"Damn, damn it, actually drove our warships to attack our country, this group of pagans in the East really deserve to die." In the lavish imperial palace in St. Petersburg, Nicholas II roared dissatisfiedly: "Witte, have you prepared your money?" ”

Sergei Witt, Minister of Finance of Russia. In the face of the roaring emperor, he was still calm as usual: "Your Majesty, the French side has also provided loans in principle, but the specific details are still being discussed, and the loans have not yet been placed. Britain, Italy, Germany and other countries are still negotiating. ”

"Oh. The Chinese are going to fight, and you actually told me that there is not even money to build warships? "Since the Battle of Riau, the ambitious Nicholas II again proposed a new naval plan to build twenty battleships of the first rank and twenty battleships of the second rank. However, the country's economy withered, and the rebels instigated the people to strike and strike the market, which made the Russian economy even worse. Russia can only look for loans all over the world, and so far only France has news.

"Your Majesty, even if the loan is in place, it will not be possible to build a warship immediately. Because according to His Majesty's request, similar to the Chinese Baiqi-class battleship, China's dock cannot be built at all, and it needs to wait for the dock to be expanded before it can be carried out. ”

"Then build a second-class battleship of the Super Sea class first. Go and tell the French to pay 100,000,000,000 rubles at once, or I will immediately form an alliance with Germany. "Nicholas II was not a fool, he immediately threatened France with a loan with Germany.

Witt sighed secretly, he had wanted to use the dockyard too small to persuade His Majesty to suspend the naval plan. But His Majesty in front of him was anxious to restore the navy, not because of His Majesty's enthusiasm for the sea, but because he was worried about the loss of warships and guns. It will make the arrogance of those traitors even more arrogant, and they will show that they are so anxious. But as the Minister of Finance of Russia. Werther, however, had to think about the entire national economy. So Witte decided to tell the truth: "Your Majesty, even if the loan is in place, it needs to be used first to maintain financial stability. If we don't stabilize the country as soon as possible, I'm afraid it will cause the country to go bankrupt! Secondly, this fund also needs to pay for His Majesty's million-dollar expansion plan, so it is temporarily unable to pay for the recovery plan of the navy. ”

"Do you want to watch the Chinese warships flaunt their might in our waters?" Nicholas II had a look on his face that he was about to be eaten alive.

"Your Majesty, our country has no technology for new battleships at all, and even the dockyard has not been expanded, and according to the secret agreement between our country and France, as long as the construction of the first new French battleship of the Guba-class is started, the technology will be transferred to Russia, so that it can have a truly new battleship. And Your Majesty only needs to wait another year. All we need to do during the year is expand the dockyard. As for the Chinese fleet, Your Majesty, you and Ben need not worry. Even if our country is willing to cede ports to the Chinese, do you think the British will agree? ”

Nicholas II's expression flickered, and he suddenly realized: "Werther, you are very good, you are a loyal servant of the empire. You are right, the great Russia declared war on behalf of the white people against the lower yellow race, and now the yellow pigs dare to fight in Europe. Nicholas II happily said to his Foreign Minister Rustorf: "In this critical period, Britain, France, Germany and other countries need us to stand together, and they should give warships to Russia to resist the Yellow Pigs in the East." Lance Stover. You go and tell them that they should even send a fleet to join the great Russian navy. ”

Lancestor grimaced, and Werther finally breathed a sigh of relief. His Majesty the Tsar finally stopped forcing loans for naval construction, and Werther, as Minister of Finance, had enough funds to move the country's economy. Today, the rebels in the country have openly carried out various assassination operations. Although His Majesty the Tsar issued the Edict of Brekin on 3 March, which allowed for the establishment of consultative bodies, the inclusion of all religions, the opening of freedom of language, and the reduction of the cost of peasants redeeming their land. However, the reform process came to a near halt due to resistance from socialists. Plus the war with China is facing a situation of total defeat. The civil unrest has intensified. Witte had proposed to His Majesty the Tsar the creation of a State Duma to ease the situation in the country. However, His Majesty the Tsar did not want to stabilize the country, but intended to start a larger war. Hope will eventually defeat China to deflect domestic contradictions. If it can succeed, of course, it is feasible, but now the war situation is rotten and the country wants to recruit troops again, and the only way to do so is to borrow money from abroad. Such an economic form. How is it possible to carry on the war?

For Russia's new requirements, Britain and France naturally regarded him as a fart, but China's fleet on an expedition against Russia had to pay attention to it. This is a fleet of as many as twenty-one capital warships, and in Europe it is a fleet that can influence the power of the landlords. However, while European countries were still discussing countermeasures, on July 3, three days after the departure of the Chinese expeditionary fleet, China sent the battleship Haining to re-patrol the Ninghai and Jihai and merged them into the expeditionary fleet. Two days later, on 5 July, China again deployed the protective cruiser Haitian and the fast destroyer Listen to the Wind and Watch the Sea. This brought the size of the Chinese expeditionary fleet to seven battleships, twelve cruisers and eight destroyers. The entry of such a fleet into Europe would inevitably disturb the situation in Europe, and Britain in particular would be under the greatest pressure.

"They must be stopped." British Prime Minister Arthur? Belfort sets the tone.

The British, however, could not find an excuse to prevent the Chinese from attacking Russia. After all, it must be Russia that fights China first, is it not allowed for others to fight back? Besides, the Chinese fleet traveled all the way on the high seas. The great distance is the biggest difficulty in supplying, but China is not Russia, and the Chinese government has agreed with South American countries a month ago to purchase large quantities of coal and food from them at a price 10% above the market price. At that time, no one knew the reason for the Chinese government's actions, but everyone reacted when the Chinese expeditionary fleet set off. The Chinese government had made all the preparations before the fleet set off, and not as the Chinese government had claimed, but China was embarrassed and angry to take it after it had not received compensation.

Britain could use its influence in South America to diplomatically get these countries to stop supplying the Chinese fleet. But the sanctity of the contract is also common in the world, China can use naval guns to threaten countries to hand over supplies on the grounds that they have violated contracts, and if they can't hand it over, they will definitely attack with China's character. Again. Today, China's maritime industry is extremely strong, with four out of every 10,000 tons of giant ships on the sea being Chinese. And that number continues to grow. The closure of the Suez Canal to China and the forcing of China's convoy to bypass South America is also one way to do this. But everybody believes. If the British government dares to close the Suez Canal, the Chinese government dares to block the Strait of Malacca and the whole of Hong Kong. As long as the Chinese government is determined to make an expedition to Russia, China's more abundant maritime transport forces than Russia will be enough to ensure the needs of the expeditionary fleet.

If you want to prevent the Chinese expeditionary fleet from entering Europe, you can't do so unless you send a fleet to block it. Some people believe that the current situation in China absolutely does not dare to enter into a direct conflict with Britain. However, some people have put forward different opinions, judging from the behavior of the Chinese who draw their swords and face each other without agreeing with each other, how to deal with the consequences once there is a real firefight, you must know that the commander of the Chinese expeditionary fleet this time is Li Liang, who attacked Malacca at the beginning. It's unlikely, but what if it happens? Do you want Britain to declare war on China?! Expedition to China...... The Admiralty estimated a total victory. Half of the strength of the entire British fleet was required, and only victory in the naval battle could be guaranteed, and as for the land war, the British War Office kept silent, because the total number of Chinese troops was greater than the population of the British.

"I suspect we're thinking in the wrong direction. The Chinese expeditionary fleet may just be something to divert everyone's attention, and the real purpose of the Chinese is actually here. After being silent for more than half a month, O'Gner, the former British minister to China and now the general adviser for Far Eastern Affairs, pointed his finger heavily at the Tyumen area where China and Russia were at war.

Ogner's remarks often influenced the British government's decision-making on China, but after China sent an expeditionary fleet, it suddenly became silent. He's been thinking. Why did the Chinese emperor, who had always been interested in interests, go on such a wasteful expedition as his ministers did not even dissuade him in the slightest? Ogna believed there must be a conspiracy hidden here, so he didn't know what to say until he discovered one. Until yesterday he saw a newspaper in which an inconspicuous corner of the newspaper reported a news in one sentence: Chinese troops are attacking Tyumen and Kurgan. It is believed that in a very short time, the Chinese army will occupy both places.

Looking at the full hall of congressmen waiting for his explanation, Ogna said unhurriedly: "Please don't worry. Listen to me tell a story. There is a traditional custom in China that the Chinese emperor needs to work in the fields himself during the Qingming Dynasty. The emperor ploughed the field and sowed the seeds, and the queen also needed to raise silkworms and weave cloth herself. In order to show the importance of food and clothing, two things that are inseparable from life. China is also a traditional agricultural country, and there is also a saying among Chinese people that food is the sky. Since ancient times, most of the food has been produced from the land, so the Chinese attach more importance to the land than we expected. Moreover, Chinese also has a special affection for the land, as the Chinese emperor once told me: if you don't like to plant something in the land, it is difficult for people to believe that they belong to the Chinese nation. Therefore, Chinese people never dislike too much land, and the amount of private land of Chinese officials is often directly related to his grade. When everyone understands this truth, the rest of the story is easy to understand. Since the Battle of Omsk, the defeat of Russia has become a foregone conclusion. However, China not only had no intention of starting peace talks, but sent an expeditionary fleet and openly clamored for the construction of a military port belonging to China in Russia. This is Europe, and the Chinese understand that they can't really occupy a port in Europe, but why is China still doing it? Because China's purpose is to keep everyone's eyes on the Chinese Navy and ignore the military operations of the Chinese Army. At this time, the Chinese Army advanced at a breakneck pace. The Liang Huadian Corps on the northern front is attacking Tyumen, the Yuan Shoushan Corps is attacking Kurgan, the Nie Shicheng Corps on the central front has already occupied Kostanay, and the Liu Shengxiu corps on the southern front is marching at high speed, and it is expected that it will be able to launch an attack on Aktobinsk in three days. Speaking of which, I don't know if you understand. China's aim was to get their land forces to occupy as much land as they could, while everyone was only seeing the expeditionary fleet. As the Chinese emperor said, the Chinese have never disliked the abundance of land. When everyone reacts, and then asks them for peace talks, they can put forward a demand that the existing military demarcation line be used as the territorial demarcation line. This is the ultimate goal of the Chinese. ”

"Then, according to Your Excellency, we should immediately force China and Russia to start peace talks?" Questions were raised.

"First of all, it is not about peace talks, but about demanding that China immediately stop all military operations." Ogener waved his fist and said resolutely: "I don't know where the final destination of the Chinese is." But I believe that if the Chinese cannot be forced to stop military operations. Their army will not stop advancing, and they will take all the land they can occupy. For the land. To paraphrase a Chinese saying, it is better to survive than to starve. ”

Ogna was right, but only words. Will the Chinese stop military operations only in the army or navy or both? What does it have to do with Britain to stop the military actions of the Army alone? Just stop the military operations of the Navy, why should the Chinese listen to you until the demands of the Chinese are met? Stopping all military activities of the Navy and Army is also equivalent to an armistice? But before the benefits are enough, the UK will not do it. What Ogna said was the same as not saying it.

The British Parliament has been clamoring for days, but it has not been able to find a single one that has worked effectively. It may be an effective way to unite the countries of Europe to resist the Chinese expedition. After all, no matter how bold China is, it will not dare to offend the whole of Europe.

Of course, China did not dare to, and when it learned that European countries were collectively bargaining for the expeditionary fleet, Chinese envoys stationed abroad began to lobby frequently, claiming that the Chinese expeditionary fleet was only an act of retaliation, and that once the Sino-Russian peace treaty was signed, the Chinese fleet would immediately return to sail and not stay in Europe for one more day.

Diplomatic negotiations are always slow, and in just a few days, the Chinese army conquered Tyumen, Kurgan and Aktobinsk. It was also due to the excessive supply loss in the early stage that it was impossible to fight again, so it was transferred to repair and wait for supplies. The Chinese Navy's three-wave fleet also completed its assembly in Hawaii. Heading for the Americas.

Naturally, other countries will not really believe China's explanation, and although the Chinese government's international credibility is very good, isn't diplomacy just about seeing who is more shameless? However, on the fifth day after the countries reached an agreement in principle on the treatment of the Chinese expeditionary fleet, the German side suddenly changed its tune. He claimed that as long as the Chinese fleet did not enter German territorial waters, Germany would not interfere in the revenge of the Chinese, and Germany would not provide any help to China. Germany's abrupt withdrawal brought the European alliance, which had just agreed to an agreement, into a collapse. Germany's explanation for this is: Germany respects the right of Chinese to retaliate.

"What is Germany doing here? Do they want to take revenge on France? "Let Balfour thunder. Germany still remembered the Franco-Prussian War that France had interfered with in the reunification of Germany.

But ten days later a newspaper. The reasons for this were revealed. Because China has given Germany a big bait.

Le Figaro, France's largest circulation newspaper, published an article in which a photograph of a steel chariot armed with a cannon machine gun was prominently printed on the headline of Le Figaro. And it was openly written in the newspapers. This was unintentionally lost by a German situation officer.

The news reached Beijing from France, and the German Minister to China, Clemens? Freych? Feng? Clint went straight to the Chinese Foreign Ministry with a pale face, but unfortunately he didn't see anyone. However, when he returned to the legation, he received news that made him even more alarmed: German officers at all levels of the navy, land and air force who were interning in the Chinese army had been stopped from all their work and asked out of the army at the same time, and German officers studying at the regular military academy had also been asked to leave the military academy, and all the radio stations assigned to the German intern officers for study in accordance with the previous agreement had also been confiscated, and Sino-German military cooperation was about to be suspended. Clinder was caught off guard, knowing that meant normal diplomatic communication had failed. Now it can only be carried out by relying on the personal relations of Michael, the chief of the German Far East General Staff and military attache in China, and the officials of the Chinese Ministry of War. Michael nodded, straightened his clothes and headed to the military headquarters.

Ouyang Zhenhua, the secretary of the military department that Michael originally wanted to see, must be able to speak to people of a similar age. However, because of the problem of supply on the front line, Ouyang Zhenhua had just left Beijing the day before and went to Irkutsk to supervise in person. However, he was also very satisfied to meet Feng Guozhang, commander-in-chief of the Royal Chinese Army, at least not as blocked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Michael, you still have the face to see me?" In the lobby of the military department, Feng Guozhang, who was handling official business, did not raise his head.

Michael was suffocated by Feng Guozhang's snatching of white before he entered the door, and his face was flushed, indeed he had no face. This is not the first time that such a thing has happened, as samples of Chinese mortars and grenades were stolen seven years ago when they were being developed in Germany, and five years ago the latest airship bombsight was stolen on the way back to Germany, with the result that Britain and France and other countries immediately copied it. Now that China has not yet begun to negotiate an agreement on armored vehicles, China has been able to allow the most secret armored vehicles to be photographed by Germany, which has already shown that China is highly friendly to Germany. However, such a friendly diplomatic move by China was stolen on the way to send the photos directly back from Omsk due to a mistake by German intelligence officers. In this way, it is tantamount to Germany leaking China's top military secrets. If such incidents occur one after another, and all involve China's top military secrets, then China's expulsion of Germans from the army can be fully explained - the Chinese no longer trust the Germans.

Michael has been in China for so many years, and he has seen the polite appearance of Chinese, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by this rude action and sharp question, and he was speechless for a while.

"Sit down." Feng Guozhang finished handling the work at hand and motioned for Michael to sit down and speak, and poured Michael a cup of tea with his own hands: "Armored vehicles are China's military secrets, but they have been leaked because of your country's relationship. The emperor was furious at the court meeting, and the ministers also criticized the military attachés and expressed their distrust of your country. Under pressure, the military can only show its attitude by expelling the trainee officers of your army. I hope your country understands. After speaking, Feng Guozhang was still restless, and he knocked on the table very irritably: "Are your intelligence officers all pigs?" Such an important thing is not well kept. What else is there to do with these people? ”

Michael stood up with a long sigh, and bowed with his hands folded in his hands to learn the Chinese etiquette: "The intelligence officer who happened has been executed, but the incident must have happened." I have been entrusted by His Majesty Wilhelm II to restore the damage done to your country as a result of Germany's mistakes, and to hope that our two countries will continue to cooperate with each other in friendship and cooperation. I also hope that Your Excellency the Admiral will say a few more kind words. ”

"Michael, you know that the court is against taking pictures of armored vehicles in your country before the consultations. However, out of respect for Germany and thanks to Germany's strong support for our country in the First Sino-Japanese War, it was our military who provided a guarantee for your country in exchange for the early shooting. Now the court's ministers use this as an excuse to attack the military, and the military does not dare to refute it, if it is not for the fact that the front-line war has not ended, Liang Yuan's second general will definitely have to return to Beijing to be punished. All of this is caused by your mistakes, so our military and Ben don't dare to say a word to your country in the court, even if it is bad. Therefore, the military is incapable in this matter. ”

"Then there's really no room for redemption?" Michael is a little decadent. Indeed, in this matter, it is Germany that is at fault.

"Not really. Although China may have a slight advantage in the concept of weapons and equipment, you also know that weapons and equipment need a large number of solid industries as a foundation, and China's industry must be short and the foundation is not solid, and there are still a lot of places that need your country's assistance, but the military does not dare to speak at this time. So, now it's up to you. I'll give you a personal piece of advice, as long as you can move the civilian officials to relent, our military can speak. ”

Although Feng Guozhang did not help, it also made it clear that there was still an intention to cooperate, at least in China, and pointed out a clear direction for Germany. As long as enough benefits are offered to relent, Chinese military officials will have a chance to continue to help Germany speak. And this interest is undoubtedly to assist China's industrial proposals. Michael left satisfied, he believed that when the news came back to Berlin, His Majesty Wilhelm II would definitely take enough to pry open the mouth of the Chinese civilians, because if Germany wants to rise in Europe, it cannot do without the weapon of war armored vehicles.

However, the appearance of photos of steel chariots finally confirmed why the Russian army, which was able to hold out in Troitskoye for four days, lost Omsk in one night. Only then did countries remember that Chinese cars could still be modified in this way.

France is truly in a state of panic. According to their analysis, China must have agreed to a certain agreement by handing over the photos of the steel chariot to Germany. China can crush the mighty Russia with a steel chariot, and Germany, which has suffered more than China, will get this chariot, and France will ...... I shuddered. So France began to copy the photos in hand, and on the other hand, it stepped up diplomatic and public relations with China.

The British are even busier, he needs to carry out diplomatic PR with China and France at the same time.

"I've long said it's a bait that will bite the hook, and now that the fish have taken the bait, it's up to us to reel in the net for maximum profit." Li Ming smiled faintly at the secret meeting of the central high-level. (To be continued.) )