With the commander of the Russian army, General Alexei, handing over the matching gun to the commander of the 2nd Army of the Imperial Army, Lieutenant General Zhao Mingfu, this heralded the end of the Battle of Chelyabinsk. After five days of hard fighting, the Imperial Army won the Battle of Chelyabinsk. During these five days of fierce fighting, the 2nd, 8th and 10th armies of the Imperial Army, the number of seriously wounded and killed soldiers had reached nearly 50,000.

There were more than 100,000 lightly wounded soldiers, but these lightly wounded soldiers were able to continue to fight after a simple bandage.

Of the 250,000 Russian troops who held Chelyabinsk, except for the more than 100,000 who surrendered to the empire, the rest were all killed. The battle losses of qualified Russian troops in the Imperial Army were almost maintained at about one to three. It is very rare to be able to maintain this battle damage in the midst of a tragic street fight. After all, in street fighting, as the attacking side, it has always been at a disadvantage.

"Finally won, this is a tough battle for us!" Lieutenant General Zhao Mingfu, commander of the 2nd Army of the Imperial Army, said with emotion. The number of killed and seriously wounded reached 50,000, and more than 100,000 were slightly wounded. This almost made an army group of the Imperial Army lose its combat effectiveness! Of course, compared with the results achieved, this loss is still within an acceptable range.

Lieutenant General Liu Wu also nodded, he has been in the army for more than ten years, and this is probably the most brutal battle he has experienced.

"Order the troops, attack on Yekaterinburg. After taking Chelyabinsk, it was the turn of the Russians, Yekaterinburg, the last stronghold of the Western Siberian Plain! Lieutenant General Zhao Mingfu ordered.

"Yes, Commander!" Lieutenant General Liu Wu replied. However, he was also a little worried. After all. The Russian army had only 250,000 troops in Chelyabinsk, and the Imperial Army paid the price of more than 100,000 men. And the Russian army is in Yekaterinburg. But there were 500,000 of them. Moreover, the fortifications of Yekaterinburg. It is stronger than Chelyabinsk. If the Imperial Army wanted to capture Yekaterinburg, it was not known how much it would cost.

Of course, the war has already begun. It is impossible to stop for fear of too many casualties. No matter how heavy the casualties are, the Imperial Army will continue to fight, and will never give up until it wins the final victory.

When the Imperial Army surrounded and annihilated the Russian army in Chelyabinsk, the 1st Army and the 9th Army of the Imperial Army dragged the Russian army in Yekaterinburg, so that they did not dare to rescue Chelyabinsk. As a matter of fact. The Imperial Army hoped that the Russian army would send reinforcements to rescue Ryabinsk so that it would be able to engage in field battles with the Russian army. In the field, the advantage of the Imperial Army will be greater, which will be more conducive to the Imperial Army's annihilation of the main force of the Russian army.

It's just that the commander of the Russian army, Field Marshal Wittgenstein, is not a fool, knowing that Chelyabinsk is already under siege by the Imperial Army, and it is a dead end. If you put in the rescue force, it will only pay unnecessary losses. Therefore. In the face of the telegram from Chelyabinsk asking for help, Marshal Wittgenstein was still resolute and did not send a single soldier to the rescue. In the end, I watched the fall of Chelyabinsk.

The command of the Russian army in Yekaterinburg. Field Marshal Wittgenstein had just returned to his office after inspecting the fortifications. Lieutenant General Nevelskoy walked in with a telegram.

"Lieutenant General, what's the news? Was it another telegram from Chelyabinsk asking for help? Field Marshal Wittgenstein asked. Ever since the Chinese Army began to besiege Chelyabinsk, Admiral Alexei sent several telegrams to Yekaterinburg asking for help almost every day.

"It's not. Your Excellency, not a telegram for help! Lieutenant General Nevelskoy said.

"Oh? What is that? Field Marshal Wirtgenstein was a little curious.

"Your Excellency, Marshal. We just got the news, just an hour ago. Admiral Alexei had already led the last remnants of his troops to surrender to the Chinese. Lieutenant General Nevelskoy said.

"What? Alexey that guy, he actually surrendered? Who gave him the guts! "Field Marshal Wirtgenstein was furious. Originally, Admiral Alexei still had more than 100,000 troops in his hands, and although the losses of the troops were very large, according to Marshal Wittgenstein's prediction, these 100,000 troops would be able to hold out for at least a few days. After all, after continuous fierce battles, the Chinese army must have been exhausted.

Lieutenant General Nevelskoy stood aside and did not say much. He could understand what Admiral Alexei did, after all, in the last desperate moment, no one could really die for the country. In order to save his life, it is quite normal to surrender to the Chinese* army in a desperate situation. Of course, this also caused great losses to the Russian army.

"Report the news to Duke Gorchakov immediately!" Marshal Wirtgenstein said.

"Your Excellency, this is ......" Lieutenant General Nevelskoy hesitated. If this news had been reported to St. Petersburg, Admiral Alexei's family would have died. As a general of the Russian Army, Alexei also had a large family in St. Petersburg. However, if he surrenders on the battlefield now, it is undoubtedly a capital crime! The angry Tsar Alexander II would definitely take his anger out on his family.

"Obey orders! Lieutenant General! Field Marshal Wittgenstein was a little impatient.

"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal!" Lieutenant General Nevelskoy hurriedly turned around and gave orders to the officers outside to send a telegram to St. Petersburg.

The surrender of Admiral Alexei did cause an uproar in Russia. This was the highest-ranking officer in the Russian Army to surrender to the Chinese Empire since the beginning of the war.

The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Duke Gorchakov, did not dare to hide it and reported it to Tsar Alexander II as soon as possible. Enraged, the tsar immediately ordered the gendarmes to arrest the family of Admiral Alexei. The families of other Russian generals who surrendered to the Imperial Army were not spared.

The next morning, the families of General Alexei and other Russian generals who had surrendered to the Imperial Army were all executed for treason. There were thousands of gallows erected on Red Square, like a forest.

The brutality of Tsar Alexander II shocked the entire Russian army. Those generals, after seeing the methods of Tsar Alexander II, were silent one by one, even if they were in a desperate situation, they did not dare to surrender lightly. After all, if they surrendered, their entire family would be doomed. Such a price is too great. In order to survive alone, the entire family is compensated, and it is estimated that only hard-hearted people can do it.

Of course, Alexander II's brutal suppression also made the senior generals of the Russian army hold back a breath of anger in their hearts. This directly shook the rule of the tsars in Russia. In the event of a massive defeat of the Russian army, the rule of Tsar Alexander II will be in question.

After the fall of Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg became the next target of the Chinese army. The commander of the Russian army, Field Marshal Wittgenstein, ordered the Russian defenders in the city to use the last time to strengthen the fortifications in the city. Although, the defenders of Yekaterinburg numbered as many as 500,000 men, which was twice the size of Chelyabinsk. However, Field Marshal Wirtgenstein still did not have the confidence to win.

The 300,000 Russian reinforcements sent to the West Siberian Plain were still a few days away from Yekaterinburg. However, as soon as they crossed the Ural Mountains, they were intercepted by the Imperial cavalry, which forced the Russian reinforcements to stop advancing. In addition, the Russian General Command feared that after these troops entered the Siberian Plain, they would be besieged by the Chinese army, resulting in more losses. Therefore, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Duke Gorchakov, ordered the 300,000 Russian troops to be stationed in the Ural Mountains.

As the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, he had to prepare for the worst. Once Yekaterinburg fell, the entire Western Siberian Plain would fall under the control of the Chinese* army. At that time, if the Chinese* army continues to attack westward, it will cross the Ural Mountains and attack the Russian hinterland. For this reason, the Russian army had to prepare in advance.

Without reinforcements, Field Marshal Wittgenstein had to use 500,000 men in his hands to hold Yekaterinburg. Fortunately, Yekaterinburg, as one of the most important cities in the entire Western Siberian Plain, coupled with the painstaking management of the Russian army, has become a veritable fortress. Field Marshal Wittgenstein was convinced that the Chinese army would have to pay a greater price if it wanted to capture Yekaterinburg.

In addition, it is already August, and winter in the West Siberian Plain has come very early. The weather cools down in late September, followed by a cold winter. The low temperature of tens of degrees below zero is enough to freeze people to death. When the time comes, the Chinese * army attacking Yekaterinburg will probably be frozen to death without the action of the Russian army. When the time comes, he will become a hero of Russia on a par with Marshal Kutuzov.

The Chinese army was also aware of the danger it faced, so if they wanted to win, they had to take Yekaterinburg before winter came.

The 1st and 9th armies of the Imperial Army, as well as the 2nd, 8th and 10th armies of the Imperial Army, which had just finished the battle in Chelyabinsk, marched non-stop to Yekaterinburg.

On August 12, 1854, the 1st and 9th armies of the Imperial Army arrived under the city of Yekaterinburg. Three days later, the 2nd, 8th, and 10th armies of the Imperial Army also arrived, completing the encirclement of Yekaterinburg. (To be continued......)

PS: The first update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you for the tips and monthly passes of hunanlp! Thank you for the monthly pass of markleu!