Chief of Staff Su Cheng took the iron rod and thrust it into the ground with force. The iron rod sank twenty or thirty centimeters into the soil.
He tried his best to pull out the iron rod, but no mud was found at the end of the iron rod.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng saw that there was no mud in the surface soil.
He laughed, the time was ripe for war.
Soldiers can walk on muddy roads with their bags on their backs.
The fact that the Russian army set out from Kuznetsk and was able to reach the camp normally shows that the mud roads formed by the thaw of the permafrost had little impact on the light infantry.
However, this terrain has a great impact on heavy weapons and cavalry, which is why no major war broke out before the Siberian battlefield.
In the previous war, the Russian army was able to escape more than 30,000 people because of its geographical advantage.
After the weather gets warmer, mud roads are everywhere in Siberia.
War horses cannot run at all in this kind of terrain, and the artillery of the 19th Army cannot support the front line.
They could only destroy the surrounded Russian army, and at the same time send out small groups to continue harassing the Russian army.
The purpose is to make the Russian army exhausted, rather than to reorganize the army halfway and kill another carbine.
Commander Ma Xianglin walked out of the room with a stack of reports.
He saw Chief of Staff Su Cheng who was holding an iron bar in a daze.
"Chief of Staff, how is the situation underground now? Can the bearing capacity of the earth carry heavy artillery?
The Russian army’s Kuznetsk is an important military town.
The city walls are strong and there are a large number of forts outside the city.
Without the heavy artillery assistance of the artillery regiment, we may not be able to break Kuznetsk if we only rely on human lives.
Our army does not need to be too anxious, time is on our side.
The road connecting the interior and Tumu Province here has been built.
A large amount of military supplies will be continuously transported over the road."
Chief of Staff Su Cheng said happily: "What I got this time is good news, based on my observations and the meteorological staff's judgment based on the data.
The temperature here in Siberia will gradually rise, and the water in the mud on the ground will have evaporated.
The heavy artillery of the artillery regiment, which weighs several tons, will not affect transportation.
When the time is right, our army will send troops to formally engage in a decisive battle with the Russian army.
Just capture Kuznetsk and eliminate the main force of the Russian army entrenched there.
The area east of the Ural Mountains was all controlled by the empire.
Our Siberian battlefield cannot progress too slowly.
At Tumu Mansion, the cavalry division basically completed the encirclement of the Russian army, and the decisive battle began soon.
The situation in the two places is different, so our progress can be slow, but our attitude must be clear."
When Commander Ma Xianglin heard what Chief of Staff Su Cheng said, he nodded and said: "The time is right, our army should indeed send troops.
I have collected some interesting information, Chief of Staff, please check it out."
Ma Xianglin sighed in his heart, these scholars just have so many things on their minds.
Su Cheng's meaning was very cryptic. If Tumu Mansion won a big victory, they wouldn't even start a decisive battle here.
If this matter is made public, what will the people think? What will the Governor's Office think? What will the court think? What will His Majesty think?
This is likely to become a huge roadblock in their career.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng's intention is very clear. Even if they take some risks, they must fight a decisive battle as soon as possible.
Commander Ma Xianglin did not think so much in his mind. From a purely military perspective, he believed that it was indeed time for them to engage in a decisive battle.
The Russian army's attack failed miserably and returned, and no reinforcements were sent from the Russian mainland. This gap was the period when the Russian army in Kuznetsk was at its weakest.
The 19th Army chose to attack during this period because it had the highest probability of victory and the lowest casualties.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng looked at the information in his hands. This was the latest information on Kuznetsk collected by intelligence personnel.
The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Oleg Ivanov, ordered the mobilization of civilians in Kuznetsk to assist in the defense of Kuznetsk.
The mines outside Kuznetsk and the reclaimed farmland have been completely abandoned by the Russian army.
Except for a small number of indigenous guards left behind, a large number of Russians have taken refuge in the city of Kuznetsk.
After Su Cheng read the information, he shook his head and said: "What the Russian commander-in-chief Oleg Ivanov did is because he has no skills.
The Russian army suffered heavy losses and was no longer equipped to defend Kuznetsk, so it had to rely on local civilians to supplement the missing troops.
If civilians join the army, their mortality rate will be higher.
Instead, we hide at home and we attack the city, which will at least spare the lives of these civilians.
From the series of actions of the Russian commander Oleg Ivanov, we can see his guilty conscience.
The morale of the Russian army collapsed and the commander lacked confidence.
Our army will definitely achieve a great victory in this attack."
Ma Xianglin and Su Cheng were in charge of the military operations of the 19th Army. The two of them reached an agreement, and the expedition of the 19th Army was a certainty.
They summoned the officers of the 19th Army to discuss the attack plan. Gao Dasheng, commander of the 9th Cavalry Division, attended on behalf of the cavalry division.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng has been thinking about the plan to attack Kuznetsk this winter.
He has perfected the battle plan based on the current situation of the two armies.
Which unit is responsible for the main attack and which unit is responsible for the defense.
When the war is won, which unit is responsible for chasing the enemy.
If the war is not going well, how to withdraw from the battlefield? Which troops are responsible for responding?
Chief of Staff Su Cheng made the arrangements very clearly.
Commander Ma Xianglin listened to the suggestions of the officers of each regiment, and he finally issued an order: "I will give you two days to prepare, and the entire army will go out on the 25th to attack Kuznetsk, Russia.
This was the first important Russian city that our army attacked since the beginning of the Sino-Russian War.
Everyone in the empire is paying attention to this war, and I don't want anyone to make a stupid mistake.
You go back and make preparations to go out according to the arrangements of this meeting."
After Commander Ma Xianglin issued the order, the 19th Army quickly entered a state of war.
The military reserve warehouse was opened, and each unit received their supplies before the war and left the camp in an orderly manner.
This can effectively reduce the pressure on logistics. The only disadvantage is that the marching speed is slower.
But their goal was to attack Kuznetsk, and the city would not escape. The 19th Army had plenty of time to attack the city.
Commander Ma Xianglin also has a more important task.
That is to write a report. He wants to send the relevant information of the battle to Tumu Prefecture and the capital via telegram.
With the telegraph as a communication tool, as a frontline general, he must report important military operations at all times.
…………………………
Captain Ma Zhenfei walked forward with a gun on his back and his head held high.
As an elite regiment of the 19th Army, there was no shame in this battle. Their regiment alone blocked the attack of nearly 10,000 Russian troops and captured more than 6,000 Russian troops.
Their group received an award from the Metropolitan Governor's Office in the capital.
If you perform better in this battle and receive a commendation from His Majesty, it won't be difficult.
Commander Ma Zhenfei looked at all the soldiers in the regiment, all carrying bulging packages.
Some of the items in the package are food and some are ammunition.
Even an elite regiment like theirs didn't even have a carriage, so they had to rely on soldiers to carry these supplies.
All horse-drawn carriages in the army were requisitioned by the logistics troops for transporting more important supplies.
A soldier who had just joined the army, his waist was bent a little under the weight of heavy supplies.
When he saw Ma Zhenfei, he couldn't help complaining: "Commander, there are so many carriages in the army, can't we give some to us?
Each soldier in the cavalry division has three horses. Horse resources are too abundant, so why not give us some evenly?"
Captain Ma Zhenfei glanced at the new recruit and said with a smile: "You also want cavalry horses. They value their horses more than we value our guns.
If you want the cavalry's horses, you will kill them. These people will definitely fight you to the death.
Besides, our regiment is responsible for the main attack, and it would not be appropriate to have some freight carriages in the regiment."
When the recruit heard what the regiment leader said, he nodded thoughtfully.
He suddenly saw a huge convoy moving slowly towards the north.
Where the convoy passed, there were ruts ten centimeters deep.
"Captain, that army in front, why do they have so many carriages? Many soldiers are sitting on the carriages."
Commander Ma Zhenfei looked forward and saw the artillery regiment.
He said with envy: "Don't even look at who those people are, they are the artillery regiment.
These people are all treasures in the hands of the army commander. If we want to fight safely on the battlefield, we cannot do without the help of the artillery regiment.
Artillery is a technical branch, and every artilleryman has talents and knowledge.
These artillerymen ride in cars, that is the courtesy they deserve."
Liu Song, the commander of the artillery regiment, was riding a horse to inspect the entire regiment. He felt very happy when he heard Ma Zhenfei's words.
Artillery is the king of war. Their artillery is highly praised by friendly forces, which also proves that they have done well before.
Liu Song looked at the largest artillery cart. The artillery carried on it was a 155 mm caliber artillery. This was the main force attacking the Russian city of Kuznetsk.
Only this big guy can easily smash the Russian army's turtle shell.
Commander Liu Song saw the tires of the artillery truck sinking deeply into the ground as it advanced.
Now transporting this kind of artillery carriage is no longer as laborious as before.
The wide and large tires can withstand tens of tons of gravity without allowing the artillery to sink too deeply into the ground.
It is precisely because of these technological breakthroughs that their artillery regiment can transport such a big thing on the newly melted permafrost of Siberia.
Captain Liu Song saw that the horse pulling the cart in front was breathing heavily, and he immediately asked the soldiers to put on the rested horses again.
It is precisely because these special armies require a large number of carriages that ordinary armies can only rely on manpower to transport supplies.
Soldiers of the 19th Army formed a long queue and marched towards the city of Kuznetsk.
Commander Ma Xianglin was riding on a horse. Using his binoculars, he could already see the dense forts outside Kuznetsk.
He conveyed the military order: "Order the soldiers to set up camp. According to the previous arrangement, the entire army will be stationed in the south."
Chief of Staff Su Cheng unfolded the military map with both hands and discussed: "Other armies besiege the city, and most of their tactics are to surround the whole city, or to surround three buildings.
But we did the opposite and only attacked one wall, leaving the other three walls completely alone."
Commander Ma Xianglin said with a smile: "We do this because our strategic purposes are different.
Our goal is to break through the city of Kuznetsk and make the Russian army lose its strategic support point.
Without the steel produced in the city of Kuznetsk, the Russian army in Siberia would not be able to produce its own weapons.
Even if some Russian troops escape, they will be annihilated by our troops sooner or later.
Besides, the Russian army really abandoned the city of Kuznetsk and escaped.
The 9th Cavalry Division and the 10th Cavalry Division have been gearing up for many days.
In the vast area of Siberia, the cavalry pursued the Russian army, which was mainly infantry.
If they can escape even one tenth of them, it is considered as a manifestation of their God."
Chief of Staff Su Cheng held the map and said: "What's more, we are only attacking one city wall. No matter how many Russian troops there are, the city wall's carrying capacity is limited.
No matter how many troops the Russian army has, they will never be able to exert their strength.
The artillery regiment only needs to attack one side, and can concentrate its firepower to break through.
The city of Kuznetsk is another bastion, and it is unknown how much ammunition will be consumed to capture it.
We also need to save ammunition and attack the Russian Ural Fortress.
Only when our army captures the fortress of the Ural Pass can we completely drive Russia out of Siberia."
Commander Ma Xianglin saw that the guard group was moving quickly and had already set up the tent.
"Chief of Staff, let's go to the tent to discuss. It's too windy outside."
They walked into the tent and began to lay out the sand table and military maps while chatting about tactics for attacking Kuznetsk.
Chief of Staff Su Cheng said with a serious expression: "I just observed the fort outside Kuznetsk.
The Russian army is well prepared, and we must be prepared for a long-term war."
Commander Ma Xianglin nodded and said: "This war is mainly about siege warfare, and it still depends on the performance of the artillery regiment.
No city can stop the empire's 155mm heavy artillery.
Even if I hit it with cannonballs, I would still break open the turtle shell in Kuznetsk.
I want to use this war to tell the Russian army that war has changed.
Their armies, which cannot keep up with the times, will be completely eliminated."
Chief of Staff Su Cheng put down the military map, stood up and said, "I'm going to see how the artillery regiment's positions are laid out.
Once the artillery regiment has set up its position, it is time for our army to launch an attack on the city of Kuznetsk."
After Chief of Staff Su Cheng left, Commander Ma Xianglin continued to receive reports from various units.
They all have different tasks, and many units have completed their initial tasks.
The First Division is responsible for clearing the Russian strongholds outside Kuznetsk.
Their marching speed was faster, and before the arrival of the main force, they had cleared all the Russian strongholds such as iron mines, coal mines, and small fortresses outside the city.
The main force only needs to concentrate on dealing with the Russian troops in Kuznetsk, and does not have to worry about harassment by the Russian troops outside the city.
The logistics force has opened the material transportation channel from Tangnuulianghai to Kuznetsk.
The 10th Cavalry Division detached part of its troops to be responsible for the security of logistics transportation channels.
As the army moves, the logistics department is also setting up telegraph poles.
The telegraph machine in the camp has now been connected to the telegraph line.
Ma Xianglin can communicate with the capital thousands of miles away while he is in the camp.
When he got the news, he immediately got up and went to the telegraph room.
Ma Xianglin sent a report to Cai Gong Wu Jie and Emperor Su He.
In his telegram, he reported in detail the situation of the 19th Army.
In the telegram, he asked his superiors for instructions on when the 19th Army would launch an attack on the Russian army.
