In fact, there was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime good time for China to regain the Middle East, that is, in 1919, when Soviet Russia was first founded. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

In order to gain China's recognition and support, Lenin expressed his willingness to give up all the rights and interests seized in China during the period of Tsarist Russia. By 1920, the Soviet Union issued the "Second Declaration on China," reiterating the principles of the first declaration and putting forward its intention to jointly manage the Middle East Route with China.

However, the Soviet Union at that time belonged to a flood of fierce beasts, and the Beiyang government was afraid that after establishing diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, it would offend Britain, France, the United States and other powers, and ignored the two "good intentions" released by the Soviet Union.

At that time, Zhang Zuolin's strength was not enough, and he was busy playing conspiracy with Duan Qirui's central government externally, and was busy collecting power in the three eastern provinces internally. If he could spare his hands, he could recover the Middle East by force, and he would probably have won Lenin's appreciation. Because the Russian troops and staff stationed on the Middle East Road at that time were all remnants of Tsarist Russia, they belonged to the "white bandits" in the eyes of the Soviet government.

Only a year after the Second Declaration on China, the Soviet Union largely quelled the internal chaos and sent people to China for the third time. At this time, the Beiyang government was cowardly again, and under pressure it could only establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, but Lenin turned around and refused to admit the promises he had made.

What a great opportunity to waste!

The control of the Soviet Union on the Middle East Road, in addition to the railway, also included the telegraph, telephone, mines, libraries, observatories, schools, etc.

At the beginning of the year, Zhang Xueliang ordered the resumption of the right to call the Middle East, but the Soviet Union actually acquiesced, only asking for the repayment of millions of telephone installation fees.

Even two months ago, in order to deal with Feng Yuxiang, Chang Kaishen was afraid that Zhang Xueliang and Feng Yuxiang would join forces, so he deliberately sent a secret telegram to Zhang Xueliang, saying: Feng Yuxiang organized the rebellion of the Protector Party and National Salvation Army, which was related to the Soviet consul in Harbin, and intended to completely turn the Northeast red.

Zhang Xueliang actually believed such a low-level plan to sow discord, or he didn't dare not believe it, because the Soviet Union did have all kinds of small moves in the northeast.

Zhang Xueliang took advantage of the situation to search the Soviet Consulate in Harbin and arrested all the consul generals, arresting a total of 39 Soviet officials and staff.

In fact, the Soviet Union did not want to fight with the Northeast Army, because it was implementing the First Five-Year Plan at home, and it could not afford to fight due to lack of money and food. In the face of Zhang Xueliang's provocation, the Soviet Union promised that as long as Zhang Xueliang released the arrested people, the Soviet side was willing to return part of the authority of the China Eastern Railway Bureau.

Changed to Zhang Zuolin, I had already agreed!

Perhaps it was the goodwill released by the Soviet Union that Zhang Xueliang regarded as a sign of weakness, and he firmly believed that the Soviet Union was strong outside the country and capable of doing so. He did not want to take back the Middle East Road step by step, but planned to do it once and for all, as long as this thing was done, he would not only be able to establish authority and consolidate power, but also alleviate the financial crisis in Northeast China, and be able to make good friends with the Nanjing government and the European and American powers.

In Beidaihe, Zhang Xueliang borrowed to live in the Zhu family's villa.

On July 10, the Middle East Road Incident broke out, and the Northeast Army forcibly took back various enterprises on the Middle East Road.

At this time, it was July 19, and although the clashes between the two sides lasted for more than a week, there was no real exchange of fire. The Soviet Union only sent troops to demolish key roads and bridges to stop the offensive speed of the Northeast Army and buy time for the Soviet Union to send reinforcements.

Zhang Xueliang was enjoying the shade in the garden, and the adjutant Zhu Guangmu hurriedly came with a telegram: "Commander, Shenyang emergency telegram, let you return quickly!" ”

"What's the matter?" Zhang Xueliang asked.

Zhu Guangmu said with a serious expression: "The Soviet Union announced the severance of diplomatic relations with China because of the Middle Road incident!" ”

Zhang Xueliang stood up stubbornly: "It's so serious? ”

Well, Zhang Xueliang is still holding on to the luck mentality, thinking that the Soviet Union is really strong and does not dare to fight.

Zhang Xueliang took the telegram and looked at it, and scolded angrily: "Chang Kaishen is a bastard! ”

The telegram said that the Soviet Union had announced the severance of diplomatic relations with China two days earlier, and that they had learned this through intelligence officers in Tokyo......

It's just laughing.

For such a major event, the Nanjing government did not notify Zhang Xueliang, and still needed to get the news from the Japanese.

Chang Kaishen's hand was insidious enough, and he was determined to let Zhang Xueliang fight to the death with the Soviet Union, so he could find time to clean up Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan.

Zhang Xueliang cursed Chang Kaishen 10,000 times in his heart, and said with anger: "Prepare to go back to Shenyang!" ”

At this moment, Adjutant Hu Ruoyu came to report: "Commander, Mr. Zhou has sent someone to deliver the letter." ”

"Let him come." Zhang Xueliang said.

Sun Yonghao was led to the garden by the adjutant, handed over a thick envelope and said, "Commander Zhang, Mr. asked me to tell you that you must not be indecisive when doing great things. ”

Zhang Xueliang took the letter, nodded and said, "You go back and tell him, I will think about it carefully." ”

The adjutant sent Sun Yonghao away, and Zhang Xueliang began to read Zhou Hexuan's letter, which was 12 pages thick.

In this long letter, Zhou Hexuan elaborated on the situation in the Soviet Union, compared the power gap between the two sides, and listed their respective advantages and hidden dangers.

Finally, Zhou Hexuan put forward two suggestions to Zhang Xueliang:

First, there was room for de-escalation, the immediate release of the arrested Soviet personnel, and the use of the Middle East Road enterprises in their hands to conduct peace talks. Judging from the situation in the Soviet Union, the other side did not want to fight, and sincerity was bound to lead to successful negotiations.

Second, if there is a reluctance to negotiate. Then we must act quickly and try to stabilize the war before the arrival of Soviet reinforcements, and we must not delay it again and again, so that the enemy can take advantage of it. As long as it grasped the initiative on the battlefield and guarded the favorable terrain, the Soviet Union would definitely not be able to afford to delay. Because the Soviet Union lacked money to fight a war, and had to guard against Europe, and the Far East was far away, the Soviet Union could not sustain a large army for a long time. At that time, the other side will naturally compromise, and everything can be resolved at the truce negotiating table.

Historically, Zhang Xueliang took back the Middle Road by force, but he was completely unprepared.

The front line asked Zeng Bing, but Zhang Xueliang was unwilling to start a war with the Soviet Union and refused to send troops under the pretext of lack of money. It was not until the Soviet Union's "Special Far East Army" had been assembled and left for the northeast that he realized that he could not fight without fighting, and in a panic he issued a mobilization order for the Soviet Union, and as a result, he lost the opportunity in vain.

After Zhang Xueliang read Zhou Hexuan's letter, his indecisive character came out again. He felt that the Soviet Union had announced the severance of diplomatic relations with China, that the peace talks would never succeed, and that if he wanted to negotiate peace, the Northeast would have to make concessions, which would greatly discourage him from his prestige and make it impossible to suppress the militant soldiers under him.

But if he really wanted to fight with the Soviet Union, Zhang Xueliang was unwilling. Because the Northeast is now in financial difficulties, if a battle is fought, it will suffer heavy losses regardless of victory or defeat, and there is no hope of recovery within three to five years.

Zhang Xueliang was completely unable to make a decision, and even began to regret not listening to Zhou Hexuan's persuasion, and took back the Middle Road by force under impulse.

In this state of suffering from gains and losses, Zhang Xueliang took a special train back to Shenyang and convened a meeting of his military, political and diplomatic personnel.

The Northeast Army is now gaining momentum, and most of them are clamoring for war, because only by fighting can they be promoted and rich. Government officials are reluctant to fight, saying that the Northeast is in ruins, the finances are stretched, and there is not so much money to start a war.

Diplomats were disagreeable, some said that peace talks should be held, some said that Britain and the United States should be stopped, and some said that the Soviets were not to be feared.

The whole meeting scene was noisy, Zhang Xueliang was so angry when he heard it, and his thoughts were even more chaotic than before the meeting.

In the end, Zhang Xueliang decided to adopt Zhou Hexuan's suggestion, and while sending a mission to negotiate peace with the Soviet Union, he asked the front line to strengthen its defenses, and allocated reinforcements to a main army.

If Zhou Hexuan knew about Zhang Xueliang's measures, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood.

Zhou Hexuan's suggestion was not like this at all, he let Zhang Xueliang choose, either to show sincerity for peace talks, or to concentrate on a thunderous blow.

And what is Zhang Xueliang doing?

He did not release the arrested Soviet personnel and did not return the enterprises of the Middle East Road, thinking only that the Soviet Union would back down and then take the opportunity to take back some of the rights of the Middle East Road.

The Soviet Union has already announced the severance of diplomatic relations and sent a large army, will they accept such insincere negotiations? This is not a negotiation at all, but an insult to the USSR!

In terms of military affairs, Zhang Xueliang did not prepare for a big battle at all, nor did he dare to take the initiative to attack and seize the opportunity, but only passively added fuel to the defense.

Far from being successful, this negotiation will give the Soviet Union more time to build up its troops. The Northeast Army, which was fighting on its own soil, was unprepared and hoped that the Soviets would back down.

Finally, at the end of July, the Soviet Army's First Support Army arrived at the Sino-Soviet border and crossed the border to occupy various communication arteries. And the Northeast Army did not even dare to engage the enemy in battle, because the higher authorities did not issue combat orders.

By mid-August, Soviet troops had occupied the county town of Gupu.

In the traditional thinking of the Chinese, the occupation of the county town means the loss of the city and the loss of land, and it also means that war is inevitable.

Zhang Xueliang finally issued an order to mobilize the Soviet Union and sent 60,000 troops to strengthen the border.

What a fart!

All the main communication routes on the border have been occupied by the Soviet Union, and large troops have been reinforced, and you are only thinking about issuing a combat mobilization order now?

The most nonsense thing is that although the Eastern Railway was taken back by Zhang Xueliang by force, the employees were mainly Soviets.

Now that the two countries are at war, the Soviet railway workers are directly playing strikes, resulting in the inability of reinforcements from the Northeast Army to arrive on time.

Chang Kaishen also fanned the flames and issued a declaration of war against the Soviet Union in the name of the Chinese Nationalist Government, which led to the escalation of the war from a regional conflict to a national war.

By the beginning of September, the Soviets had amassed 80,000 troops in the northeast.

After the reinforcements arrived, the Soviet negotiators announced the breakdown of the peace talks, believing that the northeast side had no sincerity in negotiations and decided to launch a deadly attack on the northeast army.

Before that, Zhang Xueliang only dared to increase his troops, and did not dare to take the initiative to attack the Soviet troops crossing the border, so that more and more military arteries and strongholds were seized in vain.

Fierce fighting finally began, the Soviet Union dispatched the navy, land and air force, and the Chinese and Soviet navies even broke out in a naval battle.

With a powerful fleet, fierce cavalry, and a huge number of aircraft, tanks, and artillery, Zhang Xueliang finally grasped what the Soviet Red Army was.

Throughout October, the Northeast Army was defeated and retreated.

Zhang Xueliang turned out Zhou Hexuan's long letter again, and couldn't help but have an urge to cry, he wrote to Zhou Hexuan: "If you don't listen to the words of the virtuous brother, it's too late to regret it......"

Zhang Xueliang also wanted to ask Zhou Hexuan how to remedy it, but Zhang Leyi from Tianjin wrote back and told him that Zhou Hexuan had already taken a ship to the United States.