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More than 100,000 Chinese and Russian cavalry refused to confront each other on the flat steppe west of the Kitoy River, at a distance of five kilometers. A large-scale cavalry duel is about to be staged here. Both the Chinese cavalry and the Russian Cossack cavalry were full of confidence in this battle. The outcome of this battle is also very important for both sides.

If the Russian Cossack cavalry could win, then they would have been able to rescue Irkutsk before the arrival of the main forces of the Chinese* army, and then hold out until the arrival of the main forces of the expeditionary force. When the time comes, the war will unfold on the western shore of Lake Baikal. With the stronghold of Irkutsk in hand, Russia will be able to occupy a great advantage. On the contrary, if the Chinese cavalry wins, then the fall of Irkutsk is already a foregone conclusion. The front will also move further westward, losing a large amount of territory, which will undoubtedly drive Tsar Nicholas I into madness.

"General Apkrasin, it seems that the Chinese are ready. However, in front of the line of defense that lasted more than ten kilometers, they pulled two low barbed wires, did they think that they could rely on these things to stop the advance of the heroic Cossack cavalry? Lieutenant General Golovin shook his head disdainfully. With such barbed wire, every skilled Cossack cavalry could jump over with a light horse.

"General Golovin, for us, there is no way back in this battle, we must crush the Chinese cavalry in front of us. As long as we can break through their defenses. If you strangle with them, those powerful firepower of the Chinese will be of no use. Behind the Chinese cavalry is the Kitoi River, and we can drive those Chinese cavalry into the icy river like sheep. Drown them all. Lieutenant General Apkrasin had a sneer on his face. He could roughly guess the tactics of the Chinese cavalry, which was nothing more than wanting to inflict great damage on the Russian cavalry with powerful firepower. However, a short distance of five kilometers is only ten minutes for a cavalry sprinting at high speed. Ten minutes later, the Russian cavalry could charge into the ranks of the Chinese cavalry. When the time comes, the strong Cossack cavalry will definitely be able to defeat the cowardly Chinese cavalry with the saber in their hands. Victory, it must have belonged to the Cossack cavalry.

"Of course. General Apukrasin, I am sure that we will be able to win! Lieutenant General Golovin said confidently.

"General Alexander. Your 38th Division, ten minutes later, will attack, I want to see if the Chinese cavalry defense line is really that strong! Lieutenant General Apukrasin said. Before the main forces attacked. He wanted to test it first.

"Yes. General, as you wish. You will surely see the heroic Cossack cavalry tearing through the lines of the Chinese cavalry. "The commander of the 38th Cavalry Division of the Russian Army is a middle-aged man in his forties. In the previous encounter, a regiment of his 38th Division was annihilated by a battalion of the Imperial Cavalry, much to the annoyance of Major General Alexander.

At 9:15 a.m., more than 5,000 cavalrymen of the 38th Cossack Cavalry Division of the Russian Army, under the orders of the division commander, Major General Alexander, launched an attack on the positions of the Chinese cavalry. More than 5,000 Don hippos. Start running up, by the initial trot. The speed keeps getting faster and faster, and finally it becomes a high-speed sprint. On the horses, the sabers wielded in the hands of those Cossack cavalrymen shone golden in the sunlight.

"Monk, the Russians have attacked. But do they think these few thousand people will be able to break through our defenses? It's too much to underestimate us! Major General Qiao Moyan's face was full of disdain.

"Hmmm! However, this should only be a test by the Russians. The troops on the front line, heavy machine guns were not allowed to fire without receiving orders, and mortars were only used in half of the troops, so that the Russians could see hope. Then, wait for them to throw in all their troops. Monk Greenqin had a hideous smile on his face. His tribe had also been attacked by the Russians as they crossed the steppe last winter, and hundreds of them had been killed by the Russian cavalry, which made him very hateful to the Russians.

"Yes, General!" The herald immediately conveyed the order of Major General Seng Lingqin.

"Fire!" After the Cossack cavalry of the Russian army came into range, the artillery positions established on the river beach opened fire. 48 105-mm light howitzers, as well as nearly 200 75-mm field guns, fired at the intended target at the first time. After the shooting of Zhu Yuan had already been marked, the artillery of the Imperial Artillery was very accurate, and it was able to accurately hit the shells into the cavalry ranks of the Russian army one by one.

"Ulla! Ulla! The Russian Cossack cavalry shouted slogans and charged quickly. At this time, a sharp whistling sound came from above their heads. The shells pierced the air at high speed and landed on the heads of the Russian Cossack cavalry.

"Oh God!" A Cossack cavalryman raised his head and watched as the little black dots grew larger and larger, and then exploded around him.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Dense shells exploded in the ranks of the Russian army, and the air wave generated by the explosion threw the Russian cavalry into the sky, and the shrapnel fired in all directions, killing the Russian cavalry and war horses within the effective killing radius. Many Russian Cossack cavalrymen fell to the ground screaming, and then were trampled to death by the horses that were sprinting at high speed behind them.

"Shhh How many cannons did those Chinese prepare, looking at this, the number of their cannons will not be less than three hundred! Lieutenant General Golovin gasped when he saw that his cavalry was constantly being killed by Chinese artillery shells. You know, even the infantry units of the Russians would not be equipped with so many cannons. And the cavalry of the Chinese are equipped with so many cannons, does this still have to live?

Lieutenant General Apkrasin's face was cold, as if the lives that had passed him could not be shaken at all. He was secretly calculating the firepower of the Chinese cavalry. This is just a tentative attack, if the whole army attacks on a large scale, whether it can tear through the defense line of the Chinese cavalry, this is what he needs to consider!

"Mortar, fire!" The Russians paid heavy casualties before breaking through to a distance of 1,500 meters from the defense line of the Imperial cavalry. At this time, the mortars, which had already been prepared, opened fire. Because of the orders of Major General Monk Greenqin, only half of the hundreds of mortars on the front line opened fire. However, such intensive artillery fire still allowed the Russian army's offensive to be contained!

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Dense shells fell into the ranks of the Russian troops, and the Russian cavalry was constantly killed or wounded. The wounded horses fell to the ground, and even the riders who went north were crushed to the ground, letting out a heart-rending wail.

Although the power of the mortar is not as good as that of the howitzer, the rate of fire is not comparable to that of the howitzer. Now the rate of fire of the mortars of the Reich* army has increased to ten. Under such circumstances, the fierce shelling of hundreds of mortars was completely like a rain of shells, tearing thousands of Cossack cavalry of the Russian army to pieces.

"Oh God! How could the Chinese be armed with such a cannon. With such dense firepower, will we be able to rush through? "The commander of the 38th Cavalry Division of the Russian Army, Major General Alexander, turned pale, and now his troops were under the onslaught of Chinese artillery, and the losses were so heavy that his heart was dripping blood. However, Lieutenant General Apukrasin did not give the order to retreat, and he could only watch as his soldiers were blown up.

More than 5,000 cavalry of the 38th Cavalry Division of the Russian Army suffered heavy losses in a short period of time, and only less than 1,000 people successfully broke through the mortar shelling area of the Imperial Cavalry. Before the cavalry could rejoice, they were fired at by the pistols in the hands of the Imperial cavalry.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! A crisp gunshot rang out, and the cavalrymen, who were in the process of sprinting at high speed, fell to the ground. The marksmanship of the Imperial cavalry is not bad, and within the effective firing range, it is almost impossible for the Russian cavalry to break through the defense line of the Imperial cavalry.

"Retreat!" Lieutenant General Apukrasin ordered.

"Yes, General!" Major General Alexander hurriedly gave the order to retreat.

However, the 38th Cavalry Division of the Russian Army had already suffered heavy losses, and in just 20 minutes, more than 5,000 people in the division launched an attack, and in the end, less than 500 people were withdrawn, a full loss of 90 percent. Moreover, the eyes of these Russian cavalrymen who had withdrawn were full of horror, and they were obviously stupid by the fierce firepower of the Imperial cavalry.

"General Apukrasin, the firepower of the Chinese cavalry is too strong, should we still attack?" Lieutenant General Golovin said with some difficulty. Now, too, his faith has begun to waver.

"Of course, General Golovin, we have no way back now." Lieutenant General Apukrasin said firmly.

"However, the Chinese have such strong firepower, how can we break through their defenses?"

"No, Golovin will. We still have a chance. The Chinese defense line is more than ten kilometers long, and we can choose multiple places to break through, so that we can effectively disperse the Chinese's firepower. Moreover, the tentative attack just now was only a cavalry division. This time, I demand that all our remaining 7 cavalry divisions be thrown into it and break through the defense line of the Chinese in one fell swoop! "Lieutenant General Apukrasin is like a gambler who has lost red-eyed, and is ready to gamble on it.

"Aren't there any reserves?" Lieutenant General Golovin asked.

"No need! All into it, as long as we can break through the defense line of the Chinese, we win. (To be continued......)