Chapter 456: Leading the Army to Fight Against Russia
After receiving the order, Qu Shaoyang immediately handed over the matters related to the establishment of Mengjiang River to others, and then led his troops back to Linjiang.

At the same time, orders were sent to the Dingbian troops stationed in various places, asking them to quickly assemble and return to Linjiang City to wait for orders.

Other teams such as forest patrol teams, tax inspection teams, militia security teams, etc. were also gathered together and ready to be deployed at any time.

On the tenth day of June, Tsar Nicholas II announced himself as commander-in-chief and mobilized 170,000 troops to invade the Northeast in seven routes.

The first route was commanded by Major General Orlov. It started from Trans-Baikal, invaded along the western section of the Middle East Railway, and attacked Hailar.

The second route was again commanded by Lian Nian Gangbov, reaching from Hailanpao and attacking Aihui, Morgan, Qiqihar and other places.

The third route was commanded by Major General Shakhanov. It set out from Blagoveshchensk and attacked Sansheng and Harbin along the Songhua River.

The fourth route was commanded by Major General Cheyemov. It set out from Shuangchengzi and attacked Mudanjiang, Ningguta and Jilin.

The fifth route, commanded by Kulesharosky, set out from Vladivostok and attacked Hunchun.

The Sixth Route was commanded by Lieutenant General Suboqiqi. It set out from Lushun and attacked Gaiping, Liaoyang, Fengtian and other places in the north.

The Seventh Route was formed in late August by part of the Tsarist Russian army that participated in the Eight-Nation Alliance.

Under the command of Lieutenant General Linevich, they set out from Beijing and Tianjin, passed through Shanhaiguan, and attacked Jinzhou in the north.

On June 29, the Russian army invaded Xiongyue and then occupied Gaiping. The magistrate of Gaiping abandoned the city and fled.

On the tenth day of July, the Russian army occupied Yingkou. On the eighteenth day of July, the Russian army entered Haicheng, burned, killed, raped and looted, destroyed more than 8,000 houses and killed more than 1,000 residents.

After the fall of Haicheng, the entire situation changed dramatically.

The Russian army in the north advanced southward from Changchun, and the first to bear the brunt were Huaide, Kaiyuan, Tieling, and even Fengtian, all of which felt the danger. The defenses of Shanhaiguan and Jinzhou also felt tense.

The Qing court telegraphed Zengqi, Changshun, Shoushan, Jinchang and others that enemy troops were approaching and there were no strong soldiers available in the capital. Each province could recruit Xidan (underage males) and hunters, organize them into an army, encourage volunteers, and borrow funds to resist and suppress the enemy.

General Fengtian sent people to deliver messages one after another, ordering Qu Shaoyang to lead the Dingbian Army to Fengtian to cooperate in defense.

This time, Qu Shaoyang learned from his experience and lessons. He would not be foolish enough to lead his troops to rescue again, which not only resulted in casualties but also led to him being ostracized in the end.

So Qu Shaoyang wrote back, using the excuse that the Dingbian Army had too few troops and was stationed in various places, leaving the Eastern Road short of troops and unable to mobilize a large number of them at once.

He was recruiting hunters, woodcutters, etc., and was training them intensively. Once the army was organized, they would immediately go to Fengtian City.

Qu Shaoyang made excuses to delay, and Zengqi could do nothing about it. After all, Qu Shaoyang was the commander of the militia in Dongbian Road, and was mainly responsible for the safety of the people in Dongbian Road.

When news came that the Tsarist Russian Seventh Army was returning to the Northeast, the Fengtian authorities were even more shocked.

The struggle between the pro-war faction represented by Jinchang and the pro-peace faction represented by Zengqi became increasingly fierce.

At this time, Qu Shaoyang had led the Dingbian Army to Phoenix City. After meeting with the Chen brothers, Zhang Xiulan and others, they agreed on a battle plan.

Afterwards, the Dingbian Army joined forces with local militia security teams, joint defense teams and other armed forces to deploy a large number of troops along the line of Andong, Xiuyan, Fenghuangcheng, Kuandian, Huairen and Xingjing.

They occupied dangerous terrain such as mountains and passes and laid mines on important traffic routes to prevent attacks by the Tsarist Russian army.

On July 21, the Eight-Nation Alliance captured the capital, and Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Xi’an with Emperor Guangxu.

On July 27, the Tsarist Russian army approached the Namur River area north of Qiqihar City.

In order to protect the lives and property of the people in the city, Heilongjiang General Shoushan sent Cheng Dequan to negotiate peace and allow the Tsarist Russian army to enter the city peacefully.

On the fourth day of August, Tsarist Russia tore up the peaceful entry agreement and launched a surprise attack on Qiqihar.

Upon hearing the news, Shoushan was filled with grief and indignation, but he adhered to his oath that he would not “change his nationality to Russian and betray the enemy”, and died in the line of duty.

On August 18, in order to strike at the anti-Russian generals, Jilin General Changshun reported Jinchang, Shoushan and others.

“We allowed the Boxers to bully us at will.” “We failed to know ourselves and the enemy, and were reckless and greedy for merit.” This eventually led to the outbreak of the Sino-Russian War and a disastrous defeat.

On August 29, the Russian army entered Jilin City. Jilin General Chang Shun led officials, holding white flags to welcome the Russian invaders and hosted a banquet for the Russian officers.

The Tsarist Russian army occupied the Jilin Machinery Bureau and looted all the machines, silver dollars and cash worth more than 1.7 million taels, and threw some of the machinery and equipment into the river.

On the seventh day of the eighth month of the leap year, the Russian army approached Fengtian. Fengtian General Zengqi, the five assistant ministers of Shengjing, the Fengtian prefect, the academician and other civil and military officials abandoned the city and fled to Yizhou. The Russian army entered Fengtian city.

Then, Jinzhou and Tieling were also occupied, and the Tsarist Russian armies in the north and south joined forces to control the entire Chinese Eastern Railway.

In September, Fengtian General Zengqi sent representatives to negotiate peace with Tsarist Russia and signed the “Provisional Regulations for the Handover of Fengtian Territory.”

At this time, the Qing court did not know about the signing of this charter. The main reason was that Li Hongzhang kept it secret after receiving the report, and did not report it.

In early October, thousands of Russian troops approached Phoenix City. Under the leadership of Taotai Zhang Xiulan, militia commander Qu Shaoyang, and Tongzhi Chen Yunzhe, the soldiers and civilians of the East Circuit rose up in resistance and engaged in fierce fighting with the Russian troops.

Under the management of Qu Shaoyang and others, the equipment and strength of the Dingbian Army were much stronger than when they were fighting against the Japanese pirates.

In terms of heavy weapons alone, there is the 1889mm rapid-fire field gun designed by French engineer Saint Clair of the Bourget Arsenal in 57, and the newly upgraded M1897 Miss France 75mm retreating rapid-fire howitzer.

The heavy machine gun was also updated and replaced with the Maxim water-cooled heavy machine gun imported from Germany.

Advanced weapons, well-trained Dingbian Army, and armed forces such as militia security teams.

As soon as the two sides opened fire, the Tsarist Russian army immediately felt tremendous pressure.

The two sides engaged in fierce fighting in Tongyuan Fort for a day and a night. The Russian army suffered heavy casualties and was forced to withdraw from the Phoenix City area and retreat to the Dahei Mountain area.

Chen Yunhan led his troops in pursuit and attacked the Russian military camp at night, annihilating countless enemies. The Russian army was forced to continue retreating.

However, at this time, the northern and southern armies of Tsarist Russia had already merged and occupied many cities along the China-Eastern Railway. Most of the three northeastern provinces had been controlled by the Tsarist Russian army.

Upon hearing the news, the Tsarist Russian commander immediately dispatched troops and divided them into two routes, one to attack Phoenix City and the other to attack Andong City.

On October 24, the Russian army invaded Andong, and Qu Shaoyang led his troops to meet the enemy in Pusa Temple, Jiangjiagou and other places.

The Tsarist Russian army had more than 10,000 troops, including 3,000 border troops led by Qu Shaoyang, and 3,000 armed forces including the forest patrol team, militia security team, etc. The two sides fought fiercely for several days, resulting in countless casualties.

Seeing that the siege had been unsuccessful for a long time, Tsarist Russia sent reinforcements. Qu Shaoyang had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat to Dagu Mountain and continue to fight the enemy.

The Russian army surrounded Dagu Mountain and attempted to annihilate the Dingbian Army there.

“Sir, the Russians have a strong force. We have been fighting for more than ten days and are exhausted. We are also running low on food, fodder and ammunition.

We can no longer stay in Dagu Mountain. I will provide cover for you. Please lead your troops to break out, leave this place and return to the city, rest for a while, and then fight the enemy to the death.”

Faced with the fierce artillery fire of the Tsarist Russian army, the people around Qu Shaoyang could only persuade him to lead the troops to break out first.

“No, at least we can still defend Dagu Mountain from its dangerous position.

If we evacuate this place, most of Anton will fall to the enemy, and it will be more difficult for us later.”

Qu Shaoyang refused and insisted on staying at Dagu Mountain to fight the enemy.

Seeing that they could not persuade him, the subordinates had no choice but to risk their lives to fight the enemy. At dusk that day, the two sides fought fiercely for a long time, and both sides suffered heavy casualties.

There were rumbling artillery fire and bursts of gunfire at the foot of the mountain. The Tsarist Russian army had no intention of stopping and wanted to capture the pass in one go and completely occupy the position.

Everyone on the mountain was extremely tired, but no one had time to rest at this time. They still gritted their teeth and persevered, repelling the enemy’s attacks again and again.

At this moment, the enemy’s rear camp suddenly became chaotic.

Two teams, each with several thousand people, dressed differently and equipped with a variety of guns and weapons, suddenly appeared.

These people were extremely brave and attacked the Tsarist Russian army from both wings.

The already exhausted Russian army was caught off guard, their formation was completely messed up, and many people died before they could react.

Qu Shaoyang on the mountain also noticed the change in the situation and immediately stood on a high place and observed through a telescope.

After clearly checking the situation at the foot of the mountain, Qu Shaoyang immediately ordered a charge and joined forces with the reinforcements to kill the Tsarist Russian army.

In fact, the Tsarist Russian army had been fighting hard with the Dingbian Army these days, with heavy casualties.

He wanted to fight with his last breath to capture the position and inflict severe damage on the Dingbian Army, but he didn’t expect reinforcements to arrive at this time.

Moreover, the combat effectiveness of this group of reinforcements was not weak. The Tsarist Russian army was attacked from both sides and was unable to support it. It had no choice but to order a retreat.

Qu Shaoyang led the Dingbian Army and the security team to charge down the mountain. The battle had been frustrating in the past few days and everyone was feeling angry.

At this moment, they all rushed down yelling and chased after the Tsarist Russian army.

We chased these Russians away and killed many of them, but we finally escaped.

At this time, Qu Shaoyang met the reinforcements. “I don’t know which group of volunteers came to help. Qu Shaoyang would like to thank them.”

Qu Shaoyang, covered in blood, came to the front of the battle and talked with the reinforcements.

“Master Qu, long time no see.”

At this time, a man came out from the opposite reinforcements. He had a scarf wrapped around his head, a red dress, and a palm-wide belt tied around his waist. With affectionate eyes, he greeted Qu Shaoyang with a smile.

Qu Shaoyang was stunned for a moment before he recognized who the other person was, “Miss Yang? Why is it you?” The person who came was none other than Er Yuehong.

“We were fighting the Russians in Changchun, Nong’an, Huaide and other places before. We heard that Lord Qu was blocking the Russian army in Andong and Fenghuang City, so we came here to help.”

Er Yuehong came forward, bowed with a smile, and explained.

The February Red Gang had been at odds with the Russians before, and often led their troops to rob the Russians of their food and wages for building railways.

When the Boxer Rebellion broke out in Jilin, the February Red Gang united with many railway construction workers to attack the Russian railway protection teams.

Later, under the leadership of General Shoushan, the Eryuehong Gang cooperated with the Qing army, the Boxers, etc. and participated in the battle to attack Harbin.

Later, the Russian army’s seven armies invaded the Northeast, Qiqihar was captured by the Russian army, and General Shoushan died in the line of duty.

The February Red Gang united with a group of people and retreated to Changchun, Nong’an, Huaide and other places, continuing to fight with the Russian soldiers.

However, General Changshun of Jilin was a capitulationist. In order to negotiate peace with Tsarist Russia, he openly framed the Boxers, killed their members, and handed over the city of Jilin.

The February Red Gang had to move to other places and absorbed a lot of farmers, hunters, road builders, gold miners, defeated soldiers, etc., forming a team of thousands of people with excellent cavalry.

These people refused to eat government food and wages, were not subject to government control, did not harass the people, and insisted on fighting the Russian army.

Later, Er Yuehong learned that Qu Shaoyang was leading his troops to fight against the Russians in Fenghuang City, Andong and other places, so he led his troops there. Unexpectedly, he encountered the Tsarist Russian army besieging Dagushan.

So he led his troops to rescue and happened to meet Qu Shaoyang.

“Master Qu, let me introduce you, this is my sworn brother, Yang Yulin.

He used to be a constable and also served as the commander of the Zhendong Army. He was nicknamed the Fourteenth King of Hell.

As we were coming here, we happened to meet our brother-in-law’s team.

When I told you that I was coming to Andong to fight the enemy, you led your army to fight together with me.”

Er Yuehong gave a brief explanation and then introduced the people around him to Qu Shaoyang.

“I have heard of Lord Qu’s great name for a long time, but I have never met him. I didn’t expect to meet him here today.”

Yang Yulin was a sturdy man in his thirties. He immediately saluted Qu Shaoyang with his fists clasped.

“No, no, I don’t dare. Today, thanks to the arrival of the Er Yuehong leader and Commander Yang, who led the troops to lend a hand, otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be able to defend Dagu Mountain.

Everyone, on behalf of the elders and folks of Andong and Dongbiandao, I thank you all for your generosity. “

Qu Shaoyang bowed to the people opposite him and spoke loudly.

“Your Excellency is too polite. The Russians are rampant now, and the Qing officials are afraid of death and only know how to surrender and negotiate peace.

You are a hero for leading the army to fight against Russia. I am not talented, but I am willing to follow you and kill the Russian army together.”

Yang Yulin and several other backbone members of the rebel army said in unison.

“I don’t dare to be a hero, I just do my best to live up to my conscience. I admire your righteousness.” Qu Shaoyang bowed again.

“Now that everyone is here, we have enough troops. Why don’t we take advantage of the victory and chase the Russians away? What do you think?”

Er Yuehong and Yang Yulin each led thousands of people, and together with Qu Shaoyang’s troops, their numbers far exceeded that of the Tsarist Russian army.

At this time, the Tsarist Russian army was defeated, and we should take advantage of the victory to pursue it and drive it out of Andong so that it would not dare to invade again.

Upon hearing this, everyone echoed in unison. Just like that, Qu Shaoyang immediately led everyone to pursue the retreating Russian army.

The crowd chased the Russians all the way from Daogu Mountain to Gaiping County, and killed countless Russian soldiers in Mopan Mountain, Anzi Mountain and other places.

In the end, the remnants of the Russian army retreated to the city of Gaiping and dared not attack Andong again.

On the other side, Chen Yunhan led his troops to block the Russian army from invading Phoenix City. It was a hard battle for more than ten days and suffered heavy casualties.

The dilemma on Qu Shaoyang’s side has been resolved, and he left behind a part of the Dingbian Army to cooperate with the local people to continue to guard against the invasion of the Tsarist Russian army.

Then he led Er Yuehong, Yang Yulin and others to Liujiahe, Miaonangou and other places to reinforce, and joined forces with Chen Yunhan’s troops, killing nearly a thousand enemy troops.

Just at this time, Meng Lanxin, who had just given birth to a child eight months ago, arrived with seven or eight thousand people including militia security teams, hunters, gold diggers, lumberjacks, etc. from Fusong, Mengjiang, Tadian, Niangniangku and other places.

Everyone joined together and worked together to drive the enemy back into Liaoyang.

(End of this chapter)