Chapter 927

The smell of gunpowder filled the battlefield. The layer of glistening white covering Morgan City was now stained red with the blood of Cossacks and Slavs.

Gao Yingfeng kicked the unconscious Vasily and said, “Division Commander, why are you keeping them? Just kill them.”

“If we kill them, who will carry the terrifying legends about us to the Russians in Nerchinsk and Albazin? Remember, the purpose of war is to gain strategic interests, not to kill. If we can drive the Russians out of Siberia without bloodshed, why not?”

Zhu Sansi’s eyes gleamed with wisdom. His studies at the Army Academy over the years had made him a general with strategic vision.

Gao Yingfeng scratched his head. He was a fierce general but not skilled at calculation. Sighing, he said, “Wouldn’t that be too boring? And this battle is enough to show that these Russians are tough. They are not like those soft Goryeo fish. In my opinion, even if we let them go, the Russians in Nerchinsk and Albazin probably won’t retreat.”

Zhu Sansi frowned. He looked at the Russians lying in pools of blood. That eight hundred men could hold out until now was indeed not something ordinary scattered soldiers could do.

Besides rigorous training, the courage of the soldiers was also a factor.

However, if they had encountered the Great Yu Empire army of the past, they might indeed have been able to hold out. But they encountered the current Great Yu Empire army.

He admitted that the Great Yu Empire’s advanced weapons played a role in this battle, but the soldiers’ bravery was in no way inferior to these Russians’.

“I didn’t plan to let them go so easily. Capture all the living ones. We’ve expended so much ammunition; we should at least get something in return for them.”

Gao Yingfeng was delighted. He immediately had his subordinates round up all the Russians.

Looking at the busy Gao Yingfeng, Zhu Sansi smiled faintly. Then he took out a map of the area from his bosom and began to study it.

This time, his northward advance faced more than just a few problems. The Great Yu Empire’s railway only extended to Jianzhou City, so all their logistical convenience ended at Jianzhou.

Supplies needed for the northward journey now reverted to the primitive method of human carriers and horse-drawn carriages, which made their supply line vulnerable.

In addition, the cold weather was also their enemy. He certainly didn’t want his soldiers to die from the cold.

“Reaching Albazin requires traveling over a thousand li further northwest, and Nerchinsk is over a thousand li west of Albazin.”

Map identification was a mandatory course at the Army Academy. Just like the navy needed to identify nautical charts, he roughly determined the actual distances using his portable tools.

“This distance is not short.” The commander of the 2nd Brigade said, “Guandong is not yet stable. If our logistics are cut off, the consequences would be unimaginable. Currently, we should still establish strongholds along the way and gradually advance northward.”

Zhu Sansi fell into deep thought. The rations they carried were simply not enough to sustain them to the nearest Albazin. However, advancing northward stronghold by stronghold was simply too slow.

As he was contemplating, a commotion among the soldiers suddenly broke out, and then a squad of soldiers chased into the forest outside Morgan City.

Then, a gunshot rang out. The soldiers returned with two people dressed in furs and wearing felt hats, bringing them before Zhu Sansi.

“Daur people!” Seeing the two’s attire, a flash of insight struck Zhu Sansi’s mind. He suddenly recalled something he had read in a book.

This was a tribe living near the Amur River basin, subsisting on hunting. Legend had it that they were descendants of the Xianbei. During the Golden Tent Khanate’s rule over Guandong, they constantly attacked the Daur people, causing the Daur people to continuously migrate northward.

“What Daur people?”

With such a commotion, Gao Yingfeng, not bothering to deal with the Russian prisoners, also ran over. Looking at the two kneeling on the ground, he asked curiously.

Zhu Sansi ignored Gao Yingfeng, but a smile appeared on his face. Perhaps he had found a way to supply his army in such a vast region.

Thinking of this, he said to Gao Yingfeng, “You are to immediately return to Jianzhou City and have them find someone who understands the Daur language. The slaves who used to live here must surely know.”

“Yes.” Gao Yingfeng rose to go look for hunter cavalry.

“No need. We understand the Great Yu Empire’s language.” A slightly older Daur man among the two suddenly spoke. Looking at the Russian corpses on the ground, he continued, “It’s good that these man-eating devils are dead.”

Zhu Sansi was also a shrewd person. From the words of this middle-aged Daur man, he discerned a deep hatred for the Russians. Seizing this point, he had an idea.

Ordering the soldiers to release the two, he said, “Our purpose for this expedition is precisely to deal with the Russians. Now it seems you have suffered attacks from these bandits.”

“More than just attacks!” The middle-aged Daur man said, “Now every Daur knows they are man-eating demons. These beasts have consumed everything in their path. We have been greatly harmed.”

This was the second time Zhu Sansi heard this man use the term “man-eating demon.” He then realized that the Russians must have committed cruel crimes against the Daur people. He said, “Did they eat your people?”

The middle-aged man’s eyes reddened, and he nodded. “That’s why I brought my son here to seek revenge.”

Zhu Sansi was secretly pleased. This was undoubtedly a perfect opportunity. The Daur people had never chosen to submit, whether under barbarian rule or Great Yu Empire rule.

Now, perhaps they could use this opportunity to make the Daur people submit to the Great Yu Empire. Although this tribe had fewer than twenty thousand people.

This way, they could establish contact with the Daur people living on this land, and easily obtain supplies along the way.

“It seems we have a common enemy now,” Zhu Sansi said to the two. “As far as we know, a large number of Russians currently reside in Nerchinsk and Albazin. If we don’t drive them out, your tribe will forever lose this hunting ground.”

Zhu Sansi’s words clearly resonated with the two. Both looked at Zhu Sansi simultaneously.

If not for the arrival of the Russians, the area from Jianzhou to the vast snowfields would have been their hunting grounds. But now everything had changed. The Russians had come, not only killing their people but also seizing their vital hunting grounds and relentlessly hunting game for furs.

Because of this, they had several clashes with the Russians, but ultimately lost due to the Russians’ powerful firearms.

“Are you truly willing to drive out the Russians with us?” the middle-aged Daur man asked excitedly.

Zhu Sansi nodded. In fact, many tribes lived on the Siberian snowfields, but these tribes were too small. Their battles with the Russians often remained at the level of street brawls.

So, with the advantage of firearms, they simply couldn’t win.

“Of course, we are. This is precisely why we are here,” Zhu Sansi said with goodwill.