually Han soldiers.

There were at least four thousand Russian troops stationed in the port of Odessa, along with fortifications and a large number of defensive artillery pieces; it was simply not something that a small number of people could take down.

Mogongze did this in order to exacerbate Tsar Alexander I's anxiety.

This prompted Alexander I to urge France to launch an attack from Belgrade and Transylvania to alleviate the predicament of the Rus' Empire being attacked from all sides.

Belgrade and the Transylvanian Plateau are difficult to access due to their inconvenient transportation, complex terrain, and supply difficulties, making it impossible for the army to deploy effectively.

For a force like the French, which excels at large-scale warfare, even a small hill in Spain could cause them immense suffering. With almost no experience in high-altitude mountain warfare, once they arrived, they were unlikely to leave.

As expected, the Da Yu army was still deploying its troops and had not yet begun its attack, but Tsar Alexander I was immediately alarmed upon receiving news that Mogongze was leading his army north to threaten Odessa.

You say this is a terrible name? Why not just call it "Pressure Mountain"?

Given the size and border area of ​​the Tsarist Rus' Empire compared to the Seres Empire, if you don't kneel down and obediently become a subordinate, and instead keep thinking about reclaiming Astrakhan and eliminating your worries, how can you not be under pressure?

Back in France, everything unfolded as King George III of England had predicted. The news of Napoleon's peace talks with England was immediately met with a great deal of skepticism.

Many French people couldn't understand why such a powerful empire needed to compromise with the English.

There must be treacherous officials trying to bewitch His Majesty the Emperor.

Napoleon was truly at a loss for words, because ordinary people could not possibly see everything he saw, and even if they did, they might not have been able to see the problems he was facing.

This public opinion was so overwhelming that even if he were the French emperor, he could not forcibly suppress it; he could only yield to it.

At this time, the import quota issue dealt Napoleon another heavy blow.

Previously, when he issued the Berlin Decree announcing the establishment of the continental system, other countries on the European continent supported him.

At that time, factory owners in various European countries were suffering greatly from the impact of cheap English goods and hoped to ban English products so that they could develop their own businesses.

But soon, these countries couldn't hold on any longer.

Because they banned English goods, and lacked the technology and funds to produce sufficiently cheap goods themselves, there was a severe shortage of goods on the market.

What's even more frustrating is that France's industry on the continent far surpasses that of other countries. When English goods disappeared, French goods arrived.

While French goods are slightly better than those from their own country, they are not only of lower quality but also more expensive than those from England.

The end result was that cheap English goods disappeared, their own products failed to develop, and they had to buy expensive and inferior French goods.

This is why smuggling was impossible to eradicate under the Continental System, to the point that Napoleon's finance minister, Martin Michel Godin, established a smuggling network to raise war funds for Napoleon through his own involvement in smuggling. Therefore, the only benefit of the Continental Ban was French industry.

By now, French industrial capital, protected by the Continental Ban, had become accustomed to its monopolistic position and amassed enormous wealth, and they would never allow Napoleon to bring in English goods again.

Napoleon could ignore the opinions of others, but not these people. The various factories controlled by these industrial capitalists were the largest source of armaments for the French army. Without them, Napoleon's army would not be able to function.

However, Napoleon did not selectively implement the agreement reached with the English capitalists because his finance minister, Gaudin, gave him a good idea.

That is the system of centralized purchase and distribution, which means that the French government purchased goods from England and then sold them to the European continent, including France.

In this way, English goods were sold, and the French government could also make money through their hands. The ones who suffered were naturally the people of France and other countries on the European continent.

Napoleon was overjoyed and immediately followed the plan. However, he didn't understand at all that this was not a matter of centralized purchase and distribution.

Rather, they are merely using the soft power of the French Empire, including the valuable cultural heritage left to France by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, as a means to delay the impending outbreak of problems.

To put it bluntly, this is like drinking poison to quench thirst; it will only push France to the opposite side of everyone else.

Of course, this is beneficial to the current situation.

. . . .

Porto, now Viscount Wellington, could only bitterly watch as his capable assistant, Lieutenant General William Payne, and Qin San, the commander of the Great Yu Volunteer Expeditionary Force, met.

"The Minister of War sent a stern order from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, forbidding us from launching an attack and even instructing us to prepare for the evacuation of Portugal."

Napoleon still had a few decent diplomats under his command at this time. Napoleon's bottom line was that he could cede Portugal to England in order to reach an agreement.

However, during the negotiations, the French took full advantage of Masséna's newfound command of 30,000 men entering the Spanish battlefield, persuading the English to abandon their occupation of Portugal.

As for English capitalists, they had little interest in European lands; otherwise, they wouldn't have refrained from assimilating Ireland for so many years.

Driven by the expectation that Napoleon would completely abandon the Continental System, these people ultimately made concessions.

"That's fine. France has 200,000 troops in Spain, while we can only mobilize about 100,000 at most."

The soldiers were also quite worried about fighting Napoleon's guards, and it was better not to engage in a bloody battle with France on the peninsula at this time.

Viscount Wellesley of Wellington still wore a wry smile, but his right-hand man, Lieutenant General William Payne, was very supportive of the decision from London.

This was also the view of most of the British troops in Portugal; they were still quite afraid of the formidable reputation of Napoleon and the French Imperial Guard.

At the same time, they felt that since the French could not threaten England's homeland, there was no need for them to fight a bloody battle for the Portuguese and Spanish on the Iberian Peninsula.

“Arthur, this is your battlefield, and I respect your decision.” Qin San and Qin Dingyang, including the Portuguese volunteers from Goa and Macau, only numbered three or four thousand, so he simply did not offer any opinion.

After hearing this, Arthur Wellesley also made the decision to withdraw his troops.

Historically, he had also received orders from London to abandon Portugal, and the British army was pessimistic about attacking Spain.

But Arthur Wellesley withstood the pressure and, relying on the Torres Vedras defensive line, gave England confidence and ultimately won the Peninsular War.

However, in this timeline, orders are issued very strictly. Once the London aristocrats and capitalists make a decision, even the king must consider it carefully, and Arthur Wellesley would dare not disobey.

Just then, news came from the front that the Spanish warlords, who had originally planned to support the English army and provide them with food and laborers, suddenly changed their minds and refused to provide any assistance to the English army.

"Withdraw your troops, retreat to Lisbon for defense, and be prepared to evacuate at any time."

Arthur Wellesley was somewhat discouraged. With the Spanish not cooperating, his chances of entering Madrid would undoubtedly increase significantly.

What frustrated him even more was that the Spanish refused to provide support, and the problem still lay with the English.

Although outsiders might imagine the French as invaders and the English as reinforcements, in reality, neither of them were good people.

The French had poor military discipline, and the English weren't much better.
Through their joint efforts, in less than two years, Portugal's population was reduced from nearly three million to two million seven hundred thousand, resulting in a loss of three hundred thousand, or more than ten percent of the total population.

Spain's GDP dropped from 11.2 million to 10.5 million, resulting in a loss of 700,000, and the numbers are still rising.

Aside from the spread of diseases brought about by war, a large part of all of this was entirely man-made.

The French army massacred villages, the British army conscripted men, and both sides liked to burn local food supplies during their withdrawals in order to make it difficult for the other to make any progress in Spain and Portugal. Their atrocities can be said to be equally egregious.

Arthur Wellesley was indeed an exceptionally talented player for England, but he still couldn't reach the heights of Yue Fei or Qi Jiguang.

He could enable the small English army to conduct large-scale operations, but he couldn't reverse the English army's poor discipline.

Not to mention the transformative influence of Yue Fei's teachings on his army, such as preferring to freeze to death rather than dismantle houses and starve to death rather than plunder.

With the English army ceasing its military operations on the Iberian Peninsula, Napoleon was finally able to turn his attention to dealing a heavy blow to the Spanish guerrillas.

He personally oversaw the operation in Madrid, deploying over 200,000 French troops for the sweep.

Marshal Soult, acting on the orders of Emperor Napoleon, began to use massacres against the Spanish.

In Seville alone, in retaliation against the guerrillas, he killed more than 50,000 Spaniards, including entire villages and children, within three months.

Through this reign of terror and a more deceptive approach to winning over the West than ever before, Napoleon managed to stabilize the situation in Spain by October 1810.

He left Marshal André Massena in Madrid to assist his brother, King Joseph Bonaparte of Spain, in governing the country, while he himself led more than 150,000 elite French troops back to France to prepare for the campaign against Maurice Lacquer the following year.

Meanwhile, on the side of the Great Yu and the Rus Empire, the battle first broke out in Orenburg.

The Russian army, commanded by General Dmitry Golitsyn, was defeated by Chen Jinchuan in the field, with more than 4,000 of the 30,000 Russian troops losing their lives.

Subsequently, General Golitsyn followed Kutuzov's original plan and retreated into the fortified group led by Orenburg for defense, while Chen Jinchuan used a large number of large-caliber mortars to begin taking down the fortified groups one by one.

While Chen Jinchuan's northern army was attacking Orenburg, Crown Prince Da Laosen divided 40,000 of his central army's main force.

Commanded by General Mogonglen, the commander of the previous Rus' War, the army marched north along the Volga River and captured Ural, an important town of the Rus' Empire in the middle reaches of the Volga.

Afterwards, Mo Gongling left 3,000 troops to garrison the area and a large amount of supplies, then led his army downstream back to Da Laosen's side.

In October, the cold winds began to howl across the Xianbei wilderness. Chen Jinchuan commanded the Northern Route Army to abandon the six castles that had already been captured and led the army down the river to Ural City, which was originally intended for the Northern Route Army to spend the winter.

Meanwhile, Kutuzov did not hold out for his life in Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad). Instead, he used the advantageous terrain and the fortifications built by the Russian army over the years to resist the Russian forces along the road from Astrakhan to Tsaritsyn, which made the progress of the central army relatively slow.

Given that winter was approaching, General Mo Gongling, the commander of the royal family, was not in a hurry to advance.

The central army set up camp in a village about 30 kilometers from Chalijin, preparing to launch an attack after spring had arrived.

The only one that went relatively smoothly was the Western Route Army, which set out from Gaoliang Prefecture (Caucasus).

The Rus' Empire simply did not have the strength to effectively defend this area, and beyond the Gaoliang Mountains (Caucasus Mountains) lay the original nomadic land of the Western Torghuts (Kalmyks), leaving the Rus' people with no geographical advantage whatsoever.

By the end of October 1810, the Western Route Army, as the most detached of the detached forces, under the command of Gui Han, had approached Rostov. The Sea of ​​Azov could be seen through a telescope from Gui Han's command tent.

They coordinated with the Mogongze army in Moldova, 700-800 kilometers away, in a pincer movement against Crimea.

This made Tsar Alexander I even more anxious. He summoned the French ambassador to St. Petersburg almost every day, and letters urging Napoleon to send troops flew to Paris one after another.

Within the Rus' Empire, the Tsar began further conscription, and the army rapidly expanded to around 500,000, roughly the same size as the initial stage of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812.

(End of this chapter)