Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 482 Russian Cavalry and Artillery

Sparse morning stars twinkle in the gray dawn sky.The wind blows from below the cloud.On the Angara River, the mist is rushing, circling on the slopes of the mountains along Lake Baikal, like a giant snake with a huge body, passing through dense forests and sparse wheat fields, and drilling into the valley.

The river branches, beaches, lakes, reed ponds, dew-covered forests, and sparse rye fields along both sides of the river are all shrouded in a cool and bright red morning glow.The sun was still lying lazily behind the horizon, refusing to rise.

Luo Qijin, a soldier lying under the mosquito net in the shelter, asked Kang Youcai angrily, "Squad leader, what kind of battle are we fighting here?"

Kang Youcai took the unlit cigarette pipe stick in his mouth, smashed it to taste the smell of smoke oil, and poohed twice, and then said: "The battalion commander said that this is called luring the enemy out of the cave, and when the enemy comes out, we will let you go." Shoot the motherfucker with cannons."

"Where's the cannon? Why can't I see it?" The recruit Qin Shoucai poked his head out of the bunker, looking south while driving away the mosquitoes in front of his face.

"Don't let the cannons run out, you should save some for us." The machine gunner was still muttering while oiling the gun.

"What's the hurry! The battalion commander said, there are tens of thousands of people this time!"

"Squad leader, can I ask you something?" Qin Shoucai turned his head and blinked, showing a curious look. "I heard that our battalion commander sang ditties very well. What did he do before he became a soldier?"

"Don't inquire about it!" Kang Youcai put the cigarette pot into his belt, and gave Qin Shoucai a stare.He talked nonsense to others last time, but the battalion commander Monk Zhou heard him. He was fined to write the military regulations thirty times, and his hands almost cramp.

Qin Shoucai blinked his dark eyes, looked at the squad leader, and asked: "Squad leader, you said that our rifles can shoot farther than the enemy, and we also have machine guns and cannons. What's the use of practicing bayonets?"

"I said why do you have so many questions, kid?"

A few people were talking about each other, when they heard "Boom! Boom!" a few loud noises in the distance, several black spots rose from behind the hills in the north, and flew towards the position of our own position .

"Hidden!" Kang Youcai yelled at the people around him, and then retreated into the anti-gun hole, cursing: "What kind of crazy is the red hair in the morning!"

The shells were fired from 1.8 kilometers away, using 10-inch cast-iron mortars (called unicorn guns by the Russian army).The gun body weight of this gun is 850 kg, using 2 kg grenade, the maximum range can reach 2200 meters.But their effective ranges were much shorter, generally over 875 yards, with about 60% of the shells falling outside the 4 yard radius of the target.

For the Beihai Navy on the ground, if this thing is accurate, it will be fine, but the terrible thing is that it may not be accurate.If you don't drill the bomb holes and don't take these shells seriously, you may explode in your head.

In the three days since the war started, the artillerymen of the Russian army have also learned from chicken thieves. They deliberately shoot at high elevation angles and shorten the fuse so that the grenade explodes directly in the air.

The grenades used by European armies in the 18th century were basically the same.Due to technical limitations, a 10-pound grenade will produce 0.629-18 fragments when using a 19 kg charge. If it explodes in the air, the fragments can fly to a place about 220 meters away from the explosion point.If the grenade explodes on the ground, the fragments can only kill infantry within 12-15 meters. Beyond this distance, the fragments will fly over the heads of the infantry.

The biggest problem with high elevation angles is that it will bring a greater impact to the gun mount and accelerate the wear and tear of the gun mount.In fact, the battles between European countries all use the same shooting method as cannons. They start shooting at a very low elevation angle, let the grenade pass at low altitude and jump up many times, and finally explode in the enemy's formation; If it is detonated near the first line, it must also be detonated near the second line or the reserve team.

The problem is that this trick didn't work against the North Navy, so the Russian army was forced to shell at a high elevation angle 1.5 kilometers away, and ran away after shooting. More than 850 kilograms of gun carriages together with ammunition vehicles, six horses can ensure rapid transfer.

A shell exploded more than ten meters away from Kang Youcai and the others, a cloud of white smoke exploded in the air, and several fragments hit near the trench.The soil on the roof of the bomb defense cave where they were squatting fell down with a "squeak and rustle".Qin Shoucai shrunk his body to the inner corner of the blast hole, and pressed his two ears tightly with both palms.

Two minutes later, five more grenades exploded over the position, and only one unlucky guy was hit in the calf by fragments.

Since the Russian mortars were installed behind a hill on the other side of the river, the heavy machine guns couldn't hit them at all. After the two mortars of the company fired back in that direction, the shelling on the opposite side stopped. I don't know if I hit it or not.

At noon that day, squad leader Kang Youcai received the task, and their entire platoon was going to make the first attack to occupy the opposite hill.

More than 30 soldiers walked among the reeds and proceeded carefully along the river beach. The river flowed like a chattering storyteller.Compared with being in the aggrieved trenches, at this moment, Kang Youcai felt that he had finally returned to the world of vast sea and sky.

The new recruit, Qin Shoucai, was particularly active. He was holding a bayonet-mounted rifle, and he wished that an enemy would appear immediately for him to kill.There is no road on the river beach, and the edge of the beach is rotten and slippery. Everyone's legs and feet sink into the mud from time to time, making their shoes heavy and wet.

The mouth of the river was not far from them. Because of the low-lying terrain, the Angara River split into several streams here, and in the middle of the river was a mudflat full of reeds.The platoon leader led Kang Youcai's Seventh and Eighth Squads to find a place with a gentle current and waded across the river, while the Ninth Squad was divided into two combat teams and stayed on the river bank for cover.

The Angara River originates from Lake Baikal. Because of the abundant water, it looks like there are no waves on the surface, but the underwater flow is very fast.The Beihai Navy has conducted reconnaissance on the river here many times before, and Kang Youcai himself has been there twice.He knows exactly where to stay and where the water flows fast.

After Kang Youcai and the others crossed the river and got out of the reeds, they saw the enemy in the woods.This is a light cavalry squad of the Russian army, with about 50 people.

In the European armies of the same period, the cavalry squadron was the basic unit of the cavalry.There are often large differences in their rated strength, ranging from as few as 100 to as many as 250; even in the same country's army, different types of cavalry squadrons may have different establishments.

The cavalry regiment of the Russian army generally has 4 squadrons under its jurisdiction, but there may be as many as 6, 8 or even 10.At the end of the eighteenth century, there could be significant differences in the formation of different types of cavalry regiments in the same army.This random organization of the European army did not change until after the Napoleonic era.

The Russian cavalry at the end of the 18th century was divided into several different types, such as light cavalry, heavy cavalry wearing breastplates, hussars in Hungarian dress, and carbine cavalry.The difference is mainly reflected in the size of the horses. In addition, there are also differences in weapons and equipment. Among them, there is no difference between the light cavalry and the hussars.

The Lancers in the Russian army are called "Uvan" or "Tovarish", and they are generally independent cavalry units composed of Poles or Lithuanians.

At first, when the dragoons were only mounted infantry, selected dragoons were sometimes called chasseurs; Units of light cavalry received the title of "chasseur cavalry", and these units would be assigned to regular cavalry for reconnaissance and security duties.

Unlike heavy cavalry, who were armed with straight swords, light cavalry were generally armed with slightly curved sabers, two short guns tucked in a holster on the front of the saddle, and a carbine, usually slung over the right shoulder.

After observing the enemy's situation, the platoon leader ordered Kang Youcai's seventh squadron to divide into two combat groups to launch an attack, and the eighth squadron quickly outflanked the Russian army's left flank after the exchange of fire.

So with Kang Youcai's rifle shooting as the password, the squad's machine guns fired, and the dense rain of bullets was like a swarm of bees finding the target, and they got into the woods with a "huh".

The bullets hit the leafy bushes with a swishing sound.The Russian soldiers who were shot dead in an instant fell to the ground without saying a word; those who were injured and survived screamed indistinctly; Then he untied the reins, mounted the horse hastily, and prepared to escape into the depths of the dense forest.

"Beep~~! Beep beep!" As the platoon leader blew a long sound and a continuous short sound with his whistle, it was time to launch an attack.After the Eighth Squad in charge of the outflanking quickly arrived at the left flank of the Russian army, the machine guns immediately launched crossfire. Some cavalrymen who had just mounted their horses were immediately knocked off their horses, and several others quickly outflanked to the north, cutting off the enemy's return route.

In the woods, people shouted and horses neighed into chaos.Qin Shoucai rushed out quickly, followed by Kang Youcai, Luo Qijin and others.When they got within 200 meters of the remnants of the Russian army, the machine guns on the right wing stopped firing.

The seventh squad followed the Russian army and started a fierce pursuit.Some of the Russian soldiers died on the road, and some ran eastward through the woods to the river beach in horror, and were trapped in the mud.

Of more than 50 Russian soldiers, only one survived in the end. He was shot in the chest by a bullet, and his beige uniform was soaked in blood.When Kang Youcai and others found him, the cavalryman knew that he was a prisoner in a blur of consciousness. He slightly raised his right hand and cried loudly, "Don't kill me! I'm from..."

But before he could finish speaking, he died.

Afterwards, the No. [-] Squad, who was in charge of searching for spoils, found a hand-painted map of the forward position of the Northern Navy in the carry-on bag of a Russian cavalry captain. Several forks were drawn on the north side of the position, and one of them happened to be theirs. Behind the hill to capture.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Kang Youcai and the others rushed up the hill, but the Russian artillery had already left.Half an hour later, the messengers in the battalion came to inform that the second platoon had built a position on the reverse slope of the hill and was stationed here to monitor the movement of the Russian army in the "Fort Zaimka".

Later that day, inside the Northern Navy Command.

Since the Russian army launched a tentative attack a few days ago, the North Navy Staff has arranged the current preparations.In the afternoon, Zhao Xin ordered someone to issue an urgent notice, ordering all chief officers above the deputy regiment level to come to the staff headquarters to attend the meeting at [-] o'clock this evening, except for one person to manage affairs.

Among the current chief officers above the deputy regiment level in the Beihai Navy, in addition to the chief and deputy regimental commanders, there is also a political commissar in charge of propaganda and education, who is mainly responsible for grasping the ideological trends of the subordinates and offering literacy classes.Zhao Xin plans to wait for the student from the administration school to graduate next year, and then send him to each company as an instructor.

The meeting place located in the staff department is a large wooden carving.A few piles of cattail grass were lit outside the door, and there were more than a dozen mosquito coils lit in the corner of the house.The mosquitoes on Lake Baikal in summer are big and fierce. When they are severe, they roar in groups like tornadoes. Even if they are single, they can't get rid of a bite for several days.

The walls of the room are covered with maps, a situation map showing the current distribution of enemy and enemy forces, hanging in the middle of the wall eye-catchingly.The red and blue arrows marked on the map are densely packed against each other.Even outsiders who don't know how to do it just need to pay attention to it, and they will feel that the violent storm of war is about to come.

Zhao Xin, Liu Sheng and a group of head and deputy head of the group were talking and laughing casually with a cigarette in their mouths.It is not so much smoking as it is to drive away mosquitoes.Sheng Haizhou looked at his watch and saw that it was already seven o'clock, so he reminded Zhao Xin that the meeting could be held.

Zhao Xin walked up to the situation map hanging in the middle, pointed to the map and asked all the officers, "Have you seen the map?"

"I've seen it!" Several people replied in unison.

"Do you remember it all?"

"Remember!" Everyone answered collectively.The officers stopped chatting and laughing casually, puffing clouds in silence, staring at Zhao Xin and the map he was pointing at.

"It's been six years, and our battles are getting bigger and bigger! The Russian army is going to fight us in a field battle this time! Twelve thousand Northern Navy, against more than 1 Russian troops, it seems that Rumyantsev intends to use Let's hurry back to the east of Lake Baikal!"

Zhao Xinyu gave a warning and stared at the officers in the front row.There was a sudden silence in the room, the air seemed to become tense, and the rising smoke seemed to stagnate, making the atmosphere a bit depressing.

"According to the latest information sent by the reconnaissance team from the front, the enemy situation in front of us is like this," Zhao Xin took the wooden pole from Sheng Haizhou, pointed to a certain position on the map, and continued: "The enemy is entrenched in Angara. The enemy on the western front of the basin, with Kutulik as the center, consists of twelve infantry regiments, five to seven cavalry regiments, plus a large number of militiamen, with a total strength of about 6 troops, along the post road built by the Russians. , advancing southward in a column in an attempt to press us from the western front. At present, the enemy's vanguard is only 130 kilometers away from us. The enemy on the northern front has been bombarding the position of the third regiment since the day before yesterday. Although it has no effect, according to the front Drone reconnaissance has informed that the enemy of Zaymka Fortress is preparing to attack."

At this time, there were two political commissars below, in the gap between Zhao Xin's words, with their ears attached to each other, talking about something.Liu Sheng suddenly got up and stared, the two of them immediately stopped whispering, puffed up their chests again, and waited seriously for Zhao Xin to continue speaking.

Zhao Xin picked up the water glass from the table and took a sip. He glanced at everyone in the room calmly and said, "War is like this. Either the enemy destroys us, or the enemy is destroyed by us! The Russians learned very quickly, and now they also know how to use The tactic of running away after the mortar is fired! This is to tell you not to underestimate the enemy! This time, we will beat the Russians thoroughly, and if we don’t clean up the Russians, we will not be able to realize the battle in the south of Outer Mongolia next year. plan!"

Then he announced: "You only have one day to make all the preparations. The second regiment, the fourth regiment, the fifth regiment, the Green Leaf Camp, and the Hagi Camp will enter other cities at dawn from Usoliye to the west. On the lower reaches of the Raya River, set up defenses in the area south of the village of Uzkilug. The entourage of the general staff will tell you how to set up positions.

The [-]st Regiment, [-]rd Regiment, and Ainu Battalion continue to face the enemies of Zaimka Fortress to the north, and will not attack for the time being!The Sixth Regiment is the reserve team!

Why don't you move?Pigs have to be fattened and killed so that there will be more oil and water.If the enemies on the western front are not wiped out at once, the task of joining the two fronts in Yenisesk cannot be completed on time!Fighting for two thousand miles, once the weather changes, the difficulty of transporting supplies to the rear will increase several times! After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he stood still for several seconds before sitting down.

The officers below suddenly floated up and started chirping with each other. Everyone looked excited, and there was no tension or uneasiness at all.

"Is it really going to go south next year? I'm finally going to fight the Mongolian cavalry!"

"Cut~~ The Russian cavalry are all cleaned up, and the Mongol cavalry is still afraid!"

"It's not enough to catch a general this time, we need to catch a marshal to be energetic!"

"Stop! I have to declare in advance! Don't fight me this time, the Marshal is mine!"

"You declare a ghost, declare! Everyone depends on their own abilities!"

(End of this chapter)