Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 337 Choice
Zhao Xin tried to carry the Cossack soldier away on his shoulders, but the ice was too slippery. After walking a few steps, Zhao Xin lost his balance and couldn't hold on any longer. On the ice, he fell on his back.Fortunately, the backpack hanging on his back was padded, otherwise he would have suffered a slight concussion.

The groom Yegor had just been knocked dizzy by Zhao Xin, and then fell so hard that he suddenly felt that all the bones in his body were going to be broken.

"Forgive me, please don't kill me." Yegor didn't know who was attacking him, and he couldn't think of anyone who would sneak attack a groom in this kind of place.

Oh, God!I just came out to fetch water for the horses because the chief was on patrol and returned to the camp. Who would have thought that such a bad thing would happen.

Zhao Xin turned over and stood up, and said viciously to Yegor: "Don't talk, or I will kill you immediately!"

After speaking, he grabbed the back collar of the opponent's clothes and dragged and slid on the ice for a while; after landing on the shore, he dragged the opponent to the bottom of the steep slope, more than 20 meters away from the step.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions now. If you're dishonest, I'll cut your neck off!"

Yegor felt a chill on his neck, and the biting cold blade was already on his throat.Before he had time to look at who the other party was, he gasped and stammered: "Don't, don't kill me, I, I have a one-year-old child in my family. If I die, their mother and child and Polia will die." Starved to death."

"What's the serial number of your unit?"

Zhao Xin repeated it twice before Yegor said, "Transbaikal. First Musketeer Regiment."

"How many people are in your regiment?"

"1800."

"How many Cossack regiments are there in Nerchinsk?"

"Two. The other is the [-]rd Musketeers."

"Are there any other troops?"

"I'm just a groom." Just as Yegor was about to argue, he felt the blade in his throat start to press down, his neck suddenly hurt, and a trace of bloody liquid slipped from his neck.He paused for a moment, and then said: "I heard that there are still five regiments in Chita."

I rely on!Zhao Xin was startled!There are 3600 people in the two regiments here in Nerchinsk, while Chita is only two days away by boat, and there are still more than 9000 people there.The Tsarist Russians are going to attack aggressively!

"What's your head's name?"

"Bo, Bogaevsky"

"What's your general's name?"

"Springer, and, also, General Suvorov"

Zhao Xin asked a total of more than a dozen questions before and after. In order to prevent the other party from fabricating lies, he asked them again out of order.At this time, something was wrong in the barracks to the north, and a few soldiers with torches walked out of the camp gate and walked towards the river.

Yegor, who was fully awake at this time, heard the movement, and he wanted to call for help, but the sharp blade and pain on his neck reminded him that the person beside him would definitely kill him.

"Please, I'm just a farmer, not a soldier. I have a wife and children, and they took me as a groom. I dare not not listen."

"To shut up!"

Zhao Xin hesitated, killing himself and ordering others to kill are completely different things.After he and Liu Sheng fought the ambush on Xiongdao, Zhao Xin had a long nightmare, but he never mentioned it to others.

In fact, he has long been a PTSD patient.The constant review of nightmares is clinically called "trauma re-experience"; in addition, there are increased alertness, emotional numbness, and sleep disturbances.

This kind of thing can't be solved by saying "Oh, this unfortunate world, I can't help it!" People always have choices, otherwise they are no different from beasts.

To kill is to kill, and if you kill too much, you will definitely ignore the lives of others.Therefore, Zhao Xin hardly killed prisoners of war. Most of them were sent to Solenji Island to dig gold as coolies, or to the coal mines in Ezo.

Love never dies, out of sight and out of mind.

So, Zhao Xin said viciously to Yegor: "If you dare to say a word outside, I will come back to you!"

Yegor was overjoyed when he heard this. He knew that his life was saved, so he quickly said, "Don't tell me, I swear to the Holy Mother."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes blurred, and that devil-like figure suddenly disappeared.

Disappeared!
Yegor's scalp exploded, and the pain in his throat told him that everything just happened really happened, but why did the other party disappear in a blink of an eye?
"Could he be an Ataman?" Thinking of the Cossack Mamai, the sorcerer in the ancient Cossack legend who can hide, fly, and even read people's hearts, Yegor suddenly shuddered, even the calls of several soldiers who approached turn a deaf ear.

The sun-drenched mountaintops are covered with snow, and against the cloudless blue sky, sugar stars of gold are shining.

The whole Beihai Town is like a large flowered cloth pieced together with various colored cloth heads, unfolding in Xila and the two banks.

On the right is the Sila River, which runs north and south like a jade belt.To the east of the river bank are various industrial plant areas emitting white and black smoke.On the east side of the industrial area, there is a ravine extending vertically and horizontally to the winding hills upstream.On the edge of the hill, fence-like telephone poles are lined up from east to west.

On the left is Beihai Town, where the smoke is curling up.Follow the newly built road all the way west, extending to the settlement of Whale Bay at the southwestern end of the bay.

In a heavily guarded yard on the north side of the town square, a big tabby cat is lying on the window sill basking in the sun.The warm sun shone on the golden and shiny fur, and King Duofu was very satisfied, and let out a contented sound of "snoring".

The kitchen on the west side of the yard is filled with the smell of fried steamed buns and cornmeal porridge. A Miao is dipping a piece of steamed buns in egg liquid in front of the stove, and then putting them into the pan to fry until golden on both sides.

Yu Deli and Wu Siyu pushed the door and walked into the yard, and said in unison: "Oh! It smells so good!"

Hearing the sound, Shen Xuan came out of the room, smiled and blessed the two of them, and said softly: "He hasn't woken up yet, please sit in the room and speak softly."

Zhao Xin came back last night. When he got home, he fell asleep without taking off his clothes. He was really exhausted.Fortunately, Chen Jishan and other guards lived in the east wing, and the stove in the main room was always warm no matter whether Zhao Xin was there or not, otherwise Zhao Xin would definitely have suffered from frostbite.

In the morning, Shen Xuan and A Miao, who came to hear the news, first helped him take off his coat and took it to wash. While busy, they heard Zhao Xin say "fried steamed bun slices". So A Miao went to the kitchen and got busy.

Zhao Xin didn't sleep well, his dreams were full of blood and fire, and the old things he had read in history books reappeared.

In the dream, there were blood-stained sabers and Cossack muskets emitting white smoke, and Heilongjiang was covered with undulating corpses of frontier residents; , Zhao Xin in the dream yelled, "Stop! I'm going to kill you!"

He woke himself up by talking in his sleep.

Wu Siyu's loud voice came from the outer room: "Good guy! Who are you fighting with?"

The door creaked, and Shen Xuan walked in with a hot towel.

"Are you awake? Mr. Yu and Mr. Wu have been here for a while, and they won't let me call you."

Zhao Xin sat up from the bed, looked at Shen Xuan in surprise, and asked in a daze, "Why are you here?"

"Jishan told me this morning, I told him before, and you will tell me as soon as you come back." Shen Xuan handed the towel to Zhao Xin, and said with some guilt: "I'm just a useless little woman. Can't help you."

Zhao Xin took the towel and wiped his face. He felt refreshed, and then he smiled and comforted him, "Ah Quan, where are you going. Every time I come back, I can see you, which is more important than anything else."

After finishing speaking, he held Shen Xuan's hand, pulled her to him, kissed her on the cheek, and Shen Xuan's pretty face flushed instantly.

"Let's talk about what the young couple have to say in the evening. The two of us came here to find you urgently."

Outside the door, Wu Siyu's "disgusting" voice sounded again
An hour later, Zhao Xin, who was full of food and drink, told the whole story of this outing for reconnaissance; when he heard that Tsarist Russia had prepared more than 1 troops from Nerchinsk to Chita, Yu Deli and Wu Siyu immediately stunned.

"Guess who is the general leading the army this time?"

Yu Deli said: "How do we know this, I only know a Kutuzov, and I read it from "War and Peace"."

At this time, Kutuzov was not yet the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. He is now the commander of the Bug Chasseurs, with the rank of major general, and is responsible for the defense of the Bug River on the southwestern border of Russia.Until this summer, he will lead the Chasseurs to participate in the Battle of Ochakov.

Zhao Xin said indifferently: "Suvorov."

"Hiss~" Wu Siyu stared, adjusted his glasses and said, "You mean the guy who wrote "The Science of Winning"?"

Zhao Xin nodded and said, "Yes, strictly speaking, both Kutuzov and Bagration are his students. But he won't write the book until seven or eight years later."

When Yu Deli heard it, his face became more solemn, while Zhao Xin smiled and said, "You two think too much."

Thanks to Zhao Xin's training course for officers, most people in the Beihai Navy have read this military masterpiece that has been cut off from the beginning to the end. It is mainly used to understand the combat habits and characteristics of the neighbor in the north.In order to be able to give lectures to the mid-level officers of the Beihai Navy, Zhao Xin had put in a lot of effort to get to know Suvorov.

In fact, the worship of Suvorov by later generations of Russians made him a god of war who never made mistakes, and Suvorov himself enjoyed this worship very much.

However, in Zhao Xin's view, Suvorov is only an excellent commander suitable for the national conditions of Tsarist Russia in this era; for the Northern Navy armed to the teeth, he is nothing!

After listening to Zhao Xin's explanation, Yu Deli and Wu Siyu finally realized that the worship of historical celebrities is harmful to people.

"Then what do we do next?"

"I don't know if it's too late at this time?"

Regarding Wu Siyu and Yu Deli's question, Zhao Xin remained silent.In fact, he thought further. Zhao Xin's focus was not on whether to fight the Tsarist Russians, but the situation in the entire outer Northeast after the fight.

To settle this account clearly, we must first consider whether the current Manchu Qing can resist the invasion of Tsarist Russia.

Zhao Xin estimated that he could, but it was too late.You must know that even if Fukang'an is not considered, as far as the current Jilin general Mingliang is concerned, he is also a general who can fight well, but because Fukang'an is too dazzling in this era, Mingliang is ignored by people.But the problem is that if the Manchu Qing Dynasty wants to make a big move northward, it will definitely be approved by Qianlong.Waiting for the news of the invasion to be reported to Beijing, and then returning to Jilin and Heilongjiang from Beijing, it is enough for tens of thousands of Cossacks to make a round trip from Nerchinsk to Khabarovsk.

The second is the issue of the North Navy dispatching troops.

If the Manchus couldn't stand it, they would of course be willing to fight the Beihai Navy with Tsarist Russia to the death, while looking for opportunities to steal chickens.If the Beihai Navy sends troops, it is not simply a matter of beating Tsarist Russia back.In terms of Zhao Xin's personality, he wanted to push all the way to Lake Baikal, so that Rakshasa could also taste the feeling of being invaded.

But, let’s say no!From Fuerdan City to Yakesa and Nerchinsk, there are thousands of kilometers of waterways. If the Qing army cuts off any point along the way, the logistical impact on the Northern Navy will be huge.

It is also impossible for Zhao Xin to be exhausted to give support to the troops, because once the Beihai Navy develops this habit, what will happen if Zhao Xin is gone in the future?
Therefore, this battle must be considered from the overall situation in the outer northeast. If it is fought, then it is necessary to control the various points along the Heilongjiang River; Just hit it down.

In this way, the territorial area controlled by Beihai Town will exceed one million square kilometers, including all river basins including Heilongjiang, Songhua River, Wusuli River, Suifen River, and Henggun River.

How many people does such a large piece of land have in this era?

Even if the more than 20 people in Beihai Town are added, the total does not exceed 40, which means that there is only one person per 2.5 square kilometers on average.

Population, no one is exempt from everything.Without a well-educated and well-nourished population, the development of the outer Northeast is even more out of the question.

Because of the population problem, Zhao Xin even thought of the issue of women's liberation.

Beihai Town has a population of more than 20, and women account for one-third. If all the women in Beihai Town can be mobilized through this war, will it break the era of "do not leave the gate and do not walk through the second gate", and even What about the bad habit of binding feet?

If you can't even change the stereotypes and bad habits of these people under your command, how can you change this country?

After a long time, Zhao Xin said slowly: "Subei Xu Dayong is going to strengthen our strength."

Yu and Wu waited for a long time, but they couldn't help being stunned after waiting for such a sentence.

"There are not enough people!" Zhao Xin sighed, and explained to the two: "It is easy to fight Tsarist Russia, but what should we do after the fight is over? Withdraw and continue to let the Manchus restore their rule? Wouldn't that be like taking off your pants and farting?"

In fact, there are many similar behaviors in the Beihai Navy, and many people who travel through feel uncomfortable, thinking that Zhao Xin was afraid of wolves before and tigers later.

In fact, the reason why Zhao Xin took pleasure in transporting refugees outside the customs but did not go south was because he wanted to change the thinking of some low-level people in advance and establish a national concept.Without this, the national mobilization system in industrialized countries cannot be established, and ordinary people will think that being a soldier is a Latino, and it is just a job.

Didn’t those Guangzhou merchants who worked hand in hand with the British and Portuguese to traffic in opium know that opium harmed people?Without him, there is a family without a country, your home is not my home, and your village is not my village.

From the psychological point of view of common people in Chinese feudal society, living and working in peace and contentment is their deep-rooted ideal.One cow on five mu of land, with wives and children on the kang, this is already happiness for many people.

Who will be the emperor and who will be the official, but the people who collect taxes and maintain social order have changed.In essence, it is nothing more than adding the name of the country to the coat of "patriarchal society and gentry self-government".

It's crooked.

Zhao Xin withdrew his thoughts, and said to Wu Siyu: "Order Pan Xiucheng's regiment to send out a battalion, and go north to occupy Boli first. No matter what, the Tsarist Russians must not be allowed to enter the lower reaches of Heilongjiang."

Wu Siyu said: "The ice hasn't melted yet, and the inland river boats can't move, so we can only march by land. But we are completely unfamiliar with the terrain north of Xingkai Lake! Will it be possible in time?"

Zhao Xin said: "If there is no road, we have to open a road! We have no choice!"

(End of this chapter)