"Damn yellow-skinned monkey!"
Khabarov, known as the "Conqueror of the East", is now holed up in the stronghold of Minsk with his men.
It's not that they don't want to go out, it's that they can't get out at all and are surrounded by tens of thousands of legions of Ming Dynasties, which they call yellow-skinned monkeys.
Before the opponent launched a forceful attack, Khabarov had already sent Cossack cavalry to Kiliansk, a stronghold on the upper reaches of the Lena River, to ask for help.
Among the many eastern strongholds established by the will of His Majesty the Tsar, Anadyr was on the verge of the Bering Strait and was discovered by yellow-skinned monkeys, and was directly subjected to devastating bombardment.
Okhotsk, which was slightly inland, was not spared. After its position was exposed, it was quickly captured by the yellow-skinned monkey army.
The fate of Zahiversk, located in the middle reaches of the Indigirka River, can only be pinned on its location close to the North Pole, so it has low temperatures all year round.
A year ago, the Yakutsk garrison, which had been surrounded for a long time, was unable to resist the attack of yellow-skinned monkeys and declared its fall.
Only Yakutsk warlord Obukhov and a few guards succeeded in breaking through, and the rest were either killed in battle or captured.
At that time, Khabarov, who had been frustrated in his previous rescue, was receiving a new batch of Cossacks in Oryok Minsk and was unable to rescue him in time.
The significance of Yakutsk is extraordinary. It is the largest stronghold in the Far East.
Once it falls, it means that all the Russian land east of the Lena River will be taken away by yellow-skinned monkeys.
Although it is only temporary, it is an absolutely unacceptable result.
Obukhov had already sent someone to Moscow to present his personal letter to Tsar Alexei I.
Hope to get the support of at least 5,000 Cossacks, otherwise the whole of Siberia will be lost.
The land here is vast and the products are rich. It is the treasure house of the empire.
If it is captured by the yellow-skinned monkey, it will definitely become a springboard for westward expansion again.
Obukhov believed that the Ming Dynasty was the new Menggu Empire and posed the same threat to Tsarist Russia.
The Menggu Empire's westward expansion must not be allowed to happen again. This means that the territory of Tsarist Russia will shrink significantly, and there is even the possibility of national subjugation.
Zinoviev, the former Yakutsk warlord, once hacked Khabarov's properties, although these properties were looted from all over Siberia.
Later, Khabarov was arrested by Zinoviev on a bunch of charges and taken to Moscow, but the Tsar pardoned him as he was happy that he was opening up territory for the empire.
The explorer was also given the title "Son of the Noble" and his property was returned.
When the troops of Khabarov's successor Stepanov were beaten back to their original shape by the yellow-skinned monkeys, and Tolbuzin's troops were insufficient.
The Tsar authorized the experienced Khabarov to go out again to aid Siberia, and allocated up to 1,000 Cossack cavalry and 20 artillery pieces.
You must know that the entire Far East region has less than five thousand troops, and they are scattered in many strongholds.
The average number of troops in each stronghold ranges from fifty to one or two hundred at most.
Khabarov has two tasks, one is to relieve the besieged strongholds, and the second is to recover the lost strongholds.
If you complete these two tasks, it depends on the situation.
If the situation is good, you can defeat the yellow-skinned monkey and eat the entire Siberia.
Prior to this, the latest map of Tsarist Russia had included the entire Siberia.
From the Amur River to Lake Baikal, and then to the northern shore of the Caspian Sea, the vast area north of this line was all the land of the Tsarist Russian Empire.
What Khabarov has to do is turn the land marked on the map into an area of actual control.
The idea is very good, but unfortunately it encountered great resistance when it was actually implemented, and that was the yellow-skinned monkey!
Khabarov thought that the yellow-skinned monkey could only inspire 10,000 people to march westward. After all, long-distance attack was not its strong point.
After arriving in Yakutsk, I heard that the opponent's strength was as high as 100,000 or even more.
Khabarov did not believe this at all, thinking that Stepanov must have been frightened by the other party.
Siberia does not belong to yellow-skinned monkeys, nor is it a battlefield for some cowards.
With only a few hundred people before, he could march eastward and occupy millions of square kilometers of land.
Now that we have thousands of Cossacks in our hands, what else is there to be afraid of?
The enemy's strength must have been exaggerated by that guy Stepanov, and it was actually only a little less.
Based on his own judgment, Khabarov decided to send troops from Yakutsk to sweep away all yellow-skinned monkey settlements on the west coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
This operation is bound to make a lot of money. Naturally, the Cossacks who came forward were very excited. They came to the East just to make a fortune.
The specific route of action is to go straight to the sea from Yakutsk, then go south along the coastline, and finally go up the river from the mouth of the Amur River (Heilongjiang).
Khabarov estimated that after this trip, he could earn at least fifty silver coins for buying a Cossack, not counting the loot captured.
As a result, before arriving, they just crossed the Maya River and encountered a Ming army advancing towards the city of Yakutsk.
When the two sides met, a fierce battle broke out, and the Cossack cavalry, fearless of death, immediately launched an assault on the other side.
However, the intensity of the opponent's firepower was far beyond the imagination of Khabarov and the Cossacks.
They were still at the level of firing one shot and reloading for half a day, while the opponent could already fire bullets non-stop.
In previous battles with yellow-skinned monkeys, the Russian army also captured a small number of revolving muskets.
However, they all believe that this kind of weapon is complex in craftsmanship, extremely costly and inconvenient to manufacture, and the number of yellow-skinned monkeys will not be large.
But if we encounter a large number of troops equipped with such weapons on the battlefield, the consequences will be unimaginable...
The thousand Cossacks who launched the charge were defeated by the opponent in less than half an hour and fled in all directions.
Facts have proved that no matter how brave and skilled the Cossacks are, they cannot withstand the critical damage caused by guns that can fire bullets continuously, not to mention that the opponent has many rapid-fire artillery to help.
Nearly three hundred Cossacks were killed on the spot, and the rest were wounded to varying degrees and fled, including Khabarov, who was over sixty years old.
Thinking of his previous experience, Khabarov had no intention of returning to Yakutsk with the remaining troops, but went to Oryok Minsk for repairs.
Yakutsk, which had only a hundred defenders, was soon surrounded by Ming troops. The warlord Obukhov could only curse Khabarov from the air.
After arriving in Oryok Minsk, Khabarov immediately counted his men. There were less than 400 Cossacks who successfully followed him here.
This means that the remaining five hundred or so will either die, return to Yakutsk, or get lost...
Olekminsk is not far from Yakutsk. If the Yellow-skinned Monkey really has enough troops, it is possible to surround Yakutsk and move up the Lena River to attack here.
On the Maya River battlefield, Khabarov believed that the number of yellow-skinned monkeys he encountered would not be less than 10,000, otherwise the opponent would not cause such heavy casualties to him.
Obviously, the opponent has a strength advantage and is also equipped with a musket that can fire bullets continuously, which poses a great threat to our own cavalry.
Therefore, Khabarov suggested that Tolbuzin retreat with him to Kiliansk City, which is further west, if necessary.
The city is located less than three hundred miles north of Lake Baikal and is relatively safe. It is impossible for yellow-skinned monkeys to attack there in a short time.
As for the Yakutsk defenders, Khabarov believed that he had informed them of the enemy's situation and was unwilling to retreat. He had to bear the consequences...
Obukhov did not retreat, but decided to stick to Yakutsk. As long as he could hold on until snowfall, victory would definitely belong to his side.
It is now the end of July. Usually, the temperature in Yakutsk will drop sharply at the end of August, and the first snowfall will come in September.
If the yellow-skinned monkeys are afraid of the cold, they will quickly retreat.
The commander of this Ming army that arrived outside Yakutsk was none other than Yang Zhan, known as the "No. 1 General in the North"!
Yang Zhan had already moved his family here since he was arranged by a certain new emperor to be stationed in the North.
Except for a few times when he returned to Beidu to see the emperor during the Chinese New Year, he spent the rest of his time in Beidu.
Although this place is bitterly cold and the temperature is far lower than in the pass, it is a good place for soldiers to have enough food and clothing.
In addition to the various weapons, equipment and daily necessities transported by the imperial fleet, the shores of the North Land were covered with prey and the river was full of river fresh food.
The king's divisions stationed in various places in the north have no shortage of meat. As long as they feel that there is no more oil and water in their stomachs, they can go into the mountains to hunt or fish by the river.
It can be said that as long as the hands and feet are diligent, it is not a problem for each person to eat two or three kilograms of fish every day.
In the past, they had to resist the frequent invasions of Donglu. In order to help defend the many vassal states in the north, the various departments of the King's Division were really busy.
Fortunately, Zheng's fleet was on the shore to support them, and the gunfire was so powerful that the Donglu cavalry did not dare to approach the beach easily.
Otherwise, even if there are tens of thousands of royal troops on the shore, the people of each vassal state will be eaten away by the Donglu in every possible way.
After Emperor Haojing defeated Donglu several times and finally forced him to run away, most of the crisis in the Northland subsided.
The only enemy is the Rakshasa. Fortunately, there are not many in number. As long as the soldiers and horses of a few vassal states respond in time, there will not be much difference.
Emperor Haojing finally ordered Yang Zhan to lead his troops to prepare for the westward march, with about 20,000 troops.
In addition, Emperor Haojing will also send two troops, one going north from the upper reaches of Blackwater, and the other going north from the northern part of the grassland.
After previously searching the map drawn by the Rakshasa who was killed, Yang Zhan learned the approximate location of the Rakshasa stronghold.
Yakutsk is the largest stronghold in Xianbelia, and this has become the number one target in Yang Zhan's eyes.
Since he has the power to act independently, it is up to Yang Zhan to decide when to send troops.
Considering that the distance of this battle is not too far, the strength of the Rakshasa defenders will not be very large, at most 3,000.
Yang Zhan only brought half of his troops, so as to reduce the need for supplies.
It is mainly cavalry, infantry, and artillery, supplemented by twenty tanks, which is enough.
It is expected to arrive in Yakutsk before the end of July, and then depending on the situation, either siege the city and provide reinforcements, or capture it and then attack Oryok and Minsk.
It was estimated that it would be too late to attack the latter and would have to be arranged until next year. Yang Zhan decided to only attack Yakutsk this year to see if the defenders of Oryok Minsk would send troops to rescue them.
But when the troops reached the Maya River, they encountered a Rakshasa force marching eastward. They were about the same size as their predecessors, and they were all cavalry.
The opponent's purpose is not yet known, but Yang Zhan cannot let him go, and the opponent has no intention of surrendering, so he will start fighting directly.
The Rakshasa cavalry are not afraid of their own muskets, which is good news for the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty King's Division.
If you really want to scare it away, where can you go with the two hundred silver coins?
The soldiers were so happy that the other party didn't have the brains to rush over and die.
Although the victory was divided among ten thousand people, each person could only receive a few silver coins.
But everyone still welcomes the Rakshasa soldiers who take the initiative to die. The more the better, it’s best if they all come to die...
When one's own side has an absolute strength advantage and artillery support, using a revolver to defeat the Rakshasa cavalry is as easy as a grandpa hitting his grandson.
Through the translator, Yang Zhan learned about the other party's intention, so this time he would go straight to his lair and give these Rakshasa evil spirits a blow.
After arriving at the outskirts of Yakutsk, Yang Zhan was not in a hurry to order an siege. Instead, he asked his soldiers to build wooden houses for winter use in the event of a long siege.
The defenders did not come out to seek death, but throughout the winter, none of the enemy reinforcements that Yang Zhan expected came.
Perhaps the defenders in the stronghold were even more disappointed than Yang Zhan, even desperate...
In the spring of the following year, the defenders decided to break out, but more than half of them were killed on the spot.
The Ming Army cavalry achieved many victories during the pursuit, but the governor of the stronghold failed to capture them.
Yang Zhan then ordered to go up the Lena River and attack the Oryok Minsk stronghold upstream.
The reinforcements from Moscow that Khabarov expected did not arrive. Obukhov, who fled to the city, was in shock, and Tolbuzin was helpless.
Reinforcements from Kiliansk did arrive, but their number was only 150.
There are tens of thousands of yellow-skinned monkeys outside, what use are these reinforcements?
At present, there are less than a thousand defenders in the city. It is feasible to break out, but the hope of success may not be great.
"Khabarov, what should we do now?"
Obukhov's mood when he saw this guy was worse than when he saw those yellow-skinned monkeys outside.
"You are our highest officer!"
Khabarov was indifferent at this time. They were all surrounded anyway, so it didn't matter.
It's all Obukhov's fault. I wish I had come here earlier.
As a result, after breaking out of Yakutsk, I actually got lost...
After being delayed for three days on the road, as soon as we arrived here, the yellow-skinned monkey also arrived.
"Tolbuzin, what do you think?"
Obukhov didn't know much about military matters either. His strengths were making money and playing with women.
"If our army has sufficient ammunition and food, and the enemy does not have a large number of artillery, we can still hold on here. Otherwise, I think it is better to break out as soon as possible!"
Tolbuzin was not optimistic about this disparity in strength. If Khabarov and a thousand Cossacks could not defeat the opponent, then the current situation would be very dangerous.
At this moment, the Ming army launched a fierce artillery bombardment. The wood and rammed earth formed the city wall, which could not withstand the pounding of the artillery shells.
This kind of wall structure is not a bastion. It just fills the space between two or three wooden fences with soil and compacts them.
As long as the firepower density is sufficient, you can use a small Folang machine to "open the door"...
