We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 747: The Outrageous Cold

In the heart of Siberia, the Fengtian Army’s vanguard camp.

The tents were wrapped in thick layers of felt and animal skins, and the gaps were stuffed with snow blocks.

Even so, the biting cold still penetrates every corner, piercing through all warm things.

In the center of the tent, charcoal was burning in a huge copper basin, emitting an orange-red light.

Yang Zhongsi, Wang Sanchun and Yue Yun sat around the charcoal fire, wrapped tightly in fur coats, the white breath they exhaled still condensed into fine white frost on the tips of their beards and eyebrows.

The curtain was lifted, and a cold wind carrying snow foam rushed in, causing the charcoal fire to flicker.

A scout wrapped in a white camouflage cloak staggered in.

When the three heard the sound, they looked and saw that the man's face was covered with ice, his eyebrows and beard were snow-white, his lips were frozen purple, and his whole body was shaking like a sieve.

"Report... Report to the three generals!" The scout's voice was hoarse and trembling, his teeth chattering. "The wind and snow outside were too loud, and no one responded to my report, so I barged in. General, please punish me."

Yang Zhongsi immediately looked up and whispered, "Have you found out the real situation of Yakutsk?"

The scout nodded vigorously, his movements as stiff as a puppet.

Trembling, he reached his hand into the innermost layer of his bosom and pulled out a small scroll tightly wrapped in oil paper and animal skin.

When the scroll was handed over, Yang Zhongsi clearly saw that the skin on the scout's fingers was cracked by the cold, and the bloody wounds deep enough to see the bones were frozen into a purple-blue color, which was a shocking sight.

Yang Zhongsi felt a little depressed. After taking the paper, he said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your hard work. Come over and warm yourself by the fire first."

The scout subconsciously wanted to refuse, his lips moving: "I dare not..."

"What are you wasting your time on!" Wang Sanchun shouted impatiently. He reached out and pulled the scout to his side, forcing him to squat. "Just roast him if I tell you to. You're freezing to death, and you're still trying to gather military intelligence!"

The scout's body stiffened, then gratitude welled up in his eyes, and he quickly saluted with his fists clasped together: "Thank you, General!"

He approached the charcoal brazier cautiously, greedily absorbing the weak heat.

The stiff body stretched slightly and let out a painful groan.

Yang Zhongsi stopped looking at him and unfolded the roll of paper.

The writing on it is written with a special ink that is not easy to freeze, but it still appears intermittent and stiff.

Obviously, the writer also suffered great pain in the extreme cold.

He read every word, his brows furrowed more and more.

The only sounds in the tent were the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the scout's suppressed breathing.

Wang Sanchun couldn't help but rub his hands together, leaning in closer and asking, "Marshal, what's going on? What the hell is this 'Yakutsk'?"

Yang Zhongsi slowly closed the intelligence file and closed his eyes to digest what he saw.

After a while, he opened his eyes and said in a serious voice:

"The enemy situation is very complex. The city's defenders, along with civilians and craftsmen, number approximately 70,000 to 80,000, according to scouts' distant observations."

"Only 70,000 or 80,000?" Wang Sanchun's eyes widened. "I thought they were a tough nut to crack, but with this small number of people, can't we just charge and take them down?"

"The number of people isn't the key," Yang Zhongsi interrupted. "The key is the complex climate there. It's simply not a place for people to stay."

He took a deep breath, feeling the chill running through his lungs.

"Scouts say that in the area where Yakutsk is located, you can hear the breath turning to ice immediately upon exhalation. Fish pulled from the river are as hard as stone, and steel is as brittle as ice, breaking at the slightest effort."

"Even more terrifying... the scouts, wearing thick leather boots, had only been outdoors for less than a quarter of an hour when the leather on the soles of their shoes froze and cracked."

Wang Sanchun took a breath when he heard this.

Even though he was extremely brave, he was still frightened by this description.

"Hiss... Damn it! Is there really such a hellish place in the world? Is this even a place where people live? Are those white-skinned ghosts made of iron?"

After saying that, he looked at the scout beside him and said, "Boy, have you seen Yakutsk with your own eyes?"

The scout shook his head with difficulty. "This information was obtained by several colleagues who risked their lives. They couldn't get into the city, so they could only wait outside."

"After just one night, six of the eight brothers froze to death. The remaining two barely managed to return and hand over the information to someone, but they died from their injuries not long after."

After these words were spoken, Yang Zhongsi and the other two remained silent for a long while.

In the end, we underestimated the power of nature. Everyone knows that the north is cold, but we didn't expect it to be so extremely cold.

What they don’t know is that Yakutsk is built on permafrost, and to the north is the Arctic Circle, making it the coldest city in the world.

Yue Yun, who was standing by, was silent for a moment before he said in a deep voice, "So they need to plunder large quantities of furs, at any cost. Only by wearing the thickest furs can they survive in that hell."

He looked at the charcoal brazier, the flames dancing in his eyes. "Those Cossack fur coats we seized were probably just their most common cold-weather gear."

Yang Zhongsi nodded heavily. "This is the most terrible thing. Winter has just begun, and according to the captives, the coldest season is still to come."

"Most of the soldiers we brought with us are from Qing. How could they have ever experienced such extreme cold?"

Feng State had only been growing cotton for four years, and the output was not enough to supply the entire army.

The Ministry of War also produced a batch of cotton armor, which was light and strong, and the largest number was sent to the Northern Military Region, but there were only more than 10,000 sets, which was a drop in the bucket.

As for ordinary armor, don't even think about it. Wearing armor in this kind of weather is tantamount to seeking death.

Yang Zhongsi paused, his tone growing graver: "As for the muskets and artillery... in this kind of awful weather, maintaining them is extremely difficult."

"Gun barrels can frost, gunpowder can become ineffective due to moisture, grease can freeze, and even metal parts can become brittle and explode due to extreme cold."

"The scouts witnessed it with their own eyes. They tried firing a shot in the wild, but the sparks from the flint striking each other were much weaker."

"When a major war really comes, I'm afraid our mortars and muskets will only be able to exert 30% of their full potential."

As soon as these words were spoken, the tent fell into deathly silence.

The Fengtian Army's pride in its firepower advantage and sophisticated armor was largely destroyed by the harsh natural environment in this extremely cold place.

Yue Yun spoke first, his voice calm, "If we were to attack Yakutsk by force alone, we would suffer unimaginable casualties from frostbite, and our firepower would be greatly reduced. Even if we could capture it, the cost would be extremely heavy."

"For now, we can only temporarily suspend the offensive and wait for His Highness's order."

Yang Zhongsi nodded slowly. "A strong attack is indeed unwise. The dangers of the northern border are far beyond our imagination. One wrong step will lead to eternal damnation, and tens of thousands of soldiers will be buried in the icy plains."

At this moment, the soldiers' urgent announcement came from outside the tent again:

"Report——"

"Generals, an urgent military order has arrived from heaven, traveling eight hundred miles!"

The three people in the tent suddenly stood up, and a gleam of light flashed in Yang Zhongsi's eyes:

"Quick! Pass it!"