Capture Shanhaiguan

After the occupation by the Allied forces of the Beijing - Dagu region , the question arose of eliminating the grouping of Chinese troops to the north and blocking the route of communication with Manchuria occupied by Russian troops. On August 26, Minister of War A. N. Kuropatkin addressed Nicholas II with a proposal to take together with the allies the strongholds of Shanhaiguan , Qinhuangdao , Beitan and Lutai . In early September, the highest commandment commenced on the commencement of hostilities against Beitang and Shanhaiguan.

For movement on Shanhaiguan a flying squad of Major General Tserpitsky was formed, consisting of seven companies of riflemen, a Cossack hundred, and an artillery battery. On September 12, this detachment unexpectedly took up the Sanchzhuang railway station, where trains were captured, on which Russian troops began to move to the northeast. Due to the threat of sabotage, the first train was forced to lead the Chinese brigade, and the Chinese were also deployed on the first platforms. This train was soon undermined, but the cars with Russian soldiers were not injured.

After occupying the Tangshan station, the Zperpitsky detachment continued movement on September 14 and occupied Kaiping without a fight, where it was attacked by Chinese troops at night. The population of Luanzhou, on the other hand, preferred to pay the Chinese troops stationed there, so that they would leave without a fight, and would meet the Russian troops with bread and salt.

While the Russian troops were moving overland to the borders of Manchuria, on September 16, the Admirals 'council decided to bombard and occupy the city of Shanhaiguan at the Admirals' Council. The capture of Shanhaiguan was scheduled for September 19; It was entrusted with the approval of the operation by the Chinese authorities - Li Hongzhang issued a written order to the commandant of the fortress.

On September 18, the Shanhaiguan garrison accepted the Allied ultimatum and left the fortifications. The next day, almost simultaneously, the naval landings of various countries began to occupy the city, and the Zerpitsky detachment arrived by rail. Having taken the French troops, which consisted of the Zouavs, for the Chinese, the Zerpitsky detachment fired upon them, as a result of which on both sides were killed and wounded.

Large foreign garrisons were set up in Shanhaiguane. Russia occupied the fort number 1 and retained the railway. Britain, in addition to the fort in Shanhaiguane, single-handedly occupied the port of Qinhuangdao, which was quickly reconstructed in opposition to the Russian Dalny .

The defeated but not destroyed Chinese troops continued to be active in the region, and until the end of September the Russian command had to send flying units to fight them. In October 1900, Russian troops stopped the fight against Chinese resistance, while the troops of other countries continued it (for example, one British punitive squad was defeated by the Chinese in a village in April 1901).

• V.G. Datsyshen "Russian-Chinese war of 1900. Hike to Beijing "- St. Petersburg, 1999. ISBN 5-8172-0011-2