Life of Being a Crown Prince in France - Chapter 1253: 1158: The Exiled Masters

Chapter 1253: Chapter 1158: The Exiled Masters

Lieutenant Colonel Malaveyev emerged from the desert, anxious and cursing.

As he felt the soft sand beneath his feet turn to hard gravel, his anxiety grew, and he only thought of quickly capturing Kabul so that he could be redeployed home.

General Bakhov’s orders quickly arrived, instructing him to send two companies to collect supplies in the vicinity.

However, when a Cossack cavalry battalion returned at twilight, they brought back less than half a cart of food, which consisted of a random mix, including potatoes, barley, and jujube.

Malaveyev glared fiercely at the company commander: “Damn it, did you go to some village to find women?”

The latter hurriedly replied, “Colonel Sir, all the villages within 10 li around here are empty. You can ask Captain Vorobyov.”

Just then, another cavalry battalion returned with even less.

Bakhov quickly received news that the nearby Afghan tribes had all relocated, and his heart was filled with anxiety.

The supplies Mitichkov previously brought were not much either, probably only enough to last three or four more days.

He sent people to Bukhara to urge them while ordering the march to be expedited, aiming to capture the city of Hale before running out of supplies.

Hmm, the Afghan Prince Salz, closely aligned with England, had long followed the demands of the British envoy, ordering the tribes near the border to all move east of Hale.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of wild grass in the Afghan desert, allowing the Russian Army’s horses to regain some strength.

July 30, 1797.

Bakhov finally saw the city at the foothills of the Persim Mountains through his telescope.

The supplies from Bukhara had not yet arrived, and he decisively ordered a strong attack on Hale.

This is the richest city in western Afghanistan, sure to have plenty of resources.

Malaveyev loudly ordered the Cossack cavalry to line up, but these soldiers, who ate only five meals in three days, were listless and took almost an hour to prepare for battle.

In fact, most of the so-called Cossack cavalry had become infantry, as Malaveyev’s regiment was left with fewer than 400 horses.

Yet the Afghans seemed well-prepared, even bringing out two cannons.

The Russian Army’s weak and powerless attack was quickly repelled, and Afghan tribal soldiers ambushed at the bend of the southern Hari River charged over, slaughtering the ill-prepared Cossack infantry, who fled over ten kilometers.

Bakhov had no choice but to regroup his troops and rest on the spot, hoping that the supply convoy from Bukhara would arrive soon.

He had no idea that the Grand Emir Murad of Bukhara was in a heated dispute with Russian logistics officers.

This year, in order to meet the Tsar’s demanded cotton planting quota, Bukhara had to mobilize almost all adult males to work on irrigation projects and converted over 20% of arable land to cotton cultivation.

This drastically reduced Bukhara’s grain production.

Now this small country, with a population of only four to five hundred thousand, had to provide logistical support for twenty thousand Russian troops, nearly depleting its domestic grain reserves.

Severe famine had even appeared in the two southern provinces nearest to Afghanistan.

The previous batch of grain was enough for the Bakhov Corps for one month, but the transport team was somehow attacked, and all the supplies they carried were burned.

Recollecting a month’s worth of grain for the Russian Army would inevitably incite an uprising among the people of Bukhara.

Whether they were killed by the Russians or by the rebels, it was still death. Ultimately, Murad decided to leave his people with a mouthful to eat.

Outside the city of Hale, Bakhov finally awaited the logistics convoy.

But he was also informed that this was the last batch of supplies from Bukhara, only enough for ten days of army consumption.

After that, he had to either hold out in Afghanistan for a month and a half until the supplies from Orenburg arrived or retreat immediately back to Muru.

Seeing the soldiers, hungry and barely able to stand, with morale at rock bottom, Bakhov glanced at the desert, which might be hiding countless Afghans. Without much hesitation, he ordered a retreat.

However, Muru was still half a month’s journey away.

Bakhov had no choice but to order that all the oats meant for the horses be reserved as food for the soldiers, with horse deaths occurring from hunger along the way, while Afghan tribes continued to harass from behind.

By the time the Russian Army emerged from the desert again, they were left with fewer than two thousand horses.

…

Paris.

In the speeding “Gem VIII” carriage, Security Bureau Chief Lavallette was reporting the latest Russian developments to the Crown Prince.

“…Afterwards, Murad was unable to provide further logistical supplies, and Bakhov failed to capture Hale, leading him to retreat his army back to Bukhara.

“According to news from Saint Petersburg, the Bakhov Corps suffered over four thousand casualties and lost almost all their horses, leaving them no longer combat-capable.”

Joseph let out a sigh of relief, “The efficiency of His Majesty Paul I sure is impressive,”

The last time he had heard news of Russia, the Orenburg troops were gathering, and now, just over three months later, a 20,000-strong army had retreated back to Central Asia from starvation.

Lavallette continued, “However, the Tsar does not seem to be giving up. He has issued orders to redeploy troops from Kazan and Perm to head south to Afghanistan again.

“Though several officers previously exiled to the Ural have been reinstated as a result.”

In just under a year, Paul I has already exiled three marshals, 97 generals, and over 700 officers. The majority objected to his military reforms following the Prussian model.

Hmm, the Prussians would surely say—this is definitely not our model; we never had the army practice something like ‘chivalric etiquette.’

However, this did yield the advantage of allowing Russia to quickly find exiled officers nearby, no matter where they were fighting, and rapidly form combat readiness.

Joseph suddenly thought of a question and looked at the Security Bureau Chief, “There must be significant opposition to this plan in Saint Petersburg, right?”

“Indeed, Your Highness.” Lavallette nodded, “Led by Marshal Leipnin, over 30 generals jointly requested the Tsar to abandon the India plan, but it was not approved. Beliajev, Platov, and others were exiled for their sharp rhetoric.”

Just as expected, Joseph frowned immediately.

In history, Paul I’s large losses during the expedition to India caused military nobles in Russia to stand against him, eventually leading to his assassination by officers.

Currently, a hostile atmosphere seems to have emerged against him in Saint Petersburg.

For France, a Tsar who does not follow convention and stirs up chaos in Eastern Europe is beneficial, preferably with continued reign.

Joseph quickly instructed Lavallette, “You must immediately send someone to warn the Tsar, that someone might be plotting to assassinate him…”

He thought about it and felt it was inappropriate. Having the Security Bureau deliver such a message, Paul I likely wouldn’t take it seriously.