Chapter 1187: Preparation for the Interception

"What is happening, what is going on!"

Ushakov was completely bewildered.

"Retreat, retreat!"

These generals of Tsarist Russia were also going mad one by one.

At this moment, they had already fallen into the encirclement of the Longyan, and it was difficult to escape! What shocked Ushakov even more was that these Longyan cannons, Musketeers, and Archers were actually so formidable!

And their coordination was actually so seamless!

So that was it...

They had been planning all of this for a long time!

Now, no matter how tall, sturdy, and burly the soldiers of Tsarist Russia were, when facing cannons and muskets, any so-called "warrior nation" would be blasted into smithereens!

Very quickly.

Severed limbs and remains flew into the sky, blood spurted out, and the scene was unimaginably tragic.

Run!

Fall back!

The very first thought that popped into the minds of these Tsarist Russia Army troops was this!

But...

It was already too late.

Xiao Qian had faked his death and orchestrated all of this; he was waiting for this final decisive moment. If he let them run away, wouldn't he lose face?

"The time to kill the enemy and serve the country has come! Brothers, charge with me!"

Xiao Qian shouted, and led his soldiers in a charge. At this time, the Firearm troops and Crossbowmen had also switched to Long Spears.

"Charge!"

Seeing their general leading the charge, these Qingzhou Army soldiers no longer hesitated.

Charge!

Kill!

With the coordination of firearms, they began to engage Tsarist Russia in close-quarters combat.

Although they had entered the age of firearms, in close combat, these "primitive weapons" were still more lethal!

Flames soared into the sky on Kuye Island.

"Cunning Longyan, detestable Longyan!"

Ushakov was furious!

He knew that this time, he had lost his gamble!

He was so angry that he ordered his soldiers to kill all the captives... then, when his men went over to look, those captives had actually all committed suicide!

All of them!

That scene was naturally hair-raising enough!

This is the Longyan...

These are the Longyan who can sacrifice their lives for a war!

Terrifying!

When this news reached Ushakov's ears, his eyes immediately dimmed, and he staggered, nearly falling. He had been outmaneuvered, he had been completely and utterly outmaneuvered!

"General, what should we do now? Should we continue to charge? If we commit our remaining troops, we have the advantage in numbers; if we fight to the death, we might still be able to take Sakhalin Island!"

Ushakov's subordinate generals requested to fight one after another. In their view, these Longyan had merely caught them off guard!

If they could recover their momentum, it was not certain that they couldn't win!

However, Ushakov rejected their proposal.

"The Great Trend is gone."

Ushakov sighed.

Now, their main Infantry force was all on Kuye Island, and the Russian Army that had fallen into the ambush had already lost its combat effectiveness. If they sent a large force to reinforce them at this time, that reinforcing force would easily be affected by the routed friendly troops, thereby causing an even greater collapse.

"Defeat is like a mountain collapsing"—this saying was not just for show.

Furthermore, the one presiding over all of this on the other side was Xiao Qian!

The famous Longyan general, Xiao Qian!

As long as he was given a single chance, he would certainly grasp it perfectly!

A clash between experts is decided in just such an instant.

Defeated.

He had already been defeated.

"General, we can't just abandon so many troops on the island, can we?"

The subordinate generals asked anxiously.

"Of course not. Although we cannot coordinate their attack, we must do our utmost to cover their retreat. Move the fleet toward the shore and use artillery fire to suppress the enemy, striving to leave a path for the troops on the shore," Ushakov ordered.

At this moment, Ushakov's actions were merely trying to mend the fold after the sheep had been lost.

Xiao Qian naturally knew that Ushakov would do this, so he had also made countermeasures.

After the previous Coastal Defense Force "fled," they did not join the ambush force on the spot, but instead carried their weapons and circled around to the rear of these Russian Army troops.

Xiao Qian's intention was for them to act as a blocking force.

If Ushakov sent troops to support, they were to intercept the reinforcements outside the coastline.

Although there were only eight thousand men, Xiao Qian believed that they could hold off the tens of thousands of Russian Army troops coming to support.

For no other reason than that the commander of this defense force was Niu Chaofeng!

Xiao Qian is also a man who appreciates talent; when he replaced Niu Chaofeng and faced the Russian Army himself, he realized just how great the pressure exerted by Tsarist Russia was.

Even their regular troops found it difficult to cope, yet these "Scattered Soldiers" led by Niu Chaofeng actually managed to hold back the Russian Army!

While the soldiers fighting to the death was one aspect, more importantly, it was Niu Chaofeng's command ability.

Although his background was very ordinary, this man's growth rate was absolutely astonishing...

He possessed a natural charisma as a leader, capable of leading those Scattered Soldiers to fight without regard for their own lives.

After the last battle ended, the heavily wounded Niu Chaofeng was sent to the rear to recuperate; however, Niu Chaofeng was in the prime of his life and had excellent physical fitness, so despite his serious injuries, this lad was full of vigor after just a few days.

He was not a person who could sit idle; at first, he was just a troublemaker in the village, but later, when Liu Zheng developed the Northeast, he took advantage of his boldness to reap the benefits, completing the transformation from a hoodlum to a landowner.

He originally thought his life would be spent in a wealthy existence of eating and drinking, but at this moment, Liu Zheng asked him to go and fight for territory against Tsarist Russia!

From the initial friction with Tsarist Russia, to conflict, and finally to war, it was only then that he discovered his true calling.

He loved the battlefield; he loved the feeling of slaughtering the enemy on the battlefield!

Therefore, after his body recovered, he returned to Kuye Island and requested to fight alongside the Qingzhou soldiers.

Xiao Qian was naturally more than happy to oblige; for them, lacking experience in fighting against Tsarist Russia, Niu Chaofeng's addition helped them avoid many detours.

Xiao Qian was very pleased and immediately gave Niu Chaofeng an official post.

Longyan Dynasty Xing'anling Commander!

A Commander is a fourth-rank military official; now, Niu Chaofeng was no longer the leader of a civilian group, he was a renowned general!

And that was not all; a Commander was no ordinary military officer; in Longyan, the position of Commander could be hereditary!

As long as his descendants were not too incompetent, he could pass down this title of general forever!

For one generation, two generations, passed down eternally!

Clad in the armor of a fourth-rank military official, a sense of pride welled up in Niu Chaofeng's heart.

He never dreamed that someone with his background as a hoodlum could actually become a general of the Longyan Dynasty!

After this battle was over, he would return home in glory and let the elders and fellow villagers see the general's uniform on him!

"Brothers, General Xiao is leading the main army to wipe out the Russian beasts. The Russian Army on the sea will definitely come to support them. Our mission is to block the Russian Army outside the island!"

"Give me your undivided attention; not even a fly can be allowed to pass!"

"Even if the battle is difficult, no one is allowed to retreat. The Russian Army cannot pass through our positions; if they do, it will only be by stepping over our corpses!"

"No one is allowed to leave their post. From me downwards, the entire army acts as supervisors. Anyone found abandoning their post and fleeing need not be reported; execute them on the spot! If you find that I have turned and run during the battle, do not hesitate—use the guns in your hands to kill me!"

"Long live Longyan!"

"Long live Longyan!"

"Long live Longyan!"

Niu Chaofeng was boosting morale at the front of the formation.

Then, he mobilized the soldiers to dig trenches.

These trenches were something Niu Chaofeng had thought of while he was recovering from his injuries.

Previously, when they were defending the island, what gave them the biggest headache was the heavy artillery of Tsarist Russia.

Most of his brothers had died under artillery fire.

Moreover, the effect of artillery fire was not just direct casualties; the psychological deterrence it caused was also very useful on the battlefield.

After a round of shelling, even soldiers who were not hit by the cannons would become timid from seeing the blown-apart bodies of their comrades, so how to reduce the casualties of soldiers during shelling became the top priority.

Finally, he thought of a Method, which was to bury the body in the earth.

Although the power of a Cannonball is strong, compared to the earth, it is just a tickle. Dig a trench more than half a person's height, then dig a hole in the trench that can accommodate one person; this way, when a Cannonball strikes, the soldiers can hide in the hole. In this way, the Cannonball has no target point, and the people have cover, which can greatly reduce the damage caused by Cannonballs!

And once the shelling stops, the soldiers can immediately return to the fight!

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