Malianovka, where the command of the Russian army on the Siberian battlefield is located. Here, more than 300,000 Russian troops were gathered, accounting for almost half of the Russian army on the entire Siberian battlefield. Veteran Joseph? Vladimirovich? Field Marshal Gurko, who personally sat here and commanded the battle.

Joseph? Vladimirovich? Gurko, born in 1828 in the Mogilev province, is now 71 years old, graduated from the Noble Military Academy in 1846 and served in the Janissary Hussar Regiment. He participated in the Crimean War and was appointed commander of the 2nd Praetorian Cavalry Division in 18751877. In 18771878, in the Russo-Turkish war launched by Tsar Alexander II, the talent of the military commander was demonstrated. In 1878 the Russo-Turkish War stood out. Later, he was promoted to field marshal in 1894 for his military exploits.

Although Gurko was a very talented general with a lot of experience, he still didn't have much confidence in this war. Although he now has more than 700,000 Russian troops, only half of these Russian troops are regular troops, which are transferred from Europe to Siberia, and the rest of the troops are all farmers who have just laid down their hoes. To expect such an army to engage the elite Chinese army, armed to the teeth, is simply self-defeating.

As a front-line general, Gurko has a clearer understanding of the current situation. He knew that the current Russia could no longer fight. If the war is forcibly continued, it will only cost Russia even more. Of course, the conditions put forward by the Chinese are too harsh. If it is possible to negotiate a mutually acceptable condition, this is for Russia. will be very important.

"Marshal!" Suddenly. His adjutant. A young Russian man, Levslovich, who was only thirty years old, but was already a colonel of the Russian army, walked into the office of Marshal Gurko with an anxious expression.

"What's wrong? Have the lowly herdsmen attacked our transport lines or conquered a town? Marshal Gurko asked with a frown. The lowly herdsmen he spoke of were those of the five ethnic groups of Central Asia. With the support of China, the cavalry of the five Central Asian tribes was obtained in Siberia in a big way. Attacking the Russian army's logistical supply lines, or directly attacking the Russian settlements, and even a nomadic cavalry, crossing the Ural River and entering Europe, made Marshal Gurko anxious.

"No, Marshal! The front reported that there was something unusual about the positions of the Chinese. By 6 o'clock in the morning, the Chinese positions were already full of people, and they seemed to be preparing to attack! "Colonel Levslovich reported.

"Chinese. Do they want to go to war with us? Marshal Gurko frowned. He knew that he couldn't defeat the squadron in front of him, so he also hoped that the two sides would be in peace. But. Now the abnormality of the squadron made him feel a hint of crisis.

"Your Excellency, I have heard that the peace talks in Beijing are now very unpleasant. His Excellency Foreign Minister Izvorsky rejected the demands of the Chinese and was very tough in the peace talks. So, I wonder if the Chinese will attack us because of this. Levslovich said.

"Damn, it's possible! Order all front-line units to prepare to resist the attack of the Chinese! Marshal Gurko ordered.

"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal!" Colonel Levslovich immediately went to deliver the order.

At this moment, on the Chinese positions on the left bank of the Irtysh, the soldiers had already entered the trenches and were ready to attack. Behind them, a door of heavy artillery had been pushed onto the artillery position, with a hideous muzzle, pointed diagonally at the sky. When the squadron captured Omsk, the Russian army did not react, so the railway bridge over the Irtysh River also fell into the hands of the squadron. This allowed the squadron to advance the front to the left bank of the Irtysh. Otherwise, the wide Irtysh River will cause great trouble for the attack.

At 7 o'clock in the morning, Cai Yun, the Minister of the Chinese Army, personally gave the order to start the offensive. For a time, on the left bank of the Irtysh River, which was nearly 30 kilometers long, the squadron concentrated more than 1,500 heavy artillery pieces with a caliber of more than 105 mm and launched a fierce artillery bombardment of the Russian defense line. One after another, shells streaked across the sky, with a sharp whistling, and fell on the positions of the Russian army, bursting into orange-red fire. The smoke of gunpowder was filled with gunpowder, completely enveloping the Russian defense line in it.

At the same time, the 1st Cavalry Corps and the 3rd Cavalry Corps of the squadron launched an attack from the flanks, and they would make a detour to the rear of the Russian army and block the way for the Russian army to retreat. Strive to annihilate as many living forces of the Russian army as possible in this battle.

At the front, the Russian army deployed a full 300,000 troops. But of the 300,000 Russian troops, only half are veterans with formal training, and the rest of the soldiers are just recruits who have only learned how to shoot. In the overwhelming shelling of the squadron, these Russian troops held their heads, lying at the bottom of the trench and shivering, praying to God that the shells would not fall into the trench. Some of the anti-artillery holes were already crowded with frightened Russian soldiers. It's just that the Russian army lacks steel bars, cement and other materials, and their anti-artillery holes are often not very strong, not to mention the shells of 155-mm heavy howitzers, even if they are shells of 105-mm light howitzers, as long as they are hit continuously, the anti-artillery holes will be collapsed. In this case, if an anti-artillery hole is blown up, hundreds of people will often be lost.

"Fight back! Counterattack! "The Russian artillery, after the Chinese artillery had been looting for a full twenty minutes, began to counterattack. It's just that as soon as they opened fire, they were quickly discovered and defended by observation balloons in the sky. Three battalions of 155-mm heavy cannons of the Chinese artillery, which had long been on standby, immediately began to suppress.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "One after another, the shells fell on the artillery positions of the Russian army, and the violent explosion swept through the Russian artillery positions, destroying the artillery positions of the Russian army lightly. The cannons were more tragic than the direct explosion into twists, and the casualties were even more disastrous. When the shells piled up on the position were hit, there was even more terrible detonation. Under such a blow, in less than half an hour, the artillery positions of the Russian army were muted one after another.

After that, the Chinese artillery aimed all their firepower at the Russian defense line. Under the overwhelming artillery fire, the Russian defense line was blown apart in the shelling. One by one, the permanent firepower points were directly blown into the sky, and there were constantly Russian soldiers who were blown up in the shelling, shattered bones, stumps and broken arms, etc., and they were everywhere, and the entire Russian defense line became a Shura hell.

At 8 a.m., the shelling of Chinese artillery began to extend backwards, focusing on shelling the second line of defense of the Russian army, while also preventing the Russian army from supporting the first line of defense. There are three lines of defense of the Russian army on the left bank of the Irtysh River, each of which is less than two kilometers apart.

"Attack!" After the artillery fire began to extend, the infantry, which had already been prepared, jumped out of the trenches and launched an attack on the Russians.

"Get up! You cowards! Get up for me, the Chinese are coming up! "The officers on the first line of defense of the Russian army pulled up the recruits who were still trembling, asked them to grab their guns, and entered the position, ready to block the attack of the ** team.

"Fire! Fire! Kill all those Chinese! The officers of the Russian army, shouted an order.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! The crisp sound of rifle gunfire began to sound in a chaotic manner. The soldiers of the Russian army, afraid of being in the trenches, opened fire on the attacking squadron.

"Da Da Da!" Soon, the heavy machine guns also began to neigh. In the orange-red firelight, bullets shot towards the squadron.

Under the attack of the Russian army, the squadron that was attacking fell to the ground one after another.

"Machine gun cover, mortars, knock out enemy fire points!"

"Da Da Da!" The erected light machine guns began to fire frantically at the positions of the Russian army to suppress the counterattack of the Russian army.

"Boom!" Mortars also pointed at the firing points of the Russian army and began shelling. As soon as an artillery shell fell, the fire point of the Russian army was blown into the sky.

"Attack!" After seeing that the Russian army's firepower point was blown away, the soldiers of the squadron jumped up from the ground and charged at the Russian army's position again.

The previous shelling has already caused heavy losses to the Russian army. Under the pressure of their officers, although they took up arms to block the attack of the squadron, their counterattack seemed so weak.

By 9 o'clock in the morning, the first line of defense of the Russian army had been broken through by the squadron. The squadron began to clear the line of Russian troops. The Russian army, defending the first line of defense, had to retreat back after the line was broken through. And in the process, they had to pass through the blockade of Chinese artillery, and in this flagship, they paid very large losses.

Of the 100,000 people deployed by the Russian army on the first line of defense, less than 30,000 people were safely withdrawn to the second line of defense.

After taking the first line of defense of the Russian army, the squadron took a short break and launched an attack on the second line of defense. The second line of defense of the Russian army, which has been ravaged for a long time, is no less vulnerable even if it replenishes the troops who have retreated from the first line of defense.

Under the fierce attack of the squadron, by 11 o'clock in the morning, the second line of defense was also broken through by the squadron. The Russian army, with heavy casualties, had to retreat to the last line of defense. In less than a morning, the two lines of defense of the Russian army were broken through one after another, losing more than 100,000 people, and the remaining 100,000 Russian troops were all crowded to the last line of defense, and this line of defense became precarious under the attack of the squadron! (To be continued.) )

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