As the eldest brother, he was not only the first to invade the hinterland of Rakshasa, but also had the strongest troops under his command. Naturally, Wanli took his duty and led his troops to become the main force in the battle.
Zeng Ying has the smallest force. Facing 100,000 or more Rakshasa troops, he can only protect himself at most. Wanli and Zhang Huangyan may also deploy troops to protect them.
If the attack goes smoothly, Zeng Ying's troops can pursue and kill the enemy.
On the contrary, if you can protect yourself, you can also reinforce Wanli nearby.
Zhang Huangyan had fewer troops than Wanli, but many more than Zeng Ying.
In particular, there are three thousand special forces under its command, which is a treasure and a rare trump card.
When the battle situation was unfavorable, the three brothers relied on these special forces to turn defeat into victory.
The Wanli Division is responsible for frontal defense and storm attack, and has been strengthened in firepower to deploy five heavy artillery battalions.
There is a heavy artillery battalion on Zeng Ying's side, and the remaining three are located in Zhang Huangyan's formation.
Because the Scud missile has a relatively large range, it can be launched in a 360-degree circular direction, so it was deployed in the formation, together with the airship and baggage troops.
The baggage vehicles were temporarily vacated and pulled to the edge of the formation to serve as a bunker for the infantry. They could resist enemy cavalry charging into the formation and at the same time allow the infantry to have a chance to shoot with rifles.
Before the two junior brothers arrived, Wanli had already stayed in the Kazan area for more than half a year, so naturally he would not stand there staring blankly.
Not only did they send people to scrape the surrounding land every day, they also sent people to draw the surrounding topographic maps.
The mountains and terrain maps around Kazan, and even photos taken on the top of the mountain, can be used as a reference for drawing battlefield maps.
After Zhang Huangyan and Zeng Ying arrived, they conducted an on-site inspection based on the map of senior brother Wanli, supplemented the original map, and then drew a new one.
With this map, I can ensure that the Ming Dynasty King Division can make full use of the terrain advantages around Kazan and use it to my advantage.
The three brothers can now responsibly say that even the local Rakshasa people do not understand the local terrain as well as they do.
Zhang Huangyan believes that since the Rakshasa army came to relieve the siege after winter, it means that it should have been collecting food and recruiting troops before, and it is very likely that it planned to use the strength of the troops and the severe cold climate characteristics of winter to defeat its troops.
The Master once said that the winter in Rakshasa is very cold. It is fine during the day, but especially at night, the temperature in the wild can reach minus 30 to 40 degrees Celsius.
Fortunately, Master Wang had already taken advantage of the opportunity before it was frozen to build the wooden house.
When enemy reinforcements come in the future, they can be used as campsites to keep warm.
On the contrary, it can be used as a small fortress, and all wooden houses can be used as defensive bunkers.
The place where Wanli chose to camp was on a hill not far from Kazan City.
The whole army built houses around the mountain, and there was a river at the foot of the mountain for easy access to water.
As the commander-in-chief of the entire army, Wanli certainly would not imitate Ma Su.
Most of the wooden houses were built at the foot of the mountain, and the trees on the mountain were not cut down. They only cut out passages for troops in eight directions.
They are afraid that the loss of trees on the mountain will cause soil erosion, lead to heavy rains, and cause mudslides, which will wash away the wooden houses at the bottom of the mountain.
There are only a few houses on the top of the mountain. Firstly, they serve as artillery and air force camps. Secondly, they are also convenient for observing surrounding developments.
The only thing that made the three brothers feel regretful was that the Volga River, which originally ran from north to south, changed into an east-west direction near Kazan City.
This means that they chose the front position, that is, they camped upstream of Kazan City. In fact, they could not stop the Rakshasa reinforcements from entering the city.
As long as the opponent makes a circle and walks dozens of miles more, they can still enter the city from the northeast and join the defenders.
But Wanli did not choose the "front blocking" tactic at the beginning, because he also expected the reinforcements to bring him some souvenirs!
The Rakshasa reinforcements must see that it is easy to deliver food to the defenders in the city before they are willing to come to relieve the siege.
Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't even have a chance to take advantage of it...
The Art of War says - Surround three and one is missing!
In fact, if he didn't have to set up camp to build a house, Wanli would have planned to do it directly!
The more the other party comes, the more welcome Wanli becomes.
If calculated based on the firepower of his own troops, the 40,000 men under his command can at least be as strong as 200,000 to 300,000 Rakshasa soldiers.
Why wouldn't I welcome you if you send me food, war horses, gunpowder, or even prisoners? ? ?
It must and must be warmly welcomed!
Finally, when the Rakshasa reinforcements arrived, the two junior brothers also arrived.
For others, Wanli would be somewhat selfish.
But these two junior brothers worked hard together with me back then, and their relationship is no worse than that of family members.
That is equivalent to three brothers doing business with the funds advanced by their respected master. If they make money, it will be divided by the three brothers...
"Your Majesty, I am guilty and incompetent, which is why our army is so passive. Your Majesty still needs to personally conquer the siege!"
Schein was so excited that tears filled his eyes when he saw His Majesty the Tsar leading a large army to fight in person and personally rescuing himself from the siege.
The men all felt that such a long time had passed, the reinforcements were not even seen, and the city of Kazan was considered hopeless.
Unexpectedly, not only did reinforcements come, but their strength was beyond imagination, and His Majesty the Tsar personally commanded the troops.
When Schein saw Tsar Alexei I, he knelt down and explained his guilt.
"It's okay, get up, my general. Being able to lead the troops to stay here for such a long time is already considered a rare thing!"
With that idiot Prozorovsky as a reference, Tsar Alexei I looked at Schein much more favorably.
The first was that they did not surrender to the yellow-skinned monkey, the second was that they did not escape from the battlefield, and the third was that they were still holding on to Kazan City.
Combining these three points, what if the generals of the empire were as tough and tenacious as Schein, and they were defeated again and again?
"Your Majesty, this is the experience and lessons I have summarized in fighting the enemy. Please accept it!"
In addition to inspecting the defense situation at the top of the city, Schein wrote about the previous failures and his own experiences when he had time.
I just didn't expect that one day I would be able to hand-deliver it to His Majesty the Tsar. This was an unexpected surprise. Finally, my efforts were not in vain.
"Oh? Then you are really thoughtful! I just want to see what the yellow-skinned monkey is good at!"
Tsar Alexei I had fought against Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Alliance, but this was his first time against the yellow-skinned monkey and he had no experience, so he was willing to read Schein's report in order to be prepared.
Schein believes that the enemy's firepower advantage is very obvious, especially the rockets that can fly into the sky, which can cause fatal blows to one's own infantry squares and columns.
What's more, the rate of fire of heavy artillery and muskets has reached an astonishing level. Chariots that can fire artillery shells should not be underestimated. Together with the infantry, they can withstand the charge of one's own cavalry groups.
Those so-called yellow-skinned monkeys are definitely not a ragtag group, but a well-trained army, which is not inferior to the elite shooting army of the empire.
Facing the attack of one's own cavalry group, there was no panic at all. The infantry were firing in an orderly manner. This kind of psychological quality had long surpassed the armies of the Polish-Lithuanian Alliance and the Ottoman Army.
The other party also has something that can fly into the sky, which is said to be an airship purchased by France. Currently, we have no weapons to restrain this kind of flying equipment.
Schein thought about using artillery with high elevation angles to deal with airships, but rapid-fire artillery must be used. Otherwise, if the rate of fire is too slow, the artillery must readjust the angle of the muzzle, and bombardment will be ineffective against airships.
Alexey I browsed through it roughly, and then inspected the city defense situation accompanied by Schein. He was basically satisfied, and then entered the castle to study in detail how to deal with the damn yellow-skinned monkeys.
Alexei I had previously received a battle report written by Schein, but it was not as detailed as the one he got today.
Regarding the yellow-skinned monkey's firepower advantage, Alexey I had already sent people to build more than 300 heavy artillery pieces and more than 500 rapid-fire artillery pieces, and also copied a large number of grenades and many mortars.
For muskets that took a long time to manufacture, Alexei I also ordered a batch of 200,000 muskets from France, the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have enough new guns, we can provide second-hand goods that meet the standards of maintenance.
As long as the order quantity can be collected, second-hand goods can save Alexei I a lot of money.
Previously, Alexei I also sent people to try to purchase weapons from his old enemies Sweden, the Polish-Lithuanian Alliance, and even the Ottoman Empire.
As a result, these three families rejected Alexei I's request without exception. They all wished that Tsarist Russia would suffer a big loss!
In particular, both Sweden and the Ottoman Empire have established ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Empire's ambassadors to both countries have conducted courteous "communications" with the king and the sultan.
After receiving a generous gift, considering the amount of trade generated every year, the two countries will naturally not easily support Tsarist Russia, an opponent who always intends to encroach on their own territory.
Fortunately, France and the Netherlands are both partners of Sweden and have fought side by side. The muskets produced by the two countries can smoothly pass through Swedish control areas and be delivered to Alexei I.
Now that the Continental War was over, the Holy Roman Empire implemented deliveries in the same way.
Coupled with the artillery and muskets manufactured by the local arsenal, after obtaining a large number of guns, Alexei I was finally able to arm an army of 300,000 people.
It is naturally very expensive to raise such a large number of troops, and gold and furs have been used to pay for a large amount of arms purchases.
The Spanish Empire, which relied on its American possessions to nourish its homeland, had less than 400,000 army troops at its peak.
Now having to feed almost the same number of troops, one can imagine the pressure on Alexei I.
Including the 50,000 people under Obukhov and the garrisons in other parts of the empire, the total strength of Tsarist Russia has been wirelessly approaching the 400,000 mark.
If you want to continue to preserve this large force after destroying the group of yellow-skinned monkeys and the Qing army, you must continue to fight the surrounding enemies.
Alexey I had already thought about the possibility of war with the Ottomans or the Polish-Lithuanian League in the future.
As long as you win, you can get a lot of money from your opponent.
On the contrary, the army that worried me ceased to exist...
For now, we still need to have a decisive battle with the yellow-skinned monkey as soon as possible.
Because if he did not fight here, not to mention the consumption of food, Obukhov's troops stationed in Tsaritsyn would not easily dare to go to war with the Qing army.
Only if Kazan wins now, then the army will go south to Tsaritsyn, and then join the local garrison, directly attack the place where the Qing army is entrenched, and completely eliminate it.
On January 10, the Russian troops poured out from their bases and rushed towards targets not far from here.
The distance of less than seven miles can be covered in half a day, even in winter.
Alexei I's Russian army was located in the northwest of the battlefield and had the advantage of downwind.
Since the Ming army had to rely on its garrison for defense, it was difficult to move, but it didn't matter if it fought against the wind.
Wanli was even worried that if the Rakshasa people couldn't take advantage of the tailwind, would they not dare to fight?
"There are quite a lot of people coming, more than 200,000?"
"I'm afraid it's only three to four hundred thousand, right?"
"Stop making noise!"
The soldiers were all muttering quietly, but they were quickly stopped by the officers.
It's not easy to encounter so many Rakshasa soldiers. If you don't kill them all, how long will it take?
Wanli looked at the vast number of enemy soldiers on the opposite side and thought to himself: The master is really a mastermind. It can be expected that the mobilization ability of the Rakshasa people is extraordinary.
Although mobilizing so many troops in a short period of time is considered a skill, there must be a lot of nonsense in it.
Otherwise, except for the Ming Dynasty and France, how can any other country in the world afford more than 300,000 regular troops?
This can be calculated, because if a soldier has a monthly salary of two silver coins, he will still need 24 silver coins a year, no matter how low it is.
For 300,000 people, the basic annual salary alone would be as high as 7.2 million silver coins, not counting the excess salary of officers and generals.
In other words, coupled with weapons and equipment, as well as normal affairs, if a country's annual income does not reach 15 million silver coins, it cannot afford to support an army of 300,000.
Looking around the world, only Ming Dynasty and France have reached this standard, but the Netherlands can also do it.
However, the country's population is too small. If you exclude a large number of sailors, there may not even be 300,000 men of suitable age.
Wan Li estimated that at least half, or even more than half, of the people on the other side were recruited by La Zhuang Ding to make up the numbers.
In the words of the respected teacher, this is called a common people actor with almost zero acting skills!
How much combat effectiveness can you expect from farmers on the battlefield?
If you bring in some hunters, you might be able to save your life.
As for those working in other industries, just wish yourself good luck!
Both sides lined up at noon, and by one o'clock in the afternoon they were almost done playing.
Zhang Huangyan looked at the thermometer and saw that the outdoor temperature was only minus 20 degrees.
But this is almost the highest temperature of the whole day, and we cannot expect it to rise any higher.
Fortunately, the wind is not too strong, and you can catch a glimpse of tiny particles of snow and sand dancing under the influence of the north wind.
But not many people were in the mood to appreciate the surrounding scenery. The thoughts of both sides were surprisingly similar.
That is to find ways to put the opponent to death, the generals are waiting to make achievements, and the soldiers are waiting to find the corpse after the war...
Based on Schein's suggestion, Alexey I agreed that the Russian troops should be arrayed two miles away.
This distance should be more difficult for the opponent's flying and explosive weapons to hit, and then rush over in a skirmish formation.
Of course, they must be scattered and not messy, otherwise it will be like herding sheep.
Every ten-person leader and hundred-person leader must take good care of his subordinates.
With the centurion as the smallest combat unit, the soldiers of each centurion can disperse, but they cannot stop being commanded by the centurion leader.
The method of control is for the centurion to lead a ten-man team to defend and press the formation behind the team, and the ninety people in front are divided into three horizontal teams.
The distance between each person and the person in front and behind him should be three to five steps. In this way, the damage caused by enemy artillery fire can be reduced.
In terms of weapons, in addition to the musket, each infantryman received a grenade, and the cavalry received two.
The front row of infantry were mostly serfs who were not good at using muskets. Their task was to advance with shields.
All light and heavy artillery are mounted on tanks and can follow the infantry forward and provide fire cover for the army at any time.
To increase the chances of victory, Schein also suggested creating large amounts of smoke to obscure the battlefield.
Used to help one's own infantry charge, thereby gaining valuable time.
Furthermore, cavalry and infantry must fight together and cannot take the lead in launching a charge.
If the infantry troops cannot reach the effective range of the muskets, the cavalry cannot charge on their own to prevent them from becoming enemy targets.
Finally, to maximize one's own force advantage, the enemy's positions must be attacked from all directions.
As long as you succeed in one direction and break into the enemy's formation, you can quickly expand the breakthrough point and lay a solid foundation for gathering and annihilating the enemy.
"Surrounded?"
Wanli saw on the top of the mountain that the Rakshasa Army actually adopted iron barrel tactics. It seemed that they planned to attack across the board regardless of the key points.
This is not a big deal. My camp was circular at the beginning, so I was not afraid of the other party's tricks.
In this case, there is no need to worry about counterattack in a short time, because with so many prey, it will take a while to repel the enemy's siege.
"Ouch..."
"For the Tsar!"
"Come on!"
"Kill all the yellow-skinned monkeys!"
Seeing that the opponent was not firing weapons that could fly into the sky and explode, the Russian soldiers gradually became bolder.
Under the leadership of the officers, they began to charge with great roars, and everyone ran in the ice and snow.
Alexei I, who was supervising the formation at the rear, sat on his horse and observed the situation ahead with a telescope. He was very satisfied with this overwhelming charge.
In this battle, Alexey I did not underestimate the enemy's carelessness, nor was he too wary of the opponent's firepower.
Most of the tactics adopted followed Schein's advice, and so far it seems that no fatal mistakes have been made.
As long as no fatal mistakes are made, one's own side can offset the opponent's firepower advantage with its strong military advantage.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
After entering a distance of four miles, Wanli ordered the artillery to open fire.
The stakes for measuring distances have long been nailed to the ground, and the generals and artillerymen know this clearly.
This is an old tradition of the King of Ming Dynasty. It was brought to Kazan from Liaodong. Although it is simple, it still works.
It's just that the battle is the same as last time. The advantage of the heavy artillery is to hit the counterparts on the opposite side, temporarily letting go of the densely packed infantry.
The enemy's infantry cannot threaten our own artillery in a short period of time, so it must attack the opposing heavy weapons first.
Since the missiles brought by the two junior brothers were not many, Wanli decided to save them for the critical moment and now used artillery to suppress the opponent.
"Hurry up! The yellow-skinned monkey can't hit us!"
When the centurions saw that the cannonballs fired by the opponent actually fell behind them, they were immediately overjoyed and ordered their soldiers to rush forward quickly.
The Russian infantrymen were naturally very happy. It would be best if all the yellow-skinned monkey's shells flew to uninhabited places from beginning to end!
But there is a reason for this "picky eating". The artillery troops following behind were beaten until they were howling like ghosts and wolves, and they were all miserable.
Now the Russian artillery is in a dilemma. If they stay still and shoot at the yellow-skinned monkeys, they will become a fixed target on the opposite side.
On the contrary, the accuracy of artillery fire will be greatly reduced, and even the Russian artillerymen will not know where the shells they fired will land.
The end result is to stop and go all the way, loading and advancing at the same time. When the loading is completed, stop immediately to facilitate aiming and firing, and then start moving immediately after finishing.
Fortunately, the Russian army's total number of direct-fire artillery pieces, excluding mortars, has reached more than 900. Even if the Ming army's artillery unit specializes in fighting its counterparts, it will still have to be busy for a while.
But it only lasts for a while, because the heavy artillery's ultimate rate of fire can reach two rounds per minute, ensuring that the barrel of the gun is cooled to a certain extent, and it can also maintain one round per minute to two minutes.
Even so, its rate of fire is about seven to fifteen times that of the Russian heavy artillery, making it almost a lingering nightmare for the opponent!
For the Ming Army's artillery, if the first shot misses, they can still fire the second, third, or even the fifth, sixth, or seventh shot!
Since the artillery force is almost composed of veterans with more than ten years of experience, the accuracy of the artillery fire will naturally not be bad.
Generally, if you keep a close eye on a target, you can kill it within five or six rounds.
If you're lucky, the three rounds will be safe and sound!
It would theoretically take about fifteen to twenty minutes for more than three hundred heavy artillery pieces to destroy all the opponents on the opposite side.
Wan Li, Zhang Huangyan, Zeng Ying and others just delegated the tasks and focused their attention on blocking the advance of the Rakshasa infantry.
The number of Rakshasa soldiers rushing over was so great, especially when set off by the white snow, that they looked like a swarm of ants.
If I had not followed my respected master in the Northern Expedition before, I would look a little scared now...
But you have to fight when you have to, otherwise it will not be a joke if the opponent really rushes into the formation.
Fortunately, when dealing with enemy infantry and mortars, especially the shotgun shells that are fired, there will be hundreds of small iron beads after the explosion, which can make the Rakshasa soldiers around the explosion point full!
"ah……"
After rushing within a mile, especially a distance of two to three hundred steps, the Russian infantry was hit hard by mortar shells.
Just like the artillery brothers before, they screamed again and again. More people fell to the ground, bleeding, and even died on the spot.
It was rare that the tank did not fire, because Wanli and others noticed that the opponent's cavalry did not launch a charge rashly.
There must be something wrong here, so instead of letting the tanks fire, they waited for the opponent's cavalry to come to the door.
As long as the tank lays its body sideways and serves as a firepower point and bunker in front of the formation, our own infantry can use this thing to fire frequently.
Wanli believed that no matter how many infantrymen the opponent had, they would not have as many bullets and grenades as his own.
If the Rakshasa soldiers are not afraid of death, they can rush over and try!
