The lazy sun hung diagonally in the gray mid-air to the east, and the fog on the earth was slowly receding in the sunlight, revealing an open and flat plain.

The gates of Tomsk were wide open, and looking through the open, scattered gates with a few debris, a straight road seemed to lead to the other side of the city, but there was not a single person in sight on the street.

Like the deserted farmsteads outside the city, the Russian inhabitants of this fortified city, like the farmers of the farms they had met before, fled in panic to the empty fields of Western Siberia.

"Signal Corps."

"Here."

"Go back and report to the regiment immediately."

"Yes."

"A long line."

"Here."

"Lead the people to stay outside, and take precautions."

The young officer looked at the open door of Tomsk, and a flash of hesitation flashed on his face, but then the blood surged, and a strong emotion hit his brain, such a good opportunity could not be missed. "Others, get ready, come with me."

He's going to go into the city and do something. If the Russians really ran away ......, then he would have made a meritorious service.

In the afternoon of that day, a large number of Wehrmacht cavalry and vassal cavalry arrived in Tomsk, and the heavily armed infantry and nomadic cavalry took complete control of the fortress city. On the same day, more than 100 poor Russians hiding in their homes were searched from the city.

Rumyantsev has already run, just yesterday morning.

It was also only two days before Tomsk received the news of the fall of the Novokuznetsk fortress, and no one knew the specifics of the First Army. At least these Russian civilians have not heard about the total destruction of the First Army, all they know is that Novokuznetsk was occupied by the Chinese, and then the whole of Tomsk was in chaos.

Vaubasi was a little sorry, he really wanted to capture Rumyantsev. The capture of a marshal of the Russian army on the battlefield is too much to make the Turghut Department raise their eyebrows.

Although the feats of the First Army of the Encirclement and Annihilation of the Eastern Russian Road were huge, Wu Baxi was a little unimpressed. Because it's so easy!

Kamensky's cards are too bad, but his opponent is holding the big and small kings with four 2s and four aces, and the god of war can't save the Russians from the downfall. Although the results of that battle were amazing, the difficulty of the battle was definitely simple, and it couldn't be easier.

The Russian captives were also very obedient, both the remnants of the last to surrender and the Russian soldiers who were captured at the beginning. Surrender is not unacceptable for them, China's strength has been recognized by the entire European world over the years, although it is a yellow race, but China and the Tatars are completely different concepts, surrendering the Tatars, may make the self-esteem of some Russians unbearable; But surrendering to the Chinese is logical and has no psychological barriers.

The remnants of the First Army, who had suffered both mental and physical injuries, were very cooperative in the face of the Chinese soldiers who had originally entered their team.

They obediently put all the muskets, sabers, and grenades in their hands into the open space, and piled up two mountains, as well as artillery and rockets. They then lined up in four lines and walked to the Wehrmacht position, and then to the prisoner-of-war camp, where their numerous companions were located. All the Russian prisoners are very peaceful!

Except for Kamensky, except for Kamensky, all Russians resigned themselves to their fate.

They are like quails that have been blown by a storm, and they have lost the slightest fighting spirit. A prisoner of war camp is a place of shame, but it's also safe, isn't it? As long as you are honest, even if you can't eat enough, you don't have to be blown up by rockets or shells.

The officers, headed by Kamensky, who were counted as lieutenants, were all sent to the shores of Lake Balkhash, immediately. The remaining captured soldiers will be escorted to Lake Balkhash after the situation has stabilized initially.

Does Rumyantsev know the fate of the First Army? No one can tell. But maybe he's already thinking of something.

This veteran of the Russian army, who has achieved great military achievements, is now on horseback, watching the sunset in the west, the cool breeze of the field blowing his gray hair, and no one knows better than Rumyantsev what the decision to abandon Tomsk means - he is giving up his honor.

Tomsk is a very important city for the Russians on the West Siberian Plain, as it is located on the Ob River. Unlike the city of Barnaul, the next Barnaul River is only a tributary of the Ob River. The Ob River, which can be passed for five or six months a year, is the economic lifeline and transportation lifeline of the whole of Western Siberia. If the Chinese sweep upstream along the Ob River, Russia will inevitably lose all of Western Siberia.

Tomsk is a protective cloak for the Ob River.

The back of the veteran in the cool breeze is lonely, declining, soaked in endless desolation. If St. Petersburg had known about the loss of Novokuznetsk and Tomsk, the Empress would have been furious and would have replaced Rumyantsev.

But what can be done?

After the First Army was sent, the guards in Rumyantsev's hands were not even a regiment, what did he take to defend Tomsk?

And Novokuznetsk was lost so suddenly, Tomsk has the value of defending it, but it does not have the ability and meaning to defend it. Rumyantsev is now more concerned with the First Army led by Kamensky. He had a very unpleasant conjecture in his heart. These days he had a restless sleep, and every time he fell asleep, he fell asleep praying to God, and then woke up to the devil's horror of the 'nightmare'.

A thin Erha walked wearily across the field with his head drooped, trying in vain to find something around to fill his belly.

The Russians who left Tomsk took everything they could, clothing, food, livestock, including dogs.

Malamutes are very common in Siberia, and many Russian families are bred one or several sled dogs, which are affectionately called 'Erha' by thousands of fans in China in later generations, and the current days are relatively miserable.

The Russians themselves are not very nourished, and there is too much food to feed them. Compared with the stupid and cute Erha who looked confused on the Internet in later generations, the clean, tidy, smooth and shiny fur, and the slightly plump body shape developed under the moisturizing life of eating and drinking, now this Erha is really pitiful to the extreme.

It was so thin that it was almost skinny and bone-like, and its body was stained with mud and weeds, and it was so dejected that it was almost impossible to see its original color.

It is just like its owner, just like the army of Russian civilians fleeing from Tomsk at this moment, and it is not at all beautiful.

- A group of runaway dogs.

The Russians are heading northwest along the Ob River.

If all goes well, they will be able to go further west along the Ob River. The upper source of the Ob River is the Irtysh River, but the tributaries of the Altai Mountains (including the Barnaul River) are also geographically called the Ob River when they flow through Tomsk.

The Ob River stretches for 7,000 miles, the basin area covers the entire West Siberian Plain, is the main transportation channel in the West Siberian region, there are many tributaries, the water is abundant, the upstream can be navigable for about six months every year, the downstream can be navigable for about five months, many goods enter and exit along the northern sea route that crosses the Arctic Ocean, and belong to the economic and transportation lifeline of West Siberia.

And now the Wehrmacht is going to sweep everything along this lifeline of communication that runs through the entire West Siberian Plain.

……

"Look at the newspaper and read the newspaper, our army has a great victory in the northwest, a great victory in the northwest, a great victory in the northwest......"

"The latest Northwest War Report, the latest front-line newsletter. Our reporters braved hardships and dangers, traveled to the front with the army, and sent back the latest war report. The Russian veteran Kamensky advanced lightly, and 20,000 people jumped into the ambush circle set by our defense forces, and were surrounded and annihilated, and all of them were annihilated......"

"Look at the newspaper, read the newspaper, the former king of Fanbu, the pillar of the country today. Turghut Khan Wubasi was unbearable to be bullied and humiliated by the Russians, and he led the troops on the position anyway, and defeated the Russian army......"

……

……

The results of a war always take a long, long time to brew, but the news spreads very quickly.

The First Army of the Russian Eastern Front was completely annihilated, thousands of Russian soldiers were sent to prisoner of war camps, and the 'anyway' of the Turghut Division, the Kamensky people had not yet been sent to Lake Balkhash, and the news of the 'great victory' in Ili City was flying all over the sky.

Although there was no telegraph communication, the reliable pigeon delivered the message much faster than the traditional horseback riding.

"Your Majesty came to Lake Balkhash in person, and the follow-up troops of Shaanxi and Gansu have entered the Hami ......"

"The emperor is on a personal expedition, and it is expected to reach the front line in half a month......"

"The Kazakh nobles said that all Kazakh warriors are willing to submit to His Majesty, obey His Majesty's will, and fight for him."

The thriving newspapers in Ili City are dazzling.

……

Yili's newspaper industry has developed greatly in less than half a year, but the newspaper offices in Ili City have grown from two before - one is an official newspaper to the current seven, and a large number of reporter stations have also been settled.

Not only from China, but also from Japan, Siam, and even Britain and France.

Of course, before entering Yili, these people had already applied for passes in a certain department under the Press and Publication Administration.

As the days passed, all kinds of news kept coming back from the front.

Everyone in the city of Ili came and went in a hurry, and even the common people here could find their place in the war, and even if they were the most unskilled laborers, they could earn a good income in a month.

Only time is always so graceful, and it doesn't change its pace because of anything.

From May to July, the two months are like a 'blink of an eye'.

Close your eyes and open your eyes, and the battle situation in the entire frontier has already undergone a decisive change. Not to mention the total annihilation of the First Army, the cavalry units of the Russian army on the Eastern Front were also completely destroyed.

Saltykov died cleanly, and 20,000 Turkut cavalry betrayed cleanly.

The Siberian army was still surrounded, a scene they had expected before heading south. They were also very cautious and cautious on the way south, so even if they were surrounded, the Wehrmacht was not able to catch them by surprise.

There were a lot of rockets in the Siberian army, and the Wehrmacht was not willing to fight to the death, so the siege has been going on until now.

However, important places such as Novokuznetsk and Tomsk were successively broken by the Wehrmacht. A large number of Russian villages on the banks of the Ob River were burned - didn't you run away? Then burn down your house. Take everything that can be taken and destroy everything that can be destroyed. Including the sparse patches of wheat outside the farm.

The place is too cold and too cold. Because it is a plain, before the cold snap of the Arctic Ocean sweeps in, it is a land of ice and snow. Therefore, no matter how flat the land is, it is not suitable for agriculture. And there is not enough precipitation here, although the Ob River has plenty of water.

Russians have been emigrating here for a year or two hundred years. Over such a long period of time, the total population of Western Siberia is not less than 300,000 people, and many key cities have developed, but agriculture here is already in a very backward situation. The people here are more engaged in mining, hunting and animal husbandry.

Despite the cold winter climate and low precipitation, the West Siberian Plain has endless meadows that are ideal for grazing.

Meat, dairy products, wheat and potatoes are the main food rations of the Russians here.

And when the vast West Siberian Plain is not protected by the army, they are already fish on the chopping block, and they can only be slaughtered by the Wehrmacht!

Don't expect Russian civilians [more serfs] to take the initiative to stand up against China's entry.

Who are these Russians who came to live in the West Siberian Plain? They fled to the West Siberian Plain with nothing, or they were the descendants of exiles. When every Russian is a virgin? Will the descendants of these St. Petersburg 'persecutors' remain loyal to their female tsar in this critical moment?

Apparently this is impossible, and the flight of these people is not loyalty to St. Petersburg, but resistance + fear of the Wehrmacht.

The conqueror is always feared by the 'vanquished'.

The Wehrmacht is now the conquerors.

They will choose to hide until they are cornered, or until they believe that they will not be killed by the Wehrmacht.

On the West Siberian Plain, apart from the Cossacks, there were few loyal to St. Petersburg. If it is organized by people, it can still play a little role, but the Russian reserve system will never cover Siberia. Where the population is too sparse, conscription will greatly disrupt the proportion of the local weak population, and seriously affect the local population development. Therefore, compared to the European regions of Tsarist Russia in this era, Siberia is really a paradise to escape the war. As a result, their taxes are heavier, and inhospitable Siberia provides St. Petersburg with a large amount of money every year. And this war is not a patriotic war for the old Maozi.

And even in the so-called Great Patriotic War of 1812, the resistance of the Lao Maozi people was pitiful compared to the 'vast sea' of the Spaniards.

Therefore, the West Siberian Plain has become a paradise for the cavalry of the Wehrmacht.

Even if there were some of the 300,000 Russian inhabitants [including naturalized Russian Tatars] who were loyal to St. Petersburg, they were scattered and hidden in the vast West Siberian plain and could not be connected, and that power was equal to zero.

It's already July, and at most by late August, the cold winter of the West Siberian plain will come. At that time, the snow will be overwhelming, and in the ice and snow, those old hairy people will be punished by nature. If they would rather die than accept Chen Han's rule, then they will be mentally prepared to lose half of their staff.

The changes in the second Sino-Russian war alarmed the whole of China, and the good news continued to pass inland across Ili. Whether it is the great victory in the northwest or the 'anyway' of the Turk Special Department, they have all grabbed the attention of the whole country. At the same time, patches of urgent reports also flew to Japan, Siam, India and other parts of Europe.

China's tall image is slowly becoming a reality, because in that piece of emergency, you can see the strength of the Chinese army.

Journalists from Japan, Siam, Britain and France and other European countries praised China at war in exaggerated terms, interviewing ordinary Chinese people, interviewing Chinese soldiers, officers, and applying to interview prisoners.

Patches of 'press releases' illustrate the war from a variety of angles.

So far in the war, the number of casualties announced by the Chinese Metropolitan Governor's Office has exceeded 10,000 [counting all the eastern and western battlefields], and the casualties are close to 30,000, what is this concept?

Not long after the war began, China had paid 40,000 casualties – including vassals. In the situation of war, China still has an absolute advantage.

This seems to confirm the difficulty of the offensive battle of the fortress from a certain side.

……

Ili, now the central point of the entire Western Front battlefield, is the center of dozens of domestic and foreign media gathered in the city. Every day, every hour and every street, you can see journalists wandering around with their passes and press cards. Many of them are blue-eyed and big-nosed foreigners, and in the eyes of the Chinese, they look no different from Lao Maozi.

The post office in Ili is the busiest place in the whole of Yili, and it is busier and busier than the emperor's line in Yili. Because there are less than 20 carrier pigeons in the pigeon nest of the Ili Post Office, but there are so many reporters who have to spread the news to their newspapers, you can imagine the busyness and tension.

Even some journalists have made their homes next door to the post office. In the vicinity of the Yili Post Office, there were two more coffee shops in a short period of time that had not appeared in the entire salary of Xinjiang before, which was simply specially prepared for those foreign reporters. Of course, it can also be said that it is specifically to earn money from those foreign journalists.

The number of the latter is not very large, but the spending power is really strong. And some Chinese journalists also drink coffee.

Nowadays, the sales of tea to Europe, India and the world are getting higher and higher, coffee and cocoa from the outside world have also been introduced to China, and they are also quietly affecting China's life.