In fact, China is not unwilling to negotiate, but the basis of negotiations is to make reparations to Russia, which the Russians cannot accept.

The reparations were tantamount to admitting defeat, and the tsar, who had just reached the top of European power, could not accept it, and he decided to wait until winter came before launching an attack, and he did not believe that the Chinese could withstand the cold winter of the Urals.

Of course, you can't carry it bare-chested, and you can't wear single clothes, but if you can't carry it in thick fur and cotton clothes, then it can only be said that Russia is not suitable for human existence at all, and this should be the country of polar bears.

The Chinese army has spent a cold winter in Siberia, understanding the cruelty of the winter here, of course, but also paid a certain price, before Zhou Lang equipped the army with enough winter clothes, but there are still nearly 10,000 soldiers died in the cold winter. Because they have thick cotton clothes to protect them from the cold, but the winter in Russia is different from China, and there are many rivers in Russia than in northern China, so the winter is humid, and this humidity kills many people.

So this year, none of the forts are stocked with enough coal, and aside from the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, wintering is not a big problem. As for the risk of poisoning, Zhou Lang promulgated a regulation that the house where the fire is lit must be ventilated.

China has conscripted a million troops, and the damage of 10,000 is acceptable. There are 300,000 troops left east of the Ural Mountains, and all of these 300,000 are combat troops, so it can be said that Zhou Lang pressed all the main forces in Russia, and behind them, there were 700,000 auxiliaries. Most are stationed on the lines of communication that maintain transport, but in fact their tasks are getting lighter and lighter, because all the work is done in the summer.

Out of the agrarian people's awareness of danger in times of peace, in the summer, China sent enough supplies to Europe for a year's worth of troops.

So Kutuzov didn't have to find a way to cut off the transportation and supplies of the Chinese army, Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk were already two large warehouses, even Ufa and Perm on the front line, there were enough food for 300,000 people to eat for a year, and most of this food was purchased from the local countryside, the Chinese government announced that it would not levy taxes, but real money to buy, it was higher than the local market price, the Russian peasants were not fools, the serfs who had just been liberated, where would they not want to do such a good thing.

Even if these supplies are lost, and the army retreats into the Ili region, where there is also sufficient military rations, it can be said that the Chinese army can support it for a year. This kind of power is not something that the Europeans can imagine, they have to put all their manpower and production into a careful calculation in order to fight for a long time, while China's resources can be saved for war and famine.

So the winter of 1815 was destined to disappoint the Tsar.

When the Russian army, which was attacking the Chinese fortress in the ice and snow, suffered more casualties than before, and the disease began to spread in the barracks, the tsar knew that this method was not reliable.

By this time, Russia's finances had almost collapsed, and the British had cut off aid because Napoleon had been defeated, and the British would not spend money to help Russia resist China.

In fact, the British had come to see Russia as their number one threat in Europe.

The Tsar continued to receive messages from Britain about unfriendliness towards Russia, and at this time the Tsar had left his representatives to negotiate in Vienna.

The four great powers, Russia, Britain, Austria, and Prussia, discussed the aftermath of Europe in Vienna, and the kings, nobles, and diplomats in gorgeous dresses, wearing various medals on their chests, raised glasses and drank bitterly to celebrate peace, turning the peace talks into a grand ball. The Tsar also liked such grand balls, and enjoyed the embrace of Napoleon's ex-wife, Josephine.

But he couldn't let his motherland be invaded by the empire and stay in Europe all the time, otherwise it would be easy to cause people that the emperor didn't care about his own country and only wanted to enjoy himself, so after the war ended, he hurriedly left with the main force, leaving only a small number of troops to show his existence, and then sent representatives to stay here to deal with the aftermath.

But the representatives of various countries quarreled endlessly over the distribution of the spoils, to the point of saber rattling.

Russia wanted to occupy all of Poland, and it demanded that the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, during the Napoleonic period, be merged with Russian Poland to create a kingdom ruled by the Tsar.

Prussia supported Russia's claim and demanded that all of Saxony's territory be annexed in order to compensate for the Polish territories it had ceded to Russia, which had formerly belonged to Prussia.

Britain and Austria were categorically opposed. Britain did not want Russia to be too strong, nor did it want to see Russia too close to Europe.

Austria was reluctant to cede Galicia, Krakow, and the Vistula to Russia, nor did it want Prussia to become stronger by merging with Saxony.

At the Vienna Conference, two opposing camps soon formed, with Russia and Prussia on one side and Britain and Austria on the other. On the contrary, France, which was originally slaughtered by others, began to gain a favorable position, and both sides began to win over France.

The French representative, Talleyland, weighed the pros and cons and decided to join the Anglo-Austrian side.

The Tsar received news that Britain had brokered a diplomatic alliance against Russia and Prussia, that Metternich of Austria and Talleyland of France had agreed to join the alliance, and that each country had promised to send 150,000 troops.

Just after promising Napoleon, the anti-French coalition was de facto dissolved.

The Tsar began to become more and more dissatisfied with China, constantly urging his soldiers to attack in the middle of winter, Moscow was too far away, and he had to collect grain on the spot, and the rations for the serfs for the winter were all plundered by him, and as a result, partisans against him began to appear in his land.

The Chinese vigorously recruited these rebels, providing them with food and weapons, as a result of which the Chinese hid in the city for the winter, and the regular Russian army and partisans were killed in the ice and snow.

In fact, Russia, like Napoleon's empire, only needs a finger to push and collapse, because Russia's economic base is weaker than France's, and the French can't hold on, let alone Russia.

Seeing that the situation was becoming more and more unfavorable, the tsar accepted Kutuzov's suggestion to temporarily withdraw the main trains, partly to Samara and partly to Orenburg to rest, waiting for action after spring.

Although the population of Samara was less than 10,000 (only 15,000 in 1851), it was located on the banks of the Volga River, and the nearby agricultural areas were convenient for supplies, and Orenburg was the same, located on the banks of the Ural River, which has always been the main road in and out of the steppe.

In this way, for the first time, the Russians were forced back by foreign enemies in winter, and what is even more excessive is that the Russian army retreated, and the enemy dared to pursue!

Of course, these people mainly harass and sneak attacks, the purpose is to cause trouble for the retreating army, but if the army is in chaos, I am afraid that they will attack in a big way.

The images of cold-resistant cavalry from Outer Mongolia and Qinghai-Tibet pursuing the Russians in the snow were later carved into engravings by the Chinese and publicized around the world.

They also attacked the local aristocratic estates, but all the landlords' estates they breached, all the finances that could not be taken away were distributed to the serfs, and then they were exempted from taxation, and they were permanently exempt from taxes, and they were the real liberators. Because with the serfs in Ufa and other places, the Chinese really do not collect taxes, which is completely different from the cruel rule of the Mongols propagated by the Russian lord.

And because of the raids in the surrounding area during this time, the local serfs even had the idea of hoping that the Chinese would defeat their landlords. As a result, the actions in the neighboring areas encountered less and less resistance, and some serfs even took the initiative to open the landlord's manor and invite them in.

If this situation were placed in China, Zhou Lang would even decide to stay and operate for a long time.

At this time, the most conflicted was the reformer Speransky, who, after hearing the news of the Tsar's return and asking for negotiations, hoped that China would accept negotiations.

But then the Chinese emperor told him, "What will you do if our negotiations are over?" ”

This sentence made Speransky feel panicked, he already knew that he was already regarded as a rebel among the elites in the Tsar's ruling area, and the Tsar had already posted a reward for his head, and he was afraid that he would not end well.

But he insisted: "I will also negotiate with the Tsar." It is hoped that the results of the current reforms will be preserved. I am willing to self-exile. ”

Zhou Lang sighed: "If you go into self-exile, China welcomes you!" Welcome to Nanjing! ”

Speransky was delighted: "Then you are accepting the negotiation?" ”

Zhou Lang sighed: "We have never refused to negotiate, but your tsar is unwilling to make concessions. ”

Speransky sighed: "500 million taels of silver is too much, and the Russian treasury simply cannot afford it." ”

Zhou Lang said: "Russia is such a big country, and its financial situation is not as good as that of Britain, I really don't know how your tsar rules." I am more and more convinced that your reforms should continue. I have heard that you have completed the reform of the judicial and administrative system, is it still going well, do you need my help? ”

"There are many difficulties, but the reform has been moving smoothly. You're right, if my reforms can be completed, Russia's finances will improve accordingly. But I still hope you will accept the negotiation! ”

Zhou Lang nodded: "We will hold out for at least a year, I hope your reform can surprise the tsar and make the tsar accept." In addition, if the tsar is really poor and cannot afford military compensation, I think we will have to demand Russian land. ”

Speransky shook his head: "This is absolutely impossible!" The Tsar will never cede the land. ”

Zhou Lang sighed: "This is not necessarily, the Russian mainland will not be ceded, what about the colonies?" ”

Speransky asked, "You mean America?" ”

Zhou Lang nodded: "It's not just America." The Kazakh steppe has never been your territory. ”

Speransky understood that the Chinese needed the Russian American territories and the Kazakh steppes as compensation, and he felt that this was sincere, and compared to 500 million taels of silver, these land tsars were not inseparable.