The end of March.

The winter season in the Cuban area is about to end.

But there was still a pile of snow everywhere, but it was melting at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It's still cold.

In winter, due to the freezing of the Azov Sea, the Kuban area is completely surrounded by Truchen. According to normal circumstances, people here cannot get information from the outside world.

However, the Truchens were able to arrange secret agents in other places, so the Russians could do it. Therefore, Dudanov, the top leader of Kuban, still knew something was happening.

Dudanov, originally the leader of the Don Cossacks, has been stationed here for a long time since he was transferred to the Kuban area. Later, it gradually became an enclave and his status became higher and higher.

The Tsar allowed him to form a Cossack division here, with food self-sufficiency and weapons and equipment supplied by Eastern Ukraine.

There are also a large number of Cherks and Karbakins here, including herders and farmers, plus ten thousand households of Cossacks, which are more than enough to support a teacher.

However, Dudanov understood one thing since the Tsar transferred Suvorov from here and promoted him to Lieutenant General.

The Empire is ready to give up here.

This is further proved by the Truchens' unstoppable empire after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate.

There is no way to do this. There are enemies on all sides, and only the sea can travel. But the Truchens obviously have a huge advantage at the sea. The empire's navy at the Taganrog base in the north of the Sea of ​​Azov has not appeared for a long time.

However, these did not affect Dudanov's life in Cuban. He was completely in charge of the Cuban area that was not dispatched by the secret police force in the past ten years. He was the local emperor.

If it weren't for the distant relative Razumovsky, he would be a poor man grazing in the lower reaches of the Don River, where would he have the current life?

So, on a sunny noon, he set up a table on the balcony of his official residence. On the snow-white tablecloth was a bottle of high-quality vodka, chopped, sausage marinated with Poltava black pig, a plate of caviar, two large pieces of freshly fried cod, and started dining under the service of a black slave and a strong Cherks woman.

A piece of sweet and delicious pork sausage, a bite of vodka, and a spoonful of caviar. This kind of life should not be too comfortable.

What Truqin guy doesn't care.

What's more, although Suvorov left, he left him a complete and reliable city defense.

Kuban City (Krasnodar) is a huge castle, built by engineering experts for five years, and can accommodate 50,000 people. Now he has 10,000 cavalry divisions from the Cossacks, as well as the Cherks and Karbakins who can be mobilized at any time. At critical moments, 20,000 young and strong men can be stationed.

Of course, Dudanov also knew that even so, he would not last long in the face of the Truchens' superior artillery fire.

I am a nail embedded in the Truchen area. The key lies not in him, but in the periphery.

On the dark, deep and narrow Don River, on the Dnieper River, on the Volga River.

The Truchens must have to decide the winner and lose between the main force of the empire in those places before they can pay attention to it. Therefore, they are just making a choice at that time.

Of course, I have to resist for a while, and I also need to verify the solidity of the city defenses left by Suvorov, otherwise I would not be able to suppress the Cherks and Karbakins here.

These two people who can still persist in the Cuban area are obviously devout Orthodox.

Dudanov is fifty years old this year, but he has maintained a good maintenance. Although he has been enemies from all sides in recent years and can only contact the local area from the sea, he has not disturbed himself. Everything is as usual and everything goes with the flow.

Bathed in the rare warm sunshine, Dudanov finally wiped out the things on the table, leaving only the last slice of sausage.

"Can't waste"

Dudanov muttered in his heart that although his stomach had already been full, it did not prevent him from being a principled person.

Of course, maybe it's because there is still a sip of wine in the bottle.

After eating this sausage, drinking the last sip of wine, and then stretching beautifully, what a pleasant afternoon.

Life is short, what should I do if I think of so many troublesome things?

Besides, he is not completely unreliable.

He aimed the fork in his hand at the slice of sausage...

"Tu tuk"

The balcony door suddenly rang.

Dudanov frowned, he knew who was coming without looking back.

Shnkov!

It is the Cherks who once fought with the Truchens. He is now the leader of all tribes in the Kuban area. Since he is also the title of Duke of Cuban, he is actually the highest executive here.

Only he can break in without reporting.

Shkov is younger than Dudanov, but he is already gray-bearded. In the battle for Pattygoska more than a decade ago, his Cherks suffered heavy losses and even gave up his base Stavropol. If it weren't for Dudanov's suppression and based on his temper, he would probably have gone to settle the score with the Truchens.

Dudanov smiled, and he pushed the last slice of sausage and the last bite of vodka in front of him.

"Unfortunately, this is the last point, let's just go"

Of course, Dudanov's family is not just this little thing. However, I saw the nervousness and anxiety on Shenkov's face and said this deliberately.

Shkov pushed away these things, picked up a chair and sat down opposite him.

"The Truchens are out!"

"I know"

"Then you?"

"They just crossed the Don River to attack Rostov. What's the matter with us?"

"You! I'm not talking about this, but Stavropol's enemy troops have been dispatched!"

"Oh?" Dudanov then put down the white towel in his hand that wiped his mouth, "What's the specific situation?"

"The commander of Truchen's Stavropol, Qilibu, has brought a division to fight!"

"Are you sure there is only one division?"

"This is wrong. The boundary between us and the Truchens is not clear. The herders on both sides often go to each other's pasture to graz. This is what our herders have seen with their own eyes. Most of them have entered our country now!"

Dudanov nodded, not looking panicked, but continued to pick up the white towel and wipe his mouth.

"What a panic? My dear Duke, Kuban City is tall and sturdy, and there are more than a dozen battalions around them, which they can't take down for a while."

"But foreign players around us are cut off, and they will take them down sooner or later!"

"In this way, you gather the tribal cavalry, at least five thousand cavalry, I will draw out a brigade of troops to strengthen the defense of the battalion, and then mobilize militias in the city"

"That's it?"

Dudanov stared at him and said word by word: "There is only one division in Qilibu, and it is impossible to break through Cuban City in a short time. Although their artillery is dominant, we also have a large number of artillery."

"Also, before the war in the Dnieper River is divided, we have ways to prevent them from succeeding"

"Oh? What's the solution?"

"You will know in a while"

....

Qilibu rode on a tall horse with great enthusiasm.

Nearly 10,000 Stavropol troops were winding on the avenue with only a thin layer of snow.

In the past, although Truchen secretly did not deal with Russia, it did not hinder the exchanges between the people of both sides, and Qitad did not stop this. After all, Truchen was nominally a vassal state of the Tsarist Russian Empire, and the two sides could freely exchange without a visa.

Walking along the east bank of the Kuban River, you will soon arrive at the junction of both sides, the place where Kropotkin was later.

For the Russians in the Kuban area, Qilibu was Menqing, so he had no need to hide it when he attacked the area this time, and he was walking along the avenue openly.

He didn't have to mobilize too many militias, because Cuban had only one division and one cavalry division. The Russian infantry division had 15,000 people, but the cavalry division had only 8,000 to 10,000 people.

At most, mobilize the surrounding Cherks and Karbakin herders.

With Truchen's current combat power, they are not afraid even if they have twice the enemy.

Even so, he arranged a reconnaissance company on both sides of the Kuban River to investigate and advance.

After crossing Kroppertkin, it was the territory of the Cubans, but there was still nothing different. The residents on both sides of the river bank were not too panicked when they saw this army, but instead did whatever they should do. Obviously, the military discipline and style of the Truqin army over the years have deeply affected here.

Qilibu is also full of emotion about this.

When I approached Ustirabinsk, which was close to Kuban City in later generations, I finally saw someone panic, and there were scattered Cossack cavalry around me.

Chilibu still didn't care, but he suddenly remembered someone.

Zerbkdollji.

His elder brother.

Last time at a Buddhist conference, Qitade caught all the Taiji who were unwilling to act according to Truqin's rules and sent them all to Tibet to study the scriptures.

More than ten years later, due to the distance between the two sides, the news was almost cut off. Truchen had no interest in the snowy area, and it was impossible for him to send spies there specifically for a few potential Turkut restless elements.

"I heard that they have a good life. It is the territory of the Qing Dynasty. These people are all Taiji. In order to deal with our Truqin, the Qing Dynasty may also treat them preferentially."

"However, after more than ten years, things have changed, and even if they return to Truchen, they will not cause any storm."

Just as I was thinking, there was a passage between two hills ahead.

In the North Caucasus, there are plains everywhere, and there are few mountains, but there happens to be one here.

The mountain road is about three miles long and has an average width of about fifty meters. In fact, it is the flat ground between the two mountains, which has no obstacles to the march. However, Qilibu still asked the division reconnaissance company to investigate the place, but there was no abnormality.

"I hope my brother will get eternal life in the Buddhist world"

For nomadic tribes, especially the nobles, the friendship between brothers is very weak. Qilibu and Zebkdoorji are also descendants of Orlook and have a close relationship with Qitad, but it is common for people to draw their swords to face each other immediately for the sake of power.

The reason is also very simple. It’s not that they have no blood relationship, but in addition to power, they also have realistic considerations.

The grassland and herdsmen are limited. If one more person is needed, you have to separate some pastures and herdsmen. Cattle and sheep will have less strength.

Of course, this was before, the nomadic life that had been passed down for thousands of years had almost no change, even if it had entered modern Europe next to each other.

But Qitad changed all this. Now the Truchen Kingdom mainly relies on not herders, but farmers and craftsmen. The population of farmers also dominates.

The only truth is to expand assets in the storage of grain.

This is a sentence Qitad once said. In the past, Qilibu was a little confused, but now he obviously understands it.

"Bang!"
Chapter completed!