Northern Front, Lublin.

After receiving the telegram from Major General Yan Shulin to analyze the enemy situation and give the order to attack, Zhang Zuoxiang and Guo Songling finally woke up to the fact that the German army attacking them was not two armies at all, up to 6~7 divisions! I can't complain that they feel weak in the strong attack on Lublin in the past two days, it is not a tentative attack at all, but a containment action by the enemy's main forces after they have been deployed to both flanks! The 21st Army was bluffed, and even the friendly troops who went out of the city to receive reinforcements were afraid!

Now it's a shame on the old chief's face! Zhang Zuoxiang really didn't know how to face the old commander in the future, the battle of Lublin, not to mention that the 21st Army suffered nearly 7,000 losses (including missing), the key was to defeat the momentum of the 21st Army. At the beginning, he swore to the top and patted his chest, saying that the 21st Army was all children of the Kwantung region and adapted to fighting in cold areas. Compared with the actual battle, it is really far worse than the 3rd Army, which is all southern barbarians, the generals' vision is not as good, and the soldiers' desperate spirit is not as good!

When the central government transferred the old chief to Beijing, Zhang Zuoxiang conspired with the old chief's cronies on how to resist this order to "cut the feudal domain". Chang Yinhuai, who had already left the army to become a deputy governor in the local area, scolded him for being a traitor recruited by the center, and he did not plead. He was based on the comparison of forces, the force that the old commander relied on was the 21st Army, and the Northern Military Region was inhabited by four or five armies, and in Liaoning Province alone, there were the 10th Army in Jinzhou and the 9th Army in Changtu, especially the 9th Army, which was one of the three major trump cards of the National Defense Force, the starting unit of Marshal Lu Shan. Whether it is equipment or training, it is not a little bit higher than the 21st Army, and the old commander is a smart person, how can he not see the shape clearly? As for the Japanese, they are even more unreliable! Before the Battle of Shandong, the Japanese had been negotiating with the Northeast over the issue of railway construction, hoping to obtain more road construction rights, but Zheng Shuangqing and others sternly refused. After the Shandong Campaign, the arrogance of the Japanese was greatly restrained, and even the division that was transferred to Kwantung Prefecture for reinforcements during the Shandong Campaign was also transferred back to China. Really. The old chief called back to the hub three days later. He said that he accepted the appointment of the center and went to Beijing with his family. At the time of parting, the old commander called him to his home and told him to take the troops with him. Take care of this bit of blood. The 21st Army is the capital of their lives. As long as the 21st Army is here, everyone will not have no future......

The words are still in my ears. But the 21st Army was defeated in the first battle abroad, which was very humiliating. If the opponent is really two armies, 6~7 divisions, it's better to say. After all, it is facing the German army, which is known as the strongest army in the world, but if it is really as Yan Shulin judged that it is only an army, and the 21st Army is fighting like this, I really don't know what the result will be in the future, and it is not impossible to be dismantled by the Ministry of Defense!

I don't care about being ashamed, and now I only have to make meritorious contributions. Convinced that the left flank had established direct contact with the 3rd Army, Zhang Zuoxiang and Guo Songling decided to immediately organize a counterattack in an effort to bite and eat a piece of the Germans in order to save their reputation. Commander-in-Chief Wang Mingyuan had made it clear that the 21st Army was under the command of the 3rd Army, so they reported to Major General Yan Shulin that they urgently drew up a plan to counterattack to the south and defeat the German army in the south and then detour to the east and encircle and annihilate the German army in the eastern suburbs of Lublin with the 3rd Army. ”

On December 13, just as the main battle of the southern front was entering its climax, Lublin's offensive and defense reversed, and the main force of the 3rd Army attacking from the east pressed the German 20th Army to the southwest, and the 61st Division of the 21st Army with a reinforced regiment of the 62nd Division attacking from Lublin launched a counterattack to the south and repelled the Germans. The Germans really retreated to the southwest, but the 21st Army's attacking troops and the 7th Division of the 3rd Army that intercepted in a roundabout way failed to meet the division at the time specified by Major General Yan Shulin, and the main force of the German 20th Army escaped out of the encirclement, and the Chinese army only captured about one regiment of the German army's rear troops and annihilated it on the east bank of the Vistula River, together with the 3rd Army's battle in the eastern suburbs of Lublin, the Lublin counterattack destroyed a total of about 5,000 enemies, including 1,500 prisoners, 21 artillery pieces and a large number of military supplies. The Chinese army lost more than 9,000 men in the Battle of Lublin, the vast majority of which were the losses of the 21st Army.

On December 15, the battle of Lublin came to an end. In the evening of that day, the commander of the 1st Army, Lieutenant General Xiong Xun, arrived in Lublin, and at 2 o'clock in the morning, Lieutenant General Xiong Xun summoned officers of the 21st and 3rd armies at and above the division level to hold an operational meeting.

Xiong Xun did not blame the failure of the 21st Army, nor did he praise the 3rd Army for breaking the siege, he did not even shake hands with Yan Shulin and Zhang Zuoxiang, and went straight to the point, first reporting the latest battle situation on the southern front, "...... That's the case. The five armies of the 2nd Army were mixed up with about 12 German and 2 Austrian divisions, and our army did not give full play to its superiority in strength due to the unfavorable situation. The predicament of the 29th Division tied up the 2nd Army, making it impossible for Commander Shi to let go of his hands and feet to counterattack the German-Austrian forces southward...... What should we do before the 5th and 9th armies reach the battlefield? I'd like to hear your opinions. ”

Whether it is Yan Shulin or Zhang Zuoxiang, they are not familiar with Xiong Xun. Knowing is knowing, Yan Shulin knew Xiong Xun in the battle of Niangziguan in the later stage of the battle of King Qinwang of Mengshan, that is, Xiong Xun was already a company commander, and he was just a recruit who had just "joined", and then Xiong Xun followed Lushan to the northeast, but Yan Shulin has been slowly promoted in the fifth town. Zhang Zuoxiang also knew Xiong Xun for a long time, but he didn't have any friendship, Xiong Xun has been in Outer Mongolia with the 5th Army after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and after taking over as the commander of the 9th Army, he was in North Manchuria. But Xiong Xun was already a famous general in the expeditionary force, and the Romanian campaign proved his ability, and now he is their top boss.

"Commander Xiong, since this is the case, it is better for our army to go south and cooperate with Commander Shi's 2nd Army to annihilate the enemy on the southern front first." Zhang Zuoxiang looked at Xiong Xun and said cautiously, "The department is not doing well in Lublin, and I am willing to make meritorious contributions for the vanguard......."

"Don't mention anything about meritorious service." Xiong Xun waved his hand, "Victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers. What's more, the 21st Army's holding of Lublin was a victory. Commander Yan. What about your opinion? ”

"I'm afraid that the Germans have a big conspiracy against our army this time...... Before the 5th and 9th armies came up, the whole army must not go south. I still stay in Lublin, and the headquarters will go south to deal with the 2nd Army to relieve its predicament......"

"No, it's still up to our troops to fight south......," Guo Songling shouted.

"Commander Yan, how are the casualties of your troops?"

"Except for the damage of the 8th Division, the main strength still exists." Yan Shulin stood up and replied.

"How many Russian troops are there in Lublin?" Xiong Xun asked Zhang Zuoxiang.

"Before the war there were about 4,500 people, but the combat force was only an understaffed regiment. After our division took over the defense of Lublin, the Russian troops withdrew, taking with them their baggage. ”

"I agree with some of Commander Yan's opinions," Xiong Xun said slowly. "The Germans have a plan against our army. It should be clear by now, perhaps the Germans think that they can fight both of us, otherwise the plan will not succeed. Since we did not capture the 20th Army, Lublin had to leave enough troops. This is the point of support for our next campaign. I decided to leave the 21st Army and the 8th Division here. Commander Yan will take the rest of your troops south. Make the momentum bigger. Maybe you won't wait until you get to Starova Walla, and the winner will be decided over there, so there's no need to rush. In terms of troops, our army has an advantage. Do you understand what I mean? ”

"I understand." Yan Shulin is on the right path.

"No, you don't understand. Starlova Vola was not going to catch the Germans, but more forces were needed in the Lublin direction. The next battle will be our 1st Army playing the main force, and I need your army. The domestic election is about to take place, and it seems difficult to give the president a big gift. My headquarters is located in Lublin and I keep in touch. Okay, let's adjourn, I'm going to see the troops. After speaking, Xiong Xun stood up and said that the meeting was over.

The division commanders did not have the opportunity to express their views on the situation of the war. Guan Xingshun was a little dissatisfied with Lieutenant General Xiong Xun's keeping his division in Lublin, and even more angry at Xiong Xun's command mistake of not mentioning Zhang Zuoxiang. The 8th Division did suffer heavy casualties, especially the 24th Regiment, which was all due to the 21st Army. After a long time, Guan Xingshun, who was born in the Shandong military system, had the opportunity to listen to General Xiong Xun's true thoughts face to face, in fact, it was very simple, at that time, the responsibility for the defeat should not be investigated, let alone the change of generals, if it was a unit of the Mengshan military system, there would be no problem with changing the commander, but the 21st Army could not, unless you had enough troops to replace it.

The use of rewards and punishments is a big issue for any level of organization, not just the military. Xiong Xun's attitude reassured the top brass of the 21st Army, and Zhang Zuoxiang repeatedly said when accompanying Xiong Xun to inspect the headquarters that he would definitely save the reputation of the 21st Army in the following battles and never disappoint Commander Xiong's high hopes.

Xiong Xun smiled and said, "Actually, our troops don't have much reputation, except for a few troops such as the Old Sixth Division. Our generals, including me, have little experience commanding large corps. Because a war of this magnitude is the first time for us. Now it is at least proven that we can defeat the Germans in a campaign of movement. The defeat of the 21st Army is nothing, at least that's how I see it, and Commander Wang has the same idea. Now don't think about the past, and think about the next step of the war. ”

This is nonsense. Wang Mingyuan never said such a thing. Xiong Xun did not see Wang Mingyuan at all after leaving the 2nd Army. This is a kind of general's technique, and a group of handsome talents emerged in the expeditionary force to Russia, and Xiong Xun was one of the more outstanding ones.

The Battle of Lublin had an impact on the Battle of Starlova Walla. The Wehrmacht later referred to the Battle of Starlova Walla, held by the 2nd Expeditionary Army, as the Battle of the San River, because the main battlefield was on both sides of the San River. The 10th, 12th, 16th, and 15th armies of the 2nd Army and the 1st Independent Heavy Artillery Division fought extremely brutal and bloody battles with the Germans on both sides of the San River, and Shi Dashou blocked the German-Austrian forces south of Rzeszow with the 7th Army, and concentrated four armies east of Starova Walla and fought fiercely with the German 9 divisions for a week.

At the heart of the battle was the encircled 29th Division of the Wehrmacht. The Germans used the 29th Division as bait and planned to annihilate the main force of the 10th Army, which was eager to rescue the 29th Division, before the main force of Shi Dashou arrived, and they blocked the 12th Army on the right bank of the San River and cut off the passage of the 15th and 16th Armies to the north. The core of the first stage of the campaign was the 10th Army, and the 10th Army under the command of Major General Jiang Cunxian not only failed to rescue the 29th Division, but also fell into a heavy encirclement itself. The two encirclements were separated by about 10 kilometers, and the two sides heard the sound of artillery but could not meet. According to Shi Dashou's order, the main force of the 10th Army under the command of Jiang Cunxian no longer attempted to rescue the 29th Division, but dug trenches on the spot and held on, while the Germans launched an attack on the two encirclements. Due to the small size of the Chinese defensive circle, it suffered heavy casualties under the superior artillery fire and aircraft bombardment of the German army, but the two defensive rings held by the 10th Army withstood great pressure, pinned down the main German force of about 6 divisions, and created conditions for the reversal of the battle.

The focus of the second phase was the 12th Army under the command of Wu Peifu. Wu Peifu showed the courage of an iron-blooded general, after two failed attempts to force the crossing of the San River, Wu Peifu used the 34th Division to contain the German army on the right bank of the San River, and personally led the 35th and 36th Divisions to cross the San River by night with the support of the 1st Artillery Division. The ice has long been torn to shreds by artillery fire. Due to the lack of ferries, the assault force could only cross the river at a few points where they could wade, and after paying heavy casualties, they broke through the San line and routed the Germans in front of them. The forced crossing of the Sang River by the main force of the 12th Army was a sign that the initiative in the campaign was transferred back to the Chinese army. The 12th Army paid more than 4,000 casualties for this. More than 1,200 of them are missing. Including a deputy regiment commander and two battalion commanders, they all died in the waves of the San River.

December 20, the early morning of the country's election day. The 103rd Regiment of the 35th Division was the first to break through the southern encirclement of the main force of the 10th Army and join the 88th Regiment of the 30th Division, crushing the German campaign attempt. As a result, the 103rd Regiment was awarded the honorary title of "Sanhe Regiment". On the afternoon of the same day, Major General Gao Huzi's 16th Army broke through the German defensive line north of Rzeszow and rushed to Starova Walla along the main road, General Hoffmann, who personally commanded the Battle of the San River, judged that the overall situation was irretrievable, and concentrated his forces on the 29th Division, which had been encircled for several days, launched a final assault, and the Germans broke through the 29th Division's defensive line from the west and north, but the 28th Division of the 10th Army and the 36th Division of the 12th Army almost broke through the German resistance on the east and south sides at the same time, and tens of thousands of troops fought a very narrow battlefield until the early morning of the next day, and the German army retreatedThe battle of the San River basically came to an end, but the fighting south of Rzeszow and north of the San River still lasted for three days, and after learning that the Chinese army was rapidly moving south in the direction of Lublin, Hoffman withdrew his troops, and a dozen pontoon bridges that had already been built in Tongguò withdrew to the west bank of the Vistula.

Lieutenant General Artemeyev, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, who was "supervising the battle" at Shi Dashou's headquarters, strongly demanded that the Chinese army force cross the Vistula River and continue to press the German army in order to solve the crisis of the Russian Army's Western Front, but Shi Dashou terminated the Battle of San River on the grounds that the troops were too wounded and fatigued, and urgently needed to replenish and recuperate, and the main force of the 2nd Army turned to the defense on the west bank of the Vistula River.

The Battle of Bodong was not over, the focus turned to the southern front, and in the heavy snow, the 7th Army and the 15th Army under the command of Ding Xiaofu, who was later transferred, repelled the resistance of four German-Austrian divisions, recaptured Przemyśl, and pursued the German-Austrian army until the Dukla Pass.

The Battle of Bodong ended, but the Battle of Poland was still ongoing. Due to the defeat of the German army on the southern flank by the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the plan of the German army to encircle the Russian Western Front failed, although the Russian Western Front suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat 200 kilometers to the east, but the main force was not surrounded by the German army, and Warsaw was still under the control of the Russian army. At the end of the Polish campaign, at the strong request of the Russian high command, Xiong Xun led the 1st Army west into Warsaw, covering the retreat of the Western Front and taking over the Russian Grujec-Tomaszow front, and the fierce fighting continued until January 1917.

At this point, all 9 armies of the main force of the expeditionary force entered Poland from Ukraine, and two battles led by the expeditionary force were conducted in Lublin and Starova Walla, which were later collectively referred to as the Bodong Campaign by the General Staff History Bureau. In this campaign, the Chinese army destroyed about 42,000 enemies, including 9,000 captured enemies, and paid 49,000 casualties. The 29th Division lost its combat effectiveness, and as many as 5,500 officers and soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing, and had to leave Poland ahead of schedule and return to Lviv to rest and replenish.

The headquarters of the expeditionary force quickly commended a number of troops and generals who had made meritorious contributions in the Bodong Campaign, and the 12th Army, the 8th Division of the 3rd Army, the 28th Division of the 10th Army, the 19th Division of the 7th Army, and the 47th Division of the 16th Army were commended by general order. Xiong Xun, commander of the 1st Army, was promoted to general, and Wu Peifu, commander of the 12th Army, and Yan Shulin, commander of the 3rd Army, were awarded the Order of Merit of the Second Class and promoted to lieutenant general. It is worth mentioning that Wu Peifu is the first general in the national defense force system who is not a descendant of the Mengshan Army to receive the Medal of Excellence.

General Shi Dashou, who commanded the Battle of the San River, and Major General Jiang Cunxian, who held his ground on the left bank of the San River to win the battle, were not rewarded.

For the Battle of Bodong, both China and Germany claimed victory. The Germans believed that the Chinese Expeditionary Force did not turn the tide of the Polish war, and the Germans defeated the Russian Southwestern Front and the Western Front, forced the Russian Western Front to retreat 250 kilometers, annihilated 58 Russian-Chinese allied troops, pushed the front 250 kilometers east, occupied most of Poland, and achieved an indisputable victory.

The Chinese believe that the expeditionary force saved the Russian army, smashed the German army's attempt to encircle and annihilate the main forces of the Russian army in Poland, stabilized the western front of the Russian army, and played the role of the mainstay of the eastern front.

To be fair, from a strategic point of view, the Russian-Chinese coalition was undoubtedly the victor, and the German army did not achieve the strategic goal of breaking the Russian army and forcing Russia to make peace, and the German army had to continue to maintain considerable military strength on the Eastern Front, and could not go all out to return to the Western Front to fight a decisive battle with Britain and France. But tactically, the Russian-Chinese coalition is the undisputed loser. Based on the analysis of the battle on the southern flank of Poland alone, the Russian-Chinese coalition forces were still unable to encircle and annihilate even a German formed division with a two-to-one advantage, and their own casualties were more than three times higher than those of their opponents (mainly Russians), exposing the huge gap with the German army in the command of generals, soldiers, especially the use of artillery.

The Polish campaign once again inflicted heavy losses on the Russian army, further exacerbating the anti-war situation within the Russian army. The reason for the defeat of the Russian army in the Polish campaign was the flight of a large number of officers and soldiers, which is very different from the scene two years ago. The Russian High Command does not say such things anymore, they said two years ago that for Russia, the only thing that is surplus is people, and "gray livestock" is an insult to the Russian soldiers, and this title comes precisely from their own high command. In the midst of the heat of the Polish campaign, an assassination took place at the Russian court, in which several nobles joined forces to assassinate the missionary Gregory, who was trusted by the royal family, mainly the empress. Rasputin. The assassination is confusing, and the process is enough to write a wonderful novel. The implications are intriguing, and the results will soon be revealed. A swaggering tramp is insignificant, but the division at the highest level of Russia has had a profound impact on history.

The form of the Battle of Bodong was basically a campaign warfare, which was a rare opportunity for the Chinese generals who lacked command of the large corps to fight, and the mistakes exposed in the planning and conduct of the campaign were actually precious treasures, which made this young army that went abroad to wrestle side by side with the great powers see its own shortcomings and boost its confidence in defeating an enemy. Therefore, President Long Qian's first telegram after his successful re-election highly praised the victory of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Bodong Campaign, and in the name of the Supreme Commander, he paid the highest tribute to all the officers and men who participated in the Bodong Campaign.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force's performance in the Bodong campaign was again praised by the Entente. As long as Russia does not collapse is a great victory, all the Entente and their potential allies think so. In particular, the politicians of Britain, France, and the United States did not hesitate to give the most beautiful praise to the Chinese. This can be seen from the level of guests of the Entente countries who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Long Qian's re-election as president. In 1910, when Long Qian became the first president of the Republic of China, no powerful government attended the inauguration ceremony, but at the presidential inauguration ceremony held on the afternoon of December 25, 1916, Russia, France, Britain, and the United States all sent considerable cabinet members to watch the ceremony. (To be continued......)