Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 122

Therefore, after returning from Germany, Fu Cixiang found it much easier to get things done. He no longer needed to devote at least seven-tenths of his energy to personnel matters and only three-tenths to his actual work, as he had before. Furthermore, the Red Army didn't need to project unity to outsiders like the Beiyang Army did. The Red Army's internal mechanisms already guaranteed unity, so everyone was much more accepting of criticism than before, because the purpose of such criticism was to correct mistakes, not to fight for power.

However, the performance of the Beiyang generals made Fu Cixiang realize once again that no matter how harmonious the relationship between the two sides was before, they were not on the same path. Therefore, at this critical moment, the Beiyang generals were still wary of him, fearing that the Red Army would reach into the Beiyang and interfere in personnel matters.

He chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, "I'm not talking about assigning blame, but rather about why the Russian army was able to repel us these past few days. I believe that only by analyzing the reasons for the Russian victory can we avoid repeating their mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Feng Guozhang breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Second Division of the Beiyang Army was nominally the second, the officers and soldiers throughout the division always considered themselves the first. After all, the First Division only held the designation because of the number of Manchus, and it could not actually be considered the foundation of the Beiyang Army.

Yuan Shikai launched the counterattack against Jinzhou precisely to distinguish the legitimate and illegitimate branches of the Beiyang Army. The performance of the First Division of the Beiyang Army in the suburbs of Beijing had severely damaged the Beiyang Army's reputation, to the point that even the southern governors felt that the Beiyang Army, which the imperial court had invested so much in, was completely worthless. Because of the defeat of the First Division of the Beiyang Army in the suburbs of Beijing, public opinion even brought up the old story of the Beiyang Army's predecessor, the Right Wing Army, sitting idly by and watching Beijing fall during the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

Although the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact was politically correct, as it prevented the southern provinces from being drawn into the war, this political correctness only existed among the Han Chinese governors-general of the Qing Dynasty. The Manchus believed that the Han Chinese governors-general had betrayed the court, and the common people were enraged by the subsequent Boxer Protocol. Therefore, the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact did not enjoy much popularity among the people.

Especially after Hubei's military intervention in Tibet and its preemptive declaration of war against Russia, fighting for national sovereignty abroad became the new standard for protecting the country. Before this, the standard for protecting the country held by Qing officials was to cede as little territory as possible and pay as little indemnity as possible, which can be said to be a rather low standard. Precisely because the standard was so low, Yuan Shikai's inaction during the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance was acceptable to the Chinese people, after all, he at least preserved a well-organized military force for the country and prevented the complete annihilation of the national armed forces.

However, after Wuhan established new standards, the people began to despise Yuan Shikai's inaction during the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion. They felt that he had spent so much of the country's money to build an army, but when foreign enemies invaded, he would only stand by and watch. The Right Army of the Wuwei Army was very active in killing its own people. Was the Beiyang Army's goal internal rather than external?

As public opinion grew, some soon pointed out that the Qing army should be disbanded and a national army should be rebuilt. These voices mainly came from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, with constitutionalists and members of the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) mixed in. Essentially, these two forces knew they could not militarily suppress Wuhan and Beiyang, so they wanted to undermine their military strength by using the pretext of rebuilding the national army to force Wuhan and Beiyang to reduce their military power.

Although the Beiyang leadership dismissed such public opinion—thinking a few scholars could easily persuade the Beiyang to cut off its own limbs with just words—they were not entirely unconcerned by these voices. They could leverage public opinion to force the Beiyang to reduce its military strength. They had already disbanded the palace guards; why would they hesitate to reduce the size of the Beiyang Army?

This also led the Beiyang generals to finally agree with Yuan Shikai's assertion that "a battle must be fought to boost the morale of the Beiyang forces." Indeed, without a fight, they always felt they were lacking something in the face of Wuhan.

Only after the fighting began did everyone realize what it meant to "watch others carry the burden without feeling tired, but when you carry it yourself, it feels like a mountain." In order to show the people that the Beiyang Army and the First Division of Beiyang had nothing to do with each other, Yuan Shikai not only equipped the front-line divisions with machine guns, grenades, and mortars, but also specially ordered a batch of logistical supplies from Wuhan to supply the front-line troops.

Having fought alongside the Wuhan army for so long, Yuan Shikai had heard complaints from his officers and soldiers. He believed that it wasn't that they were incapable of fighting, but rather that their logistical support was far inferior to that of the Wuhan army. The daily rations for Wuhan soldiers amounted to 25 cents of silver dollars, while the rations for the Beiyang Army were 9 qian of silver per month, which was less than 5 cents of silver dollars per day.

The food expenses between the two sides differed by a factor of four, and the Beiyang Army's food was often rationed. Therefore, the soldiers' staple food consisted of either moldy rice or millet mixed with stones and sand, with vegetables being the main dish. Meat was only served during festivals. Although the Beiyang Army's actual pay was higher than that of the Wuhan Army, the Wuhan Army's actual treatment was far better than that of the Beiyang Army, which had a meat dish at every meal.

In particular, Wuhan had its own food processing plant, which supplied the frontline troops with non-staple foods at prices significantly lower than the market price. This meant that although the daily food allowance for Wuhan soldiers was only 2 cents, their actual purchasing power was more than 5% higher. Faced with the complaints of the officers and soldiers, Yuan Shikai was going all out this time. After all, thanks to the confiscation of the property of Manchu nobles in Beijing and loans from foreign powers, he was temporarily flush with cash.

However, given the current situation on the battlefield, Feng Guozhang felt that if Fu Cixiang were to launch an attack now, even Yuan Shikai would have no choice but to punish Wang Zhanyuan and others. The Beiyang Army had invested so much in this venture that it couldn't afford to fail. If Wuhan chose to stand idly by at this point, the Beiyang Army would truly be put on the defensive.

Since Fu Cixiang had no intention of pursuing who was responsible, he immediately went along with the other party's tone, saying, "Commander Fu seems to have a plan in mind, so why don't you tell the brothers? I, Feng Guozhang, will make this clear first: today we prioritize national affairs. You all had better keep your opinions to yourselves. Anyone who tries to argue with Commander Fu again can go back to Beijing tonight and explain to the Marshal yourself..."

Chapter 433 Battle of Jinzhou (Part 3)

Even without Feng Guozhang's harsh words, the Beiyang generals were eager to hear what Fu Cixiang had come to understand in the past two days. After all, Fu Cixiang did not belong to the Beiyang clique, and no matter how outstanding he was, he wouldn't take their position. On the contrary, Wuhan was very likely to become the Beiyang's future rival, and understanding the opponent's capabilities would be a good thing for everyone.

Of course, "ability" here doesn't mean the literal meaning, but rather that everyone wants to know how far behind they are, and whether what Fu Cixiang sees is truly beyond their own. If the gap is so vast that it's impossible to overcome, how can the two sides contend in the future?

After all, Fu Cixiang was not a top-ranking figure in the Wuhan army. Even excluding the few who went on the expedition to Tibet, Cai E and Lan Tianwei, who annihilated the Russian Western Route Army, were already ranked above him. After all, Fu Cixiang had never won a single battle of annihilation.

Fu Cixiang paid no heed to the thoughts of the Beiyang generals. After calming himself and organizing his thoughts, he said, "In these three days, we have fought the Russian army four times. Based on the reports submitted from various places and my personal observations on the battlefield, I believe that in terms of the soldiers' combat skills and willpower, our army is actually not inferior to the enemy. Our defeats were all due to the Russian army breaking through the junctions between our units, which ultimately caused the wavering of some units, thus leading to a retreat across the entire front..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhanyuan couldn't help but nod. As a frontline commander, he had a vivid memory of such defeats. In his view, there were several battles where he held the advantage, but because some units in the middle of the position couldn't withstand the Russian army's close-range attacks, the Russians disrupted their rhythm, causing the situation to deteriorate rapidly.

So, strictly speaking, the continuous defeats of the past few days were because the officers and soldiers below couldn't hold on to their last breath. As a result, the Russian army seized the opportunity to break through the lines, leaving the Beiyang Army unable to defend both sides and forced to turn back and flee. Wang Zhanyuan felt that he had risked his life to stand on the front line, but his brothers just couldn't hold on. What could he do?

However, Fu Cixiang's view on the defeat was different from Wang Zhanyuan's. He continued, "...When I was studying in Germany, of course, I didn't study in Germany for long, and I also had to learn the language, so strictly speaking, I didn't learn much. But I did learn about Europeans' views on war."

My military academy teachers told us: War is both a science and an art. However, Comrade Cai E once said to me: For geniuses, war is both a science and an art. But for ordinary people, war is nothing more than a set of exercises.

Europeans began studying modern warfare techniques in the 17th century, a period of 300 years until the 19th century. In contrast, we only formally began learning Western military tactics after the First Sino-Japanese War, less than 10 years ago. Our neighbor, Japan, began learning Western military tactics after the Meiji Restoration, and has been doing so for 40 years.

Therefore, if we try to fight European armies using the Western training methods we've learned, we will inevitably be at a disadvantage. This disadvantage lies not only in the daily training of soldiers, the organization of the army, and the research on new firearms, but also in the officers' response to unexpected situations on the battlefield.

For European officers, their exposure to military affairs began in childhood. From a young age, they heard stories of war and learned about the choices made by victors and vanquished through war games. Entering military academies in their youth further enhanced their judgment.

Compared to these European officers who had been immersed in a military atmosphere since childhood, the Easterners were clearly at a disadvantage, because many of us joined the army in our youth. We were not familiar with the history of war in Europe, and we even had to learn how to use the new European weapons from scratch.

Therefore, the gap between us and European officers is like the gap in math skills between elementary school students and university students. No matter how much math knowledge you cram into the minds of elementary school students, university students have more than ten years of problem-solving experience than elementary school students. Except for geniuses, no one can erase those more than ten years of problem-solving experience.

This is why the Russian army can always easily find our weaknesses on the battlefield and quickly create breakthroughs. They are so familiar with the battlefield situation that they can react without hesitation. In contrast, our officers react much slower, often only realizing their weaknesses after the Russians have launched their attack, at which point it's too late to fix them…”

Bao Guiqing suddenly realized and exclaimed, "Now that Commander Fu mentions it, I understand. Both yesterday's and today's battles were losses due to our slow response. I knew how to deal with it, but before the orders could be passed down, the Russians had already broken through, and it was too late to reverse the situation. Come to think of it, this wouldn't have happened in the trenches. It seems the Russians couldn't see through our troop movements in the trenches, which is why they couldn't make the correct judgment..."

Bao Guiqing's words did give the Beiyang generals pause for thought, but after thinking for a long time, they felt discouraged because such a reaction could not be trained in a day or two, which meant that they would lose in the next field battle.

Therefore, Lu Jianzhang couldn't help but speak up: "So, does that mean we can't fight the Russian army in the field? But what if the Russian army doesn't launch a strong attack on our fortified positions? Then can we still fight for Jinzhou?"

Upon hearing this, the Beiyang generals fell silent. Fu Cixiang had indeed found the reason for their defeat in the field battle, and this reason was acceptable to everyone. However, they couldn't find a solution. The art of command cannot be solved by making decisions on a whim. But abandoning the field battle with the Russian army also meant abandoning Yuan Shikai's goal of capturing Jinzhou, a political responsibility they seemed unable to bear.

Feng Guozhang completely lowered his guard and asked Fu Cixiang, "Now that Commander Fu has found the reason for our defeat in the field battle, has he found a solution?"

Fu Cixiang pondered for a while before saying, "I do have some ideas, but I don't know if they will work out."

Feng Guozhang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "At this point, we have to try anything, even if it seems hopeless. Besides, even if things get really bad, we can only hold onto the Tashan and Huludao line. The Russian army can't continue to attack us, since their main opponent now is Japan, not us. What are your thoughts? Why don't you share them so we can all discuss them? Two heads are better than one."

Fu Cixiang glanced at the Beiyang generals under the candlelight, pondered for a while, and then said, "The battles between the Russian army and us in these three days have also exposed a problem: the Russian army is an army that can only act when ordered by officers. Without the command of officers, the Russian army does not perform better than us."

We had a similar feeling when we launched our attack on the Russian positions. The Russian army was not at a disadvantage when fighting us face to face, but once we cut in behind the Russian lines, the Russian troops on the front lines began to waver. Even if only a small number of troops managed to get behind them, they would choose to retreat rather than establish contact with their rear.

Therefore, Russian troops often deploy very closely in the field, which facilitates command by officers. Judging from the field battles of the past few days, a larger number of troops is more advantageous for the Russian army, because a larger number of troops makes the battlefield situation more complex, and the command experience of Russian officers can be better demonstrated. However, a smaller number of troops is more advantageous for our side, because battles with fewer troops become simpler, which can actually level the gap in experience between officers on both sides.

Therefore, I believe the best way to deal with the Russian army in the field is to maintain distance between its various units, preventing them from forming a unified force. For example, in the current situation, we could break our troops into battalion and company units, infiltrate behind Russian lines, cut off their logistics, force them to disperse, and then launch a counterattack from the front. Perhaps then we could find an opportunity to strike…”

Regarding Fu Cixiang's suggestion, some people thought it was worth a try, while others thought it might not be feasible. However, when no one else could come up with any other solutions, Feng Guozhang finally decided to give it a try.

Mobilizing small units for operations behind enemy lines is impractical in the Liaoxi Corridor due to its extremely narrow terrain. However, it is feasible in the Jinzhou area. Although the Russian army has occupied Jinzhou city, it cannot control the surrounding villages. Under Russian oppression, the villagers have launched spontaneous resistance to defend their villages. Now that the imperial army is present, they quickly send people to contact the government, hoping to receive military protection to resist the Russian army's requisitioning of grain from their villages.

With the guidance of these local villagers, the army could easily bypass the Russian garrisons and infiltrate behind Russian lines. The only problem was sending those troops through the Russian blockade to the rear, which sounded simple but was actually very dangerous. If the frontal battle was unfavorable, they would be essentially fighting without support.

Ultimately, Feng Guozhang selected three battalions from various Beiyang forces, while Fu Cixiang mobilized four battalions, dividing them into left and right detachments, each led by Zhang Nanxian and Peng Chufan. The reason for assigning personnel from Wuhan to lead this operation was that none of the Beiyang generals had experience in guerrilla and mobile warfare; only the Wuhan forces had studied these tactics.

The third battalion of the left detachment, led by Zhang Nanxian, marched towards Mopanshan, northwest of Gaoqiao, on the morning of the 7th; the fourth battalion of the right detachment, led by Peng Chufan, marched towards Changshan, east of Gaoqiao, on the afternoon of the 7th.

On the 7th, Russian troops were stationed at Xiajiatun, facing off against the Beiyang Army. It wasn't that the Russians didn't want to attack, but rather that they needed supplies. Several days of fighting had left the Russian 71st Division somewhat exhausted, and Lieutenant General Leonid Sobolov in Jinzhou hadn't anticipated the fragility of the Chinese army, failing to react quickly enough to provide the 71st Division with sufficient supplies. Therefore, on the 7th, Lieutenant General Sobolov had to send the 72nd Division with supplies to reinforce the 71st Division. If they could drive the Chinese back into the coastal corridor, it would be an unexpected bonus for him.

Chapter 434 Battle of Jinzhou (Part 4)

Since Major General Misinko's death, the Cossack troops of the West Manchuria Cossack Group have lost their drive. The narrow terrain of the Liaoxi Corridor is also not conducive to cavalry flanking attacks, so the Cossack troops in the Jinzhou area were either transferred to Chaoyang or returned to Fengtian, leaving only about fifteen or sixteen companies of Cossack troops attached to the corps.

Lieutenant General Sobolov had initially positioned this cavalry unit at Yangquan, west of Jinzhou, to control surveillance along the Nü'er River line. However, as the 71st Division made good progress, the lieutenant general ordered this cavalry unit and the 72nd Division to reinforce the 71st Division in order to achieve the operational objective of driving the Chinese back to the coastal corridor west of Tashan.

1907年1月7日下午，第11骑兵连在法捷耶夫中尉的率领下越过了女儿河。1月8日法捷耶夫中尉接到命令，要求他带着自己的连队顺着女儿河右岸的支流向上游进行查探，并征调各村的劳役前往前线为俄军修筑工事。

Previously, in order to avoid provoking resistance from Chinese civilians, the Russian army had adopted a policy of peaceful coexistence with the local civilians. While suffering setbacks on the front lines, the requisition of labor, grain, and livestock in the rear caused several disputes with the locals. Although the Russian army had superior forces along the railway line, it was clear that it did not have enough troops to go deep into the countryside to suppress civilian resistance.

However, now that the Chinese have advanced to the vicinity of Jinzhou, the Russian army can no longer disregard its previous prohibitions. After the Chinese army arrives in the Jinzhou area, it is clear that the local civilians are unlikely to help the Russian army resist. Therefore, before the Russian army is defeated and retreats, it is worthwhile to make these Chinese civilians contribute to the Russian army, even if it is forced.

Previously, the Russian army needed to maintain peaceful relations with Chinese civilians in order to maintain control. However, now that Jinzhou had become a war zone, it meant they no longer needed to consider future control, and the Russian army naturally acted more freely. Thus, when the 11th Cavalry Regiment, which was following the tributary of the Daughter River upstream, encountered its first village, it quickly launched a strong attack on the village that refused to open its doors.

Faced with the fully armed Cossack troops, the villagers, armed with homemade guns, were quickly defeated. Lieutenant Fadeyev rode into the village and shouted at the Chinese civilians who had been driven out, "This village must hand over 20 able-bodied men and 10 cartloads of grain… otherwise, I will set the entire village on fire…"

In this season, burning down a house meant the whole family would freeze to death, and the villagers finally gave in. That night, the Russian army stayed in the village. Lieutenant Fadeyev sent men to escort the villagers and supplies back to the rear, leaving 10 cavalrymen to guard the village, and then led his troops to continue their advance.

The Russian army sent out more than one of these grain requisition teams. Upon hearing the news, the villagers began to flee. Lieutenant Fadeyev found four villages that day, but in two of them, all the able-bodied men had fled, leaving only the elderly, women, and children. He ordered his men to drive these women and children out of the villages, and then, ignoring their desperate pleas, coldly ordered the villages to be set on fire as punishment for the deserters.

While the Russian army was wreaking havoc in the local areas, the Chinese army had already crossed the Russian blockade line at the front and arrived in the vicinity. One platoon of the left detachment arrived at Kangjiatun, an upstream tributary of the Daughter River, and was inquiring about the situation in the vicinity when the local people who had fled there brought news of the Russian army's grain requisition team.

This platoon was drawn from the Fourth Division of the Beiyang Army. Upon hearing that the Russian army was at Liangtun, less than 3 kilometers away on the opposite bank downstream, some of them advocated retreating to rejoin the main force of the company. Their reasoning was quite sound: "...it's less than 10 li from here to the railway line, and the Russian army's grain requisition teams are mostly cavalry. Once the gunfire starts, they will come to our aid. How can we outrun four-legged cavalry?"

But Jiang Weiping refused. He was originally a middle school student, but because of the national humiliation of the Boxer Rebellion, he wanted to join the army. Because of his good family background and connection with the Beiyang Army, he enrolled in the Baoding Army Rapid Training School on the recommendation of Wang Zhanyuan. He excelled in his studies at the school. Compared with those students who were soldiers with little education, he had a much better foundation. Therefore, he was highly appreciated by Feng Guozhang, the school's supervisor.

During the protests against racial discrimination against Chinese people in the United States, he also became a student representative. If it weren't for Wuhan's declaration of war against Russia, which led to Russia's war against Beijing, he would probably have been held accountable by the government for leading the student movement, and he wouldn't have been able to continue his studies.

With the outbreak of war and the expansion of the Beiyang Army, there was a lack of military talent. His problem was covered up by the Beiyang leadership. Later, when Wuhan led troops north, the Manchu court became increasingly weak, and his minor incident became even less of a concern. After graduating from the crash course, he joined the Beiyang Army and repeatedly volunteered to go to the front lines.

He volunteered to participate in the infiltration operation this time. He would not back down when facing the Russian army's grain requisition team. Moreover, the Russians had committed crimes of murder and arson, so he was even less willing to let the Russians in front of him go.

Therefore, he calmly said to his subordinates, "It's already dusk, and the Russians can't advance any further. So, at least Kangjiatun, where we're staying, is safe for now. But if we run out now, the Russian army might discover that there's a unit near them. Do you think you can outrun those Russian cavalry in the snow?"

The soldiers below were silent for a moment, then one of them said, "Why don't we wait until it gets dark before we leave?"

However, some countered, "Leaving at night is fine, but how far can we go? What if the Russians come to the village tomorrow and ask around? Won't they chase after us? If the Russians gather their cavalry to search for us, not only our company, but probably the entire battalion will be found by the Russians..."

Amidst the lively discussion among his subordinates, Jiang Weiping finally spoke up: "Therefore, we can't just run away like this. Instead, we should take advantage of the night to mess with the Russians, confuse them, and then rejoin the company headquarters. If we're lucky, we might even be able to steal their horses..."

Although Jiang Weiping was a student, he did not look down on the soldiers. He had a good relationship with his subordinates and forbade veterans from bullying new recruits. This was a common phenomenon in the army, and the new army did not change this bad habit. As a result, he was respected by his soldiers, and his proposals were eventually supported by his subordinates.

Jiang Weiping had over 60 men under his command. He first sent someone to the rear to warn the company headquarters about the Russian army's movements. Then he divided his troops into three parts: more than ten soldiers stayed in Kangjiatun to boil water and cook, providing logistical support for the attacking troops; his deputy led more than 30 men to guard the outside of the village, either to block the enemy or to wait for reinforcements; and he himself led 19 men into the village to launch an attack.

Based on information from villagers who had fled Liangtun, Jiang Weiping quickly drew a topographical map of the village. He then deduced that the Russian officers would likely reside on the riverside, where the village landlords lived and where the houses were the best. The horses would be concentrated in the northwest of the village, where a mule and horse inn was located.

Therefore, the people attacking the village were divided into two teams. Jiang Weiping led his men to attack the landlord's mansion in the southeast of the village, while the other team attacked the mule and horse inn in the northwest of the village.

On the evening of the 9th, Lieutenant Fadeyev felt a strange unease and couldn't help but patrol the village's sentry posts again. Although he had given the Cossacks more freedom these past two days, allowing them to plunder Chinese civilians and thus restore some of the Cossacks' morale, the lieutenant wasn't sure if this was a good thing.

Since General Mishinko's death, the Cossacks had come to realize that China was no longer their playground. Cossacks were lifelong soldiers, so their morale was actually much higher than that of ordinary mobilized Russian soldiers. However, the Cossacks of the Transbaikal region still couldn't compare to their European counterparts, because the Far Eastern Cossacks spent more time farming than fighting—a stark contrast to their European counterparts.

For the Cossacks of the Far East, their courage stemmed more from the personal prestige of their commanders, much like the Cossacks of Europe. Therefore, General Misinko's role in boosting the morale of the Far Eastern Cossacks was irreplaceable. His death, in effect, sent a message to the Far Eastern Cossacks that they too might die on this land.

Russian imperialists always portrayed Cossacks as fearless warriors, willing to fight to their last breath for the Tsar. But this was far from the truth. Cossack morale was inversely proportional to the strength of their opponent; the stronger the enemy, the lower their morale. Only against unarmed civilians and cowards did they appear invincible.

Looting defenseless Chinese civilians was certainly gratifying, but if these civilians were backed by a force capable of retaliation, the lieutenant couldn't help but worry. Listening to the laughter and chatter of the Russians, the lieutenant, walking through the dark village, pondered whether he could stop the operation after another day of reconnaissance, given that his company was running low on men.

Unlike the desolate Transbaikal region, the villages here are ridiculously large, with even the smallest villages having hundreds of inhabitants and the largest having two or three thousand. With such a small army, the Chinese soldiers' will to resist is all the stronger. In the past two days, at least seven or eight men in his company have lost their fighting ability and had to retreat.

Just as the lieutenant was pondering, gunfire suddenly erupted from the northwest of the village, abruptly interrupting his train of thought. He immediately looked towards the northwest corner, and as gunfire and explosions followed, he quickly said to the guard beside him, "Quickly, go and inform Sergeant Nevelov to reinforce the northwest corner. We can't let the Chinese harm our mounts..."

After watching the guard leave, the lieutenant immediately ran towards his quarters, thinking he should quickly assemble the company's direct subordinate units and prepare for battle. However, just as he stood at the door giving orders to the sentry, a gunshot rang out behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt a chill on his back, and then felt himself being shoved heavily, causing him to fall towards the sentry.

Jiang Weiping, gun in hand on the roof, watched the officer-looking man fall and, without hesitation, fired two more shots. One finished off the officer, and the other killed a Russian soldier who rushed out from inside to provide support. The battle in Liangzhuang suddenly intensified, and soon the villagers joined the fight. The brutality of the Russians drove these civilians to fight to the death.

Without the lieutenant's command, the villagers joined the Chinese army, and soon Cossacks fled on horseback. The Russian army lost approximately fifty corpses and over 60 horses in this night raid. This was not the only battle; the Liangzhuang battle opened the door to small-scale skirmishes between China and Russia over control of the railway line.

Chapter 435 Battle of Jinzhou (Part 5)

The activity of the Chinese army along the Jinzhou-Gaoqiao railway line caused Lieutenant General Sobolov in Jinzhou a great deal of trouble. Since the beginning of 1907, bad news had been coming to his ears one after another.

First came the news of the fall of Vladivostok, which not only threatened the Russian army's logistics lines in southern Manchuria, but also meant that in the short term, support from Europe would be prioritized for northern Manchuria rather than for southern Manchuria. General Kuropatkin also sent him a telegram, indicating that due to the strain on logistics, Jinzhou would not receive much support for the time being.

This was truly devastating news for the entire West Manchuria Army Group, as the city of Jinzhou only had 2.6 artillery shells in reserve. Based on past experience fighting the Chinese, this amount of ammunition was only enough for a medium-sized offensive at most.

In other words, the Russian army has at most one chance to drive the Chinese army back to the Primorsky Corridor, because an offensive operation without artillery cover is essentially suicidal, and the Chinese have already taught them a lesson several times before.

Fortunately, the Chinese army's field warfare capabilities were far inferior to its positional warfare capabilities. Therefore, the Russian army used field tactics to force the Chinese back to the vicinity of Gaoqiao, and was only one step away from driving them back to the Primorsky Corridor. Lieutenant General Sobolov still wanted to take a gamble, after all, blocking the exit of the Primorsky Corridor was much simpler than defending Jinzhou.

However, just as he sent the 72nd Division forward, another problem arose in his rear. Another Chinese army appeared in the Chaoyang area on January 3, cutting off the connection between Chaoyang and Yixian. The 54th Division in Yixian did not realize something was wrong until January 5 and sent people to the Chaoyang area to investigate, where they discovered the Chinese army.

On January 7th, the 54th Division telegraphed Jinzhou to report the situation. However, to Lieutenant General Sobolov's surprise, Major General Orlov, the commander of the 54th Division, had already led a brigade stationed in Yixian to relieve the Raunitz Detachment in Chaoyang without his permission. Lieutenant General Sobolov flew into a rage at his chief of staff, considering Major General Orlov an utter bastard, and arguing that if his operation failed, it would leave an irreparable gap in his rear.

In Lieutenant General Sobolov's view, Yixian was far more important than Chaoyang, because Yixian was the railway hub between Jinzhou and Fengtian. Losing Chaoyang would only mean losing the Raunitz Detachment, but if the Chinese occupied Yixian, it would mean that the Russian troops in Jinzhou would be cut off from their retreat. Therefore, even if Chaoyang really needed to be rescued, it should wait for him to send a unit to join the 54th Division in the rescue, rather than having the 54th Division launch an attack on its own.

Lieutenant General Sobolov hastily ordered a regiment from the 17th Division to be transferred to Yixian to take over the defense. The general was unwilling to spare a regiment from the most reliable 18th Division, instead choosing a regiment from the reorganized 17th Division—another mistake. The 17th Division, still demoralized after being defeated by the Chinese, didn't board the train to Yixian until the morning of the 8th. Only upon boarding did they learn that the Chinese had besieged Chaoyang, and they were to relieve the 54th Division in the defense of Yixian.

This news did not boost the morale of the Russian troops; instead, it triggered a pessimistic view among some of them. They felt that the Chinese were not to be trifled with at all, and that the 54th Division might not be able to rescue the Raunitz Detachment. Wouldn't they then have to fight the Chinese on the battlefield again? Many Russian soldiers felt that they might really die this time, so they silently cried in the vehicle.

The most convenient route from Yixian to Chaoyang is along the Daling River. In good summer and autumn weather, the journey takes only one and a half to two days, while in winter it takes three to five days. However, the frozen ground in winter is more suitable for large vehicles, especially since the ice on the Daling River is thick, making it much faster to travel on sleds across the river.

Orlov's Division set out at noon on the 7th and marched to the vicinity of Beipiao on the afternoon of the 8th, where the 54th Division was ambushed by Mi Zhenbiao's cavalry division. The attack did not begin with a saber charge, but rather with a platoon of light horse-drawn wagons equipped with machine guns firing in rapid succession. The advancing Russian infantry had never encountered such an attack before and were immediately routed.

In fact, not only were infantrymen unable to withstand such concentrated, mobile fire, but even the Russian cavalry following the infantry on guard duty could only flee when faced with machine gun fire. After the machine gun fire subsided, the subsequent Chinese cavalry, sabers raised high, charged into the remaining Russian ranks, further dispersing them.

Apart from a portion of the Russian troops who escaped into the nearby mountains and forests to avoid the Chinese cavalry's attack, the Russian troops on the main road were essentially incapable of resistance, except for those who dropped their weapons and surrendered. Although Orlov escaped into the nearby mountains and forests with the help of his men, it was impossible to spend the night in the mountains in this weather; even a Russian would freeze to death.

As the Chinese army began clearing the battlefield and started shouting for the Russian troops to come out and surrender, the Russian troops who had hidden in the mountains finally came out and surrendered their weapons. Orlov's escape location was also identified. After being surrounded by the Chinese, Major General Orlov finally chose to lay down his arms and surrender.

Upon learning from the Russian prisoners that he had captured the commander of the 54th Division, Mi Zhenbiao immediately realized his opportunity. He then suggested to Political Commissar Zhao Sheng that they should launch a surprise attack on Yixian County, since the commander of the Russian 54th Division stationed there had been captured, leaving Yixian County essentially a blank slate.

Zhao Sheng agreed to Mi Zhenbiao's suggestion, letting him take the cavalry division to test the strength of Yixian, while he himself counted the prisoners and cleaned up the battlefield. He also sent someone to take Orlov to Chaoyang to persuade the still resisting Raunitz detachment to surrender.

Mi Zhenbiao arrived in Yixian at around 10 p.m. He learned from the local people that a Russian army of at least two or three thousand men had come from Jinzhou that day. At first, he felt it was a pity, since he only had about six hundred cavalrymen and obviously could not take Yixian. However, he was not willing to withdraw like this, so he decided to teach the Russian army in Yixian a lesson before leaving.

Mi Zhenbiao let his men rest until 5 a.m., then got up, ate breakfast, fed the horses, and around 6 a.m., when it was just getting light, he circled around to the west of Yixian County and launched an attack as soon as the west gate opened.

The streets of the county town were almost deserted in the early morning, so the cavalry encountered almost no resistance when they rushed into the town. The Russian soldiers guarding the gate never expected so many Chinese cavalry to appear. At first, they thought they were Cossacks, so they didn't have time to fire a warning shot.

Mi Zhenbiao originally intended to fight his way through the city and then leave through the north or east gate. However, after entering the city, he discovered that the Russian army had neither occupied the four city walls nor organized any resistance. Instead, they were firing indiscriminately in a chaotic manner. This made him hesitate for a moment and decide to take some gains before leaving. So he set his sights on the headquarters where Orlov was stationed and began his attack.

Although Madame Orlo was not in the city, the Russian troops stationed in Yixian still used this headquarters as their command center. The Chinese attack on the headquarters not only cut off the Russian officers inside from communication with the rest of the Russian forces in the city, but also further threw the Russian troops in the city into chaos.

Having arrived in Yixian less than a day prior, the Russian troops were completely unfamiliar with the local environment. Hearing shouts and gunfire throughout the city, they assumed the Chinese were launching a major offensive against Yixian. In reality, it was a small number of cavalry conducting harassment operations throughout the city. After the city command lost contact with them, the Russian troops near the south gate were the first to withdraw from the city, and this withdrawal quickly triggered a retreat of all Russian troops in the city.

Therefore, the Russian troops stationed in Yixian abandoned the city and retreated south of Yixian. Mi Zhenbiao's deceptive attack actually yielded good results. The loss of Yixian was unacceptable to the Russian troops in Jinzhou, especially since Lieutenant General Sobolov was still unclear about what Orlov, who had gone to rescue the Raunitz Detachment, was doing. He did not believe that the unit had been completely wiped out, even if Orlov had only taken a brigade instead of the entire division. He did not believe that several thousand Russian troops could be defeated by the Chinese so quickly.

However, given the current situation, he has no choice but to reorganize his forces to retake Yixian. This would render his plan to drive the Chinese army back to the coastal corridor futile, as he lacks the strength to exert pressure on two fronts simultaneously.

After much deliberation, Lieutenant General Sobolov sent an order to Major General Dombrovsky at the Takahashi front on the morning of the 11th, instructing him to terminate the offensive plan and slowly withdraw his troops back to Jinzhou.

Faced with this order, Major General Dombrovsky looked at his division chief of staff, Colonel Krasnokutsky, with a surprised expression and asked, "Are you sure this is an order personally issued by the commander? Or just some prank? We've just deployed our attack formation, and now he's ordering me to retreat? Do you think the Chinese on the other side are idiots?"

The Chinese on the other side were certainly not fools, but the colonel could only think these things to himself. He was unwilling to add fuel to the fire for his superior. He could only persuade the furious Major General Dombrovsky: "The problem is not on our side, nor is it that the Commander has changed his mind. The problem is with General Orlov and General Raunitz."

If the Chinese do indeed defeat the two generals and cut off our retreat, then even if we drive the Chinese back into the coastal corridor, it will be futile. We cannot sustain a prolonged stalemate with the Chinese here…”

Major General Dombrovsky finally calmed down. He realized that his chief of staff was right. No matter how well he fought here, if his retreat was cut off, his victory would be in vain, and he would be entangled by the Chinese. He might become the next General Starklberg, who, despite not suffering any defeats on the front lines, ultimately failed because his retreat was cut off by the Chinese. Although he escaped, he lost his reputation and was sent back to St. Petersburg for trial.

Major General Dombrovsky reluctantly accepted the order to retreat, but how to retreat became his most pressing problem. If the Chinese on the other side discovered his retreat, the retreat would turn into a disaster.

Chapter 436 Battle of Jinzhou

Major General Dombrovsky's concerns were correct. Fu Cixiang sent a portion of his troops to infiltrate behind Russian lines not only to harass the Russian supply lines, but also to obtain timely information on Russian reinforcements or withdrawals.

His advocacy for a more expansive approach wasn't based on his belief that his side could easily defeat the Russians in small-scale battles, but rather on their possession of a sufficient number of radios. Against a Russian army still relying on cavalry to relay orders, the Chinese army, connected by radio, naturally had a greater advantage in assembling its forces.

Therefore, after dispersing Russian forces, the Chinese army was able to quickly regroup using radio, while the Russian army found it very difficult to regroup because even Russian officers could not pinpoint the exact location of their dispersed troops. This meant that when the Russian army dispersed to pursue small Chinese units, one unit would often find itself surrounded by a numerically superior Chinese force.

The two detachments dispatched quickly seized the initiative in the fighting along the railway line using this simple tactic, and then obtained firsthand information about the Russian army's operations through reports from villagers along the railway. Under these circumstances, Fu Cixiang also concentrated the main force of the 13th Division behind Gaoqiao, preparing for a counterattack against the Russian army.