Chapter 3344 Chapter 3346 [Winter is coming]
Although the emperor of the Rakshasa Kingdom has surrendered to Xiang Nan, Xiang Nan actually only occupies two places, Yekaterinburg and Kremlin Palace, and most of the western state capitals have not yet been actually controlled.
The western region of the Rakshasa Kingdom is actually the core of the empire, with a dense population and a prosperous economy. What's more, there are generals leading more than 300,000 troops to fight France and Prussia on the front line.
Therefore, even if Elizabeth I surrendered and Peter III succeeded to the throne and appointed people from Xiang Nan as auxiliary ministers, the governors of the state capitals and the generals in charge of the army would not surrender easily.
But Xiang Nan was not stupid either. He adopted various means to defeat the enemy. The first was to cut off the food, wages and equipment of the more than 300,000 troops, leaving them alone without support.
At that time, the Rakshasa Army was at war with Prussia and France. The 330,000-strong army lost its support, and one can imagine its fate. Prussia and France also received the news that the Kremlin Palace had been occupied and Queen Elizabeth I had surrendered. Knowing that this was a great opportunity to annihilate the Rakshasa Army, they naturally chose to beat the drowned dog.
At this time, the morale of the Rakshasa Army was also greatly reduced. After all, the back door has been broken open and the home has been stolen. Who are they still fighting for?
Therefore, they could not be said to be defeated at the first touch, but they did not have much strong will to resist. In the end, they were defeated by the alliance of France and Prussia, with losses of more than 200,000, and only more than 100,000 defeated troops fled back to the Rakshasa Kingdom in haste.
Even if this group of defeated troops rushed back to the Kremlin Palace, they would still have abandoned their armor and were hungry. They would not be able to match the new army that was just waiting for work. So Xiang Nan didn't take it seriously.
Xiang Nan adopted a tolerant policy towards the governors of those state capitals, allowing them to retain their official positions and power as long as they were willing to be loyal.
For this reason, Xiang Nan also specially rewarded these officials with captured jewelry, gold, silver, and land to win people's hearts.
As the saying goes, there must be brave men under heavy rewards, and many governors of state capitals expressed their willingness to submit and be loyal.
The reason why they are so easy to bribe is actually because the Rakshasa Kingdom has been living a relatively miserable life in recent years.
For example, in 1762, after Catherine II usurped power and succeeded to the throne, she personally wrote in her diary, “The treasury is empty, and the army has been without pay for three months. Business and trade are increasingly declining, and there are many hoarding and monopolies.
The national administration was lax, the military and aircraft departments were also in arrears, and the maritime administration was exhausted and almost collapsed. The judiciary has been reduced to a baht, and only the strong can follow the rules and regulations. "
It can be seen that in the middle of the eighteenth century, the Rakshasa Kingdom was actually riddled with all kinds of problems. In 1773, the Pugachev Uprising also broke out, involving 100,000 serfs, which dealt a big blow to the empire.
Under such circumstances, the governors of various states are naturally selfish people. As long as they can make a fortune and serve as officials, they will be loyal to no one.
…
As for those governors who were unwilling to be loyal, Xiang Nan was naturally not polite and directly sent troops to clear them out.
For this purpose, he hired a group of mercenaries.
Mercenaries have a long history in Europe. In ancient Greece, the Greeks hired Macedonians to defend their capital, and later hired Germanic tribes to fight in the war.
Because there is no standing army, every time a war is fought, temporary recruitment of troops is needed, so mercenaries are very popular. Among them, the Italian heavy cavalry, the Swiss mountain men, and the German Hessian mercenaries are all quite famous. Mercenaries will not be loyal to anyone. They only care about whether they can pay their wages in time. Therefore, if they can be given enough money, they are willing to fight for anyone, and their will to fight is very tenacious.
During the French Revolution, in order to protect himself, Louis XVI hired more than 700 Swiss mercenaries to fight against hundreds of thousands of revolting people. In the end, more than 700 mercenaries were all killed in the battle, and no one escaped.
Hence, mercenaries are a very good choice and can help fight the war.
Moreover, Xiang Nan will not be stationed in Kegong for a long time, and he will return to the capital in the future. Although he will leave an army on the Kremlin side, even if all 50,000 troops are left behind, it is still a small number compared to the 30 million Rakshasa people.
So he also needed a mercenary army to maintain his rule over the area.
Under the joint attacks of mercenaries, the new army and the Mongolian coalition forces, many governors who were unwilling to be loyal were eliminated, such as Yaroslavl Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Pskov Oblast, etc.
The garrison troops in these states were still unable to withstand the super firepower of the new army, the mercenaries who were not afraid of death, and the various Mongolian ministries that were killed and killed, and were eventually defeated.
As a result, other states that were unwilling to surrender could only choose to be loyal.
…
At the same time, after capturing Brazk, the east-route army led by Agui went all the way west to Tomsk. After a short rest, they continued west to capture Kazan, the capital of the Kazan Khanate.
Kazan As early as the eleventh century, the Volga-Bulgar Principality established a city here. In the 13th century, the Mongols destroyed the Volga-Bulgar Principality and brought it under the rule of the Golden Horde.
In the fifteenth century, the Golden Horde declined and the Kazan Khanate became independent. However, less than a hundred years after independence, the Kazan Khanate was annexed by the Rakshasa Kingdom, and Kazan City was therefore called a city of Tsarist Russia.
This city has been in operation for hundreds of years and is the most important city in the central part of the Rakshasa Kingdom, with a population of more than 300,000. However, under the attack of the Qing army, it was captured before it could hold out for long.
After the capture of Kazan, the Eastern Route Army made some repairs, and then continued to set off, all the way south, and hit Volgograd. Volgograd is located in the transition zone between Europe and Asia. It is a natural water and land transportation hub, which is also destined to play an important role.
The Rakshasa Kingdom built a city here in 1589 as a springboard for its intention to control the Caucasus. Although the Caucasus region has many mountains and barren land, it is a place where the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Rakshasa Kingdom are intertwined, and wars often break out here.
After taking control of Volgograd, Agui was ordered to carry out repairs here. Because October is coming soon, and the temperature will reach minus 30 degrees, which is very unbearable.
Historically, the Rakshasa Kingdom was invaded many times, and even the capital was burned. However, in the end the enemy had to retreat because they could not bear the bitter cold here.
Xiang Nan also knew this, so he ordered Agui to repair the city to avoid the severe cold.
At the same time, he also sent a message to his eldest brother Yong Huang, telling the Ministry of Industry to start building a railway from the capital to the Western Regions.
At that time, he will also build the railway from Kegong to the Western Regions. At that time, once the two sides are connected, the Rakshasa Kingdom and the Yuzi Kingdom, Yarkand Khanate, Kokand Khanate, etc. along the way will be brought under the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
(End of this chapter)