The battle started at noon and has lasted for nearly five hours. The Cossacks launched two waves of attacks but failed, and the direct combat loss reached 4,000 people.
Fadeev's heart trembled with distress. He had never suffered such a big loss since he led the troops. Even if the Cossack cavalry encountered the British and French coalition forces, there had never been such a big loss on the cruel Crimean battlefield. casualty rate.
The cavalry is always the king of mobility. On the battlefield, these Cossacks are as strong as the wind. They can harass the enemy with long-distance shooting, and the saber in their hands can split the enemy's formation. He can always find countless ways to break through the enemy with his quick movements. tactics.
Even if they encounter the intensive firepower of the artillery group, relying on the superb equestrian skills of veterans like the Cossacks, it is impossible to suffer such heavy casualties.
But today, the Cossack cavalry, who were originally known for their mobility, flexibility and explosive power, had to fight a tough battle in the face of the enemy's solid defense line.
It is obviously a taboo for military strategists, but Fadeyev has no choice, because the situation on the battlefield has piled up here, and all external incentives force him to make the lowest choice, because all other roads have been blocked. .
In the Military Academy, Xiao Letian once used the Far East War to make a vivid metaphor. He said that war is actually the accumulation of various potential energies, including weapons and equipment, personnel training levels, logistics supply capabilities, and an atmosphere where soldiers and civilians dare to fight and are willing to fight... …Then there are factors such as terrain, weather, diplomacy, etc., all of which require a little bit of accumulated energy.
There is only one purpose, to make the energy accumulated by these factors on your own side higher than that of the enemy. As long as you can do this, victory is actually very simple.
The Far East Campaign was like this. The most difficult part was actually when the war just started. However, as the war progressed and the volunteers were dispatched one by one with difficulty, and the volunteers competed for more and more partners, it would be a matter of course for them to continue fighting.
From the preparation to the outbreak to the end, the war is actually a process of pushing an iron ball up the mountain. The enemy and we each push the heavy iron ball up the mountain from one side of the mountain. The beginning stage is undoubtedly the most difficult, just like being in a state of peace. It is not easy for a nation to get them into a state of preparation for war.
It requires the encouragement of leaders, the atrocities committed by the enemy, and various events as inducements. You also need to open up many joints to get countless major forces to recognize this war, and then raise funds for military preparations.
Doing these tasks well is only the first step, and then comes the troops in place, training of new recruits, adaptability training of veterans, personnel and equipment entering the battlefield, and diplomats conducting long-term cooperation...At this time, it is just pushing the iron ball. Just halfway up the mountain.
In the final sprint stage, the enemy and ourselves began to engage in small-scale exchanges of fire. Local conflicts gradually led to large-scale disputes. In the tug-of-war, the strength of the conflict gradually became apparent, and the outcome gradually became apparent.
There are two factors that determine victory. One is who pushes the iron ball to the top of the mountain first, and then lets go. The iron ball that has accumulated huge potential energy will roll down first, crushing the enemy into flesh with an unparalleled domineering power. mud.
The second factor is that both the enemy and us arrive at the top of the mountain almost at the same time. At this time, it is a matter of competition to see whose iron ball has greater mass. The cruel war enters the stage of fighting for national strength, which many commanders try to avoid.
Xiao Letian did it, and the potential energy accumulated by the volunteers reached its peak first. Vladivostok was under control, the dock was safe, and personnel and supplies from the south could be continuously replenished.
In addition, the coup in Hunchun blocked all ferries in the entire Heilongjiang River. The exhausted Cossack reinforcements could no longer get any supplies, and the volunteer army's northward interception force also took the lead in building a solid position.
Everything has been prepared. The war has now reached the stage of unbridled release of potential energy. All Xiao Letian has to do is to quietly enjoy everything and enjoy the miserable wailing of the enemy.
The battlefield became eerily silent. Both sides could hear the other side's preparations and the neighing of men and horses, but there was no exchange of fire or mutual provocation. The Volunteer Army even sent a group of medical soldiers in white robes to start searching on the ice. Survive and heal.
The Cossacks on the north bank watched with complicated expressions as the Chinese were treating their brothers. The lightly injured and seriously injured were carried away. They knew very well that these people were destined to become prisoners of the Chinese in the future and put pressure on Tsarist Russia at the negotiation table. .
But they couldn't stop them, thinking that no one had the heart to stop these medical soldiers. They couldn't just watch their comrades die in pain amidst the screams.
Xiao Letian's order made Mr. Long a little puzzled, "Why do you want to save these people? We have enough prisoners. We don't lack this! The most important thing now is to prepare for war. Fadeyev will definitely not admit defeat for the third time." The attack is likely to occur after dark..."
Xiao Letian was half leaning on the chair, covered with a thick bearskin coat. He was closing his eyes and concentrating, "Master Long! In fact, this war is over now. We need to look back. The further away the better…”
"Negotiation is just one aspect... I am actually doing good deeds by saving people!"
"Accumulating virtue?" Xiang Shaolong was stunned, "Ah! So that's it, forget it... Since this is the case, what else do I have to say!"
The two of them shut up at the same time, but they both understood it tacitly. Time passed by, and what they were waiting for was the upcoming night battle.
There will definitely be a bloody battle at night. This is the unanimous opinion of the army staff. The two failed cavalry assaults have already made the Cossacks suffer. The firepower network of the volunteers completely exceeds the density of the cavalry assaults, and various new weapons can also deal with their various attacks. A little conspiracy.
There is definitely no chance of a grand attack. These Rakshasa ghosts are not fools. For this plan, there is only one dangerous way to go, and that is to fight at night.
After all, Jiangxin Island is surrounded by water on three sides. The frontal firepower configuration is high, but the flanking firepower cannot be so strong. First, use the main cavalry to attack the formation to attract the Chinese firepower, and then let thousands of cavalry dismount and crawl across the dangerous ice to cover the Chinese. flank.
Beyond the two hundred meters of safe ice, there are farmland with ravines carved by the Chinese. The structure of the ice surface is damaged and cannot support the weight of the war horses, but there should be no problem for a crawling individual soldier to advance.
"As long as our brave Cossacks can get close to the enemy, as long as we can engage in hand-to-hand combat, the large forces behind us will have a chance to break through. As long as we can safely cross the Jiangxin Island, and as long as we can enter the south bank, we will not fail!"
"At last, we can force a draw with these Chinese people. God bless us! The whole army is ready to fight!"
