On September 12, the Russian prisoners of war who surrendered in Cheremhovo were gradually escorted to a wilderness east of Usolye. This place is located on the other side of the Angara River, about 100 meters from Usolye.
The straight-line distance is almost three kilometers.
In this wilderness originally covered with grass and shrubs, thousands of temporary workers from Irkutsk have been busy for several days. Only a few of them are previous settlers, and most of the others are from last year.
And the island countries that were transported this year and the new immigrants who were brought here.
Because there were so many captured Russian troops, the Northern Navy could not provide enough prison camps in a short period of time. So when the prisoners arrived one after another, they built their own camps under the supervision of the Northern Navy.
According to the requirements of the Beihai Special Region Public Security Police Station, after removing the branches from the felled logs, they will be processed on a simple carpentry bed into three-meter-long wooden piles with a diameter of 20 centimeters. After that, they will be buried at intervals of two meters.
It is one meter deep underground, and is surrounded by horizontal and vertical grids of one hundred meters square on the ground.
The wooden piles are connected with iron wires with butterfly-shaped blades. Starting from a height of 30 centimeters above the ground, they are blocked in sequence for a total of six blocks. In this way, a square area of 10,000 square meters is formed, which is larger than a standard football field.
Slightly larger.
After all, there are more people and strength, and the cold wind at night is already biting. The Tsarist Russian prisoners worked very hard. Since the beginning of September, more than a dozen prisoner camps have been surrounded.
The Russian military supplies seized from the battlefield were also transported here after preliminary inspection. Items such as tents and blankets were distributed one after another after being sprayed with a large amount of quicklime powder for disinfection. This also ensured that the prisoners of war had
A minimum accommodation.
The first thing the prisoners did after entering the camp was to dig a toilet. This order caused great dissatisfaction among the prisoners. The first thing they had to do should be to build a house to provide shelter from wind and rain! However, as for the complaints of the prisoners,
An Irkutsk citizen who was working at the scene couldn't help but offer some kind words.
"Guys, the Chinese are right to tell you to do this. Public health is very important, otherwise you will have a plague within your country."
"Public...health?" The Russian officer showed a surprised expression after hearing the explanation, but he was still startled by the word "plague".
You must know that in these days, there was no toilet even in the palace of Tsarskoye Selo. People who went out had to find a secluded place to do it. That is to say, there were few people in Irkutsk and the weather was cold, so the plague never broke out. However,
Now tens of thousands of prisoners are gathered together, and there are many injuries and illnesses. If there is no compulsory management, the plague will definitely not escape.
By the way, why didn’t the old lady Queen stay in the palace in Moscow, but stayed in Tsarskoe Selo on the outskirts of St. Petersburg for many years? Nothing else, Moscow in the 18th century was extremely dirty and messy.
Since the time of Peter the Great, after the center of power in Tsarist Russia was transferred from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the abandoned Moscow and its suburbs attracted a large number of serfs and deserters. The growing population created mountains of garbage and excrement, except for people and people.
of livestock, as well as wastewater and sewage from slaughterhouses and tanneries.
In early 1770, plague broke out among the Tsarist Russian troops stationed in Moldova. The main way it spread was through prisoners of war and trophies. Because the garrison general at the time concealed the illness from his superior, Rumyantsev, the local garrison was almost wiped out. At the end of that year,
, the plague spread to Moscow and reached its peak in September of the following year, causing a large number of people to flee, and the entire city was like a ghost.
The current Irkutsk city government secretary, Markovich, whose actual power is equivalent to that of the mayor, was exiled to Siberia precisely because of the plague.
When the city declared a state of emergency, shops, hotels, taverns, factories and even churches were ordered to close, and the entire Moscow was besieged. The residents in the city had no food and clothing, and finally began to resist. The thugs regarded any emergency measures of the country as
The conspiracy to spread the disease even killed the archbishop.
Markovich robbed a church because of hunger. So when the riots subsided and the plague ended, he was still young and was sent to Irkutsk.
Although Catherine II later took many measures, the plague still lasted until 1772. The death toll in Moscow alone is estimated to be 300,000. Despite this, the Tsarist Empire did not upgrade the city afterwards.
The level of public health management in Moscow was not improved until the second half of the 19th century.
Since Zhang Jingxuan took office, the most public buildings built in Irkutsk are toilets and septic tanks, which earned him the nickname "Toilet Governor".
In the two years since it was governed by Beihai Town, relying on the efforts of the Public Security Police Department and the new medical system, public health regulations have become the most stringent laws in Irkutsk. Anyone who dares to urinate or defecate casually on the street, or to
Anyone who dumps feces, garbage, or even washes toilets in the Angara River will be fined five silver rubles and required to do hard labor for three days to clean the streets.
Although these regulations have been agreed upon by people in places such as Beihai Town and Fuldan City, how could those Russians and Yakuts understand this? In the first half year of Beihai Town's rule, people were escorted to sweep the streets every day.
It even includes people from the five major families.
Shishkin, a Cossack soldier from the Don River, walked into a large tent ignorantly. After entering, he found that the front and back of the tent were open. A man in a white coat and a white mask ordered him to take off his clothes.
Shoes and even underwear were not spared. When Shishkin saw the Northern Navy soldier who was looking at him coldly, he suddenly became excited and stripped himself naked in three quick strokes.
After he slowly turned around with his bare buttocks and arms raised, someone splashed white powder all over his head and face. Just when Shishkin was at a loss and finally opened his eyes, someone immediately stuffed him into his arms.
A bundle of clothes and a pair of shoes.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Then, he and nineteen other prisoners who were naked and holding clothes went out from the other side of the exit, and were greeted by a man wearing a mask and a hoarse voice
The man gave the order and quickly stood in two rows.
"I'm only going to say this once! Listen clearly! Keep your number plates and clothes! Remember, if you don't have your number plate, you won't have food!"
Only then did Shishkin notice that on top of the clothes in his arms, there was a wooden sign about half the size of a palm with a rope on the top, and a line of numbers on it.
"151739?" Before Shishkin could figure out what it meant, he was immediately pushed aside to put on his clothes.
The clothes and shoes worn by the prisoners of war were all produced in Beihai Town itself. The styles were imitations of the dark blue upper and lower cotton-padded jackets from another time and space. The shoes were also the lace-up cotton shoes of later generations. This kind of attire was easy to wear in the Siberian wilderness.
Distinguish, even if someone is running away, you can recognize it at a glance.
After dark, Shishkin, who had been digging the foundation all afternoon, received his share of dinner based on his number plate, which consisted of two potatoes and half a bowl of beet soup. This amount of food was not enough for Shishkin, but he would not starve to death. However,
All he could do was pray to God and hope that the war would end soon.
In the next two days, more and more Russian prisoners of war were transported from the west bank of the Angara River. The "square grid" where they were held was spread across the desolate wilderness like a chessboard. From the Yakuts who were responsible for delivering meals to them
From the conversation, Shishkin learned that the Chinese call these square grids with barbed wire "camp areas" and that he was in the fifteenth camp area.
Between each camp area, there is a passage up to six meters wide. In addition to the three-meter-high wooden sentry towers located at the four corners of the camp area, the barbed wire is also covered with glass bottles, cans, and even horse necks.
There were also bells; they would ring loudly when touched. At night, the bright light emitted from the sentry towers at the four corners of the camp swayed back and forth on the tents in each camp. The prisoners were shaken so that they could not sleep peacefully, and were worried and frightened.
In Shishkin's view, the Chinese are all magicians. They can move the light like the moon into the human world. Such an opponent is difficult to defeat. Perhaps the queen should have sent a group of monks instead of soldiers.
On the fourth day after Shishkin arrived here, he had just finished eating a potato for breakfast, and then, just like before, he lined up in the camp to receive tools for work. The difference from the previous two days was that there was a sudden commotion at the front of the team.
.When the queue was almost at Shishkin, he discovered that the guard had changed.
"what is it call?"
"Shishkin Rychikov." Shishkin was surprised to find that the guard who was questioning him was actually a Russian wearing an enemy military uniform, and his accent was from his hometown.
"From the Don River? From which village?"
Shishkin told the village where his family was located, and the guard actually laughed when he heard it: "My family is from the village of Kalkin, which is only thirty miles away from you."
"Then why, how come... you are here?" Shishkin almost blurted out. He actually wanted to ask, "Then why are you considered a traitor?"
The guard smiled and did not answer the question. Instead, he patted Shishkin on the shoulder and said, "Go and work hard."
After a tiring day, Shishkin dragged his tired body back to the tent and was about to prepare dinner when he heard someone outside shouting: "Shishkin Rychikov!"
Shishkin quickly came out and stood at attention, shouting loudly: "Yes!" The reason why he did this was not because of his status as a soldier, but because of the requirements of the prisoner of war camp.
It was already dark outside, but the pine oil torch on the ground was burning brightly. Only then did he see clearly that the person calling him was the guard he met in the morning.
"Relax, man." The man grinned, stepped forward and whispered: "You haven't had dinner yet? Come with me, I will take you to a nice place." After that, the man turned around and left, and then
Then he suddenly stopped and said: "By the way, my name is Mikhail."
Shishkin, who was confused, was taken to the gate of Camp No. 15 by Mikhail. Only when he arrived here did he realize that Mikhail was not only looking for him, but also more than twenty other Cossacks.
After registering with the camp guard, a group of people left the camp, and then cautiously followed Mikhail under the light of pine oil torches on the roadside. More than 20 minutes later, they finally arrived at a tall wooden building outside the camp.
Outside the room, Shishkin noticed along the way that there were about five or six North Korean navy soldiers with guns behind them. It was estimated that if anyone tried to escape, they would definitely be shot to death.
"Come in, guys!" Mikhail opened the door and greeted more than 20 Cossack captives with a smile.
However, when a group of prisoners walked into the house uneasily, they were immediately blinded by the sight in front of them. There were more than a dozen long tables and benches in the house, and some prisoners of war had already sat there in advance. The tables were covered with snow-white
There was a tablecloth with a bright oil lamp on it. What made Shishkin and others salivate most was that the plates on the table were filled with fragrant bread and various meats, and even a few bottles of wine.
At this time, a medium-sized, very strong man in the room greeted loudly: "Brothers, please sit down quickly, you are welcome."
Like Mikhail, this man is also a Russian. He wears a dark green Northern Navy uniform, and a wide leather belt with shiny copper buckles around his waist. He has a wide
He has a big black beard on his shoulders with a few white strands in the middle; his big eyes are bright and lively. The expression on his face makes people feel inexplicably at ease.
Shishkin and others sat down tremblingly, looking at me and you, each one swallowing saliva, eyes rolling around, but not daring to speak. Chinese people have strict rules, and these two days
Many people were punished for breaking the regulations. In addition to being whipped, the most unacceptable thing was to be starved.
At this time, I saw the strong man walking into the middle of the crowd and loudly said: "Let me introduce myself, my name is Ivan. Like you, we are all Cossacks from the Don River."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Suddenly, someone among the Cossack prisoners present said coldly: "Then why are you wearing the clothes of the enemy? Are you working for them now?"
Ivan ignored the man, but grinned and said: "Everyone is hungry, let's eat something first." After that, he took the wine bottle and cup from the table and poured himself a glass of wine.
, raised his neck and drank it.
Shishkin had been tired for a day and was already hungry. He saw someone reaching out for bread, so he took a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. The bread baked from newly beaten rye was so delicious!
As more and more people started attacking, after a while, everyone was in a whirlwind and swept away all the food on the table.
After everyone finished eating with satisfaction and drank two more glasses of wine, the man named Ivan said loudly: "Cossack brothers! The cruel Romanov dynasty asked you to fight a war of aggression against other countries' territories. Suvo
Lov failed, and now Rumyantsev also failed! I am entrusted by the Cossack Congress and the Military Armata (the supreme military leader) to call on everyone to unite and overthrow the rule of that vicious old woman in the vast land east of the Ural Mountains
Build our own Cossack Kingdom!
The Chinese are not our enemies. Lake Baikal is their inherent territory. They have been grazing here more than a thousand years ago. Now they entrust me to send you warm greetings and brotherly salutes. They are not willing to follow
You are fighting against each other, but you are willing to form an alliance with us..."
Oh my God! Did I drink too much and my ears didn’t work? This guy actually called the Virgin a “vicious old woman”?!
Including Shishkin, the Cossack prisoners present were shocked by these treasonous remarks.
When Ivan finished his long speech, the room fell into silence. After a while, someone finally woke up and said angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about! We have our own military leader."
Mikhail, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said: "Really? Were they elected by the Cossack Congress? Since the death of Romanzanov Pyotr Emelyanovich seventy years ago, all military Azars
The Tamans were all appointed by the Tsar, they were in cahoots with the nobility, the Cossack Assembly has long since ceased to exist, and our power has been taken away!”
The so-called "Cossack Congress", also known as the Cossack General Military Council, has its scope of responsibilities covering military, economic, administrative, political, legal, social and all other matters. According to the tradition of the Cossack ministries, the Cossack Congress is generally held every year or
A conference is held every few years to discuss all issues accumulated during this period. In the time between the two conferences, the "military Ataman" - that is, the supreme military leader - is solely responsible.
For example, after Pugachev was defeated by Suvorov and fled, people's hearts turned against him, and he was kidnapped by his accomplices. Afterwards, other rebels held a Cossack meeting, and in the end, with a majority vote, Ataman-
-That is, Pugachev was sent to Kazan. Of the 186 people present at the time, only 32 voted against it and one abstained.
After 1718, the Cossack Congress was abolished, and all subsequent top military leaders were appointed by the tsar. This made the Cossack aristocracy and the tsarist Russian dignitaries closely connected. The reason why Pugachev's riots had a large number of
The lower-level Cossacks joined because of their long-term dissatisfaction with these powerful people.
Seeing that no one could answer, Mikhail added: "In a real Cossack Congress, everyone should be able to speak freely, and everyone should be able to express their opinions on the future of the Cossacks, regardless of high or low. But since Pugachev was
Those traitors were delivered into the hands of evil enemies, and our right to speak was deprived of our right to speak by those noble gentlemen!"
Having said this, Shishkin suddenly raised his hand and asked: "Excuse me, who is the supreme military leader you just mentioned? And which conference was he elected by?"
Mikhail walked up to Shishkin, patted him on the shoulder, and praised: "Brother, you are on to something!"
After that, he looked around at the prisoners present, then walked to Ivan, showed a serious expression, and said in a deep voice: "Please allow me to introduce - Alexander Ivanovich Pugachev, he is
The supreme military leader elected by our Don Cossack Congress, he is also the eldest son of the Cossack hero Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachev."
The prisoners present were all dumbfounded when they looked at Ivan with a smile on his face.