Beiyang 1917

The huge progress made by the Chinese and Japanese intervention forces in Russia has left the two old powers, Britain and France, out of reach, and there is a trace of hidden worry. The strength of Asian countries will inevitably compete and challenge Western countries.

Originally, Britain and France only used China and Japan to maintain a buffer zone on the Russian Eastern Front. During the irreversible reddening of the domestic situation in Russia, it was reserved for all Russian forces that opposed the Bolsheviks, such as the Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, and Constitutionalists. A base.

Now I didn't expect the Chinese to strike so hard and so fast, and they hit the west of Lake Baikal in a blink of an eye. If the fight continues with this momentum, doesn't it mean that the Chinese want to replace Russia as the new overlord of Eurasia?

What makes people feel even more strange is that Japan and China have begun to keep pace with each other. The friction between the two armies in Vladivostok is obviously just a small episode, and it seems that the intervention forces of China and Japan will really start to join hands. , especially when Zhu Erdian and Kant knew that the Japanese Army Department had sent a special commissioner to Wang Geng's Nanyuan Command.

"Gun! There is intelligence that you seem to have reached some kind of tacit understanding and agreement with Japan. As a member of the Allied Powers, we strongly oppose China and Japan leaving aside the United States, Britain and France to go it alone. Don't forget who armed your participating army !” French Minister Kant directly rushed to Wang Geng’s headquarters to make representations.

Here, Wang Geng has just led Hata Junliu back from the Liuguo Hotel. Although Hata Junliu cannot officially become Wang Geng's staff officer, he was hired by Wang Geng as a private military adviser. Of course, this is not made public. He and the staff officers he brought all changed into the military uniforms of the Chinese participating army. Wang Geng even gave Hata Junliu the Chinese name Tian Jun, and directly gave him the title of major general and senior counselor.

Wang Geng smiled and invited Kant into the small meeting of the headquarters to serve tea, while thinking, the French envoy obviously came to scout the way for Zhu Erdian and Rui Enshi, maybe he heard some rumors from there, but France is now The Asian side is really out of reach, this kid came over in a hurry without weighing his own weight first.

"My dear ambassador, China and Japan join hands to interfere in Russia's affairs in Siberia and the Far East. This is a huge obligation for the Allied Powers. It is only natural for our two countries to consult and coordinate on military action plans and logistical support. ! I don’t know where your dissatisfaction comes from?”

Wang Geng lighted a cigar leisurely and said to the French Minister with a smile.

"Gun, we Ming people don't talk dark words. The Allied Powers expressed their surprise and admiration for the progress made by the Chinese participating troops, but now you have advanced to the west of Lake Baikal in one go. This is beyond the position that everyone negotiated at the beginning. According to the results of discussions between the Allied Powers and the Russian Siberian Autonomous Government, the West Siberia Plain is the space reserved for them! They have already protested to Britain and us!"

French Minister Kant broke into Wang Geng's headquarters alone. At this moment, Zhu Erdian had Spanish flu and was recovering in bed, but Rui Enshi excused himself. As a result, he had to come alone, and he couldn't find Foreign Minister Xia Yi in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ting and Wang Geng, the war supervisor in front of him, finally caught the right lord here in Nanyuan.

"Mr. Minister, the Chinese troops who participated in the war only shot at our enemies. The name of the interim government of Siberia autonomy you mentioned is wrong. They were established in Ufa, and now they have captured Kazan. They can only be called Ural. Temporary self-government government, as for the Great Plains of West Siberia, including the area west of Lake Baikal, these places are still under the control of the Bolsheviks in Soviet Russia!"

Wang Geng took a puff of cigarette, and said calmly, "The Chinese troops taking these places from the Bolsheviks has nothing to do with the original intention of the Allied Forces to interfere in the Russian situation. We recommend one kilometer to the West. On the Eastern Front, Britain and France will face less pressure. As for who will own these places you are worried about in the future, I think it is far from the time to discuss these!"

"Gun! How do you want us to answer the temporary government of Siberia in Russia? You have put your hand into someone's pocket now, and everyone would jump up on this matter. Now they have no time to look around, and wait for Kolchak's death in the future." If the White Guards and the Czech Legion turn around and attack eastward together, everyone will really tear their faces!" The French minister said, rubbing his hands in embarrassment.

In front of Wang Geng, apart from Zhu Erdian because of his old age and Rui Enshi because of the closest relationship between the United States and China, others such as Kant and Lin Quanzhu have always been at a disadvantage in front of Wang Geng. China's participation in the war supervision is simply asking for trouble, Wang Geng will never show a good face, and many times he directly served tea to see off the guests!

Kant came to find Wang Geng today, but he was also urged by a telegram from the domestic government. The Siberian Temporary Self-Government Government is mainly composed of Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks supported by Britain and France. Belonging to a revolutionary regiment in the French army.

The Chinese troops stretched their hands so far in Siberia, and the governments of Britain and France felt the pressure immediately. In fact, Wang Geng specifically greeted the United States before China sent troops to Siberia. The foreign policy of the United States at this time is to open the door It is equal to the interests, just like Britain and France support the Siberian Provisional Self-Government.

The spokesperson of the interests of the United States in Siberia at the moment is the Chinese Army, an army armed with American firearms, and in the short time since Wang Geng returned to China, the interests of the United States in China have been greater than in the past 10 years. Every year is old, and American capital has obtained its own share in all the large enterprises established by Wang Geng.

Not to mention the black gold oil, the Renqiu Oilfield of the Sino-American Petroleum Company is now a gold mine in China in Asia to the United States, so Kant went to Rui Enshi to have a closed door because of Wang Geng Before launching the Siberia military operation, give the Americans a clear bottom:

As long as there is a slight possibility, the squadron will at least push the front line to the Ural Mountains, the dividing line between Asia and Europe. The political status of all places occupied by the squadron will be decided by the referendum of the local residents in the future, but For all the land controlled by China, the United States will receive priority investment and development rights just like Sino-US oil companies.

With the acquiescence and support of the United States, Wang Geng's participating army can truly move forward all the way westward, and the two big pies of Ural and West Siberia are like carrots hanging in front of a donkey's head, attracting Japan. Originally acted as the vanguard who opened the way!

By the end of the first week of March 1918, the Chinese troops had achieved the following results:

On the eastern front of the Far East, on March 3, the 3th mixed brigade of the seventh division of the Chinese participating army encircled Khabarovsk. On March 20, the headquarters of the seventh division and the remaining two mixed brigades rushed to the outskirts of Khabarovsk, When the persuasion to capitulate is invalid.

Wang Zhengting's Seventh Division launched a full-scale attack. The total number of 75mm mountain artillery of the three mixed brigades of the Seventh Division was as high as 216. In addition, there were 54 150mm howitzers belonging to the division's heavy artillery regiment. The sky came from Suifenhe to cheer Air Force of the participating army.

The Handley Page O3 heavy bombers of 400 squadrons bombarded the Russian positions in Hadalovsk wildly, while all the artillery of the Seventh Division covered the Russian positions for 30 minutes. Immediately afterwards, the three mixed brigades launched a full-scale assault from the east, south, and west directions.

The Soviet Russian defenders were destroyed by the overwhelming bombing and artillery fire of the squadron. In the end, only a small part of the Soviet army fled to the north and fled into the mountains. The remaining 3000 people were killed in battle, and 6000 were captured. For the first time, the Chinese army suffered heavy casualties, and it paid a lot of casualties and a price when conquering the opponent's core fortress that survived the bombing and was still standing.

In the Battle of Khabarovsk, the Chinese participating army annihilated nearly 9000 Russian troops, suffered nearly a thousand casualties, more than 300 were killed, and more than 600 were injured. It was the first time they saw the power of the Russian fortress.

For the brigade-level officers of the No. 17 Division and the generals above the regimental commander of the No. 12 Division in Japan who watched the battle on the spot, Wang Zhengting's Seventh Division can be said to have fought a beautiful battle of air-ground coordination with infantry and artillery.

Of course, the generals of the Japanese Army might not have been muttering in their hearts. The Chinese cannon planes are too extravagantly configured. A heavy artillery regiment belonging to a division has 54 150mm heavy cannons. The firepower density and utilization of an army is the magic weapon for victory!

What people criticize is that the accuracy of air bombing is still a bit insufficient. The core fortifications of the Russian army are so strong that they cannot be defeated by a 150mm howitzer. Only the 250 kg aerial bomb of a heavy bomber can deal with it. Unfortunately, from Suifenhe 550 kilometers to Khabarovsk, just stuck at the maximum combat radius of Handley Pej 0400.

This objectively shortened the time that the bomber fleet that took off from Suifenhe and came to help the battle stayed over Khabarovsk, and the bombing under the prompt of the fuel level warning was slightly inaccurate-jing is understandable!

But in any case, the Seventh Division fought a beautiful and tough battle. While boosting their own morale, it also gave the generals of the Japanese No. 12 Division a personal understanding of the strength of the Chinese participating army!