A large number of troops and strategic supplies, transported from Europe to Irkutsk through the Guò Trans-Siberian Railway, constantly strengthened Irkutsk's troops. During this time, the squadron only had the Fourth Army, attacking from Baikalsk to Irkutsk, and the intensity of the attack was not large. The other two armies and the cavalry corps were resting. Of course, these troops also began to gather in the direction of Irkutsk. Perhaps, this is the calm before the war!

Grand Duke Nikolai, who was in charge of the Russian army in Eastern Siberia, was already aware of China's intentions. China wants to have a decisive battle with the Russian army in Irkutsk to decide the outcome of this war between China and Russia. In this regard, Grand Duke Nicholas was inclined to do the same. Although, if he were to choose for himself, he would prefer to retreat to the west in order to shorten the logistical supply lines. But Tsar Nicholas II was clearly reluctant to do so. This allowed Grand Duke Nikolai to fight only in Irkutsk with the squadron. At the same time, he also knew the importance of this war for Russia. Once defeated, Russia will never have any chance. In Ulan-Ude, Grand Duke Nikolai has fully appreciated the strength of the squadron. In order to win, he had to desperately strengthen Irkutsk's army.

The Trans-Siberian Railway was very busy, with trains transporting large numbers of Russian soldiers and supplies here. Even, in order to speed things up, quite a few soldiers assembled on foot in Irkutsk. In this regard, the Chinese side has adopted a tacit attitude. Otherwise, the squadron near Lake Balkhash would have been able to cut off the Trans-Siberian Railway with ease. Grand Duke Nikolai was also aware of this danger. Therefore. While strengthening the forces of Irkutsk. He also did not forget to strengthen the forces of the Russian army in Central Asia. It was hoped that the 5th Army and the 1st Cavalry Corps of the Chinese Army would be defeated, or dragged down, to secure the rear of Irkutsk.

The Chinese side is also transporting supplies to the front line as much as possible, and truckloads of weapons and ammunition are transported by train to the city of Buying. It is then transported to the shores of Lake Baikal by car, horse-drawn carriage and cargo ship. In particular, hundreds of small cargo ships have played a very important role. These cargo ships departed from the city of buying and selling. Entering Lake Baikal via the Selenga River, during transportation to Baikalsk and other places. Although the voyage has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, it can basically complete a round trip in four days, and can transport more than 3,000 tons of various combat materials to the front line. Effectively ensure the supply of the front line.

By the end of May, the Russian army had assembled 500,000 troops in Irkutsk, and the material preparation of the Chinese army was almost completed. The big battle in Irkutsk is on the verge of breaking out.

At the same time, the combined fleet of Britain, France and Russia had already left the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Entered the Arabian Sea. According to the plan, by the end of June. After the Combined Fleet has completed its rest and replenishment in India, it will enter the Strait of Malacca and reach the South China Sea to fight the Chinese Navy to the death. The ** of this war will also officially come. Among them, the decisive battle on the land battlefield between China and Russia in Irkutsk will be carried out first. The entire sky over Eastern Siberia is clouded by the clouds of war.

And before the decisive battle began, a little hiccup broke out first. The Russian army discovered that the squadron was transporting supplies to Baikalsk through a cargo ship. Grand Duke Nikolai immediately discovered the Russian ships and launched an attack on the Chinese cargo ships, hoping to cut off the logistics supply line of the squadron, so as to weaken the combat power of the squadron and improve the chances of victory of the Russian army. It's just that in Lake Baikal, the Russian army does not have a regular navy. They simply converted the ships with heavy machine guns and some small-caliber guns.

In the beginning, the Chinese side was unprepared and lost several cargo ships. But then, the Chinese side adopted a confrontational strategy, deploying a lot of heavy machine guns and mortars on cargo ships, and engaged the Russian army in a water battle on Lake Baikal. It's just that in this case, it will affect the transportation of materials to the front line. As a result, the battle for Irkutsk had to be postponed. In the end, Wang Yuze also knew about it.

"Your Majesty, the Russians are too cunning, and although they don't have many armed cargo ships, they don't have to transport supplies. Dozens of armed cargo ships often gather together to besiege our cargo ships, which on the one hand causes us considerable losses, and on the other hand, it also has a great impact on the supply of materials on the front line. Now, before the battle for Irkutsk begins, we must first control Lake Baikal! Chief of the General Staff Xiong Wu said.

Lake Baikal is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, Russia, and is the deepest and largest freshwater lake in the world. The lake shape is long and narrow, like a crescent moon, so it is also called "Moon Lake". It is 66 kilometers long, 4 kilometers wide on average, 794 kilometers wide at its widest, with an area of 50,000 square kilometers, an average depth of 744 meters, a deepest point of 60 meters, and an elevation of 456 meters above sea level. The water of Lake Baikal is the second most clear in the world and the transparency of the lake (up to 40 meters). Its total water storage capacity is 26 trillion cubic meters, and it is surrounded by cliffs of 000~2000 meters on both sides. Around Lake Baikal, a total of six large and small rivers flow into the lake, the largest is the Selenga River, and only the Angara River flows out of the lake, with an average annual flow of only 70 cubic meters per second. The place where the lake flows into the Angara River, which is about 000 meters wide and above, has white waves. The Baikal tectonic fissure is surrounded by mountains, which reach a height of more than 2,500 meters. The thickness of the sediment at the bottom of the lake is more than a kilometer. That's why the actual depth of the Baikal chasm is 0~km. This depth is comparable to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world's oceans.

The first inhabitants of the lake were the ancestors of the Sushen clan 7,000 years ago, and the descendants learned about their way of life from the murals and other objects they left behind. On the cliff wall of Sagan Dhaba on the shore of the lake are carved pictures of Haidongqing, swans, deer, hunting platforms, dancing shamans, etc., which were found in the year. In addition, on the shore of the lake, there are many stone altars built along the roadside. These drawings and altars may be testimonies of the lives of the early inhabitants.

In the 6th ~ 5th centuries BC, the Turkic Kulykan people migrated from the east to the shore of Lake Baikal, where they met the indigenous people Evenki (known as the Evenks in China). The Evenki people make a living from fishing, gathering wild fruits, and raising deer.

In the Western Han Dynasty, "Lake Baikal" was within the control of the Xiongnu, called "Beihai", and Su Wu was exiled to "Beihai" by the Xiongnu king Shan Yu to shepherd sheep. Su Wu survived hard for 9 years by the North Sea, and finally returned to Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms and the Western Jin Dynasty, "Lake Baikal" was within the control range of Xianbei, and its name was also called "Beihai"; During the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "Lake Baikal" was renamed "Yujini Great Water"; During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, "Lake Baikal" was first controlled by Rouran, and then by the Turks, and its name was still called "Yusini Great Water"; During the Sui Dynasty, "Lake Baikal" was controlled by the Eastern Turks and renamed "Beihai"; In the early Tang Dynasty, "Lake Baikal" became part of the territory of the Tang Empire, and belonged to the genus of Guannei Daoguligan, and "Baikal" was also renamed "Xiaohai"; Later, the Eastern Turks (known as the Later Turks in history) were restored, and "Lake Baikal" returned to the Turks, and then returned to the jurisdiction of the Hurs, and was still called "Xiaohai"; In the Song Dynasty, "Lake Baikal" was controlled by the Mongolian Ba 剌 (pronounced là); century, the Buryats of Mongolian descent also came to the Baikal region. Neither the Turkic nor the Buryats were able to change the way of life of the Evenkis. During the Mongol and Yuan dynasties, "Lake Baikal" was included in the territory of the Mongol Empire and belonged to the "Lingbei Province"; During the Ming Dynasty, "Lake Baikal" was controlled by the Varaburi Ti Division.

In the 36th year of the reign of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (697) and the 22nd year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty in 757, the Khalkha Mongols and the Dzungar Mongols were successively controlled or conquered by the Qing army. However, in the Treaty of Nebuchu of Qing Russia, the area east of Lake Baikal, which belonged to Buryat Mongolia, was assigned to the Russian Empire by Emperor Kangxi, and after the signing of the "Treaty of Burensky" and "Kyakhta" that divided the middle border between Qing and Russia during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, it marked the final complete isolation of the Central Plains Dynasty from Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal has been China's territory since ancient times, but it was only occupied by the Russians during the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and now the empire must regain these lost territories if it is to regain its former glory. And Russia, which forcibly occupied the largest amount of Chinese territory, naturally bore the brunt.

"So, what is there to do in the General Staff to deal with it? Controlling Lake Baikal is very important for ensuring the fighting on the front line. Wang Yuze asked.

"We intend to deploy a number of small patrol boats on Lake Baikal. These patrol boats have a displacement of about thirty tons. With speeds of up to 25 knots, with rapid-fire guns and heavy machine guns, only twenty ships are enough to control the waters of Lake Baikal! Xiong Wu said. Russia's armed cargo ships, although numerous, are at least cargo ships after all. Once you encounter a professional patrol boat, you are not an opponent at all.

"Hmmm! This way you can! Do your best to control Lake Baikal and ensure that the battle for Irkutsk goes smoothly! Wang Yuze said.

"This afternoon, these patrol boats have already set off from Tianjin, and tomorrow they will be able to reach the trading city. Then it leads to the Guò Selenga River and enters Lake Baikal. In a week at most, we will be able to control Lake Baikal and it will not have much impact on the battle of Irkutsk! Chief of the General Staff Xiong Wu said. In a week, the Russian army transported up to 50,000 more troops to Irkutsk. (To be continued.) )

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