Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 103

However, this time, fearing some conspiracy in Wuhan, Yuan Shikai had no choice but to expose the movements of the Wuhan troops he controlled. As a result, the people of the country were shocked to discover that Wuhan had not sent a small force north, but had sent two divisions into Shanxi. The Russian army in Datong had not only suffered a setback, but had also suffered a devastating blow.

So, what exactly were Wuhan's powerful troops doing in the Datong and Xuanhua areas, and how did they manage to allow the Russian army to capture Huailai? For a time, discussions about this question overshadowed the news of the Manchu defeat at Miyun. However, this also illustrates one thing: the court's prestige had truly plummeted to rock bottom, and even such a bizarre defeat failed to garner sustained public attention.

However, these reports of the Wuhan New Army's northward march caused the greatest shock among the Russians. To this day, the Russians have not been informed of the Wuhan New Army's northward advance, and Russian diplomats in Beijing are unaware of the heavy losses suffered by the Mishinko Detachment, as the Far East Governor-General's Office had not informed the minister to China of this news. Consequently, Russian diplomats only learned of Major General Mishinko's death from Chinese newspapers.

The reason for the slow communication within the Russian government was that the Russian minister to China and the Viceroyalty of the Far East did not share a completely consistent stance on the war, and the Viceroyalty of the Far East was unwilling to be led by the nose by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Therefore, there was no direct exchange of intelligence; instead, the minister to China would send telegrams to St. Petersburg, which would then forward them to the Viceroyalty of the Far East, and vice versa.

As for the Russians' inability to learn of the Wuhan New Army's northward march, it was also due to a deception by Yuan Shikai and the French. Yuan Shikai never revealed the news of the Wuhan New Army's advance to Shanhaiguan, which led the public to attribute the victory to the Beiyang Army. Furthermore, Wuhan's previous major battle with the Qing army led foreign ministers to believe that the hostile relationship between the two sides made it impossible for Wuhan to support Beijing, even though Wuhan had declared war on Russia first.

Although the troops sent from Wuhan entered Shanxi through the Zhengtai Railway, which was contracted by the French, the French concealed the fact that Wuhan was trying to redeem the Zhengtai Railway. According to the French minister, "This war in the Far East should not be allowed to continue to escalate. It is easier for the Russians to suffer a defeat than to continue to win and bring peace to the Far East."

Therefore, although the French suspected that the Chinese troops transferred from the south to Shanxi were from Wuhan and not from some other region, they remained silent. Consequently, the Russian minister to China made a misjudgment, believing that Major General Mishinko's death was merely an accident and not due to the overwhelming strength of the Chinese army.

However, Chinese newspapers now proactively exposed the northward movement of the Wuhan New Army. Although they still concealed the Wuhan New Army's presence at Shanhaiguan, they completely revealed the strength of the Wuhan New Army entering Shanxi Province. This naturally made the Russians feel a strong sense of conspiracy. This time, the Russian Minister to China did not only inform St. Petersburg, but also sent a telegram to Port Arthur, reminding the Far East Governor-General's Office to be wary of Chinese plots.

The Beiyang Army's disclosure of the whereabouts of its troops heading north to Wuhan naturally provoked discontent in Wuhan. Tian Junyi commented to his party comrades, "The Beiyang Army is ultimately unreliable. For their own selfish interests, they did not hesitate to expose the intelligence of friendly forces to the enemy during the national war. This shows that there is no possibility of long-term cooperation with these representatives of the landlord class's interests."

While Tian Junyi was complaining to the newspaper, Cai E also sent a secret telegram to Tianjin, which was then handed to Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai's expression darkened after reading the telegram. Xu Shichang, who happened to be in Tianjin on official business, met with him. As Xu Shichang pondered the contents of the telegram, Yuan Shikai handed it to him and said, "These Hubei people really treat us like thieves. The operation has been underway for three days, and they're only now sending me a telegram. Does Cai E consider me his subordinate?"

Xu Shichang quickly read the telegram. The content was simple: three days ago, they had already launched a surprise attack on Dushikou. Today, when the telegram was sent, they would launch a counterattack from Zhangjiakou towards Dushikou and Huailai. Therefore, they hoped that the Beiyang Army could send a force to attack Chengde to prevent the Russian troops in Chengde from going north to rescue Dushikou.

Xu Shichang briefly considered the geography in his mind, then looked up at Yuan Shikai with delight and said, "Your Excellency, this is a good thing! If they succeed, then not only will Beijing be safe, but the Russian army on the western front will also be finished. If we win this battle, perhaps the Russians will be willing to sit down and negotiate."

Yuan Shikai looked out at the courtyard through the latticed window and sighed, saying, "If we can win, of course it would be a good thing. At least I wouldn't have to rack my brains trying to figure out what Wuhan is up to. But if they really win, things won't be easy for our Beiyang Army in the future. If every unit in Wuhan's army is this capable, how can we, the Beiyang Army, negotiate with them about the future?"

Xu Shichang was at a loss for words. Yuan Shikai’s concerns were indeed justified. If the Wuhan New Army really won this battle, it would mean that the yellow race had defeated a white army for the first time. This would certainly boost the morale of the Chinese people, but it would also make it difficult for any army in the world to challenge Wuhan again.

The Russians are not easy to fight; otherwise, the Beiyang Army wouldn't have needed to dig trenches all over Shanhaiguan. Now, the Wuhan Army has wiped out a Russian division in one fell swoop. How can anyone have the confidence to fight them? However, Xu Shichang quickly recovered, "Your Excellency, there's no need to worry so much. This is just a plan. Whether the Wuhan New Army will succeed is still a question. Even if it does, it will be a Pyrrhic victory, and in the short term, it will still be advantageous to our Beiyang Army..."

Chapter 364 Ambush

By the end of May, the Chinese grasslands were already lush and green, interspersed with various unknown wildflowers, looking no different from the Central Asian grasslands. If it weren't for the war, this would be a good time for the Tatars to graze their livestock, Captain Savitsky thought to himself as he rode on horseback.

The beautiful scenery before them, however, did not put his men at ease, for the war had become brutal. The disastrous defeat of the Misinko detachment and the death of General Misinko himself, with even his body never being brought back, had demoralized the Cossacks in the ranks. In the eyes of the Cossacks of the Far East, General Misinko was a true Cossack.

Unlike ordinary Russian soldiers, Cossacks considered themselves warriors loyal to the Tsar rather than fighting for their Russian homeland. For this reason, Cossacks placed greater emphasis on the individual abilities of their commanders, believing that only by fighting alongside true warriors could they gain honor in war.

The Cossacks weren't afraid of death, but they were afraid of defeat. General Mishinko's death cast a shadow over the war, making these Cossacks feel powerless and that the enemy was growing stronger. Captain Savitsky sensed this frustration from his men's casual conversations, because they no longer felt the enemy's fear of them—the very source of the Cossacks' courage.

However, Captain Savitsky didn't blame his men for losing their courage. Even his colleagues and superiors were becoming pessimistic about the battlefield. The Chinese, whom they had always seen as weak and easily bullied, had now become unrecognizable. In the past, apart from those with red beards, ordinary Chinese people dared not look Russian soldiers in the eye, but now even one or two Chinese civilians dared to pick up weapons and fire at an entire Russian transport convoy.

The Russians had never worried about the natives possessing weapons, as their weapons were very primitive; even the most advanced muskets among the natives were nothing more than matchlock guns. Faced with such primitive and outdated weapons, the Cossacks could easily wipe out these natives with their sabers.

Although China is a real country, unlike the indigenous tribes of Siberia, the weapons used by the Chinese are also very backward, because the Chinese government is more wary of its own civilians than of these foreign soldiers.

Therefore, in the war against China, as long as the Chinese army is defeated, even if the civilians want to resist, they will be forced to give up due to lack of weapons. This is completely different from the situation in Russia, where the Tsar does not prohibit civilians from possessing weapons.

This is also why the Russian army was able to easily conquer this region with tens of millions of people when it invaded Manchuria in 1900. Because once the small number of Chinese troops in Manchuria were defeated, what remained were unarmed ewes and lambs. It was a war between shepherds, and had nothing to do with the flock.

However, after the war with the Chinese began, the weapons in the hands of Chinese civilians became more and more advanced. They no longer used homemade firearms and bows and arrows, but instead used various rifles. Almost all the breech-loading guns that were phased out in the late 19th century appeared here.

Captain Savitsky was highly suspicious that this war was no longer Russia against China, but against the European powers, because these rifles obviously couldn't have appeared out of thin air, and the so-called arms embargo was probably only being enforced by Russia itself.

Faced with increasingly advanced weapons in the hands of Chinese civilians, Russian Cossacks no longer dared to scatter and attack indiscriminately. In the past, they believed that there were flocks of sheep everywhere, so they did not need to worry about their supply problems at all. With this mindset, the Cossacks were often able to stay away from the main force and have a clear understanding of the surrounding situation.

But now, small groups of Cossacks, once separated from the main force, are almost inevitably besieged by the Chinese. Except for a few who manage to escape, most disappear into this region of mixed forests and grasslands. Even the officers have begun issuing formal orders prohibiting soldiers from harassing Chinese villages and requiring payment for anything they need, because they can no longer withstand this endless harassment warfare.

Although General Starkerberg had reached the Huailai region, unlike their previous operations to occupy Manchuria, the Russian army did not consider itself to have occupied the area. This was because the Chinese were still resisting in the region, and they had merely established a military transport route from Chaoyang to Huailai. This was completely different from the previous situation where the Chinese along the Manchurian railway line gave up resistance after they occupied it.

Even junior officers like Captain Savitsky began to doubt the Governor-General's operational objectives. After capturing Beijing, would the Chinese really surrender as easily as they had last time? They had only occupied less than a tenth of Chinese territory. The Chinese could easily retreat further south, and how could they possibly pursue them?

Currently, at least one division of their troops is being used to maintain this transportation line. This is because the population in this region is relatively small. The Russian army can maintain the security of the entire line by controlling several densely populated areas along the way. If they were to enter the densely populated North China Plain, it would be impossible to maintain order in the occupied area unless all of Russia's troops were transferred to the Far East.

As Captain Savitsky was lost in thought, a gunshot jolted him awake. He immediately snapped out of his daze and turned to his men, shouting, "Gurevich, keep an eye on the convoy! Ulifelt, go and drive away the Chinese who fired the shot!"

As a Cossack company in charge of transporting supplies, Captain Savitsky had become accustomed to these sporadic attacks. He no longer required his men to kill the bandits who dared to fire at the Tsar's army; driving them away so they no longer threatened the convoy was enough. He knew very well that these were not bandits; their purpose was not to plunder the Russian army's supplies, but to lure them into pursuit.

After numerous lessons learned, the Russian army had come to realize that these self-proclaimed guerrillas among the Chinese were extremely cunning, even more difficult to deal with than the Red Beards. After all, the Red Beards' goal was not to fight the Russian army to the end, but to seek wealth, while the guerrillas had only one objective: to fight them. Therefore, the guerrillas were far more tenacious than the Red Beards, and even when surrounded, they were mostly unwilling to surrender.

The Russian army's retaliation for the brutal killings of guerrillas was exceptionally fierce. Therefore, the Russian army became increasingly reluctant to use the same methods employed against bandits against guerrillas, because bandits wouldn't avenge their comrades, but guerrillas were extremely vengeful. This is also why the Russian military leadership ordered soldiers not to harass ordinary Chinese people, as many Chinese had joined the guerrillas after being harassed by the Russian army.

Facing a guerrilla force dedicated to fighting the Russian army, you can never imagine how they would deal with you. Even the bravest Cossacks often fall into their traps. Therefore, their approach to these guerrillas has changed from simply eliminating them to preventing them from getting close.

However, it was clear that this time the Chinese did not intend to harass them before fleeing. As Ulifelt led his squad to the top of the hill about half a verst away, a volley of gunfire shot the Cossacks off their horses. The surviving Cossacks immediately turned and charged down the slope, shouting to the convoy, "Ambush! It's an ambush..."

Captain Savitsky's mind went blank. He knew he was in the worst possible situation, facing a large-scale guerrilla attack. Clearly, their target wasn't to harass him, but to destroy his supply convoy. His guess was correct. Not only did heads appear on the hills to the northwest, but gunfire also erupted from the hills to the southeast. His convoy was now caught in a pincer movement.

Captain Savitsky immediately pulled over his clerk and said, "We're no more than 20 versts from Dushikou. Take a few men and rush out to inform Major Levitsky that we need reinforcements..."

After Captain Savitsky finished speaking, he ordered his men to have the Chinese drivers form a circle around the 250 wagons, attempting to use it as a barrier to block the Chinese attack. The Russian army numbered only about 170 men, while the Chinese drivers numbered 500; this transport convoy was already quite large. The captain observed that the partisans numbered only about four or five hundred, so if Major Savitsky could bring troops to their aid, they could still preserve the supplies.

One kilometer west of the Russian army's supply train, Lin Yi, the battalion commander of the 110th Battalion of the 7th Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and Mi Zhenbiao, the battalion commander of the Yi Army's cavalry battalion, stood together. The two watched through binoculars as four or five Russian cavalrymen ran westward. Lin Yi nodded slightly and said, "Excellent. If we can lure the Russian army out of Dushikou, we can annihilate a portion of them first, and then attacking Dushikou will be easy."

Mi Zhenbiao immediately flattered, "Commander Yao's plan is excellent, but if all the Russian troops at Dushikou are mobilized, this battle will be difficult. It is said that there are nearly 2000 Russian troops there."

Lin Yi said dismissively, "There are less than 2000 Russian troops, half of whom are infantry, so they can't possibly move out together. One of our regiments will wipe out their cavalry first, and then we'll deal with their infantry. It won't be difficult..."

Compared to Lin Yi's confidence, Mi Zhenbiao, who was known for his bravery in the Yi Army, was still somewhat hesitant. It wasn't that he was afraid of fighting the Russian army, but rather that he lacked confidence in fighting them in the field. After all, they had fought against the Russian army during the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion, and he still felt that the Russian army was not so easy to defeat.

However, Mi Zhenbiao's worries quickly vanished in the ensuing battle. Just as Lin Yi had predicted, the Russian army did not send out all its troops from Dushikou, but only its cavalry. Clearly, the Russian troops at Dushikou had not anticipated that this was a trap set for them, so they only sent out four of the six cavalry companies, attempting to rescue the supply train as quickly as possible.

Such a force was a perfect prey for the 2nd Battalion of infantry and 2nd Battalion of cavalry lying in ambush. Moreover, to accommodate the cavalry's high-speed movement, Lin Yi had fixed half of the machine guns to the wagons, ensuring the Russian cavalry wouldn't quickly escape the machine gun's firing range. This wagon-mounted machine gun, capable of keeping pace with the cavalry, was a nightmare for the Russians; they were almost unable to form a concentrated cavalry assault formation and were ultimately divided, encircled, and annihilated by the Chinese cavalry.

After eliminating the lured Russian troops, Yao Jinyong led his regiment in a night raid on the Russian forces at Dushikou. The attack lasted from late night on May 24th to the early morning of May 25th, finally capturing most of the county town and forcing Major Levitsky to surrender. Strictly speaking, Yao Jinyong actually launched the attack on Dushikou a day earlier.

Chapter 365 Turtle in the Urn

General Starkelberg received the news at noon on May 27 that Chinese troops had launched a surprise attack on Dushikou, which threw the Russian military command into chaos.

At this time, Major General She.A. Dobronlavov was leading four infantry regiments, six cavalry companies, and four artillery companies (32 cannons) of the 19th Infantry Regiment of Eastern Siberia, totaling 16,000 troops, and was attacking Juyongguan from the Huailai area, 50 versts to their south. There were less than two battalions in the Chicheng area.

Major Levitsky's troops stationed at Dushikou were no fewer in number than theirs, meaning the headquarters couldn't possibly recapture Dushikou on its own. While there were other routes from Chengde to Chicheng besides Dushikou, the most suitable passage for large troop movements inevitably passed through it. This meant they had now lost their main supply route. With over 2 troops at risk, how could they possibly rely on mountain trails for transport?

Moreover, the Chinese army could not possibly refrain from launching an attack, which meant that once their supplies were exhausted, this army would either have to raise a white flag and surrender, or flee back to Chengde by crossing mountains and valleys. No matter which choice they made, it meant that this army was doomed.

Therefore, Dushikou must be recaptured as soon as possible. There are only two ways to do this: one is to transfer troops from Huailai, and the other is to directly order Major General Aikhgorets of the western route to turn around and attack Dushikou behind them. But can the Chinese really let Major General Aikhgorets go to capture Dushikou?

Although he knew time was of the essence, General Starkelberg hesitated to make a decision, believing that both options for troop deployment carried significant risks.

The withdrawal of troops from the front lines meant that the offensive had to be switched to a defensive posture, which meant that the offensive mission had failed. Being able to retreat safely back to Chengde would be considered a victory, but for him personally, it was a real disgrace.

As for mobilizing Major General Aikhgorets of the Western Route, he felt that this was definitely a choice the Chinese wanted. As long as the Chinese launched an attack along with the Russian army, the Western Route would be finished. Not only would Dushikou not be recaptured, but even the troops in Huailai might be encircled and annihilated.

General Starkelberg hesitated for an entire afternoon before finally deciding to play it safe and withdraw troops from the Huailai front. He also ordered Major General Ekhgorets to send a portion of his troops to attack Dushikou, while the headquarters also dispatched some troops. This way, they could stabilize the western route and buy time to retake Dushikou.

When the Russian General Staff later reviewed the battle, they concluded that General Starkerberg's hesitation ruined the unit's chance to escape. He should have ordered the Western Route Army to hold off the Chinese attack upon receiving the news, and then immediately ordered a withdrawal, which might have saved the unit. However, his emphasis on personal honor caused General Starkerberg to miss this opportunity.

However, Comrade Joseph Stalin did not agree with the Russian General Staff's conclusions on this battle. He believed that "even if Starklberg had chosen to withdraw immediately, he would still have failed, because the White Army could not realize the power that the awakened Chinese people were unleashed, just like the power that the Russian people awakened in the Battle of Tsaritsyn... Only Trotskyists would think that mere military force could suppress such a power."

Regardless of Comrade Joseph Stalin's intentions in saying these things, one point in his commentary is objective: the Russian imperialists in this battle simply did not believe that the Chinese had the capability to encircle and annihilate a Russian division-level unit, which was entirely different from the destruction of the Mishinko Detachment. Starkerberg was not hesitant; he simply could not imagine that the Chinese had the appetite to devour his entire army.

If he had used such a reason to tell the Russian people before this happened, he would have been regarded by the Russians as a cowardly and incompetent piece of trash. After all, they had conquered the entire Manchuria with less than 100,000 men, and the Eight-Nation Alliance had occupied Beijing with less than 40,000 troops. Who would believe that the Chinese were capable of encircling and annihilating a fully-organized Russian division?

However, the Starkerberg troops quickly proved that the Chinese were indeed capable of annihilating a Russian division-level unit. Major General Aikhgorets received new orders from Starkerberg on the morning of the 28th. At this time, he also realized the unusual silence in the Dushikou direction; the supplies, which were supposed to be delivered every three days, were already two days overdue.

Major General Ekhgorets was terrified and immediately ordered his troops to halt the attack, preparing to retreat to the area around the earthen city. He had no intention of fully accepting Starklberg's orders; in his view, Starklberg's command was utterly insane.

His regiment had been fighting here for half a month without making a move, and the morale of the troops was already low. Now, if he were to send some men to the rear to capture Dushikou, wouldn't that be blatantly telling the officers and soldiers below that their retreat had been cut off by the Chinese? Once this order was passed down, his troops would be the first to waver.

Therefore, Major General Aikhgorets planned to divide his troops into two parts and retreat in a staggered fashion to disengage from the Chinese army. However, he was unaware that the Chinese army opposite him had increased to two regiments and was prepared for a full-scale counterattack.

During the month from the end of April to the end of May, Cai E, Lan Tianwei, and others were not only planning how to eliminate the Russian army that had broken into the interior, but political cadres such as Wang Chuzhen were also carrying out a comprehensive transformation of the Yi Army.

Although Wuhan had previously maintained contact with the Yi Army, this primarily involved providing military equipment support without interfering in its internal organization and personnel. However, this does not mean that the personnel stationed in Wuhan did not conduct investigations or ideological work within the Yi Army.

To be honest, although Ma Yukun was the commander of the Yi Army, the true soul of this army was still the former Yi Army leader Song Qing. Ma Yukun was too strict in enforcing the law in the army, so he could only gain the fear of the soldiers, but not their true respect. As for the other Yi Army unit under Jiang Guiti, Jiang Guiti was too lenient with his subordinates, so the discipline of Jiang's unit was quite bad.

Of course, from the perspective of political workers in Wuhan, the fundamental problem with this army was that it didn't know who it was fighting for, and its old habits were too deeply ingrained, thus weakening its combat effectiveness. Leaving aside the issue of the Yi Army's harassment of ordinary people, the internal oppression within the Yi Army itself was also quite severe.

For example, new recruits had to pay their monthly salary upfront, and the cost of their uniforms was deducted in the second month. A soldier's monthly salary was 3 liang and 3 qian plus 45 jin of grain, but the cost of vegetables was deducted, so new recruits didn't receive their salary for more than four months. Although Ma Yukun enforced the law strictly, his laws were not fixed and he enforced them according to his own preferences, so he would often behead soldiers. As a result, desertion was common among Ma Yukun's subordinates, and it was difficult to recruit new soldiers.

For the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, these old military habits had to be discarded. In this time of war, since Ma Yukun had handed over command of the army, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army carried out a revolutionary transformation of the Yi Army without any hesitation.

Although this caused dissatisfaction among some Yi Army generals, such as Ni Sichong, who was in charge of the battalion affairs, complained to Ma Yukun that the people from Hubei wanted to swallow up the troops. They said that the soldiers' committee interfered with the officers' law enforcement power, and they opposed the officers interfering in the distribution of military pay. They only needed the logistics department to deal with the soldiers, and they also canceled many unreasonable fees.

Ma Yukun didn't show any anger upon hearing his subordinates' reactions. He simply retorted, "You say the people from Hubei intervened in the Yi Army to try and swallow this force, but why didn't you stand up and oppose it when Hubei was sending us support? When the Russians occupied Datong, you were the ones who said Hubei should come to their aid. Oh, and now you think they have ulterior motives?"

The ancients said, "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away." Don't you know this saying? You can't just think about taking advantage of anything; we also need to examine our consciences. If we've taken their food, we have to accept their rules. Besides, I've already had Master He read the rules set up in Hubei to me, and I don't see anything wrong with them. After all, they're the ones paying the soldiers, not taking money from your pockets. Why are you so upset?"

Ni Sichong and his men were also in a difficult position. Hubei had forbidden them from handling the distribution of military salaries, which meant that no one had any extra income. Just holding onto a month's worth of military salaries would have earned them a considerable amount of interest if they were lent out. Lending money was also a surefire way for officers to control their soldiers. Hubei's move was breaking down the Yi Army's organization, making it harder for them to manage their troops in the future, which naturally made them anxious.

In fact, Ma Yukun himself profited from withholding military pay and selling military uniforms; otherwise, how could his family have bought up all the land in his hometown of Mengcheng? However, seeing Ma Yukun's nonchalant expression, Ni Sichong and the others knew that this old marshal probably wanted to establish a good relationship with Hubei and then return to his hometown to live a peaceful life.

Ma Yukun had made his fortune, but they hadn't. They had spent a lot of money to get their current positions, and some hadn't even recouped their investment yet. Therefore, Ni Sichong could only bite the bullet and say, "Lord, with a major battle imminent, aren't they just stirring up trouble? We're worried that if the brothers have any negative feelings, it will cause a ruckus during the battle."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yukun burst into laughter, leaving his subordinates in the room somewhat bewildered, unsure of their commander's meaning. After a long pause, Ma Yukun finally stopped and said, "If you really have such abilities, go ahead and cause trouble. However, let me remind you, this is wartime, and military law is ruthless. If you cause trouble, don't expect me to plead for you."

Seeing that Ma Yukun had already said so much, Ni Sichong and the others could only reluctantly take their leave. After they left, He Zongxun advised Ma Yukun, "Wasn't what the Grand Secretary just said a bit too harsh? I'm worried they might be dissatisfied with the Grand Secretary."

Ma Yukun spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the ground, then cleared his throat and said, "It's better that they're dissatisfied with me than that they go looking for their own deaths. Don't they see that two towns' worth of troops are pressing on Zhangjiakou? Are they kidding me? Do they think I'd go and defect to the Russians over such a trivial matter? Even if I defected to the Russians now, do they think I could defeat the Hubei New Army? These Russians are already trapped like turtles in a barrel, their days are numbered. If anyone wants to die at this time, I won't accompany them..."

Chapter 366 Counterattack

On the evening of May 28, Major General Akhgorets quietly withdrew a portion of the Russian troops from the front lines, preparing for the retreat. This decision saved many Russian lives, because at 9 a.m. the next morning, the Russian positions were subjected to a fierce attack by the Chinese army.

The first Russian target to be attacked was its most important artillery position, consisting of 16 Model 1877 87mm light field guns with an effective range of 6000 meters. These guns were designed to resemble Krupp field guns with modified calibers. Due to their age, these guns did not have recoil assist mechanisms and instead used horizontal sliding breechblocks.

Previously, the Chinese army only had machine guns and small cannons to retaliate, so the Russian army placed its field artillery positions very far forward. However, they are now paying a heavy price for this. The 36th Workers' and Peasants' Division set up positions specifically for the Russian field artillery positions, and in accordance with the latest German artillery tactics, separated observation and firing. The observation points were moved forward to observe, and then communication with the rear artillery positions was carried out by telephone to indicate the target.

This specialized new artillery technology greatly enhanced the firing rate of artillery and reduced the risk of artillery positions being exposed. In fact, the German army had only just proposed this idea and had not yet tested it in actual combat. Therefore, this operation gave the Germans an opportunity to test the new tactics.

The Germans not only tested their new artillery tactics on the Sino-Russian battlefield, but also used the Chinese to verify the power of alloy steel cast cannons. The Hubei New Army, being a newly organized force, adopted Lin Feng's suggestion to use new alloy steel cannons and acquired alloy steel technology.

At this time, the Germans also began to explore the path of weapons manufacturing from carbon steel to alloy steel. Although the German army thought it was possible to purchase some, it did not intend to completely replace its equipment because it did not understand the performance of alloy steel cannons. Even Krupp did not withdraw from the plan to use alloy steel cannons at this time, and its Model 1904 cannon was still made of carbon steel.

However, the fact that Wuhan was willing to take unknown risks to order cannons made of alloy steel surprised Krupp. This meant that they had a test subject for their ability to make alloy steel cannons. Although Wuhan was only a small customer, Krupp believed that by observing the Chinese people's purchasing and usage, they could use this data to persuade the German army to further promote the replacement of cannons.

Therefore, the alloy steel mountain gun designed by Krupp for Wuhan was essentially a replica of the 1904-type gun. The 1905-type mountain gun, cast from nickel steel, quickly demonstrated superior performance compared to the 1904-type Krupp mountain gun. Its elevation angle increased from 23 degrees to 30 degrees, and its effective range reached 5000 meters, while the 1904-type mountain gun could only reach 4250 meters with support.

The 1905 mountain gun also used a hydraulic spring recoil mechanism, which means that the technology of this mountain gun was two stages ahead of the artillery currently used by the Russian army, which was still using field guns that were not suitable for hilly and mountainous terrain.

The technicians sent by Krupp quickly witnessed the scene of Russian artillery positions being covered by Chinese artillery fire at the observation point. They later reported to the company that "the Russian army was powerless to fight back. The new shells with high explosives are twice as powerful as the old ones. The excellent properties of alloy steel can withstand the high frequency of firing. In the future, the cannons must be cast with alloy steel."

Major General Aikhgorets could only watch, his face pale, as his artillery positions were destroyed, and then the Chinese used artillery shells to plow through the Russian army's forward positions. The Russian army's tactic of using artillery to suppress the Chinese for the past half month was now being mirrored back by the Chinese.

However, the damage inflicted on both sides was completely different. Because the Russian army lacked a well-developed trench system, and having been on the offensive the entire time, their only concern was Chinese machine guns and small artillery; they hadn't anticipated such intense artillery bombardment. Therefore, the Russian positions only had a few breastworks and semi-trenches, primarily to conceal Russian troop movements at the front lines.

Even though Major General Akhgorets had recalled some troops the night before, there was still a battalion of six or seven hundred men on the front lines. After the bombing lasted for nearly 30 minutes, the battalion lost nearly two-thirds of its men. Then the Chinese infantrymen leaped out of the trenches and charged the Russian positions.

No one had the courage to launch a counterattack at this point, and there weren't even any soldiers willing to stay behind to stop the Chinese. In the end, it was only because Major General Aikhgorets forced a company of Russian soldiers to stay behind to stop the Chinese that the other panicked Russian soldiers had a chance to retreat.

However, the Chinese did not only have troops attacking from the front. When the Russian army retreated to Tucheng, they discovered that a Chinese army was blocking the Erdaogou area. Although the number of Chinese troops was small, they firmly controlled the river valley plain. Although the Russian army launched several attacks in an attempt to open up their retreat route, the panicked Russian soldiers were quickly repelled.

As the Chinese army caught up again, some Cossack cavalrymen finally couldn't bear it any longer. Without hesitation, they abandoned the main force and took a detour to cross this perilous pass. Led by the Cossacks, Russian infantrymen also deserted in twos and threes, not wanting to become Chinese prisoners of war.

At this point, Major General Aikhgorets could no longer control his troops. Although this scattered escape could get them through here, it also meant that the entire unit had lost its organization. The Chinese could then freely divide their forces to capture prisoners. However, panic had already spread throughout the unit. Even though Major General Aikhgorets executed several soldiers who had deserted without permission, he could not stop the unit from further disintegrating.

By 3 or 4 p.m., the Russian western flank forces had been completely routed by the two regiments commanded by Lan Tianwei. Even Major General Aikhgorets himself was surrounded and captured by a detachment of the 7th Division in a village. The Russian western flank supply depot in Tucheng surrendered to the 7th Division around 5 p.m. A portion of the Russian army in Chicheng, attempting to rendezvous with Major General Aikhgorets, immediately retreated to Chicheng after discovering that Tucheng had been captured by the Chinese.

So, on the evening of May 29th, General Starkelberg realized that his current concern was no longer retaking Dushikou to continue the war, but rather how to withdraw his frontline troops and then clear Dushikou to retreat back to Chengde. However, news from the Huailai region was equally dire: the main force of the Chinese army was advancing eastward from Jimingshan, and the Russian army in the Huailai region had shifted from offense to defense. Fortunately, the Chinese army at Juyongguan did not launch a simultaneous counterattack against the Russian army; otherwise, the Russian forces in Huailai would have collapsed that day.

On the morning of May 30, the Chinese recaptured Longguan Town, about 30 versts southwest of Chicheng, which meant that the passage from Chicheng to Huailai was also threatened. A regiment of Russian troops that had just been recalled had to be redeployed to defend the area to prevent the Chinese from completely separating Huailai and Chicheng.

General Starkelberg no longer hesitated. He sent someone to Chengde via a side road, requesting Major General Orlanovsky to mobilize all his forces to launch an attack on Dushikou, thus breaking the Chinese encirclement for the front-line troops.

Major General Oranovsky noticed something amiss in the Dushikou direction on May 28th, as communications in that area had suddenly ceased. Initially, he assumed it was a small group of guerrillas blocking the road and dispatched a small patrol to drive them away. However, on the 30th, this unit reported back that it wasn't a small group of guerrillas, but a large contingent of Chinese troops. They couldn't even approach Dushikou; either Dushikou had been occupied by the Chinese, or the Russian troops there were trapped by them.

Major General Orlanovsky immediately realized the danger and began to redeploy troops to rescue Dushikou. However, on June 1, the Chinese army to the south launched a counterattack against the Chengde area, which forced him to stop the rescue operation because he could not afford to lose his own defensive zone.

On the morning of June 2nd, Major General Oranovsky finally received the intelligence from General Starklberg, but after reading it, he said weakly to the officer who delivered the message, "I cannot obey General Starklberg's orders. If I move the troops towards Dushikou, those Chinese will attack here. This is not a rescue; it will trap us in an encirclement as well. Now, the only option is to report to the rear and hope that a force can be mobilized to rescue General Starklberg..."

However, Major General Oranovsky had already sentenced the frontline troops to death in his mind. If he sent this message to the rear and waited for the governor to react and send another army to rescue them, it would take at least half a month. By then, the Russian troops at the front would probably have been wiped out long ago.

Although Yuan Shikai dispatched Duan Qirui to attack Chengde and ordered Wang Shizhen to strengthen the defenses northwest of Beijing, he harbored doubts about whether the Hubei New Army could accomplish such a large-scale operation.

Therefore, his order to Duan Qirui was that as long as the Russian army did not move, they would not actually attack Chengde. His orders to Wang Shizhen and Jiang Guiti were to guard the city and let the Hubei people and the Russians fight fiercely west of Juyong Pass.

However, on June 4th, Wang Shizhen sent the latest news back to Yuan Shikai, saying that there was no deadly struggle between the Hubei people and the Russians, but rather that the Russians were completely trapped by the Hubei people. Now the Russians were like turtles in a jar, and if they stood by and watched, then all the benefits would go to the Hubei people.

When Yuan Shikai saw the telegram, he showed no joy. Instead, he resentfully said to those around him, "These Russians are utterly despicable! They're raining down shells on Shanhaiguan like they're free, and then they go west just to give the people of Hubei credit? Over 2 men, and they didn't even put up a fight, just getting themselves surrounded and wiped out. Did they choose an idiot to command the western troops...?"

Yuan Shikai's confidants naturally understood his thoughts. For the past six months, the Russians had been depleting the strength of the Beiyang Army. They had finally managed to coax the people of Hubei to Xuanda, and naturally, they wanted to wear down the people of Hubei as well. However, the people of Hubei had won a great victory, which was obviously contrary to their wishes.

However, after thinking for a moment, Ruan Zhongshu stepped forward and advised his benefactor, "Your Excellency, things have come to this point. We no longer need to consider whether Hubei can defeat the Russians. Instead, we must not let Hubei claim all the credit for annihilating this Russian force. Otherwise, their momentum will grow and they will be even more difficult to contain."

Yuan Shikai hesitated and said, "Even if I wanted to send troops to the west now, I'm afraid it would be too late. We might not be able to take Chengde."

Ruan Zhongshu calmly stated, "The Grand Secretary is now the Commander-in-Chief of the anti-Russian campaign; everyone knows this. Therefore, as long as we announce the siege of the Russians first, everyone will assume that the Grand Secretary led Hubei to this great victory..."

Chapter 367 The French Soften Up

No matter how much the French ambassador to China disliked Wuhan, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cabinet could not ignore the threat posed by Wuhan, especially after the Germans announced that they would provide a scholarship to encourage Chinese students to study in Germany. The French government finally concluded that the Germans' attempt to entice China to declare war on France might be true.

Although the left-wing coalition, fighting under the banner of defending the republic, defeated the French right wing and successfully formed a government, the republicans were not united. This was because the left-wing coalition also had two conflicting political ideals: social justice and the reclaiming of lost territories. Social justice was the socialist's proposition, but since France's defeat in 1870, a strong sense of revenge within the country demanded the return of lost territories.

After the right wing suffered a defeat in the Dreyfus Affair, it did not leave the French political stage. Instead, it united with the left-wing faction that supported the recovery of lost territories. Patriotism became a banner used by the right-wing elements in the left-wing alliance who opposed the containment of capitalism to fight against class struggle.

The 1906 Act on the Separation of Church and State, in a sense, was also a case of right-wing elements within the left-wing alliance instigating infighting among the masses under the banner of patriotism, elevating an issue that was not of primary concern to the French people to the highest priority. This internal division among the masses prevented some left-wing elements from advocating for social justice in a way that criticized patriotism.