More than 1,000 kilometers away from Vladivostok, in Yanjing City, busy people seem to be able to hear the sound of gunfire over Vladivostok.

With the Chinese Imperial Navy gaining sea supremacy, the news of the landing of the army in Vladivostok had already been worn.

As citizens of the Chinese Empire, men, women, and children, they all hope that the empire can regain the land that has been lost. In particular, the patriotic gentry and young people in China donated money and materials to the imperial political axe to support the imperial [***] team to regain the lost territory.

By the end of January 1902, three months after the start of the war, the Chinese Imperial Government had received donations and materials from all over the country, totaling 20 million dragon coins. In this regard, the imperial political axe urgently issued an order, saying that the emperor [***] team is winning one after another, and there is no need for these students under the age of 18 to join the army for the time being, and they should study harder and strive to graduate early and contribute to the country.

Within the empire, when confronted with an external threat, the people of the whole country can always put aside their previous suspicions and unite with each other.

In the Qinzheng Hall of the Forbidden City, the Emperor of the Chinese Empire, Wang Chenhao, held the last imperial meeting at the end of the first year.

Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, Wang Chenhao knows very well the mood of the officers and soldiers on the front line, and it is naturally a good thing if he can end the war early and go home for the New Year.

"Your Majesty, under the leadership of Your Majesty's wise and divine weapons, the officers and men of the Empire's navy, land, and air forces have fought bravely to kill the enemy, and have now divided and surrounded hundreds of thousands of Russian troops in the Far East in Nebuchu, Boli, and Vladivostok, and the General Staff and the Front Theater Command unanimously agree that Vladivostok will be captured before Chinese New Year's Eve as a New Year's gift to Your Majesty."

Wang Chenhao nodded, he naturally liked to hear such words. But he also understands that these civil and military ministers have always had a problem, that is, they first pick up good things and talk about happy things. Unless you ask him, they basically like to report good news rather than bad news.

Thinking of this, Wang Chenhao said: "Vladivostok is said to be a strong fortress carefully built by Russia with hundreds of millions of funds, and it is defended by more than 100,000 troops, I am afraid it is not as easy as capturing the fortress of Ulsan." ”

The civil and military officials glanced at each other, and finally fell on the Minister of National Defense Wang Shizhen.

Wang Shizhen then went out and replied: "Your Majesty, Vladivostok is indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack, the Russians have built a large number of fortress fortifications there, and the resistance is very stubborn, and our army will try to take Vladivostok before Chinese New Year's Eve." ”

As soon as Wang Chenhao heard as many words as possible, he immediately understood that Vladivostok was difficult to capture in a short period of time. Although Wang Chenhao believed that the Chinese Emperor's [***] army was far more powerful than the Chinese army during the Russo-Russian War, the Chinese army failed to capture Vladivostok after half a year, and finally chose to give up because of the huge casualties and costs. In contrast, Wang Chenhao also knows that today's Vladivostok has been strengthened because of the rise of the Chinese Empire, and its fortress fortifications have been strengthened, which is far more powerful than back then. In this case, Wang Chenhao also knew that it was also unrealistic to pursue the capture of Vladivostok in a short period of time.

"In that case, don't force it. If too much pressure is put on the front-line soldiers, I am afraid that it will backfire and increase our casualties and losses. ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!" Wang Shizhen agreed, then changed the conversation and said: "It's just that if the emperor [***] team can't take the Vladivostok fortress in a short time, I'm afraid that when the Russian army comes to reinforce it, the emperor [***] team will fall into a counter-encirclement." ”

Wang Chenhao frowned and said, "How do you say this?" ”

Wang Shizhen replied: "According to the latest information, Russia has completed the mobilization order for a million troops, and Russian Minister of Communications Witte personally rushed to the Baikal region to urge Russian workers to step up the construction of the last section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. And according to reliable intelligence, the Russians are really in a hurry this time, and the tsar has given a death order that the railway must be opened before the Russian New Year and a million troops must be sent to the Far East. ”

Wang Chenhao then asked, "When is the Russian New Year?" ”

At this time, Xu Jirong, the minister of the Qin Heavenly Prison, replied: "Your Excellency, this year's Russian New Year is two months later than the Western New Year, and half a month later than the Imperial New Year. ”

Wang Chenhao nodded, secretly asking that the Russian army would be reinforced in the next ten days.

At this time, Wang Shizhen said again: "Your Majesty, calculate the time, the Russians started work at night, and they should almost open the Baikal section." If the Russians play some conspiracy, the minister estimates that the railway has been forcibly opened, and the Russian army has now begun to reinforce. If the Emperor's [***] team is unable to capture the Vladivostok fortress in a short time, then the north will be frozen and cold, and the Emperor's [***] captain will sleep under the cold wind of the ice field, I am afraid it will be difficult to spend it safely. In addition, there were strong Russian fortresses to block it before, and then there was a large Russian army pressing, which was extremely unfavorable to the imperial [***] team. ”

Wang Chenhao asked: "What suggestions does the General Staff have?" ”

Wang Shizhen replied: "At present, the General Staff has more than 120,000 troops from the four elite armies of the First Front Army in the direction of Nebuchu, with the real purpose of blocking Russian reinforcements and buying time for the Second Front Army and the Third Front Army to successfully take the two fortresses of Boli and Vladivostok. But judging from the current progress, it would be nice to be able to beat it in another month. And the 120,000 men of the four armies of the First Front will face the onslaught of the million-strong Russian army alone, and I am afraid that they will not be able to hold out for a month. In consideration of the strategic purpose of allowing the emperor's [***] team to retreat in its entirety, the General Staff suggested that the two fortresses of Vladivostok and Boli should be taken within a week, so as to provide the emperor's [***] team with a winter and a position to defend against the enemy. ”

Minister Zhang Feng, the prime minister, suddenly asked, "What if it can't be completed on time?" ”

Wang Shizhen replied: "Then we will have to give up, after the first front army is responsible, the second front army and the third front army will immediately withdraw to the mainland, and after the first front army retreats safely, the whole army will rely on the river fortifications to resist the large-scale attack of the Russian army." ”

Zhang Feng frowned and said, "Then the empire will fall into passivity again?" ”

Wang Shizhen nodded, noncommittal.

Wang Chenhao thought for a while, he thought that Wang Shizhen and the General Staff Department's plan was still very conservative, and protecting their own strength was the first priority. If Vladivostok cannot be taken within a week, then when the reinforcements of the Russian army of millions arrive, the chances of taking Vladivostok in the future will be even smaller, and even if it is defeated, the loss will be huge.

In his heart, Wang Chenhao hopes to take Vladivostok. In addition to the fact that Vladivostok is China's territory, but also because the last naval base of the Russian Navy in the Far East at this moment is Vladivostok, and if Vladivostok is lost, Russia will completely lose the foundation of its Far Eastern Navy, and its navy will withdraw from the Asia-Pacific region forever. At the same time, Vladivostok, as the first fortress in the Russian Far East, if it was captured by the Chinese Emperor, it would undoubtedly be equivalent to a heavy blow to the Russian army, which would greatly weaken the morale of the Russian army, and at the same time greatly benefit the morale of the imperial soldiers. With the morale of both sides declining, it will be more conducive to the future battle of the Chinese Emperor's [***] team.

At this point, it can be said that Vladivostok is no longer just a military fortress of the navy and army, but has risen to the level of spiritual warfare between the Chinese and Russian teams.

Wang Chenhao deeply understands the additional influence of spiritual warfare on material warfare, Vladivostok fortress is the spiritual pillar of the Russian army, if it is taken by the Chinese Emperor [***] team, the blow to the Russian [***] team is conceivable. Just like during the Russo-Russian War, the huge psychological pressure caused by the capture of Arthur by the Chinese army became one of the main factors forcing Russia to cease war and seek peace.

"The cabinet has decreed that I will personally come to the front line in Vladivostok to reward the officers and men of the three armed forces."

In order to cheer up the imperial soldiers and take Vladivostok as soon as possible, Wang Chenhao thought of a way to improve the "small universe" of the soldiers as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

"Your Majesty, never!"

There were two distinct voices in the main hall, and the military personnel led by Wang Shizhen were very excited, there was no means to improve morale in a short time than the emperor's personal expedition, and only with this means could it be possible to capture the fortress of Vladivostok in a short time.

And the civil officials led by Zhang Feng stood in opposition, they did not want the emperor to risk on the battlefield. Because once Wang Chenhao has an accident, the country will collapse in an instant, and once an accident occurs, it will not only not be able to boost the morale of the officers and men of the three armed forces, but will greatly reduce the morale of the enemy, but will boost the morale of the enemy.

It's a question of five to five.

Wang Chenhao immediately waved his hand, stopped the persuasion of Zhang Feng and the others, and said: "I understand the reasons for your opponents, and I will not take risks easily. ”

"But Your Majesty ......"

Zhang Feng and the others were still waiting to be admonished, but Wang Chenhao waved his hand again to stop them.

"This battle is related to the morale of the empire in the next war against Russia, and it is also related to the overall impact of the war situation. I have made up my mind, and the people don't need to say much. ”

Wang Chenhao made up his mind, and the ministers also knew Wang Chenhao's temper, and he would not turn back if he did not hit the south wall.

Subsequently, Wang Chenhao discussed some state affairs with the civil and military officials, but the matter of the imperial conquest could not be changed.

The news of the imperial emperor's personal expedition was tightly sealed, and all the civil and military officials who participated in the imperial meeting knew the importance of this matter, so after the meeting was dismissed, everyone kept silent, and even their families did not dare to reveal half a word after returning home, and even some officials who liked to drink and talk nonsense immediately quit drinking for a week, and those who had the habit of talking in their dreams locked themselves in the study and slept alone.

However, Wang Chenhao's harem was like a bomb camp, and the queen and the five concubines Shu, Ning, Xian, Gong, and Chen were all one hundred and twenty opposed.

But Wang Chenhao has made up his mind, and a few women can't change his mind.

As a result, the queen and the other five concubines repeatedly summoned Wang Wenqing, the minister in charge of the imperial guard, and told him in every possible way to protect the emperor's safety. At the same time, Li Bing of the Homeland Security Agency and Li Guodong of the Central Intelligence Agency could not avoid it, and the empress and the five concubines asked the two of them to do a good job of intelligence work and eliminate all those who tried to kill the emperor in the bud in advance.

In this regard, Wang Wenqing, Li Bing and Li Guodong could only listen to the nagging of the queen and the five concubines.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ Wang Chenhao was going to take the royal airship over, so it was impossible for any enemy forces to assassinate him along the way. Wang Wenqing's only concern is that he is afraid of the danger to Wang Chenhao's safety brought by the Russian army's near-arrow or blind bullets, because this is unpredictable or even impossible to warn. For other aspects, Wang Wenqing is still very confident in his ability to defend.

For Li Bing of the Homeland Security Agency, his focus is only on the officials and entourage who followed Wang Chenhao to the front line in Vladivostok, and these people Li Bing and his NSA agents have undergone strict screening to ensure that there are no suspicious people.

However, for Li Guodong, he was the first person to follow Wang Chenhao, and it can be said that Li Guodong is far more trusted and respected by Wang Chenhao than Li Bing and Wang Wenqing. Of course, for Wang Chenhao's thinking, Li Guodong won a chess move.

Li Guodong understands that Wang Chenhao's personal expedition is not just as simple as cheering up the front-line soldiers, in Li Guodong's view, he knows that Wang Chenhao's most important thing is military power, and after becoming the emperor, Wang Chenhao is still the supreme commander of the three armies. After Wang Chenhao ascended the throne, he lived in the palace for a long time, and was bound to be alienated from the soldiers, and one of the main reasons why the emperors of all dynasties finally valued literature over military force was that he lived in the palace for a long time and became closer and closer to the literati and became more and more alienated from the soldiers.

Of course, Li Guodong also knows the strategically important surname of Vladivostok. Aside from anything else, he also knew that taking the fortress of Vladivostok would be a huge morale boost for the emperor's [***] army, and it would be equally huge for the morale of the Russian army.

As one of Wang Chenhao's closest confidants, Li Guodong naturally wanted to share Wang Chenhao's worries, so he rushed to the Vladivostok front headquarters in advance to meet Duan Qirui, commander of the Second Front Army, and Liang Huadian, commander of the Third Front Army, and also brought them a secret weapon.

"This is not Lord Li of the CIA, we are shocked that you are here!"

Duan Qirui and Liang Huadian looked at Li Guodong in the same way that Ming Dynasty officials looked at Dongchang Jinyiwei.

Li Guodong smiled, found a stool to sit on, and poured tea by himself. It can't be helped, being a spy is just not popular.

"I don't want to go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, I didn't come here for anything else, I just want to know when the two commanders will be able to take down Vladivostok."

Duan Qirui and Liang Huadian glanced at each other, and they both smiled helplessly.

"In yesterday's battle, the three divisions of the Second Front Army responsible for the main attack were heavily damaged, with more than half of them suffering casualties. The day before yesterday, it was the main attack of the three front armies, and nearly 10,000 brothers were also killed and wounded. ”

Li Guodong couldn't help but gasp and asked, "The casualties are so big?" And what about the enemy? ”

Duan Qirui snorted coldly and said, "Although we are the main attacker, with our weapons and equipment and combat effectiveness, it should be that the Russian Maozi have more casualties." ”

Liang Huadian was supportive of Duan Qirui's words, and said: "I estimate that the Russian army will have at least 40,000 casualties. ”

Li Guodong saw from the air the tragic situation in Vladivostok; on the ground, more than 2,000 artillery pieces of the Imperial Chinese Army opened fire, more than a dozen airships of the Air Force dropped bombs, Vladivostok was surrounded by the sea on three sides, dozens of warships of the Pacific Fleet of the Imperial Chinese Navy shelled in turn, the firepower of the navy, land and air force was almost 20 times that of the Russian fortress, the fire on the entire Vladivostok fortress was never extinguished, the smoke spread for hundreds of kilometers without dissipating, and the sun could not be seen at all during the day near Vladivostok. Even the headquarters was filled with the smell of gunsmoke mixed together.

"Attacking a heavily fortified fortress is generally five times greater than the defender's losses, but now it seems that our army is clearly taking advantage."

Duan Qirui and Liang Huadian suddenly smiled, and the latter said, "We love to hear this." ”

Liang Huadian paused, and then said: "This old king (Wang Shizhen) is really not authentic!" He has encouraged His Majesty to the front, which is tantamount to driving us to a dead end. ”

Duan Qirui nodded and said, "Your Majesty is here in person, we must take Vladivostok before Your Majesty arrives, otherwise this old face will be lost." ”

Li Guodong immediately understood, no wonder the number of casualties in the troops had increased sharply in the past two days, it turned out that the two of them wanted to take Vladivostok before the emperor came in person. In this way, the besieging forces are bound to do whatever it takes, and they will also cause huge casualties. Of course, the enemy is even more uncomfortable.

"When I came this time, I wanted to ask the two commanders, can they take Vladivostok before Chinese New Year's Eve? Don't prevaricate me, tell me the truth. ”

Liang Huadian asked, "Your Majesty asked you to ask?" ”

Li Guodong shook his head.

Duan Qirui smiled bitterly: "You have also seen that the Vladivostok Fortress has been built like an impregnable wall by the Russian Maozi, and the intensity of our army's attack has far exceeded twice that of the Ulsan Fortress, but the Russian army still resists fiercely." To tell the truth, if Your Majesty does not come, we may choose to withdraw our troops and attack again after the autumn. But now......"

Duan Qirui paused and said fiercely: "We will do whatever it takes!" ”

Liang Huadian said: "It will take time at all costs, there are about 150,000 to 200,000 Russian troops in the fortress, and the Russian army may pull all 200,000 civilians into the fortress to fight, according to the current speed and scale, it may be able to fight the Russian army on the fifth day of the first lunar month." ”

Li Guodong understood that the Vladivostok fortress in front of him was not an ordinary hard bone, and Duan Qirui and Liang Huadian used the word "Pinguang", which was enough to prove that the Russian army was resisting to the end. This kind of trapped beast battle can be seen to be a very tragic battle.

Thinking of this, Li Guodong suddenly said: "Since this is the case, then I will tell me the purpose of my coming!" ”

Duan Qirui and Liang Huadian looked at Li Guodong one after another, in the eyes of the two of them, what purpose would the CIA's spy chief have.

Li Guodong said: "The next conversation will not exist, and I will not admit it!" ”

Duan Qirui and Liang Huadian glanced at each other, and the latter then turned his head and ordered: "You all stand down, no one is allowed to approach!" ”

"Yes!"

The personnel in the headquarters then withdrew from the tent one after another.

Li Guodong saw that there was no one else, so he said: "The Imperial Biological and Chemical Weapons Laboratory recently has a batch of new products that need to be tested, and it was originally planned to be shipped to the Northern Mariana Islands for actual testing, but I think this thing can help you, reduce the casualties of our army, and kill and injure the enemy to the greatest extent." ”

Duan Qirui and Liang Huadian looked at Li Guodong in surprise, the biological weapons laboratory was like a god's existence to them, they had usually heard some gossip news, but they didn't know that this department really existed.

"Biological weapons labs, do they really exist?"

"Of course!"

Li Guodong replied in the affirmative.

Duan Qirui immediately asked, "What kind of weapon is that?" ”

Li Guodong smiled and said, "Your Majesty calls it a weapon of mass destruction!" ”

(To be continued)