On February 24 , the commander of the Japanese Army 's people in Nikolayevsk realized that there were too many foreign troops , so he allowed Triapitsyn 's troops to enter the town under a flag of truce . On February 24 , 1920 , realizing that he was outnumbered and far from reinforcement , the commander of the Japanese garrison allowed Triapitsyn 's troops to enter the town under a flag of truce .