Struggle in Russia

Dmitri did not answer the question directly, but strolled to the map hanging on the wall, pointed to the location of Kiev and said:

“Currently, Zhitomyr, Chernihiv, Konotop, Mirgorod, and Vinnitsa are all occupied by rebels. The situation in Cherkasy and Poltava is unknown, but the situation is likely not to be Well, that means Kiev is under siege.”

"Our current military strength is simply not enough to break through the blockade and defeat the enemy, so I think it is most urgent to try to mobilize more troops to help us counter the rebellion!"

Count Kleinmicher was struck by the lawsuit. It wasn't that he couldn't understand Dmitri's words, but what was the difference between these words and what he had said before? We still say we need more troops. Isn’t this a chicken-and-duck argument?

Li Xiao was not as impatient as him. He was familiar with Dmitri's style and knew that he would never talk meaningless nonsense, so he said: "You mean, you have found suitable troops for reinforcements, right?"

Count Kleinmicher was stunned. Should this be understood this way? Is this because his ability to understand has become lower or because the soldier's way of speaking has become obscure?

Dmitri nodded and said: "Yes, after the war in Crimea, most of the newly recruited troops were disbanded, and all the troops previously gathered in Wallachia and Crimea were also disbanded. Transferred back to the original station. But there is one unit that has not been transferred, and that is the Black Sea Fleet! "

When Dmitri mentioned the Black Sea Fleet, Li Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up. How could he forget that he had this trump card?

It is true that after the Crimean War, most of the troops returned to their original bases, but the Black Sea Fleet was based in Crimea, and because of its outstanding performance in the war, the Black Sea Fleet also received limited replenishment and reconstruction. Chance.

The fleet previously had three naval infantry divisions, and now it has been expanded to five. This is at least a huge force of nearly 50,000 to 60,000 people. Even if they have to leave some garrison troops, it is entirely possible to send 10,000 to 20,000 people to reinforce Dmitry.

More importantly, the naval infantry equipment of the Black Sea Fleet is generally better in combat effectiveness and quality than the Russian army. These 20,000 elite soldiers will definitely come in handy!

Li Xiao excitedly walked to the map, looked at Kiev, and then at Crimea, and another idea popped up involuntarily.

On the other hand, Count Kleinmicher felt that Dmitri's suggestion was good. The Black Sea Fleet was idle and it was his duty to help quell the rebellion. Alexander II would certainly not disagree.

Just as he was about to say something, Li Xiao jumped in and said: "There is another advantage of using the Black Sea Fleet. They can go up the Dnieper River and connect Kremenchug and Cherka via Dnipropetrovsk. Se's waterway, so that the gap in Kiev's encirclement will be opened, and food can be continuously sent in along the Dnieper River!"

Count Kleinmicher was stunned again, and hurried to the map to look at it carefully. Couldn't the Dnieper River play such a role? But he immediately thought of another question: "This idea is very good, but the question is, can the Black Sea Fleet of the Dnieper River come in during the dry season?"

Li Xiao and Dmitri looked at each other and smiled. If this problem was really a big problem in the past, the main ships of the Black Sea Fleet would definitely not be able to get in. But during the last Crimean War, Li Xiao built an inland river fleet in Wallachia. These steam ships were fast and shallow and were particularly suitable for operating on inland rivers. With them entering and exiting the Dnieper is not a big problem at all!

Count Kleinmicher looked at Li Xiao strangely. He really didn't expect that someone had done so many things during the years he was hanging around in Wallachia. No wonder Alexander II had to do it even if he didn't like him. He was transferred back to St. Petersburg and entrusted with important tasks.

With such ability, managing the third part of St. Petersburg is considered an incompetence!

Li Xiao said excitedly: "Then what are you waiting for? Contact General Kornilov quickly and ask him to help suppress the rebellion!"

Dmitri replied calmly: "I wrote him a letter after I arrived here. According to the time, it is almost time to arrive in Sevastopol!"

Dmitri's messenger has indeed arrived in Sevastopol, and Kornilov has also received the letter, but this letter does make him a little difficult to handle.

It's not that he is unwilling to help, but the current situation of the Black Sea Fleet is not very good. Yes, Alexander II did promise to prioritize replenishing and rebuilding the Black Sea Fleet. But this did not happen overnight. Although the main force of the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean War was preserved, these outdated sailing warships were far behind the times.

Replacing these old antiques requires a lot of money, and unfortunately, Russia is currently very short of money!

Naturally the so-called reconstruction work was halted as soon as it started!

All Kornilov can do is try to maintain the existing fleet size. To be honest, this is not easy, especially those precious steam ships. The machine is indeed efficient and easy to use, but the problem is that it requires maintenance.

If you want to maintain a modern fleet, you need a considerable industrial base. Various parts, lubricants and lubricants all cost money!

A penny stumps a heroic man, and Kornilov finally understands this embarrassment. The sudden rebellion in Ukraine made his side even worse. He had to spend a lot of energy helping local governments in Nikolayev, Odessa, Kherson and other places stabilize the situation.

A large number of Black Sea Fleet sailors had just boarded the ship to resume training and had to go ashore again to pick up their rifles and fight like the army.

Under his auspices, these important cities were saved from the threat of rebellion. But this also made the troops at his hands stretched thin.

Faced with Dmitri's request for help, he and Nakhimov stared blankly. The two brothers didn't know what to say.

"What should I do? Refuse?" Nakhimov asked.

Kornilov shook his head: "Dmitri Milyutin will not come to us for help for no reason. Obviously the scale of this rebellion is larger than we imagined, and the number of rebels may also greatly exceed ours." expectations!"

At this point, he suddenly asked: "Have you contacted Kiev?"

Nakhimov shook his head and said: "The land route has been completely interrupted. There are rebels all north of Kherson. Unless our people can get wings and fly over, there is no way to get close to Kiev!"

Kornilov frowned and said, "Then how did Dmitri's messenger get here?"

Nakhimov said with a wry smile: "They went around from Poland and Hungary to Moldavia and then sailed over from Wallachia."

Upon hearing this, Kornilov sighed quietly: "It really rains all night when the house leaks! I hope the situation is not so bad that even Kiev cannot defend it..."