As the weather warms up, winter in the north finally passed, and when the ice and snow melt, it also marked the war that had been on hold for several months was about to break out again.

Compared with the Ming army of Ulan-Ude, the Russians in Irkutsk had a difficult time going through a winter. During this winter, Berekov's hair on his head became sparse. Now, the new Governor of the Far East, the Russian general's head is basically the Mediterranean, and he is much more haggard.

"Your Excellency, there is something going on in Ulan-Ude." The adjutant ran in quickly and brought bad news to Berekov when he spoke.

"Have the other party sent troops?" Berekov asked in a hoarse voice without even raising his eyelids.

"Not yet, but..." the adjutant shook his head, and before he could finish speaking, Berekov waved his hand: "Continue to monitor, if the other party does not send troops, don't report it again."

After sending the adjutant away so simply, Berekov buried himself deeply in the chair, and his whole body almost shrank into a ball.

Since last year, he has not heard any good news, especially when Ulan-Ude was captured by the Ming army, Berekov only felt that he was in bed all over the world.

As the supreme commander of the Governor of the Far East, St. Petersburg has handed over the entire Far East to Berekov, which means that the situation in the Far East has been firmly linked to him, and Berekov and the Far East are no longer separated.

Many times, Berekov closed the door and scolded Duke Cherkasky who had escaped, and even scolded the big men in St. Petersburg one by one, including the current queen.

These bastards threw such a mess to themselves, and what was even more deadly was that reinforcements were far away and there was still no way to hear from them until now.

Compared with the Ming army, Russia was not strong enough. After the loss of Ulan-Ude, the Ming army had firmly stood firm in the east of Lake Baikal.

The distance from Ulan Ude to Irkutsk is not long. If the marching speed is faster, it will take seven or eight days at best. As the climate warms up, Berekov knew very well that Ulan Ude's Ming army would never be satisfied with just occupying Ulan Ude. I'm afraid it won't take long to advance towards Irkutsk.

Thinking of this, Berekov felt a little regretful. If he had known this, why would he have to be the first? If the Qing army had given more support at that time, so that the Ming army would not have opened up the Hexi Corridor so easily to occupy Hami, the Ming army would not have started the northern battle so quickly.

Apart from the Qing Dynasty, Berekov also regretted that when he learned that Ulan Ude was attacked by the Ming army, he did not send reinforcements to support Ulan Ude as soon as possible, but instead held his troops and allowed the defenders on Ulan Ude to resist alone.

There were two reasons for him to make this decision. The first reason was that the Ming army did not give up harassing Irkutsk when attacking Ulan-Ude, and used the Mongolian cavalry of Ortai to launch a feint attack on the direction of Irkutsk.

Berekov was worried that once troops were sent, Ortai's Mongolian cavalry would launch an attack on his own march route. You should know that the Mongolian cavalry was very powerful in the field. If it was attacked and caused losses, it would make Berekov's already insufficient troops even worse.

The second reason is that Berekov's idea is the same as that of Ulan Ude's major general Gregory. Due to seasonal reasons and confidence in Ulan Ude's city defense, Berekov felt that it was impossible for the Ming army to conquer Ulan Ude in such a short time.

As long as Gregori holds for a while, when the severe winter comes, the Ming army will be undefeated and defeated. By then, Berekov will be able to defeat the Ming army without any effort, and will directly drive the Ming army back to his hometown, or even wipe out the Ming army.

It is precisely because of this that Berekov is full of confidence. In addition, the news from Ulan-Ude also strengthens Berekov's idea. In his opinion, Ulan-Ude is as stable as Mount Tai, and the Ming army will inevitably be beaten under Ulan-Ude City and bloodshed.

But Berekov never expected that not long after, he not only did not receive the news of the Ming army's retreat, but instead received the bad news of the fall of Ulan-Ude, which made Berekov stupid.

Berekov lost his Ulan-Ude and made the situation worse.

Even though Irkutsk is still in his own hands, the loss of Ulan-Ude alone has caused Russia to lose a large area of ​​the Far East Governor's Office in the eastern part of Lake Baikal.

Although the Ming army has not completely occupied these areas, from a strategic perspective, because the geographical location control of Ulan-Ude has caused the Far East Governor’s Office to be actually cut off from the eastern part. With the strong strength of the Ming Dynasty, it is only a matter of time before this part of the area is gradually cleared into.

From this point of view alone, Russia's century-old efforts were almost ruined, and Berekov, as the current governor of the Far East, needed all the responsibility.

Berekov had imagined that after the war ended, he would not only be a loser, but also a scapegoat. At that time, whether it was Her Majesty the Queen or the great men of St. Petersburg, they would inevitably put all the responsibility on their heads, and their own family would also fall into the abyss.

Berekov was not from a great noble family, his family was just a small noble in the countryside. He finally reached his current position through his own efforts, but now everything is gone. A small person like him, to put it bluntly, is the chess piece in the hands of a big person, and he lets him fiddle with it.

Throughout the winter, the decadent Berekov could only numb himself with alcohol, and even at some point he thought about committing suicide, perhaps this would completely relieve himself.

Unfortunately, he did not dare to take this step in the end. It was not that Berekov was afraid of death. As a soldier, Berekov was not afraid of death. He dared to charge the enemy in the face of gunfire and rain, even if he fell on the battlefield.

But the problem is that he cannot die. Once he dies like this, his family will have no hope. For the sake of his family, Berekov must persist in it. Only in this way can he fight for the possibility of getting out of here.

"Your Majesty... Why did you leave so early? How could Russia be like this if you were still there?"

After taking a sip of wine, Berekov wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth. The wine had a salty taste. Maybe it was the reason for the mixed tears he shed inadvertently?

At this time, he thought of His Majesty Peter who had passed away. How long has it been? How did Russia, which made the whole of Europe tremble in the hands of Peter the Great, become what it is now? As a soldier, a proud Russian soldier, Berekov wanted to beg God to let His Majesty Peter return to his people!
Chapter completed!