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The Datong Army has Khabarov as a guide and consultant, so how can they not guess what the enemy is thinking?

They are all Cossack leaders, and they even make the same breakout route.

But to the east of the castle, five or six Cossack and Siberian hunters were carrying a small boat, heading straight for the dense reeds.When encountering ponds or rivers, they put down the boat, rowed for a while, and went ashore to continue carrying the boat.

"Did the Khitans come after them?" Zinoviev looked back from time to time.

Stepanov said: "When you get here, you don't have to be afraid of pursuers. There is a lake in front of you. After crossing the lake, you can go north for a short distance to the river."

You can talk about lakes or ponds, but anyway, the area is neither big nor small, and they are all formed by the sediment accumulation in Heilongjiang.Going downstream from Yaksa to the place where Heilongjiang turns to the south, there are dozens of similar ponds of different sizes.

With such a complex terrain and reeds everywhere, it is impossible for the Datong Army to send troops to pursue it.One is that it is difficult to find the enemy, the other is that it is easy to be sniped, and the third is that it is possible to stray into the swamp.

No need to chase, just block the key exit!

It is impossible for these Rakshasa ghosts to hide in the reeds all the time.Either choose to continue to the east, regardless of the consequences, go to the lower reaches of Heilongjiang, wherever you grab it, there is almost no possibility of returning to Nerchinsk.Either go out of the reeds and head north, where there are two river valleys, get into the ravine to play by ear, and maybe go around and go upstream back to Nerchinsk.

Leaving the reed marshes, the Cossack carried the boat and ran northward, but he still didn't hear the pursuers.

Finally, they saw a small river flowing from the mountains in the north, and then turned sharply to run parallel to the Heilongjiang River.

They didn't bring any larger boats, and each of the small boats they carried with them could only hold more than ten people.Moreover, all the redundant parts have been dismantled, and the speed of running is very fast when it is lifted up, and it can be quickly rowed away by throwing it into a small river.

This is the core method of the Cossacks. Relying on such convenient ships, they have been wreaking havoc from the Don River Basin to Heilongjiang.

Going north along the small river, when we were about to enter the valley, the sky was almost bright.

Looking at the entrance of the dark valley, Beketov frowned and said, "It's not right, why didn't the Khitans come after them? Even if they didn't come after them, there should be some movement."

Stepanov asked: "You mean, there are enemies in the valley ahead?"

"Very likely." Beketov nodded.

Zinoviev was a little unbelieving: "Could it be that the Khitans know divination? How could they have set up an ambush in front of us in advance."

Beketov said: "I have been exploring Siberia for almost ten years, and I have an intuition about the danger. There must be an ambush in the valley ahead!"

Stepanov said: "Go ashore immediately, go west along the foot of the mountain, there is a river valley over there."

"Then go ashore." Zinoviev actually agreed, and the nobleman seemed to be getting smarter.

In the valley, there really is an ambush!

There are 200 Datong troops and more than 300 native soldiers.Khabarov, the Cossack leader, is too familiar with the Yaksa area, and he also knows Cossack tactics well, so he counts his former colleagues as deadly.

Downstream of the small river, there are also some Datong soldiers, who are rushing over by boat.

As long as the Raksha ghost dared to enter the river valley, he would be attacked from both front and back, and he could only fly up the mountain if he wanted to escape.

A Datong army came from Heilongjiang, and has been on its way after entering Xiaohe.After the sky brightened, they finally joined the friendly forces in the valley.

"The enemy didn't come?"

"No."

"Go out of the valley, go west, and pursue immediately!"

Yaksa is a strategically important place extending in all directions, but the Anton navy blocked the mouths of the rivers, and the terrain here became a dead zone.What tidal flats, swamps, ponds, and reed marshes, you don’t need to worry about them all. Only those few roads can really run.

The northern foothills are full of forests.

Hundreds of Rakshasa ghosts marched in the woods at the foot of the mountain with their boats.After tossing and tossing for most of the night, I was already tired enough, so I stopped to rest and eat.

Swallowing a few mouthfuls of dry food, Stepanov said, "I'm afraid there are enemies in the valley to the west. We can't go any further."

"Where should we go then?" Zinoviev asked.

Beketov pointed to the north: "Go up the mountain."

Stepanov said: "After going up the mountain, find a place in the north to go down the mountain, cross the river valley to the west, continue to march up the mountain, find a river to return to the Amur River (Heilongjiang), and then you can row back to Nibu Chu."

Zinoviev, who had never fought such a battle, thought the Cossack chiefs had gone mad.

However, similar situations are often encountered by Cossacks.

Before Khabarov, there were Cossacks rowing to Heilongjiang to plunder.At that time, the number of troops was close to 200, and they were also blocked from the rear, fleeing all the way over the mountains and ridges, eating people to continue their lives when the food ran out.Not only eat the local aborigines, but even eat the corpses of their companions.In the end, 50 people managed to escape back, even with precious furs, which immediately detonated the Cossacks' ambitions for Heilongjiang.

This is really a group of desperate lunatics!

At noon, Wang Fuchen had already occupied the castle.

A few miles north of the castle, there is a hot air balloon five miles away. As long as the Cossacks dare to show their heads, they will be discovered immediately.

"What? Raksha ghosts were not found in the valleys in the northeast and northwest?" Wang Fuchen was a little surprised.

Khabarov sighed: "Oh, they are going up the mountain."

Wang Fuchen asked, "Where do you think the enemy will go?"

Khabarov drew a simple map from memory: "The valley in the northeast can only go west. In other directions, no matter how you climb over the mountains, you will die. The valley in the northwest is very long, and it will fork In two. The westernmost river valley forks, and it will fork further north, where there are several large flat lands in the mountains. If the Cossack bandits want to escape back, they should go to that flat land, and they can also supply food by the way.”

That so-called flat land will form a city in a few hundred years, that is, Skovorodino in Russia.

Although there are no cities yet, large tribes have developed.Two years ago, it was ransacked by Khabarov. At this time, there should be some natives. Raksha ghosts can kill people and rob food when they get there.

Zhang Tingxun squatted in a ravine for a day and a night, and was bitten all over his body by mosquitoes.

Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, I suddenly received an order to continue north along the valley.Moreover, friendly troops came to reinforce them, and a total of 500 Datong troops marched towards the north.

But in the mountains and forests, it is extremely difficult to cross the mountains, and the Cossacks have not yet abandoned their boats.

On a slightly gentle hillside, several people climbed with a boat.When encountering steep terrain, people climbed up first and dragged the boat up with ropes.

After walking for five full days, the food I carried with me was exhausted.

Those Siberian hunters used bows and arrows to get wild animals along the way, but obviously they still didn't have enough to eat.

"what!"

Someone fell down the hillside and tumbled all the way down.

Beketov went over to check and said, "His leg is broken and he can't move on."

"I can still walk!" the Cossack who broke his leg yelled in horror.

A person next to him drew out a dagger and stabbed it into his chest.

The unlucky man was stripped of his clothes and his weapons.A few Cossacks disembowelled very neatly, but the others turned a blind eye to it.

When the Cossacks left, all that was left on the ground was a pile of bones, drenched water, and blood.

Well, the head didn't eat either.

After continuing to march for a day, they found an indigenous village, raided and captured more than 30 people, all of whom were killed and ate their fill.

A few days later, more than 800 Cossacks and Siberian hunters came out of the mountains, and only 700 remained.

Even if the Datong Army didn't come to intercept them, when these guys returned to Nerchinsk, only half of them would be left.

Zinoviev was already in a trance. Being a nobleman, he never thought he could eat people.But I was so hungry that I stuffed food into my mouth, and when I was full, I started to be afraid. At night, I could dream of ghosts claiming my life.

Crazy, these Cossacks are all crazy!

He didn't want to be the general manager of Heilongjiang anymore, he just wanted to return to Nerchinsk as soon as possible, and then went to Moscow on the grounds of recuperating.

Whoever loves this place will come, and Zinoviev vowed never to set foot in Siberia again.

"My lord, cross the valley in front of you and continue to the north, and the mountains will be gentle. If you cross a low mountain range, you will see a large flat land. There must be food for the villages there," Stepanov said.

Zinoviev nodded quickly: "Before returning to Nerchinsk, everything will be arranged by you."

What steward, what nobleman, his status has been forgotten, and Zinoviev is afraid when he sees a Cossack.

But when he reached the river valley, he was finally able to slow down.

Because some Cossacks actually carry fishing nets with them, they can get some fish to satisfy their hunger, so the noble lord can stop eating human flesh for the time being.

Two days later, hundreds of Rakshasa ghosts had already lurked around the village.

Zhang Tingxun was in the village, almost impatient to wait.

Chapter 851 [Standing and waiting for the rabbit]

For the main general Wang Fuchen, it doesn't really matter whether those Cossacks can be eliminated.

It is very simple to deal with the Cossacks, at least in the Xing'anling area.That is to capture the Cossack castle along the river, and garrison troops in the castle to reclaim it, and push it step by step.

This approach can not only compress the living space of the Cossacks, but also provide a stronghold for Han immigrants.

As for the Nerchinsk, no one wants to fight.

It's too far away, and the Datong Army doesn't eat people, so the logistical pressure is too great.

Keep the Cossacks in Nerchinsk and continue to harm the Buryats. No matter how many deaths there are, it is nothing to do with the Datong Army.

The Yaksa area is already the limit of the Central Plains Dynasty's force projection.Historically, the Manchu Qing could only fight here, and then signed the "Treaty of Nerchinsk" with Tsarist Russia.

It is better to attack Nerchinsk from Yaksa than to send troops from Hulunbuir.Of course, it is best to be able to send troops from both routes at the same time.

The plan formulated by the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion is as follows:

The Anton Governor's Mansion sent partial teachers, that is, people like Wang Fuchen, to lay down Yaksa as a stronghold first, emigrate to open up wasteland, and manage the indigenous people.The Rao Le Duhu Mansion consolidated the Horqin Grassland and the Xilin Gol Grassland.About three years later, troops were sent from Xilingrad to conquer the Hulun Buir Grassland occupied by Khalkha Mongols.Then, the two sides advanced side by side and attacked Nerchinsk.Then captured Chita, as a bridgehead to recover Lake Baikal.

In addition, before attacking Nerchinsk, troops must be dispatched from Hailanpao, go north along the Jingqili River, enter the Lena River and take Yakutsk directly.As long as Yakutsk is pulled out, from Lake Baikal to the Bering Strait, the Cossacks no longer have a stronghold, and the entire north of the Xing'an Mountains to the Arctic Circle is Chinese territory.

If Wang Fuchen hastily captured Nerchinsk, he could only garrison a small number of troops due to logistical supply difficulties, and he would inevitably suffer endless harassment from the Cossacks.

Therefore, at the moment the Cossacks abandoned the city and fled, Wang Fuchen had already achieved his strategic goal.

The rest is to keep as few dead as possible. There is too much shortage of soldiers here. I would rather let the Cossacks go than fight in the reed marshes, let alone chase them into the mountains and forests.If Zhang Tingxun's sidelines were unsuccessful, they would withdraw their troops and let the Raksha ghosts flee back to Nerchinsk.

Unexpectedly, the Raksha ghost really hit the door.

But it is also reasonable, those guys want to go back, they must find the village to grab food, and the largest nearby village is there.

"I'm coming!"

Zhang Tingxun hid behind the house and observed the situation with binoculars.

This telescope was brought from Nanjing by him, and it is definitely impossible for him to distribute it at his level.

On the battlefield for the first time, Zhang Tingxun was not afraid, but excited all over his body.He kept in mind the rules he had learned in the military academy, and kept looking at his immediate commander (postmaster).The sentry commander Peng Chunlin was looking at the command flag of the battalion commander.

The flag was waved, and Peng Chunlin also raised his hand...

"kill!"

At this moment, the Daur warriors hiding in the village, who did not know which tribe they came from, couldn't help but shoot arrows outside ahead of time.

The officers at all levels of the Datong Army were instantly speechless.

Thousands of exhortations and ten thousand instructions, everything must be obeyed, but at critical times, they still mess up.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The Datong army could only shoot along, although the enemy hadn't entered the best position yet.

"There is an ambush!"

Zinoviev heard the gunshots, turned and fled in fright.

The rest of the Cossacks and Siberian archers were tired, sleepy and hungry at this time, and they thought they could grab food immediately, but they were confronted with a meal of bullets and arrows.Where do they still have the will to fight?Even the boat ignored it, turned around in a panic and fled.

Without a boat, even if all these people escaped, they would never return to Nerchinsk alive. [-]% of them would die of illness and starvation on the way.

At this point in the battle, it doesn't matter if you chase or not.

Zhang Tingxun was proud of being a sharpshooter in the military academy, but this shot missed the enemy at all, and it was too late to reload, so he asked Peng Chunlin: "Chief post, do you want to..."

"Chasing the enemy!"

Peng Chunlin drew his sword and rushed out.

Hearing this, Zhang Tingxun immediately shut up, put down the flintlock gun in his hand, drew his waist knife and rushed out of the village.

This guy is as strong as a calf, and he runs fast when chasing the enemy.

Although the Datong Army wore cotton armor, its load far exceeded that of the Cossacks.But those Cossacks were exhausted physically, and they could still explode their potential at the beginning of their escape, and their speed became slower and slower as they ran.

"kill!"

In the woods on the northwest side, another 200 Datong army rushed out with more than [-] indigenous fighters.

Facing the attack from both sides, the Cossack was frightened out of his wits and subconsciously ran towards the way he came, completely losing his will to fight.

At this time, don't worry about the formation and formation.