"Damn! Why is this happening? The fortified city held by 500,000 troops fell in less than half a month. Didn't you all promise me before, that you would definitely let the Chinese hit their heads in Yekaterinburg bleed? Why is this the end result! "Tsar Alexander II's eyes were red, like an angry lion.

Yekaterinburg fell in just half a month, and finally surrendered to the Chinese Empire. At the time of surrender, there were a staggering more than 200,000 people. This made Tsar Alexander II think that he had been played by them like a clown all along. Otherwise, how could this be the case?

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, Duke Gorchakov, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Duke Volkonsky, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Neschel Rody, the Political Adviser Zhukovsky and others, did not say a word. They didn't know how to answer Alexander II's question, and they didn't expect the tide of battle to turn so quickly. You must know that before the battle began, everyone thought that the strong fortifications of Yekaterinburg would definitely be able to withstand the attack of the Chinese army, and if the Chinese army wanted to capture Yekaterinburg, I am afraid it would have to pay the price of hundreds of thousands of casualties!

However, it was only half a month before Yekaterinburg fell. More than 200,000 Russian troops have surrendered to the Chinese, which is undoubtedly a slap in their face!

"Your Majesty, the line of defense in Yekaterinburg, we have been painstakingly preparing for several years. It can be said that the Yekaterinburg defense line was very strong! "said the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Duke Gorchakov. After the end of the last war, he knew that the combat effectiveness of the Russian army was not comparable to that of the Chinese army. If you want to defeat the Chinese army in the field, it is almost impossible. Only by relying on a strong line of defense. in order to be able to resist the attack of the Chinese Army, and use this to consume the strength of the Chinese Army. Then wait for the right moment to launch a counterattack. The fortifications of Yekaterinburg also came into being from this. However, what made him unbelievable was that such a strong fortification was still unable to withstand the attack of the Chinese army in the end.

"So, what about the results now? How do you explain that? Alexander II's voice was cold, as if it had caused the temperature in the office to drop by several degrees. Everyone knows how angry Alexander II was in his heart. Yekaterinburg was already the last stronghold of the Russian army on the West Siberian Plain, after the loss of Yekaterinburg. The whole of the Western Siberian Plain was lost. More importantly, the millions of troops deployed by the Russian army on the West Siberian Plain have all been lost, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Russia.

"Your Majesty, if there is no accident, we will be able to withstand the attack of the Chinese. However, the Chinese are too unreasonable. They actually sent airships to bombard our defenses. The fortresses and fortresses we built were mainly against the Chinese army. But. This kind of attack from the sky, we simply can't defend against it. When these strong defensive lines were lightly broken through by the Chinese, the fall of Yekaterinburg was understandable! Duke Gorchakov said with his head bowed. He will be a qiē responsibility. All pushed on the Chinese Air Force. Without the Chinese Air Force, the Chinese Army would not have been able to break through the Russian defense line so quickly.

"Whew!" Alexander II let out a long sigh of relief, he was not vexatious. It's really that the losses of the Russian army are too great. Of course, the Chinese sent airships to bombard the Russian defense line. This was a surprise to everyone. Such a thing as an airship has already appeared in the West. But. In the eyes of Alexander II, it was no different from a hot air balloon, at most it was used to observe the enemy's situation, or to provide artillery with a number of jù. Who would have thought that the Chinese would have developed so many large airships, and could drop bombs directly from the airships, blowing up all the defense lines that Russia had painstakingly built? Otherwise, where would the defense line of the Russian army in Yekaterinburg be broken through so easily. It can be said that the main culprit of this failure is the Chinese Air Force.

"Although, the appearance of the Chinese Air Force surprised us and destroyed our fortifications. However, the defenders of Yekaterinburg, at the last moment, did not want to serve the country and fought to the end, but surrendered to the Chinese! This is simply unforgivable! Alexander II continued to growl. Last time, he had already executed the families of the Russian generals who had surrendered in Chelyabinsk, in order to give a warning to the generals at the front. But I didn't expect that there were still people knowingly committing crimes, which was completely challenging his bottom line.

"Your Majesty, in a desperate situation, the generals in front have to surrender to the enemy, which is also understandable!" Duke Gorchakov said.

"Humph! You don't have to excuse them! According to the order given before, arrest all the families of those surrendered generals, and then hang them in public, I want everyone to know what kind of fate will happen if you betray the country! Alexander II said with a dark face.

"Majesty, this, will the impact be too great, please think twice!" Duke Gorchakov hurriedly said.

The rest of the ministers also pleaded one after another. After all, there are more than 100 Russian generals who surrendered to the Chinese Army this time. All of their families add up, at least tens of thousands. If these people were hanged, it would definitely cause unrest throughout Russia, and social stability would also be affected. This will be a heavy blow to Russia, which has already lost on the front.

"Hmph, you don't have to persuade me anymore! Those guys who dare to betray the country will have to pay the price! "Alexander II was stubborn.

"Your Majesty, if you don't do this, only the chief criminal will be punished! The order to surrender was given by Admiral Alexander, then hang his family! The rest of the people are just carrying out orders! Parliamentary adviser Zhukovsky said.

Tsar Alexander II frowned, and if he only hanged Admiral Alexander's family, it seemed that it would not be enough to make him vent his hatred, nor would it have the effect of deterring others.

"And Marshal Wirtgenstein, who, as the marshal of the Reich, actually surrendered to the Chinese, which is simply a shame for Russia." Alexander II said viciously. The Marshal of the Empire, the highest rank in the army, is a symbol of glory. But now the Russian marshal actually walked into the Chinese prisoner of war camp, which is simply an insult to Russia!

"Your Majesty, at that time Marshal Wittgenstein was seriously ill, and the order to surrender was given by Admiral Alexander, which has nothing to do with Marshal Wittgenstein! Besides, Field Marshal Wittgenstein is already old, and if he is implicated because of this, I am afraid it will have a great impact in the Imperial Army! Duke Gorchakov reminded. Field Marshal Wittgenstein has a great influence in the Russian army. Many of his subordinates were now in high positions, and the execution of Field Marshal Wirtgenstein's family would certainly cause displeasure among them. At that time, the combat effectiveness of the Russian army will once again be affected.

Tsar Alexander II hesitated for a long time, but finally nodded and let Marshal Wittgenstein go. And the bitter Admiral Alexander, as a scapegoat, and his family, were all sent to the gallows.

"Now that the West Siberian Plain has been lost, what are we going to do next? If the Chinese continue to attack, how can we stop them? "Alexander II was somewhat worried. The Eastern European Plain is the heart of Russia, where more than 90 percent of Russia's population lives. In addition, Russia's industrial base and agricultural base depend on it. Once attacked by the Chinese, it will be all over.

"Your Majesty, although the Chinese won the victory in the Battle of West Siberia. But they're also at the end of the crossbow. In the battle, we lost millions of men. But the Chinese also lost at least hundreds of thousands. Plus the weapons and ammunition they stored must have been almost consumed, and the Chinese should not have the strength to attack to the west again! Duke Gorchakov said.

Alexander II nodded, in his opinion, the combat effectiveness of the Russian army is not what it used to be, it has improved a lot compared to the last war. Although the Chinese have won, their own casualties will certainly not be small. In addition, the West Siberian Plain is far from the hinterland of China, and it is very difficult for the Chinese* army to complete the supply. Under such circumstances, the Chinese really do not have the extra strength to continue the attack.

"If there are enough troops, now is a good opportunity to fight back against the Chinese!" Alexander II thought secretly. It is a pity that the mobilization of the Russian Army has not yet been completed, and it can only sit back and watch the passage of fighters.

"Your Majesty, in more than a month, the cold winter of the Siberian plain will come, and it is even more unlikely that the Chinese will attack us at this time. If the Chinese continue to attack westward, this may cause us big problems. But now? This undoubtedly gives us a chance to breathe. We can use this time to arm more troops. By the time the Chinese attack again next spring, we will already be ready for Ahong. In addition, we can also use this time to mobilize troops to teach the Ottoman Turkish Empire in the south a hard lesson, and let them know that the empire is not easy to mess with! Duke Gorchakov continued.

Alexander II nodded, agreeing with the strategy proposed by Duke Gorchakov. (To be continued......)

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