Major General Xue Xiaocai was officially appointed deputy chief of staff of the expeditionary force a month ago. But he was not removed from the post of chief of staff of the First Army. In fact, since Wang Mingyuan's arrival, he has been doing the errand of the chief of staff.

In the first three months of 1917, there was no bloodshed on the major battlefields, and there was basically silence. Until late March, several fierce battles took place on the front under the responsibility of the 1st Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which gradually developed to the scale of the campaign, and three divisions of the 5th Army and one division of the 9th Army were involved. The Germans, for some reason, did not choose the Russians, but instead found the Chinese. The 5th Army, commanded by Guo Haichang, held the line with the support of aviation and heavy artillery, and after the second stage of the counterattack (the 9th Division of the 27th Army participated in the counterattack), it recaptured about 40 square kilometers of lost territory lost in the first stage. The headquarters of the expeditionary forces, in accordance with the instructions of Beijing, did not continue the development of the offensive towards the positions of the Germans. By the beginning of April, the front had finally calmed down.

This was the first time that the expeditionary force relied on the established positions to resist the German attack. General Xiong Xun used the "elastic defense" tactics advocated by the General Staff to not let the troops counterattack and lose ground after the loss of the first-line positions with fewer troops, but retreated to the second-line positions, using the existing positions to consume the German troops one by one, weakening the attack intensity of the German army, and accumulating strength for the final counterattack. The results of the campaign proved that the guiding ideology of "elastic defense" was correct, and in the first stage, the battle loss ratio was an astonishing one to three, and the casualties of the Chinese army were mainly caused by the counterattack stage. The results of the campaign proved once again. In the conditions of artillery and machine guns, it is unwise to seize the enemy's established positions with infantry attacks. Admiral Xiong Xun admitted at the campaign review meeting that there is no need to do a campaign-scale counterattack at all, and that the land that has been recaptured has anything to do with us? Not to mention retreating more than a dozen kilometers, even hundreds or thousands of kilometers can afford to retreat.

The day of the end of the battle coincided with the day when the United States declared war on Germany, and the expeditionary force from Wang Mingyuan down was quite excited. The senior generals realized that the war was indeed going to be won. The division commanders wanted to continue the offensive, but the headquarters of the expeditionary force called a halt to the campaign. Unintentionally knocked it down.

The British, French, American, and Russian Provisional Governments were still very concerned about the campaign east of Lodz. Because since Nivelle replaced Xia Fei as the commander-in-chief of the French army, the offensive campaign on the Western Front that has been planned is about to begin. After the Conference of Rome established the basic principles for the 1917 offensive on the Western Front, the offensive that carried Nivelle's hopes was delayed due to various factors, not least the Russian situation that interfered with the determination of the Allied leaders. The German assault east of Lodz naturally attracted great attention from Britain, France, the United States and other countries. They feared that the Chinese army would not be able to stop the German army, which would trigger a chain reaction. The fundamental fear was the collapse of the Eastern Front as a whole. That would "liberate" the German army, which would have been "liberated" by sixty or seventy divisions, and this force would be decisive before the American troops reached Western Europe.

But once again, the Chinese army showed that it was excellent. It proved that they could compete with the Germans in traditional positional warfare. So. On 6 April, after the end of the Battle of Lodz (the name given to them by the Entente), the British and French military leaders finally decided to attack Shermandedam after a heated argument in the Compiègne forest near Paris. The campaign was scheduled for April 9.

The Entente Compiègne Military Conference demanded that the Russian and Chinese armies contain the German army on the Eastern Front and make strategic cooperation. However, the Chinese army rejected the British and French demands as soon as the Battle of Lodz was over, and the Russian Provisional Government agreed to launch an offensive in the west to contain the German army. Although on March 29 (Russian calendar) the All-Russian Congress of Soviets voted to continue fighting, on April 2 (Russian calendar) tens of thousands of Russian troops jumped out of the trenches without warning to have an Easter party with the enemy, which shows that the Russian army is no longer willing to continue the war.

Xue Xiaocai was instructed to write a summary of the campaign to the General Staff Headquarters, which was the responsibility of the chief of staff, but the manuscript was not easy to write, and the tradition of the Mengshan Army, the post-war summary was an extremely important part, and all levels attached great importance to it. Post-war summaries must be focused on finding problems, not on merits. Needless to say, defeat must also be meticulously found out in the link of defeat. For example, in the Battle of Bodong, the summary of the battle after the event changed several drafts, and General Wang Mingyuan was very sad at that level. And this time the battle summary also had to explain the problems of the Russian army, which made it difficult for Xue Xiaocai to be caught off guard.

Until the British and French attacked Germany on the Western Front, Xue Xiaocai's battle summary report was still in a draft state, some trivial matters were entangled with him, and some things he took the initiative to pay attention to, which involved his energy.

Major General Xue was concerned about the Tsar, who was still living in Vinnitsa. From March onwards, royalists continued to go to Vinnitsa to "take refuge" with the abdicated Nicholas II, forming a small military group headed by Admiral Kolchak and Lieutenant General Artemiev, who were said to have persuaded Nicholas II to go to the Far East, in Omsk, but had not yet left. During the battle, Lieutenant General Artemyev, who had many contacts with the Chinese generals, went to Lublin to inquire about the situation of the battle, probably thinking about Vinnytsia's safety.

Another thing is the Nihwell offensive on the Western Front. The superiority of Ludendorff's new defense system was proven, and in just a few days, Britain and France had suffered more than 200,000 casualties, of which more than 100,000 were killed, but they gained very little, let alone uprooted the army of Crown Prince William. The battle not only led to the ouster of Nivelle (Petain replaced Nivelle), but also caused the French army to refuse to carry out military orders, which greatly alarmed the new commander-in-chief of the French army, General Pétain.

Before the summary was written, Xue Xiaocai received an order to report back to China on behalf of Wang Mingyuan. Wang Mingyuan said to him, "Take the draft summary to the road to complete, you have completely understood my opinion." The general rule of thumb is not to do positional attacks as much as possible. It is necessary to focus on reporting on the problems related to the coordination of infantry and artillery and the coordination of air and ground, so as to help the General Staff Department sum up lessons and improve the training of the troops. In addition, it is a pity not to seize such an opportunity as to organize a grassroots officer training corps. ”

Xue Xiaocai's first stop was Vinnytsia, where he met Lu Zhengxiang, the ambassador to Russia, and Brigadier General Li Sancai, director of the International Bureau of the State Security Administration. They had come to pay a visit to the abdicated Russian emperor. It's been a few days now. Regarding diplomatic matters, Xue Xiaocai didn't care, it is certain that they must be shouldering an important mission. He was more curious about Li Sancai, and he didn't know what the General Administration of National Security was doing in Petersburg. Xue Xiaocai looked down on the work of the State Security Bureau, and always felt that some sneaky people were unsightly. However, Xue Xiaocai returned to China and had a companion. Otherwise, the long and boring journey is really boring. As a high-ranking general, he couldn't follow the adjutant guards to talk too much, and there was an ambassador to Russia and a brigadier general of intelligence. It's always a lot easier to chat.

The three of them used a private room. Li Sancai kept his mouth shut about his business. Xue Xiaocai could not talk more about military secrets, but Ambassador Lu, an official "outside the system," spoke eloquently about what he had heard in Petersburg since the February Revolution, which made Xue Xiaocai quite interested and gained a lot of knowledge. In particular, Lu Zhengxiang told the history of the founding of Petersburg. Xue Xiaocai had the desire to go to Petersburg to visit the Russian capital in person. The scenery of the daytime is just heard. It's wonderful to see it for yourself. As for the buildings and celebrities that Ambassador Lu talked about. Xue Xiaocai didn't care much about it. It is said that the imperial palace in Russia is extremely magnificent, and in terms of the exquisite architecture and rich collections, even the Forbidden City, which has been turned into a museum, cannot be compared. also aroused Xue Xiaocai's yearning.

Xue Xiaocai admitted that Russia is a big country, not only because of its vast territory, but also because of its glorious history in modern times. Ever since he came to Russia, a love he had never experienced before. I didn't care about it when I was fighting, but I still had a lot of free time to get to know the country. In Xue's view, there are many aspects of Russia that are incomparable to China's, such as natural resources. He was envious of Ukraine's endless steppes, forests, and rivers, and the open-minded optimism of the Russians also gave him a good impression. He came into contact with many Russians, including soldiers, local officials, and civilian businessmen, and despite the extreme scarcity of supplies during the war, the Russians' standard of living was still higher than that of China. And ordinary Russians are hospitable, especially to the Chinese who help them in the war. They love music and dance, and even in the midst of war, they can always see the residents playing the violin and dancing, full of optimism and joy. The vast majority of them had great confidence in the war, and always said that Napoleon had occupied Moscow and had not been defeated all the way back to France. Didn't the Russian army occupy Paris in the end? On the contrary, it was the senior generals of the Russian army who despaired of the war......

Xue Xiaocai had heard of Long Qian's geostrategic theory, although he did not understand it thoroughly. He felt that the president was much more wary of Russia than Japan. The formation of the expeditionary force was definitely not to help the Russians defend themselves against the formidable Germans, but for another purpose. This Xue Xiao is clear. But what the purpose was, Xue Xiaocai couldn't figure it out. The Petersburg Incident easily overthrew the imperial system, and there must have been an extremely important reason why the Central Committee had made several calls emphasizing the need to ensure the safety of the Tsar. Yes, there is now a group of royalists gathered around the Tsar, but what can they accomplish? Xue Xiaocai couldn't see clearly. Moreover, Xue Xiaocai didn't like the emperor, and he didn't like the imperial system. Didn't the Mengshan army fight bloody battles to establish a republic without an emperor? Doesn't the changes that have taken place in one's own homeland since the establishment of the republic prove that life is happier without an emperor?

Xue Xiaocai admitted that he didn't understand politics, so when he talked to his two companions about the political situation in Russia, he listened more and did not express his own opinions.

When I returned to Beijing, it was already very hot. Each of the three "big shots" reports to their superiors. Li Sancai didn't even go home, he went directly to the bureau headquarters and reported to Jiang Yun in detail on the work in Petersburg during this time. Jiang Yun affirmed his work, thinking that he had done a good job and had basically achieved the predetermined goal, "The president is very concerned about the work in Russia, you should prepare well and wait for my notice." The president should be there to hear you in person. The Russian Division has to pay close attention to it recently, and you have to take charge of it personally. ”

The work of the State Security Administration in foreign countries is under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Bureau. The director is none other than Li Sancai. The predecessor of the Sixth Bureau was the Sixth Division, and the General Administration of National Security was promoted by half a level after Long Qian's re-election as president, and became independent from a deputy ministerial-level unit under the Ministry of Police and became a ministerial-level organ. The departments under the jurisdiction of the headquarters of the General Administration were upgraded to bureaus, and Li Sancai was the second head of the Sixth Bureau (International Bureau) in charge of foreign intelligence, because he was an old man who had participated in the reorganization of the army in Mengshan, and he also served as Long Qian's protector. Jiang Yun, who was becoming more and more authoritarian in the General Bureau, was much more polite to Li Sancai.

In the afternoon of the next day, Li Sancai received a notice from the General Office of the General Administration asking him to go to the presidential palace at 9 p.m. to report on his work. Li Sancai thought that even if the president would summon him, it would be a few days later, but he did not expect such a quick speed, which shows that the president attaches great importance to the situation in Russia.

When Li Sancai walked into the conference room on the first floor on time, he felt the thick smoke in the room, and there were several people sitting around the oval conference table with teacups and ashtrays on the table, Prime Minister Fang Shengyuan, Senate Speaker Hong Yuecheng, and House Speaker Chen Chao. Minister of Defense Feng Guozhu. Ye Yanbing, director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, Situ Jun, chief of the General Staff, Song Jinguo, director of the Joint Logistics General Headquarters, and Tang Shaoyi, minister of foreign affairs. Vice Minister Gu Weijun. Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Tian Shubang. Jiang Yun, director of the State Security Bureau. There is also Xue Xiaocai, deputy chief of staff of the expeditionary force, who returned to China together.

Apparently, they had just finished a meeting.

"You've worked hard. Well done. Long Qian shook Li Sancai's hand, "Just now we studied Russia's military issues and the situation in Petersburg. Please come. In order to study the next step of the Bolsheviks, you can talk about the situation of Mr. Ulyanov after his return, you can go into more detail, but you must make clear the source of the information. In addition, the International Bureau, which you lead, will also share its judgment on the future development of the Bolsheviks. ”

"Yes." Li Sancai sat down in the designated position, took out his notebook, quickly sorted out his thoughts, and began his report.

The debriefing took half an hour.

"It is now possible to prove that the left wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party is determined to take the road of armed seizure of power." When Li Sancai reported, Long Qian kept pacing on the ground, "I can't help but admit that there are geniuses in the world, and this Mr. Ulyanov is." He was keenly aware that in Russia, no, anywhere, iron-willed could always prevail over compromise and concession. If Nicholas II had the iron fist of Mr. Ulyanov, the Social Democratic Labor Party would have been a thing of the past long ago. He walked to the door of the conference room and stopped, turned his back to the participants, and said, "Now it is time to imagine the impact on our country after the emergence of a power regime led by Mr. Ulyanov, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the intelligence services should collect and study all the documents and speeches that the Bolsheviks have at their disposal, especially Mr. Ulyanov's writings and speeches." There is no need to study the past, because he has changed his course. Trying to come to a conclusion, if Mr. Ulyanov takes power, what will be their approach to domestic and foreign affairs? Will they continue the war against Germany and Austria? How will they deal with the issue of the expeditionary force? How will they view their relationship with China? This matter must be arrested immediately," Long Qian turned around and stared at Gu Weijun, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take the lead, and you will be the specifically." The intelligence of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the General Administration of State Security should be transferred to the attention of the State Security Bureau in a timely manner. But with absolute secrecy. The people involved in this group should be selected, submitted to me for approval, and all research content should be classified as top secret. ”

"Yes." Gu Weijun got up and replied.

"President, since you are so worried about the Bolsheviks, can you prevent it?" Jiang Yun said cautiously.

"How can we prevent it from happening? Kill Ulyanov? That's a good idea. Long Qian said in a deep voice, "First, I don't think you can achieve your goal cleanly. Second, even if it succeeds, a second Ulyanov will jump out immediately. This is historical materialism. Why the Romanov dynasty collapsed in a matter of days, why there were so few supporters of Nicholas II, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be included as a thematic study. However, I do not approve any actions against the Russian politicians. Even if that action is successful, the consequences outweigh the losses. In addition to the group led by Gu Weijun, a second special group will be formed, that is, the Kolchak and Artemiev groups. The expeditionary force took the lead, but in the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, the Military Intelligence Agency, the National Security Service, and the Northern Military District were to participate. Keep in touch with these two generals and try to meet their demands. ”

Long Qian returned to his seat, his hands propped on the table, and his eyes looked at the attendees, "Imagine such a situation," Long Qian returned to his seat, lit a cigarette, "Because of the radical policy adopted by the Bolsheviks, there will be several coups d'état in Petersburg until the Bolsheviks take power." Then they openly concluded a peace treaty with Germany and thus withdrew from the war. In this case, first, what is the countermeasure of the expeditionary force? Second, will the Entente intervene? Thirdly, in the event of a civil war in Russia, will Nicholas II play a heavy role? In this case, how will Japan respond to get the most benefits? This group is personally in charge of me, and all of you are members, and Xiaocai can report to Commander Mingyuan when he goes back, but the others don't need to talk about it. Let's take out the topic first, and you go back and think about it, and we'll have a meeting here in three days to talk about your respective views. In conclusion, I would like to stress that this matter is strictly confidential. The issue should not be discussed outside of the thematic session, let alone any unauthorized minutes of the record. Do you understand? ”

"Understood." The people stood up and answered.

"Alright, let's dismiss." (To be continued......)