"1. The strength of the Qing army assembled in Outer Mongolia is as follows: Khalkha has four divisions and eighty-six alliance banners, including 7,800 soldiers from the Tushetu Khan tribe, 6,000 from the Chechen Khan tribe, and 3,000 from the Zasak Tuhan tribe. There are 4,700 Sanyin Nuoyan tribes, totaling 22,500 people; Uliasutai has 2,000 Qing soldiers from Suiyuan City and Youwei; Suiyuan City has 15,000 Eight Banner Mongolian soldiers stationed outside Suihukou Far city.
2. The North Navy will form the First Division with the 3rd Regiment, the 11th and 12th Regiments, and the 2nd Division with the 6th Regiment, the 13th and 14th Regiments, with 16,200 troops in total, in order to annihilate all or most of the above-mentioned troops. The Qing army, with the goal of occupying Kulun, Ulyasutai, and Khovd, and completely destroying the Qing rule in Outer Mongolia, decided to start this campaign by crossing the entire Kyakhta line before July 15th.
3. Determine the possible changes in the enemy’s forces after our army launches an attack:
First, in accordance with the orders of Songyun, the minister in charge of the Kulun, the Tushetu Khan and the Chechen Khan reduced their forces in the area south of the Kulun, controlled key points in the north and south of the Altai Army, and attempted to assemble when our army's front line was lengthening. The troops and I rushed to the south of Cullen for a decisive battle.
Second, Hengrui, the left deputy general of Dingbian, retracted the Zasak Tuhan tribe and the Sanyinnuoyan tribe to the south of Ulia Sutai Road to ensure their retreat to Khovd.
Third, voluntarily abandon the southern line of Kulun and join with the Qing army heading north of Suiyuan City. A large mobile force of more than 30,000 cavalry will be assembled at the Uliasu Tainan Road Station Line, and then wait for an opportunity to attack our army on the The decisive battle at the southern border of Khalkha.
4. Our army’s operational program: In the first stage of the campaign, capture Kulun, and launch the campaign according to the requirements of the next stage; in the second stage, cut off the communication lines between Suiyuan and Khalkha, and capture Talado Lantai Station is to achieve the task of dividing and encircling the enemy, and blocking the Suiyuan Qing army from moving north to support; in the third stage, the encircling enemies are annihilated respectively to complete the entire campaign.
5. The preparations for the battle should be based on being able to cope with the first and second situations of item 3. It should be calculated that our eastern front troops may encounter serious battles after they capture Kulun, and the western front troops should be given timely and powerful support. Support and attract the Zasak Tuhan tribe and the Sanyin Nuoyan tribe.
...
8. The two divisions and seven regiments on the eastern front are under the unified command of Liu and Fan. The troops on the western front are commanded by Zhao Xin, and the specific operational deployment of the two fronts will be stipulated by the Northern Navy Staff in separate detailed orders. "
In this operational outline drawn up by Zhao Xin, all the information about the Qing's military garrison and stations in Inner and Inner Mongolia was obtained by Fan Tong from two Shanxi merchants in the trading city in the past two years, and the Northern Navy paid The price is five thousand kilograms of ginseng and twenty thousand animal skins per year.
The so-called "station", also called military platform, was an institution established in the northwest frontier during the Manchu Dynasty for defense, dispatching and military report transmission. It had the functions of spare horses and accommodation, similar to the military stations of later generations.
After Qianlong completely pacified Junggar, the mobilization of Qing troops stationed in Uliasutai and Khovd were controlled by Suiyuan City. As for the inspection and garrison of Kalon Station, they were handed over to the Khalkha Mongolian troops in the fourth year of Qianlong's reign. , there has been no big change.
The closed-door meeting had been held for three days in a row, and Zhao Xin and others were a little exhausted. While having breakfast on April 9, Liu Sheng’s wife Wu Xiha casually mentioned that if you are tired, you might as well go out and change your mind. So Liu Sheng proposed to go to the Epiphany Cathedral in the city, and the other three readily agreed.
This Orthodox church was built in 1693 and was completely destroyed by a fire in 1716. By 1718, local people began to donate money for reconstruction. It took decades of construction to form a beautiful building stacked like white building blocks.
After hearing the news, the high priest bowed to say hello to Zhao Xin and others, and enthusiastically wanted to be a tour guide. For this 60-year-old high priest of the Orthodox Christian region, the city of Belber has been occupied by the Chinese for more than two years, but this is the first time for their high officials to visit here. Maybe this is a good start. The chief priest obviously hopes to hold a separate mass for Zhao Xin and the others.
But what disappointed him was that Zhao Xin and the others just wanted to look around and not pray. Except for Zhang Jingxuan, who was busy with civil affairs, everyone else knew very little about the Orthodox Church.
Walking into the church door is like walking into another space. The Orthodox Church worships images, so you don’t see sculptures in the church, but rich and exquisite murals on the surrounding walls and even the dome. The exquisite lighting and patterns on the door eaves are extremely detailed when viewed up close. Everything here is definitely a life-long effort.
Zhao Xin looked at them for a while and found that most of the portraits were the same, and he lost interest after seeing them too much, so he walked outside the church and lit a cigarette. After a while, Liu Sheng, Fan Tong and Zhang Jingxuan also came out and joined the ranks of people spitting clouds and fog.
Zhao Xin walked slowly at his feet and suddenly said: "Da Liu, this time we send troops to Outer Mongolia, you have to fight a few big battles. When those princes and princes see how powerful we are, the follow-up work of civil affairs will go much smoother." "
Liu Sheng withdrew his gaze from the distance and said decisively: "Kulun, Uliasutai, and Guihua City have traveled 2,500 kilometers from east to west, and the logistics pressure is not small. My opinion is that if Suiyuan and When Dihua's Qing army goes north, they will attack these two groups first."
Zhao Xin said "Huh" and then said: "The three generations of Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong have invested a lot of effort in Khalkha Mongolia from the pacification of Junggar to the present, and will never give up lightly. I guess the line from Xi'an to Dihua was left to Qianlong for himself He would not take the risk of sending the most elite Tianshan Banner Battalion to Khovd.
Fighting opportunities are fleeting. When the time comes, you can make decisions on the fly without asking for instructions on everything. As for Tangnu Ulianghai, I will send two battalions to go south along the Yenisei River, trying to attract the seventeen assistant leaders of the Sanyinnuoyan tribe from Kemukemqik and Shabinidabahan. troops. "
At this time, Zhang Jingxuan said with emotion: "Three-pronged attack, Khalkha Four, Tangnu Ulianghai, and Khovd, covering 1.8 million square kilometers; plus the Heilongjiang General's jurisdiction, this is more than two million square kilometers .”
Zhao Xin patted Zhang Jingxuan on the shoulder and sighed: "The gold is intact and the mountains and rivers are unified. It is not that easy. Xiao Zhang, you have been in Lake Baikal for more than two years. This time you captured Kulun, you can move to the south." Now, prepare to go to Outer Mongolia and be a prince for a few years."
"Okay, although the task is arduous, I like more challenging jobs." Zhang Jingxuan smiled slightly and did not ask who his replacement would be. I have endured hardship in the wind and snow for two years in Irkutsk, and today I have truly entered the inner circle of Beihai Town.
Fan Tong came over and said to Zhao Xin: "Mr. Zhao, can't you give me some more armored vehicles? Fifty isn't enough!"
"I'd like to take out a hundred of them. The problem is that there need to be so many people who can drive them! Two cavalry battalions have been transferred to you."
In fact, Zhao Xin still has 3,000 Cossack servants in his hands, all of whom are cavalry. However, he did not want these foreigners to interfere with China's own internal affairs. The main task of the Cossacks was to cause trouble for Tsarist Russia.
Zhao Xin almost vomited from looking at maps these days. All the roads and stations of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties in the northwest frontier were stored in his mind. He smiled and said: "Fat Fan, it is 480 kilometers from Qiaktu to Kulun. It is 240 kilometers from Kulen to Taradolan Station, and 1,248 kilometers from Taradoran Station to Ulyasutai. Nearly two thousand kilometers of road, not counting the road to Khovd. You should first think about how to solve the logistics supply problem."
Fan Tong roughly summed it up and thought that if the rich man Zhao did not follow the troops this time, the oil supply would be a big trouble.
The fuel tank capacity of a BMP2 is 460 liters. It can run 600 kilometers once filled up. Fifty vehicles are equivalent to 23,000 liters. According to Zhao Xin, it is 1,968 kilometers from Kyaktu to Ulyasutai. If you run non-stop, 75,000 liters of fuel alone will be consumed.
In fact, this is simply impossible. It is not a rally, but a battle. Calculated based on 2.5 times, at least 180,000 liters of diesel must be prepared. A tin oil drum is 159 liters, which is 1,200 barrels of diesel. Okay, two hundred tons!
You Zhaoxin has been prepared and stored in the Beihai Navy Logistics Warehouse outside Baiber City. The problem is that Fan Tong has to find a way to take it away this time.
Zhao Xin said with a serious face: "Since you want to use armored vehicles to deal with the Mongolian cavalry, you have to consider the issue of fuel supply. There are 12 stations from Kyaktu to Kulun, and the seventh station is Tashal A supply depot must be built in Taiwan. There are 60 kilometers between there and Huqigan Platform. The location is very critical and we must not think about it until we reach Kulun."
Fan Tong and Zhang Jingxuan were in admiration for Zhao Xin. Not to mention anything else, just the memory of knowing the map as a treasure made the two of them feel inferior.
Zhao Xin warned worriedly: "The fight against Outer Mongolia is about supplies. As long as the supply lines are continuous and there are no problems with the supply of ammunition and oil, everything is a foregone conclusion. Xiao Fan, you are Da Liu's deputy, so you need to think more about these things. .”
When everyone walked to the carriage outside the church yard, Liu Sheng said casually: "Go back now?"
Zhao Xindao: "No, go to the regiment headquarters of the third regiment. Don't they have a drill at night?"
In mid-April of the Gregorian calendar, Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia is still an endless white ice field. The midday sun shines through the thick ice like a mirror, and between the countless bubbles, the sunlight refracts like sapphire-like light and shadow, which is calm, clear, and extremely beautiful.
The never-frozen Angara River and the frozen lake stand out like white flies. On the hills still covered by snow on the shore, the first flowers of spring have quietly emerged from the ground. Purple cream-like petals, golden spherical stamens, covered with soft silver velvet, dotted the mountains and fields.
Pan Xiucheng jumped off the horse, handed the reins to the guard beside him, then picked up the binoculars and looked at the training ground and exercise positions.
"What are you doing today?" Pan Xiucheng asked.
"Fire live!" replied Zhou Monk, commander of the second battalion.
"Are you ready for the night drill?"
"It's almost there. Just wait and see when the time comes!"
"Don't brag!"
"Captain, go and have a look!"
Pan Xiucheng and Monk Zhou were talking and walked towards the shooting range in the valley.
Mongolian recruit Batu was currently taking aim at the half-length target erected under the cliff. Pan Xiucheng walked to Batu's side and watched with concentration.
Batu stood up straight, his cheek pressed against the butt of the gun, held his breath, pulled the trigger in two consecutive small movements, and fired the bullet. Then a red flag was raised behind the target. The meaning of the flag was, hit the head a little lower than the middle.
"One more shot to show to the leader!" Monk Zhou said proudly.
Batu was ready to shoot again, and just as he was about to pull the trigger, Pan Xiucheng suddenly ordered: "Hit the heart!"
Batu moved the aiming angle, then aimed a shot, and the bullet was fired. Then he fired another bullet without stopping. Pan Xiucheng could see clearly in the telescope, and the wooden target trembled twice in succession. The semaphore reported that he was hit in two places on the right side of the chest.
Pan Xiucheng pulled Batu in front of him, looked at his body and face carefully for a moment with surprised eyes, and asked, "Have you ever shot a shotgun before?"
"Garrisoned in Karen, hunted, used bows, arrows, birds, and shotguns." Batu saluted. He had never spoken to an official as big as the regiment leader. I used to be an archer in Karen, and I had to kneel down to answer when I saw a knight riding in the school.
Pan Xiucheng understood that the opponent should be talented in shooting, and ordinary people could not compete with him without hard training. He asked kindly: "How did you become a soldier?"
"The service was too heavy. I owed Qili five or five taels of silver. I couldn't survive, so I ran away and came here. Last year, Kyaktu recruited troops, so I signed up."
"How old are you this year?"
"nineteen."
"Have you got a wife?"
"If you don't have enough food to eat and you owe so much debt, who would want to marry someone like me?"
"Who else is at home?"
"My mother and my brother."
Pan Xiucheng stretched out his thick hand and patted Batu hard on the shoulder. Batu's short and stocky body almost didn't tremble at all, and his eyes looked closely at Pan Xiucheng's bearded face.
"Good job, young man! Who is your monitor?"
Kang Youcai, who was standing aside, said hurriedly: "It's me!"
"It's called Kang Youcai." Monk Zhou added.
"I remember you from Rongcheng, Shandong. How is your marksmanship?" Pan Xiucheng asked.
"I'm not as good as him." Kang Youcai's face immediately turned red.
Pan Xiucheng stared into Kang Youcai's eyes and said seriously: "You must learn from him! You, a veteran, are not as good as a recruit."
"I understand."
"what do you know?"
"Learn from him! Captain!" Kang Youcai answered loudly. Monk Zhou glared at him with hatred.
Pan Xiucheng watched the shooting range for a while, and asked Monk Zhou about the preparations for the camp's night offensive and defensive combat drills, and then mounted his horse and returned to the regiment headquarters. He heard that Zhao Xin had been here for several days and had been meeting with Liu Sheng. He estimated that the army was going to make another big move.
Just after entering the gate of the regiment headquarters, on the road hundreds of meters away, a group of people and horses surrounded two carriages running straight towards the regiment headquarters. Pan Xiucheng raised his binoculars and saw the carriages of Liu Sheng and Zhang Jingxuan, as well as a group of guards.
When everyone entered Pan Xiucheng's residence and office, Zhao Xin asked straight to the point: "How is the team training? Can they compete?"
"Can fight! Guaranteed to complete the task." Pan Xiucheng replied.
"Tell me, how was the training?" Zhao Xin continued to ask.
"The old and new soldiers average 38 meters when throwing grenades, and the hit rate of rifle and machine gun shooting is also good." Pan Xiucheng said this, and he saw the new soldier Batu hit three out of three shots at the Second Battalion shooting range. Described vividly and vividly.
"Is there an offensive and defensive drill tonight?" Fan Tong asked.
Deputy commander Cao Chao replied: "The second battalion confronted the cavalry battalion at night. The cavalry battalion attacked and the second battalion defended. We made an agreement with the cavalry battalion and the three battalions will conduct confrontation exercises for three days."
"The second camp is Monk Zhou's camp, right?" Zhao Xin looked out the window as he spoke. He was deeply impressed by Monk Zhou.
At this time, Liu Sheng said: "Don't tell the people below that we are here to observe the exercise, so as not to affect their combat psychology."
The arrival of Zhao Xin, Liu Sheng and others immediately increased the tension of Pan Xiucheng and his deputies. They had a premonition that Zhao Xin, who would go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, might have a mission in the near future.
At night, the cold wind howled on the hills, and the bright stars danced with cold light. All the lights in the military camp were extinguished, and the offensive and defensive battle drills began on the plains in the dark night.
Zhao Xin, Liu Sheng and Fan Tong were sitting in the regiment command post, observing the progress of the exercise through the images transmitted by the drone. Explosions, shouts of death, and horn blasts echoed in the valley. The atmosphere of fighting fills the plains of the Angara River and the shores of Lake Baikal in early spring.
The North Korean navy's current combat drills are almost exactly the same as real battles, except that the bullets are blank ammunition. Because there has not been a night drill for a long time, accidents of various sizes occurred constantly.
Deputy leader Cao Chao's waist flashed, so for the entire second half of the exercise, this man had to put one hand on his waist when walking. He was completely in the posture of a "great man", except that his face was exposed. It was an expression of embarrassing pain, grinning.
The right ear of the Second Battalion Commander, Monk Zhou, was cut by a thorny weed on the hillside. He had a bandage tied around him and two thin streaks of blood on his face. His squad leader Kang Youcai's calf was rubbed by a cavalry horse's hoof, causing a large bruise and a red and swollen area as big as a steamed bun.
The most unfortunate thing was Bai Yin, a new Mongolian soldier in Kang Youcai's class. When he saw the cavalry retreating, he knew it was a drill and didn't take it seriously. He jumped out of the trench and chased after him, but he tripped over a stone. He fell, and the back of his head hit a hard stone, and he died.
Monk Zhou and the lame squad leader Kang, who had become one-eared, were severely scolded by Pan Xiucheng the next morning.
