When talking about Ivan the Terrible’s role in Russian history, we have to mention his “magnificent martial arts”. In fact, Ivan the Terrible’s external expansion has few successes. In the direction of expansion, Livonia was beaten black and blue by King Sigismund of Poland. In the south, Crimean Khan, a vassal of the Turks, even allowed the Crimean Khan to break through the capital Moscow. His only commendable victory was to break through the city of Kazan. , eliminated the Kazan Khanate in the easternmost part of Europe, but this victory relied on an Englishman. 1. Western military technology entered Eastern Europe. Since the Kazan Khanate split from its mother country, the Golden Horde, in the 15th century, this Khanate has The country fell into the long Moscow-Russia war. Unlike the declining mother country, this emerging khanate was full of vitality. They learned advanced gunpowder weapon production technology through long-term foreign trade, and even conquered the world's military. The Iqta system was transferred to its own country on a small scale, which greatly enhanced its military strength. However, when Russia, which also learned and even more comprehensively studied Western military technology, completed its unification, the Kazan Khanate headed for irreversible destruction. ▲The yellow part in the picture is the Kazan Khanate. In the early 1650s, Ivan the Terrible took charge and completed Russia's military reform, bringing Russia's total military strength to 300,000. At the same time, he imitated the Western phalanx tactics and professional military system. In order to advance westward with all his strength, Ivan the Terrible decided to eliminate the Kazan Khanate as a worry first. The Softest Ivan the Terrible 2, Ivan the Terrible's Expedition In the spring of 1551, Ivan the Terrible built a castle on the upper reaches of Volga near Kazan City as an expedition base. The castle was across the river from Kazan City, which was beneficial. Cutting off the land and water transportation of Kazan City. Ivan the Terrible used this base to stock up on supplies. Large quantities of grain, ordnance, and siege materials were transported here by barges hauled by trackers along the Volga River. In addition to preparations for direct military conquest, Ivan the Terrible The emperor also took advantage of the internal struggle of the Kazan Khanate to put a puppet on the throne. ▲The cavalry of the Russian army was mainly composed of nobles and their retinues. In the spring of 1522, Ivan the Terrible even sent officials to the city of Kazan, as if he wanted to. Turning the Kazan Khanate into a Russian territory, the angry Kazan people first expelled the Russian lackey Khan, and then closed the city gates and refused to accept the officials sent by Ivan the Terrible. Then, the Kazan people elected a brave Tatar. Prince Yediger served as their leader. The development of the situation was under the control of Ivan the Terrible. In June 1522, Ivan the Terrible led an expedition to Kazan Khan with a huge army comparable to the Battle of the Don. He wanted to seize the city of Kazan. His army numbered 150,000 and had 150 light and heavy artillery. In addition to the wandering Cossacks and thick-haired Russians, there were many well-dressed men with short beards in his camp. Western Europeans. Those Western Europeans from all over the world appeared at Ivan the Terrible's side in the form of military staff and technical advisors, and one of them, the British, would play a decisive role in the ensuing siege. ▲New. Sharp Infantry Regiment - Shooting Army At this critical moment of life and death, the Kazan Khanate carried out general mobilization. With Yediger's efforts, he successfully gathered 65,000 soldiers and 100 cannons, including 30,000 cavalry and a similar number of infantry. Many nomads from both sides of the Ural River also came to help in the battle. Yediger knew that his army was no match for the Russian army in the field. His plan was to divide his army into two, with one half guarding the city of Kazan and the other half maintaining mobility outside the city. As long as he could hold on until November. In the winter, the Russians would have to retreat shamefully, and then he would attack with his entire army to encircle the city. At the same time, Yediger's letter requesting help floated like snowflakes to the south, Bechsarai, the capital of the Crimean Khanate. ▲Tatar warriors of the Kazan Khanate On June 26, 1552, the Russian expeditionary force that set out from the south relied on its strong military strength to defeat a Crimean army trying to rescue Kazan near the city of Tula. Having lost his restraining power, Ivan the Terrible finally felt relieved and allowed his army to calmly advance towards the border of the Kazan Khanate.
Yapancha had led many successful raids into Russia in the past, and he was considered an outstanding Mongol general in the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, Yapancha, like most Mongolians, has no understanding of contemporary innovations in military art. ▲Yapancha is no different from the past. Yapancha carefully hid outside the Russian siege camp and continuously depleted the morale and logistics of the Russian army by continuously attacking small groups of Russian troops and Russian transport convoys. Ivan the Terrible sent cavalry troops many times to find Yapancha for a decisive battle, but Yapancha was always able to escape the moment before the Russian army caught him. As long as the Yapancha headquarters continues to exist, it will be impossible for the Russian army to attack the Kazan Khanate with all its strength. The angry Ivan the Terrible severely whipped the Russian generals for their ineffective efforts to punish them for their incompetence in combat. ▲The elite cavalry of the Kazan Khanate On September 8, Yapancha once again attacked the Russian siege camp in the north of Kazan City. After succeeding, Yapancha calmly evacuated to the forest area. Ivan the Terrible adjusted his strategy this time. He sent 18,000 soldiers led by the great nobleman Shuisky to pursue Yapancha. The Russian pursuit force was mainly composed of shooting corps, with only 3,000 cavalry, and the rest were infantry. Yapancha, who despised the infantry and still had superior strength, soon learned that the number of Russian troops chasing him was far less than his and most of them were infantry, so he chose to turn around and attack them head-on. This battle not only cost Yapancha his life, but also ruined the fate of the Kazan Khanate. ▲The victory of the Shooting Army against the Tatars When Schuysky saw the mighty Tatar cavalry appearing in front of him, he did not waver at all. He organized his army according to the new tactics he learned and fought against the Tatars. He placed the infantry in a line on the left, center and right in the center, the cavalry on the flanks, and the artillery in the front. The Tatar cavalry braved the terror of raining bullets to seize the Russian artillery positions again and again, and then were defeated again and again in front of the Russian spear wall. The Tatars fought from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. They were exhausted and suffered heavy casualties. Schuysky seized the opportunity and threw cavalry on the battlefield. The Tatars collapsed, and Yapancha fought to the last moment, until one of the Cossacks chopped off his head and stuck it on the point of a spear. 5. The British made extraordinary achievements. The destruction of Yapancha's troops heralded the Russian army's general attack on Kazan City. On October 11, the temperature in Eastern Europe began to drop suddenly. In the morning, countless sleepy-eyed Russian soldiers were driven out of the trenches by the officers with knife points and whips, and were raped and reorganized. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, thousands of Russian troops began to forcefully cross the Kazan moat along the prepared boats and bridges. ▲The Russian matchlock gunners covering the crossing and the arrogant Russian soldiers on the moat echoed the Russian artillery positions. Their shelling over the past few days caused serious damage to the Kazan city wall. Large sections of the city wall were blown down, and many Kazan defenders died. . Thanks to their efforts, a large gap appeared in the eastern section of the Kazan Wall this morning. At this moment, they still used full firepower to cover the friendly forces crossing the river. ▲The matchlock gun is not exclusive to the Russians. Even with artillery cover, the situation of the Russian army crossing the river was still quite bad. The defenders of Kazan City may lack heavy artillery, but their abundance of small arms is no mean feat. A storm of bullets and arrows rained down on the unprotected heads of the Russian army, and dozens of Slavs fell headlong into the cold river water. The fearless and dedicated Slavs still managed to cross the turbulent moat by virtue of their superior strength. As soon as they set foot on the soft soil, they scrambled to climb the hills. Yediger concentrated the remaining artillery in the city to bombard the climbing Russian army. The dense shot shells caused the Russian siege troops to fly with blood and flesh, and their ranks were loose. But the Russian soldiers were more afraid of the tsar's wrath than the Kazan shotguns. They endured the continuous casualties with difficulty while running toward the gap in the city wall on the top of the hill. The Russian soldiers who were lucky enough not to be shot ended their luck when they reached the top of the hill, where a swarm of Tatar samurai warriors awaited them at the gap. ▲A river of blood flowed. The battle continued into the evening, but the Russians abandoned the bodies of their comrades and retreated. The irritable Ivan the Terrible was furious and punished several generals who commanded the siege.
Ivan's anger is justified. If today's battle situation is estimated, it will be impossible for the Russian army to break through Kazan City before winter comes, and he will have to retreat in humiliation! Just when Ivan the Terrible was angry, a British military adviser came to him with a brilliant idea. ""Just do as you say, I will reward you heavily after taking the city. "Ivan the Terrible said. That night, the British adviser led a group of Russian soldiers deep into the underground tunnels and used hundreds of barrels of black explosives to blow up a large section of the city wall in the southeastern section of Kazan City. At dawn on October 12, the Russian army The Kazan defenders launched a second general attack in panic. This time, the Kazan defenders failed to create a miracle. The Russian troops broke into many gaps and fought in the streets with the Kazan soldiers and civilians who retreated into the city. , the Russian army has controlled the entire city of Kazan, Kazan Khan Yediger was captured by the tsar, and the Kazan Khanate, which had been in power for hundreds of years, was declared destroyed!