The headquarters of Grand Duke Nikolai in Irkutsk was located in the Governor's Palace of Eastern Siberia. In Irkutsk, where the conditions of the Governor's Palace are the best and the territory is vast, it is undoubtedly the best to have the headquarters here. In this regard, the governor of Eastern Siberia, Anuchin, did not have any objection. For Grand Duke Nicholas, such a top Russian magnate, it was too late for him to take the initiative to stammer!

In the conference room of the headquarters, more than 50 Russian generals have gathered together. On everyone's shoulders, there are shining gold stars, one or two, which makes the conference room shine with a burst of stars. It's just that the expressions on the faces of these generals are not very good. The Russian army has been defeated one after another on the battlefield in Eastern Siberia, which makes them have some fears and worries about the next war, not for the fate of Russia, but for their future. Kyakhta and Ulan-Ude were defeated successively, losing more than 300,000 people. Even if Irkutsk now has more than 500,000 people, they feel a little unsafe!

When Grand Duke Nicholas walked into the conference room, all the generals stood up and saluted. The Governor of Eastern Siberia, Anuchin, although not a military general, but as the highest military and political governor of the Eastern Siberian region, he also participated in this meeting. Of course, after the arrival of Grand Duke Nicholas in Eastern Siberia, Anuchin had already transferred all military power to Archduke Nicholas, who was only responsible for the civil and logistical aspects. This makes it much less powerful, but it is also more secure. The example of Lieutenant General Vladimir, but it's right in front of you!

"Let's all sit down!" After returning the salute, Grand Duke Nikolai said.

The generals sat in their places in unison. Duration. There was not a single murmur.

"Everyone. The Eastern Siberian battlefield has been calm for a month. However, in recent days, the transfer of Chinese has become more and more ordinary. They have deployed new speedboats on Lake Baikal, and we can no longer threaten their supply lines. It can be seen from this that the Chinese attack on Irkutsk is just around the corner! Grand Duke Nikolai said.

All of them don't squint. Quietly listened to the speech of Grand Duke Nikolai. From the words of Grand Duke Nicholas, they knew that this time the great war was about to begin. It is very difficult to say whether these generals, these generals, can survive smoothly to the end of the war. If it is said that before, these Russian generals were completely inferior to the Chinese, then, in this short war of more than two months, the strong combat strength of the squadron. has successfully subdued these Russian generals. Let them bow their noble heads. Whether it is individual soldiers or command skills, the squadron is obviously stronger than the Russian army. Not to mention the strong weapons and equipment of the squadron, these factors add up to the key factors that caused the defeat of the Russian army.

"Although, in the previous big wars, we have failed many times, and the entire eastern Siberia and the coastal areas of the Far East have fallen into the hands of the Chinese. However, I would like to tell you that the war is not over, Russia has not yet lost, as long as we persevere, the final victory will definitely be ours! Irkutsk has already concentrated 550,000 troops, and this number is constantly increasing. His Majesty the Tsar has promised that he will continue to support us. Therefore, in the big battle in Irkutsk, we are fully sure that we will resist the attack of the Chinese. As everyone knows, the combined naval fleet, consisting of us and the British and French, has begun an expedition. At present, the fleet is resting in India, and will continue to move eastward in the near future to fight a decisive battle with the Chinese navy. The Chinese Navy is definitely no match for the combined fleet. When the Chinese Navy is annihilated, the main direction of the squadron will be transferred from Siberia to the eastern seaboard. At that time, it will be time for us to launch a major counteroffensive! Therefore, you need not be discouraged at all, although we are in a difficult situation now, I believe that the final victory will definitely belong to Russia! Grand Duke Nikolai, waving his arms, said very excitedly. As if hoping to use this means to cheer up the generals who have lost confidence.

I have to say that this way is not useless. Some generals had a glint of hope in their eyes. As Russian generals, many of them are still Russian nobles, so they naturally have their pride. In the war, the Russian army was defeated one after another by their unremarkable squadron, which made them feel a deep humiliation. And as Grand Duke Nicholas said, although Russia has suffered successive defeats, it has not yet been defeated. A large number of troops are being transported from Europe to Eastern Siberia, and they are able to continue fighting. And the turnaround is coming soon. As long as the navy can win, then in this war, they may not have a chance to turn the tables.

When it came to everyone's reaction, Grand Duke Nikolai nodded, very satisfied. In the next war, he didn't want to lead a group of people who had lost their fighting spirit to fight against the vicious squadron. In that case, even if there are more troops, it will not be enough to lose.

"Next, I will talk about the specific deployment. The whole of Irkutsk, now has an army of 550,000 troops, including three Cossack regiments and forty-nine infantry divisions. In the early deployment, we deployed twelve infantry divisions on the south bank of the Angara River. Now I order that in the next three days, all these twelve infantry divisions be withdrawn to Binsholten and Birwell, abandon the defensive area south of them, and make every effort to block the ** team in these two places! Grand Duke Nikolai ordered.

After his order was given, many people breathed a sigh of relief. Deploying too many troops south of the Angara River, and when a lot of people come, it's simply sending people to death. If it is possible to evacuate to Binshhotten and Bever, in the event of an emergency, it can be pushed directly to the bridge over the Guò Angara River to Irkutsk. It's much safer than anywhere else. Although this is to lose a large area of the country to the Chinese, as long as they can save their lives, they will not care so much. The generals who defended the area south of the Angara River were very much in favor of this order of Grand Duke Nicholas.

"In the defense of Irkutsk, the Angara River is a natural barrier. It is very difficult for the Chinese to cross the Angara River. We must be prepared to withdraw to the north immediately if we cannot withstand the Chinese attack in the south. And blow up all the bridges over the Angara River. Grand Duke Nikolai said. Although, the most important of these bridges is the railway bridge of the Trans-Siberian Railway. When it was first built, it cost a lot of money. However, in order to keep Irkutsk, there is no way to do it. It is better than the fall of Irkutsk, all these facilities fell into the hands of the Chinese.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" The generals of the Russian army agreed. The Angara River is wide, and as long as a large number of artillery and machine guns are deployed on the north side of the river, the river can be blocked. If the squadron wants to cross the river, even if the blood stains the river red, it is absolutely impossible.

Later, Grand Duke Nicholas made other arrangements, such as strengthening the defense of the north side of the Angola River, strengthening the defense of the bridges along the Angola River, and so on. It wasn't until noon that the meeting ended. After the meeting, Grand Duke Nikolai prepared a sumptuous lunch at the Governor's Palace, with various steaks, caviar and vodka spirits, which made these Russian generals very happy. This can be regarded as a reward for them before the war, Grand Duke Nicholas. After all, I don't know how many people will fall on the battlefield and never enjoy these delicacies again.

Fierce fighting is about to break out between China and Russia, around Irkutsk. It would also be one of the largest battles of the second half of the 19th century. Millions of troops from China and Russia will fight fiercely here. Both sides are actively deploying troops, and a major war is about to break out.

That night, the camp of the Third Cavalry Corps of the Chinese Army was quiet. Except for a small number of guards who remained on duty, there was not a single sound. In fact, if anyone were able to enter the camp, they would find that the entire camp was already empty. As night fell, after it was completely dark, the main force of the Third Cavalry Corps had quietly left the camp, thinking of Meggett's march.

Kurtuk and Megget, separated by about ninety kilometers. The 3rd Cavalry Corps must arrive here by 5 a.m. tomorrow morning, and then launch an attack to annihilate the army here in one fell swoop and seize the Megget Bridge. Because Megot is already some distance from Irkutsk, the defense here is much looser than the bridge near Irkutsk. The Russian army has only two regiments deployed here.

The 9th Cavalry Brigade, which served as the vanguard of this operation, with more than 8,000 men in the brigade, had already set off at 9 o'clock in the evening. In order to conceal their whereabouts and not make noise, everyone led their horses and marched. To arrive before five a.m., they must walk more than ten kilometers every hour. In this way, the belt would be able to launch a surprise attack on Meggart.

In the summer, in Eastern Siberia, the temperature can drop below 10 degrees Celsius at night, making it a bit chilly. But the Chinese cavalry who were hurrying on the road didn't care about this, and everyone rushed to the north with one foot deep and one foot shallow. Fortunately, in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, there are mostly flat steppes, and the roads are not difficult to walk. In order to prepare for this surprise attack, the squadron had already made preparations and surveyed the best marching route. Of course, during the march, it was inevitable to pass through some Russian villages. For the sake of secrecy, all these Russians were taken care of everywhere they went. The Chinese are no better than the Japanese, and if they were Japanese, for the sake of secrecy, these Russians would not have a way to live. (To be continued.) )

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