Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 99

As Li Yuanhong pondered these matters, the car finally stopped in the committee's courtyard.

Chapter 349 The Discussion on Sending Troops North

When Li Yuanhong entered the Military Commission's map room, he found it already full of people. The meeting had actually started in the morning, so he was considered late. However, someone quickly handed him a stack of documents. Li Yuanhong glanced at them and felt that he hadn't missed much, since the morning's discussion had mainly focused on reviewing the defensive positions at Shanhaiguan.

After sitting down and listening for a while, I realized that two main opinions had actually been formed at the meeting. The first was to support heading north, with Sun Tzu as the core. Sun Tzu was a first-term graduate of the Japanese Naval Academy and the founder of the Huguang militia organization, and he had a high reputation in the army. The second was to advocate setting up defenses along the Yellow River and waiting to see how the situation changed, with Cai Hanqing as the main advocate. Cai Hanqing and Cai E went to Berlin to study military affairs together and were later recalled to serve as chiefs of staff, assisting Cai E in reorganizing the uprising troops into the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.

Although Cai Hanqing had fewer supporters, they were more united. Sun Wu, on the other hand, had more supporters, but they had different opinions on the issue of marching north. Some were focused on killing the enemy and believed that marching north meant heading straight to the front lines and fighting the Russian army. Others advocated taking advantage of the situation to occupy Beijing and destroy the Qing Dynasty. Still others advocated entering Shanxi to occupy territory, and so on.

According to Li Yuanhong, even Sun Tzu himself hadn't decided whether to attack the Russians first, the Manchus first, or both simultaneously when heading north. It was precisely because of his own indecisiveness that Cai Hanqing's proposal to fortify the Yellow River wasn't suppressed. However, Cai E hadn't yet spoken out, so he couldn't yet see which side would ultimately prevail.

Just as Li Yuanhong was pondering, Cai E called on him and asked him to share his thoughts. After a moment's thought, Li Yuanhong said, "Based on the information we have gathered so far, we should have no problem fighting a positional war against the Russians. However, our army, no, the Qing army, is not performing well against the Russian cavalry."

Datong and Zhangjiakou are both areas without railways, where cavalry have much greater mobility than infantry. If our army is really going to move north to fight the Russian army, it's best to avoid open field battles on flat ground; otherwise, the chances of our army being ambushed by cavalry would be very high…”

Li Yuanhong avoided the question of whether or not to seize Beijing while the opportunity was at hand, only discussing the risks of engaging the Russian cavalry on flat ground. However, at this point, Tian Junyi asked him, "When the Russian army attacks us from the north, is it possible that they will send warships to blockade the mouth of the Yangtze River, cutting off our maritime trade routes?"

After a moment of silence, Li Yuanhong replied, "It's not impossible. However, Russia doing so would inevitably anger the British..."

Tian Junyi, however, did not care about what Li Yuanhong said next. He did not want to place his hopes on the British. As long as there was such a possibility, he would think about how to deal with it.

Cai E finally made up his mind and said to everyone, "I think we should still head north, not to defend the Qing Dynasty, but to protect the people of Inner Mongolia and Shanxi."

First, the fact that the Yi Army sent us a telegram requesting assistance indicates that they are already stretched thin. If we refuse their request, then the Yi Army will lose its will to resist the Russian army. If the Yi Army abandons its will to resist the Russian army, then the area outside the Great Wall will truly be a scene of devastation.

"We've already lost half of Outer Mongolia. If we lose the area from Zhangjiakou to Datong, there's no guarantee that Inner Mongolia won't be isolated and surrender to the Russians. In that case, the Russian army deep in Shanxi wouldn't be an isolated force, but a vanguard with a secure rear. Once the Russians occupy Inner Mongolia, and establish a border with us along the Great Wall, Manchuria, Inner and Outer Mongolia will inevitably fall. Will Xinjiang still be able to hold out then?"

Cai E's question silenced everyone in the conference room. Everything they had just discussed was based on the assumption that the banners of Inner Mongolia wouldn't surrender to the Russian army. If they did, it would indeed be a major problem. Given the precedent of Kulun, no one could guarantee that the banners of Inner Mongolia wouldn't succumb to the overwhelming military power of Russia.

If Manchuria, Inner and Outer Mongolia, and Xinjiang were all lost, it would be equivalent to cutting off a large chunk of northern China. The Russians could indeed establish the foundation for an Eastern empire in the Far East, which would truly be a nightmare for China. In contrast, the stalemate at Shanhaiguan is unlikely to change the enormous strategic advantage Russia has gained.

Cai E then continued, "Therefore, we must send a strong force into Shanxi as soon as possible to recapture Datong and annihilate this Russian cavalry force. Only by achieving such a victory can we deter those ambitious individuals with ulterior motives in the north."

As for proposals such as marching north to occupy Zhengding and threaten Beijing, or heading straight for Beijing, or going to Zhangjiakou to join forces with the Yi Army, I believe these are not the focus of current military operations in the north. If we don't even dare to fight the Russian army in Datong, how can we expect the Manchus to withdraw from Beijing? Wouldn't we then be reduced to the same level as the Manchus, fighting only for power and profit?

I believe that even if we capture Beijing, the people will find it difficult to accept, and Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army will certainly not surrender easily. What we can do, they can certainly do too. If the Beiyang Army abandons its defenses against the Russians and comes to fight us, should we fight or retreat? Fighting will please our enemies, retreating will make us a laughingstock, and in the end, we will be the ones in a predicament.”

Tian Junyi also agreed with Cai E's view: "To seize Beijing under the banner of marching north to resist Russia is clearly a political blunder. If we really wanted to attack Beijing, why would we need such a banner? Couldn't we take Beijing through a fair and square Northern Expedition? Doing so would only give Yuan Shikai an excuse to resist us. We cannot do such a foolish thing."

The Russian army is now bypassing Inner Mongolia to attack Shanxi. Although they have achieved a military victory, this has also aroused the righteous indignation of the entire nation. At this time, if we refuse to move north, we will lose the support of the people; if we move north and attack the Qing government instead of the Russians, we will also lose the support of the people. For us, the support of the people is more important than anything else, because it is the foundation of the committee's governance.

The reason we are now able to establish a separatist regime in Huguang to resist the Qing court is threefold: first, the Manchu autocracy has aroused dissatisfaction among the Han Chinese governors and viceroys, and contradictions have emerged within the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty; second, the Qing court's ceding of territory and payment of indemnities have made the people lose sight of China's future, and people are yearning for change; and third, we represent the interests of the broadest masses of the people.

Therefore, we must not violate the above three points: we must not allow our enemies to unite, we must not allow the people to doubt our political goals, and we must not allow ourselves to deviate from the fundamental interests of the people. Therefore, politically, I also believe we should accept the Yi Army's invitation to send troops to fight against the Russian army in order to protect our homeland.

However, the northward march to resist Russia should not be a purely military operation; it should also be a political propaganda campaign. Even if we do not control the northern regions now, we will still liberate the people there in the future, therefore we must spread our message.

Furthermore, we must maintain our political independence. We are here to defend our homeland, not to protect the oppression of the people by the Manchus and landlords. Therefore, we will not accept orders from the imperial court, and local governments should cooperate with our actions. We must support and protect the resistance actions of the local working people…”

Cai E and Tian Junyi, one with military expertise and the other with political acumen, both provided detailed analyses of the northward march to resist the Russian army, finally calming the debate in the meeting room. Li Yuanhong soon discovered that the purpose of summoning him to Wuhan was not to attend a meeting, but to request that he develop a contingency plan for the defense of the Yangtze River.

Although the Military Commission believed that the probability of the Russian army using its navy to attack Wuhan was not high, the probability of the Russian army blockading the mouth of the Yangtze River was not low. Therefore, the Military Commission made a preliminary contingency plan to deal with the Russian army's blockade of the Yangtze River mouth transportation. However, Tian Junyi was still somewhat worried that the Russian army would disguise itself as a merchant ship to attack Wuhan. Therefore, he asked Li Yuanhong to make a defense plan to ensure the safety of Wuhan.

Li Yuanhong, of course, understood Tian Junyi's concerns. The core of Hubei and Hunan was now Hankou and Hanyang; if these areas were to be attacked by the Russian navy, even just a few shells would inflict significant losses on the committee. At the end of their conversation, Tian Junyi also cautioned him, "Don't just worry about Russian attacks; we must also guard against the British, Japanese, French, and the imperial warships. For us, we have no friends other than the people and the Red Army..."

Although he felt that Tian Junyi was being overly nervous, Li Yuanhong still earnestly assured him that he would take precautions carefully and would not allow a single suspicious vessel to pass through Jiujiang.

On March 12, Yuan Shikai received a telegram from Wuhan in which the Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Committee agreed to send troops, but demanded the return of the Zhengtai Railway. In 1896, the Governor of Shanxi petitioned the court to build the Zhengtai Railway and connect it with the Luhan Railway. Although the court granted permission, the railway project was delayed due to the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion.

The railway was originally built by the Russians, but because the Russians occupied Manchuria and refused to withdraw, the French eventually took over the project. Unlike the Russians, who built the railway to extend their influence into Shanxi, the French knew they couldn't extend their influence deep into Shanxi. Therefore, they only wanted to make money from the railway. To save costs, the French canceled the Hutuo River Bridge, turning the Zhengtai Railway into the Shitai Railway, and also designed the railway to be narrow gauge.

Due to wrangling between the Qing government and the French, construction did not begin until February 1904, and only about two-thirds of the 243-kilometer-long railway was completed. The Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Committee believed that it was necessary to connect the Beijing-Hankou Railway and the Zhengtai Railway, and to reconstruct the Zhengtai Railway to a standard gauge, so that the journey from Wuhan to Taiyuan could be completed in one train without the need for transfers.

Yuan Shikai was also dissatisfied with the Zhengtai Railway contract, especially since it was signed by his political rival, Sheng Xuanhuai. However, he did not want any conflict with the French, but he was more worried about Wuhan sending troops directly into Beijing. Therefore, in principle, he agreed that the Wuhan troops should enter Shanxi from Shijiazhuang, without crossing the Baoding line, thus ensuring Beijing's safety.

He then telegraphed Wuhan, authorizing it to negotiate with the French, but demanding that Wuhan send troops north to capture Datong as soon as possible, preventing the Russian army from establishing a foothold in the Yanbei region. While Yuan Shikai was sending this telegram to Wuhan, a contingent of Russian cavalry had already entered Chaoyang Prefecture and begun establishing supply depots for the main army.

Chapter 350 Each with their own agenda

After the military conference, Cai E consulted with the General Staff and transferred the First Workers' and Peasants' Division stationed in Hankou and the Seventh Workers' and Peasants' Division stationed in Nanyang to form the First Army Group. Fu Cixiang's troops were also incorporated into the Thirteenth Division and included in the First Army Group.

At the same time, Cai E, by order of the Military Commission, ordered the Yi Army troops stationed along the Xuchang-Zhengzhou line to be reorganized and expanded into the 14th Division, responsible for the railway security between Xuchang and Shijiazhuang. He also transferred a regiment from the 3rd Division to reinforce the 14th Division and established Zhengzhou as the general logistics base of the First Army Group.

Personnel were also drawn from the 2nd and 4th Divisions to form the 15th Division, filling the defensive gap left by the departure of the 1st Division. The third cohort of students from the Wuhan Army Command School graduated early and were assigned to the 7th, 13th, 14th, and 15th Divisions, and the number of short-term non-commissioned officer training slots for the fifth cohort was expanded.

On March 18, Lan Tianwei led a part of the 7th Division to Xuchang and met with Yang Kaijia, who was ordered to form the 14th Division. In fact, before this, Yang Kaijia had already begun to take charge of the logistics and recruitment work of the Yi Army in Henan, because the Yi Army itself had no experience in managing territory, and Henan could not provide logistics for a modern army.

Initially, Ma Yukun still wanted to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty, after all, he felt that he was already so old, and there was no point in changing allegiance at this point. However, after his defeat at the front, the Manchu nobles in Beijing stopped paying attention to him. In this respect, these Manchu nobles were indeed not as far removed as Empress Dowager Cixi. When they needed the Yi Army, they dared to make any promises, but when they didn't need it, they didn't recognize Ma Yukun at all.

Although Yuan Shikai was willing to provide aid to the Yi Army, he was even more eager to absorb them. Thus, Ma Yukun realized that the imperial court was not as benevolent as the rebels on the other side. Although Empress Dowager Cixi was willing to appease him, the funds allocated were intercepted by the Manchus and the Beiyang Army. By the time they reached him, the funds were barely enough to keep the Yi Army from starving. Development and relief were out of the question.

Ma Yukun himself certainly wouldn't go hungry, but he couldn't ignore the needs of his subordinates. If he couldn't provide them with a way out, who would be willing to follow him into battle? Although some officers advocated aligning with the Beiyang clique, many more felt it was better to go to Wuhan. This was because the Beiyang clique wasn't part of the Huai clique; it was Yuan Shikai's direct subordinates. If they went with them, they would be treated like stepchildren. So it was better to go to Wuhan, where at least there weren't a bunch of Manchu lords to serve.

With the Russians occupying Kulun, the imperial court issued an order to deploy the Yi Army northward to defend the border, finally ending this debate. The Yi Army was well aware that with their current equipment, they were no match for the Russian army if they marched north. After their encounter with Wuhan, the Yi Army understood the limits of their combat capabilities.

Now that they are aligned with the Beiyang Army, Yuan Shikai can't offer them any support, since the areas Yuan Shikai is defending are the most easily accessible to the Russian army. Therefore, if the Yi Army cannot find another strong backup, it is likely that the Yi Army will be wiped out if the Russian army actually attacks during this northward deployment.

Faced with the demoralization of his troops, Ma Yukun had no choice but to send someone to contact Wuhan. At first, he just wanted to see if he could buy a batch of weapons, but Wuhan was obviously more generous than he had imagined. They said that as long as the Yi Army was heading north to fight against Russia instead of suppressing the people, they would support the Yi Army with a batch of weapons.

So Ma Yukun quickly reached an agreement with Wuhan. With the main force of the Yi Army heading north, all the barracks left by the Yi Army in Henan were handed over to Wuhan. Nominally, the area north of Xuchang was still under the control of the Yi Army, but in reality, the Yi Army there had been reorganized and reorganized by Wuhan. Of the three battalions that Fu Cixiang initially led north, one battalion was indeed composed of former Yi Army soldiers.

Now that Wuhan and Beiyang have reached an agreement, the name of the Yi Army is truly just a facade, and Wuhan's influence can now reach Shijiazhuang directly by rail. For the Yi Army personnel remaining in Henan, they did not resist Wuhan's reorganization order. After a long period of contact with Wuhan, they understood that accepting reorganization was the best option, because the Yi Army simply could not survive independently; they had no territory.

The Yellow River Railway Bridge has been completed, but some finishing touches remain; however, traffic is no longer an issue. On March 20th, Cai E arrived in Zhengzhou and held talks with Xu Shichang, a representative of the imperial court. Although nominally representing the court, Xu Shichang was actually representing Yuan Shikai.

The main points of Xu Shichang and Cai E's negotiations were that the Wuhan army should not cross Zhengding, nor should it harass the local area after entering Shanxi. The next issue was the handover of local logistics and supplies after the Wuhan army crossed the Yellow River.

Faced with the densely packed articles presented by Xu Shichang, Cai E simply smiled and said, "If Governor Yuan doesn't want us to cross the river, we can actually stay in Henan."

Xu Shichang glanced at the text in his hand, chuckled, and tossed it aside, saying, "General Cai is right. Then let's make a gentleman's agreement. This is a national war. The court won't hold you back, and you shouldn't hold the court back either. As for what happens after the war, we'll see how things turn out."

Cai E immediately replied solemnly, "We are heading north only for the people. We don't care what the court thinks. Protecting the people is not a matter of before or after war. Even during wartime, the court cannot harm the people."

My only reply to Governor-General Yuan is this: the main purpose of our army's northward march is to resist Russia, therefore we will never easily provoke a civil war. However, our army's northward march is to protect the people, not to protect the landlords. Therefore, in the areas our army passes through, rent and interest reduction policies must be implemented. For those local tyrants and bullies who disregard our policies or collude with the Russian army to oppose us, we will certainly take measures.”

Hearing this, Xu Shichang felt uncomfortable. He had seen the reports submitted by the Henan local officials in the Grand Council and knew that Wuhan's rent and interest reduction policy had indeed caused widespread resentment in the local area. The main reason was that the landlords were very angry and were demanding that the court send troops to restore peace to Henan. What he disliked was not the content of the policy, but Wuhan's attitude of treating itself as the court.

However, he was undoubtedly relieved. Before heading south, he met with Yuan Shikai, who had told him about this matter. Yuan said, "I am not afraid that the Wuhan army will continue to promote their laborism after they go north. The local landlords in the north rely on the land to make a living. If they do this, they will be cutting off their source of income. This is more hateful to them than killing their parents."

My current concern is that once the Wuhan army marches north, they'll become too close to the local authorities. They're powerful now, and if they continue to win over the hearts and minds of the people, the world could truly change. This "laborism" isn't anything new to me; isn't it just the same old Taiping Rebellion's scheme of equalizing wealth? But in the end, the Heavenly King still ended up with 88 wives and concubines. That slogan was just a way to fool ignorant villagers.

Once their upper echelons begin to corrupt, their slogans will no longer deceive the people below. At that point, all the propertied classes in the land will rise up against them, which will actually be a good thing for us…”

Xu Shichang pondered for a moment and then accepted Cai E's proposal. However, he quickly brought up another matter: "Our country is already struggling to deal with Russia. Is it necessary to continue the stalemate with Britain? What are your thoughts on the demarcation of the Tibetan border?"

Cai E thought for a moment and then said, "Foreign affairs are none of my business. I'm here to be in charge of the anti-Russian affairs. Commissioner Qin will soon be heading north to attend the National Assembly meeting in April. You might as well discuss this matter with him."

Russia's declaration of war against China caused the National Assembly, originally scheduled to convene last winter, to be postponed until April of this year. Xu Shichang still held great hope for this National Assembly, because he believed that the current court no longer had the strength to continue its autocratic rule, and only by convening a National Assembly to draft a constitution could the Qing Dynasty's fate be prolonged.

With the conclusion of the negotiations, Xu Shichang returned to Beijing and quickly handed over the section of the Yellow River Railway Bridge to Shijiazhuang to Wuhan. At this time, intelligence about the Russian army's large-scale advance on Chengde had reached Tianjin, and Yuan Shikai began to feel anxious. He knew that once the Russian army broke through Zhangjiakou from Chengde, the northwestern gate of Beijing would be opened.

Although logistical constraints limited the Russian forces' ability to launch an attack on Beijing from the northwest, the Beiyang Fleet was clearly incapable of withstanding a two-pronged Russian offensive simultaneously. This meant Beijing might have to surrender. In the current situation, a surrender from Beijing would automatically grant Wuhan the support of the southern provinces, as only Wuhan was currently capable of resisting the continued southward advance of the Russian army.

Since the signing of the Boxer Protocol, the Qing court's prestige had plummeted. Even Li Hongzhang was disgraced as a result. Yuan Shikai knew he lacked Li Hongzhang's prestige to suppress the forced signing of treaties with Russia that ceded territory and paid indemnities, thus artificially prolonging the Qing Dynasty's life. Therefore, if Beijing surrendered again, the Qing Dynasty would truly perish, and a period of warlordism would ensue.

Under these circumstances, he could no longer care about the consequences of the Wuhan army entering Shanxi. He could only urge Wuhan to send troops to Shanxi as soon as possible to besiege or contain the Russian army in Datong, preventing them from attacking the rear of Zhangjiakou, thus forming a pincer movement against the Zhangjiakou garrison.

On March 22, Lan Tianwei led a regiment to Shijiazhuang, then transferred to a small train to Yangquan, and then walked to Taiyuan, arriving on the evening of March 24. On the morning of the 25th, Zhang Renjun, the governor of Shanxi, met with Lan Tianwei outside the city. The two exchanged the latest intelligence and learned that Russian cavalry had appeared near Daixian. Lan Tianwei immediately stated that he would head north immediately, but requested that Shanxi assist in establishing supply depots along the route. If the logistical route was not smooth, then this battle could not continue.

Seeing that Lan Tianwei had no intention of lingering in the provincial capital, Zhang Renjun breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately accepted the other party's request and ordered Yao Hongfa, the commander of the Shanxi New Army, to assist Lan Tianwei's troops in their northward campaign. On March 28, Lan Tianwei's troops arrived at Yanmen Pass and joined forces with the Shanxi New Army stationed there.

According to Yao Hongfa's subordinates, Shuozhou to the west was still in their hands. A Russian cavalry unit was stationed near Shuihepu, less than eight kilometers outside Yanmen Pass, but the Shanxi New Army had not engaged them in battle, simply guarding the pass as ordered by their commander. Initially, the Russian cavalry frequently came to Yanmen Pass to provoke them, but now they only came in the morning and returned in the afternoon.

Lan Tianwei realized he wasn't getting much information from these Shanxi people anymore, so he made up his mind and said to his men, "If we're going to fight, we need to capture a few people alive to get information. Otherwise, we can't fight this battle. We don't even know where the enemy is. What are we fighting for? Tonight, let's send a battalion to raid Shuihepu and capture a few people alive..."

Chapter 351 Yanbei

After finishing his log for the day, Makar Karpov emerged from his house, gazing at the moonlight as he prepared to check the sentry posts and stretch his limbs. Their current barracks were a house belonging to a wealthy Chinese peasant, a rather large estate, though not comparable to a Russian landowner's manor, it surpassed the dwellings of an ordinary Russian wealthy peasant.

The mansion was divided into dozens of living areas by a series of courtyards. Some areas were for the family's servants, while others were for visiting guests or passing merchants. Shuihepu was located on a major transportation route, so there were many merchants coming and going. This family obviously had their own business, so there were several large courtyards in the front yard for storing large livestock, carriages, and goods. Their half-man could easily accommodate them.

Of course, the owner was initially reluctant to give up his house and even offered them money to get rid of them. However, under Karpof's threats, the owner eventually gave up his front yard and carefully moved his family to the backyard. Karpof could sense the Chinese people's disgust and fear towards them; clearly, the Cossacks' bad reputation had spread here.

Although General Misinko demanded that everyone abide by military discipline and not attack the pitiful Chinese, expecting a Cossack to follow military discipline was clearly an unrealistic expectation. Even if General Misinko himself knew it was unlikely, the fact that everyone refrained from violating military discipline in front of him was already considered a great show of respect for his orders.

For those Cossacks who were out of the general's sight, they would attack villages that seemed relatively wealthy at will, forcing the Chinese in the villages to hand over money and young women.

Take, for example, the village they were currently in. Although they hadn't harassed the women of the host family, the village had a population of one or two thousand, making it relatively easy to find young women. All the villagers could do was pay to ransom their families, as they were no match for 85 military knives. The Chinese troops there didn't dare confront them at all, fleeing to the mountains before they even arrived.

Their unit had no further southward mission to begin with, so the Chinese troops' departure wasn't a bad thing for them. On the contrary, it gave them a rare vacation, at least allowing them to temporarily escape the war. The war had dragged on for far too long, and even the Cossacks were beginning to grow weary of it.

Of course, the main reason they were tired of the war was that they missed the campaign to attack Beijing. After being conscripted to the East, they had been chasing after those red-bearded men on the black soil and had not gained any benefits at all.

Although they set up sentry posts, they didn't set them up outside the main gate, but only at the entrance to the courtyard. Because of the high walls and the gate, even the Cossacks on guard duty secretly drank and chatted, showing no sense of responsibility as guards. After all, these high walls seemed too safe.

Only when Karpov appeared did the Cossacks remember their duty, but judging from their drunken burps, Karpov had little hope for them. Tonight was their last night here; tomorrow they would meet up with Major Nikolai Lebedev, as their mission was essentially complete.

Considering it was the last night, Karlpof didn't say anything to his drunken men. But as he crossed the gate to check the stables in the front yard, he suddenly felt a shadow moving on the ground and instinctively looked up.

Zhao Sheng, who was crouching on the wall and trying to climb onto the roof of the stable, saw the Russian walking with his head down suddenly raise his head. Without thinking, he raised his Mauser pistol and fired a shot. The distance between the two was less than 10 meters, so the Russian was hit in the forehead and fell down before he could react.

The gunshot ignited the night battle at Shuihepu. Compared to the well-prepared Chinese, the Russians were completely unprepared for such an attack. In the past two months of fighting, they had never encountered such an attack, which made them forget the lessons they had learned from fighting Red Beard in Manchuria.

Because the Russians all thought tonight was their last night of revelry, and that such carefree days wouldn't come after they returned to meet Major Nikolai Lebedev, they were all quite tipsy, not yet drunk, but rather dulled. The initial gunshots didn't even alert the other Russians in the courtyards; it wasn't until the explosions and neighing of horses from the front yard that the Russians began to drop their bottles and pick up their weapons.

However, by this time, the attacking Chinese had already taken control of the front yard and opened the gate, allowing the follow-up troops to rush in. Another Cossack sergeant, Peter Pleshakov, managed to organize his soldiers, but he quickly realized that it would be difficult for them to fight the attacking Chinese in this environment. The Chinese had a type of hand-thrown grenade, which they could not avoid by hiding in the rooms, and if they rushed out, they would be shot at by the Chinese who had occupied the high ground.

Half an hour later, Pyotr Plesyakov finally accepted the Chinese's call and laid down his weapons. By then, less than eight of the more than 20 Cossacks around him were still standing.

After the battle, Battalion Commander Lin Yi felt that his battalion had been somewhat underutilized, as the Russians stationed there numbered less than a hundred, and he had ended the battle with only half a company. On one hand, these Russians were quite drunk and almost disorganized; on the other hand, they seemed to have absolutely no experience fighting in such confined terrain, and didn't even know how to dodge grenades—at least half of the Russians were killed or wounded by grenades.

Peter Pleshakov and the Russian translator were quickly brought back to Yanmen Pass. Lan Tianwei ordered them to be interrogated overnight. The Russians resisted for a while, but the translator who had been recruited by the Russians quickly confessed what he knew.

After comparing the testimonies with those of other Russians, Lan Tianwei discovered that the Russian army actually sent fewer than four cavalry companies to the south. A full-strength Russian cavalry company consists of three officers, 166 Cossacks, 190 warhorses, and 10 wagons. The cavalry detachment that went south this time numbered about 500 people.

With such a small number of troops, it was naturally impossible to attack Yanmen Pass and those cities with military defenses. Therefore, this Russian cavalry force usually did not attack the defended cities and large towns head-on, but instead forced them to submit by cutting off their transportation routes.

In fact, the Russians themselves did not expect to be able to fight so far. General Mishinko ordered them to monitor the movements of Chinese troops in Shanyin and Yingxian. However, the Chinese troops retreated too quickly, so Major Nikolai Lebedev led his troops all the way to Yanmen Pass. If the Chinese troops had not stopped running, the major seemed very interested in continuing south.

Because this area was much wealthier and more densely populated than the area north of Shanyin, Major Lebedev decided to establish a base here and send out small units to raid the surrounding area, disguising them as a large army heading south to intimidate the Chinese. Until tonight, they had been very successful; no Chinese army had launched a counterattack. Some peasants had tried to resist, but they were all defeated.

Yao Hongfa and his men were filled with shame upon hearing the Russians' confession. They hadn't expected the southward-bound Russian army to be bluffing; otherwise, they wouldn't have remained motionless within Yanmen Pass and Shuozhou City, allowing the Russians to plunder outside the cities. Yao Hongfa volunteered to Lan Tianwei, expressing his desire to lead the Shanxi New Army to attack Major Nikolai Lebedev's location and avenge the people of Shanxi.

Lan Tianwei, of course, would not accept Yao Hongfa's request. In his view, the other party had no idea about the Russians' fighting capabilities at all; he had only seen them easily win a battle upon arrival and had underestimated their fighting strength. If Yao Hongfa were to recklessly charge forward and cause a rout, wouldn't the morale gained in tonight's battle be wasted?

Therefore, he politely declined Yao Hongfa's offer, stating that he would never let Major Nikolai Lebedev off the hook, but they needed to make detailed arrangements before taking any action. At dawn, Lan Tianwei arrived at Shuihepu with a group of officers, partly to investigate the battle scene from the previous night, and partly to hear the experiences of the troops who participated in the battle.

In response to Lan Tianwei's question, Lin Yi replied bluntly, "There's no experience to share. These Russians were all pretty drunk last night, so we were just lucky."

After a pause, Lin Yi hesitated for a moment before adding, "If you ask for my opinion on this battle, I think the Russians lack experience in dealing with grenades. Also, the best way to deal with these Russian cavalry is to make them fight us on foot, even if it's just to have them guard the castle. It's better than letting them run around on horseback. We can't catch them on foot..."

After listening to Lin Yi's report, Lan Tianwei couldn't help but smile and say, "Isn't your summary very good? Judging from the result of last night's battle, you are right. When fighting these cavalry, it's best to launch an attack at night. As long as they can't escape on horseback, we can overwhelm them with sheer numbers."

I think we should first send someone to check the location of Major Nikolai Lebedev, the terrain and troop strength of the area he is stationed in, and then we can consider launching a night attack.

"If we can take down Major Nikolai Lebedev, then the Russian forces advancing south will lose their command, and they'll have no choice but to flee back..."

Lan Tianwei's suggestion won the approval of the officers present. The officers of the Shanxi New Army, who had previously been wary of the Wuhan army, also changed their views because of last night's battle and Lan Tianwei's eagerness to fight.

Chapter 352 Yan Bei Er

Whether it was the Hubei New Army or the Shanxi New Army, the soldiers were all selected, and night blindness was very rare. In particular, after the establishment of the Wuhan Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Committee, the emphasis on the physical fitness of the people gave the public health department a great deal of power, and large-scale prevention and control of some endemic diseases began, such as the mandatory implementation of iodized salt to treat goiter.

Economic development also led to the rapid decline of diseases such as night blindness and trachoma caused by malnutrition and unsanitary conditions among the population. As for Shanxi, the New Army's pay was much higher than that of the old army like the Green Standard Army, and their food was close to that of wealthy peasants, so their physical condition was naturally much better than that of the farmers who had been poor all their lives.

Even so, Lan Tianwei did not assign the Shanxi New Army to night raids, because the Shanxi New Army had never received training in night marching or night raids on villages, while the Workers' and Peasants' Seventh Division had generally received such training and had such practical experience. This was because the Workers' and Peasants' Seventh Division was specifically responsible for suppressing landlord militias and mountain bandit villages in Nanyang and Xinyang.

Moreover, in terms of equipment, the 7th Workers' and Peasants' Division was far more complete than the Shanxi New Army. In order to enable long-distance raids, the Military Commission uniformly equipped the troops with aluminum canteens and mess kits, as well as compressed rations. Even their boots were designed for long-distance marches. In contrast, apart from their uniforms, the Shanxi New Army did not even have firearms for every soldier.

The disparity in equipment and training between these two armies illustrates the importance of having an industrial city to support them. In fact, the 7th Workers' and Peasants' Division was not the most combat-effective unit in the Hubei New Army; the 1st Workers' and Peasants' Division was the most combat-effective.

It's not that the First Workers' and Peasants' Division had better equipment, but rather that its soldiers were entirely selected from the old Hubei New Army and industrial workers. In other words, while divisions like the Seventh Workers' and Peasants' Division and the Shanxi New Army selected qualified or nearly qualified individuals from the general population to train as soldiers, the First Workers' and Peasants' Division selected the best from a pool of qualified soldiers, making its combat effectiveness naturally stronger.

However, for the Russian army's Lebedev detachment, the early morning of March 30th was a nightmare. It was the first time they had suffered such a fierce surprise attack in the East. Compared to this, the night raids by the Manchurian Red Beard were nothing. The Chinese attack was so rhythmic that the Red Beard could never have done it.

Redbeard's night raids were actually more about creating chaos. If the Russian army was thrown into disarray and scattered, they would be met with Redbeard's fierce attack. In other words, Redbeard could infiltrate the Russian army's temporary camp, but after launching an attack, he would also lose his organization and could only fight wherever he could. If the Russian army organized resistance, they would have no choice but to run away.

However, this group of Chinese was different. During such night raids, they maintained their division of labor. Whenever the Russian army found a point of resistance, the Chinese would concentrate their firepower on it until it was destroyed. What frustrated Major Nikolai Lebedev was that the key weapon the Chinese used to destroy his resistance was a hand-thrown grenade, an outdated weapon that had gradually disappeared in Europe after the Napoleonic Wars.

Before the Industrial Revolution, because cannons were difficult to manufacture and heavy, they were difficult to move, so grenadiers emerged in the army. Grenadiers were the most elite troops during the era of firing squads, because only the most courageous and physically strong people could stand in front of the army and throw grenades weighing more than ten pounds.

Before the Napoleonic Wars, these grenadiers had performed miracles on numerous occasions, sometimes even deciding the outcome of a battle. However, as the French perfected their field artillery system and Napoleon invented new artillery tactics, the grenadier branch of the military came to an end. Although the grenadier unit still existed, it was merely an honorary title, and the scenes of advancing towards enemy lines with grenades were no longer seen.

Therefore, Major Lebedev never dreamed that he would encounter the revival of this type of soldier in the Far East. The new type of hand grenade, which was loaded with explosives, was lightweight and extremely powerful. For the Cossacks, who were not good at fighting on horseback, it was an insurmountable weapon. The Chinese-style fortified courtyards further increased the power of this weapon. As soon as the Russian troops gathered together, several hand grenades would be thrown at them until they were blown apart.

The battle began at five in the morning, when it was still dark, and continued until sunrise. Major Lebedev was shot and killed by a Chinese sniper while directing his troops in resistance, which finally broke the will of the remaining Russian soldiers. Apart from two Russian outposts on the outskirts of the village who fled on horseback when the situation turned against them, none of the nearly 200 Russian soldiers in the village escaped.

The death of Major Lebedev left the remaining Russian troops disoriented. In the next two days, the 7th Workers' and Peasants' Division and the Shanxi New Army quickly recovered the area south of Shanyin and Yingxian, driving the remaining Russian troops back towards Datong.

On April 2, Cai E arrived at Yanmen Pass with two regiments of the First Workers' and Peasants' Division, bringing the total number of Chinese troops in the Yanbei region to over 5 regiments. On April 3, Cai E arrived in Shanyin and met with Lan Tianwei to inquire about the specific situation at the front.

Lan Tianwei explained to him: "According to the intelligence we obtained from interrogating prisoners, the Russian troops stationed in Datong are commanded by Major General Pavel Ivanovich Mishinko, and their official name is the Baikal Cossack Brigade. They consist of 22 cavalry companies and one artillery company. The troops come from the following sources: the First Chita Cossack Army, the First Argonne Cossack Army, the First Transbaikal Cossack Artillery Company, and the 15th Infantry Regiment of East Siberia, among others."

However, in the past few days of fighting with us, this unit has lost at least three companies. We have also lost nearly two platoons, mainly due to encounters with Russian cavalry in the field. We are currently in a standoff with the Russian army in the Huai'ren County area, and the Russian army in Datong has no intention of advancing south.

No trace of Russian troops has been found in Hunyuan and Yangyuan, west of Yingxian County. However, Russian troops are stationed in Datong and Yanggao counties, north of the Sanggan River. The Yi Army abandoned Tianzhen and concentrated its forces in Huai'an, which is easier to defend. We have made contact with the Yi Army. Their latest intelligence indicates that the Russian army is already attacking Chengde. The Qing troops stationed at the Mountain Resort are unable to defend it, and the Beiyang Army has also indicated that it is unable to provide reinforcements. Chengde should soon fall to the Russian army.

After capturing Chengde, the Russian army could either advance south along the Luan River to attack the Zunhua area, or travel upstream along the Luan River and then detour through the grasslands to Dushikou or Zhangjiakou, directly threatening the Beijing area. Considering that the Russian army has already occupied Datong, the latter scenario is perhaps more likely.