"The north wind swept the ground and the grass folded, and the snow flew in August."

In the upper reaches of the Heishui River, in a large dense forest less than two hundred miles away from the North Sea, Yu Xiang looked at the sky and had this poem floating in his heart.

It's only August, and it's already snowing heavily.

"Company commander, I found the Rakshasas, and their stronghold is less than ten miles away from here!"

The panting scout came running briskly, and although he had his horse ready, he could not move as fast as a man in knee-deep snow, so he slipped through on his skis.

"What a big fence, how many people, this son of a bitch's weather!" Yu Xiang scolded with a foul mouth.

Although he received a good education since he was a child, after he arrived in the army, he had to learn some foul language. His current position is a company commander in the Northern Army - according to Yu Guozhen's request, he joined the army under the name "Fang Xiang", so even his immediate boss did not know that the company commander under him was actually the crown prince of the Huaxia Dynasty.

Otherwise, Yu Xiang would not have had the opportunity to come directly to the front line to meet the Rakshasa people.

Wang Haoran, the governor of the Northern Army, knew Yu Xiang's identity, and he also deliberately set Yu Xiang's troops as reserves, in order to be afraid that something would go wrong with Yu Xiang. But recently there have been some situations, the Mongols in the west are a little unstable, Wang Haoran moved his camp west, and did not pay attention to the Rakshasa people near Heishui for the time being, but Yu Xiang found an opportunity, and took the initiative to ask for help from Wang Haoran, and got the task of reconnoitring the Rakshasa people from his boss.

Yu Xiang didn't just think about reconnaissance. He knew in his heart that this was a rare opportunity for him. As long as Wang Haoran comes back to his senses a little, it means that he will never be able to be on the front line again. Therefore, he must seize this opportunity to have a real war of his life.

"If it's a father...... Father, he will definitely be like this, when he was fifteen years old, he took his uncles to fight against the water cowards, I am the eldest son of my father. It's not as bad as him back then. ”

Yu Xiang's personality is indeed like Yu Guozhen, and because of the environment, he is a little more flamboyant than Yu Guozhen and a little less forbearing. The scout put the big coat handed over by Yu Xiang on his body, and he was still sweating, but after stopping, he immediately shivered with cold. After relieving yourself. He reported: "There are more than a hundred in total, and I have roughly calculated them. Between one hundred and thirty and one hundred and fifty. The armament was a musket, and a small cannon. ”

"What about military discipline?"

"The military discipline is very poor, I can hear them making loud noises from afar, and they seem to be still drinking, but these Rakshasa ghosts are still a little vigilant, stronger than the Jurchens, and they have set up watchtowers in the enclosure......"

The Scout picks up a twig. The arrangement of the Rakshasa people was drawn one by one on the snow. Yu Xiang touched his chin that had just grown a beard and looked at the pattern on the ground. After pondering for a while, he said, "Let's eat this stronghold and capture some prisoners!" ”

"Good!"

There was not a single voice of persuasion around. Everyone looked excited.

The purpose of Yu Guozhen's formation of the Northern Army was to fight a big battle with the Rakshasas, and it was clearly stated in Yu Guozhen's strategic objectives for each stage of the senior generals that the Rakshasas should be prepared to fight a protracted war for 30 years. The initial goal was to drive it out of the vast black soil belt between the North Sea and the Black Water, and this goal had to be achieved within five years, because after five years, Yu Guozhen would begin to develop the northeast and needed a stable surrounding environment. The second step is to seize the entire tundra - this is the territory of China specified in Yu Guozhen's self-proposed Huaxia song, but because the climate and environment are extremely harsh, only a series of strongholds will be built sporadically in this place, and these strongholds will be connected by rail and road to prepare for large-scale and comprehensive development in the future. The third step is to drive the Rakshasas back west of the Ural Mountains and return the traditional Europa country to its traditions. But Yu Guozhen's vigilance against the Rakshasas did not end there, he knew how big the appetite of these polar bears was, so he had a fourth ultimate goal, which was to completely dismember Tsarist Russia, make the various lords that Tsarist Russia had expanded and annexed since the 14th century independent, and support a pro-Chinese Muscovy.

The whole plan, Yu Guozhen thinks it will take about thirty to fifty years, and he is not in a hurry. But Yu Xiang, these low-ranking officers, did not know his plan, and these low-ranking officers only thought about fighting, fighting, making meritorious contributions, and making meritorious contributions. As the prestige of the Chinese army spread, it became more and more difficult for them to have a decent battle, and they were all dissatisfied.

Therefore, when Yu Xiang decided to build this stronghold, no one objected.

"Fight and fight, we have to fight beautifully, not only to win, but to capture the prisoners, we ourselves have to suffer as few casualties as possible." Yu Xiang squatted on the ground and patted the snow with his hand, and the splashed snow chips stained him, but he didn't pay attention to it at all: "Huo Yan's matter, everyone knows it, he was in a hurry to make meritorious service, but he was driven out of the Huaxia Army, and he has been a little stumbling since then, which of you wants to be him?" ”

Huo Yan's matter was an open secret to the Huaxia Army, and almost all officers would cite his example when teaching their young and frivolous subordinates. Before Yu Xiang went north this time, Yu Guozhen had a long conversation with him all night, and he gave the example of Huo Yan, telling him that no matter how he made a decision, even if he lost the battle, it would not hurt, but if he wanted to exchange the lives of his brothers for personal glory, then even if he was Yu Guozhen's son, he would be punished.

Yu Guozhen made it very clear that there is only one punishment, which is to deprive him of his heir status.

Therefore, although Yu Xiang was eager to make meritorious contributions, he was not blindly impulsive.

"If you have any ideas, say them all and discuss them together!" Yu Xiang said again.

This is Yu Guozhen's second education for him since he was a child: brainstorming can be inclusive of all parties and make progress.

"Night raid?" Someone said without hesitation.

"Do you think you're watching "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", night attacks at every turn, and now that the weather is getting colder, we must end the battle before nightfall, otherwise we will be unable to move at night, and we will be found out if we raise the fire!"

"What then, to go around behind their stronghold? Anyway, we have skis, so it's easy to move around with such a big snow! ”

"There's only one door. This is not our ancient city in China, build a few gates for us to enter. I think it's okay to kidnap them out like this...... We have a company, the number is equal to theirs, and it is quite unfavorable to attack the stronghold. ”

The suggestion of this gang leader made Yu Xiang feel a little interesting, nodded at him, and encouraged him to continue. The captain was praised by him. was a little excited, and drew on the snow: "Don't we have Jurchen guides here, let them be bait to lure the Rakshasa people out, and the Rakshasa people see the scattered Jurchens, how can they not come out to attack?" ”

Yu Xiang hesitated, this stronghold of the Rakshasa people. Originally, it was a settlement of the Jurchen department, but after the Rakshasa people came. And he snatched it up. On this basis, a stronghold was built. Although the stronghold is not large, the position of the guard is very demanding, and it is an important ferry crossing on the north bank of the black water. Like their team, in order not to be discovered by the Rakshasas, they went around dozens of miles to find another ferry crossing, smashed the ice and crossed the black water. Therefore, there are also sporadic Jurchen activities in the vicinity. It does not arouse the suspicion of the Rakshasas.

"Just do it, don't the Jurchens hate the Rakshasa people to the bone? They have to behave well, otherwise why would the commander take them in? "I thought about it for a moment. Yu Xiang made up his mind: "However, they are still useful, let them survive as much as possible...... First of all, we have to choose a good ambush location, we can't come here, there are too many traces, and the Rakshasa people will be more vigilant, ask the Jurchens, is there a suitable place for ambush on the back of the Rakshasa people, it's really not good, the dense forest can also be, we all brought snow fans, all change up! ”

In order to adapt to the operation in the northern cold zone, the Huaxia army spent half a year to prepare, including changing all the soldiers of the Northern Army into white and gray snow fans, and equipping them with white capes, sunglasses, gloves, leather boots and skis.

According to the Jurchen guide, there is indeed a dense forest in the northwest corner of this stronghold, but the forest is covered with a dense network of rivers, and it is now snowy, and there is snow on the water surface, so it is difficult to distinguish where you can and where you can't. Yu Xiang didn't worry about this, and they didn't plan to go deep into the river network, as long as they were at the edge of the dense forest, with the help of those ancient trees that had grown for hundreds of years, so they made a battle plan.

Andreirov was the head of this Cossack-controlled stronghold, and he himself could not tell what his official title was, which did not matter to him - rumors of the rich Eastern kingdom of China, as the Spanish and Portuguese reached Moscow, countless hooligans, criminals and Cossacks, who had nothing in Russia, were attracted by gold, silver and silk, and began to flock to the East. For them, the rank is not important, the important thing is force.

Whoever is the most ferocious and the most brutal will be able to become the leader of an army. This is how Andreyrov obtained the position of chieftain, and then was recognized by Golovin, the Yakutsk overseer in the Far East of the Rakshasa Kingdom.

It doesn't matter whether you recognize it or not, anyway, in this stronghold, Andrerov is the biggest leader, and everyone has to respectfully call him Governor Andreirov.

They had captured the stronghold a month earlier, and then strengthened it, because they had heard that the stronghold would be patrolled by the troops of the Huaxia Kingdom further south, across the Black Water, so Andrerov recognized the importance of his stronghold by the instinct of a beast. He was going to rest here for the winter, and then send someone back to China to declare that he had opened the door to the rich and prosperous country of China, and to deceive and kidnap and get another batch of hooligans and criminals, so that when the weather was warm next year, he should have 500 people in his hands. With so many people, it was enough for a fruitful expedition.

But what he has to do now is to survive this winter.

The biggest problem that plagues the Rakshasas is food. Andrerov looked at the cellar that served as a storage room, at the meat that had been frozen to the **, and his brows were furrowed.

Not enough, although he had killed every animal he could catch, from deer and roe deer to Jurchens, he still didn't have enough food to store. The adventurers who came to the Far East were outlaws, and they came here to make a fortune, not to starve. During the long and severe winter season, which lasts for more than half a year, they will be able to go out hunting, and at that time they will have to rely on the food stored here.

"It's a pity, the last Jurchen woman has also been made into frozen meat, maybe she should be kept for two more days, and ask from her mouth where there are Jurchens nearby. Before the real blizzard hits, we can also go out and stock up on some food. Andrey said to the priest beside him.

Like all colonists, Andreirov had a "priest" by his side, but Andrerov was very skeptical that he was really a priest as he claimed to be, or at least not under the Orthodox Patriarch, because he was clearly more interested in the little boy's chrysanthemum, a trait that the Roman megalomaniac and his followers had in common.

At this moment, the sentry standing on the high watchtower suddenly shouted loudly, and Andrerov raised his head, because he heard the call of the sentry with the cry of "full man".

This is what they call the Jurchens, and Andrey was overjoyed: Another Jurchen person has come to the door?