Although Shi Dakai had made up his mind to catch up with the Russian Tatar cavalry at the cost of exhausting his horses, the marching speed of the more than 20,000 mounted infantry and Mongolian armed herdsmen under his command was far from keeping up with his determination. Two full days after the Russian Tatar cavalry passed through Wuwei Fort, the exhausted army of more than 10,000 troops arrived belatedly - 200 miles in one day and two nights, which was really not slow. But then, the army has to be recharged.

Although the soldiers of the Steppe Legion are all elite, they can survive without sleeping for two or three days. But the Mongol horses they were given were not made of iron, and the necessary rest must not be saved, and if the horses were to be killed, the march on two legs would be even slower.

In addition, the herdsmen who marched with Shi Dakai were driving countless cattle and sheep and spare horses, and they were also slow to advance. Now he has been left behind by Shi Dakai seventy or eighty miles away! But without them, the steppe army of the Ming army would have lost the ability to march and fight without logistics. The logistics of the 120,000-strong army are enough to make Liu Jiong, the chief of the general staff, go crazy. So now it's time to change your strategy.

"Have you noticed? Our march is still a bit slow...... It's only 200 miles a day and two nights, and the Russian Tatar cavalry can find at least 200 miles in two days, and there is no way to maintain such a speed! Not only the Mongolian herders can't keep up, but even our own army can't move. I estimate that in the next few days, we won't even be able to walk 100 miles a day! At most, it was 70 miles, and the Russian Tartar cavalry could go 100 miles a day. That is to say, the distance between us and the Russian Tatar cavalry is not getting closer and closer, but chasing farther and farther!

It's not going to go on like this. I would like to draw out 2 mounted infantry regiments, 1 cavalry regiment, 1 baggage battalion, and 1 cavalry artillery battalion to form a vanguard corps, led by me and the Xixiang people. Carry 15 days' worth of rations and horse feed. In any case, it is necessary to catch up with this Russian Tatar cavalry. Even if you can't wipe them all out. At least half of them will be left behind! ”

Shi Dakai looked at the regimental and regimental officers who followed him with blazing eyes, and those officers all looked eager to try. Feng Zicai, the commander of the First Cavalry Division under his command, frowned a little, Shi Dakai wanted to personally lead three regiments to attack, wouldn't he, the division commander, only lead the rest of the troops to protect those Mongolian herdsmen, cattle and sheep? But he also knows Shi Dakai's temper, he likes to be the first in everything, otherwise he is young, so it is possible for him to worship the military commander - Feng Zicai certainly couldn't imagine that the reason why Shi Dakai would be prosperous in official fortune. Entirely because he was too famous in another piece of history.

Shi Dakai saw that everyone had no different opinions, so he turned his gaze to Feng Zicai: "Brother Nangan, the rear team will be handed over to you!" Just walk seventy or eighty miles a day. I estimate that I will be able to catch up with the Russian Tatar cavalry in ten days, and I should be engaged with the Russian Tatars on the southern slope of Yanran Mountain. ”

"Commander, there are less than 7,000 people in the vanguard corps, and most of them are mounted infantry, and the Russians are all cavalry. Is it to wait for Han Shuai to contact and then mobilize a light cavalry division to act together? ”

Shi Dakai smiled disappreciatively: "Waiting to contact Han Shuai, the daylily is cold!" I am determined and cannot be changed. The 1st Cavalry Regiment, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The 1st Light Cavalry Regiment of the Grassland, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Artillery Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the Military Baggage Regiment formed the vanguard corps. We will leave tomorrow morning. Gather all the dry rations and horse feed we were carrying and hand them over to the vanguard regiment...... The rest of the troops will eat the stocks of the garrison of Fort Wuwei first! ”

It was already three days later for Han Si to receive the news that Shi Dakai led his light troops to pursue the Russian Tatar cavalry. After he released the troops of the three armies and three divisions, he went to Tengger City with a streamlined command center, and walked for more than ten days to reach the destination, and when he arrived in Tengger City, he received a telegram from Shi Dakai, and at the same time, Zhu Jishi's telegram asking him to "seal Yanran Mountain" also arrived. He is very hands-off about the encirclement, suppression, and search operations of his subordinates. It's just a few thousand people, and the Ming army can deploy nearly 300,000 troops in Mobei Mongolia! But he was very attentive to "Feng Yanran Mountain" and the subsequent attack on Central Asia. He estimated that he and the old French man, Major General Pierre, who was the chief of staff of the Steppe Corps (Pierre the Elder was promoted, and Napoleon III made him a general), agreed that the real life-and-death struggle between China and Russia would take place in Central Asia.

Therefore, this encirclement and suppression of the Russian Tatar cavalry is just a warm-up game, and it is also an opportunity to test the combat effectiveness of the steppe legion. Regarding "Feng Yanran Mountain", both of them have favorable opinions. Anyway, it is to find a place to graze, there is not much difference between Yanran Mountain and Horqin Grassland, and the former is much closer to Russian Central Asia.

After studying the "Feng Yanran Mountain" operation, Han Sicai and Lao Peel evaluated the message developed by Shi Da together. It's just an assessment, because this was already 3 days ago, and now Shi Dakai has led his troops to chase 300 miles, and it's too late to change this deployment.

At this time, both of them already knew that the core of this Russian Tatar cavalry was 3,000 Cossacks (in fact, there were only 2,500), and the commander was Major General Rosovsky of the Russian cavalry. As for the Russian career officers and Cossack cavalry, the elder Peel also thought that it was more skillful, after all, he himself had escaped from Russia more than thirty years ago. The war was a real nightmare, and it ruined the French for domination of Europe.

"This time it's actually mounted infantry against cavalry...... It's up to the power of the Dresser Pin Gun! Our mounted infantry is very good, consisting of the main force of the Guards, the Japanese samurai and the elite selected by each unit. As infantrymen, I believe they are comparable to the infantry of the French Army. Let's wait for the good news with peace of mind! ”

Han Si lit a cigar cigarette given by the emperor and took a puff: "I wonder if Maozi will let the Tartar be cannon fodder, and then see that the sprouts don't run away to him...... Then again, this Rosovsky is such a general! If you can't beat him to death at the foot of Yanran Mountain, it will definitely be a trouble in the future! ”

……

In the summer night of the Gobi Desert, a marching procession with torches advanced rapidly to the northwest in the night. The team, all in yellow cotton armor, took advantage of the cool weather at night to move quickly. The temperature difference between day and night in the desert is very large, and around noon is the hottest time, so Rosovsky arranged his rest time at that time, and marched at night, early morning and late afternoon.

And the scout cavalry sent by Wuweibao also hung only a few miles away behind the Russian Tatar cavalry at this time, watching from a distance as the long torches that could not be seen quickly advance on the desert.

"Maozi and Tatar run really fast, they can walk hundreds of miles every day, this way of running should be out of the Gobi Desert in less than three days, it seems that they are going to rest at the foot of Yanran Mountain." The cavalry platoon commander of Wuweibao, a 17-year-old young man, Zuo Guigui, sat on horseback, muttering to himself while nibbling on dry food.

"Platoon commander, I think these hairs and tartars are probably like arrows, you didn't notice that they haven't sent cavalry to drive us away in the past few days, just let us hang like this." An elderly cavalryman who had participated in the Twist Army came to Zuo Guigui's side and echoed with a smile.

"Hehe, that's what they deliberately let us follow!" Although Zuo Guigui is young, he is also a veteran who has been in the army for several years, he joined the Miao Army at the age of 13, and has always been a cavalryman, and he still has some battlefield experience.

"Platoon commander, do you mean that the Woolly Tartars want to lure our people to the bait?"

Zuo Guigui smiled: "Then let's lead, this is not our business, we just have to follow." He snorted coldly, "But I see that these hairy men and tartars don't have three heads and six arms, and they are far worse than our guards cavalry, so they will only hide in Tibet!" Brothers, give me some spiritual points, this is Mao Zi Tartar giving us credit! ”

As he spoke, he suddenly commanded loudly: "Beat me all the torches, since they want us to follow, we don't have to sneak around, just come generously!" Let them know that my Ming cavalry didn't take any Cossacks in their eyes at all! (To be continued......)