The whole story of the Republic of China navy sending troops to Vladivostok

The whole story of the Republic of China navy sending troops to Vladivostok

This invasion, though an action of the Allies, showed the national prestige of the newly-born Republic of China.

1917 In August, the First World War was coming to an end, and the Beiyang government of China announced that it would abandon its neutrality and join the Anglo-French Coalition forces to declare war on Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In June of the same year 165438+ 10, the October Revolution broke out in Russia, the allied country, and announced its withdrawal from the war. 19 18, the allied forces led by Britain, France, the United States and Japan decided to organize 14 intervention troops to send troops to Russia. Beiyang government was also invited to send navy and army to Vladivostok to participate in the military intervention of the Allies in Russia.

After China announced his participation in the war, he set up the War Department to take charge of war affairs. Premier Duan personally served as the bidding department. Duan expanded his strength in the name of participating in the war, and newly formed a border guard composed of four divisions, all of which were purchased from Japan. This time in Vladivostok, China sent a regiment of army troops, selected by Wei, the most disciplined division of the frontier defense forces, and headed by Song.

The naval warship sent to Vladivostok was the cruiser Hairong, one of the two largest and best warships of Beiyang government at that time.

As early as 19 17 12, in view of the chaotic situation in the Russian Far East, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Beijing Government sent a secret letter to the Navy, requesting that warships be sent to Vladivostok to protect overseas Chinese. At that time, the Admiralty replied that there was nothing going on in Vladivostok at present, and there was no plan to send a ship. 19 18 in March, the State Council, the Beijing government, decided to send warships to Vladivostok and ordered Rao Huaiwen, the commander-in-chief of the navy stationed in Shimonoseki, Nanjing, to send two effective cruisers first. On April 5, at the request of the Consular Office in Vladivostok, the Beijing government officially decided to send the cruiser "Hairong" to Vladivostok.

Hairong is a second-class cruiser, which was ordered by the Qing government 1896 from wolken factory after the Sino-Japanese War. At the same time, there are two ships, Hai Chou He Haichen. Three ships of the same type, captain 95. 7 meters, width 12. 4 meters, draft 5. 8 meters, displacement 2950 tons, horsepower 7500, speed 19. Five nautical miles. The ship is equipped with 3 Krupp/KOOC-0/50 mm guns, 8 Krupp/KOOC-0/05 mm guns, 2 Krupp 60 mm guns, 4 Hawkins 37 mm guns, 5 Ma Keqin 8 mm machine guns and/KOOC-0/torpedo tubes, carrying 580 tons of coal and 270 tons of fresh water, with 263 officers and men. The cost of each warship is 16. Thirty thousand pounds.

1998 May 14, Hairong was escorted back to China by Germany and returned home early. After more than two months' voyage, it arrived at Dagu Lake on July 27th, becoming the first main warship ordered to come to China after the Sino-Japanese War. The other two warships "Haichou" and "Haichen" arrived in Dagu Lake in late August and September respectively.

Hairong ships have been sent overseas for many times to perform tasks. During the period of 1907, Hairong Ship and Haichou Ship went to Nanyang to visit Saigon, Singapore and other places to express their condolences to overseas Chinese, which was a grand event not seen for many years. In June 5438+10, Hairong Ship and Haiqi Ship went to Nanyang again to inspect their business and express their condolences to overseas Chinese. He has been to the British Philippines, French Saigon, Thailand's capital Bangkok, Batavia, Zamboanga, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Thoreau, and many ports in Sumatra, such as the Isle of Man, British Singapore, Penang and Perak, and was warmly welcomed by local overseas Chinese. Since then, the Qing government decided to send warships to Nanyang every year to express condolences to overseas Chinese and declare national prestige. During 1909, Hairong and Haig went to Nanyang as planned, and arrived in Singapore, Batavia, Sambo, Surabaya, Balkonsong, Yogyakarta, Makassar and Saigon for two months.

Although Hairong Ship has many overseas sailing experiences, it is the first time to go abroad to participate in multinational joint military operations. Lack of experience, coupled with time constraints, makes the preparation work very tense. Hairong Ship submitted a detailed report to the Ministry of Military Affairs, listing all the T's.

1965438+On April 9, 2008, under the command of Captain Lin, the "Hairong" set sail from Shanghai for Vladivostok. Lin, formerly known as Zeng Rong, 1874, was born in Changle, Fujian. 1896 graduated from Jiangning Jiangnan naval academy. He served as captain of torpedo boats and cruisers. 19 17 was promoted from the captain of Chen Nan to the captain of Hairong.

After the hairong ship set off, it went to the south. Arrive at Juwen Port, Jeju Island, North Korea, and stop for the night. Then, it crossed to Ma Haixia, sailed for 4 days, and finally arrived in Vladivostok at 17.

After arriving in Vladivostok, the ship anchored at the central pier of the port. Consul General of China in Vladivostok and China Chamber of Commerce sent personnel to board the ship to warmly welcome the arrival of the motherland's warships. At that time, there were no Russian ships in Vladivostok port, but all British, American and Japanese warships, and the whole port was occupied by the allies. After the arrival of the Hairong ship, Captain Lin visited the naval commander of the Allied countries for contact.

Vladivostok was originally the territory of China. 1860 It was captured by Russia during the Second Opium War and renamed Vladivostok. 1862, Russia transformed Vladivostok into a military port, which can berth many ships of more than 10,000 tons. Vladivostok is a natural harbor with no rocks at the bottom and no navigation obstacles. The climate is pleasant in summer, but in winter, the port will freeze from June 165438+ 10 to February of the following year. The harbor is covered with hard ice, and even carriages can travel on the ice.

There is a Consulate General in Vladivostok, China, and a non-governmental organization, the China Chamber of Commerce. There are more than 20,000 overseas Chinese, all from Shandong. The Consul General and the President of the Chamber of Commerce are also from Shandong. Most overseas Chinese come to Vladivostok every spring to make a living, and return to China when it is freezing in winter. Overseas Chinese living in Vladivostok for a long time mainly live in China Street, and make a living by opening shops and doing small businesses. They get along well with Russians, and some even marry Russian daughters-in-law. The market in China Street is exactly the same as that in Shandong. There are Shandong Restaurant, Dangui Theatre and Yingzhou Theatre. Most of the actors are from Beijing and Tianjin, and their performances are very popular among overseas Chinese.

When the Hairong ship arrived, Vladivostok was basically in anarchy, and only a few Russian policemen stood guard on the street. In order to maintain law and order, the Allies set up a security headquarters, which was headed by a major of the US military. Every day, warships of various countries send 12 sailors in turn to form patrols with Belarusian police to maintain public order.

In addition to participating in joint operations, officers and men of Shanghai Rong Ship also actively cooperated with relevant local institutions in China to protect the interests of overseas Chinese, and were praised by them.

Soon, the armies of various countries also entered the Russian Far East. Japan, close to Russia, attempted to occupy Siberia for a long time, sending the largest number of troops and several divisions. Therefore, General Otani of Japan was elected as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces by various countries to command the unified security of various countries, and the headquarters was located in Vladivostok Business School.

After the Chinese army troops arrived in the Russian Far East, only one company was stationed in Vladivostok, and the rest were stationed in Uzbekistan and Shuangchengzi on the Sino-Russian border.

According to the order of Beiyang government, the China army stationed in Vladivostok was under the command of the navy. However, Lin, the captain of the Hairong ship, is only a naval colonel, and his qualifications are not enough to command the army. Not only that, because of his low rank, Lin's contact with other countries' navies is also very inconvenient. On August 3rd, after the Admiralty negotiated with Beiyang Government, Lin was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Navy to command the US Army and Navy in Vladivostok, China. Subsequently, the army and navy personnel were transferred and the office was set as an office. Lin is the supreme commander, major general of the army in France and chief of staff. The office, also known as the general office, is directly subordinate to the War Office. Ninth place, Lin

In Russia, the U.S. troops and naval vessels do not take part in the battle, and even it is difficult to sail. Most of the time, she stayed motionless in the harbor. After a long time, many shellfish are adsorbed on the bottom of the ship. If it is allowed to spread, it may block the water inlet pipe and cause machine failure, which must be cleaned in time. So, in May of 19 19, the general command of the navy ordered the adjustment of the sea capacity ship to return to China and dock for bottom inspection. At the same time, the cruiser Haiqiu, the sister ship of Hairong, was ordered to go to Vladivostok for disaster relief.

After being stationed in Vladivostok for only a few months, the ship could not spend the winter because of a boiler leak, so it had to go back to China for maintenance. Therefore, the Navy General Command transferred it back to Xiamen and sent Hairong Ship to take over.

10 10 On October 20th, Hairong set out from Shanghai with ordnance and 40 officers and men needed for the northeast river defense, and went to Vladivostok again, where he spent another winter.

The weather in Vladivostok is very cold. Sometimes warships freeze two to three feet thick in one day. Because there is no deicing equipment, they have to break the ice with wooden sticks twice every morning and evening, otherwise the ship will be in danger. Before freezing, the water tanks and water pipes of warships were wrapped tightly with felt to avoid freezing.

During the stationing of China's warships in Vladivostok, the supply also encountered many difficulties. The fuel for warships is coal, because it can't be transported from China and can only be purchased locally. The price is expensive, the quality is poor, and a large amount of cinder is produced, which is very laborious to clean up. The required rations are shipped from China by Russian ships and are generally guaranteed. In terms of fresh water supply, Hairong Ship is an old cruiser with no homemade fresh water equipment. Usually, it relies on local water boats to transport water. When it freezes in winter, we can only use the water stored on the ship sparingly, restrict washing, washing and drinking, and ensure the water for boiler heating. Vegetables, meat and other non-staple foods are generally bought locally, and there are no local goods in winter. Residents rely on frozen meat and vegetables transported by train from Europe two or three times a week. Trains are snapped up as soon as they arrive, and it is often difficult to ensure the supply on board.

1920 In the spring, the troops stationed in Vladivostok held a sports meeting sponsored by the US military, and officers and men of Hairong Ship were invited to participate. Because it is the first time to participate in an international competition, which is related to the honor of the country and the army, China officers and men attach great importance to it and take the time to train. Acting general Lin also specially called the naval headquarters and invited an experienced physical education teacher from China to Vladivostok to guide the training. In the end, the China Navy team won the second place in the total score, and also won several individual championships such as hurdles, tug-of-war and pole vault. The sports meeting was made into a documentary and shown in China. The photo of the champion of the hurdler was also published in the famous Oriental magazine, which had a good influence.

The headquarters of the Alliance also organized a military parade, in which 60 sailors from a company of the Chinese Army stationed in Vladivostok and Hairong Ship participated. After some training and careful preparation, the navy and army in China, China were well received, and the local overseas Chinese were very excited and proud to see the American troops in China in good order.

With the gradual end of the war, countries began to withdraw their troops from Vladivostok. 1June, 920, Lin was ordered to remove the shackles of China's army and enter Vladivostok in the name of acting general. Soon, he cancelled the shore office and moved to Hairong Ship.

June 5438+October 2008 10, Beiyang government officially cancelled its representative office in Vladivostok, but ordered Hairong Ship to stay in Vladivostok temporarily to protect overseas Chinese businessmen. Soon, the navy reassigned the gunboat Yongjian to Vladivostok to take over the overseas Chinese protection task of Hairong. The gunboat Yongjian was built by Jiangnan Shipyard in 19 14, with a displacement of only 860 tons and a speed of 13. 5 knots.

Hairong returned to Shanghai on June 5438+065438+ 10, ending his overseas stationing for more than two years. After the Hairong ship returned to China, the officers and men on board were

1920 12 When the gunboat Yongjian was stationed in Vladivostok, Russian bandits blackmailed overseas Chinese businessmen in Vladivostok, disturbing public order and even beating China sailors. Captain Wang Shouting received the report and immediately made representations to China through the Russian consul in Vladivostok. In June 5438+the following year 10, another serious incident occurred in Miaojie where Russian police shot and killed China's crew. Wang Shouting made solemn representations to the Russian National Police and telegraphed the Navy Department, asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle it through diplomatic channels.

Soon, the gunboat Yongjian was ordered to return home, and the American garrison of China Navy in Vladivostok came to an end. Later, the gunboat Yongjian was sunk by a Japanese plane at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, becoming the first China warship to sink in the war.

Source: Shi Wen Tiandi,No. 160.

Author: Wang Hong