I'm sure of the prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong!

Chapter 565 A war without any suspense

From Heilongjiang to Yakutsk, the basic route is through the Jinqili River, into the Aldan River, and finally into the Lena River Basin.

Of course, it is definitely impossible to reach it now, because many rivers have stopped flowing, and some have even changed their courses.

A full thousand soldiers from the Sauron tribe reached Yakutsk in the blink of an eye. The almost non-existent city wall was followed by two thousand Ming troops surrounding the north and south banks of the Aldan River, encircling the Yakutsk Castle.

"All retreat into the castle!" the Yakutsk warlord roared.

However, the orders began to fail. Not only the Cossacks, but also the recruited scoundrels and Siberian native hunters did not listen to the orders and chose to flee.

The Ming army's powerful artillery frightened these people. There were more troops surrounding the castle. If they didn't run away now, they would be dead if they stayed.

Soon, the still intact city gate on the south bank of the castle was forcibly opened by the fleeing Cossacks and indigenous hunters.

One after another, Cossacks, indigenous hunters, and even slaves who took advantage of the chaos to escape, scrambled to escape from the city.

There was no way these people could escape. Those attacking the city from the front included a thousand Sauron troops recruited from Heilongjiang. Half of the two thousand Ming troops behind were bombarding the city wall on the north bank, and the other half rowed directly to the south bank to block the retreat.

The Yakutsk warlord had been separated from his secretary, and there were only less than 50 Cossacks left with him. The rest either ran away, were separated, or died unknown where they were.

On the north bank, a thousand Sauron troops and the rebels from the Yakutsk Castle were already fighting. Most of them were indigenous hunters from Siberia.

If in the past, both sides used cold weapons, then these indigenous hunters might still be able to have a chance with Sauron's army, but now these Sauron's troops have been equipped with firearms by the Ming army.

Although the proportion is small, and they are all matchlocks, they are not what these Siberian natives can shoot.

After all, the Cossacks used matchlock guns to conquer these indigenous tribes.

The indigenous hunters on the north shore were already insufficient in number and in disarray. Facing the organized Sauron army, with the help of firecrackers, they were killed in an instant and were completely defeated.

The Yakutsk warlord shouted urgently: "Quick, let's break out from the south bank, enter the forest first, and then fight those Khitans."

This guy is desperate. Winter is coming soon. Even if they manage to escape from here, they will not be able to survive.

Instead of waiting to die, it is better to kill a few more "Khitan people" before dying.

However, he thought so, but those Cossacks obviously didn't think so. The group had just emerged from the Yakutsk Castle when suddenly a Cossack in the team turned around and ran away.

That Cossack was just an ordinary Cossack, not even a leader, but his run was so sudden that the warlord leading the Cossacks didn't even react. Then, one by one, several of the Cossack leaders under the warlord fled with their respective Cossacks.

As soon as he left the castle, the Yakutsk warlord became a polished commander.

Looking further out, the Ming army encircling the south bank had just dispersed the scattered Cossacks, as well as the indigenous coalition forces and slaves who were trying to break through. Most of them were captured on the spot. Only a few who ran fast changed their direction and drilled in. forest.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

This is the sound of flintlock gunfire from the Ming army's artillery camp.

The Cossacks who escaped from the Yakutsk warlord were knocked to the ground by the Ming army's blunderbuss before they could even get close to the forest.

Many Cossacks were not killed, but were hit in the calf or chest and abdomen. With their strong willpower, these Cossacks forced themselves to get up and ran into the forest not far away.

The Ming army did not pursue them. Although the wounded Cossacks escaped, this was Yakutsk and winter was coming soon.

If the wounds of these Cossacks were not treated in time, they would all fester and become infected. Even if they are treated in time, they do not have enough antibiotic treatment, so they still have to wait for death, and they still have to wait to die in pain and torture.

Not only were the wounds infected, but the bullets for the muskets were all lead bullets. This was not intentional by the Ming army, but until the international conventions came out in later generations, the bullets for the muskets were still in the lead bullet era, including the famous Minnie bullets.

This is really fatal!

The Ming army was not so much attacking the Yakutsk Castle as it was a unilateral massacre.

One thousand Sauron troops, two thousand Heilongjiang naval forces, a total of three thousand troops, faced off against dozens of Cossacks in the castle, as well as a slightly larger number of native Siberian hunters.

I have the advantage and it’s hard to lose.

The siege took only one hour from start to finish, including the encirclement and encirclement time. Statistics after the war came out quickly. 43 Cossacks were surrounded and killed, 21 were captured alive, and the rest all fled deep into the forest.

In order to prevent the soldiers from getting lost, the Ming army only briefly searched for the corpses and did not continue to pursue them in depth. The remaining Siberian native hunters who were eliminated were far more than the Cossacks. 136 people broke out and escaped and were killed, and 32 people surrendered on the spot.

The Yakutsk warlord who said he would fight to the death was also captured alive by the Ming army.

Moreover, relying on the clothes on his body, he was easily recognized by the Ming army as a Rakshasa official, and they were quickly escorted to Sun Ruhai for identification and translation by Besikov.

This guy was escorted in front of Sun Ruhai. He knelt down without having to be held down by soldiers behind him, and said in a loud voice: "General of the Khitans, I am willing to surrender to you! I am a nobleman of the empire, and I can pay to redeem him." own life.”

Sun Ruhai asked: "What is he talking about?"

Besikov replied: "He said he was willing to surrender to the general and was willing to pay for his life."

Sun Ruhai had a strange look on his face, and then waved his hand: "Except for this person, all the other prisoners will be taken away and chopped, and then let this person go to watch the execution first."

Although the warlord didn't understand, he was taken to the riverside to watch the Ming army beheading the prisoners. He thought they were trying to kill him, so he fainted on the spot, with his feces and urine flowing all over the floor.

Fortunately, the escorting Ming army knew some first aid and slapped him awake.

When he was brought to Sun Ruhai again, he couldn't even kneel straight. Besikov stepped forward and shouted sternly: "This is General Sun of Ming Dynasty China who came north from the Amur River to attack Yakutsk and the Cossacks."

The warlord was a little confused at first, and then he noticed that the person speaking to him was actually a Rakshasa: "You... are you a Cossack hired by the Khitans?"

When Besikov heard the word Cossack, he immediately said angrily: "My name is Besikov, and I am not one of those humble Cossacks. I was once a nobleman of the empire... No, now I no longer belong to that kingdom. I am now an official of the Great Emperor of China, and in the future I can become a nobleman conferred by the Great Emperor of China."

The military governor hurriedly changed his words: "Yes, Mr. Besikov, I am also a noble of the empire. Please intercede with this Khitan general. I am willing to give you all my property here."

Besikov was quite moved when he heard this, but he quickly remembered his mission: "The properties here belong to the great and invincible Emperor of China. You can't give these to me. You should tell me something." More useful information, in exchange for your life safety."

The warlord thought quickly and said hurriedly: "I am the warlord of Yakutsk, and the entire Eastern Siberia is under my jurisdiction. If Mr. Besikov wants to ask anything, you can just ask me."

Besikov nodded with satisfaction: "Then please tell me, Overseer, how many castles have the Cossacks built in Eastern Siberia now? Where are their specific locations? Are there any suitable rivers that connect to these places?"

"There are not many castles built by the Cossacks, and almost all of them are in the north, and there is also one along the coast. The locations of those castles, as well as the river route maps to reach these castles, including the deployment of Cossack troops and the surrender of nearby indigenous tribes. All military information They are all in the castle, in my Overseer's office." This guy was afraid that if he spoke too slowly, he would be killed.

Besikov asked again: "Then where is your military governor's office?"

The Overseer hurriedly replied: "Right in the center of the castle, there is the best room there, which is my Overseer's office. All documents and materials are hidden in my cabinet."

Besikov nodded, and suddenly asked abruptly: "Your Majesty the Governor, do you still remember who I am?"

The military governor quickly replied: "You are Mr. Besikov, an official of the Khitan Emperor, or a future Khitan nobleman. I am just a down-and-out nobleman who came to the Far East to explore. Naturally, I cannot recognize the noble Mr. Besikov. .”

Besikov shook his head: "As expected, you don't remember me, but I remember you! It was you who personally accepted me and exiled me here. Until I became a Cossack in order to survive, and also recruited some Cossacks to join us. He went south to the Udi River...and was eventually captured by the Khitans."

The warlord was stunned and was about to speak, but Besikov didn't want to listen anymore. He turned to Sun Ruhai and said respectfully: "General, all military information has been found out. There are not many Cossack castles here, and they are all in the north. . Detailed military information documents about these castles are stored in the best room of this castle, which is also the Yakutsk Governor’s Office.”

Sun Ruhai said: "In other words, this Rakshasa officer is useless?"

Besikov nodded: "Yes, General."

Sun Ruhai nodded: "Then kill him! I'll leave it to you, and all the furs and property on him will belong to you."

Besikov was so delighted that he began to take off the opponent's clothes, regardless of the struggle of the Yakutsk warlord who had become a thing of the past.

These are not only important cotton-padded clothing materials that can be used to keep out the cold, but they are also extremely valuable, especially if they are sold in Nanjing, they will definitely fetch a very high price.

After all, Zhu Yijiong, the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty, did not prohibit ordinary people from wearing brocade hats and mink fur coats.

Sun Ruhai also gave an order: "Pass the order, leave 100 soldiers here to garrison, and leave guns and ammunition for them. Those who voluntarily sign up to stay will have their military pay doubled. And it will be rotated every three years. When the weather starts to pick up next spring, there will be If necessary, you can bring your wife and children."

(End of this chapter)