Although they were thousands of miles apart, Liu Guoneng made an accurate judgment on the North Route Army. The war would never be smooth sailing. Just like the Gobi Desert in front of you, it was enough to give people a headache. Just after crossing the river canyon, you will face the Gobi Desert.
, the landscape in this area is really torturous. Fortunately, the Jegus Gobi Desert is not large, and it is winter. If it were summer, people would probably be roasted to death. After entering the Jegus Gobi Desert, the scouts continued to attack,
Although the possibility of being ambushed in this place is very small, you have to be careful.
Liu Guoneng's caution was very necessary, because at this time the German cavalry under Royce had entered the Irtysh River Basin and were constantly looking for fighters. It was precisely because of the steady advance of the Northern Shanxi Army that the Germans could not find them.
With a good opportunity to attack, Sugus personally led his people to the Gobi Desert, but finally came back disgraced, "The Orientals kept their formation very compact, and their marching speed was as fast as a snail. I really don't know what they were thinking.
"
Today's eastern part of the Irtysh River can be said to be a veritable no-man's land. Most of the active local tribes live in the fertile areas south of the river. Being so cautious in the vast no-man's land is simply a bit too cautious.
Royce couldn't laugh or cry about the iron tortoise tactics of the Northern Shanxi Army. "Just wait patiently. It seems that these Easterners are not easy to deal with. How is the investigation by the people in charge of the other side's troops?"
"There is news. According to the news coming from the east, the person leading the Eastern troops should be a close associate of the Eastern Minister. He seems to be a bandit." Sugus's words made Royce and Bo Tengen slightly stunned, because
They did not expect that the leader of tens of thousands of troops would be a bandit leader. This was unimaginable in the Holy Empire and even the early Roman Empire. The corners of Botenen's mouth turned up with a look of disdain on his face, "How big can a bandit be?"
Ability? Humph, that high-ranking official of the Eastern Empire was kicked in the head by a donkey. He actually let a bandit command an army of tens of thousands. Do we still have to be afraid?"
Royce showed a displeased look on his face. This Bo Teng En is really a bit arrogant. What about the bandits? At least judging from the current situation, this bandit leader is not simple at all. "Bo Teng En, I hope you can put away your contempt."
, on the battlefield, not to mention a bandit, even a seven or eight-year-old child may kill you. To lead soldiers in a war, bravery alone is not enough, you also have to rely on your brains, and brute force alone is nothing.
use?"
He was too lazy to Li Botenen. If Botenen was not his confidant, he wouldn't mind letting him test him, "Sugus, bring back the cavalry from the east. We'll wait for them in Tors Canyon. As of now.
Judging from the situation, there is no chance of attacking the Easterners in the Gobi Desert, but if the Easterners want to successfully cross the Tors Canyon, hum... it is not that easy."
In this regard, Royce was very confident. After arriving in the Irtysh River Basin, the first thing he did was to understand the terrain of this area. This area is densely covered with rivers, complex landforms, and uneven terrain. Large-scale cavalry operations are not easy.
Suitable, but you can completely use the complex terrain to find a good entry point. Tors Canyon is a good opportunity. To the west of the Jagus Gobi is the famous Imgort Swamp to the east of the Irtysh River.
The special swamp is known as the black place of death. After the Easterners broke through the swamp, they were probably exhausted. Wouldn't it be a good time to launch a surprise attack from Tors Canyon at this time?
Royce is full of confidence. The Imgot Swamp is indeed a death zone, and the area of the swamp is larger than the Gobi Desert. Although Xiao Zhiyun is cautious enough, in the final analysis, she still lacks sufficient understanding of the swamp.
After crossing the Gobi Desert and resting for the night, we traveled less than ten miles before entering
Entering the vast Imgurt swamp area, trying to maintain a tight formation here is tantamount to seeking death. Facing the vast swamp, Liu Guoneng was a little nervous. Although the southern army was mainly infantry, there were still some
With more than 5,000 cavalry, it would be too difficult for these cavalry to cross the swamp.
In the swamps in winter, the withered grass was frozen, and the surface in many places was covered by a thin layer of ice. Coupled with the withered grass, it was difficult to be discovered. Many soldiers were inexperienced and stepped on it, sinking directly in. The front troops left.
Without two miles, the lives of more than a dozen soldiers were lost in vain. Imgurt Swamp
It is a very rare swamp, not naturally formed. Liu Guoneng did not want to bury too many soldiers in vain, so he could only order a temporary return. Moreover, Liu Guoneng vaguely felt that he did not dare to cross the swamp, even if tens of thousands of troops crossed the swamp.
The earth will also become very weak, and then it will be full of flaws.
Geng Zhongming and others sat around Liu Guoneng. Although many draftsmen were sent to draw a map of the western part of the Yenisey River, the terrain of the Irtysh River Basin was complex, so there was no suitable marching map in hand. Faced with the situation in front of them,
Liu Guoneng was very troubled by the situation. Geng Zhongming suggested, "Why don't you lead your troops to search to the north? You should be able to bypass the swamp."
What Geng Zhongming said was that there was no other way, but Liu Guoneng had been deep in thought and did not answer immediately, "No, we are not going to the north. If we go to the north, once the Germans withdraw south from Kuleika, it will be easy for them to follow us."
Collided. Unprepared, facing the German cavalry, we had no advantage at all.
We walked south. A long time ago, we heard from the supervisor that the people of Minusinsk also said that the Jagus area is not a real death zone. There are many mountains and high terrain in the south, and some herders live in this area.
Yes. Let’s go south. As long as we find a populated area and have local people leading the way, we will be able to reach the Irtysh River smoothly.”
For Geng Zhongming, it was the same whether heading south or north. Just don't go into the swamp. The swamp in this area is simply a trap. This is the first time in my life that I have seen such a bird place.
Liu Guoneng ordered all the troops to find a way out south, which made many soldiers feel relieved. They would rather face the unknown and distant mountain road than enter the terrifying swamp. Just a tentative exploration cost more than a dozen lives.
This kind of swamp is much scarier than the barbarian army. But for the Germans, all they can do is wait. If they make large-scale mobilization at this time, it will easily expose their strategic intentions, which will not be worth the loss.
Bypassing the Imgot Swamp, the road to the south was not easy to walk. Liu Guoneng was also afraid of any accidents, so he ordered his troops to maintain a tight formation, which also slowed down the marching speed and continued to maintain a snail's crawling speed.
.But this will be very painful for Royce and others.
In winter, the cavalry was ambushed in the Tors Canyon. The canyon was drafty and the wind was so strong, especially at night, that it was hard to open your eyes. Fortunately, the weather was quite sunny during this period and there was no snow. If it rained again,
If it snows heavily, Royce will be forced to abandon Tors Canyon.
Searching southward along the Imgurt Swamp, stopping and walking, the tens of thousands of expeditionary troops for two days found no trace of human habitation. Everyone finally saw what it meant to be deserted. The muddy and wet grass was frozen hard.
, it creaked when stepped on, and such a boring march made everyone feel very uncomfortable. There were no enemies, no herdsmen, and no barbarians. It was as if the road ahead was empty and without a target.
Liu Guoneng was also a little irritated. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation after leading troops for many years. In the past, whether on the grasslands or in the interior of the Ming Dynasty, it was unimaginable that he could not see a single village after marching for two days. The emptiness would give people
It brought a kind of fear and made people feel their own insignificance. Liu Guoneng didn't know how long he would have to endure it. Siberia was really vast. This place was so big that it was unimaginable.
Meng Fansen is a forward battalion commander with hundreds of elite scouts under his command. To be honest, Meng Fansen has experienced hundreds of battles. Especially the scouts, who are the elite of the army, most of them are Yunfu cavalry.
In the past, Meng Fansen had never encountered any difficulties whether he was fighting in Liaodong or attacking bandits. But in Siberia, he felt an unprecedented pressure. The vastness of Siberia had a spectacular beauty, but it also brought countless consequences to the scouts.
trouble.
The vast land is sparsely populated. If you want to understand this place and know the military situation, you can only rely on yourself. Especially now, you must find out the situation of the forty miles around the main army in advance. Therefore, Meng Fansen felt that the scouts in his hands were more and more powerful.
There is no longer enough.
The sun was shining brightly above the head, but how could it withstand the raging cold wind? Meng Fansen waved his horsewhip, unable to hide his depressed look, "What the hell, this place is so evil. After walking for so long, I don't even have a hair on my head. In the swamp."
It’s actually not the end yet.”
He was scolded, but Meng Fansen still had to continue to perform his duties. While beating his horse and running around, he complained about the surrounding terrain. The brothers beside him also had the same expression, and they all looked ashen and as if they had diarrhea. General Liu's order was to find the local area.
A barbarian tribe, but after walking for so long, I didn’t even see a single human hair. Sometimes I had to wonder if there were any people in this place.
Zhuang Congfei is not old, has not been in the military for a long time, and his temperament is much worse. After walking for so long, he has gained nothing, so he will inevitably complain a few words, "General Liu is also too cautious, just go through the swamp, it is a waste of time."
Long time.”
"Pah!" As soon as Zhuang Congfei finished speaking, a slap hit him on the back of his head. Looking back, Zhuang Congfei dared not speak out, so he could only swallow his anger. Meng Fansen's face was gloomy and cold.
He glared at Zhuang Congfei and said, "Are you tired of living? Are you the one who can judge General Liu's affairs? Humph, at such a young age, your eyes are higher than your head. What the hell do you know? Isn't it just two days of hard work?
, this hard work can save the lives of many brothers, remember, these words stop here. If you let me hear your nonsense again, please change your head."
Meng Fansen's tone was cold, with a strong murderous intent in his eyes. Zhuang Congfei was really scared. Anyone who knew Meng Fansen's temper knew that Meng Fansen had murderous intentions at this time. Wang Kui quickly stepped forward and glared fiercely.
Zhuang Congfei glanced at him and then said to Meng Fansen, "General Meng, this kid is young and energetic and ignorant. Don't be as knowledgeable as him. Just give him a beating."
Meng Fansen didn't really want to kill Zhuang Congfei, so he gave a warning and continued to ride forward. Wang Kui breathed a sigh of relief, came to Zhuang Congfei and lowered his voice angrily, "Zhuang Congfei, are you impatient with life? This
Do you dare to say such things? General Liu has his own reasons for doing this. What should he really do?
The generals are taking care of the matter, so it’s your turn to talk nonsense? Do you think you’re the only one who’s tired? There are tens of thousands of brothers behind you who don’t have horses, and they’ve been relying on their feet. It’s not as tiring as you. You bastard, just do your job well. Damn it!
You're talking nonsense, I can't protect you, General Meng can't tolerate sand in his eyes."
In fact, Zhuang Congfei was frightened just now, and he still hasn't recovered from his fear. Looking at Meng Fansen's back, he is still a little scared. Zhuang Congfei was born in a wealthy family, and he joined the army just to gain fame and honor his ancestors.
, maybe because of his background, he always has a bit of a dandy in his heart. However, Meng Fansen is a meticulous person. Others give Zhuang Congfei face, but Meng Fansen does not.
Something unexpected happened, and the brothers' hearts became heavy. Meng Fansen was obviously still angry with Zhuang Congfei, and Wang Kui and others did not dare to mess with Meng Fansen anymore. The scout team kept going south along the wetland, and gradually appeared in front.
With a looming shadow, Meng Fansen's depressed mood slowly recovered, and he became energetic. Judging from his years of experience in battles, he estimated that the way around the swamp was not far away, because the vague shadow in front must be a continuous mountain range.
Any mountain range must be accompanied by the uplift of the terrain. As the terrain increases, the swamps will gradually disappear, followed by highland grasslands. People are likely to settle in such places. Thinking of this, Meng Fansen shouted and quickened his horse's hooves.
"Brothers, we are going out soon, work harder."
Seeing Meng Fansen so excited, the experienced veterans behind him couldn't help but become happy. The entire scout team sped up. As expected, as the terrain got higher and higher, Meng Fansen and others saw several smokes in the southwest. There were
There must be tribes in the smoke. Meng Fansen suddenly became happy and said, "Wang Kui, take people back and inform General Liu of the situation here. I will take people to take a look first."
Wang Kui agreed and led a few people back the same way. At this time, tens of thousands of troops were still moving forward slowly. The huge team formed a long winding snake along the periphery of the swamp. Liu Guoneng frowned and looked very depressed. After all,
No good news has come from the forward battalion scouts so far, which makes him feel very sad.
Huge psychological pressure. The sound of horse hooves sounded, and then the soldiers and horses in front suddenly burst into cheers. Liu Guoneng was shocked when he heard it. Not long after, Wang Kui led his people and rushed over, "General Liu,
Local barbarians have been spotted forty miles ahead, so it is estimated that bypassing the swamp will not be a problem."
