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Text Chapter 346 Letter from Russia (Part 1)

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    Six ugly bunker trucks with long "pig noses", divided into upper and lower layers and covered with rivets, swept across Jinzhou. The 30 mm thick homogeneous steel plates were a nightmare for the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Army, whose artillery was almost completely destroyed.  """"(.) You can't imagine the feeling of a bullet hitting it, Luzhai being bulldozed in front of it, and a steel mountain weighing over 40 tons running over you!  This is like an ore transport truck with wheels taller than a person hitting you on a bicycle!

    At this moment, the ugly appearance that even Yang Qiu couldn't stand has been ignored. The bunker truck is like a mammoth beast from ancient times, crushing towards the Japanese army, crushing it!  Crush again!  The engineers placed a prefabricated steel beam used in the Gembele Bridge on the trench to allow the Gray Wolf armored vehicles to pass smoothly. Behind them were densely packed soldiers of the 16th Infantry Division, bending down and lowering their heads along the crushing road.  Trajectory charges forward.

    In just one hour, the peripheral defense line that Kikuzo Otani thought could withstand several times the enemy was broken.  An hour later, all 144 artillery pieces of various types, including the Lushan long-range artillery position, fired arson bombs.  The window paper is burning, the roof beams are burning, and the big trees are burning!  The entire Jinzhou City was wrapped in flames and thick smoke!  In order to remove the nail in Jinzhou as soon as possible and open up the Beijing-Fengcheng Railway, the Northeast Theater Command used all 20,000 arson bombs in its inventory to carry out rounds of shelling on Jinzhou City!

    The Japanese soldiers, who had just been beaten by the bunker truck, were stunned and found themselves plunged into an endless sea of ??fire and thick smoke before they could take a breath.  In fact, the power of arson bombs is far less powerful than described. Compared with poison gas bombs, the killing power is much weaker. What really causes damage is the smoke!  The choking and toxic smoke was very frightening. According to subsequent statistics, more than 3,000 Japanese soldiers choked to death from the toxic smoke after burning, or were burned to death after inhaling overdose and falling into coma.

    Early the next morning, when the smoke was gradually blown away by the sea breeze, a total of three brigades of the 4th and 16th Infantry Divisions entered the ruined Jinzhou City without bloodshed. Otani Kikuzo had no choice but to risk his life and retreat to the vicinity of Qinggou Bay.  After receiving the news that Jinzhou had been lost that night, Masaki Teuchi ignored the threat and mobilized more than 40 small ships to set off from Pulandian overnight.  Finally, the 21st Brigade, with less than 2,000 people left, was brought back to Lushun early the next morning.

    At the same time, Feng Guozhang, who was personally in charge of Jiulian City, suddenly went crazy. He personally went into battle and commanded, supported by the heavy artillery of Hushan Fortress, to launch a fierce attack on the Japanese 20th Division entrenched on the Andong side of the Yalu River. Because the Japanese 20th Division  Heavy equipment has been unable to cross the river, and the railway from Sinuiju to Pyongyang has been cut off. The Japanese 20th Division, fearing that it would be cut off, ignored orders and voluntarily abandoned its position and retreated to the Baima front line in Sinuiju.

    After learning the news, Yan Youbing, who had been nicknamed "the first artillery gun in the Northeast" privately, took the initiative to ask for war. He led an artillery regiment consisting of two 105 and one 75 rapid-fire guns to station in Anton, and launched one round after another against the Japanese army's Baima Mountain Highlands.  Rounds of bombardment.  Finally, after five days of repeated battles, the IDF succeeded in crossing the river at the cost of nearly 2,000 casualties.  An infantry regiment of the 101st Guard Division and the 37th Brigade led by Chen Yushi seized the Sinuiju Bridgehead of the Andong Railway Bridge, officially announcing that the Chinese troops had returned to the Korean Peninsula after 20 years.  After learning the news, Yue Peng immediately ordered the mobilization of 20 inland river ore transport ships and 67 trucks to send several sets of large Bailey Bridge steel structures stored in Haicheng to the front line.  Used for rapid repair of Andong Bridge.

    The Japanese army, who were also preparing to learn from the National Defense Forces and defend the natural chasm of the river, obviously did not expect that there would be such a thing as Bailey Bridge in the world, so they did not destroy the most important bridge pier.  In the end, I could only watch helplessly as the National Defense Forces, under the cover of hundreds of cannons and machine guns, took only three days to erect a simple steel bridge, and then continuously pulled heavy equipment across the Yalu River towards Baima Mountain.

    On October 17, the battle for Baima Mountain began. Just when the two armies were anxious, the Korean Army suddenly appeared behind the Japanese army and wreaked havoc.  As a result, all the granaries and cotton-padded clothes stored in Sinuiju were burned. More than 20,000 Japanese troops were faced with the dilemma of running out of food, and finally had to retreat again all the way to Taizhou, 20 kilometers away, to wait for reinforcements.  Taking this opportunity, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Field Division, the 32nd Brigade of the 10th Infantry Division, and the 45th Brigade of the 14th Infantry Division of the National Defense Force bypassed Fengcheng and Donggang, completely opened up the road to Dagushan Fortress, and then launched a fierce attack on Zhuanghe River.  Zhengyi strictly ordered several cruisers stationed in Lushun to provide artillery support, but they still could not stop the highly morale National Defense Force.

    On October 22, the 1012th Brigade of the 101st Division of Xiuyan cooperated with the 31st and 32nd Brigade of the 10th Division to attack Buyun Mountain.  The three brigades that attacked Zhuanghe at the same time also defeated a Japanese brigade in Xiaogushan and then joined forces in Wugu City outside Wafangdian. The troops arrived at the Piziwo line of Jinzhou (called Kanto Prefecture in Japan) for the first time.  Terauchi Masaki was shocked when he heard the news. He did not expect that the 20th Division blocking the front line would take the initiative to withdraw to Sinuiju and even give up the Andong Yalu River Bridge!  What¡¯s even more stupid is that no one knew in advance that the Chinese already had the technology to quickly repair bridges!  As a result, two brigades invaded North Korea's Baima Mountain and eventually lost half of Sinuiju!

    But before it was too late to think too much about North Korea, the fall of Wugu City made things even more difficult.He was uneasy because this meant that the National Defense Forces with six brigades could cut off the railway from Gaizhou to Jinzhou at any time. After careful consideration, he had to give up the Gaizhou defense line that he had spent a month building and ordered all troops to withdraw to Jinzhou.  The state attempted to hold on to Japan's largest and strongest fortress in China.

    Starting from Jinzhou, the Northeast Theater Command deployed a total of 4 main infantry divisions, 2 reserve infantry divisions, and 372 artillery pieces of various types in just half a month.  With the help of more than 500 trucks of various types and 40,000 national transport teams, they swept across the Liaodong Peninsula, attacking and destroying the generals along the way. The Japanese army, which was short of soldiers and seriously frustrated its confidence, totaled three and a half divisions (including the remnants of the Guards Division that had been withdrawn from Longkou).  , the remnants of the Fifth Division and the First Division of the Second Division) pressed back to Jinzhou.  Since the end of the Qingdao Battle, the myth of the Japanese army's tenacity and invincibility has been completely shattered.  Whether it is the confidence of the soldiers or the morale of the troops, the Chinese and Japanese armies are completely different. Inspired by the annihilation of more than 30,000 enemies in the Qingdao Battle, the Northeast Army, which already has 10 infantry divisions with a total of 210,000 soldiers, also directly set up artillery to Jinzhou and  North Korea's entrance.

    After the Beijing-Fenghuang Railway was re-opened, the General Staff of the National Defense Forces immediately began to expedite the transportation of materials stored in the Beijing-Tianjin area to Fengtian. The Jiaodong Theater, which had completed its combat mission, also dispatched elite troops including the 102nd Guard Division to support northward. After negotiations were delayed,  When progress could be made, the National Defense Forces began serious preparations to storm the Jinzhou and Lushun fortresses.  On October 25, when Li Yuanhong met with British Special Envoy Bernard in Nanjing, he stated that all negotiations must be concluded before November 20.  If the two countries fail to reach an agreement within the time limit, the Republic of China government will terminate all negotiations and use military means to regain its homeland.

    Jinzhou lost the 21st Brigade and was almost completely wiped out, the 20th Division strode back to North Korea, the National Defense Forces set foot in North Korea, and the troops were directed towards Jinzhou. A series of bad news finally made the Japanese government, which had a little luck, give up its illusions and tried every means to provide support to the country.  North Korea is sending more troops while seriously considering the "Eight Civil Articles."  Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma also delivered a speech in Congress for the first time on the Sino-Japanese War, saying that "ending the war is the only and correct choice" after seeing no possibility of victory in the war.  As soon as the remarks came out, Japan was once again in conflict. Tens of thousands of workers and farmers whose lives had become increasingly difficult due to the war could not bear the pressure and took to the streets to demand an end to the war.  The radical faction represented by Nobuzumi Aoki stated that they should stick to Lushun and use powerful fortress artillery to consume the National Defense Forces and wait for the international situation to reverse.

    But before they could hope for a reversal of the international situation.  European hurricane expands again!

    On October 29, 1914, the former German cruiser Goben, which was sold to the Ottoman Empire by surprise, was led by the German captain Sorochin.  surprise attacks on the Russian Black Sea port cities of Sevastopol and Odyssey.  Facing the Goben's powerful firepower, the Russian army was caught off guard and suffered heavy losses.  In particular, a big explosion occurred after the Sevastopol Port Arsenal was called out by 280mm naval guns. It not only killed thousands of soldiers and ordinary people, but also urbanized two of the most important Russian industries.  As a result, dozens of military-industrial enterprises were completely paralyzed, making the Russian army even more difficult because of a serious shortage of equipment in terms of manufacturing capabilities.

    ??When Britain and France themselves were insufficiently equipped.  Nicholas II began to wave checks frantically and immediately ordered a large amount of arms from the United States.  But distant water cannot quench the near thirst. At this time, the U.S. industrial industry, especially the army industry, is not even as good as Italy. It will take enough time to convert its strong industrial capabilities into military industry!  Therefore, His Majesty the Tsar can be seen wandering in the garden every day with his eyes dazed, thinking about when he can withdraw the troops stationed in the Far East and purchase the much-needed weapons.

    The streets of St. Petersburg are deserted. Like prosperous Western Europe, the heart of Tsarist Russia has also fallen into depression due to the war.  Workers were ordered to work overtime, military police and secret forces were mobilized to supervise production, farmers were asked to hand over more grain, and "gray animals" drawn from all over the country marched to the front line with bare hands.  While waiting for the weapons and equipment that I don¡¯t know when they will arrive.

    The car flying the five-color flag drove out from the somewhat shabby Chinese Embassy in Russia. The car made a detour in front of the magnificent Winter Palace Square and then drove towards a manor in the suburbs.

    In the car, Wang Zhengting was checking whether he had brought everything. Next to him, Lu Zhengxiang, the minister to Russia who had been prime minister for a few days during Yuan Shikai's period, was staring at the five-color flag. He was holding a brocade box in his hand and seemed to be thinking about something: "Rutang (Wang Zhengting)  (character), I think this five-color flag may need to be changed."

    Wang Zhengting raised his head, looked at him and laughed without hesitation: "Brother Zixin is absolutely right. The Republic of China with Five Nationalities Co-Prosperity was originally proposed by President Yuan back then. It's a pity that the Manchus dug their own graves in an attempt to rely on the Japanese for restoration. Why?  How can Germany continue to appear on the national flag! So before I came, Congress had already begun discussions on amending the national flag and national emblem and confirming the national anthem. I believe it will be finalized soon."

    Lu Zhengxiang nodded, thinking about what happened during this period, his heart was filled with waves.  The sudden changes in the domestic political situation in the past two years are indeed something that overseas Chinese like them did not expect.  Yuan Shikai was paralyzed, and the powerful Beiyang collapsed overnight. Yang Qiu took the lead to achieve independence and independence.The national society, which is based on the concept of independence, self-reliance, strengthening the concept of the country, committing to the common advancement of the people, and ultimately realizing the social transformation of the country, has rapidly emerged to dominate.  However, just when everyone spread out their books and carefully studied the theory of national society, something unexpected and even disturbing happened. Just when everyone thought that Yang Qiu would slowly take all of China into his hands in the next ten years, he  One year after the country was reunified, it unexpectedly used the Xihua Gate incident to declare war on Japan!  On the day he received the news, he and all the diplomats stationed in Russia sighed deeply. They all thought that the young and energetic Yang Qiu would destroy the hard-won reunification. After all, at that time, the idea of ????the Japanese army being invincible was still deeply rooted.  For this reason, he also sent a telegram to Yang Qiu in his private name, requesting the withdrawal of the declaration of war and suggesting that he should not rush but instead be patient, stabilize the overall situation of the country first, and then try to defeat the great powers to achieve true national reunification.

    After sending the telegram, he was ready to be fired, but the telegram disappeared without even a rebuke.  Yang Qiu continued his declaration of war and actively mobilized troops, and eventually war broke out in Fengtian.  Although he strongly disagreed with starting a war immediately, this war was, after all, related to the fate of the country. Therefore, he not only took the lead in donating money to purchase urgently needed industrial equipment in the country and shipped it back, but also actively contacted Russia to seek the possibility of China and Russia joining forces to deal with Japan.  It's a shame. Who would care at that time that he was a minister from a semi-colonial country whose country was not even recognized. Not only did he have no effect, but he also attracted countless ridicules and supercilious looks.

    News of the victory began to come in one after another, but he was still frowning because he knew that Yang Qiu had an unexpected advantage.  After all, Japan was not preparing for war at the time. Even if the two countries were very close, the fastest ship from Sasebo would take two days and two nights to reach Port Arthur. Moreover, mobilization from peacetime to wartime would take at least a month.  He began to have trouble sleeping day and night until the news came that the Japanese troops had landed in Longkou and Laoshan Bay at the same time.

    The war has reached Shandong!  It turned into a truly tough battle. With the navy at a disadvantage, the National Defense Forces were almost at a comprehensive disadvantage.

    Perhaps God blessed China, but at the most critical moment the European War broke out, with Britain, France and Russia shrinking across the board!  Germany gives in to Qingdao!  In the end, after a month of blood and fire, the Battle of Qingdao was a complete victory with the total annihilation of more than 30,000 Japanese troops!

    That day, all worries and insecurities were forgotten.  Regardless of whether Yang Qiu gambled or anticipated that war would break out in Europe, whether he was confident or had been planning for several years, the result is the most important!  So people specially bought firecrackers to celebrate.

    He will always remember that that morning, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which in the past would only send people when it was blackmail, specially sent two special envoys to send victory blessings.  The right time, the right people, the right location and the destiny of the country!  All returned to the vast land of China.  The next day, Wang Zhengting came all the way and brought a letter written by Yang Qiu, which contained only one short sentence.

    "Thanks to all the staff in Russia who bought much-needed machinery for the country at the critical moment and have dedicated themselves to diplomatic posts for a long time. You are the window for the country's external propaganda, and you are the sons and daughters of China walking in the world family."

    That day, he cried bitterly while holding the letter, then opened the daughter red he brought from his hometown and got drunk.  Chinese people suffer!  Chinese people are in pain!  The tears of the Chinese people can only be swallowed silently in their stomachs!  A century of humiliation has finally seen the light of day. What could be more inspiring for diplomats like these than these words?  Therefore, he devoted all his energy to actively cooperate with Wang Zhengting. Although Russia was still unwilling to give clear answers to issues such as Mongolia and Xinjiang, with the tragic defeat of Tannenberg, Russia's weakness began to gradually appear.  The Black Sea crisis a few days ago plunged Russia into despair and anxiety. At this moment, the 300,000 elite troops stationed in the Far East have become the key!  When he thought of this, a hint of cunning appeared in the corner of his mouth.

    Weighing the thousands of gifts in his hand, he suddenly smiled and said: "Rutang, the person we are going to meet today is very important. Don't be surprised no matter what you see later."

    Wang Zhengting had just arrived here not long ago and was not very familiar with the domestic situation in Russia, so he was confused after hearing this sentence and asked: "Brother Zixin, I really forgot if you didn't tell me, who did you want to see when you pulled me out so early in the morning?"  ? And it¡¯s so mysterious, could it be that he went to see Nicholas II in private? "

    Nicholas II?  Lu Zhengxiang shook his head, narrowed his eyes and laughed: "Brother Rutang, the real leader in Russia nowis not His Majesty the Tsar!".

    (To be continued)

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