After receiving Wang Mingyuan's authorization, Van der Ping and Artemiev went through fierce bargaining, and the bilateral negotiations reached a preliminary agreement two days later, but they still need to report to their respective superiors for decision. The two sides preliminarily drew up the following agreements: 1. The Republic of China recognizes the Russian Patriotic Union as the sole legitimate government representing the Russian people, and the Republic of China does not recognize the Bolshevik government and does not have diplomatic and economic relations with it; 2. In the process of forming the central government of the Russian Patriot Union, the Republic of China will provide diplomatic, economic and military assistance; 3. The Russian Patriot Union continued to inherit the military and political obligations of the Entente as undertaken by the former Russian Empire until it completely defeated the Allied bloc led by Germany; 4. The Republic of China does not make any territorial claims to the Primorsky region of the Russian Far East, and the Russian Patriotic Union recognizes Outer Mongolia and the Tangnu-Ulianghai region as the sacred and inviolable territory of China. The Russian Patriotic Union will withdraw its political and judicial institutions in the Tangnu-Ulianghai region and return the actual jurisdiction of the region to the central government of the Republic of China. The Chinese government shall protect the lives and property of ethnic Russians and the people of all ethnic groups formerly affiliated with Russia in the region and allow them to reside freely in their original places, and the political and economic activities of indigenous peoples shall be treated in accordance with the principle of non-discrimination; 5. China and Russia will, at an appropriate time, redraw the border crossing line between the two sides in accordance with the principle of friendly consultation; 6. Russia recognizes that the Government of the Republic of China has a strong interest in Central Asia in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, and that the Russian Patriotic Union will respect the commercial interests of the Chinese Government in these regions and grant the most preferential policies.

These are the six agreements agreed between Van der Ping and Lieutenant General Artemyev. Artemiev succeeded in convincing the Chinese of their territorial ambitions for the Far Eastern Primorsky. But he had to give up Tangnu Ulianghai. As for the Tangnu Ulianghai, where China and Russia had a military conflict eight years ago, and Artemiev was one of those involved, he was fully aware of the Chinese's determination to win the region. Artemiev had already had a full exchange of views with Kolchak and others before arriving in Kiev, and it will be extremely difficult to win China's support under the condition that Ulyanov shamelessly proposed to "return" the Chinese territory that he had "seized" for more than 100 years. Under the current circumstances, the Patriot Alliance will never allow any change in the position of the Chinese, and if the Chinese sit on the side of the Cloth Party, it will be a catastrophe for the Patriot Alliance. The Chinese Expeditionary Force, which controlled the situation on the Trans-Siberian Railway and South Russia, will easily wipe out the newly formed coalition army! While this is unlikely, it is important to prepare for the worst. It is necessary to pay the necessary price for this. Lieutenant General Artemiev mentioned Donnu Ulianghai, and he firmly believed that the Chinese would also raise this issue for the sake of face. It is desolate, and the UPC has no control over it, if you compare it with the province of Tangnu Ulianghai and Primorye. It's simply a stone and gold ratio. Really. Van der Ping, after Artemiev firmly rejected the territorial claims of the Primorsky region, put forward the demand for the official recognition of the Tangnu-Ulianghai as China's inherent territory. Artemiev immediately agreed. As for Van der Ping's subsequent request that China expand trade routes to the west and revive the glory of the historical Silk Road, Artemiev believes that it has nothing to do with the overall situation. The history of the annexation of the vast Central Asian region to Russia is much shorter than that of the Primorsky Province, where the ethnic complexities are numerous. The economy is backward, Russia's control is weak, and it doesn't matter if the Chinese set up business establishments and invest in transportation, except for Kazakhstan. Artemiev believes that it is foolish for the Chinese to expand their power to the west, and even in provinces such as Xinjiang and Gansu, China's power is weak and not worth worrying about. The most important thing now is the civil war, and it is a prerequisite for the Patriots Alliance to achieve a complete victory over the Buenos Aires, not to mention that the Chinese have not made territorial claims, but are just "valuing interests".

Russia had effectively ended the war against Germany and Austria and turned to a civil war, and Artemiev was concerned about the actual actions of the Chinese army. He urgently needed the direct involvement of the Chinese army in the war against the Bruzza. In response, Van der Ping promised to use the 3rd Army for military operations against Moscow after the signing of the agreement, but did not agree to include it in the agreement. At the insistence of General Artemyev, Van der Ping agreed to sign a memorandum of military cooperation between the parties as a secret annex to the agreement. The two sides soon reached an agreement on military cooperation, including the establishment of a joint military command structure, the military expenditure of the 3rd Army of the Expeditionary Force to be borne by the Patriot Alliance, and China's subsequent military assistance to the Patriot Alliance, a total of 11 articles.

The parties agreed that, after fulfilling the necessary steps, the 3rd Army of the Expeditionary Force would assist the Eastern Army of the Alliance in launching a surprise attack in the direction of Moscow. The main forces of the expeditionary force, after repelling the German offensive on the Ukrainian hinterland, will assist the Alliance Southern Army in military operations, depending on the situation.

General Wang Mingyuan examined and approved the draft agreement during the intense battle command and agreed in principle to the contents of the agreement. The Chinese side needs Beijing's approval, and Artemiev also needs to obtain approval from the alliance headquarters. At the moment, the counterattack of the Chinese expeditionary force against the German army entered a climax, and Wang Mingyuan immediately returned to Omsk, "We will wait for the victory of the battle to talk about it, if the Germans drive us across the Dnieper, the main base of your Southern Army will be destroyed, and your overall strategy will be in vain." Let's win this battle first. Wang Mingyuan said to Lieutenant General Artemiev with a firm expression.

Artemiev left Kyiv, but Van der Ping stayed, officially fulfilling his duties as chief of the General Staff of the Expeditionary Force, assisting General Wang Mingyuan in commanding the fateful war of Ukraine.

The battle is raging, divided into two fronts, north and south. By February 2, the situation of the battle was as follows: on the northern flank, Xiong Xun commanded the main force of the adjusted 1st Army to rely on the terrain to block repeatedly, and the battle line was basically stabilized west of Orevsk, and the three armies of the Chinese army: the 1st, 3rd and 5th armies were engaged in the battle, blocking the frantic assault of the German 11th Army. The bitter cold of winter created conditions for the German offensive, and the swamps around Sarne did not cause more transportation problems for the Germans, when the German 17th Army's roundabout attack from south of Sarne was blocked by the 5th Army under the command of Major General Guo Haichang. The German 11th Army, which had high hopes from Hoffmann, was at a loss, and the 12 tanks that had been brought in with great effort to break through the frontal position were destroyed by the Chinese 1st Army on the first day of the battle on January 27, and the 75mm infantry guns equipped by the Chinese army became an anti-tank weapon, much to the great frustration of the German 20th Army. They originally thought that putting this new weapon enough to deter the Chinese army into the battlefield would shake the strong defense of the 1st Army, but they did not expect that the Chinese army was not afraid of such a behemoth at all, and the accurate fire of the infantry artillery turned 12 tanks into scrap metal one by one.

The situation on the southern flank was much better, as the German 9th Army tore through the defensive line at the junction of the Lviv front of the Chinese 7th and 15th armies in late January, shaking the Chinese defenses. The main forces of the German 9th Army withdrew into the depth of the Chinese army along the breach, and on January 21, Lviv was captured by the Germans. Overjoyed, Hoffman immediately transferred the reserves of four divisions to the 9th Army. The army group was ordered to rush to Vinnitsa as fast as possible. More than 200 kilometers from Lviv to Vinnytsia. The Germans kept pressing the Chinese army, the Chinese 7th Army was driven south, while the 15th Army was driven to the north, and the 16th Army, which was resisting head-on, was still unable to stabilize the front after being reinforced by the 21st Army. All the way to the east. January 30th. Vinnitsa, the former headquarters and logistics base of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, was captured. It marked a heavy victory for the German offensive in Ukraine.

General Hoffmann, who rushed from Lublin to Vinnytsia, listened to the report of the 9th Army and did not think that the defeat of the southern flank of the Chinese army was a trap and a conspiracy. General Huttier stopped the offensive and turned around to clear the rear. The 9th Army was ordered to continue the offensive in the direction of Kyiv.

Hoffman said to Huthier, "Don't overestimate the Chinese!" Their success in Romania is based on Falkingham's stupidity, not how strong they are. Two circumstances determined our victory, the first is that the Chinese, after learning that Russia had withdrawn from the war, had no intention of fighting, and were eager to withdraw from Ukraine, at least to withdraw their main forces across the Dnieper, which has been proven by many parties. Well, now that the Brest agreements have been signed, the situation has never been more favorable than it is today. The second is that it was a mistake for them to place the main force on the northern front, and the 1st and 9th armies, the main forces of the Chinese army, were on the northern front, which was the main reason for the difficulties in the progress of the 11th Army. Now that the battle situation has opened, don't care about the two Chinese armies that have been scattered in the rear, when you occupy Kyiv, they can only break through by separate routes, or take the initiative to report to our prisoner of war camp. I will transfer the Reserve 20th Army to you, and it will ensure the safety of your rear lines of communication. Chinese there is only one 11th Army left in the vicinity of Kiev, and they must occupy Kyiv before their 3rd Army rushes to the front line, annihilate or drive Chinese across the Dnieper, and the essence of Ukraine will be under the control of our army...... What is even more crucial is that we must teach the Chinese a lesson, not for their ingratitude, but to ensure that our army moves strategically to the west! Hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops are squatting there, how can we transfer the main forces on the Eastern Front? ”

General Hurtier was a recognized tactical expert among the German generals on the Eastern Front, while Hoffmann boasted a high level of strategy. In his opinion, the defeat of the Chinese army after the Battle of Lviv, which Huttier repeatedly emphasized, was an organized retreat, and the judgment that the conspiracy must have been hidden during the period was overly considered, "Vinnitsa is the key point of controlling traffic, in other words, if you have the strength to hold Vinnitsa, will you give up the city?" ”

Khutil's doubts were not dispelled, he had only 11 divisions at his disposal, three of which were left in the rear to deal with the two Chinese armies that were cut off, and only eight divisions were used to attack Kyiv, and it was impossible for Vinnitsa not to leave troops behind. And the Chinese army in the Kiev direction has at least three corps (16, 21, 11), and the superiority in forces has shifted to the opposing side. Of course, it would be nice to add 1 army, but it will take time for the 20th army to enter the battlefield, "I still think it is prudent." As the Chinese retreated in great strides, the distance between their northern and southern lines was shortened, making it easier to gather forces. In the battles of the previous days, the two armies of the Chinese army in front of me did not suffer heavy losses, and the count of prisoners and the capture of Vinnitsa is completely clear......"

Hurtier's opinion was not accepted by Ludendorff, who was anxious to end the fighting on the Eastern Front and thus divert the main German forces on the Eastern Front. He therefore fully endorsed Hoffman's plan to drive the Chinese army across the Dnieper in order to eliminate the threat once and for all. After receiving reports from Hoffmann and Huttier, Ludendorff instructed the main forces of the 9th Army under Hurtier's command to take a short break in Vinnitsa. Immediately rush to Kyiv along the Vinnytsia-Kyiv road in order to completely cement Ukraine's victory.

Lieutenant General Hutier, who had a very assertive personality, did not carry out Ludendorff's orders, and he was still not at ease with the Chinese army in the back road. After receiving a telegram from Ludendorff, he ordered the three divisions of his 24th Army near Gilnobor to completely wipe out the Chinese troops in the rear, which was the premise for him to attack Kiev. The next day, on 3 February, the army, which had been left behind by Huttier, sent a report that they had captured the main force of the Chinese army south of Gilnobor, and that the opposing side was at least a division. Huthir was delighted and immediately ordered an attack to annihilate the Chinese army. And the army was instructed to intensify the search on the northern flank. Hurtier stared at the map. He was not only worried about the south side of Gilnobor, but especially about the north side. It would be a disaster if the Chinese troops cut off the railway line near Gilnobor, where supplies to the front line were passed day and night, and there must be no room for error. So. He ignored the opinion of the staff officers to concentrate their forces in the main directions. The 24th Army, which had three divisions, was left in the rear. It seems that this move is the right move.

In the afternoon of the same day, the 118th Division of the 24th Army, which launched a search to the north to find the "remnants" of the 16th Army of the Chinese Army, reported an exchange of fire with the Chinese troops, and the Chinese troops were extremely strong in numbers and firepower. And the main force of the army did not go well with the attack on the Chinese army on the southern flank. The Chinese army in this area had at least three fully formed divisions, and the German 24th Army, which appeared to be caught between the North and South Chinese armies, was built to withdraw its troops to ensure the safety of Gilnobor.

Khutil became alarmed, he realized that there was a big problem with his previous judgment, and that the presence of such a powerful Chinese army corps in his rear must be taken seriously, and in such a situation, there was no talk of launching an attack on Kyiv at all.

It's a good thing they didn't send troops to Kyiv! Just two hours later, the plane reconnaissance brought even more shocking news to Hutil: on the high ground west of Vinnitsa, German planes had spotted a large force of Chinese troops heading south, with a large number of cars and artillery in a circle of more than ten kilometers. The direction of their march is not Berdichev, but Kiev!

"Damn the yellow-skinned monkeys, they actually targeted my entire army!" Hurtier issued several orders in a row, and the troops of the 9th Army that entered Kyiv immediately built fortifications and launched a powerful search for the surrounding heights, but the planes could no longer take off, and the bad weather and nightfall cut off any possibility of aerial reconnaissance, "Okay, then let's fight here." Huttier sent successive telegrams to Ludendorff and Hoffman, pointing out that the Chinese had gathered the main forces on the southern flank, and asked Hoffman to coordinate the actions of the 11th Army on the northern flank, and strictly ordered them to quickly break through the defenses of the northern flank of the Chinese army and rush to Kiev to relieve the pressure they admitted. The key is the back road, Hu Tier is not worried that the Chinese army will eat the 8 divisions in his hands in one bite, he is worried that his back road will be cut off! In the conditions of modern warfare, no general can allow his supply lines to be cut off by the enemy.

Wang Mingyuan decided to deal a heavy blow to the Germans on the southern front, although he considered the war with the Germans to be a completely senseless sacrifice. The Germans tore up the secret agreement of Lublin and infuriated him by striking themselves hard. The withdrawal from Ukraine was a predetermined scenario, but it was not driven out by the German army.

Since the outbreak of fighting near Kovelli triggered a full-scale clash between the two armies, Wang Mingyuan chose to fight a decisive battle on the southern front. This is determined by the terrain, and the northern flank is not conducive to the deployment of large corps, and is always in favor of the defender. In the southern flank, Wang Mingyuan was deeply influenced by Long Qian's military thoughts, and always believed that the war of annihilation was the royal way to victory, and the war of movement was the most advantageous way to fight the war of annihilation. Therefore, Wang Mingyuan set a general plan from the beginning to lure the enemy into depth and encircle and break through the German army at the right time. When the German 9th Army broke through the junction of the 7th Army and the 15th Army, he decisively placed the 7th Army and the 15th Army on both flanks of the German rear, threatening the security of the German rear from afar. This was part of a pre-planned plan to retreat gradually according to the original plan if the Germans were to retreat, and to turn their main energies to the Russian Civil War, but the Germans seemed to be underestimating people and rushed all the way to Vinnitsa despite their own threats from behind. After repeated consultations with Shi Dashou and Xiong Xun, the commanders of the two group armies, Wang Mingyuan decided that General Xiong Xun would command the three armies on the northern flank to bite the German 11th Army and prevent it from moving south. Continuing to retreat on the southern flank and abandoning Vinnitsa continued to stretch the German front, determined to deliver a crushing blow to the German 9th Army between Vinnytsia and Kiev. Wang Mingyuan secretly transferred the 9th Army from the northern front to the southern front via Zhytomyr, and together with the 15th Army, formed the northern flank jaws for his annihilation of the German army, and used the 7th Army as the southern flank jaws for the joint attack on the German army, and transferred the main force of the 11th Army (owed to the 33rd Division) to the direction of Vinnitsa to strengthen the frontal ...... In this way, on the southern front, 5 armies and 14 divisions will be concentrated against the 11 divisions of the German 9th Army, Wang Mingyuan, in order to ensure victory, rejected Shi Dashou's proposal to search for the roots and put all the German 11th Army into his pocket, believing that his own forces were not superior at all (he rejected the request of Denikin's troops to enter the war and considered it unreliable), and decided to only attack the forward troops of the German army, and strive to annihilate the German 4~6 divisions north of Vinnytsia is enough to lay the victory.

In fact, the Chinese army has many difficulties, mainly in terms of climate and transportation. It is easy for commanders and staff officers to design a combat plan, but its implementation is subject to various conditions, not only the issue of ammunition, food, and clothing, but also the terrain and climate. Ukraine's severe cold has led to non-combat attrition of troops, the locomotives and carriages on the Vinnytsia front line for mobilizing troops are insufficient, and the three armies scheduled for the two flanks have no railway lines available at all, so they can only use cars or on foot. The frequent breakdowns of the trucks equipped by the troops in the freezing conditions of minus 40 degrees Celsius had a great impact on the movement of the artillery...... In particular, the 7th Army, which was "driven to" the forest south of Ternobor, had been oppressed by the main German army, and could not really show its strength, and if it retreated, it would be very passive, and the 7th Army strongly demanded to launch a counterattack against the Germans in front of it to regain Ternobor, thus cutting off the main line of communication from Lviv to Vinnytsia.

But Wang Mingyuan had to wait for the 9th Army to join the battlefield before he could launch a counterattack. Ding Xiaofu's 15th Army suffered heavy losses near Lviv, and the non-combat frostbite of this army from East China after leaving the line of communication and disappearing into the forest was also quite severe, and Wang Mingyuan was very worried that Major General Ding Xiaofu would not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the northern flank jaws, and that the 9th Army, the main force, would have to move south and cross Berdichev before opening its last fangs.

Wang Mingyuan's knife dragging strategy was not clever, and he did not take the advice of Xue Xiaocai and other staff officers to place the 21st Army on the southern flank of Vinnytsia in order to open the road to Kiev more thoroughly, and it was natural that Huttier had doubts when the main forces of the 16th, 21st, and 11th armies were exposed in the direction of Kiev. He also underestimated the difficulty of the 9th Army, a heavily armed army, moving south 40 hours later than planned, because of the execution of his order to march at night. The 7th and 15th armies, which he had left in the rear, did not completely hide their whereabouts and kept in contact with the German troops left in the rear. Combining several factors, even with the "help" of Ludendorff and Hoffmann, the main force of Huthier's 9th Army still did not take a step towards Vinnitsa! Wang Mingyuan's plan was to capture Kiev by the 9th Army after Hutil left Kiev and close the door to his retreat, and then encircle and annihilate the main force of Hutil on the road and railway, but Hutil squatted in Kiev and did not move, and the 9th Army interspersed with the south had been exposed, and the battle of the Chinese and German armies in Vinnitsa began in such a situation. (To be continued......)