Cavalry Has Become Obsolete

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Guards Army's artillery fired without cease, sending shell after shell crashing into the positions of the Caucasus Military District's 7th Cavalry Brigade.

Although the guns were all old carriage-recoil artillery, there were so many of them!

And they were large-caliber guns with tremendous power.

They had not only 76.2 mm field guns, but also 122 mm howitzers. There were even 152 mm heavy howitzers. Though there were not many of those heavy guns, their power was truly astonishing.

On the battlefield, hastily constructed fortifications simply could not withstand such large-caliber heavy artillery.

The Guards Army's fierce bombardment inflicted considerable casualties on the Caucasus Military District's 7th Cavalry Brigade.

The 7th Cavalry Brigade's artillery battalion was firing back, however.

Twenty-four 76.2 mm field guns fired furiously.

Thanks to their barrel-recoil systems, the twenty-four field guns could do nearly as much on the battlefield as three times their number of carriage-recoil guns.

But even so, they could do no more than inflict heavier losses on the Guards Army.

Completely nullifying the Guards Army's advantage in artillery fire was simply impossible.

The soldiers could only fight on under the Guards Army's fierce bombardment.

"Rumble!"

Large numbers of Guards Army cavalry were charging, their horses' hooves pounding the ground, the sounds merging into a roll of thunder.

A Russian cavalry division had a full complement of approximately three thousand men.

From ancient times to the present, cavalry had been one of the most threatening arms on the battlefield.

Relying on their high mobility and powerful striking ability, they could often wreak tremendous destruction on the battlefield.

The cavalry of the Tsarist Russian Empire had always been famous.

The Cossack cavalry in particular were regarded as the most ferocious troops.

It could be said that the formidable Cossack cavalry deserved much of the credit for the Tsarist Russian Empire's dominance over the European continent and its reputation as the "steamroller."

"Ura! Ura!"

Several thousand cavalrymen attacked the 7th Cavalry Brigade's defensive line from two directions.

The cavalrymen's roars shook the heavens, their momentum like a rainbow, giving the impression of an unstoppable flood of steel.

Many of the 7th Cavalry Brigade's officers and soldiers could not help breaking into a sweat in their palms.

"Hold steady! Cavalry are formidable, but our machine guns and artillery are even more formidable. Don't forget, we're cavalry too. We all know perfectly well that a cavalry charge against concentrated machine-gun fire is nothing but a way to get yourself killed!"

The officers' voices rang out, and the soldiers of the 7th Cavalry Brigade relaxed considerably.

Indeed, the Caucasus Military District's 7th Cavalry Brigade was also a cavalry force.

But they were not traditional cavalry; they were mounted infantry.

They knew full well that a cavalry charge against concentrated fire was simply suicidal.

In other words, traditional cavalry tactics had become obsolete.

That was why Grand Duke Mikhail had assigned his cavalry the role of mounted infantry, rather than having them charge and slash from horseback like traditional cavalry.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

As the Guards Army cavalry drew closer and closer, mortars of various calibers on the 7th Cavalry Brigade's positions began to fire.

Though these mortars were not very powerful, their rate of fire was exceptionally fast.

Neither warhorses nor cavalrymen could withstand the exploding shells.

Warhorses were killed and wounded one after another, while cavalrymen were thrown from their saddles and then trampled into mincemeat by horses galloping past at full speed.

But this did not frighten the Guards Army cavalry. They continued to charge bravely.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

The Maxim Heavy Machine Guns began to roar.

Dense streams of bullets swept over the Guards Army cavalry like a furious storm.

Driven by tremendous kinetic energy, the bullets easily punched through the horses' bodies.

Large numbers of horses were hit and fell to the ground, whinnying pitifully without cease.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

The light machine guns of the infantry squads joined in.

In an instant, the powerful firepower of the 7th Cavalry Brigade's positions was unleashed in full.

Though the Guards Army cavalry charged at great speed, against such powerful fire they were like men crashing into an invisible wall, leaving their heads battered and bloodied.

Large numbers of horses were killed or wounded, and many cavalrymen fell from their backs along with them.

The mighty cavalry charge looked so fragile at that moment.

"God! How many machine guns have those damned rebels got?" exclaimed Major General Pavel, commander of the Guards Army 4th Cavalry Division.

Watching the cavalry under his command being slaughtered, he felt as though his heart were bleeding.

General Alexei, commander of the Guards Army, wore an equally grave expression.

During the Battle of Ryazan, he had already learned that the Caucasus Military District's forces had powerful firepower and were difficult to deal with.

But he still firmly believed that the Guards Army was the most powerful force in the Tsarist Russian Empire.

Apart from having somewhat more advanced weapons and equipment and somewhat stronger firepower, the troops under Grand Duke Mikhail were utterly worthless.

But now, everything happening on the battlefield had slapped him hard across the face.

"Order all units to continue the attack! In this battle, we must annihilate those damned rebels, no matter what!" General Alexei gave the order with a dark expression.

If more than forty thousand men could not even swallow up a rebel force of just over nine thousand,

then how were they supposed to fight the rebels' main force afterward?

Or rather, how could they carry on fighting this war at all? They might as well surrender.

Did they still care about the Guards Army's honor?

How were they to avenge His Majesty the Tsar?

"Yes, Commander!" Major General Pavel replied.

The Guards Army's officers and soldiers displayed an exceptionally tenacious fighting spirit in this battle.

Even though they had smashed their heads bloody against the 7th Cavalry Brigade's powerful fire and paid an extremely painful price,

they continued to attack bravely.

Two cavalry divisions suffered heavy losses in the fierce fighting.

But the infantry following them continued to attack as well.

The Caucasus Military District's 7th Cavalry Brigade, meanwhile, had suffered heavy losses under the Guards Army's fierce artillery fire.

But their counterattack had likewise inflicted tremendous losses on the Guards Army.

The fierce battle continued, and news that the 7th Cavalry Brigade was under siege by the Guards Army had already reached Nizhny Novgorod.

Grand Duke Mikhail was there at that moment.

"Your Highness, the 7th Cavalry Brigade has been surrounded by the enemy at Noginsk. Based on the unit designations that have appeared on the battlefield, we can tentatively conclude that the enemy is the Guards Army," Yakov reported.

"The Guards Army? Isn't that the most elite force under Grand Duke Nicholas? He actually deployed them at Noginsk instead of keeping them in Moscow. He obviously intends to give us a show of force in the Battle of Moscow!" Grand Duke Mikhail's expression grew grave.

"Your Highness, the Guards Army is indeed the enemy's best fighting force. Even the troops of the Petersburg Military District and the Mosk Military District cannot compare with them. They have always been the most loyal to His Majesty the Tsar," Yakov replied.

Grand Duke Mikhail nodded. "Which unit is closest to Noginsk? Have them hurry there as reinforcements immediately!"

Grand Duke Mikhail clearly could not tolerate having one of his cavalry brigades surrounded and annihilated.