Chapter 973

A faint scent of sandalwood filled the Imperial Study, calming the mind.

After a long conversation between the ruler and his officials, Niu Ben and Luo Quan no longer had any regrets. They were grateful for the positions Xiao Ming had saved for them in the military academy.

As the saying goes, a new emperor brings new officials, and they, as former ministers of Xiao Wenxuan, were now honored to receive such a privilege from the new emperor, leaving them with no regrets.

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. After this battle, we will surely give Your Majesty a peaceful grassland,” Niu Ben said resolutely.

Xiao Ming nodded slightly. The Great Yu Empire was no longer a target for the Golden Tent Khanate to bully; on the contrary, they now had the ability to drive this nomadic tribe out of the Great Yu Empire’s sphere of influence. Since the Golden Tent Khanate was so ignorant, he could only use guns and cannons to show them the truth.

After finalizing the plan for Niu Ben and Luo Quan to attack the Golden Tent Khanate, the three discussed some specific details before ending the conversation.

For Xiao Ming, he only needed to provide the general strategic direction, and the specific combat would be up to Niu Ben and Luo Quan to carry out.

Of course, he was also responsible for the firearms and ammunition, as the attack on the Golden Tent Khanate would heavily use Han-style rifles and Imperial Guard artillery.

In the supplies he prepared for Zhu Sansi this time, he also included 6,000 Han-style rifles and 16 Imperial Guard artillery pieces. Relying solely on food supplies would make it difficult for Zhu Sansi to break the deadlock.

After all, the siege of Yakutsk was a joint effort between Tsarist Russia and the Golden Tent Khanate. Before Niu Ben and Luo Quan launched their attack, he had to solve this tricky problem first.

February 16th.

After a month of preparation, a steam locomotive carrying 1,000 sleds, 6,000 Han-style rifles, 16 Imperial Guard artillery pieces, 300,000 metal bullets, and 1,000 cannon shells departed from Qingzhou and headed for Jianzhou. After a day and a night of travel, the supplies arrived safely in Jianzhou.

“Tsk tsk, these sleds are really good,” Zhang Qinian said, looking at the sleds in the carriage. The frames of these sleds were made of steel, and the main body was covered with thick wooden boards, which looked very durable.

“Commander, what are these sleds? These are the real deal,” a soldier under Zhang Qinian exclaimed while Zhang Qinian was admiring the sleds.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Zhang Qinian saw the soldiers who were moving the sleds were standing in the corner of the carriage, playing with the Han-style rifles. He immediately said angrily, “You brats, do you all want to go to military court? Get out of there now”.

He was the division commander of the First Division of Qi Guangyi’s cavalry corps, and it was their division’s responsibility to reinforce Zhu Sansi, who was trapped in Yakutsk.

Before the train arrived, they had been waiting there for three days, and the supplies had finally arrived today.

After being scolded by Zhang Qinian, the soldiers quickly moved the sleds out of the carriage. He then went straight to the corner of the carriage himself.

In fact, it was not just the soldiers who were curious; he, as the division commander, was also very curious about the supplies for Zhu Sansi. After all, only a small number of troops were equipped with Han-style rifles, and they, as cavalry, were even less likely to have them.

“So many!”

Zhang Qinian was shocked when he saw the Han-style rifles in the corner. There were hundreds of wooden boxes filled with Han-style rifles, but this was only one reason for his surprise.

Because after the Han-style rifles, he saw boxes of metal bullets and cannon shells, and the number of metal bullets was enough to shock him.

“Firing these bullets is like firing silver,” the commanders who were with Zhang Qinian said with a mix of envy and heartache. Compared to paper cartridges, he could imagine the cost of these bullets just by looking at them.

However, relatively speaking, this kind of bullet completely solved the problem of gas leakage in breech-loading guns, allowing the Han-style rifle to unleash more powerful force.

Compared to the Falcon rifle, the Han-style rifle with metal bullets was also more suitable for winter.

“When will our cavalry also be equipped with Han-style rifles? Using Han-style rifles on horseback to fight the barbarians is exciting just thinking about it,” another commander said enviously.

“That’s right, Division Commander. When we go back this time, we must ask Army Commander Qi to apply to the Grand Council. Now all the soldiers of the Great Yu Empire have new equipment, but our cavalry has no news yet,” another commander said.

Zhang Qinian licked his lips. These weapons indeed made him envious. He said, “Don’t forget what the Army Commander said when we came here. It is not our corps’ style to make demands before a battle is even fought. If we want to be equipped with Han-style rifles and form a rifle cavalry, we must do well in this support war. Otherwise, how can the Army Commander have the face to ask the Grand Council for guns?”

The officers’ faces suddenly became serious. They said in unison, “Don’t worry, Division Commander. We will not embarrass the corps.”

Zhang Qinian nodded. “Tell the soldiers to unload the goods quickly. We will set off tomorrow.”

After a day of preparation, the next day, Zhang Qinian personally led the cavalry towards Yakutsk. They had specially brought extra horses for this batch of supplies.

These horses dragged sleds filled with supplies across the snow. Compared to the awkwardness of being stuck in the snow before, the fast sliding of the sleds on the snow made transportation simple.

…

Yakutsk.

After difficultly repelling another wave of attacks from the Golden Tent Khanate’s slave soldiers, Zhu Sansi stood on the city wall, continuing to observe the enemy’s situation.

It had been almost three months since the report of their supplies being cut off by the Golden Tent Khanate was sent out. Faced with the attacks from the Golden Tent Khanate and the Tsarist Russian soldiers, they had used up almost all of their reserve ammunition a month ago.

For the past month, they had completely returned to the era of cold weapons and could only use bayonets to repel the enemy’s attacks again and again.

However, this situation was broken with the arrival of Tsarist Russian reinforcements from Kunesk. After Yakutsk was occupied, the Tsarist Russians in Kunesk, realizing what had happened, colluded with the Golden Tent Khanate and sent another thousand-man army to the city of Yakutsk.

This army brought flintlock guns and artillery. Without ammunition, they were tormented by the Tsarist Russian firearms.

“Division Commander, if the ammunition supplies don’t arrive soon, we really won’t be able to hold on. The wounded soldiers have no medicine, and it is very cold here. A small wound that would normally not be a problem becomes a fatal injury here,” Gao Yingfeng said, his face partly white and partly black.

During the battle, the Tsarist Russians used lime bombs. They were fortunate to have received training in this area, so they were able to take precautions in time. However, even so, some soldiers’ eyes were still injured.

Zhu Sansi’s face was as deep as water. He said, “Before we came here, you and I had planned for the worst-case scenario. Now is the most difficult time. The Tsarist Russians are willing to die to defend the cities they have invaded. How can we, as the defenders of the Great Yu Empire’s territory, complain easily? Even if we have to fight with our bare hands, we must show the world our national prestige!”

Gao Yingfeng scratched his head anxiously. He said, “If I have to die, let me die here, Division Commander. You can’t stay here. There is only a little ammunition left, which I have specially saved for you to break out with. We can’t wait any longer!”