Kutuzov looked at Niko, hesitant to speak. In the end, he sighed and said nothing more. Although he is now the commander-in-chief of the army, commanding the entire Russian army, most of the generals in the army are loyal to Nicholas. If he didn't obey the order, then Nicholas might really take him under the knife. However, when he thought of resuming the war with the French army, he felt terrified. He couldn't understand the gap between the forces of the two sides. Although the current Russian army has 500,000 people, its real combat effectiveness is probably at most comparable to the two French legions. The French army stationed in Russia now has three legions, and it also includes two equally powerful armies, the Russian Liberation Army and the Russian Revolutionary Army. The strength gap between the two sides is really too great.
But Nikolai had given the order to die, and Kutuzov could not disobey it. I can only do my best and hope for a miracle. Otherwise, Russia's ending will be very bad.
Russia in February is still very cold, with thick snow covering almost the whole of Russia. What Kutuzov expected was to be able to catch the French army by surprise under such severe weather conditions. Only in this way can the Russian army have any hope of victory.
On February 7, Kutuzov led the main force of the Russian army with 350,000 people, starting from Orenburg and heading straight for Voronezh. Stationed here is the Iberian 2nd Army. After 3 months of rest and replenishment, the Iberian 2nd Army has returned to full strength, but some soldiers are recruits who have not been on the battlefield, and their combat effectiveness is limited. However, as long as they go through a few wars, I believe they will grow up soon.
Otis, the commander of the Iberian 2nd Army, did not take the initiative to attack due to the absolute disadvantage of the troops. Instead, he relied on the line of defense to block the attack of the Russian army. In addition, he sent the news back to the headquarters. After learning about the large-scale invasion of the Russian army, Xiao Jie and the others knew that Nicholas was in a hurry, and they were ready to fight to the death. However, this is also a rare opportunity for France. If this Russian army can be wiped out, then the main force of the Russian army will basically lose a lot. At that time, the mighty France will become the real master of Russia, and Nicholas and others will have no chance to stand up.
For this reason, the French General Staff ordered that, on the one hand, the Iberian 2nd Army be required to hold back the Russian Army and prevent them from leaving the vicinity of Voronezh; Russian Army. The defense of the Moscow area was temporarily handed over to the Russian Revolutionary Army, and the French 4th Army quickly moved south from Moscow to threaten the Russian army from the north. In this way, a large net began to spread to the Russian army led by Kutuzov.
From February 13, Kutuzov's army launched a fierce attack on Voronezh. It has to be said that in fighting in the ice and snow, the Russian army has a great advantage over the French army. They have long been used to this kind of bad weather, but the French army is different. There were no problems when I stayed in the barracks, but when I started fighting outside, many problems were exposed. Because the weather was so cold, many French soldiers suffered from frostbite even though they wore cotton coats, resulting in a large number of non-combat attrition. In addition, in the weather of dozens of degrees below zero, it is so cold that they can't even pull the bolt of the gun. What do they use to fight?
The battle was very fierce. Despite all kinds of difficulties, the Iberian Second Army still firmly held its position. Kutuzov's army was still unable to break through Voronezh, and instead inflicted a large number of casualties on its own.
For three days in a row, the attack made no progress. By this time Kutuzov knew it was impossible for him to take Voronev. Maybe even your own army might get in. Originally, Kutuzov's plan was to concentrate the main force to attack Voronezh, take it here quickly, and then attack the Moscow region northward to fight a decisive battle with the French army. However, he never expected that things would develop into what they are now, or that he overestimated the strength of the Russian army. In the fierce attack of the Russian army, it has been 3 days, and he still has nothing to do with Voronezh.
On February 16, Kutuzov convened a meeting of generals. "Everyone, our attack has been going on for 3 days, but we still can't capture Voronezh. I think our plan has failed. Now, I think we should withdraw our troops immediately to preserve a share of Russia's resurgent strength in the future. " Kutuzov said sincerely.
Kutuzov's proposal was supported by some of the generals. However, these generals are only a small part of those who accompanied the army, and there are still a large number of people who did not speak. After a few minutes, a general stood up and said, "Marshal, what do you mean? It's only been three days. I'm afraid it's too early to draw conclusions." This general's words were supported by many generals. They all demanded to continue the attack until Voronezh was taken.
"Your Excellency, our attack has been going on for three days. At this time, the reinforcements of the French army must be on their way. Once we fail to capture Voronezh, we will probably fall into the siege of the French army." Kutuzov persuaded earnestly.
"Hmph! I don't think the French are very good. They're just cowards who only know how to hide in a turtle's shell. I'm afraid they won't come for their reinforcements. I believe that in the field, the great Russian The warriors will tear them all to shreds," Valentin yelled.
"Yes, we are invincible in field battles." Another general shouted. This man is the cavalry general of the Russian army, and he commanded the last 30,000 Cossack cavalry of the Russian army. The cavalry supremacy made him look down on Kutuzov deeply. Now that he has the opportunity to start a field battle with the French army, of course he can't wait for it. Moreover, he was still secretly firing in his heart, and he would definitely reappear the glory of the great Cossack cavalry in this battle.
Under the opposition of many generals, Kutuzov's proposal to retreat was completely rejected. Moreover, Valentin also wooed other generals and completely emptied Kutuzov. Kutuzov, who lost his command of the army, was imprisoned in a small room, unable to go anywhere, and could only watch Russia go to ruin.
After Valentin won the dominion of the army, he continued to develop the offensive against Voronezh. But to his embarrassment, the Russian army was still unable to break through the French defense line. Two days later, Valentin arrived faintly, and something was wrong. He wanted to retreat, and he didn't care about being ridiculed by others. He began to gather troops and prepared to retreat.
However, it is clearly too late now. On February 18, Leonid's Russian Liberation Army captured Saratov that afternoon, and Valentin's retreat was cut off. At this time, Valentin realized that something was wrong, and began to lead the army to flee to the northeast. However, on February 19, the French 4th Army, which was heading south from Moscow, occupied Penza, and Valentin's retreat was once again cut off. Subsequently, the Iberian 2nd Army attacked from Voronezh and completely surrounded Valentin's army.
A battle of annihilation ensues. on the vast Eastern European plain. The three French armies, with a total of more than 300,000 people, surrounded the remaining 200,000 Russian troops in a rectangular area 50 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide. The Russian army was struggling to support under the fierce attack of the French army. However, as time passed, their casualties increased and their resistance became weaker and weaker. Under such circumstances, Valentin regretted it very much. If he could have listened to Kutuzov's suggestion, this situation would not have happened now.
The annihilation of the main force of the Russian army is no longer inevitable. In order to be able to save his own life~ www.mtlnovel.com~ Valentin sent people to sue the French army for peace, claiming that he would surrender to the French army if the French side could guarantee their lives.
In order to reduce the casualties of the French army, Xiao Jie agreed to Valentin's request for peace. He did this to prepare for future plans. Russia is about to perish, but France cannot annex Russia. This is impossible, France cannot have such a big appetite. Therefore, in order to weaken the threat of Russia, Russia must be weakened into multiple forces, and Valentin can obviously become the head of one force.
On February 23, Valentin led 200,000 Russian troops to surrender. After they were disarmed, they were taken to the Moscow region. After learning of the news, Kutuzov shot himself that night. A generation of famous generals died like this.
The main force of the Russian army was wiped out, which shocked and discouraged Nicholas in Orenburg. Because now he only has 150,000 Russian troops lacking weapons and equipment, and it is basically impossible to use this force to compete with the French army. In order to preserve the last bit of blood for the Russian royal family, Nicholas led the last army out of Orenburg on February 25, crossed the Ural Mountains, and fled to the Siberian Plain.
Nikolay's escape to the east marked the end of the war between France and Russia with France's complete victory. Since then, France has been no longer a threat in Europe.