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On the afternoon of April 29, 1847, the main forces of the 1st and 2nd armies of the Imperial Cavalry bypassed the southern part of Lake Baikal and reached the banks of the Angara River, opposite which was Irkutsk. However, because the Irkutsk bridge was blown up, the imperial cavalry could only look at the river on the south bank of the Angara River. Because of the rising temperature, the ice that used to cover the river has broken, and it is absolutely impossible to cross the river from the ice.

"General, our people have checked, and most of the ice has broken, and people can't cross the river from the ice at all, they will only fall into it. As the temperature continues to rise, the ice on the river will soon melt. An officer reported to Major General Monk Greenchin.

"Those old hairy men are really decisive, until they can't resist us, and they immediately blow up Brother Daqiao, who has worked so hard to build." Major General Qiao Moyan said a little speechlessly. The 300-meter-long bridge is not so easy to build. Especially with an all-steel bridge, it's even more difficult. The Russians were willing to blow up the bridge, which was a waste.

"Forget it, old Joe, this was what I expected. If they don't blow up the bridge, how can they resist our attack! However, it is impossible to stop our attack in this way. Brigade Commander Zhang, immediately send people along the Angara River to see where there are places to cross the river, I don't believe they can blow up all the bridges. In that case, once the Russian expeditionary force arrives. They will not be able to cross the river. Russians shouldn't be so stupid. Major General Monk Greenqin said.

"Yes, General!" Brigadier General Zhang Yuanhua, commander of the 1st Cavalry Brigade, immediately took action.

A few thousand cavalrymen of the 1st Brigade began to rush towards the lower reaches of the Angara. The Russians blew up the bridge over the Angara River. However, the bridge over the Irkut River was not blown up, allowing the Imperial cavalry to cross the river with ease.

"Monk King, if we really can't do it, we will have to build a bridge with sappers. However, the infantry only has the engineer class, but our cavalry does not have it. Major General Qiao Moyan said with a sigh.

"Old Joe. Wait a little longer, there will be news. Besides, do those old hairy people think that they will be able to withstand our attacks in this way? That's simply delusional. Come. All artillery, including mortars, was ordered to open fire on Irkutsk. I want to see Irkutsk on fire! Monk Lingqin gave the order with an indifferent face. Although Irkutsk is the largest city in the Russian Far East, it is not a large city. 100,000 Russian troops crowded inside. Coupled with the nearby civilians, the whole city is very crowded, and if it is subjected to large-scale shelling, you can imagine what the consequences will be.

"Yes, General!" The heralds quickly conveyed the order of Major General Monk Greenqin.

"Shelling Irkutsk, that's a good idea. Let those old hairy people taste the power of our shells. However, monk, the cannonballs have to be spared. We are too far from the rear, and it is not easy to replenish. You'll have to save some shells to deal with the Russian expeditionary force that might arrive early! Major General Qiao Moyan reminded. The Chinese* army has now begun to attack Irkutsk, and the Russians must know about it, and in this case, Russian reinforcements will definitely come at an accelerated pace. Now the two armies of the Imperial Cavalry are hundreds of kilometers away from the main force in the rear, and they must be prepared in advance.

"Don't worry, Old Joe, I'm measured!" Major General Monk Grinqin nodded. His army had been subjected to heavy artillery bombardment by the Imperial artillery during his time of serving the Manchus, and now that he was finally able to command a unit equipped with so many artillery, his favorite thing to see was that the enemy trembled under the heavy shelling of his artillery.

Half an hour later, the 1st and 2nd armies of the Imperial Cavalry, with nearly 300 artillery pieces and hundreds of mortars, fiercely tested Irkutsk. The Angara River is only a few hundred meters wide, and even a mortar can easily shoot shells into the urban area built along the river!

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Dense shells exploded in the city of Irkutsk, stone houses were blown up, and wooden houses were set on fire, igniting a raging fire. Countless Russians were killed in the shelling, and those who survived fled in panic everywhere in the city. The heavy shelling of the Imperial cavalry plunged the entire Irkutsk into a sea of fire.

The commander of the Russian army, Major General Nevelskoy, hid in the headquarters converted from a basement, listening to the rumbling artillery outside, his face was gloomy as if he could drip water. He did not expect that even after the Irkutsk bridge was blown up, the Chinese* army still attacked.

"General, under the heavy shelling of the Chinese, we suffered great losses. At least several thousand of the troops of both armies were killed in the shelling, and many of the fortifications were destroyed in the shelling. The civilian casualties are even greater, and the situation is now very unfavorable for us! Brigadier General Borif said to Major General Nevelskoy with a panicked expression.

"No, General Borif, it's nothing. The Irkutsk bridge was blown up, and if the Chinese wanted to cross the river, they had to take a detour. This can give us a few more days to prepare. In addition, the reinforcements are getting closer and closer, and as long as we hold on, we will be able to achieve the final victory. Major General Nevelskoy said firmly.

The shelling of the Chinese cavalry lasted only thirty minutes before it ended. This is mainly due to the need to save shells. The cavalry advanced at a rapid pace, already far away from the infantry behind. None of the infantry in the rear had yet reached Ulan-Ude, and the convoy was even further behind. In such a situation, the cavalry had to conserve ammunition.

Two hours later, the soldiers of the 1st Brigade of the Imperial Cavalry, who had gone to investigate, had found a place to cross the Angara River.

"General, we can cross the river fifty kilometers to the west. There is a small town of Angarsk with a wooden bridge over the river. Brigadier General Zhang Yuanhua, commander of the 1st Brigade of the Imperial Cavalry, said excitedly.

"Haha, I knew there was a way to cross the river. Old Joe, we leave a brigade here to pick up the infantry behind. The main forces will cross the river from Angarsk, and tomorrow they will launch an offensive against Irkutsk. I'd like to see how long those old hairy people can last. Monk Lingqin said with a smile.

The Imperial cavalry left a brigade opposite Irkutsk, and the main force marched west along the Angara River from the bridge over the Irkut River to Guò, arriving at Angarsk that evening.

On the morning of April 30, the main forces of the 1st and 2nd armies of the Imperial Cavalry crossed the Angara River from Angarsk. A cavalry brigade was left to garrison Angarsk, and reconnaissance units were sent to the west to warn the incoming enemy from the west. The other main forces marched south along the Angara River towards Irkutsk.

At 3 p.m. that day, the Imperial cavalry arrived on the outskirts of Irkutsk.

Now in Irkutsk, the fire has been extinguished, but the smell of fireworks still remains in the air, which is a little choking. The arrival of the Imperial cavalry made the Russian defenders in the city of Irkutsk very nervous, and a large number of Russian soldiers could be seen entering the positions, preparing to resist the attack of the Imperial* army. These Russians knew that if they could not withstand the attack of the Imperial cavalry, death awaited them.

"Order all departments, if you want to live, you must resist the attack of the Chinese. We just need to hold out for a few more days before reinforcements arrive. "Major General Nevelskoy gathered the officers of the Russian army above the battalion level and assured them that it would only take a week at most for reinforcements to arrive.

At 4 p.m., the Imperial cavalry launched an attack on Irkutsk. After twenty minutes of rapid artillery bombardment, units of two brigades of the Imperial Cavalry launched a fierce assault on the city of Irkutsk.

Irkutsk, as the capital of the Russian Far East, although the scale of the city is not large, but after more than a month of preparation, the Russian army has built a large number of fortifications on the outskirts of the city and on the streets of the city. For the cavalry of the Empire, a lot of horse traps and trenches were also dug.

"Rush!" The Imperial cavalry brandished their sabers and charged quickly. Some of the warriors' horses stepped into the trap and their legs were broken, and the cavalry on the horses were also thrown under the horses and were seriously injured. And those long trenches blocked the way of the Imperial cavalry.

"Boom! Rumble! "The Russian* army in the city also began to counterattack, and they attacked the Imperial cavalry with all their weapons. Unlike the Russian defenders of Ulan-Ude, the Russian defenders of Irkutsk were armed with rifles, both advanced breech-loading rifles and old-fashioned breech-loading rifles, which were capable of posing a serious threat to the Imperial cavalry.

"Bang!" An Imperial cavalryman who was charging was hit and fell off his horse on the spot.

Two brigades, a total of tens of thousands of imperial cavalry, paid a lot of casualties before breaking through the Russian army's defensive line on the outskirts of Irkutsk and attacking the city. However, in the city of Irkutsk, they were hit even harder. Those Russian troops hid behind the rubble, or in buildings that had not collapsed, and launched an attack on the Imperial cavalry. The streets in the city were narrow, which was not conducive to the charge of the cavalry. Dense barricades and other obstacles affected the movement of the cavalry. Under such circumstances, riding on a war horse has undoubtedly become the last target of the Russians. This forced the Imperial cavalry to dismount and fight. Because they were not familiar with the environment, and at the same time the Russians were desperate, they attacked the imperial cavalry in the city of Irkutsk and paid a heavy price. (To be continued......)