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Volume 2 Beijing Story Chapter 185 Soviet Russia¡¯s Declaration on China

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    At the end of November 1917, facing the collapse and chaos in Russia on the Eastern Front, the Allied Powers launched the Battle of Cambrai on the Western Front before the main German and Austrian forces on the Eastern Front were transferred westward. From November 20 to December 6, 1917, the British Army  A battle with the German army in Cambrai (a city in the northern province of France, located on the Scheldt River) was also the first tank battle in history.

    From November 20 to 29, 1917, the British army used tanks on a large scale for the first time to launch an attack on the German army. According to the campaign intention, the British 3rd Reinforced Army, without artillery preparation, with the coordination of infantry, aviation and artillery, carried out a long-lasting battle.  On the 12-kilometer front (between the Scheldt River and the Dinol Canal), a tank assault was used to break through the defenses of the German 2nd Army, occupy Cambrai, and launch an offensive towards Valenciennes.

    In order to implement the breakthrough, the Third Army was organized into 2 echelons: the first echelon included the 3rd and 4th Infantry Corps (6 infantry divisions) and the 3rd Tank Corps (3 tank brigades, each with 3 battalions, with a total of 476  tanks), and the second echelon included the 3rd Cavalry Corps (3 cavalry divisions).

    There are more than 1,000 artillery pieces and about 1,000 aircraft providing artillery support and aviation support for the campaign.  In the breakthrough area, the German 2nd Army had 3 infantry divisions and 224 artillery pieces.  The German defense was 9 kilometers deep and consisted of three positions with 2 to 3 trenches each.

    At 6:10 on November 20, British tanks, accompanied by infantry, attacked the German positions under the cover of artillery fire.  Each tank group formed a group of 3 tanks and charged forward in a triangular formation; 1 tank (lead) in front, 2 tanks (main force) in the back, with an interval of 100-120 meters.  The tanks carried bundles of firewood to fill the German trenches so that the tanks could pass through them.

    The infantry followed the main force of the tank platoon and advanced in a three-line formation. The first line was responsible for seizing the trenches, the second line was responsible for blocking the trenches, and the third line was responsible for reinforcements.  The sudden onslaught of British tanks and infantry shattered the morale of the German army.  At 11:30, the British army occupied the first and second German positions; at 16:00, they occupied the third German position.  The British army advanced 8-10 kilometers in depth across the entire line.

    On the first day of the offensive, the British army actually broke through the German defenses and captured more than 8,000 people, 100 artillery pieces and 350 machine guns.  However, due to many shortcomings in organizing the coordination of tanks and infantry, the British army failed to expand its results.  To this end, the British army put two more cavalry divisions into battle (November 21), but no positive results were achieved.

    The German army mobilized several new divisions.  The battle turned protracted.  The Germans made extensive use of vehicle-mounted field guns and anti-aircraft guns deployed in critical directions to deal with British tanks.  On November 29, the British army stopped advancing.

    From November 30th to December 6th, the German army launched a counter-assault against the enemy¡¯s protrusion consisting of nearly 12 infantry divisions, 1,700 artillery pieces, and more than 1,000 aircraft.  Before the counter-assault, conduct a short artillery preparation.  As a result, the German army recovered most of the lost ground, captured about 9,000 people, and captured 716 machine guns, 148 artillery pieces, and 100 tanks.  The British army put 73 tanks into battle to stop the enemy's counterattack and advance.

    The Battle of Cambrai was the first coordinated operation in the European War with a tank assault and infantry accompanying it. It was also the first time that tanks were intensively used on a major battlefield. The Germans used artillery to stop the British attack without tanks.  .  If the Germans also had tanks, the European War on the Western Front might even end with a German victory early.

    The Battle of Cambrai between Britain and Germany once again sounded the alarm to the Chinese government and the public. Although the participating armies expanded rapidly and were established, China's overall strength and military power still lag behind the great powers.

    The British army invested 12 infantry divisions, 1,700 artillery pieces, 476 tanks and 1,000 aircraft in one battle. Such a battle may not be possible for the Chinese participating armies even if they put all their efforts into it. At least the total number of aircraft now is only 400.  , the first batch of pilot students only learned to fly for half a year, and the second batch of 500 pilots had just enrolled.

    The newly arrived second batch of aircraft purchased from the UK are still being assembled and tested. China's road to building an army has just taken shape. If it really wants to participate in the European War, it will never have the financial resources and strength.

    In fact, in the past six months, the strength of China's model army has expanded sharply to 13 integrated divisions with nearly 400,000 people. The 400,000-strong participating army has spent more than 8 million yuan on military expenses every month, not counting fuel and other items.  Massive consumption of supplies.

    The displacement of the Dodge 1-ton semi-truck is 3.5 liters, and the average fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is 15 liters. The engine displacement of the Ford TT 1-ton utility vehicle is 2.9 liters, and the average fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is 7.8-9.4 liters. The Ford Model T  The displacement is also 2.9 liters. Due to the light weight of the car, the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is only a little over 7 liters.

    Equipped with thousands of cars and wheeled armored vehicles, the highly mechanized model army was a typical oil tiger. As for tanks, Wang Geng did not like the extremely heavy British tanks in World War I. He planned to let them  On the basis of assembling and producing imported V6/V8 engines and assembling domestically produced Zhonghua Fuda vehicles, Zhonghua Fuda Company will develop its own vehicles in the future.

    At the end of November 1917, it was the tense time after the October Revolution when the little Russian mentor led his Bolsheviks to participate in the Russian Constituent Assembly.At this moment, the results of the election clearly surprised the Bolsheviks. The Russian Socialist Revolutionaries led the way in the preliminary elections. The Bolsheviks, just like their name, became a minority in the election.

    The 3rd and 10th divisions on the western front of the participating armies were sweeping and consolidating Outer Mongolia. The effect of aerial reconnaissance in the white snow was very good. Countless groups of Tsarist Russian bandits even dispersed under the dive and strafing fire of dh4 reconnaissance bombers. Outer Mongolia  The situation gradually calmed down due to the efforts of Wu Peifu's 3rd Division (under the 9th Brigade) and Wang Chengbin's 10th Division in the ice and snow.

    On the eastern front of the participating armies, in accordance with the wishes of President Feng Guozhang, three divisions could swarm up and disarm the Eastern Provincial Railway Company of Tsarist Russia and the Tsarist Russian army guarding the road in minutes. The three division commanders Wang Tingzhen, Cai Chengxun and Li Mingzhong were captured by the West  Wu Peifu's military exploits in regaining Outer Mongolia made him scream with excitement.

    However, Wang Geng stood still. In the end, even Duan Qirui and Xu Shuzheng became a little uneasy and asked Wang Geng when the East Line would take back the Eastern Provincial Railway. The name of the Eastern Railway was actually a name that was given after 1920 in the previous life.  However, since 1917 in the previous life, the Chinese government gradually took back jurisdiction over the dependent areas along the way.

    Wang Geng is waiting for the Soviet government¡¯s little mentor¡¯s declaration on China!

    Finally, on November 25 in the Russian calendar and December 7 in the Gregorian calendar in 1917, the Russian Constituent Assembly showed a rough vote result: the Bolsheviks received 23.9% of the votes, and only 163 of the 703 seats, which was far lower than the Bolsheviks.  The Socialist Revolutionaries received 40% of the vote.

    The final election results of the Russian Constituent Assembly will not be determined until January 1918, but it is a foregone conclusion that the Bolsheviks will become a minority in the Constituent Assembly.  Perhaps there was no hope for the final outcome of the Constituent Assembly, or the little man felt that the Bolshevik-controlled Soviet government must make further domestic and foreign decisions before the outcome of the Constituent Assembly came out, while power was still in the hands of the Bolsheviks.

    On December 8, 1917, the Soviet Russian government, chaired by a small man who was eager to seek external support, issued the "Declaration on China", which announced the abolition of all secret treaties signed by Imperial Russia with China, Japan, and the Allied Powers.  Elsewhere, all land acquired through aggressive means will be given up. Imperial Russia¡¯s consular jurisdiction and concessions in China will be abolished, the Russian portion of the Boxer Indemnity will be given up, all Russian privileges in the Middle East Railway will be given up, etc.

    This is what you have been waiting for!  The Soviet Russian government rushed to throw out its declaration on China before the Constituent Assembly in order to gain more external support for itself. Of course, it is also inseparable from the unremitting efforts of Liu Jingren, the Chinese Minister Plenipotentiary to Russia. The Soviet Russian government¡¯s declaration on China was the first  Time spread all over the world.

    On December 9, 1917, China's Foreign Minister Xia Yiting announced on behalf of the government that China accepted and confirmed the Soviet Russian government's declaration on China the day before, and announced that it would immediately abrogate all secret treaties signed between Imperial Russia and China.  and elsewhere, all land acquired through aggression will be recovered, Imperial Russia¡¯s consular jurisdiction and concessions in China will be abolished, the Russian portion of the Boxer Indemnity will be abolished, all Russian privileges in the Middle East Railway will be abolished, etc.!

    At the end of the Chinese government¡¯s statement, the Chinese government expressed the hope that Russia will maintain a stable situation and believes that the Russian people will make the right choice in the face of history!  I believe that the relations between China and Russia will open a new chapter!
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