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Irkutsk, the capital of the Russian Far East, is still in the hands of the Russian army. The 100,000 newly formed Russian troops in the city are still waiting for reinforcements to arrive. However, a week has passed, and there are no reinforcements yet, so there are more rumors among the Russian troops in Irkutsk.

Some people say that the Russian expeditionary force has been defeated and will not come to the rescue of Irkutsk anymore, and that they have become outcasts. This caused the Russian troops in the city to fall into a panic. Some of those who joined the army even threw away their weapons out of desperation and fled back to their homes. This situation began to spread in the city, and the morale of the Russian army began to decline.

"General, the current situation is not good! Today we have caught hundreds of deserters. If we continue like this, I am afraid that if the Chinese do not attack us, we will already be defeated. Brigadier General Borif, commander of the 2nd Russian Far East Army, said with some concern.

Major General Nevelskoy also did not know how to deal with the current situation, and before the telegraph line was cut, the Russian army informed the situation that reinforcements were already on their way to Irkutsk. Two Cossack cavalry corps would come to their rescue. That way, they should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive. Later, however, the telegraph line was cut off, and communication with the rear was completely cut off.

"General Borif, I'm afraid we'll have to prepare for the worst." Major General Nevelskoy said.

"General? What do you mean? Brigadier General Boriv's face suddenly darkened.

"I'm afraid our reinforcements have arrived. However, it was defeated by the Chinese cavalry. The 10th Cossack Cavalry Corps and the 12th Cossack Cavalry Corps, which came to our rescue, had a total strength of only more than 50,000 men. But the Chinese cavalry around Irkutsk. The number is definitely more than fifty thousand. It was very difficult for our two cavalry corps to defeat the Chinese cavalry. So far, the reinforcements have not arrived, so this can only mean that the reinforcements have been defeated. I can't think of any other reason than that. Major General Nevelskoy looked helpless.

"General. This, how is this possible? Our Cossack cavalry, will it not be an opponent of the Chinese cavalry? Brigadier General Boriv's eyes widened. In his opinion. The Cossack cavalry was invincible in the world. Not to mention that the numbers of both sides are almost equal, even if the Cossack cavalry is inferior in numbers, the heroic Cossack cavalry will definitely be able to defeat the opponent. This has been proven in countless battles throughout history.

"General Borif. I know it's hard to accept. But. That's just the way it is. As early as March, in northern China, the Cossack cavalry led by Governor Muravyov was attacked by the Chinese cavalry. The firepower of the Chinese cavalry was very strong, and they were equipped with more artillery than our infantry. In addition, they had a small-caliber gun with a very fast rate of fire, plus a heavy machine gun and so on. Fighting the Chinese cavalry is a nightmare. Therefore. The 10th Cossack Cavalry Corps and the 12th Cossack Cavalry Corps were defeated, which is completely understandable. "When Major General Nevelskoy thinks of the battle that took place in Zhangjiakou, he still has lingering palpitations. Although, the appearance of the Chinese cavalry does not look like an orthodox cavalry at all, and it has completely lost the glory that the cavalry should have. But I have to admit that the attack power of the Chinese cavalry is very strong, and their tactics are also very effective!

"Hell! General, what are we going to do then? Without reinforcements, we would not have been able to hold Irkutsk. "Brigadier General Boriv was a little desperate at the moment. After being cut off from the country, Irkutsk has become an island. They could not be replenished with troops and war materiel, so they simply could not hold out for long.

"General Borif, we have no other way but to continue to hold on." Major General Nevelskoy said. Originally, he had placed all his hopes on the Russian Expeditionary Force. But now it seems that the expeditionary force cannot be counted on.

"General, something is wrong. The main forces of the Chinese * army came, right on the south bank of the Angara River. A large number of infantry, and artillery! A junior officer of the Russian army reported to Major General Nevelskoy in a panic.

"What? The main force of the Chinese is coming. General, they will definitely attack Irkutsk, what should we do? Brigadier General Borif also panicked. Without reinforcements, they would obviously not be able to withstand the attack of the main forces of the Chinese* army.

Major General Nevelskoy's face was also ugly, this time the infantry of the Chinese * army came, and the last time they were able to withstand the attack of the Chinese cavalry, it was all because of shit luck. The cavalry units were not good at attacking the city, and in the street battles in the city, the cavalry suffered heavy losses. At the same time, the cavalry was precious, so the Chinese cavalry retreated. However, the Chinese infantry is different. According to the information obtained by Major General Nevelskoy, the Chinese infantry had strong firepower and were better at street fighting. In this case, it will be even more impossible for the Russian army to resist the attack of the Chinese* army. If it doesn't work, soon Irkutsk will be captured by the Chinese* army. When the time comes, it will be their end.

"Order all the ministries to strengthen their vigilance and prepare to defend to the death. Now, we have no choice but to keep going. As for whether or not we can hold out until the reinforcements arrive, we can only pray for God's blessing. Major General Nevelskoy said.

At this moment, in the headquarters of the former enemy of the Imperial* army located on the south bank of Angarsk, Major General Liu Zhongming summoned several commanders of the infantry corps and cavalry corps to make arrangements for the next operation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the troops we have arrived at the front line are already three infantry corps and four cavalry corps. The next 9 infantry corps will arrive in the next month. What we have to do now is to capture Irkutsk, pull out the nail that the Russians had buried on the western shore of Lake Baikal, and then march westward with the main forces in preparation for a final decisive battle with the Russian expeditionary force. Major General Liu Zhongming said. After pulling out Irkutsk, the imperial army was able to move westward with confidence.

Everyone's faces were solemn, and the faces of Major General Seng Lingqin and Major General Qiao Moyan were a little unnatural, after all, the last time they were deflated in Irkutsk, they lost two or three thousand people.

"General, the Russian army is in the city of Irkutsk, there are 100,000 people. Although they were all rabble, they relied on the large and small barricades and other fixed fire points built in the city, as well as the buildings in the city as cover. Unfamiliar with the environment, the Imperial cavalry launched an attack on Irkutsk, but in the end it ended in failure. Major General Monk Greenqin said with some shame.

"General Seng Lingqin, don't blame yourself, urban street fighting, this is not the strength of the cavalry unit in the first place. The units of the Imperial Infantry Corps were specially trained in street fighting. Although the Russian army's fortifications are strong, it is absolutely impossible to withstand the attacks of the imperial infantry. Major General Liu Zhongming said with a smile. In the long war, the imperial infantry has summed up a set of effective street fighting experience, and it is absolutely impossible for the Russian army to hold Irkutsk to the death.

Major General Monk Greenqin nodded and said no more. He also believed that the Imperial infantry would definitely have a way to take Irkutsk.

"General, Irkutsk has been besieged for so long, and the morale of the Russian troops in the city must have been low. We will not let go of inflicting another heavy blow on their morale, so that it will be easier for us to take Irkutsk. Major General Zhang Wei, commander of the 1st Infantry Corps of the Imperial Army, said.

"Oh? General Zhang, do you have any good builds? Major General Liu Zhongming asked.

"General, didn't the Imperial cavalry capture thousands of Russian prisoners of war? If those prisoners of war of the Russian Cossack cavalry appeared outside Irkutsk, what would the Russian troops inside the city think? The reason why they hold on is nothing more than waiting for reinforcements. As long as they know that reinforcements are unlikely to come, then the Russian army in the city will definitely collapse. When the time comes, it will be much easier for us to take Irkutsk. Major General Zhang Wei said.

"That's a good idea. The Russian troops in Irkutsk were originally urgently recruited from among the civilian population. Their will is even more incomparable to that of the regular army. Once they think that there will be no more reinforcements, morale will definitely continue to decline. That's our chance. Major General Doolittle, commander of the 2nd Infantry Corps of the Imperial Army, also said.

"Hmmm! Well, we'll start a battle against the Russians. In any case, Irkutsk must be taken in three days. Major General Liu Zhongming ordered.

After that, the Imperial Army deployed a position of several hundred guns on the south bank of the Angara River and began to fire heavily on Irkutsk on the north bank of the Angara River. The fierce artillery fire entangled the losses of the Russian army in the city, and the morale continued to decline.

At the same time, the 1st and 2nd Infantry Corps of the Reich crossed the Angara River from Angarsk and appeared on the outskirts of Irkutsk on May 29. The arrival of the imperial army made the Russian army in the city panic. Although they had already repelled the attack of the Imperial* army last time, this time in the face of the elite infantry of the Imperial Army, no one thought that they would be able to resist it.

At this time, thousands of Cossack cavalry captured by the Imperial cavalry were sent to the Russian defense line on the periphery of Irkutsk, and the appearance of those prisoners of war undoubtedly gave the final blow to the Russian army in the city of Irkutsk. (To be continued......)