Struggle in Russia

Li Xiao pointed at the map and said: "The rebels around Kiev are too numerous and too dense. With our current strength, we can't even think of eating them, so we must find ways to continue to weaken them. Only when the enemy's strength changes The time for a decisive battle is when there are fundamental changes!”

Everyone knows the truth, the question is how to do it. You said we can't fight decisively now, but Zong can't just wait, right?

If the rebels themselves could disappear, there would be no need for them to come all the way to quell the rebellion.

But Li Xiao said: "Now we can only wait!"

Now Dmitri was surprised, because this was not something Li Xiao could say. After all, he was always known for his wit and ability to assess situations. How could he say such passive words?

Before Dmitri could react, Ojelinen fired at Li Xiao first: "What's the point of just waiting? I think you are just passively avoiding the fight. This was the case in Kozelets before, and it is still the case now. If you are scared, you should hide back to St. Petersburg and nurse!"

These words were very rude and full of dissatisfaction and contempt for Li Xiao. Before Li Xiao said anything, Dmitri couldn't listen anymore and scolded: "Watch your words, you are talking to the Grand Duke of the Empire again." , not to mention that Grand Duke Andrei is by no means a timid person who is afraid of death. Listen carefully to other people’s opinions, it won’t do you any harm!”

As he said that, he turned around and asked: "I'm sorry, my subordinates are all rough people. He never meant to humiliate you. Please forgive his rudeness! You said you wanted to wait, what are you waiting for?"

Li Xiao glanced at Ojelinen calmly. He knew very well that this guy was indeed a rough guy, but he was definitely humiliating him on purpose. I am afraid he was deliberately retaliating for the Kozelets incident.

For such a thing, if it weren't for Dmitri's sake and Li Xiao would make him look good in every minute, just keep this account in mind. You must not make a mistake and fall into my hands!

Li Xiao did not answer Dmitri's words and said directly: "Wait for General Kornilov's naval infantry! According to the news we received before, General Kornilov will lead 20,000 naval infantry to go north to attack us. This is a rare elite mobile combat force, and their arrival will catch the rebels by surprise!"

Li Xiao pointed to Cherkasy on the map and said: "This is the most important node city on the upper reaches of the Dnieper River besides Kiev. If we win Cherkasy, we can open up the section from Kherson to Kiev. With the waterway, Crimea’s munitions and supplies can be transported along the Dnieper River, which can greatly alleviate our logistical supply problems!”

Dmitri looked at Cherkasy and then at Nizhin. To be honest, the distance on the map is only three to four hundred kilometers, but the problem is that after passing Priluki to the south, there are all rebels. territory. Not to mention several key towns that had to be conquered along the way, but more importantly, Cherkasy was still on the south bank of the Dnieper River, which meant that to capture it, they had to cross the Dnieper River. This was really too difficult!

What's more, going deep into the enemy's rear, their current strength is really too much. If the rebels from Kiev attack from an angle and cut off their supply line, wouldn't the attacking troops be in danger?

Li Xiao had already anticipated Dmitri's concerns. For a Russian general like him who had received a traditional European military education, ensuring the safety of the flanks was always an iron rule. He wanted them to march straight in and fight their way out without hesitation. Sincerely It was a bit difficult for him.

But Li Xiao had the confidence to convince him, and he immediately retorted: "There are indeed many difficulties, but we are not fighting alone. If we can contact General Kornilov, we can coordinate our actions together, with his naval infantry and With the artillery support of the Black Sea Fleet, it is not difficult to capture Cherkasy. As for the threat on the flanks, I think it is unlikely that the enemies in the Kiev area will make any moves!"

As he spoke, he measured the distance on the map with his fingers and said to Dmitri: "Look, the distance from the periphery of Kiev to the line of Nezhinpriluki controlled by us is about a hundred kilometers. Judging from the reaction of the rebels after Ren, they hardly have the ability to raid such a long-distance target. Otherwise, when Nezhin and Kozelets were attacked, they should have rescued them quickly instead of watching helplessly."

Li Xiao then clicked on the two cities of Piyagin and Zogtonosa, and said: "This is the enemy-occupied area that we must recover. It is also about 120 kilometers away from Kiev. From this distance, enemy rescue also exists. Difficulty, as long as we can capture these two cities quickly, the rebels around Kiev will probably just sit and watch without any reaction!"

Before Li Xiao finished speaking, Ojelinen started taunting again: "To put it simply, such a city must be guarded by a large number of rebels. How can it be so easy to conquer? What's more, no matter how fast we move, we can't capture two at the same time. A city!"

It seems that this guy is biting Li Xiao, and he will make sarcastic remarks whenever he has the opportunity, but Li Xiao is too lazy to pay attention to him, but explains to Dmitri: "Of course it is unrealistic to capture two cities at the same time, but We don’t need to capture two cities at the same time, we only need to capture Piliatin in the north, and leave Zogtonosa to General Kornilov!”

Dmitri looked at the map. Zogtonosha is on the edge of the Dnieper River. It is not difficult to capture it with the strength of Kornilov's naval infantry. Piliatin is south of Priluki. , a distance of about thirty kilometers. This distance is not risky for Dmitry. There is no need to worry about the threat from the flanks to capture Piliatin.

It's just that there is still a distance of 60 or 70 kilometers between Piliatin and Zogtonosa, and there are several towns in the middle where rebels are entrenched. Even if they can capture Piliatin and Zogtonosa, it won't count. The contact has been opened!

Li Xiao smiled and explained: "That's it, think about it from the perspective of the rebels. Once we capture Piliatin and Zogtonosa from the north and south respectively, the gap between the two cities will The rebels will never remain indifferent. They can only have two reactions when facing our troops, either surrender or run away..."

Ojelinen couldn't help but speak again: "Can't they just hold on?"

Li Xiao replied coldly: "No! With their strength, holding on is a dead end. You don't think their thousands of troops can cause us trouble, do you? Even ruthless bandits like Igorevich know how to escape. There is a way to survive, how can these guys not understand this? Is there something missing in your general’s mind that you can’t even understand such a simple thing?!”