It's over, it's all over, it's not a war between humans......"

Commander Bilokhov, who holds the rank of lieutenant general, wiped the drops of water from his beard and lamented. In less than half a day, the 40,000 troops under his command had collapsed: hundreds of steel chariots of two armored brigades were dusted in the front, and six thousand cavalry of two cavalry brigades were chasing after each other and three infantry divisions were following up, with the surging Arkut River on the left and the vast Baikal Lake on the right.

The Russian artillery that survived the air raid was soon suppressed by the Chinese artillery fire supported by the school firing aircraft, and was completely unable to resist the Chinese tanks that were rolling like a torrent of steel, and soon, the artillery positions of the entire company were drowned in the smoke and dust rolled up by the tracks, and the gunners who had no time to hide were overturned like rabbits by machine guns and rapid-fire guns, and the remaining cannons were either damaged by the tank replenishment guns, or directly knocked over by the tank, and a small number of artillery located on the commanding heights were also captured and controlled by the armored infantry carrying the follow-up by the half-track vehicle. In turn, the Russian infantry assembled on both sides of the railway did not have time to dig trenches.

The Russian infantry, which had lost artillery cover, was like a herd of domestic pigs being hunted in the wilderness in front of the Chinese chariots charging in groups, and after the most heroic Russian soldiers were shot into honeycombs and crushed into pulp, the last straw that crushed the camels fell - the two cavalry brigades that were the advance troops of the 1st Army rushed to the battlefield, their sabers shining, the horses' hooves trampling, the heads rolling to the ground, and screaming one after another. The desperate and pitiful insects who survived for the time being either knelt down and raised their guns in surrender or rushed to the surrounding mountains and forests in groups of three or five, and Bilokhov personally shot a few deserters, but the general situation was gone, and seeing that the army was defeated like a mountain, the military commander, who was unwilling to be a prisoner, pulled up a few close followers. He rode a fast horse into the woods, and then abandoned his horse and walked at night. This group of people fled in a hurry, did not have time to pack dry food, deep in the mountains and wild forests, no food, hungry and thirsty, finally found this spring, since the long drought and nectar, rushed to gather in the past, water buffalo drink.

"Commander. What do we do next? Serinev, the chief of staff of the army, who had drunk enough water, obviously did not care about Bilokhov's mood at this time.

Bilokhov shook his head: "What to do?" Does this need to be asked? Finding a way back to Irkutsk, of course. ”

"What about when you go back? Having lost an entire corps in one day, how can we give an account to Commander Barreev? And how to explain to His Majesty the Tsar? ”

Bilokhov sighed, hung his head, and said: "Even if I am sent to a military court, it will be the punishment I deserve." ”

"I don't think so." Serinev smiled coldly, turned back to the people who were still busy by the spring, and beckoned: "Gentlemen, stop, we have something to discuss." ”

Bilokhov looked at Serinev, then at the other subordinates who were getting up and gathering, and his right hand unconsciously reached to his waist.

"What do you mean?"

Serinev did not answer immediately, waiting until everyone gathered. Only then did he speak with high spirits.

"Has anyone here seen the leaflets dropped by Chinese planes?"

Half of them raised their hands and said they had seen it.

"That's all nonsense, not worth mentioning." Bilokhov said indignantly. The finger was already pressed against the holster.

"Really? So what is happening today because of it? Our soldiers are all scarecrows? Or are our officers all empty in their heads? ”

"We did our best! It's not anyone's fault. A hairless young staff officer interjected, and was immediately glared at by Bilokhov and shrank back like a schoolboy being criticized by a teacher.

"So, is it God's fault? Or is the war itself wrong? ”

"Watch where you stand! This war was imposed on our Holy Motherland by that evil alliance, and we fought to defend our homeland, for our children, for our women, for His Majesty the Tsar! Our justice is unquestionable! What do you think? What traitorous reasoning do you have to spit out in your mouth when you are scared by the yellow monkey? Bilokhov straightened up and let go of his throat, looking dignified.

The flyer said. The Siberians' own Buryat autonomous government was formally formed last month, the original Ulan

The commander of the garrison, Lieutenant General Mihrier, was now an officer of self-government. The leaflet contained a proclamation in the hands of the lieutenant general, whose handwriting I recognized as Mihrul's chief of staff two years earlier. Major Irikryulf should also be recognizable. Serinev glanced at Irickryev, the intelligence staff officer next to Bilokhov, and got the response he wanted - a nod of acknowledgement.

"Okay, now I know what you're trying to say. Do you want me to abandon the dignity and honor of the Russian people and sell myself to the Chinese, like Mikhliul? Be a traitor that everyone spurns, a traitor? Bilohov sighed and shook his head and pulled out the revolver at his waist.

"The system of this empire has reached the extreme, everything was revolutionized 10 years ago, why should you continue to work hard for this rotten government? What's wrong with going to the government of the Siberians and protecting the people of Siberia? ”

"Ha, I really didn't expect that there would be a colonel of the revolutionary party among us." Bilokhov laughed and raised his hand to Serinev's head.

"You have one minute to finish your last words."

"The war will always end, and everyone has seen that we have no hope of victory, and Russia will definitely be defeated! The Tsar will definitely be overthrown, and it is not clear how many pieces Russia will be divided into at that time, but it is still too late to stand on the right seat, and we still have the opportunity to become a member of the ruling class, even if it is only a Siberian master, it is better than a slave of the dead country, right? After Serinev finished speaking, he spread his hands and sneered at the crowd whose expressions were covered by the mottled moon shadow between the branches and leaves.

—

"You really don't want to live anymore, very good, I'll fulfill your wish and go to hell to preach your traitorous theory!" Bilokhov said fiercely, his thumb pulled the hammer safe, and his index finger was about to buckle back, but suddenly he felt a cold hard object poke at his temple, and his heart was startled, and his finger reflexively left the trigger.

"Major Iriclyuf, do you know what you are doing?" Bilokhov shouted loudly, but did not dare to make a slight movement in his hands.

"General, you should know that I am a Siberian." Irikryev said lightly.

"No, you're Russian, you're a Russian emperor!" Bilokhov screamed anxiously, beads of sweat on his forehead.

"If the empire is doomed, then I would rather be a Siberian only. General, we have not given up on you, the compatriots in this land need our protection, as the chief of staff said, we still have the opportunity to become the ruling class here, to keep our position as a nobleman, and if we return to Irkutsk, we are destined to have no good results, the 40,000-strong army will be wiped out in one day, and we will always need to pull out a few scapegoats to explain to His Majesty the Tsar. ”

"General, I think the Chief of Staff and the Major have a point, Lieutenant General Mihrur is a good example, and I have heard that the self-government has begun to revive the traditional village community system and return to the village community the land plundered by Stolypin during the reforms, which is in line with the will of the people, and I think that sooner or later the people here will be on their side." The hairless little staff officer echoed, and as soon as these words came out, the remaining three or four people looked at each other for a while, neither agreeing nor opposing, and each bowed his head and said nothing, obviously intending to follow the crowd without responsibility.

"Mihrur is just a dog, a marionette of the Chinese, do you want to ride the yellow monkey as a dog so much? The honor and dignity of the emperor-"

"Uhh

A dull gunshot echoed for a long time in the dim moonlit mountains......

On June 25, 1915, most of the 1st Siberian Army was annihilated under the attack of the 4th Panzer Army and the 1st Army of the Chinese Army from the north and south, with more than 7,000 killed, 25,000 captured, and thousands of people under the army commander Bilokhov missing. The next day, Chief of Staff Serinyev led several officers and soldiers to surrender to the Chinese army, and was later promoted by the head of the Buryat Autonomous Government, General Mikhliul, and was able to be absorbed into the Autonomous Government, and Serinyev was promoted to Major General and Chief of Staff of the Autonomous Security Corps, serving the former enemy together...... This is not to be said later.