thefictionvixens Page 85
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Robert Nathan carefully observed Jadin Banerjee and noticed a clear hesitation in the man's conclusion, which increased his trust in him. It was indeed a bold judgment; making such a judgment without solid evidence suggested either that he was relaying someone else's words or that he had doubts about his own judgment—the former being more suspicious.
Now that he had determined the other party's background to be innocent and the judgment made was quite reasonable, Robert moved the conversation to the next stage: "So, can you talk about your considerations in proposing that moderate solution to the farmers' alliance?"
Jadin Banerjee felt a sense of relief. He knew he had passed the test. At least the other party was no longer paying attention to him but had started to focus on the proposal he had put forward. He said with a little excitement, "I just think that in the current situation, if we cannot use force to dissolve the peasant alliance, we should at least divide and disintegrate the peasant alliance or bring it under our control. Standing aside and doing nothing is the worst option."
Holmes once said: "My friend Watson, this is a constant in a changing world. An east wind is blowing. A wind like this has never blown in England before. It will be cold and strong, Watson. Many of us may perish from this wind. But it is still the wind of God. After the storm, a purer, more beautiful, and stronger land will stand in the sun."
I think this statement also applies to India. Since we cannot eliminate the farmers' alliance, we can at least eliminate the bad elements caught between the farmers' alliance and the government, thereby bringing about reconciliation between the two sides. I believe this will lead to a better India…”
After seeing Jadin Banerjee off, Robert Nathan, who was standing at the window watching the Indian leave, asked Harold Stewart, "Do you think his explanation is credible?"
Harold Stewart nodded slightly and said, “I don’t think there’s a problem. If I had to choose between staying in India as a peasant or a landlord, I would of course choose the peasant.”
Those landlords exploited the peasants relentlessly, yet they shifted all the blame onto us, portraying themselves as holy nationalists. Don't you find that ridiculous? Indian peasants created wealth, we brought civilization, but only the Indian landlords created nothing; they only knew how to enjoy and destroy.
Although Robert Nathan thought Harold Stewart's words made sense, he still shook his head and said, "This is not a problem we can decide. The governor himself must make the decision. I intend to go to Shimla in person to report the problem here to the governor. If those Chinese and Indian farmers unite, we will be in real trouble."
Harold Stewart nodded in agreement, but he quickly added, “Then the decision to establish a cross-regional police force doesn’t need to be made by the governor, does it? I think we should start working on it now. The current situation where each local police station is in its own territory is completely inadequate to deal with the cross-regional alliance of the Farmers’ Union.”
Robert Nathan nodded and said, “You can set up a framework first, but at least we still need to get the budget from the governor to establish this new department. Well, I think Mr. Banerjee is fine; he can be your deputy to build this cross-regional police force. But, to be honest, I also think the Red-Headed Society would be better.”
Harold Stewart paused for a moment before reacting and saying, "Why do you all think the Red-Haired Gang is better? It's just a mundane case; it's just that Mr. Conan Doyle conceived it well. What's outstanding is his writing style, not the case itself."
Robert Nathan shook his head and said, "No, I think the Red-Headed League captured human nature; the greed of ordinary people is indeed a terrible sin..."
Five days later, on July 20, Robert Nathan finally arrived in Shimla. It was a rather tiring journey, mainly due to the last 96 miles of mountain roads. Although the help of the porters made it less strenuous for Nathan, the inability to stretch his body while sitting in the box still left him with back pain upon arrival.
The city of Shimla actually consists of only one main street, stretching approximately 3.5 kilometers from Observatory Hill along a saddle-shaped ridge to Jakku Hill. Government offices, residences, entertainment venues, and villas of all sizes are located along this main street, built according to the terrain and following the contours of the mountain. The Governor's Palace, a Scottish-style castle built in the shape of granite and red sandstone, overlooks this street from a verdant hilltop.
Robert Nathan arrived in the afternoon, so instead of seeking an audience with the governor, he went to find lodging. As he had expected, there were no rooms available for him in Shimla. He eventually found a room in a military camp through a friend, as some officers had been sent down the mountain to assess the damage.
On the way to the military camp, Robert Nathan couldn't help but ask his friend, "I heard that tens of thousands of people died in this earthquake. The Northwest must be having a tough year, right?"
This friend complained to him, "It's not just bad, I think it's normal for a rebellion to break out in the Northwest next."
Robert Nathan asked in surprise why, and his friend replied, "The governor believes that matters such as post-disaster reconstruction are the responsibility of the new governor, and he cannot overstep his bounds, including policies like tax reductions. But now the disaster is so severe, and people are filled with fear. If the governor doesn't step forward and make some promises, will the disaster victims endure until the new governor takes office and makes a decision? People can't live on air..."
Chapter 298 Shimla
After hearing his friend's explanation, Robert Nathan became even more pessimistic about the situation in India. The situation in the Northeast was complicated, and the situation in the Northwest was starting to worsen. In addition, the Governor-General was replaced. For British India, this year was almost like the eve of 1857.
Thinking about these troubling matters, Robert Nathan didn't get much rest that night. Fortunately, the governor didn't have time to see him in the morning, allowing him to rest well. After lunch, the governor was the first person to see him.
Walking along the tree-lined path paved with gravel, we entered the drawing room of the governor's residence. The afternoon sun streamed in through the large windows, warming the entire room. Unlike the intense sunlight of the Indian plains, the sun in Shimla was always gentle, as precious as the sunshine in England.
However, the warm sunshine did not invigorate Sir Curzon. When Robert Nathan saw him, he noticed that the Sir looked even more exhausted than in Calcutta. Sitting down at the Sir's heavy desk, Robert Nathan reported to him in detail the intelligence he had gathered.
Finally, he concluded, "...Although General Lowe and Lieutenant Colonel Townsend have 1200 cavalry and 10 battalions of infantry, the current thunderstorm weather is not suitable for launching a large-scale attack, and the forest area near Siliguri is also not conducive to the encirclement and suppression."
However, the most troublesome issue is the tea plantations and jute plantations along the Teesta River, where indentured laborers and tenant farmers are constantly joining the Chinese army or providing them with intelligence. Therefore, the Chinese can obtain supplies by attacking the tea plantations or local landowners.
We even heard reports in the Jamuna River region of Chinese attacks on landlords and tea plantation owners, but in our judgment, this was likely a spontaneous rebellion by local indentured laborers and farmers who used the Chinese name to intimidate the landlords and tea plantation owners. We believe it's not yet necessary to deploy the army to suppress these farmers, but doing so would tie up police forces in various areas.
Therefore, I believe that peasant uprisings have increasingly become the greatest threat to the Northeast region, far more terrifying than the so-called protests against the partition of Bangladesh. If the Chinese and peasant uprisings become intertwined, perhaps the entire northern region of Bangladesh could be destroyed. We need to eliminate the Chinese as soon as possible, or find a way to separate the Chinese from the Indian peasants.”
Curzon listened to Nathan's report while resting his chin on his hand in his large chair. After a long silence, he finally said, "Prime Minister Balfour has decided that the entire cabinet will resign next month."
Robert Nathan was momentarily stunned. He looked blankly at the knight, who explained, "The Boer War has severely damaged the reputation of the British Empire, both in terms of the performance of the British army on the battlefield and the unethical behavior they displayed during the war. Now the British public blames the war on our party, causing our party's approval rating to plummet."
Prime Minister Balfour believes that extending the cabinet until the January election will only further fuel public discontent with the party, potentially leading to an unprecedented defeat for the party in next year's election, which is clearly detrimental to the party. Therefore, it would be better to end the government early, allowing the Liberal Party to form a government sooner, thereby awakening the public's desire for balanced politics.
Robert Nathan finally realized that Prime Minister Balfour couldn't withstand the pressure and simply resigned to quell public discontent with the current cabinet. However, this cannot be entirely blamed on Prime Minister Balfour, since Chamberlain was the one who instigated the Boer War, and it was his uncle, the Marquess of Salisbury, who launched the war. But during the election, people will only remember him as the prime minister.
In other words, if he were to suffer a crushing defeat in the general election and be removed from office, the people would blame him for the Boer War, and his political future would be completely over. Of course, the current situation in India also clearly contributed to Balfour's resignation, and he obviously did not want to take on another burden.
Sir Curzon sighed and said, "The British are afraid of war. They fear that our party will drag Britain into another, even bigger war. Therefore, the Liberal Party's rise to power is inevitable. All we can do now is maintain the status quo and then let the Liberals take over. I think perhaps they can do a better job..."
Robert Nathan felt that the knight's words contained no blessing whatsoever, but were instead full of sarcasm and a hint of schadenfreude, though he would not show it.
Faced with Mr. Nathan's silence, Sir Curzon then changed the subject, "The peasant uprising is no big problem now. Since we entered India, when has there not been a peasant uprising? Such news will not attract the attention of the British people. The focus is on the Chinese. At least until the Earl of Minto arrives, I hope that no more news about the Chinese will appear on the front page of the newspapers."
Robert Nathan hesitated for a moment, then finally asked to confirm, "So shouldn't we first appease the local farmers to prevent them from joining forces with the Chinese?"
Sir Curzon nodded slightly and said, “Go ahead and do it. Submit a budget and get it done as soon as possible. Earl Minto will arrive in Mumbai in about 20 days, and I don’t want to frighten him.”
Robert Nathan felt that if they didn't scare Earl Minto now, wouldn't the Earl be even more unlucky if things blew up later? However, he roughly understood the knight's current mentality. He just wanted to drag things out until he handed over his position to Earl Minto, and then the trouble would be Earl Minto's. This was indeed something that nobles would do.
Leaving the Governor's residence, Robert Nathan felt somewhat disheartened. As a Conservative, he had just witnessed the downfall of an imperialist. Sir Curzon, known for his hardline stance, had insisted on the partition plan for Bengal, even at the risk of angering Indian nationalists. Yet now he was turning a deaf ear to the Chinese conspiracy, hoping to prevent it from erupting during his term. Could this still be called an imperialist?
While Robert Nathan was feeling bewildered, St. Petersburg was in a state of panic because earthquakes had struck the Khangai Mountains region of Mongolia. One occurred on July 9, and another on July 23, both of which directly impacted Russian troops attacking Uliastai.
After the Russian army's failed attacks on Uliastai and Kobdo in May, it chose to concentrate its forces to attack Uliastai and then open up the passage to Guihua in the south. To this end, the Russian army mobilized a large number of cavalry and transported a large amount of supplies to the Khangai Mountains. The first earthquake did not actually cause much damage to the Russian army, but it frightened away a large number of Mongols in the Russian army, forcing the Russian army to stop and regroup.
However, the second earthquake directly affected the Russian army's camp. Not only did a large amount of baggage and horses fall into the crevice, but an entire battalion of Cossack cavalry also disappeared into the crevice. The Russian army, which numbered over 10,000, had less than 8,000 when it retreated to Kulun. This greatly damaged the morale of the Russian army and led the Mongols to believe that it was a sign of divine displeasure towards the Russians.
The Mongols' resistance against the Russians suddenly intensified, and the previously neutral Mongol tribes began to turn to the Qing government. The Russians had never encountered such a bizarre war before; some believed that this earthquake, like the storm that destroyed the invincible Armada, foreshadowed that the Russian army would not achieve any good results in this war.
Nicholas II didn't believe these ravings, but he still instructed the Minister of War to bypass Outer Mongolia and launch an attack from a location closer to Beijing. In fact, avoiding Outer Mongolia was no longer an option; Mongolian hostility towards the Russian army had increased significantly, and the earthquake's damage to Outer Mongolian livestock farming made logistical support to Uliastai even more difficult.
In contrast, the Russian army's offensive from Jinzhou to Shanhaiguan proceeded smoothly, and the Chinese army was still easily defeated. Apart from not being able to use the railways inside and outside the Great Wall for logistical support, they encountered virtually no difficulties.
Far East Governor-General Alekseyev confidently assured St. Petersburg that only 10,000 to 20,000 troops would be needed to capture Shanhaiguan, eliminating the need for any further plans to divide forces. St. Petersburg believed the governor-general's promise and decided to abandon its attempt to break through from Outer Mongolia, instead opting to cross Shanhaiguan from Manchuria via the Liaoxi Corridor and enter the Beijing-Tianjin area.
What St. Petersburg was unaware of was that Alekseyev's expulsion of Chinese officials and requisition of property from Chinese people in Manchuria had already begun to create an unprecedented antagonism between the Russian army and the people of southern Manchuria.
Unlike the cities and reclamation areas in northern Manchuria that developed based on railways, southern Manchuria had already been developed by Han Chinese as early as the Ming Dynasty. Even after the Manchus entered the pass and immigrated a large number of people to the interior, and restricted Han Chinese from leaving the pass, they mainly prohibited Han Chinese from crossing the Willow Palisade into areas outside the Liaodong Great Wall. Therefore, the population density in the Shenyang-Jinzhou Plain area was much higher than that in northern Manchuria, and it did not rely entirely on railway transportation.
In other words, even if the Russians controlled the South Manchurian Railway, the towns in South Manchuria would not become isolated islands, but would be connected by the old land and water transportation. This meant that the Russian army could not maintain local security in South Manchuria with a small force. Alekseyev's attempt to apply the experience of the Russian Far East and North Manchuria to govern South Manchuria was clearly not suited to the local conditions.
Faced with Russian oppression, the people of southern Manchuria quickly realized that this war was not only between the Russians and the Qing Dynasty, but also between the Russians and them. In particular, the Japanese relentless propaganda about the Hailanpao Massacre aroused hatred and vigilance among the people of southern Manchuria towards the Russian army. Coupled with Alekseyev's relentless suppression of resistance, more and more people in southern Manchuria joined the resistance against the Russian army.
The bandit activity in southern Manchuria was nearly ten times higher than the previous year, and they shifted their targets from local wealthy households to Russian military logistics and local wealthy households that supported the Russian army. These bandits were also being protected by the local people of southern Manchuria. The Russian army began to continuously increase its troop presence in southern Manchuria to protect the railway lines and the logistical routes of its troops.
Although the Russian army had reached the Shanhaiguan area by the end of July, the Russian army stationed in southern Manchuria had exceeded 170,000 troops, which was close to the entire Russian army stationed in Manchuria in 1904 and nearly twice the Russian Far East force in 1900. The Russian army's daily military expenditure had exceeded 500,000 rubles.
Chapter 299 Bold Words
On July 29, the advance detachment of the Russian army captured the Guanjiafen, Weiyuancheng, and Jiangnvmiao areas. When Major General Kashtalinsky ascended Huanxiling Weiyuancheng, the east gate tower of Shanhaiguan City was in sight.
Major General Kastalinsky, beaming with pride, addressed his men, "The terrain here is so excellent; I thought it would take at least three days to capture it, but we took it in just a day and a half. Looking at it this way, taking the castle across the street shouldn't be too difficult either; we just need to set up cannons here and bombard it..."
The fall of the eastern defense line at Shanhaiguan infuriated Yuan Shikai, who immediately took a train to Changli. Upon disembarking, he went straight to his headquarters in the city, and upon entering, angrily berated the officers who came to greet him: "Where is that bastard Zhang Huaizhi? Let me see if he's lost a hand or a foot! He held a single line of defense for a day and a half! What kind of battle is he fighting?"
General Zeng Qi of Shengjing, who was walking in front of the crowd, was trying to say something to Yuan Shikai, but the other party didn't even look at him. Soon, Zhang Huaizhi stepped out from the crowd and knelt down on the ground. He said to Yuan Shikai with a face full of shame, "This humble official is guilty and is willing to accept the punishment of the general. However, I beg the general to give me a chance to make amends. The loss of the defense line this time... alas, it is all due to my dereliction of duty."
Zhang Huaizhi honestly confessed his guilt, but his Beiyang colleagues behind him looked at Zeng Qi and the Manchus around him with dissatisfaction. Someone finally couldn't help but speak up for Zhang Huaizhi, saying, "If the Eight Banners hadn't lost their defenses first, how could the whole front have been shaken? Commander, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on Commander Zhang."
Yuan Shikai roared, "The court has spent so much money supporting you, and this is the kind of lousy war you've fought? And you still feel aggrieved? Guards, strip this bastard of his official hat and take him out to be executed as a warning to others..."
Goshha, standing behind Yuan Shikai, quickly stepped forward, skillfully removed Zhang Huaizhi's official hat, and twisted his arms before turning to Yuan Shikai. At this moment, the Beiyang generals present immediately knelt down to plead for Zhang Huaizhi. Zeng Qi also had to speak up in Zhang Huaizhi's defense, saying, "Your Excellency, this defeat cannot be blamed on Commander Zhang. If you must blame someone, blame me. It was my incompetence in managing my subordinates that led to this defeat."
Yuan Shikai seemed to only then notice the Shengjing General. His expression immediately softened, and after exchanging greetings with Zeng Qi, he said, "What are you saying? What crime has Lord Ruitang committed? Even if he has committed a crime, it's not my place as a Han official to interfere..."
Standing at the door, Fu Cixiang watched the scene unfolding in the courtyard with great boredom. In the past, he would have thought Yuan Shikai was shrewd. Now, he had not only taught his arrogant and fierce generals a lesson but also suppressed the Shengjing General. The military conference that followed would naturally be dominated by Yuan Shikai, and Zeng Qi and the other Manchu generals would have nothing left to say.
Of course, the loss of the eastern defense line of Shanhaiguan was indeed a problem for these Manchus. Zeng Qi and his men, who had been driven out of Shenyang by the Russians, retreated all the way from Jinzhou to Shanhaiguan. Although they could not fight, they naturally became the supreme commander of the local armed forces wherever they went, despite holding the title of General of Shengjing.
Although Zhang Huaizhi was the commander of the Shanhaiguan defense battalion, he had no choice but to hand over command to Zeng Qi. To be honest, Zeng Qi was not the worst general among the Manchus. At least he was willing to deal with the Russians in Shenyang until now. If it were any other Manchu, they would have already packed up and run away. But he was indeed not a capable person and could not control his subordinates at all.
During the Boxer Rebellion, he couldn't control his subordinates joining the movement, and now that he's retired, he can't stop them from fleeing for their lives. Yet, he can't refuse to fight for command of the front lines, because the Manchu nobles in Beijing want him to, believing that the command of the army shouldn't be handed over to a Han Chinese. But fighting for power and profit is no problem for the Manchus; getting them to risk their lives on the battlefield is absurd.
If the defense line of Guanjiafen, Weiyuancheng, and Jiangnvmiao had been truly determined to hold, it could have certainly given the Russian army a hard time. However, faced with the Russian attack, the Eight Banners soldiers fled first. Originally, even without these Eight Banners soldiers leading the way in fleeing, Zhang Huaizhi could have held the line. But now that everyone saw the Eight Banners soldiers fleeing, they wondered why they shouldn't flee themselves. As a result, this defense line was lost.
Yuan Shikai's bluff was merely a pretense to prevent Zeng Qi from interfering with his command. However, for Fu Cixiang, this situation was utterly boring. The enemy was already at their doorstep, yet they were still scheming and plotting against each other—could this really be a war?
However, his presence here was out of necessity. He was leading three newly trained battalions to support the Yi Army. Unlike the previous troops, these three battalions belonged to the Hubei New Army. The purpose was to let them familiarize themselves with the battles with the Russian army and then collect some experience to train the troops back at home.
However, upon arriving in Baoding, Yuan Shikai immediately pulled him to Tianjin. Yuan Shikai believed that the Yi Army posed no immediate risk, given the earthquake in Outer Mongolia; the most pressing concern was Shanhaiguan, and therefore, its defenses should be strengthened. Compared to his own painstaking training of the Beiyang Army, Yuan Shikai naturally wanted to steal these three battalions. He was quite adept at this; for example, Zhang Zhidong's Self-Strengthening Army was now part of the Beiyang Army.
For Fu Cixiang, whether he went to Zhangjiakou or Shanhaiguan, as long as he was fighting the Russians, that was fine. After all, his goal was to engage the Russians and learn their tactics, not to gain any merit. But looking at the scene before him, he wondered if coming to Shanhaiguan was a mistake. This intrigue and backstabbing didn't look like a place for fighting at all.
Fortunately, although Yuan Shikai was manipulative, when he actually sat down to discuss matters, he remained methodical. He asked Wang Yingkai and Duan Qirui what to do next, and the two believed that they should hold the line at all costs, because once the Russian army broke through Shanhaiguan, they could then advance unimpeded into the Hebei Plain, making it even more difficult to reach them.
Zhang Huaizhi and others swore oaths to Yuan Shikai, saying they would serve the Marshal to the death, and if they retreated even a step, they would be struck by lightning and die a horrible death. Seeing these Beiyang generals constantly referring to the Marshal without mentioning the imperial court, Zeng Qi and the other Manchu generals turned pale and dared not utter a sound.
Yuan Shikai glanced at the expressions of everyone present and noticed that only Fu Cixiang seemed unconvinced. He raised an eyebrow, pointed at Fu Cixiang's name, and asked, "Commander Fu seems to have something to say. Why don't you give me some advice?"
Fu Cixiang looked up at Yuan Shikai, then said with an unchanged expression, "I have a lot to say, but I'm afraid you won't like to hear it."
Yuan Shikai said calmly, "It's alright, just say what you have to say. You've only been here a short time, so you probably don't know my temperament. When we're discussing matters, just say what you need to say, even if you're cursing. What I dislike most are those who don't speak to my face but talk nonsense behind my back. Go ahead, I'm listening."
Upon hearing Yuan Shikai's words, Fu Cixiang immediately sat up straight and said, "Since you say so, sir, I won't stand on ceremony. I think that when discussing war, we should be studying how to annihilate the enemy, not discussing how we should die. Everyone here is swearing oaths to fight to the death, but not talking about how to fight to the death. Isn't this just fooling people? To put it bluntly, the court sent us here to let the Russians die, not to send us to our deaths. If you all die, then what about the Russians? Are we supposed to let them continue their march towards Beijing?"
Zhang Huaizhi, Duan Qirui, and the others all looked at the southerner with displeasure, wondering how this guy had managed to get to his current position, managing to offend everyone with just a few words.
Yuan Shikai remained calm and asked Fu Cixiang, "In your opinion, what should we do?"
Fu Cixiang immediately said, "Fighting to the death is necessary, but it cannot be done by oaths. Rules must be established. Defenses must be set up at every step, and resistance must be carried out at every level. Those who retreat without orders will have their rear guard kill the front guard. If logistical supplies are not timely, the person in charge will be beheaded. Only by strictly enforcing military discipline in this way can we truly call it fighting to the death."
Yuan Shikai nodded slightly. He was now somewhat distrustful of his subordinates' integrity, so he found the suggestion quite interesting. However, doing so would easily alienate the generals and officers below him. It was better for an outsider like Fu Cixiang to bring it up.
Seeing Yuan Shikai remain silent, Duan Qirui couldn't help but ask Fu Cixiang, "Once Shanhaiguan falls, the terrain becomes open after crossing the Shihe River. How can we set up layers of defenses on flat ground?"
Fu Cixiang replied bluntly: "Of course, we should dig trenches, set up barbed wire, and build a trench system. This is our own territory, and there are plenty of people inside Shanhaiguan. Mobilize the people to dig trenches and obstruct traffic. Are you still worried about not being able to defend it? Training a soldier to fire a gun takes at least a week, but can you ask a farmer to dig a trench in a day? The important thing is whether you all have the determination to fight the Russians. If you don't have that determination, even if you moved the Himalayas behind Shanhaiguan, you still wouldn't be able to defend it."
These words were rather excessive. One by one, the Beiyang generals, including Zhang Huaizhi, stood up, their faces flushed, and challenged Fu Cixiang, seemingly ready to fight him at the slightest provocation. But at that moment, Yuan Shikai burst into laughter, causing everyone to fall silent in surprise, wondering what had provoked their commander-in-chief.
After suppressing his laughter, Yuan Shikai coldly said to Fu Cixiang, "Commander Fu makes a lot of sense. I wonder if you could give my Beiyang Army a demonstration first? Talking without doing is just empty talk."
Fu Cixiang responded without fear: "I led my troops north to fight the Russians. As long as the Beiyang Army doesn't hold us back, I'm willing to teach them how to fight."
Wang Yingkai couldn't hold back any longer and said to Fu Cixiang, "What a big mouth you have! Since you want to teach the Beiyang Army how to fight, how dare we hold you back? But what if you back down in the face of battle?"
Fu Cixiang said boldly, "My head is right here, take it or leave it."
Yuan Shikai and the others stared at him speechlessly. Zeng Qi suddenly realized that these Han people didn't care about them, the Manchus, at all.
Chapter 300 Determination
While Yuan Shikai was raging in Changli, Feng Guozhang was in charge of the defense of the Second Division in Qinhuangdao. Although Wang Yingkai was good at managing troops, he was not as good as generals like Feng Guozhang and Duan Qirui, who had systematically studied Western military doctrines, in terms of commanding operations. This was why Yuan Shikai placed Feng Guozhang and Duan Qirui on the front lines.
Therefore, while Wang Yingkai and other generals went to Changli to await Yuan Shikai, Feng Guozhang was left behind to command the troops in resisting the Russian attack. The current situation was still very stressful for Feng Guozhang. Although the Beiyang Army was initially established to defend the country and avenge the humiliation of the First Sino-Japanese War, since its founding, it had only suppressed the people domestically and had never fought any foreign wars.
Especially during the Boxer Rebellion, the Beiyang Army—then called the Right Wing Army of the Wuwei Army—sat idly by while the Allied forces invaded Beijing. While this preserved their strength, it also diminished their morale, causing the Beiyang Army to inexplicably develop a fear of foreigners. This was because the Beiyang Army did not consider themselves stronger than Nie Shicheng's Vanguard Army, but the Vanguard Army's crushing defeat in the Battle of Tianjin led them to unconsciously project their own experiences onto the Beiyang Army, thus giving rise to the idea that the Beiyang Army was unlikely to be able to resist the foreigners.
The continuous loss of defenses east of Shanhaiguan was less a matter of inferior skills and more a matter of psychological inability to overcome the psychological barrier. Since defeat was inevitable anyway, why throw away one's life for nothing? In addition, with the Manchus leading the way in fleeing, they naturally retreated whenever the Russian army charged. After all, with the Manchus holding the line, it was a case of "the law does not punish the masses."
Faced with this situation, Feng Guozhang was speechless. Regardless of the news from the Japanese and British or the news brought back by the scouts, the Kastalinsky Detachment advancing towards Shanhaiguan was actually only the size of an infantry division, a cavalry division, and an artillery battalion. Apart from having a relatively large number of cavalry, their infantry and artillery were actually inferior to theirs, but they just couldn't hold the line.
If the defeat from Jinzhou to Qiansuo could be attributed to the local garrison's incompetence, then the defeat of the Shanhaiguan garrison could not be blamed on anyone else, because this unit also belonged to the Beiyang system, and Zhang Huaizhi was considered a top talent in the Second Division of the Beiyang Army, yet he still suffered a crushing defeat.
It was only because the Russian army was cautious and did not immediately launch an attack on Shanhaiguan that Feng Guozhang had the opportunity to move the Second Division to relieve the city. Regardless of Yuan Shikai's previous determination, he still harbored a sliver of hope for peace regarding war with the Russians, and therefore did not allow the Beiyang Army to leave Shanhaiguan to meet the enemy. This was one of the reasons why the Russian army was able to advance unimpeded.
However, now that the Russian army had advanced to the foot of Shanhaiguan, it meant that a peaceful resolution to the dispute between China and Russia was no longer an option. At this point, they had no choice but to abandon any illusions of peace and engage in battle. However, the morale of the Beiyang Army was generally low at this time. The continuous news of defeats, coupled with the Manchus' leading exodus, caused the soldiers of the Second Division of the Beiyang Army to begin to have a fear of fighting.
Even while guarding Shanhaiguan, the soldiers at the front kept sending him messages, saying that Shanhaiguan was indefensible because Dongluocheng was a Manchu city, and the Manchus were unwilling to destroy their homes to build any fortifications. Furthermore, the merchants and civilians in the city were also rebelling along with the Manchus. The soldiers, who were already reluctant to fight, now had an even better excuse to retreat.
In other words, the Beiyang Army still maintains its discipline, and the Russians haven't launched a full-scale attack yet, so the Shanhaiguan defense line can remain relatively stable. However, given this situation, once the Russian army's logistics catch up, the Beiyang Army inside the Great Wall will likely have to withdraw after the offensive begins.
The best course of action at this point would have been to forcibly evacuate the civilians, but because there were Manchus among them, Feng Guozhang dared not make that decision. And because he dared not make that decision, the officers and soldiers below him were naturally even less willing to fight.
Just as Feng Guozhang was caught in a dilemma, Yuan Shikai arrived in Qinhuangdao in the early morning of the 30th. Feng Guozhang quickly led the garrison commanders of the Second Division to greet him. After listening to Feng Guozhang's report, Yuan Shikai immediately made a decision and said, "Order the evacuation. Have them driven out of the city today..."
However, someone interrupted Yuan Shikai at this moment, saying, "We cannot drive them away directly; that will only make the city more chaotic. We should organize able-bodied men and women and children into groups according to the streets, and then have the able-bodied men escort the women and children south. We cannot let them leave one family at a time. Furthermore, we need to leave some able-bodied men behind to dig trenches and build fortifications, and then pay them wages to settle their families. Even if these people retreat south, they should be centrally managed and settled to prevent greater chaos in the rear."
The Beiyang generals all turned to look in the direction of the voice. To think that someone would interrupt Yuan Shikai in such a situation without even a report was truly audacious. They quickly discovered that the speaker was a young officer standing next to Fu Cixiang.
Although Yuan Shikai was displeased, these words were indeed insightful. It was easy to drive the city's residents out, but it would be difficult to prevent unrest in the rear. Shanhaiguan City had over 3 residents; although a third were soldiers and their families, the nearly 2 merchants were still a considerable number. He glanced at Fu Cixiang and then asked, "And this gentleman is?"
Fu Cixiang said, "This is Zhang Nanxian, who is in charge of the army's education and logistics. I think what he said is right. I ask Lord Yuan to consider it carefully. At this time, the disturbance in the city only gives the Russian army an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."
Yuan Shikai thought for a moment and then said, "My men only know how to fight, not this kind of thing. Since this Zhang, um, Zhang Nanxian, is in charge of evacuating the residents of Shanhaiguan, how long will it take you to evacuate them all?"
Zhang Nan thought for a moment and said, "If there are no problems with the railway's transportation capacity and the rear's resettlement, and if you give me a force that can carry out orders, then we should be able to withdraw completely by this time tomorrow."
Although the answer did not exceed Yuan Shikai's expectations, he was still willing to push this trouble away if it could alleviate the infamy he faced. So he quickly handed the matter over to Zhang Nanxian and then turned the topic back to the war.
Yuan Shikai inquired with Feng Guozhang and other officers of the Second Division about Fu Cixiang's plan to set up defenses along the Shihe River. After a brief discussion with his officers, Feng Guozhang replied, "Setting up defenses along the Shihe River is indeed feasible. Although this year has been relatively dry and the Shihe River has not risen, there are two obvious shallows in the lower reaches of the Shihe River after leaving Beishan and heading towards the sea, where one can wade across the river directly. However, other sections of the river are still difficult to swim across directly. Therefore, if the Russian army wants to cross the river, they will definitely choose these two shallows first."
If our army were to fortify these two shoals, it might be able to halt the Russian advance. However, my concern is not about the land-based threat, but rather the threat from the sea. Qinhuangdao is a good port in the Shanhaiguan area. During the Opium War and the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, the great powers sent their navies to occupy this place and then launched land attacks on the Tianjin area.
If the Russian land offensive fails and they then launch a naval attack on Qinhuangdao, we will likely find it very difficult to hold the Shihe line. Should we lay mines outside Qinhuangdao port? I humbly request your guidance, Commander-in-Chief.”
Yuan Shikai hesitated. With assurances from the British and Japanese, the Dagu Forts in Tianjin would not be directly attacked by Russian warships. However, the situation regarding the coastal areas north of Tianjin remained uncertain. The British negotiated with the Russians against attacking Qinhuangdao, but they also forbade them from laying mines in the port, as this would hinder the coal transport from the Kaiping Mining Bureau. The Kaiping Mining Bureau, which had been defrauded and seized by the British company Merlin, had not been recovered and seemed unlikely to be.
Seeing that Yuan Shikai was hesitant to make a decision, Fu Cixiang finally couldn't hold back and said, "Of course we should lay mines. Do you think the British will stand up for us against the Russians after we lose the war? Only the victors have the right to consider post-war affairs. The losers don't need to think about such issues. What problems the British have are the problems of the court. What does it have to do with us? We are soldiers. We only need to think about how to fight."
Yuan Shikai looked up and realized that none of his generals were expressing dissatisfaction; they were all looking at him. He immediately realized that this was a time to maintain momentum, not let it falter. So he slammed his hand on the armrest and said, "Then lay the mines! At this point, who the hell cares about the British demands? Strictly speaking, the Kaiping Mining Bureau is ours..."
Once Yuan Shikai made this decision, subsequent military discussions proceeded smoothly. In reality, it wasn't that the Beiyang generals didn't know what to do, but rather that no one was willing to make the decision. After all, within the Beiyang Army, only Yuan Shikai could make such a decision. Previously, because Yuan Shikai hadn't resolved to fight the Russians to the bitter end, everyone naturally adopted a wait-and-see approach, aiming to preserve their strength. Now that Yuan Shikai had made his decision, things completely changed; everyone could now focus solely on fighting.
With Yuan Shikai's determination, a new defense plan was quickly drafted. The Second Garrison and Fourth Battalion would remain stationary in the area north of Shimenzhai. The Third Battalion and Second Company would be fortified in the shallows of the left bank of the Shihe River, around Geda Ridge and Zhangjiazhuang. The First Company would be fortified in Qinhuangdao. The garrison at Shanhaiguan would hold out for ten days before withdrawing to Qinhuangdao to reorganize. Fu Cixiang's Company would be fortified in the area of Mengjiadian and Gaojianzhuang on the left bank of the lower reaches of the Shihe River.
The area where Fu Cixiang was stationed was the location of the railway bridge. Although this railway between the inside and outside the Great Wall brought convenience to the Beiyang Army in transporting troops and military supplies, it also had one disadvantage: because the railway was controlled by the British, the Beiyang Army dared not fire on the railway, for fear of triggering an international dispute.
Previously, the Russian army frequently chose to break through along the railway line, and they were often successful because the firepower in this direction was the sparsest. The reason why Shanhaiguan could not be defended was that the construction of the railway through Shanhaiguan removed the entire pass wall. The Beiyang generals believed that the railway passage would definitely become a breakthrough point for the Russian army, so it was naturally impossible to defend.
Now that this section has been handed over to Fu Cixiang, it's like getting rid of a hot potato for the Beiyang Army. This is also why Yuan Shikai was willing to tolerate the insolence of these southern generals. If problems arise, he can push the blame to Wuhan. After all, there have been many lawsuits between the British and Wuhan. He didn't think this matter would have any impact on Wuhan. After all, Wuhan's army had already marched into the Indian plains. But the British, for the sake of face, said that it was just a peasant riot and refused to acknowledge that the Chinese army had entered Indian territory.