Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 494 The City of the Red Coast
When Yemelyan Pugachev and several of his accomplices were publicly executed in Moscow in early 1775, from Siberia to Moscow, the seemingly stable ruling order of the Tsarist Empire did not recover for a long time.

The "Pugachev Uprising" that occurred between 1773 and 1775 was triggered by the Ural Cossacks disobeying orders to intercept the Turghuts returning east in 1771, which triggered a series of riots. The struggle between the populace and the nobility of the Ural Cossacks.

In general, the Cossacks just didn't want Tsarist Russia to intervene in their tribal affairs and destroy the previous tribal political system with relatively equal power.Most importantly, the poor Cossacks wanted neither military service nor taxes!
In fact, the root cause of Pugachev’s riot was not how much appeal this person had. It was actually the Ural Cossack group who planned and led the entire riot. Even the name of “Peter III” was a Ural Cossack conspirator who helped him figured it out.

After Pugachev was arrested, he once complained: "I didn't want to be a czar of a bird, but they coerced me into the position!"

For the hundred and ten Cossack captives present today, they themselves or their parents were participants in the riot, otherwise they would not have been exiled to the east of the Ural Mountains, and then recruited by Rumyantsev to the battlefield .So when Mikhail revealed Ivan's true identity without shame, the captives immediately recalled the large-scale riots that swept across the North Caucasus to the Murom Forest more than ten years ago.

But many illiterate Cossacks did not know Pugachev's true identity, because the rebels who knew this were all executed.

"You are Pugachev's son? But I heard that his son is dead."

"I heard that man is the Tsar, so you are the Tsar's son?"

Krutogrove, who had changed his name to Alexander Ivanovich, said with a smile, "Hehe, I'm standing right here. Those are all rumors spread by shameless officials."

"Hey buddy, can you tell us how you got out?"

Krutogrove sat down and told everyone an elaborate story.This is a version that has been repeatedly tested by Wu Siyu, Zhao Xin, and other Cossacks who have defected. He himself couldn't tell whether it was true or not.

It is said that after the Pugachev riots began in 1773, Pugachev, who called himself "Peter III", claimed that Catherine II was his prodigal wife; at the same time, he said that he was going to be a monk and wanted his son Paul to inherit throne.

This action made the empress furious, and stepped up to refute the rumors, and at the same time sent people to search for Pugachev's wife Sophia.After capturing his wife and children, Catherine II ordered Sophia to be released every time she went to the market, and asked her to tell everyone that the rebel leader was actually her man.

In 1774, after Pugachev captured Kazan, he found his wife and children in the city prison.But at this time because he has married a new "Queen".Pugachev said that Sophia and the child belonged to a friend of his, and since they met, it was his responsibility to take care of them.Until Pugachev was captured, Sophia and the child had been with the rebels.

After Pugachev was arrested, Ekaterina II let the "Queen" Uskiniya appear in the market again, saying that he was not "Peter III" at all, but an ordinary Cossack.

However, it should never have happened. After Pugachev was executed, Catherine II strictly ordered the people and the government not to mention this person and matter again, and renamed the Yayike River "Ural River" to make it her own. The Cossacks of this Yaik also became Ural Cossacks.And Pugachev's two wives and children were secretly imprisoned, and they have never appeared in front of the world since then.It was not until the reign of Alexander I a few decades later that the matter was gradually talked about again.

The queen's original intention was to completely put an end to that terrible memory, but Zhao Xin keenly grasped the loophole after reading through a large amount of historical materials preserved in another time and space.The reason why he chose Krutogrove was because he was selected from tens of thousands of prisoners by the Yaksa Prisoner of War Management Department with the portrait of Peter III.

He insisted to Krutogrove that there was no doubt that Pugachev was Peter III.As for yourself, that is the child of Peter III and his lover, and the Grand Duke Paul should be your half brother.

As we all know, the relationship between Peter III and Catherine II was not good. They did not share the same bed on their wedding day, and each had a lover.Of course, the queen has many lovers, which makes Peter III feel ashamed.One of Peter III's most famous lovers was Elizaveta Romanovna, the second daughter of Count Vorontsov, then commander-in-chief of the Russian army.

Zhao Xin fabricated another lover for Peter III, that is Count Vorontsov's youngest daughter Maria Romanovna.

How dare you talk nonsense!Krutogrove was terrified the first time he heard the story.But because he didn't know Pugachev's life experience, after gradually accepting his new identity, he also began to feel proud.

It's so awesome!Son of the Tsar and Countess!

However, Zhao Xin didn't know at this time that the identity he forged for Krutogrove had caused the Swedish royal family to become a mess more than ten years later.When King Gustav IV was placed under house arrest, some people in the parliament actually suggested that Krutogrove's son should go back to inherit the throne, which bored Crown Prince Karl who had been waiting to be king.

You must know that Peter III's full name is Karl Peter Ulrich, who was born to Princess Anna Petrovna, the eldest daughter of Peter I, and Duke Holstein-Gottorp of Sweden.According to the paternal genealogy, Peter III is the great-nephew of King Karl XII of Sweden, and his descendants are fully qualified to inherit the Swedish throne.

"So you are a descendant of the Tsar? Are you a direct descendant of him?"

"How can you be considered a Cossack with your status? I don't think it's appropriate for you to do so."

"You want us to follow you? Well, I think it's appropriate for you to discuss this matter with those officers and gentlemen."

Krutogrove shook his head and said, "Brothers, since my father sought justice for the Cossacks, I am a Cossack! Besides, can those officers and nobles represent the Cossacks? They have long betrayed this group, the poor The Cossacks should form their own organizations and seek their own justice."

Hearing this, the prisoner Shishkin agreed loudly: "That's right! Fair!"

For the next few days, the same dinner will be held every day.Wu Siyu told Krutogrove that brainwashing must be done all the time, and we must not give others time to distinguish and think.

From the third day, Krutogrove told the prisoners after the dinner party the "History of the Don Cossacks" deliberately adapted by "someone".It tells the glorious deeds of Peter III (Pugachev), the free life of the Cossacks, the deeds of Stepan, Racine and Kondraty.At the same time, in popular language, it tells about the miserable and poor life of the Cossacks, satirizes the system and governance methods of Tsarist Russia, and mocks the hungry government of the Tsar and the Cossack nobles who were employed as bodyguards by the imperial system.

During this period, Mikhail and other subordinates silently observed the expressions of the prisoners, and wrote them down in a small notebook one by one.Gradually, when the last batch of captured Russian battalion commanders, regimental commanders and generals arrived at the prison camp, the first news that slipped into their ears was "the prince is here to rescue the Cossacks."

On September 1790, 9, Zhao Xin led his army to conquer Uginsk, an important town in Eastern Siberia.He has been following Rumyantsev, keeping a distance, but chasing after him.

At this time, the three regiments and the Ainu battalion led by Huji on the northern line had passed the confluence of the Angara River and the Tasieva River, and they could enter the Yenisei River after another day.Fortunately, the inland river fleet of the Beihai Navy has been equipped with diesel motors, and they can run very fast; if they only rely on manpower and sails to sail against the current, it is estimated that they have only traveled half of the distance at this moment.

Now the next target of the southern and northern navy's attack is Krasnoyarsk, which is located at the junction of the Central Siberian Plateau and the Sayan Mountains.The Wetra Mongols called it the "City of the Red Coast", so the first prison built by Tsarist Russia was also called the "New Kaczynski Red Prison".The main purpose of the prison was to defend the main settlements in Siberia from the south, while holding captive Yenisei Kyrgyz - in fact also part of the Wetla Mongols.

When Bering launched his expedition, he also used this place as the starting point to raise supplies and equipment.

If such a meaningful place name is not taken down, I will be sorry for the red flag of the Beihai Navy.Besides, the soil is red, indicating that the local area is rich in iron ore.

In addition, follow the Yenisei River from Krasnoyarsk to the south for more than 300 kilometers, turn into the Amuha River at Abakan, and walk a few hundred miles through the Sayan Mountains to the Sanyin Nuoyan Department of Outer Mongolia. border town of Abazaar.

It is said that in the "Blensky Boundary Treaty" signed by Qing and Russia in 1727, although the Sino-Russian border to the east of Shapin Dabaha was delineated, the Tsarist Russian Empire extended to the Kemuzik River Basin and Tannu Uliang to the east. Overt expansion of the Sea area has been curbed, but the Sino-Russian border west of the "Sabinida Bahan" has not been demarcated.

Don't look at that place that has been marked by the Qing Dynasty in its own territory. In fact, as early as 1709, Tsarist Russia was already at the confluence of the Altan River and the Hatun River to the west of the Tangnu Uliang Sea—that is, the belt Bisk Fort was built in the territory of the Qing Dynasty as a base for expansion to Altannur Ulianghai and Tangnu Ulianghai.After the mid-eighteenth century, Tsarist Russia continued to advance secretly to the upper reaches of the Hatun River and the Altan River, squeezing the local aborigines into the depth between the two rivers.

In another time and space history, the "Sino-Russian Reconnaissance and Division of the Northwest Boundary" and the other three boundary demarcation protocols were signed based on this fact of aggression, and Tsarist Russia thus occupied 44 square kilometers of northwest China. territory.

Since the end of the Battle of Usolye, Zhao Xin has another personal hobby.He wrote all the unequal treaties signed between the Manchu Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia in another time and space on a wooden bookmark that he often used, and reminded himself at all times that he must never be kind to Tsarist Russia.

On September 9, after a five-day trek, the vanguard of the southern front rushed out of the northern pass of the Sayan Mountains and appeared two kilometers east of the "City of the Red Coast".The red military flag flying high on the hill was immediately discovered by the watchtower set up in the east of the city. With the rapid ringing of the bell in the church, the entire city of Krasnoyarsk immediately entered a general mobilization.

Since Rumyantsev arrived two days earlier than the Northern Navy, the local soldiers and civilians had already opened the arsenal, took out the ordnance and ammunition, and built "solid barricades" in the city, ready to resist to the death; The first county library was also turned into a military fort.

Unlike small towns like Nizhny Uginsk, Krasnoyarsk, the industrial center of Korivan Province, is quite large.The main local residents have long been soldiers and their families. However, because Rumyantsev’s expedition to Irkutsk took away part of the army, there were only more than 500 troops in the city. Even with Rumyantsev’s remaining There are only more than 5000 people in the remnant.

In fact, Rumyantsev fell ill on the day he led the army to arrive here. The old marshal developed a high fever after days of running around and cold rain.After the diagnosis, the monks of the church in the city decided to use bloodletting therapy for treatment.As a result, the poor old man became more and more unconscious after being injected with a full cup of blood, which made the local mayor and councilors very anxious.

At this time, the vanguard of the Northern Navy did not launch an attack, but built fortifications on the hills two kilometers away from the city, waiting for the arrival of large troops.

The problem is that the local residents don't believe in evil, and they don't believe the advice of the Russian troops who fled back.After the mayor and members of the city council learned that there were only more than 200 enemies outside the city, they encouraged the major of the local garrison to lead the army to attack, trying to teach the Chinese from afar a painful lesson.

However, only 10 minutes after the start of the battle, the major died on the spot. Immediately afterwards, when the mortars of the Northern Navy blew up several cannons and howitzers into scrap copper and iron, the heavy casualties of the attacking troops panicked. Fleeing back to the city, he dared not go out of the city to provoke again.

Two days later, Zhao Xin arrived with his army.After careful reconnaissance by drones, it was found that fortifications were built everywhere in the city.He knew that if he directly ordered the infantry to attack, he would probably fall into the quagmire of street fighting.So Zhao Xin asked his men to build more than a dozen simple artillery positions in a day, and then launched a continuous bombardment of Krasnoyarsk.

This time the Russians in the city were miserable. A fire 17 years ago turned the entire city into a wasteland, so all the buildings in the city are newly built.The shells turned the stone and wood buildings into ruins, and the gravel flying around became a sharp weapon for killing.

When the Russian officers and soldiers who followed Rumyantsev fled here saw this situation, they knew that they couldn't handle it.Some people simply threw away their weapons and changed into civilian clothes; while others continued to flee on the grounds of going to Tobolsk to rescue soldiers.

As for Rumyantsev, he has been tortured by the group of monks and doctors at this moment, and he is half breathed.

(End of this chapter)