Holy Roman Empire

The winter in Afghanistan is very cold, but the severe cold has not blocked the pace of the war.I don't know if the British are too incompetent or the Russians are too powerful.

In the last month of 1889, the Russian army was as if it had been hung up. It had won Magyar Sharif, Kunduz, Chakhcharan, and one fifth of the territories in Afghanistan.

Even the Wakhan Corridor and Herat, where the British army was crowded, were crumbling and could be captured at any time.

Open the window and the cold wind roared past.Looking at the flying snowflakes, Lieutenant General Patrick shivered.

The ghost weather of minus ten degrees is too unfriendly to the British army. Britain has never had such a cold day.

Don't say to go out to fight, even if staying in the burning headquarters, Lieutenant General Patrick felt the cold wind biting.

The bureaucrats in China miscalculated the situation. The prepared cold-prepared cotton coats were configured according to the domestic temperature, and they did not do anything at all.

Fortunately, the bureaucrats of the logistics department carried forward the fine tradition and prepared cotton coats according to the previous number.

Naturally, the soldiers who died and disappeared are no longer needed. Officers and soldiers who go out on missions can put on two layers of cotton coats.

Even so, the non-combat downsizing of the British army has increased sharply since winter.The number of non-combat downsizing in some areas also exceeded the number of casualties fighting the Russian army.

The defeat on the front is not so much a Russian army as it is a winter in Afghanistan.

Especially for some Indian soldiers living in the tropics, the winter in Afghanistan is hell on earth.

Hands, feet, ears, face ... As long as the whole body is exposed outside, no one is good.

In contrast, the Russian army on the opposite side is much better. Although there are non-combat downsizing, that is only a handful.

With the exception of certain regions, the winter in Afghanistan can be called a warm winter compared to the Russian Empire.

As a result, it goes without saying that the Russian soldiers are like a fish here, and the British army is here to live like a year.

The roar of artillery continued, Herat's offensive and defensive battle began again, and Lieutenant General Patrick, who was in front of the front line and commanded, was already panicked.

He finally understood why the Russians dared to wage war before the winter came.

"When will the domestic reinforcements arrive?"

Indian reinforcements cannot be expected. The war has been going on for three months. The Indian Governor has sent him 150,000 reinforcements.

The number seems to be quite a lot, but unfortunately the fighting power is really touching.Relying on fortification defense is also okay, to participate in the field is to give people a head.

Especially after the advent of winter, many Indian soldiers who have lived in the tropics for many years have suffered frostbite, and nearly one-tenth of them have lost their combat effectiveness.

In contrast, British native soldiers are much better, not only are they more effective in combat, but they are even more resistant to frost.

There are also winters in the British Isles, although it is not so cold, but there are still a few degrees below zero.

In this context, the general adaptability of British soldiers is much stronger than that of Indian soldiers who have never seen snowflakes.

The middle-aged officer behind him replied: "If nothing goes wrong, the first batch of reinforcements in the country will arrive in a month and a half."

From the outbreak of fighting to the arrival of reinforcements, it only took four and a half months. For the British Empire, this was also a qualitative improvement.

According to past practice, it is possible for the domestic bureaucracy to be able to dispatch reinforcements within half a year.

Of course, this time the high efficiency was forced out.The enemy is an inexhaustible Russian, and he is rushing towards India. It is difficult for the British government to feel nervous.

Although the efficiency is not low, Lieutenant General Patrick is still not satisfied.The situation on the front line cannot be delayed. The longer it is dragged on, the harder it will be to fight back.

"Send someone to urge them again, and inform them that they are ready to keep warm. The winter in Afghanistan will not be easy."

Although it may be too late to say this now, Lieutenant General Patrick chose to remind.

The commander of the Expeditionary Force is not easy to do. The casualties of the Indian Colonial Army do not matter, but once the main casualties of the British army are heavy, Lieutenant General Patrick will suffer bad luck.

Domestic short-term can not be expected.Although the situation encountered by the expeditionary army was reported, but when the gang of lords in the country made a decision, and then organized production and transportation, the winter was almost over.

Allowing the reinforcements to prepare for the cold actually actually allows the officers and men to find a way.

The British army had to pass through many areas along the way. In theory, it was able to purchase a part of the warm materials.

Anyway, it is your own life. Do you want to throw money to increase the chance of survival on the battlefield-at will.

...

In the cold wind, a transportation convoy slowly drove out of German City.Judging from the direction of the convoy, it can be roughly determined that this is to the Afghan region.

"All cheered me up, and I am about to enter the Afghan region. It is not very peaceful over there, and I will see God in advance if I am not careful."

The loud voices of the middle-aged officers spread throughout the convoy, and all the people looked serious.

The Afghan region may not be very flat, with Russian troops outside the border, internal guerrillas looting, and even the peasants who look honest and capable, may attack the transport team at any time.

In less than a year, British transport convoys were attacked 476 times, of which 46 suffered heavy losses and five times were annihilated by the whole army.

A total of 1,371 guards and soldiers were killed and 3,476 were killed. The loss of materials is beyond statistics.

High risk also means high returns. Although escorted materials are threatening, they are also rewarding.

Generally speaking, material transportation is allowed to be wasted.This is everyone's financial resources, as long as it does not exceed the prescribed upper limit, the above will not be questioned.

If you encounter a guerrilla attack, you can also report the loss and make a fortune.

As long as you don't overdo it, you can open your eyes and close your eyes.Of course, the one that should be distributed must be given.

If it were not for the guerrillas in Afghanistan to be too rampant, the delivery of supplies would actually be a US difference.

There is a lot of oil and water, and the danger is small. The front line has won, and the contribution of the transportation fleet is not small; losing the war has nothing to do with them. It is usually the first choice for gilded officers.

Unfortunately, the Afghan region is an exception. From the pure casualty ratio, the casualty rate of the transport team is not less than that of the frontline troops.

Expeditionary forces with backgrounds in relations are all responsible for the transportation of materials in India, and those sent to Afghanistan to carry out transportation tasks are all those with insufficient background.

A young military officer replied in response: "Come on, Lieutenant Colonel. We have walked a dozen times on this road, and we have encountered a raid attack. The really dangerous road is ahead."

This is a fact, the more dangerous it is to penetrate deeper into Afghanistan, this is already the consensus of the British army.Most of the attacks occurred in inland areas, especially the most dangerous mountainous and forested areas.

After a long period of attacks and counter-attacks, the British army also summarized a set of plans to deal with the guerrillas.

For example, when an accidental attack occurred, they retaliated against the surrounding indigenous people and forced them to stand opposite the guerrillas.

In order to stand up for power and kill the village, the British army did not do much.While inspiring local hatred, it also brought fear.

Human nature is the most complicated. Not all Afghans can be regarded as dead, and they also sell the guerrillas to the British soldiers for the sake of their own interests.

The more densely populated the area, the less conducive to the guerrilla lurking.After the attack, it was not convenient to run, so most of the attacks were transferred outside the city.

"Shut up, Vail! Your experience is shit. The most important thing to live long on the battlefield is to be cautious ..."

The middle-aged officer hadn't finished speaking yet. A bullet screamed and hit his right arm.

Immediately after the mess of gunfire sounded, everyone knew that the guerrillas were coming.In the panic, the people who rhyme the materials have been in a mess, and some carriages have already rushed out.

The guards and soldiers hurriedly fought back with guns, and the injured middle-aged officer resisted the pain and continued to command the battle.

It seemed that he realized that the transport team was not easy to provoke. After about a quarter of an hour, the guerrillas gave up their preparations to continue the offensive, leaving a few corpses and moving away.

Similar attacks are staged almost daily in Afghanistan.The guerrillas are like a routine, often go out to ambush.

Regardless of the strength gap between the two sides, the British army attacked.Immediately after the attack, they retreated without any mud or water.

Seeing the guerrillas retreat, the injured middle-aged officer sighed with relief and hurriedly yelled at his opponent: "Don't chase, count the casualties and continue on the road."

Their task is to deliver supplies, not to chase guerrillas.Suppressing the guerrillas was only an accidental military achievement, but if the guerrillas had lost materials, it would have to go to the military court.

There are a lot of negative teaching materials in this area. Some people are caught in the plan to get away from the mountain. The forefoot just went out to be investigated, and the rear foot was taken by the guerrillas as a transportation convoy. …

The number of transportation convoys is not large, except for more than 800 civilians, there is only one escort escort team, and the speed of counting casualties is very fast.

After a moment of effort, Weir ’s young officer went to Qianhuihui to report: "Lieutenant Colonel, this time we suffered heavy losses.

A total of 184 casualties, including 27 wounded officers and soldiers, 11 killed, 127 wounded civilians, 19 killed, 7 vehicles lost ... "

The middle-aged officer waved his hand, possibly the wound he touched, and his face paled suddenly, and he swallowed the discomfort and commanded: "Go on and continue on the road.

Before dark, we must rush to the next stronghold, otherwise it will be dangerous at night."

This is the experience summed up by Lieutenant Colonel Jack, but any convoy targeted by the guerrillas will not only attack once.

Many times, even if it is known that the attack will not succeed, the guerrillas will still launch the attack.Just like brown sugar, as long as it sticks, it can't be thrown away.

Mo said that these guerrillas of dozens of people, even in the case of the Lone Ranger attack, Jack would not dare to stay longer.

When Lieutenant Colonel Jack's right arm was injured, Weir asked, "Lieutenant Colonel, deal with your injury first. It is prone to inflammation if you drag on."

This year's gunshot wound is also fatal.Even if it only hits the arm, if the wound is not treated in time, once the wound becomes inflamed, it is also possible to die.

Many soldiers who have been amputated do not mean that the shrapnel has blown up the limbs. It is likely that they were only scratched by bullets.Because the body did not resist, the wound became inflamed and had to be amputated.

Lieutenant Colonel Shake shook his head: "What to do? There is no military doctor here, and we have no time to delay.

Rest assured, I've already bandaged it.It's winter now, and it's not so susceptible to inflammation.

Bring the wounded and set off immediately.The fallen officers and soldiers don't care anymore. When they come back, they will collect them."

The reality is so cruel, even for middle-level officers, there is no guarantee of safety on the battlefield.

The British Chinese Medicine Hospital is very limited and there is no luxury to equip the transport team with medical staff.

Even if there were medical staff, Lieutenant Colonel Jack did not dare to receive treatment at this time.

As the commander of this transportation convoy, Jack knew very well what his men were.

Don't look at the fact that they have just repelled a guerrilla attack. If the guerrillas attack again, it is still unknown whether they can stop it.

It is not that the troops have no combat effectiveness, but mainly that the morale of the military is lost.

Everyone had a grievance in their hearts when they were transporting supplies on ice and snow.If there is no more morale, the soldiers will run away.

This happened in the past, because the transport team was repeatedly attacked by the guerrillas, and the officers and soldiers who escorted the materials could not bear the pressure and ran the road.

In order to reduce the risk of another attack, Lieutenant Colonel Jack had to hurry and hurry.The dead bodies of the officers and soldiers were not dealt with.

People with a discerning eye know that coming back to deal with is just a procrastination.When everyone escorted the supplies and folded them back, the corpse didn't know what to mobilize.

However, people are selfish, not to mention the problem of the task. Everyone is ostracizing in the matter of sleeping in the wilderness.It ’s not that it ’s hard to endure. It ’s really dangerous.

As the convoy left, the earth returned to calm again, and only the messy bodies on the ground proved that there had been fighting.

As night fell, the British transport convoy finally arrived in the small town of Takal, and the dangerous journey ended temporarily.

In the wilderness, several young men beside a bonfire were whispering.

A bearded middle-aged man said sharply, "I don't agree with your plan. Now that it's not time for a decisive battle with the British, the attack on the town of Takal will only bring us unnecessary losses.

The Russians are only our temporary allies. You would n’t naively think that they really came to help us expel the British?"

Take short hands and eat soft.

After receiving the Russian weapons assistance, the combat effectiveness of the Afghan guerrillas has increased by a large amount, as can be seen from the recent success rate of doing things.

No matter how to improve, there is still a lot of pressure to rely on a guerrilla team of several hundred people to run to attack the towns controlled by the British.

...