The gray dawn sky was lit by sparse morning stars. The wind blew from beneath the clouds. On the Angara River, mist swirls on the slopes of the mountains along Lake Baikal, like a giant snake with a huge body, passing through dense forests and sparse wheat fields, and burrowing into the valley.
The branches, beaches, lakes, reed ponds, dew-covered woods and rye along both sides of the river are all shrouded in a cool, bright red morning glow. The sun was still lying lazily behind the horizon, refusing to rise.
Soldier Luo Qijin, who was lying under the mosquito net in the shelter, asked Kang Youcai angrily: "Squad leader, what kind of battle are we fighting here?"
Kang Youcai held the unlit pipe rod in his mouth, smacking the smell of tobacco oil inside, and puffed twice more, and then said: "The battalion commander said this is called luring the enemy out of the hole, and we will wait until the enemies come out. Blast the fuck out with a cannon.”
"Where's the artillery? Why can't I see it?" Recruit Qin Shoucai poked his head out of the bunker, driving away the mosquitoes in front of his face and looking south.
"Don't let all the cannons be used up. You have to leave some for us." The machine gunner muttered while oiling the gun.
"Why are you so anxious! The battalion commander said that there are tens of thousands of people this time!"
"Squad leader, I want to ask you something?" Qin Shoucai turned around and blinked, showing a curious look. "I heard that our battalion commander sings pretty tunes. What did he do before joining the army?"
"Don't pry!" Kang Youcai put the pipe pot into his belt and glared at Qin Shoucai. The last time he told someone nonsense, the battalion commander, Monk Zhou, heard it and was punished by writing the "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention" thirty times. His hands almost cramped while writing.
Qin Shoucai blinked his dark eyes, looked at the squad leader, and asked: "Squad leader, you said our rifles can hit farther than the enemy, and we also have machine guns and cannons. What's the use of practicing bayonet skills?"
"I asked you why you have so many problems..."
A few people were chatting about it, when they heard several loud noises in the distance, "Boom! Boom!", and several black dots rose from behind the hills to the north and flew towards their position. .
"Hidden!" Kang Youcai shouted to the people around him, and then he retreated into the anti-gun hole, cursing: "What kind of madness is this red-haired person so early in the morning?"
The shells were fired from 1.8 kilometers away, using a 10-inch cast-iron mortar (called the Unicorn Cannon by the Russian army). The gun body weight of this gun is 850 kilograms. It uses a 2 kilogram grenade and has a maximum range of 2,200 meters. However, their effective range is much shorter. Generally, above 875 yards, about 60% of the shells will fall outside the 4-yard radius of the target.
For the Beihai Navy on the ground, this thing would be fine if it was accurate, but the terrible thing is that it is not accurate. If you don't drill through the cannon-proof hole, you might think you're hiding correctly, but it might explode on your head.
The Russian artillery is now also imitating chicken thieves. They deliberately shoot at high elevation angles and shorten the fuse to allow the grenade to explode directly in the air.
The grenades used by European armies in the 18th century were basically the same. Due to technical limitations, a 10-pound grenade will produce 18-19 fragments when using a 0.629-kilogram charge. If it explodes in the air, the fragments can fly about 220 meters away from the explosion point. If the grenade explodes on the ground, the fragments can only kill infantry within 12-15 meters. Beyond this distance, the fragments will fly over the heads of the infantry.
The biggest problem with a high elevation angle is that it will bring a greater impact to the gun mount and accelerate the wear and tear of the gun mount. In fact, European countries use the same shooting method as cannons in battles, firing at a very low elevation angle, allowing the grenade to pass by at low altitude and jump multiple times, and finally explode in the enemy's formation; if it cannot be fired in the enemy's formation, If it explodes near the first line, it must also explode near the second line or reserve team.
The problem is that this trick does not work against the North Korean navy, so the Russian army is forced to have no choice but to carry out high-elevation angle bombardment from 1.5 kilometers away, and run away after the attack. Six horses can ensure rapid transfer of the 850-plus kilogram artillery cart together with the ammunition cart.
A shell exploded in the sky more than ten meters away from Kang Youcai and the others. A cloud of white smoke exploded in the air, and several fragments hit near the trench. The soil on the roof of the shell-proof cave where they were squatting fell down with a "swishing" sound. Qin Shoucai tightened his body to the inner corner of the bomb-proof hole and pressed his ears tightly with his two palms.
Two minutes later, five more grenades exploded over the position, and only one unlucky guy was hit in the calf by fragments.
Since the Russian mortars were located behind a hill on the other side of the river branch, the heavy machine guns could not hit them at all. After the company's two mortars fired back in that direction, the shelling on the opposite side stopped. I don’t know if it hit or not.
At noon that day, squad leader Kang Youcai received the mission, and their entire platoon was ordered to conduct the first sortie to occupy the hill opposite.
More than thirty soldiers walked among the reeds and advanced carefully along the river beach. The river flowed loudly, like a nagging storyteller. Compared to being in the suffocating trenches, at this time, Kang Youcai felt that he had finally returned to a world with vast seas and sky.
The new recruit Qin Shoucai was particularly active. He held a rifle with a bayonet and wished that an enemy would appear for him to kill immediately. There was no path on the river beach, and the beach edge was rotten and slippery. Everyone's legs and feet sank into the mud from time to time, making their shoes heavy and wet.
The fork of the river was not far from them. Because of the low-lying terrain, the Angara River dispersed into several streams here, and in the middle was a mudflat covered with reeds. The platoon leader took Kang Youcai's 7th and 8th squads to find a place where the current was gentle and wade across the river. The 9th squad was divided into two combat groups and stayed on the river bank for cover.
The Angara River originates from Lake Baikal. Because of its abundant water volume, it appears to have no waves on the surface, but in fact it flows very fast underwater. The Beihai Navy has conducted many reconnaissances on the river here before, and Kang Youcai himself has been here twice. He knew exactly where to stay and where the water flowed quickly.
After Kang Youcai and the others emerged from the reeds across the river, they saw the enemy in the woods. This is a Russian light cavalry squad, numbering about fifty people.
In the European armies of the same period, the cavalry squadron was the basic unit of cavalry. There are often large differences in their rated strength, ranging from as few as 100 to as many as 250; even in the same country's army, the establishment of different types of cavalry squadrons may also be different.
The Russian cavalry regiment usually consists of 4 squadrons, but there may be as many as 6, 8 or even 10 squadrons. At the end of the eighteenth century, there could be significant differences in the composition of different types of cavalry regiments within the same army. This haphazard organization of the European army was not changed until the Napoleonic era.
The Russian cavalry at the end of the 18th century was divided into several different types, such as light cavalry, heavy cavalry wearing cuirasses, hussars wearing Hungarian costumes, and carbine cavalry. The difference is mainly reflected in the size of the horses, and there are also differences in weapons and equipment. There is no difference between light cavalry and hussars.
The lancers in the Russian army are called "Uvan" or "Tovarzh", and they are generally independent cavalry units composed of Poles or Lithuanians.
At first, when dragoons were only mounted infantry, selected dragoons were sometimes called chasseurs. Later, in some armies, hussars (temporarily formed quasi-regular or irregular cavalry units) or small The light cavalry received the title of "Chasseur". These troops were assigned to the regular cavalry and were responsible for reconnaissance and security services.
Unlike heavy cavalry who were equipped with straight swords, light cavalry were generally equipped with slightly curved sabers, two short muskets tucked into the leather holsters on the front of the saddle, and a carbine usually hung on the right shoulder.
After observing the enemy's situation, the platoon leader immediately ordered Kang Youcai's No. 7 Squadron to divide into two combat groups to attack, while the Eighth Squadron quickly outflanked the Russian left wing after the exchange of fire.
So taking Kang Youcai's rifle fire command as the command, the squad machine gun opened fire. The dense rain of bullets was like a swarm of bees looking for the target, and they "hooted" and got into the woods.
The bullets made a swishing sound as they hit the leafy bushes. The Russian soldiers who were shot to death in an instant fell to the ground without saying a word; the injured people who were not dead let out miserable screams that could not be heard; the remaining people raised their short guns and fired randomly outside the forest. Then he untied the reins, hurriedly mounted his horse, and prepared to escape deep into the dense forest.
"Beep~~! Beep beep!" As the platoon leader blew a long sound and a series of short sounds with his whistle, it was time to launch an attack. After the Eighth Squadron in charge of outflanking quickly arrived at the left flank of the Russian army, machine guns immediately launched cross fire. Some cavalrymen who had just mounted their horses were immediately knocked off their horses, while several others quickly outflanked the enemy to the north, cutting off the enemy's return path.
In the woods, there was a chaos of people shouting and horses neighing. Qin Shoucai rushed out with a quick step, followed by Kang Youcai, Luo Qijin and others. When they came within two hundred meters of the remnants of the Russian army, the machine guns on the right wing stopped firing.
Squadron 7 followed the Russian army and began a fierce pursuit. Some of the Russian soldiers died on the road, while others ran out of the woods and eastward to the river beach in fear, and got stuck in the mud.
Of the more than fifty Russian soldiers, only one survived. He was hit by a bullet in the chest, and his beige uniform was soaked with blood. When Kang Youcai and others found him, the cavalryman knew that he was a prisoner in his confusion. He raised his right hand slightly and cried loudly: "Don't kill me! I came from... "
But before he could finish his words, he died.
Afterwards, the ninth squadron responsible for searching for loot found a hand-drawn map of the North Navy's forward position in the shoulder bag of a Russian cavalry captain. There were also several forks drawn on the north side of the position, one of which happened to be theirs. Behind the hill to be captured.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Kang Youcai and the others rushed up the hill, but the Russian artillery had already left. Half an hour later, the signal soldiers from the battalion came to inform that the second platoon had established a position on the reverse slope of the hill and was stationed here to monitor the movements of the Russian troops in the "Zaimka Fortress".
Later that day, inside the Northern Navy headquarters.
Since the Russian army launched its exploratory attack the day before yesterday, the North Korean Navy Staff has arranged the current preparations. In the afternoon, Zhao Xin ordered someone to issue an emergency notice, ordering all chief officers above the deputy regiment level to attend the meeting at the staff headquarters at eight o'clock this evening, except for one person who was left to manage affairs.
Among the current chief officers at or above the deputy regiment level in the North Navy, in addition to the chief and deputy regimental commanders, there is also a political commissar in charge of propaganda and education, who is mainly responsible for grasping the ideological trends of the subordinates and organizing literacy classes. Zhao Xin plans to wait until the student from the administrative school graduates next year and then he will be sent to each company as an instructor.
The meeting place located at the staff headquarters is a large wood-carved room. A few piles of smoking cattails were lit outside the door, and a dozen mosquito-repellent incense were lit in the corners of the house. Mosquitoes in Lake Baikal in summer are large and fierce. When severe, they roar in swarms like tornadoes. Even if there is a single mosquito, the bite can last for days.
The walls in the room are covered with maps. A map showing the current distribution of enemy and enemy forces is eye-catching in the middle of the wall. The red and blue arrows marked on the picture are densely facing each other. Even an outsider who doesn't know anything will feel that the violent storm of war is about to come as soon as he looks at it.
Zhao Xin, Liu Sheng and a group of group leaders and deputy group leaders were holding cigarettes in their mouths and talking and laughing casually. Rather than smoking, it’s actually to drive away mosquitoes. Sheng Haizhou looked at his watch and saw that it was already seven o'clock, so he reminded Zhao Xin that the meeting could begin.
Zhao Xin walked to the situation map hanging in the center, pointed at the map and asked all the officers: "Have you seen the map?"
"I've seen it!" several people replied at the same time.
"Do you remember everything?"
"Remember!" This was everyone's collective response. The officers stopped talking and laughing casually, puffed in silence, and stared at Zhao Xin and the map he was pointing at.
"It's been six years, and our wars are getting bigger and bigger! The Russian army is going to fight us in the field this time! Twelve thousand Northern naval forces are facing more than 80,000 Russian troops. It seems that Rumyantsev is planning to Let’s rush back to the east of Lake Baikal!”
Zhao Xin's words were warning and he stared at the officers in the front row. The room suddenly became silent, the air seemed to become tense, and the rising smoke seemed to have stagnated, making the atmosphere seem a bit depressing.
"According to the latest intelligence sent by the reconnaissance team from the front, the enemy situation in front of us is as follows," Zhao Xin took the wooden pole from Sheng Haizhou, pointed it to a certain location on the map, and continued: "The enemy is entrenched in Angara. The enemies on the western front of the basin, with Kutulik as the center, consisted of twelve infantry regiments, five to seven cavalry regiments, and a large number of civilians, totaling about 60,000 troops, along the post road built by the Russians. , advancing southward in a column, trying to press us from the west. The enemy's vanguard is currently only 130 kilometers away from us. The enemy on the northern front started shelling the position of the third regiment from early this morning. Although we were beaten by After retreating, we can know from the forward drone reconnaissance that the enemies of Zaimka Fortress are already preparing to take action."
At this time, there were two political commissars below who were talking to their ears during the pause in Zhao Xin's words. Liu Sheng suddenly stood up and glared, and the two people immediately stopped whispering, straightened their chests again, and seriously waited for Zhao Xin to continue speaking.
Zhao Xin picked up the water glass from the table and took a sip. He glanced at the people in the room with a calm expression and said: "This is what war is like. Either the enemy will destroy us, or the enemy will be destroyed by us! The Russians learned very quickly, and they now also know how to use The tactic of running away after firing mortars! I tell you this to tell you not to underestimate the enemy! This time, we will completely hurt the Russians. If we don’t deal with the Russians neatly, we will not be able to carry out the operation south to Outer Mongolia next year. plan!"
Then he announced: "You only have one day to make all preparations. The Second Regiment, the Fourth Regiment, the Fifth Regiment, Aoba Camp, and Hagi Camp will head west from Usolie to the other side at dawn the day after tomorrow. Set up defenses in the lower reaches of the Raya River south of the village of Uzkilug. The staff accompanying you will tell you how to set up your position.
The 1st Regiment, 3rd Regiment, and Ainu Battalion continue to face the enemies of Zaimka Fortress to the north and will not launch an attack for the time being! The sixth regiment is the reserve team!
Why don't you let me move? Pigs must be fattened and killed so that there will be more oil and water. If the enemies on the western front are not wiped out at once, the task of converging the two fronts in Yeniseisk will not be completed on time! When fighting for two thousand miles, once the weather changes, the difficulty of transporting supplies from the rear will increase several times! "After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he stood still for several seconds before sitting down.
The officers below suddenly floated up and started chattering. Everyone looked excited, and there was no trace of any nervousness or uneasiness.
"Are we really going south next year? We're finally going to fight the Mongolian cavalry!"
"Tch~~ The Russian cavalry has been dealt with, but the Mongolian cavalry is still scared!"
"It's not enough to capture the general this time. We have to capture a marshal to be more energetic!"
"Stop it! I have to declare it in advance! No one can rob me this time, that marshal belongs to me!"
"You're making a damn statement! Let's all rely on our abilities!"
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