In that small town more than ten kilometers away from Vladivostok, in one of the best buildings in the town (of course, the mayor's one), Feng Guozhang was looking at the map on the table with Wang Xingxue and others.

I don't know how long it took for Feng Guozhang to say to one of the generals.

"The artillery has already entered the position, right?"

"I've already entered the position," the general who was called quickly replied loudly. Now artillery is ready to fight at any time ...

That's good, bowing slightly, Feng Guozhang's face showed a little relief. After a while, Feng Guozhang turned his head to Wang Xingxue and the others. "You have to remember that in this battle, we must avoid falling into a situation of attacking the fortified position, and force the Russians to surrender as much as possible..."

After listening to Feng Guozhang's words, although there were disapproving expressions on the faces of a few people, they still nodded. "Got it!"

Seeing that they understood what they meant, Feng Guozhang nodded, and then said to the general just now. "Now the troops are almost there......... Rest for a day, and then tomorrow when the shelling begins, and now that the navy has sealed off the port, the main thing is to let the Russians inside understand that they are in a situation where they have no chance of encouragement, and they will think clearly..."

"Yes!" With his legs together, the general nodded.

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This time it was not Cai Ye who led the troops to the Outer Northeast, although Yan Shao called him back for this matter, but the northwest direction was his responsibility, as for the Outer Northeast...

Although the importance of Vladivostok is also great. But in Yan Shao's view, the Outer Northeast, which is already isolated and helpless, is almost in the bag, as long as a little bit of troops are dispatched. The reason why 200,000 troops were sent this time was not so much to recover Vladivostok as to defend against the Japanese.

After all, such a big change suddenly happened in Russia, and it is difficult to say whether the Japanese will also intervene. Although the two countries are still nominally allies at the moment, to be honest, Yan Shao does not have much confidence in the credibility of the Japanese.

That's right. It's true that Japan doesn't pose much of a threat to China at the moment, but...

If the Japanese really send troops to the Northeast, it will still be possible to disgust China. Yan Shao still wants to eat well, but he doesn't want to be so disgusted by them that he can't even eat...

The problem is that there are not many generals in China who can suppress 200,000 troops at the moment, Cai Ye and Jiang Baili. It's two of them. After that, Feng Guozhang seems to be able to be regarded as a...

Considering that Cai Ye needs to stay in the northwest, although Yan Shao has always wanted Feng Guozhang to stay in the position of Minister of War until death, but in the end he can only let him lead the troops to the northeast―――――― of course, Yan Shaozhi is not worried at all that Feng Guozhang will get mixed with Yuan Shikai again, perhaps because there is no stimulation of the Protectorate War, Yuan Shikai in this era has lived longer than in history, and it is now the end of 1917. The body is actually quite strong, and I heard that a few days ago there was a new North Korean concubine. It's really enviable.

It's just that at the moment, the shape of the country no longer allows Feng Guozhang to do this, and Yan Shao still trusts his influence on the army. What's more, it's just a commander, and it seems to be very powerful, but if the people below don't obey him, in the end, it's just a puppet...

This is also a reason why Yan Shao is relieved to let Feng Guozhang come to the northeast, anyway, when Cai Yi sends troops later, even if Feng Guozhang has the name of recovering the lost territory, the limelight will belong to Cai Ye in the end...

As for Feng Guozhang, he didn't think about it so much, all he thought about was how to take Vladivostok at the lowest cost.

Although he has not fought for many years, as the general who was known as the most capable of fighting in Beiyang back then, Feng Guozhang is not old enough to lead troops. Because of this, he realized that the troops he commanded this time were not as strong as they appeared to be, especially in terms of actual combat experience, and the lack of actual combat experience was definitely a fatal wound...

It's nothing in ordinary combat, if you rely on defensive warfare, with the weapons in your hands and the strict training in the past, you can also play very well, but the tough battle...

For a group of recruits, I'm afraid there is nothing more terrible than a tough battle.

And Vladivostok is undoubtedly one of the strongest fortresses in the Far East, if you want to capture such a fortress, even if the entire fortress has been surrounded by them, even if Feng Guozhang's troops are several times more than the defenders of the fortress, even if the Russian officers and soldiers in the fortress have almost no morale at all...

Feng Guozhang can still foresee thousands of casualties, and as a commander, what he has to do is to avoid this situation―――――― in fact, although he is a defeated general, Feng Guozhang still enjoys the current environment, after all, the position of the Minister of War can be said to be a high power, and today's China has faintly become a strong country.

Maybe Feng Guozhang still has some nostalgia for his old club, such as Yuan Shikai or the former Qing royal family, but thinking about the downfall of the year, looking at the current national strength of China, Feng Guozhang is already dead set on Yan Shao.

In fact, not only him, but also other Beiyang generals, even Yuan Shikai, whose ambition never seemed to have been broken, has now completely given up the idea of re-entering the mountain.

Because he knows very well that even if he chooses to go out of the mountain, few of those old subordinates will probably follow him to continue to fight the world.

In this case, it is better to continue to stay in his hometown to recuperate, he is still very aware of current affairs...

As for Feng Guozhang, what he was thinking about at the moment was whether to use large-scale artillery bombardment to force the Russian army to surrender. As a strong fortress, with the artillery in Feng Guozhang's hands alone, it is not easy to annihilate all the Russian troops in the fortress.

At Verdun, the Germans also wondered if the French would have been wiped out under intensive artillery fire. As a result, under the protection of the fortress, the French suffered heavy casualties, but their resistance was still fierce.

This also proves it. Artillery is powerful in the face of some strong fortresses, but it is impossible to defeat the enemy with artillery alone―――――― of course. If you have a lot of cannons in your hands, then if I don't say anything...

However, considering that the Russian army is now hopeless, the heavy shelling of Tongguò may force the Russian army in the fortress to surrender. After all, it is not a shame for Westerners to abandon their weapons and surrender when there is already no hope ...

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Inside the temporary headquarters, looking at the map on the table. Feng Guozhang was thinking about whether to use artillery fire to force the Russians to surrender. At the same time, on a certain battleship on the sea, I looked at the Vladivostok fortress faintly visible in the distance with a telescope. What Sa Zhenbing was thinking about was whether he could lure the Russian navy in the fortress to go to sea for a war...

Unlike Feng Guozhang, Sa Zhenbing's fighting spirit is very strong.

Since the establishment of the national government, the national defense navy has been in a state of rapid development, with the allocation of funds from the national government. A large number of new ships were built. In particular, the Battle of Longkou Bay allowed the Navy to obtain many capital ships.

Today, the Chinese Navy is the second largest fleet in Asia after the Japanese Navy.

It's just that compared with the luxury of equipment, in terms of actual combat experience, the navy is pitiful.

On the side of the army, although most of the officers and men are usually inexperienced, at least there are expeditionary forces in Europe that can be taken out to show off, but what about the navy. With the exception of submarine forces, there is practically no experience. Even if you don't have the experience of suppressing bandits―――――― you can't help it, although there are indeed a lot of pirates in this era, but unfortunately, usually these pirates do not exist within the jurisdiction of the Chinese navy, even if there are some sporadic ones, it is okay to hand them over to those 'maritime police', and these navies are not needed at all...

As a result, the Navy did not even have the opportunity to fire their guns, except during training.

Because of this, the navy has always been eager to fight, but the situation in Europe is too complicated, and if you go to Europe, in addition to the possibility that you will be used as cannon fodder by the British, it is more likely that you will be tyrannized by the Germans, so Sa Zhenbing and Yan Shao have no intention of sending the navy over at all.

After all, even if you seek practical experience, there is no need to go to such a dangerous place.

But this time...

The fleet of the Russians in the Far East is simply insignificant compared to the Navy, and there is no doubt that they are definitely the best training objects. If he can lure them out, Sa Zhenbing dares to guarantee that the navy will definitely be able to get what they dream of at the lowest cost...

It's just that the Russians seem to know this very well, so although Sa Zhenbing's fleet is sailing on the open sea of Vladivostok with such a swagger, the Russian navy in the fortress has no intention of sailing at all, and is so simple to huddle in the harbor...

Although Sa Zhenbing wanted to beat up the Russians in the port, he had nothing to do in the face of such a situation...

As for the direct shelling of the fortress? Please, except for a madman, what admiral would dare to have an artillery battle with the battery?

But...

Although the Russians were so cowardly that Sa Zhenbing's wish could not be realized, this situation of blocking the Russians at home and not daring to come out made Sa Zhenbing enjoy it very much...

'Fifty-seven years is like a dream, the whole country has fallen to Seoul, don't give up on yourself in the shallow water, and there will be a day of raising your eyebrows and puffing up...".

This is written in 1951, when the Volunteer Army conquered Seoul, the 93-year-old Sa Zhenbing recalled the humiliation of the Sino-Japanese War 57 years ago after learning the news...

Although Sa Zhenbing did not write such a poem now, standing on the deck and looking at the dozens of naval ships on the left and right, Sa Zhenbing felt a little like this...

Don't give up on yourself in the shallow water, there will be a day of raising your eyebrows...

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After arriving on the outskirts of Vladivostok, after the artillery preparations were over, Feng Guozhang did not immediately carry out the shelling, but first let a few Russians enter the city with the letters he had written―――――― of course, the letters were translated into Russian...

In the letter, Feng Guozhang wrote very clearly, let the Russians in the fortress surrender immediately, otherwise...

I'm afraid they're going to have to experience the feeling that the French had experienced when they were in Verdun...

Although the artillery group that Feng Guozhang could prepare this time was not as large as the artillery group prepared by the Germans at Verdun time, it was even so. Its scale in the Far East is also unprecedented, not to mention ...

The Russians in Vladivostok today are not necessarily better than the French.

After all, no matter what. The French side was fighting the Germans with enthusiasm, and finally defeated Germany at the cost of fighting a whole generation of young people, laying the foundation of its world army power, it can be said that after the end of World War I, with the defeat of Germany, it was really difficult to say that there was a country whose army was stronger than France at that time.

It can be said that the French still fought very beautifully on the Western Front, if there were no French the Western Front, the Germans. The British alone and a group of friends may not be able to stop the Germans...

Of course, such a tragic war also cost the French a lot. And in the end, he led the whole country to be war-weary, and after that, before he fought, he first thought about building a line of defense to protect himself, and finally led to World War II. I have a complete reputation...

As for the Russians. On the Eastern Front, however, it can only be described as a humiliating one, whether it is a 'European gendarmerie' or a 'steam roller', its appearance is a great disappointment. Except for the fact that when dealing with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Turks, the rest is really ...

Add to that the fact that both governments have been overthrown, and now the Russian troops inside the fortress don't even know who they should be loyal to...

Merely...

In the face of Feng Guozhang's letter asking him to surrender, the Russian commander in the fortress finally chose to refuse. After all, surrendering without a fight does not seem to be their habit. What's more, it is the Chinese who have always looked down on them who will surrender ...

Regarding the refusal of the Russians, Feng Guozhang was not surprised. Just an order to fire from the artillery group, which has been prepared for a long time...

Almost instantly, Vladivostok was in flames...

Because before leaving, Yan Shao had already communicated with Feng Guozhang, so Feng Guozhang was not worried about what would happen if he smashed Vladivostok. Anyway, the people in the fortress are all Russians, even if they die more, it doesn't matter, Feng Guozhang naturally has nothing to worry about...

At the same time, in the face of the shelling of the Wehrmacht, Vladivostok was a sea of fire for Huawei.

In this shelling, Feng Guozhang used a total of more than 700 artillery pieces, of which in addition to the equipment of the Wehrmacht itself, there were also some heavy artillery specially transferred to Feng Guozhang by Yan Shao, of which there were as many as 30 heavy howitzers of 240mm caliber alone, and there were countless other heavy artillery guns of 150mm and 210mm caliber...

Its heavy artillery is so powerful that it has never been seen in the previous Asian campaigns, at least...

As for the larger caliber artillery, as Yan Shao once said, it really doesn't make sense, after all, the larger the caliber of the artillery, the larger the volume, it is not convenient to transport at all, and the number of people required for operation will be very large...

And that's nothing, even the delivery of artillery to its destination, it takes a lot of time, which definitely does not meet the needs of modern warfare. Therefore, Yan Shao would rather order the aircraft company to develop a bomber that can drop a ton of heavy artillery shells, rather than research the so-called giant cannon...

You know, the power of hundreds of bombers to go out together is much more cost-effective than a few giant guns...

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As Feng Guozhang had predicted, in the face of large-scale shelling, the commander of the Russian army in the fortress did not hold out for long before he had to choose a compromise...

After all, they are isolated at the moment, and it is impossible to expect any reinforcements to come to their rescue...

If Feng Guozhang's ammunition is sufficient, even with artillery shells, they can be drowned. And the fortifications they built in the fortress were destroyed by the enemy's artillery fire before they could even see the enemy's face.

Rather than die unclear, it is better to surrender altogether, which is the thinking of most Russians in the fortress, and in fact they did.

So after about three days of Wehrmacht shelling, a white flag was hung on the top of the Vladivostok fortress, after which the Russians sent people out and declared their readiness to accept surrender...

With the recovery of Vladivostok by the Wehrmacht, the recovery of the entire Outer Northeast can be regarded as an end.

Because just as Feng Guozhang was shelling Vladivostok, he also sent some small forces to strike at some other strongholds of the Russians in the outer northeast.

By the time Feng Guozhang regained Vladivostok, by the third day of the shelling, the Outer Northeast was already under the control of the Wehrmacht, and all that was missing was a Vladivostok...

Although Sa Zhenbing on the sea seems to be somewhat declining, the recovery of the Outer Northeast has made the whole country of China rejoice, and at the same time, some foreign media have also expressed many opinions on the news of the National Defense Force's recovery of the Outer Northeast...

According to the Washington Post, China chose the best time to launch a military operation, and finally succeeded in recovering the lost territory that had been lost for decades.

And the British "Times" has a somewhat similar view, only some vigilant remarks have been added to it, after all, there are also some Chinese territories in the hands of the British, who knows when China will do something against them?

The rest, almost all of them are similar statements, and it's amazing ...

Although many people have expressed their wariness of China, few have complained about Russia's grievances, and perhaps they have long acquiesced in China's military action in the northeast. Of course, even more important is their dislike of the Soviet Russian government ...

In their opinion, rather than sit and wait for the Outer Northeast to fall into the hands of the Soviet Russian government, they would rather the Chinese take it back ... (To be continued......)