The Guards Army's Desperate Plight

"Your Imperial Highness, the closest unit to the 7th Cavalry Brigade is the 10th Cavalry Brigade. They can reach Noginsk and reinforce the 7th Cavalry Brigade in just three hours.

"However, it should be evening by the time they arrive."

Yakov answered.

Mikhail looked at the map and made his decision.

"Have the 10th Cavalry Brigade reinforce the 7th Cavalry Brigade at once. However, they are not to join up with the 7th Cavalry Brigade directly. Instead, they are to attack the Guards Army from the flank and relieve the pressure on the 7th Cavalry Brigade.

"I believe the 7th Cavalry Brigade can hold out even while besieged by the Guards Army."

Mikhail gave the order.

"Yes, Your Imperial Highness!" Yakov replied.

"How far are the 1st Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Division from Noginsk?" Mikhail asked.

"Your Imperial Highness, the 1st Infantry Division is expected to arrive tomorrow morning. The 3rd Infantry Division won't arrive until the morning after tomorrow," Yakov replied.

Mikhail nodded. "What about the 8th Cavalry Brigade and the 9th Cavalry Brigade?"

"The 8th Cavalry Brigade and the 9th Cavalry Brigade are expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon."

"Order the 8th Cavalry Brigade and the 9th Cavalry Brigade to pick up the pace. They must reach the front and join the 1st Infantry Division before noon tomorrow.

"Tomorrow afternoon, the 1st Infantry Division will form the main force and attack the Guards Army. The 8th Cavalry Brigade and the 9th Cavalry Brigade will circle around its flanks. The 7th Cavalry Brigade and the 10th Cavalry Brigade will launch a counterattack at the same time.

"This time, we will deal the Guards Army a crushing blow at Noginsk and do everything possible to annihilate its main forces.

"Once we swallow up the Guards Army, it will be a blow the enemy can scarcely bear.

"Enemy morale will surely suffer a great deal as well.

"Then the battle for Moscow will be much easier."

Mikhail spoke.

"Yes, Your Imperial Highness!" Yakov nodded repeatedly.

The Guards Army was the strongest fighting force among the enemy's troops.

If the Guards Army suffered a crushing defeat or was even wiped out, it would be a tremendous blow to the enemy. Then taking Moscow would be even easier.

Once Mikhail's orders were issued, the units under his command swiftly sprang into action.

Unit after unit began picking up the pace toward the battlefield.

The remaining units likewise sped up as much as they could.

Troops that could be transported by rail were sent by rail wherever possible.

These included the artillery regiments of the various divisions, along with other heavy supplies and equipment.

That would greatly increase the troops' marching speed.

Moscow was not far away. Once they annihilated the enemy and took Moscow, the civil war would be all but over.

The Guards Army's siege of the Caucasus Military District's 7th Cavalry Brigade continued.

The 7th Cavalry Brigade had suffered heavy losses under the Guards Army's fierce attacks. The Guards Army's artillery fire was particularly intense, inflicting heavy casualties on the brigade. At the same time, the defensive positions, which had been hastily constructed to begin with, had been battered to pieces by the fierce bombardment.

Even so, the 7th Cavalry Brigade still held off the Guards Army's fierce attacks with powerful infantry support fire from weapons such as light and heavy machine guns and mortars.

Not only that, they also inflicted very heavy losses on the Guards Army.

The outcome infuriated General Alexei, commander of the Guards Army, but he had no other options.

The Guards Army's officers and soldiers had already shown great courage in this battle.

Even after suffering enormous losses, they had continued to attack without pause.

Yet those attacks had accomplished nothing except to increase their own casualties.

Toward evening, the Caucasus Military District's 10th Cavalry Brigade arrived on the battlefield.

The cavalry brigade had no time to rest and immediately launched an attack on the Guards Army.

Faced with the 10th Cavalry Brigade's attack, the Guards Army had to divert troops to resist it, effectively relieving the pressure on the 7th Cavalry Brigade.

At the same time, the arrival of reinforcements gave the officers and soldiers of the 7th Cavalry Brigade a great boost in morale.

Everyone knew that since the 10th Cavalry Brigade had arrived, the other units had to be on their way as well. Soon, they would be able to launch a large-scale counterattack.

As time passed, the battle turned increasingly against the Guards Army.

Its plan to annihilate the 7th Cavalry Brigade had also fallen apart completely once the 10th Cavalry Brigade reached the battlefield.

General Alexei recognized the problem as well.

After nightfall, General Alexei ordered the attacks halted and had defensive lines built in Noginsk instead, in preparation to resist an attack by the Caucasus Military District's forces.

Just as General Alexei had anticipated, the Caucasus Military District's counteroffensive began soon afterward.

On the afternoon of May 18, the Caucasus Military District's 1st Infantry Division arrived on the battlefield. After a brief rest, it joined the large-scale counteroffensive.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

One 76.2 mm field gun and 122 mm howitzer after another opened a fierce bombardment on the Guards Army's hastily constructed defenses.

Besides the 1st Infantry Division, the Caucasus Military District's 8th Cavalry Brigade and 9th Cavalry Brigade, as well as the 7th Cavalry Brigade and 10th Cavalry Brigade, which had already been fighting the Guards Army, also joined the attack.

Suddenly, the Guards Army faced a fierce assault by tens of thousands of Caucasus Military District troops on the Noginsk battlefield.

The Guards Army no longer held any advantage, whether in troop strength or firepower.

Even though they had switched from offense to defense and sought to use their fortifications and the buildings in Noginsk to resist the Caucasus Military District's forces, it was still extremely difficult.

The Caucasus Military District's other units, in particular, were also arriving on the battlefield in a steady stream by rail.

On the morning of May 19, the Caucasus Military District's 3rd Infantry Division arrived and joined the siege of the Guards Army.

On May 20, the heavy artillery brigade also reached the battlefield.

Seventy-two 152 mm heavy howitzers began a fierce bombardment.

The tremendous power of these heavy guns made them veritable building demolishers.

Noginsk was not large to begin with, and under bombardment from the heavy guns, the buildings in the city collapsed one after another.

This inflicted very heavy casualties on the Guards Army.

By then, even if the Guards Army wanted to leave Noginsk and retreat to Moscow, it was utterly unable to do so.

The Caucasus Military District's cavalry had already circled around Noginsk from the flank and cut off the Guards Army's retreat.

The Guards Army was now a turtle trapped in a jar.

Having suffered heavy losses, the Guards Army had no chance of resisting the siege by the Caucasus Military District's forces in the fighting to come.

The complete annihilation of the entire Guards Army was only a matter of time.

Trapped in a desperate situation, the troops' morale inevitably suffered a great deal, even though the Guards Army was reputed to be the finest fighting force in the entire Tsarist Russian Empire.

The situation across the battlefield had become highly favorable to Grand Duke Mikhail.