Chapter 108 Sit in Meditation, Right?

The North Caucasus region where the Circassians live is not a barren area. In some ways, this environment may be quite pleasant.

The Caucasus Mountains provide the Circassians with vast valleys.

The terrain of this area is diverse, including steep canyons, dense forests and wide plateaus.

The second is rich natural resources: the Circassians can rely on the rich grasslands and pastures in the mountains to graze livestock such as sheep, cattle and horses.

Lakes and rivers are also abundant: the Circassians live in places such as the Pearl of the Orient-the coast of the Black Sea and the Kuba River.

These waters provide abundant fish resources, which provide an important source of their food supply.

Finally, the climatic conditions: the living environment of the Circassians is climatically diverse.

The high mountain areas have lower temperatures, cold winters and cool summers, which are conducive to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry.

The coastal areas have a relatively warm climate with distinct four seasons.

It can be said that the production environment of this land is still good. If it were not for the current lack of strength of the Ottoman Empire and Selim’s unwillingness to provoke the Russians, the Sultan would have taken it directly.

But there is no need. After all, the anti-French war is about to come. Seize this opportunity and quickly strengthen the Ottoman Empire. Why should we give the Russians a face at this time and go up to fight?

I don’t know when the French will be able to officially declare war on Prussia and Austria. Selim is also drunk with the low efficiency of the French government. He even suspects that the other party may be preempted by Prussia and Austria.

While the Sultan was thinking about France, the army led by Dabrovsky had already fought with the Russians.

In the North Caucasus, Major General Alexei was waiting for the arrival of the Circassian convoy.

According to intelligence, the other party’s high-level officials will also evacuate with them. If they don’t seize this opportunity and want to completely defeat the other party, they will probably have to wait until the next Russo-Turkish War and expect the Russian army to enter Constantinople.

When Major General Alexei was almost impatient, the Circassian convoy finally appeared in the distance, and Alexei immediately became energetic.

Although the Russian army in the entire region was almost under his control after Repnin left, Alexei did not bring too many troops.

First, dealing with the Circassians was simply a sledgehammer.

Second, Major General Alexei's own troops also needed credit, so why bother to bring in outsiders?

In the end, Alexei brought three brigades of troops, which were also his old subordinates.

For so many years, he had been living in the Caucasus Military Region. From the major general to his soldiers, everyone was good at slacking off.

However, this was not important. In the eyes of the major general, the Circassians were just a bunch of savages who didn't even have a few guns, and it was easy to deal with them.

With this mood, when the Circassian convoy reached the middle of the road, Major General Alexei didn't say anything more. He waved his hand and the Russian troops ambushed on the side immediately started to fight.

Since this place is the junction of grassland and mountain, the vegetation is quite dense, so Alexei's army can be hidden, which really caught the Circassians off guard.

After all, in order to make the play realistic, the best way is to make the actors unaware that they are rehearsing, so Sherifali and Sultan did not tell the soldiers anything about the attack.

When the Russian army rushed over, the entire Circassian convoy was almost scared, but Sherifali quickly called up the Circassian light cavalry guarding the convoy and began to resist the opponent's attack.

Don't underestimate the Circassian cavalry, which is the foundation of this nation.

As early as the 15th century, the reputation of the Circassians was already known.

"Between the Azov and Caspian Seas a new warlike republic has arisen, composed of people who speak our language and profess our faith.

Some of them, not wanting to submit to either the Mongols or the Lithuanians, lived as free men on the islands of the Dnieper, protected by rocks, impenetrable reeds and swamps.

They attracted many Russians fleeing oppression, mixed with them, and formed a nation.

This nation has become completely Russian, just as their ancestors who lived in the Kiev region since the tenth century were already almost Russian.

The Circassians, growing in number and cultivating a spirit of independence and brotherhood, formed a Christian military republic in the country south of the Dnieper and began to build settlements and fortresses in those places that had been devastated by the Tatars.

They took on the sack of the Crimeans and Turks. The Circassians, who had won the responsibility of defending Lithuanian possessions from the Turks, won the special protection of the Polish king Sigismund I, who granted them many civil liberties and lands above the rapids of the Dnieper, after whom the city of Circassia was named.

In them was represented a mixture of European and Asiatic characteristics, indomitable in war, natural horsemen and riders, sometimes stubborn, willful, predatory, but through diligence and heroic feats they absolved themselves of their crimes.

They were considered Russian fugitives who sought wild freedom and booty in the devastated Urus of the Black Wind tribe, in an uninhabited but fertile land where the Volga River is close to the Don River, which long ago was the trade route from Asia to Northern Europe. They established themselves in the present region; they occupied the city of Ahas, which I think they called Circassia. "

This is the conclusion made by a Russian historian. Although Selim scoffed at the other party's claim that the Circassians are Russians, the historian at least pointed out one thing: the Circassians are indeed good at fighting.

How is this ability reflected? They don't listen to anyone. Even Tsar Ivan the Terrible complained about them to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

They hate their dependence on the Ottoman Empire and do not recognize that Russia has supreme power over them. In 1549, their leader Sariyazman called himself an ally of Ivan IV and built a fortress on the Don River: they occupied the river until the estuary, demanded tribute from Azov, and fought against the Nogai, Astrakhan, and Taurida.

Even this ally was obtained by Ivan after marrying a Circassian princess.

Now, except for the quality of equipment and military tactics, the cold weapon cavalry, which has hardly changed since the late Middle Ages, is about to show the power from the old times.

The Russian infantry, which had already deployed in a skirmish line, was immediately stunned by the sudden attack of the Circassian light cavalry. Alexei, the fool, did not release his own cavalry or command the infantry to form a square.

After fighting for a while, the Russian army retreated in a panic, which made Sherifali dumbfounded. The performance of the Russian army did not match their plan. In the past, when Repnin was there, the Circassians should have fled.

Dombrovsky, who was hiding on the other side of the mountain, was also dumbfounded at this time. He thought that Alexei's level was not good, but he didn't think it was so bad. With the Russian army fighting like this, he didn't know how to carry out the subsequent plan.

Here, the Russian army did not move, and here, the Circassians were also confused. How should this battle be fought?