In addition to intelligence work, the East China Government's preparations are also proceeding step by step.

Although Shandong belongs to the continental climate, there will be a sub-zero climate for about a month every winter, and this is also the best time for soldiers to adapt to the severe cold weather, and at the end of 1 9 0 4, there is another such opportunity, and the army's weapons, such as armored trains, towed artillery, vehicle-mounted self-propelled guns, etc., are all being manufactured or installed and commissioned.

As for the navy, all types of warships built in Germany and Shandong are proceeding according to the construction plan, and other fleets are also seizing time to train, and the Marine Corps has also completed the formation of combat personnel and is undergoing rigorous training, and the next step is to organize and organize the logistics personnel of the Marine Corps.

The construction of the new arsenal set up in Jinan has also begun, and it is expected to be partially put into operation by the end of 1 9 0 4, while the construction of railways and ports and wharves in Shandong are carried out according to the construction plan.

The Executive Yuan has also made a decision to intensify the audit of new application projects, except for those that are helpful to the war and key projects that are related to the national economy and the people's livelihood, all other projects must be stopped, so as to save money for war preparations.

At this time, the international atmosphere became more and more tense, and on January 1 3, 1 9 0 4, Japan submitted the last amended negotiation agreement to Russia, the core of which was only one clause, that is, Russia must recognize Japan's special rights on the Korean Peninsula, Japan can use the territory of the Korean Peninsula for military purposes, and Russia must withdraw from the Korean Peninsula in its entirety; although Japan also recognizes Russia's special interests in Northeast China, it also demands that Japan can obtain the right to trade ports and concessions in Northeast China.

It should be said that this amendment agreement is much tougher than the previous one, and this can be regarded as an ultimatum issued by Japan to Russia, and it can also be understood that Japan has lost any confidence in the negotiations, because there is a clear signal that Japan did not set a deadline for Russia's reply when it submitted this agreement to Russia.

And the very next day, Japan established a military senate with full responsibility for war affairs.

At the same time, Japan's ambassador to Britain, Hayashi Tung, announced to the British government in London: "There used to be a peace faction in Japan, but now it no longer exists, and Ito Hirobumi and Inoue Shin were once regarded as pro-Russians, but now they have no hope for peace." ”

Russia responded by issuing a new mobilization order for the Far Eastern Army on 25 January and ordering all Russian warships in Port Arthur to cruise in the open sea.

On 1 February, Chief of Staff Oyama Iwa formally presented the title to Emperor Meiji and demanded war against Russia; on 4 February, Emperor Meiji convened an imperial council, which was attended by several Japanese military and political officials.

On 5 February, Japanese Minister to Russia Shinichiro Kurino handed over to the Russian Government a notice on the severance of diplomatic relations and closed the embassy in Russia.

At 9 a.m. on 6 February, Vice Admiral Heihachiro Togo, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, ordered all warships to light fires and set off from the Sasebo Naval Base.

The other was led by Rear Admiral Kuayu Waiyoshi, commander of the Second Fleet, and five warships of the Fourth Battleship, Takachiho, Naniwa, Izumi, Shintaka, and Senjun, as well as the Ninth and Fourteenth Boat Fleets, a total of eight * ship destroyers, and the "66th Fleet" On the one hand, it is to rescue the Chiyoda left in Incheon, annihilate the two Russian warships stationed in Incheon Port, protect the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koryo, on the other hand, it is also to cover the landing of the army in Incheon, directly into Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and control the Korean royal family, so that Japan can force the Korean royal family to order an invitation to Japan to send troops to expel the Russian forces on the Korean Peninsula, and occupy the high ground in the name, and then use the Korean Peninsula as a springboard to march to Northeast China in a big way。

On 7 February, the Japanese government officially informed the East China government that Japan would launch a war against Russia within 8 to 10 days, and the first batch of supplies ordered by Japan would be shipped at any time. Although this move was opposed by the military, believing that such a move would bring great harm to the Japanese army's military operations, the Japanese Government, after repeated weighing, decided to inform the East China Government, after all, the two sides had just signed a treaty, and they would immediately be lazy, and the East China Government would never agree; on the one hand, Japan still needs the material support of the East China Government; on the other hand, the war has just begun, and who knows what the outcome will be, and if the war is unfavorable to Japan, it will also need the military help of the East China Government, so based on the consideration of these reasons, Japan also needs to maintain good relations with the East China Government。

After receiving the Japanese report, the traversers also breathed a sigh of relief, the Russo-Japanese War really started as scheduled, and Japan still continued to play the old routine of undeclared war, and now what the East China government has to do is to step up its own preparations on the one hand, and on the other hand closely pay attention to the situation on the battlefield, grasp the trend of the war, and join this war at the most appropriate time.

According to the agreement, the East China government could send observers to accompany the Japanese army, and after discussion, the Central Military Commission decided to send the protective cruiser Qingzhou, which had returned from Germany, to observe the battle at the scene. Of course, this is an observation ship on the surface, but in the dark, the Xiangyang ship was sent through the warships to collect relevant information on Japanese and Russian warships.

The Japanese war machine was already running at high speed, and the Russian response was as slow as ever, and it was not until 8 February that Tsar Nicholas II convened a council to discuss the war against Japan. At this time, the Russian government was still full of confidence and optimism about the war.

At the meeting, Nicholas II declared that once Russia won the war, the only reward in kind should be to annex Northeast China and complete the "Yellow Russia Plan" that had not been completed four years ago, because the Korean Peninsula was of little value, and Russia could not expect much reparations from Japan, which had gone bankrupt due to the defeat of the war, and only Northeast China could satisfy Russia's appetites, so Nicholas asked the government to adopt a new economic program and plan to annex Northeast China.

And the war began in this rosy mood in Russia.

At 8 o'clock in the morning of February 8, the Guasang fleet and the Chiyoda stationed in Incheon Port met, and it turned out that after learning that Japan had severed diplomatic relations with Russia, the Japanese crew on the Chiyoda became nervous, and the Chiyoda's mission was to monitor the two Russian warships in Incheon Port, but Chiyoda was an old cruiser with a displacement of only 2,600 tons, while the Russian Varyag was a large protective cruiser with a displacement of 6,500 tons, and the Korea was a shallow gunboat, but it was also 1,200 tons, and the gap between the two sides was too great.

After the Combined Fleet left the port, the captain of the Chiyoda, Murakami Katsu Ochisa, received an order from the country to join the Guasang fleet southwest of Incheon at 8 a.m. on February 8. So at 11 p.m. on the 7th, the Chiyoda sailed out of Incheon Port at night.

The two sides converged, and Gua Sheng Waiji listened to a report by Murakami Geichi, who said that in addition to the two Russian warships in the port of Incheon, there were also British cruiser Talbot, French cruiser Bascal, Italian cruiser Elba, American gunboat Vicksbag, and other warships. However, knowing that there were warships of the allies of the British in the port of Incheon, Gua Sang Waiji was also relieved, and ordered the Chiyoda to be temporarily included in his fleet sequence, and then ordered the fleet to go to Asan Bay to make final preparations for the breakthrough into Incheon.

At 4 p.m., the Gwasang fleet arrived near Hachio Island, about 13 kilometers outside the port of Incheon, when the Russian ship Koryo appeared in front of the fleet.

Although the news of the severance of diplomatic relations between Japan and Russia had reached Lushun, Alekseev, the governor of the Far East, did not take any precautions, because he was still convinced that Japan would not dare to start a war against Russia, so in order to stabilize people's minds, the governor only informed a few people of the news of the severance of diplomatic relations and asked them to keep it secret. And the two Russian warships in Incheon did not know anything about it.

Captain Rudnev, the captain of the Varyag, learned the news of the severance of diplomatic relations between Japan and Russia from the French captain the day before, and immediately asked Pavlov, the Russian ambassador to South Korea, in Seoul to verify the matter, and Pavlov's reply was: "The severance of diplomatic relations is gossip, and the official has not yet received an official communiqué." ”

However, Rudnev was still not at ease, and called Lushun again to inquire about the severance of diplomatic relations, and waited for a whole day without a reply from Lushun's mouth, it turned out that Japan had cut off Incheon's external telegraphs, and no news could be transmitted, so when the Chiyoda sailed out of Incheon Port overnight, although the Varyag had been discovered, because it did not know the details, there was no action. However, Rudnev also sensed that something was wrong, and immediately after dawn ordered the Goryeo to set sail immediately and rush to Lushun to report the situation.

Naturally, the Japanese fleet could not let the Korea leave, so Gua Sheng Waiyoshi immediately ordered an attack, and the Eagle of the 9th Boat Fleet burst close to a position 300 meters away from the Korea and fired a shot*, which was also the first fire of the Russo-Japanese War, followed by another pigeon fire, although both shots* missed, and the Asama shelled the Korean, and the Korea had to be forced to retreat back into the port of Incheon.

Since there were warships of various countries stationed in the port of Incheon, Kuasang Waiyoji did not dare to fire at the port, so he ordered the four destroyers of the Chiyoda, Takachie, and the Fourth Fleet to enter the port and anchor, and to monitor the two Russian warships, while the rest of the warships were stationed outside the port and stood by, and at the same time asked the army advance team to land as soon as possible.