Luo Dalin and his group of forty or fifty people had already reached their fastest speed, but they still could not see the cavalry team in front of them.
Most of the cities along the Yili River are close to Huiyuan City in the east. After Huiyuan City was established during the Qianlong Emperor's reign, with Yili (Huiyuan City) as the center, there were Huining City, Xichun City, and Ningyuan City in the east, and in that order in the west.
Guangren City, Zhande City, Gongchen City, Talqi City, Suiding City.
These places are all rich in water and grass, suitable for farming and grazing.
The nine cities are all located to the north of the Ili River, and are historically known as the "Nine Cities of Ili". There are eight forts and Mongolian camps built in Henan.
These urban pastures and Huiyuan City are at the horns of each other, forming a complete urban defense system and the economic ecosystem of Yili.
The development of Nine Cities also promoted the development of the handicraft industry in the Yili region. Each city relied on its own resources to establish a handicraft industry, and the iron smelting industry, copper industry, ceramics industry, paper making industry, coal mines, etc. emerged.
The convenient shipping conditions of the Ili River link various cities together by boats.
As soon as Zuo Jigao arrived in Yili, his first report to Xinjing pointed out that the shipping conditions of the Yili River were good, and asked Dong Shuheng to send him shipbuilders and equipment for making steamships.
He pointed out that if a navy could be set up on the Ili River, it could go down the river directly to Lake Balkash and cruise along the river and around the lake, thus saving a large number of troops guarding the border.
All Kazakhs entering the Western Region must pass through the Ili River Valley or the Alashan Pass in the north.
The Ili River Basin is the most difficult to defend.
With the arrival of steamships, the shipping industry between the upstream and downstream can also be developed, and then Zuo Jigao can push the border of the Western Region to the area west of Lake Balkash.
In Zuo Jigao's eyes, the boundaries of the Western Region are far beyond what is in front of him.
He originally also had a small navy on the Yangtze River.
Therefore, Zuo Jigao knew very well how much advantage it would bring to have a navy in the area close to the river.
For example, if there was a naval force now, he would no longer have to sit in a simple wooden boat. With the speed of the naval gunboat, he would have already reached the front line.
Instead of walking slowly behind the infantry.
Huiyuan City is really a good place. It has mature Nantaizi and Gangou coal mines. There are also copper mines and iron mines around it, and it has the basic conditions for the development of various industries. There are also eight cities surrounding it.
Each has its own specialties and can share what they have.
In Zuo Zongtang's preliminary plan, Huiyuan will be an important industrial, agricultural, and commercial center in the Western Regions in the future.
He wants to build this place into an advanced base for his advancement in the Western Region. After the industrial facilities here are built in the future, the Western Region's own strength alone will be able to support the management of the Western Region.
Zuo Zongtang's mind never stopped while he was on the boat. Since arriving in Huiyuan City, he only slept four hours a day.
All he thinks about is the future development direction of the Western Regions. He does not want to be a Ban Chao in the Western Regions. He wants to do more, and he wants to keep the land of the Western Regions in the embrace of China forever.
He wants to surpass these Chinese heroes who expanded the Western Regions in history.
A fast horse came galloping and stopped on the shore. Zuo Jigao asked the handsome boat to approach.
"Da Du Protector, the forward Sentinel Cavalry has engaged the opponent." The Sentinel Cavalry loudly reported.
"The opponent is attacking Suiding City in the west. The forwards are hurrying on their way."
"Send the order to the forwards, that is to say, contact them. Don't be impatient, but be careful and maintain the strength of the soldiers." Zuo Jigao ordered the soldiers who sent the order.
This encounter did not give the Renaissance Army time to build positions. Therefore, this time the Renaissance Army had to fight against the enemy's large-scale cavalry regiments on the river valley plains.
However, the Renaissance Army is full of confidence in this. They have many experiences in fighting large-scale cavalry.
Now, the firepower of the Renaissance Army is more intense than before. Their artillery uses smokeless gunpowder and is even more powerful.
They already have the magic weapon against cavalry - the rotating machine gun.
Wang Congzhi's first division has twenty rotating machine gun tanks, and together with the eighteenth division, Wang Congzhi's confidence lies in having so many tanks.
Therefore, Wang Congzhi is full of confidence in the upcoming battle.
Even with just the two forward divisions, he was confident of destroying the opponent.
Ha! Fifty thousand cavalry sounds really scary, but as long as the firepower is sufficient, this cavalry may not be enough to feed more than 10,000 people.
Leonid led his 50,000 troops and pushed eastward along the river.
At the beginning, all they encountered were some grazing areas, including Eruts, Mongols, and Kazakhs. No matter who they were, as long as they encountered them, they would all be wiped out without leaving any survivors.
Even if the other party is a Kazakh, they will not let it go. Since they are grazing in the territory of China, then they are Chinese people.
In practice, there are also many Kazakhs living in the Ili area and joining the Central Plains.
Continuing forward, they attacked several small settlements.
But I still haven’t seen the Chinese city in my impression.
Finally, after traveling eastward for a day, they saw the first Han city. The walls of this city were about five meters high and the circumference was about two thousand meters.
There are rows of houses in the city, with a tall bell and drum tower in the middle.
At this time, the cavalry army of the coalition forces was pressing on the border. The bells and drums in the city were ringing non-stop.
There were many people gathered on the city wall, including soldiers with blunderbuss and many common people with simple weapons.
A sarcastic smile appeared on Leonid's lips.
The Chinese troops in the city looked just like he imagined.
They were wearing faded and simple military uniforms, and the muskets in their hands were from an unknown era.
The people who helped with the defense were even more miserable. Some of them were holding farm tools.
There are some artillery on top of the city, but Leonid has already seen these Chinese artillery. They are not comparable to their artillery.
He waved his hand to the back. The commander of the artillery regiment understood, drove the horses to pull up the artillery, and lined it up facing the city.
Immediately, the shelling began.
Suiding City was like a small boat in the storm under the bombardment of Cossack artillery.
It seemed like it could sink at any time.
The commander on top of the city was a general officer of the Qing army. However, there was not a single soldier in the city at this time.
The commander-in-chief has less than a thousand troops on hand.
The artillery at the top of the city was also fighting back. However, both the number and the power of the artillery were far inferior to the artillery carried by the Cossack cavalry.
After a while, the city's artillery was silenced.
Qing soldiers and the common people who helped defend hid behind the female wall, trying to avoid the shelling.
But every time the enemy's artillery shells hit the parapet, a large section of the weak parapet will collapse.
Those crumbling city bricks were scattered in all directions, leaving the Qing army hiding behind the female wall with nowhere to hide.
In terms of combat power, these Qing troops were more than one level behind the Cossacks.
The city will be destroyed sooner or later.
There was a city in front of him. Leonid had already learned from the Kazakh people that this was an important commercial city on the outskirts of Yili.
This will be the first pot of gold for Leonid's army after arriving in the Western Region of China.
Whether they are Cossacks or Kazakhs, they are all on fire now. Everyone is waiting for the artillery to blast open the city gates or collapse the city walls as soon as possible.
To the west of the coalition forces, a team of more than fifty people came to a garrison.
"Mother!" At this time, an Erut boy in the team let out a shrill scream. Then he rushed towards a pasture in front of him as if he was desperate.
They had passed several such pieces of trash just now.
Without exception, no one was left alive.
You don't need to go to see it, you can understand the miserable situation inside this ranch.
Luo Dalin did not drag this brother. This is the tribe he belongs to. There are many Erut people living in Ili. They were originally nomadic tribes, but they joined the Qing Dynasty.
The Erut young man said goodbye to his deceased family and caught up with the team. He was not the first family member to be brutally killed, nor was he the last.
But the purpose of their group is the same, which is to catch up with the enemy in front and take revenge.
Suiding City is an earthen city with a layer of bricks covering the outside of the city wall.
It is not as strong as Karen.
After all, Karen is small and can use more masonry materials.
At this time, the city bricks on one side of the west city gate had fallen off, and half of the city wall had collapsed, exposing the soil inside.
The people in the city have fallen into despair. There are too many enemies and all four city gates are blocked.
The people and merchants in the city have become lambs to be slaughtered.
The merchants have already prepared their troops. Once a big shot breaks out, they will follow behind and break out.
With so many people besieging them, this small town alone is not enough for them to rob! No one can be spared.
"Boom!" The city finally collapsed. The people in the city closed their eyes in despair.
Waiting for the enemy's charge.
"Woo..." the horn sounded.
But there was no shout of death accompanying the charge.
"The enemy has retreated!" someone shouted loudly on the city wall.
This sound could be heard throughout the town.
It seems that everyone doesn't want to believe their own ears, or they don't believe the people in the city.
Everyone rushed to the top of the city.
The cavalry outside the city retreated as expected. They regrouped in the distance.
"Look, Golden Dragon Flag!" At this time, a huge golden dragon flag with a red background appeared on the eastern horizon. This was not the flag of the Qing Dynasty, but it was very similar.
Everyone understood that this was the flag of the new dynasty.
It is the army of the new dynasty that has come to save everyone! Since General Yili surrendered directly, everyone has not had any feelings about this new dynasty.
But at this moment, everyone here, no matter what nationality he is, even if he is a Manchu Eight Banner.
They all support the new dynasty in their hearts. When everyone's life and death are at stake, the new dynasty's army can appear in time.
Nothing can win over people's hearts more than this.
A cavalryman holding a big flag in one hand gallops at the end of the horizon.
This is a very provocative invitation to fight.
Immediately, the people on the top of the city saw neat infantry formations in the distance. There were nearly 500 people in each formation. There were more than twenty such formations in total.
On the other two wings, there were thousands of cavalry roaming on both sides of the infantry formation.
Dozens of artillery pieces can also be seen in the infantry's horizontal formation, and those artillery pieces appear to be no smaller than those of the enemy.
Leonid also received a report that more than 10,000 reinforcements came from the other side. The reinforcements were mainly infantry, with a small number of cavalry covering the two wings.
Leonid was a little annoyed. At the critical moment of conquering the city, the enemy's reinforcements arrived. It was like he was about to enjoy a delicious meal, but someone came to overturn the table.
Leonid had to regroup his army and put it into a field formation.
The opponent only has more than 10,000 people, and most of them are infantry.
Therefore, Leonid didn't take it to heart. Like many of his companions, the cavalry of this era had a chain of contempt for the infantry.
This was also the first time Leonid fought against the Renaissance Army. In addition to knowing that their muskets had a longer range, their artillery was more powerful.
However, the intelligence possessed by Tsarist Russia simply could not keep up with the updates of the Ba'ath Army's weapons and equipment.
However, Leonid still grasped a new piece of information, that is, the armed forces from the Far East that Tsarist Russia said also appeared in Ili.
The intelligence that Tsarist Russia seems to possess is extremely incomplete.
The formation put up by Wang Congzhi was nothing fancy, it was just to maximize the firepower output of the Renaissance Army.
Leonid had so many cavalry in his hands that it was impossible for them to rush up from the front in a swarm.
He divided the cavalry into four camps.
A coalition of 10,000 Cossacks and 10,000 Kazakhs were responsible for the frontal assault.
Three other Kazakh teams attacked Wang Congzhi's left and right wings respectively, and a Kazakh cavalry team of 10,000 people even went around to the rear of Wang Congzhi's regiment.
The Qing troops on top of the city and the people inside the city were all sweating. How could the army with 10,000 men resist 50,000 cavalry?
The infantry formed a dense horizontal formation, which looked like a line.
The cavalry on the Kazakh side looked like a large, dark mass.
Naturally, the people hope that the new dynasty's troops will win. Otherwise, in the end, they, the people in the city, will still be killed by the Kazakhs.
Everyone silently prayed for a miracle to happen.
"Boom, boom, boom..." An artillery battle began outside the city.
Leonid tried to use artillery to give the opponent a head start. Unexpectedly, he was attacked by the artillery of the Baath Army first.
There were two regiments of artillery on Wang Congzhi's side, with full firepower. The artillery regiments on the coalition's side that had not yet been deployed were blown up by the Renaissance Army.
"Look, our artillery is firing." Someone at the top of the city shouted excitedly.
"Mom, it's all explosives." When I saw the artillery from Tsarist Russia was being pulled by horses on the road, it was blown to pieces.
Everyone suddenly became excited.
The artillery of the Renaissance Army did not stop, but continued to fire. The artillery shells fell into the nearby cavalry camp.
The originally neat cavalry camp suddenly fell into disarray.
Leonid did not expect that the opponent's artillery range would be so far beyond his own. He quickly ordered his cavalry to disperse and disperse to their respective positions according to his previous deployment.
He planned to wait until everyone was in place before launching an attack on each other together.
Against the more than 10,000 Chinese infantrymen on the opposite side, Leonid was bound to win.
Tsarist Russia has been operating in Kazakhstan for so many years and has a deep foundation. The underground Kazakhs obey Tsarist Russia's instructions.
For a long time, Tsarist Russia has been penetrating into the western regions of China. Last year, it even signed a trade treaty with the Qing court.
Many merchants from Tsarist Russia entered the three cities of Ili, Talbahatai and Kashgar to do business.
These merchants were also responsible for delivering news. However, Leonid did not hear the news that there were any changes in the Western Region.
But how could this legendary armed force from the Far East appear here now?
Tsarist Russia had spies in the Western Regions. Dong Shuheng had naturally known about this for a long time.
Before Zuo Jigao arrived in Ili, people from the Intelligence Department had already entered here.
They got the cooperation of the surrendered General Ili, and eliminated the Russian spies who tried to escape to deliver the message. They also blocked the main transportation routes. Therefore, Leonid did not receive the news.
Leonid came all the way from the north, taking the western part of Kazakhstan, which is now under the jurisdiction of Western Siberia and is also Khristenko's jurisdiction.
Without getting any new information, he thought that the current Western Region was still the same as what they knew before.
This is not the case.
The cavalry was deployed quickly.
Leonid's 50,000 men finally completed the siege of the Chinese army. They hid outside the artillery range of the Chinese army, just like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey, ready to attack at any time.
Luo Dalin took his garrison soldiers and relied on his legs to finally reach his hometown - Suiding City.
Most of the people in his team came from this city. To the west of the city, Luo Dalin saw the broken city wall from a distance.
His heart skipped a beat, as if something was broken.
He rolled forward and crawled forward. He was so exhausted that his vision was a little blurry.
"Luo Tou, everything is alright in the city. Are there still our people on top of the city?" A sharp-eyed young garrison said loudly in his ear.
Luo Dalin took a closer look and indeed saw a shadowy figure on the top of the city.
"Let's go into the city and have a look." Everyone supported each other and rushed towards the city.
Finally, we were about to reach the front of the city, when a figure emerged from the Ximen Cave, which had been blasted to pieces.
"Dad!" The figure shouted and ran towards Luo Dalin.
"Xiao Lin, how are you at home?" Luo Dalin recognized the person who came, it was his eldest son Luo Xiaolin.
"Dad, everything is fine at home. Reinforcements are coming. They are in the northeast of the city. There will be a decisive battle soon. Go and have a look!"
When Luo Xiaolin saw that his father was fine, he immediately wanted to go back. In fact, he wanted to go back and have a look.
A decisive battle between large armies is something that is rare to see once in a lifetime.
Now the people in the city are like a group of gamblers, all their bets are placed on the new dynasty's army.
They are doing nothing now because they know they can only hope that the new dynasty's army will win. As long as they win, everything will be fine.
The new dynasty's army has lost, and whatever they do now is in vain.
Even if they take the opportunity to escape now, where can they escape to? Can they still outrun the cavalry?
Luo Dalin rushed to the city wall and saw a scene he would never forget in his life.