Dominate the Country

The lazy sun was hanging in the gray sky in the east. The fog on the ground was slowly dissipating under the sunlight, revealing an open and flat plain.

The gate of Tomsk was wide open. Looking inside from the open gate with a few scattered debris, a straight road seemed to lead to the other side of Tomsk, but there was no shadow of a person on the street.

Just like the deserted farms outside the city, the Russian residents in this fortress city also fled to the empty fields of Western Siberia in panic, just like the farmers in the farms they met before.

"Signalman."

"Here."

"Go back and report to the regiment commander immediately."

"Yes."

"First platoon leader."

"Here."

"Lead the people to stay outside and be on guard."

The young officer looked at the open gate of Tomsk, and a hint of hesitation flashed across his face, but then his blood boiled, and a strong emotion hit his brain. Such a good opportunity cannot be missed. "Everyone else, get ready and follow me."

He was going to go into the city to do something. If the Russians really ran away..., then he would have done a great deed.

That afternoon, a large number of Wehrmacht mounted infantry and vassal cavalry arrived in Tomsk. The infantry and nomadic cavalry, armed with live ammunition, completely controlled the fortress-like city. On the same day, more than a hundred Russian poor people hiding in their homes were searched out of the city.

Rumyantsev had already run away, just yesterday morning.

It was only two days since Tomsk received the news of the fall of the Novokuznetsk Fortress, and no one knew the specific situation of the First Army. At least these Russian civilians had not heard about the news of the annihilation of the First Army. All they knew was that Novokuznetsk was occupied by the Chinese, and then the whole of Tomsk was in chaos.

Wabashi was a little regretful. He wanted to catch Rumyantsev very much. Capturing a Russian marshal on the battlefield would make the Torghut tribe very proud.

Although the merit of encircling and annihilating the First Army of the Eastern Route of Russia was huge, Wubashi was a little unimpressed. Because it was too easy!

Kamensky's cards were too bad, and his opponent had the big and small jokers with four 2s and four Aces. Even the God of War could not save the Russians from destruction. Although the results of that battle were amazing, the difficulty of the battle was definitely simple.

The Russian prisoners were also very obedient, whether they were the remnants who surrendered at the end or the Russian soldiers who were captured at the beginning. Surrender was not something unacceptable to them. China's strength has been recognized by the entire European world in recent years. Although they are yellow people, China and Tatars are completely different concepts. Surrendering to Tatars may make some Russians unbearable in their self-esteem; but surrendering to Chinese is natural and there is no psychological barrier.

The remaining soldiers of the First Army, who suffered double injuries mentally and physically, were very cooperative in the face of the Chinese soldiers who first entered their team.

They obediently put all the muskets, sabers, and grenades in their hands on the open ground, directly piling up two mountains, as well as artillery and rockets. Then they lined up in four rows and walked towards the Wehrmacht position, and then walked into the prisoner-of-war camp, where there were countless of their companions. All the Russian prisoners were very well behaved!

Except for Kamensky, all the Russians accepted their fate.

They were like quails blown by a storm, without any fighting spirit. The prisoner-of-war camp is a place marked with shame, but it is also safe here, isn't it? As long as you are honest, even if you don't have enough food, you don't have to be bombed by rockets or hit by artillery shells.

The officers headed by Kamensky - including the second lieutenant - were all sent to the shore of Lake Balkhash, immediately. The remaining prisoners will be escorted to Lake Balkhash after the situation has been initially stabilized.

Did Rumyantsev know the fate of the First Army? No one can tell. But perhaps he has thought of something.

This veteran Russian general with outstanding military achievements, riding on horseback at this moment, watching the sunset in the west, the cool wind in the wilderness blowing his white hair, no one knows better than Rumyantsev what the decision to abandon Tomsk means - he gave up his own honor.

Tomsk is a very important city for the Russians on the West Siberian Plain, because it is right by the Ob River. Unlike the city of Barnaul, the Barnaul River next to it is only a tributary of the Ob River. The Ob River, which can be navigable for five or six months a year, is broad and deep, and is the economic lifeline and transportation lifeline of the entire West Siberia. If the Chinese swept upstream along the Ob River, Russia would inevitably lose the entire West Siberia.

Tomsk is the protective clothing of the Ob River.

The back of the old general in the cool breeze is lonely, decadent, and soaked in endless desolation. If St. Petersburg knew about the loss of Novokuznetsk and Tomsk, the empress would be furious and replace Rumyantsev.

But what can be done about it?

After sending out the First Army, Rumyantsev had less than a regiment of guards. What could he use to defend Tomsk?

Moreover, Novokuznetsk was lost so suddenly. Tomsk was worth defending, but it had no ability or meaning to defend it. Rumyantsev was more concerned about the First Army led by Kamensky. He had a very unpleasant guess in his heart. He had been sleeping very unsteadily these days. Every time he fell asleep, he fell asleep while praying to God, and then woke up in the fright of the devil "nightmare".

A skinny Husky walked wearily in the field with its head down, trying in vain to find something to fill its stomach.

The Russians who left Tomsk took everything they could take with them, including clothes, food, livestock, and the latter included dogs.

Sled dogs are very common in Siberia, and many Russian families raise one or more sled dogs. This magical species, which is affectionately called "Husky" by thousands of Husky fans in China in later generations, is now living a miserable life.

The Russians themselves don't live a very comfortable life, so there is not much food to feed them. Compared with the clean, smooth and shiny fur of the silly Husky on the Internet in later generations, and the slightly plump body developed under the comfortable life of having enough food and drink, this Husky is really pitiful to the extreme.

It is so thin that it is almost skin and bones, and its body is stained with mud and weeds. It is dejected and it is almost impossible to tell its original color.

It is just like its owner, just like the Russian civilian team fleeing from Tomsk at this moment, and can't see any beauty.

- A group of dogs fleeing in panic.

The Russians are heading northwest along the Ob River.

If everything goes well, they can go to the west of Omsk along the Ob River. The source of the Ob River is the Irtysh River, but the tributaries originating from the Altai Mountains [including the Barnaul River] are also geographically called the Ob River when they flow through Tomsk.

The Ob River stretches for 7,000 miles, and its basin area covers the entire West Siberian Plain. It is the main transportation channel in the West Siberia region. It has many tributaries and abundant water. The upper reaches are navigable for about six months each year, and the lower reaches are navigable for about five months. Many goods enter and exit along the northern sea route across the Arctic Ocean, which belongs to the economic and transportation lifeline of West Siberia.

And now the National Defense Force is to sweep everything along this transportation lifeline that runs through the entire West Siberian Plain.

…

“Read the newspaper, read the newspaper, our army won a great victory in the northwest, a great victory in the northwest…”

“The latest northwest war report, the latest frontline news. Our reporter did not fear hardships and dangers, followed the army to the front line, and sent back the latest war report. Russian veteran Kamensky led a light attack, and 20 million people jumped into the ambush circle set by our national defense army, and were completely surrounded and annihilated, and were completely annihilated…”

“Read the newspaper, read the newspaper, the former foreign king, today’s national pillar. The Torghut Khan Ubashi could not bear the oppression and humiliation of the Russians, and led his troops to rebel on the battlefield and defeated the Russian army…”

…

…

The results of the war always take a very long time to brew, but the spread of news is very fast.

The Russian First Army on the Eastern Front was completely annihilated, and thousands of Russian soldiers were sent to prisoner-of-war camps. The Torghut tribe’s “rebellion”, Kamensky’s people have not been sent to Lake Balkhash yet, and the news of the “great victory” in Ili City is flying all over the sky.

Although there is no telegraph communication, pigeons are much faster than traditional horseback riding.

"Your Majesty has come to Lake Balkhash in person, and the follow-up troops from Shaanxi and Gansu have entered Hami..."

"The emperor is personally leading the army, and it is expected to arrive at the front line in half a month..."

"The Kazakh nobles said that all Kazakh warriors are willing to submit to your Majesty, obey your Majesty's will, and fight for him."

The newspapers in Yili City are booming, which makes people dazzled.

...

The newspaper industry in Yili has made great progress in less than half a year. The newspapers in Yili City have grown from two before - one of which is an official newspaper, to seven now, and a large number of press stations have also been stationed.

Not only Chinese, but also Japanese, Siamese, and even British and French reporters.

Of course, before entering Yili, these people have already applied for passes from a department under the Press and Publication Administration.

Days passed, and various news kept coming back from the front line.

Everyone in Yili City came and went in a hurry. Even the civilians here could find their place in the war. Even if they did the most unskilled labor, they could earn a good income in a month.

Only time has always been so graceful, and it does not change its pace because of anything.

From May to July, two months seemed like a "blink of an eye".

Close your eyes, open your eyes, and the battle situation in the entire Xinjiang has undergone a decisive change. Not only was the First Army annihilated, but the Russian cavalry units on the Eastern Front were also all finished.

Saltykov died cleanly, and the 20,000 Torghut cavalry betrayed cleanly.

The Siberian Army was still surrounded, which was a scene they had expected before going south. They were also very careful and cautious on the road to the south, so even if they were surrounded, the National Defense Army could not catch them off guard.

There were many rockets in the Siberian Army, and the National Defense Army was unwilling to fight to the death, so the siege has continued until now.

But important places such as Novokuznetsk and Tomsk were successively broken by the National Defense Army. A large number of Russian villages along the Ob River were burned - didn't your people run away? Then burn your house. Take away everything that can be taken away, and destroy everything that can be destroyed. Including the sparse wheat outside the farms.

This place is too cold. Because it is a plain, it is a land of ice and snow before the cold current from the Arctic Ocean sweeps in. So no matter how flat the land is, it is not suitable for agricultural cultivation. And the precipitation here is insufficient, although the water volume of the Ob River is sufficient.

Russians have been immigrating here for one or two hundred years. After such a long period of development, the total population of Western Siberia is no less than 300,000, and many major cities have been developed, but the agriculture here is already in a very backward state. People here are mostly engaged in mining, hunting and animal husbandry.

Although the winter climate is cold and there is little precipitation, the Western Siberian Plain has endless grasslands, which is very suitable for grazing.

Meat, dairy products, wheat, and potatoes are the main food for the Russians here.

When the vast Western Siberian Plain is no longer protected by the army, they are already fish on the chopping board and can only be slaughtered by the National Defense Force!

Don't expect Russian civilians [mostly serfs] to take the initiative to stand up and resist China's entry.

Who are these Russians who enter the Western Siberian Plain to live? They fled to the Western Siberian Plain with nothing, or they are the descendants of exiles. Is every Russian a saint? Will the descendants of these St. Petersburg's 'persecutors' still be loyal to their tsarina at this critical moment?

Obviously this is impossible. These people fled not because they were loyal to St. Petersburg, but because they resisted and feared the Wehrmacht.

Conquerors are always feared by the 'conquered'.

The Wehrmacht is now the conqueror.

Before these people are desperate, or before they believe that they will not be killed by the Wehrmacht, they will choose to hide.

On the plains of Western Siberia, except for those Cossacks, there are few people who are loyal to St. Petersburg. If they are organized, they can still play a little role, but Russia's reserve system has never covered Siberia. The population there is too sparse, and conscription will greatly disrupt the weak local population ratio and seriously affect the local population development. Therefore, compared with the European region of the Tsarist Russia at this time, Siberia is really a paradise to escape from war. That's why their taxes are heavier, and the desolate Siberia provides St. Petersburg with a lot of money every year. Moreover, this war was not considered a patriotic war for the old Russians.

Even in the so-called 1812 Patriotic War, the resistance of the old Russians was pitifully small compared to the "vassal sea" of the Spanish.

Therefore, the West Siberian Plain has become a paradise for the vassal cavalry of the National Defense Army.

Even if there are some people who are loyal to St. Petersburg among the 300,000 Russian residents [including Tatars who have naturalized in Russia], they are scattered and hidden in the vast West Siberian Plain and cannot be connected, so their strength is equal to zero.

It is already July now, and the cold winter will come to the West Siberian Plain in late August at the latest. By then, with heavy snow and ice, the old Russians will be punished by nature. If they would rather die than accept Chen Han's rule, then they will be mentally prepared to lose half of their people.

The changes in the Second Sino-Russian War shocked the whole of China, and good news continued to pass through Yili to the inland. Whether it was the great victory in the northwest or the "rebellion" of the Torghut tribe, they all caught the attention of the whole country. At the same time, pieces of urgent reports also flew to Japan, Siam, India and all over Europe.

China's tall image is slowly materializing, because in those pieces of urgent reports, you can see the strength of the Chinese army.

Reporters from Japan, Siam, Britain, France and other European countries praised China in the war with exaggerated tones. They interviewed ordinary Chinese people, they interviewed Chinese soldiers and officers, and they also applied to interview prisoners.

Pieces of "news releases" explained the war from various different angles.

Up to now, the number of casualties announced by the Chinese Grand Marshal's Office has exceeded 10,000 [including all the eastern and western battlefields], and the casualties are close to 30,000. What does this mean?

Not long after the war, China suffered 40,000 casualties-including vassal troops. And in the situation of the war, China is still in an absolute advantage.

This seems to confirm the difficulty of the fortress offensive war from a certain aspect.

…

Yili is now the center of the entire Western Front battlefield. Dozens of domestic and foreign media have gathered in this city. Every day, every hour, every street, you can see reporters wandering around with passes and press cards. Many of them are foreigners with blue eyes and big noses. In the eyes of the Chinese, they look no different from the Russians.

The post office in Yili City is the busiest place in the whole Yili, busier and more lively than the emperor's residence in Yili. Because there are less than 20 pigeons in the pigeon nest of the Yili Post Office, but there are so many reporters who want to send news to their own newspapers, the busyness and tension can be imagined.

Some reporters even settled down next to the post office. Around the Yili Post Office, two coffee shops that had never appeared in the entire Xinjiang before appeared in a short period of time. This is simply specially prepared for those foreign reporters. Of course, it can also be said that it is specially made to make money from those foreign reporters.

The latter are not many in number, but their consumption power is really strong. And some Chinese reporters also drink coffee.

Nowadays, as the sales of tea to Europe, India and the Arabian world are increasing, coffee and cocoa from foreign countries have also been introduced to China, and are quietly affecting Chinese life.