-- Russia at the end of the 19th century was a barrel of dynamite that was thriving on the surface but harbored a storm on the inside.

……

The Russians were very much like Liu Xian thought, they didn't care about the defeat of six or seven hundred thousand soldiers, because the huge Russian Empire had a population of more than 110 million people [not just Russia]. But the Russian ruling class, represented by the tsar, was afraid of the bad effects of defeat and the turmoil that it would bring.

Because there is not only one Russia in the entire Russian Empire! It was a huge empire, with Russia as the main body in the middle, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland, and so on, as part of it. These places are the 'great achievements' of the Russians, a fighting people, for 200 years. One by one, they fell at the feet of the Tsar, not because of the mercy of St. Petersburg, but because of the great force in the hands of the Tsar.

Now the repeated defeats on the Eastern battlefield are weakening the deterrent power of the tsar and weakening the deterrent power of the Russian army again and again!

The news of the defeat of the Russian army again and again made the Slavs angry and passionate, and many Ukrainians, Finns, Poles, etc., were pleasantly surprised, and in the end, the anger of the Slavs calmed down. Because the Russian army has failed too many times, get used to it, and naturally.

This was a big blow to St. Petersburg. One defeat after another shook the Tsar's influence among the people. However, Russia has a strong foundation, and if Russia can recuperate with peace of mind for three or five years after the end of the war, Russia will still be able to recover its strength quickly. This is like Alexander II, who succeeded to the throne at the end of the Crimean War.

He also ascended to the throne of the tsar in a storm. Then, with his own eloquence, he opened a new page in Russia. But alas, Alexander III was not his father. He is a man of very mediocre talents. is also a person who has a fear of 'freedom and cooking' because of his father's assassination. The repressive policies of Alexander III since his accession to the throne have already bred turmoil and storms within Russia. Now the crisis has spurred the germination and growth of these seeds.

Alexander III adopted an ambiguous attitude towards liberalism and conservatism at the beginning of his reign. Implement the system of local governors. Destruction of local self-government. Restriction of the autonomy of universities, imposition of a policy of Russification in the face of alien races (Russification policy). These are decisions that can provoke contradictions. It's just that Alexander III had the army in his hands, and no one dared to oppose it in front of him.

Now that the two are combined, the internal situation in Russia is slowly making waves. Of course, the most important thing is that the Wehrmacht will be one step away from Europe after taking Orenburg. This is something that shakes Russia very much.

The battle took place in distant Asia, and countless Russians were still able to watch the fire from the other side, and now that the war is about to burn into Europe, they can immediately feel the flames.

This is also a major reason for the fluctuation of the situation in Russia. This is the same as the previous Qing Dynasty. The battle took place on the southeast coast, and it was okay. If it burns to Tianjin, the whole country will be nervous.

Liu Xian then captured the city of Ural, and sent the 4th Division south to sweep the lower Ural River basin, but failed to completely capture Guryev because of the Russian Caspian fleet. Guriev's defenders had naval guns to help, but Shi Donglai did not come hard.

When the Wehrmacht entered the Volga Valley, there were too many important cities to attack. Like Saratov, like Samara. For example, Tsaritsyn [Stalingrad], for example, Astrakhan. And once you get here, there are more local resistance forces. Now Liu Xian must leave a certain number of troops to guard the back road. Because this region is the most important grain-producing region in Russia, it is one of the granaries of Russia. A large number of Slavs lived here. The main ethnic group is no longer the Kasa and Tatars.

Liu Xian had a large number of troops in his hands, and probably less than 60,000 people could be used for mobile attacks. The 4th Division suppressed the lower Ural River basin, the cities of the Urals, Orenburg, Orsk, Aktobinsk. and other cities, all need troops to garrison. Repression localities. And, more importantly, the supply lines were stretched too far, too far. It takes seven or eight days to send a train from here in Balkhash and get it all the way to the front. More often than not, it takes more than ten days. And to rush enough arms from Xinjiang to Balkhash, it will take more than 10 days.

Liu Xian's advanced arms supply will take a month. If it weren't for the fact that edible substances such as grain, salt, and sugar could be collected on the spot, Liu Xian's expedition could have ended directly after entering Orenburg.

The price is too high! Transport capacity is seriously insufficient.

But again, the Russians are also very uncomfortable now. His own granary is at gunpoint with the Chinese at all times, what could make St. Petersburg nervous more than this?

The troops guarding the Moscow region were all transferred to the Volga themselves.

There are no big battles between China and Russia here, there are endless small conflicts, and there are cavalry games.

The closer the Wehrmacht got to the European strip of Russia, the more Cossack cavalry became. Now Liu Jintang's unit has completely turned into a mobile defensive operation. Holding it in the palm of Liu Xian's hand, listening to Liu Xian's command, and cooperating with the infantry, it is often possible to make gains. But single-arm assault operations have long been gone.

In mid-September, Russia was already cold and windy, and it had snowed a few days ago. Liu Xian arrived with 50,000 troops to a small city of Mapotsk, located in front of the city of Saratov, a distance of 100 miles. The 4th Division was still pressuring Guriev. Taking advantage of the characteristics of individual rocket artillery, such as great power, fast firing speed, light and flexible, it bombed Guriev day and night. The number of Russian troops stationed there has become smaller and smaller. The Caspian detachment of the Russians defended Guriev with the civilian and military forces that had been evacuated there.

Liu Xian knew that there would be a big war between China and Russia. After this war, the third war between China and Russia can come to an end. The Russians could not tolerate Liu Xian stepping on their southern granary, and if the Russians could defeat the Wehrmacht, they knew what they were relying on. It will only take advantage of the victory to make peace, not to chase while the victory is won!

Liu Xian placed his troops in the middle of the three cities of Tsaritsyn, Saratov and Samara, also in order to gain a comprehensive insight into the reality of these three cities. Now the Russian army has deployed more troops in Tsaritsyn, and there are more than 60,000 troops, Saratov's is 50,000, and Samara's is about the same as Saratov's. However, in the Don River valley, which is two or three hundred miles away from Saratov, and in Kazan, Kirov, Perm and other places in the upper reaches of the Volga River, there are as few as 120,000 or more 30,000 or 40,000 Russian troops assembled, and the total strength of the Russian army here is not less than 300,000.

Of the 50,000 troops under Liu Xian, half of them were the banner army with no human rights and no status. The Anxi frontier detachment was arranged by Liu Xian in Orenburg, resting and recuperating while cleaning up the place. These people are not ordinary ruthless.

So it is impossible to deal with the Russian army with 50,000 troops. This is Liu Xian fishing. He took 50,000 troops and placed them not far from Rysaratov for the Russians to see. Look, just such an army, are you greedy or not?

Winters in Russia are cold. It is estimated that in another ten and a half days, the entire Volga River will be frozen. The ice was thick enough for the carriage to pass smoothly. Cold weather is also the Russian's best friend. At that time, the Russians will have more troops gathered together, and that will be the best time to attack us.

How could Liu Xian let the Russians get their wish.

He turned the troops into a fragrant bait to lure the Russian army to attack as soon as possible. And if the Russian army on the other side of the Volga River can really calm down, calm down, and hold on to it, Liu Xian will take the initiative to attack, pass through the middle of Saratov and Samara, and cross to the west bank of the Volga River.

Anyway, if you want to win the next battle, you must take the initiative to mobilize the enemy.

At the same time, Liu Xian received an urgent telegram from Beijing: Britain and Austria-Hungary had made small moves in the Balkans. There is a suspicion of provoking the back garden of Russia!

Liu Xian was overjoyed, but after calming down, he felt very strange. Are the British that good? What is the purpose of taking the initiative to find the stubble of the Russians at this time?

But in any case, the Russians are going to scatter some of their energies into the Balkans. Liu Xian has also become more confident about ending the battle a year ago.

"There is no way to move locomotives and carriages to the western line in China. That's all we have for now. In the future, I will save some money when I start fighting. Don't take bullets or grenades seriously. ”

Saratov's Russian troops attacked. The battle was approaching, and Liu Xian summoned all the officers above the barracks and said so.

"This will be 30,000 Russians. But I think that the Russian troops on the side of Samara and Tsaritsyn will also move. So we have to estimate the Russian army at least by the number of 100,000 people. So we can't stay here. We have to take the initiative and fight field battles with the Russians, in encounters. ”

"Disrupting the enemy's operational disposition is one thing, and annihilating as many enemies as possible by surprise in a battle by surprise is the other."

The troops were rapidly mobilized, and Liu Xian did not tell his generals and officers that while the British and Austria-Hungary were making small moves in the Balkans, they had already formally made political demands to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing together with Spain and the Netherlands. They want to sign an open Southeast Asia treaty with China for 10 years, with the aim of maintaining the existing political landscape in Southeast Asia.

It was only after receiving this telegram that Liu Xian understood the 'kindness' of the British. Sure enough, it is a product that is unprofitable and cannot afford to be early. They don't take any of what they owe, and they even eat it both ways.

Liu Xian didn't think that the Russians would dare to turn their faces with the British at this time, as long as Britain and Austria-Hungary didn't go too far in the Balkans, the British would be able to eat the Russians first, and then turn back to eat China. (To be continued......)