Chapter 838

Afghanistan's winter was cold, but the harsh cold did not stop the war. It was unknown whether the British were too incompetent or the Russians were too powerful.

In the last month of 1889, the Russian Army took over Mazar Sharif, Kunduz, and Chakhcharan. One-fifth of the Regions of Afghanistan changed hands.

Even the Wakhan Corridor and Herat, where the British troops gathered, were on the verge of collapse and could be conquered at any time.

Opening the window, the cold wind whistled past. Lieutenant General Patrick shivered as he looked at the dancing snowflakes.

The damned weather of minus ten degrees was too unfriendly for the British army. Britannia had never experienced such cold weather before.

Not to mention going out to war, even staying in the command center with a burning stove, Lieutenant General Patrick felt the bone-chilling wind.

The local bureaucrats misjudged the situation. The winter clothes they prepared were based on the local temperature and were not effective at all.

Fortunately, the bureaucrats in the logistics department carried forward a fine tradition and prepared winter clothes according to the previous number of people.

The soldiers who died or went missing were naturally not needed. The officers and soldiers who went out on missions could wear two layers of clothes.

Even so, winter had arrived, and the non-combat casualties of the British army continued to increase. In some areas, the number of non-combat casualties even exceeded the number of casualties from the battle with the Russians.

Rather than saying that the Russian Army was too powerful, it was more likely that the Afghan winter was too torturous.

Especially for the Indian soldiers living in the tropics, the Afghan winter was hell on earth.

Hands, feet, ears, face … As long as it was exposed to the outside, not a single part of their body was in good condition.

In comparison, the Russian Army was in a much better state. Although there were non-combat casualties, they were in the minority.

Apart from a few specific areas, Afghanistan's winter could be considered warm compared to the Russian Empire.

As a result, the Russian Army was like a fish in water, while the British army felt like a year.

The roar of artillery continued, and the attack and defense of Herat began again. Lieutenant General Patrick, who was personally commanding the front line, was panicking.

He finally understood why the Russians dared to start a war before winter.

"When will the domestic reinforcements arrive?"

The Indian reinforcements could not be counted on. The war had been going on for three months, and the Governor of India had sent him 150,000 reinforcements.

It seemed like a lot, but unfortunately, their combat effectiveness was too low. It was fine to rely on fortifications for defense, but participating in field battles would be suicide.

Especially after winter arrived, many of the Indian soldiers who had lived in the tropics all year round suffered frostbite, and nearly one-tenth of them lost the ability to fight.

In comparison, the Britannia soldiers were in a much better state. Not only were they stronger in combat, but they were also much more resistant to the cold.

There was also winter in the British Isles. Although it was not as cold, there was still a few degrees below zero.

The British Isles also had winter, and although it was not as cold, it was, it was, of zero.

The middle-aged officer behind him replied, "If there are no accidents, the first batch of reinforcements from the country will arrive in a month and a half."

From the time the battle broke out to the time the reinforcements arrived, it only took four and a half months. For the British Empire, this was a qualitative improvement.

According to past practice, it was the domestic bureaucrats who were brave enough to send reinforcements within half a year.

Of course, he was forced to be so efficient this time. The enemy was the insufferably arrogant Russia, and they were coming for India. It was difficult for the Government of the United Kingdom not to be nervous.

Although this efficiency wasn't low, Lieutenant General Patrick was still dissatisfied. The situation on the front line was urgent. The longer it dragged on, the more difficult it would be to fight the later battles.

"Send someone to urge them. Also, tell them to prepare cold protection supplies. The winter in Afghanistan is not easy."

Although it might be a little late to say this, Lieutenant General Patrick still chose to remind him.

It was not easy to be the commander of the expeditionary force. The casualties of the Indian colonial army did not matter, but once the British main force suffered heavy casualties, Lieutenant General Patrick would be out of luck.

The domestic forces could not be counted on in a short time. Although the situation encountered by the expeditionary force was reported, when the domestic masters made a decision, organized production, and transported over, winter was estimated to be almost over.

Asking the reinforcements to prepare for the cold was actually letting the officers and soldiers find their own way.

The British army had to pass through many areas along the way. In theory, it was possible to purchase some cold protection supplies.

Anyway, their lives were their own. It was up to them to spend money to increase their chances of survival on the battlefield.

…

Against the cold wind, a transport convoy slowly drove out of Gemman City. Judging from the direction of the convoy, it could be roughly determined that it was heading to the Regions of Afghanistan.

"All of you, keep your spirits up. We are about to enter the Regions of Afghanistan. It is not peaceful there. If we are not careful, we will meet God in advance. "

The middle-aged officer's loud voice spread throughout the transport convoy. Everyone's expression became serious.

The Regions of Afghanistan were not peaceful. There was the Russian Army outside, and the guerrillas inside. Even the seemingly honest old farmers could attack the transport convoy at any time.

In less than a year, the British transport convoys had been attacked 476 times. Forty-six of them had suffered heavy losses, and five of them had been completely wiped out.

A total of 1,371 guards and soldiers were killed, 3,476 civilians were killed, and the loss of supplies could not be calculated.

High risk also meant high return. Although escorting supplies was a threat, the harvest was also rich.

Generally speaking, supplies were allowed to be damaged. This was everyone's source of income. As long as it did not exceed the limit, the higher-ups would not ask.

If they were attacked by the guerrillas, they could also report the loss to the higher-ups and make a profit.

As long as they did not go overboard, the higher-ups would turn a blind eye. Of course, the portion that should be given out would definitely be given out.

If it was not for the rampant guerrillas in the Regions of Afghanistan, the transport of supplies was actually a good job.

There was a lot of profit and little danger. If the frontline won the war, the transport convoy contributed a lot. If the war was lost, it had nothing to do with them. It was usually the first choice of the gilded officers.

Unfortunately, the Regions of Afghanistan were an exception. Purely based on the ratio of casualties, the casualty rate of the transport convoy was not lower than the frontline troops.

Those who had connections in the expeditionary army were responsible for the transport of supplies within India. Those who were sent to the Regions of Afghanistan to carry out the transport mission were all those who did not have deep connections.

A young officer replied, "Don't worry, Lieutenant Colonel. We've walked this road more than ten times, and we've only encountered one attack from the rioters. The real danger lies ahead. "

This was a fact. The deeper they went into Afghanistan, the more dangerous it was. This was the consensus of the British army. Most of the attacks occurred in the inland areas, especially in the mountainous areas.

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

For example, if there was an accidental attack, they would take revenge on the surrounding indigenous people and force them to stand against the guerrillas.

In order to establish their power, the British army had done many things such as massacring villages and destroying towns. While it aroused the hatred of the local people, it also brought fear.

Human nature was the most complicated. Not all Afghans could face death calmly. There were also traitors who betrayed the guerrillas and defected to the British army for their own interests.

The more densely populated the area, the more difficult it was for the guerrillas to hide. After the attack, it was not convenient to escape, so most of the attacks were moved outside the city.

"Shut up, Will! Your experience is all bullshit. If you want to survive on the battlefield, the most important thing is to be cautious … "

Before the middle-aged officer could finish speaking, a bullet whistled through the air and hit his right arm.

Then there was a mess of gunfire. Everyone knew that the guerrillas were coming. In the panic, the civilian workers who were escorting the supplies were in a mess. Some of the carriages had already sped away.

The soldiers hurriedly took out their guns to fight back. The injured middle-aged officer endured the pain and continued to command the battle.

They seemed to realize that the transport team was not to be trifled with. After about a quarter of an hour, the guerrillas gave up the preparation to continue attacking. They left a few corpses behind and swaggered away.

Similar attacks happened almost every day in the Regions of Afghanistan. The guerrillas often went out to ambush as if it was a routine.

Regardless of the difference in strength between the two sides, they would attack when they encountered the British army. After the attack, they immediately retreated without any hesitation.

Seeing that the guerrillas retreated, the injured middle-aged officer breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly shouted to his men, "Don't chase them. Quickly count the casualties and continue on the road."

Their task was to transport supplies, not to chase the guerrillas. Wiping out the guerrillas was just an unexpected military achievement. However, if they lost supplies because of wiping out the guerrillas, they would be court-martialed.

There were many negative examples in this area. Some people fell into the trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain. Just as they went out to pursue the matter, their convoy was destroyed by the guerrillas. There were also people who pursued the guerrillas into the mountain, but were directly pushed back and met a tragic end …

There were not many people in the transport convoy. Other than 800 civilian workers, there was only a battalion of guards. The speed of counting the casualties was very fast.

After a while, Will's young officer came forward to report, "Lieutenant Colonel, we have suffered heavy losses this time.

There are a total of 184 casualties. Among the guards, 27 are injured and 11 are dead. 127 are injured and 19 are dead. We have lost 7 wagons of supplies … "

The middle-aged officer waved his hand. Perhaps it was because he had touched his wound, but his face suddenly turned pale. He endured the discomfort and ordered, "Pass down the order to continue on the road.

We must reach the next stronghold before nightfall. Otherwise, it will be dangerous at night. "

This was Lieutenant Colonel Jack's experience. Any convoy that was targeted by the guerrillas would not only be attacked once.

Many times, even if they knew that the attack would not succeed, the guerrillas would still launch an attack. They were like sticky candy. Once stuck, they could not be shaken off.

Jack did not dare to stay for long even if he encountered a lone ranger, let alone a dozen guerrillas.

Noticing that Lieutenant Colonel Jack's right arm was injured, Will asked with concern, "Lieutenant Colonel, take care of your wound first. It will easily become inflamed if we drag it out."

In this day and age, gunshot wounds were also fatal. Even if it was only the arm, if it was not treated in time and the wound became inflamed, the person could still die.

Many soldiers who had their limbs amputated did not lose their limbs from the shrapnel. It was very likely that they had only been grazed by the bullet. Because their bodies could not withstand it, the wound became inflamed and they had no choice but to amputate it.

Lieutenant Colonel Jack shook his head. "What do we have to do? There are no military doctors here. Besides, we do not have time to waste.

Don't worry, I have already bandaged it. It is winter now. It will not become inflamed so easily.

Take the wounded and set off immediately. Leave the dead soldiers for now. We will collect their bodies when we return. "

Reality was cruel. Even mid-level officers could not guarantee their safety on the battlefield.

The medical hospital in the British army was very limited. They did not have the luxury of providing medical personnel for the transport team.

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

As the commander of this transport team, Jack knew very well what kind of people his men were.

Although they had just repelled the guerrillas' attack, if the guerrillas were to launch another attack, it was unknown whether they would be able to stop them.

It was not that the troops did not have fighting strength. The main thing was that the morale of the troops had been tormented.

Originally, everyone had a bellyful of grievances when transporting supplies in a world of ice and snow. If there was no more morale, the soldiers would run away.

There had been real cases where the transport team had been attacked by guerrillas many times. The soldiers escorting the supplies could not bear the pressure and ran away.

In order to reduce the risk of another attack, Lieutenant Colonel Jack had to hurry. As a result, they did not have the time to deal with the bodies of the dead soldiers.

Anyone with a discerning eye would know that dealing with the bodies was just an excuse. By the time they had escorted the supplies over and returned, the bodies would have been fed to god knows what animals.

But people were selfish. Not to mention the problem of the mission, just the idea of camping in the wilderness was something that everyone hated. It was not that they could not bear the hardships, but it was really dangerous.

As the convoy left, the land was restored to tranquility again. Only the messy corpses on the ground proved that there had been a battle here.

As night fell, the British transport team finally arrived at Tower Carr Town. The dangerous journey was temporarily over.

In the wilderness, a few young men were whispering to each other beside a bonfire.

A middle-aged man with a beard said sternly, "I don't agree with your plan. It's not the time to fight the British yet. Attacking Tower Carr Town will only bring us unnecessary losses.

Russia is just our temporary ally. You can't be so naive to think that they are really here to help us expel the British, right? "

It was easy to get help from others.

After getting the weapons aid from Russia, the Afghan guerrillas' fighting strength had improved a lot. It could be seen from their recent success rate.

No matter how much they improved, it was still a lot of pressure to rely on a few hundred guerrillas to attack a town controlled by the British.

…

Note: In the 19th century, the Wakhan Corridor and the Pamir Plateau belonged to the Qing Dynasty. In 1895, it was designated as a buffer zone between Britain and Russia and later given to Afghanistan.