Britain and France, which had the upper hand in armored strength, quickly adjusted their tactics, followed China's example, and began to launch a fierce assault on the Hindenburg Line of Defense. They made considerable progress. The entire defense line that was once attacked was crumbling, but the German army relied on its superb military skills.
Their quality and crazy use of poison gas bombs saved the situation, and Britain and France could no longer advance.
In fact, although Britain has found suitable tactics, the war will still rely on people to fight the war. Now the human resources of the two countries have been nearly exhausted, especially France. They are now powerless and unable to advance at all. Now the Allies
The biggest hope is the United States. Fortunately, American soldiers have been landing in Europe continuously. They are well-nourished, strong, and well-equipped. Most importantly, they are full of enthusiasm, high morale, and full of confidence in victory.
The commander-in-chief of the US military, General Pershing, was a strict and rigid person, and he was also extremely eager for victory. After he arrived in Europe, he heard that Jiang Baili had created the most suitable tactics, so he ignored the opposition of his subordinates and recruited one of the troops from among them.
A group of tactical instructors were hired to comprehensively improve the tactical level of the US military. At the same time, the Americans also showed the characteristics of the nouveau riche and purchased tanks and armored vehicles on a large scale. The strength of the air force also expanded rapidly.
In addition, Pershing also took a fancy to submachine guns, but he did not appreciate cheap weapons such as the Sten submachine gun. Instead, he demanded that the country equip the US military with more advanced submachine guns. China and the United States are both guest troops in Europe.
To some extent, they were discriminated against by Britain and France. Although the United States was powerful and could win more respect, old Europe still maintained a unique arrogance and bossed Pershing and his army around.
It was this situation that brought Chinese and American soldiers closer together quickly and forged a deep friendship. American soldiers often went to Chinese labor settlements to enjoy Chinese food and watch American movies. In this cruel war year,
Moon, this is also a kind of spectacle.
The war situation in Europe made Qiao Yu very happy. The fact that Jiang Baili and others were able to show off their power in Europe had a huge shock at home. First of all, it shocked the hearts and minds of the people. Although the Chinese have always not believed that they were the sick men of East Asia, they faced white people.
They are always unable to straighten their backs and seem to be a head shorter than others. Now the Chinese can defeat the world's largest army and can lead the trend of tactical changes. This shows that the Chinese are not the sick men of East Asia. The Chinese can fight, and there is nothing special about white people.
Yes, it's not noble at all.
But now foreigners are still rampant in China, and China is still divided. The foreign powers have seized all kinds of privileges, lorded it over and become emperors. Who is responsible for this situation? There is no doubt that the finger will be pointed at it.
The government, especially Beiyang, therefore doubled the pressure on the shoulders of Beiyang generals, especially Duan Qirui.
After Qiao Yu came to power in the southwest, earth-shaking changes took place. It was also the army from the southwest that won the victory in Europe. Therefore, Qiao Yu's reputation skyrocketed, and the number of members of the United Democratic Party soared. A large number of passionate young people joined it, eager to change China's political situation.
destiny.
At this time, Qiao Yu had already captured Guangdong and Guangxi. After the Southwest Army besieged Nanning, Qiao Yu sent a telegram to Lu Rongting, giving him two options, one was to die together, the other was to give up his position as the patrol envoy of Guangdong and Guangxi and serve as
Supervise the Southwest Railway, be responsible for railway construction work, and continue to do things for the people.
Lu Rongting had less than 20,000 people at this time. Facing the four divisions of the Southwest Army, he really didn't have any courage to fight, especially since the Southwest Army also had the air force as a weapon and an astonishing number of heavy artillery. Nanning's city wall could still block it.
Heavy artillery bombardment?
And Qiao Yu didn't just kill everyone, he also gave Lu Rongting the position of railway supervisor. The power of this position is not small at all. Nowadays, railway construction is definitely one of the biggest things in the southwest. The annual investment is more than hundreds of millions, which is absolutely astronomical.
Lu Rongting thought over the numbers repeatedly. If he wanted to fight, he would definitely have no chance of winning. If he accepted Qiao Yu's arrangement, he would still be able to hold great power, but he would not be able to control the army.
Lu Rongting finally announced his surrender to his subordinates with tears in his eyes: "Lu has been in control of Guangxi for many years, but has not improved the welfare of the people. Now he can't bear to hurt the elders in his hometown and suffer the war because of his selfish interests. Therefore, he decided to comply with the overall situation and give up."
resistance!"
After Lao Lu made his decision, he did what he said. All the soldiers in Guangxi gave up resistance and the Southwest Army successfully took over Guangxi. Qiao Yu did not break his promise and immediately handed over all the power of railway construction to Lu Rongting.
Lu Rongting managed hundreds of millions of yuan in funds. After Lu Rongting took up the position of railway supervisor, he regarded this position as the last way to benefit the people in his life.
Therefore, he is particularly concerned that the Guizhou-Guangxi Railway and the Nan-Kunming Railway were built under his auspices. There were no problems with the huge road payment. Lu Rongting was honest and self-sufficient and made great contributions.
Lu Rongting was solved, and Chen Jiongming was no longer a problem. Two more provinces were added to the southwest, and his power further expanded. Although Duan Qirui wanted to stop it, he was unable to do so and could only acquiesce. At this time, Russia, which had been paying attention, finally sent a shocking news again.
news.
On November 7, 1917, the Russian majority party finally broke out in an armed uprising. Taking the gunshots of the cruiser Aurora anchored on the Neva River as a signal, workers and soldiers in Petrograd began to march toward the Winter Palace.
Launched an attack, broke into the Winter Palace late at night, and arrested members of the Provisional Government. Kerensky fled, and the Provisional Government was overthrown.
That night, the second All-Russian Majority Party Congress was held at Smolny Palace, announcing that the provisional government had been overthrown and that all central and local power had been transferred to the Soviet majority party. The next day, the leader made a report at the conference, and the conference passed
The "Peace Decree" and the "Land Decree" were passed, and the first majority party government, the People's Committee, was formed. A new country was born, and a social system that originally stayed on paper was established.
After the news spread, it can be said that the whole world was shocked. Although after the February Revolution, some discerning people were worried that Russia would eventually reach this point, but after the reality is placed in front of everyone, it often seems more cruel and unacceptable.
, the Tsar was eliminated, but Tsarist Russia was about to appear in the world in a completely new model.
Although the European powers were deeply involved in the war at this time, they were also terrified. At this time, the first one to react was the Chinese government. Duan Qirui immediately announced on behalf of the Beiyang government that it was seriously concerned about the situation in Russia. At the same time, the Beiyang government
In order to ensure the security of the border areas, we decided to send troops to Outer Mongolia!
Outer Mongolia has been continuously influenced by Tsarist Russia since the late Qing Dynasty, and there were signs of independence. Especially after the Revolution of 1911, Outer Mongolia took the opportunity to declare independence. Later, although the Beiyang government made repeated efforts to force Outer Mongolia to give up its independence, it was still de facto
It was in an independent situation and was firmly controlled by the Tsarist Russian government.
Outer Mongolia has unparalleled strategic value for China. Since ancient times, China's main threat has been the northern nomads. In modern times, Tsarist Russia has become one of China's most vicious enemies. Outer Mongolia is between China and Russia. If China can occupy
Outer Mongolia can push the northern defense line hundreds of kilometers or even more, firmly protecting Beijing, the political center of China.
Moreover, the troops stationed in Outer Mongolia can threaten the Trans-Siberian Railway at any time and completely cut off Russia's connection with the Far East. In this way, Russia has to take a passive defensive position, and the strategic initiative falls to China, and it is a bitter cold in Russia.
The land is simply not suitable for large-scale confrontation with China. If the confrontation lasts for a long time, Russia can be brought down.
It can be said that the loss of Outer Mongolia was the most tragic thing in China's modern history, and it also made the strategic environment in northern China extremely dangerous. If it had not entered the nuclear age after World War II, China would have even faced the attack of the torrent of steel. Now it has the opportunity to completely control it.
Outer Mongolia is definitely not to be missed.
The day after Duan Qirui announced the dispatch of troops, Qiao Yu, as the largest powerful faction, also called the country, announcing his absolute support for the Beiyang government's decision. At the same time, he announced that he would cut off trade with Russia and send all the arms that were originally intended to be shipped to Russia.
to Beiyang.
In fact, as early as after the February Revolution, Qiao Yu frequently delayed shipments to Russia due to transportation problems. So far, he has defaulted on 30 million pounds of goods. Moreover, Qiao Yu and deducted 20 tons of gold arms purchase funds from the Czar. Now
The Tsar was finished, and Qiao Yu was no longer prepared to pay back the money. He used all the supplies to support Beiyang and arm himself, which was considered a huge profit.
The action of sending troops to Beiyang received unprecedented support from the whole country. The press, which originally relied on criticizing Beiyang for a living, also began to change its tone and praised Duan Qirui for safeguarding the country's sovereignty. Especially with Qiao Yu's support, various parties in China
The powerful factions supported Beiyang one after another, and China was unprecedentedly united.
In order to cooperate with Beiyang's dispatch of troops to Outer Mongolia, Fengtian Governor Zhang Zuolin led the 27th Division and the 28th Division into Heilongjiang, preparing to regain power on the Middle Road. Gansu Governor Zhang Guangjian and Xinjiang Governor Yang Xinxin announced the formation of a coalition to restore the northwest territories ceded by China to Tsarist Russia.
At the same time, Qiao Yu also mobilized elite soldiers from the Yongzhou Military Region to support Zhang Guangjian and Yang Xinxin.
A large number of Chinese troops were mobilized to northern Xinjiang and began the journey to regain their homeland. As the chief officer of this military operation, Xu Shuzheng was naturally high-spirited and commanded an army of 100,000. Along the way, the foreign radicals were frightened by the news, and Xu Shuzheng did not hesitate.
To be polite, after entering Kulun, he issued an order to the nobles of Outer Mongolia, asking them to give up their autonomy, and at the same time declared military control in Outer Mongolia. On the one hand, they expelled various Russian consultants, instructors, and businessmen, and on the other hand, they hunted down pro-Russian elements.
In addition, an order was issued, requiring all Mongolian ministries to hand over all firearms, and hunting rifles must apply for a gun license before they can own them. This order immediately made all the nobles in Outer Mongolia feel strongly dissatisfied. Most of them wanted to maintain their power because of the source.
As for the army in their hands, taking away the weapons now is disarming them. This move is really too cruel.
They wanted to refuse, but they knew how much they weighed. Without Russia's support, they might not be able to win against an army of 100,000, let alone 10,000. Moreover, this time Xu Shuzheng received full domestic support.
People had no choice but to reluctantly hand over their weapons as a sign of loyalty.
The situation in Russia changed rapidly. The power of the majority party expanded rapidly and the scope of control became wider and wider. Officers who were originally loyal to the Tsar formed the White Guards and launched a large-scale civil war with the red forces. A God-given opportunity was in front of him. Qiao Yu immediately
Generate electricity for Xu Shuzheng and suggest that he use this opportunity to completely transform Outer Mongolia and at the same time wait for an opportunity to enter the Outer Northeast and take back all his homeland.dd