From mortar grenades to airships to armored vehicles, China has always exported its most advanced weapons.

The military actually has a lot of opinions about the practices of the imperial court, and in their opinion, these weapons are the guarantee of their promotion and wealth. But the most they can do is complain, but nothing can be changed. Because they also know that China is actually very poor.

Although after a decade of Westernization, China's industry was only on the ground set due to rampant bureaucracy and corruption. The old equipment and slow traffic still restrict the development of China's industry. The scarcity of revenues from the state treasury has made it even more difficult for the government to invest in industrial infrastructure. The slowness of the speed restricts the circulation of commodities, and China's industry naturally cannot develop. And borrowing money from abroad to build roads can only be temporary, after all, foreigners must come with various purposes. Since the First Sino-Japanese War received a large amount of reparations from Japan, the imperial court finally had rich funds to invest in the construction of infrastructure, and the rapid circulation of goods and the large demand for materials also activated the inflow of wealth from the private sector to industry. The increase in taxes allowed the imperial court to build infrastructure on a larger scale, which in turn further boosted the prosperity of the commodity economy. It's just that China is a big country in terms of territory and population, and for a huge base, this amount of money is actually not much. If you want to use the funds effectively, you can only concentrate on doing big things. The Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Bohai Bay are the first priority objects, followed by the coastal rivers and provincial capitals, and then develop from east to west. Li Ming's set was fundamentally learned from Chief Engineer Deng, but at this time China's external environment was not good.

After the defeat of the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan tried to retaliate, and Russia was unwilling to lose and went on an expedition to China. The clouds of war have always weighed on China, and in order to ensure economic security, China has been forced to invest a lot of money in the military. At the same time, an important problem was discovered - China's heavy industry was almost entirely within the range of naval guns. Although the imperial court discovered the problem, it was unable to relocate it to the interior for a while, and in order to ensure the safety of these heavy industries. In addition to the development of a strong navy, it is necessary to create sufficient external barriers. The Ryukyus, Luzon, and Nanyang Islands became the objects of contention that the imperial court had to fight, and all this required a large amount of capital investment.

The economy and the military are a contradiction, and economic development will be fed back to the military, and military development is the prerequisite for ensuring economic development, and both are indispensable. Compared with the meagre tax revenues of the huge country, the Chinese government can only carefully arrange every tael of silver invested in order to obtain the maximum return. However, the development of weapons was extremely costly, and the construction cost of a battleship was as high as 13 million dragon dollars. It is equivalent to more than three million taels of silver in Kuping. This is only the cost of the construction of the warship, not including the investment in port facilities and the investment in the material factory, not counting the subsequent maintenance and maintenance costs. Fortunately, the navy is not a unit that is simply consumed, and it can be more or less able to make up for it by conquering Japan and plundering the South Seas. Moreover, the imperial court also realized that the lack of coastal defense was the biggest drawback of China in modern times, so the navy was strengthened in a short period of time. But with limited funds, if the navy is strengthened, it can only be wronged by the army. The Army's only source of funding, apart from imperial court grants, was the smuggling of weapons. This is also the fundamental reason why China has always maintained about 300,000 main battle troops in the declaration of war against Russia, and the rest can only be used to send troops to the vassal states in various names such as hiring and helping the vassal states to restore the country, which can be used for tasks such as maintaining the locality, assisting in defense, and transporting supplies.

Army equipment is relatively simple. A battleship of the White Rise costs more than an armored division, but it can't support the army's many people. From guns to artillery, from automobiles to armored units, the investment in the early stage of investment in each piece of equipment is also a large amount of money. The Air Force is a completely new branch of the military. From equipment to training, it needs to be smashed with money. The poor treasury could not cope with the needs of simultaneous economic and military development, and in order to make up for the source of funds, it had to export new arms as an important supplement to military expenditures.

Meantime. This is also in line with the needs of China's foreign politics. The emergence of new equipment will inevitably attract the attention of the great powers. And this kind of attention can give China a certain say in international politics, at least to discuss some local affairs in Southeast Asia with the great powers on an equal footing. Just like when Germany was just reunified. In order to increase the international status and market share, the latest weapons will be exported as well. China is also following the path that Germany once walked, the only difference is that the European powers have formed a balance, Germany in the middle of the European continent has no room for development, the world's colonies have been carved up, and Germany has empty ambitions but there is no place for them.

Asia was far away from Europe, and the great distances made it impossible for the great powers to control it directly. China, the oldest empire in East Asia for thousands of years, still had extensive influence on neighboring countries during this period. This period coincided with the time when Germany was vying for a place in the sun and the United States was striving for equality among the European powers, and their appearance made the powers briefly turn their attention back to Europe and ignore the Pacific region, which gave China an excellent opportunity. The defeat of Japan was to re-establish China's influence in East Asia, declare war on Spain and the Netherlands and eventually win, and repeatedly provoke Britain and France, while China, which has always regarded itself as benevolent and righteous, gave Southeast Asian countries hope to get rid of foreigners. This complete victory over Russia established China's indisputable leadership over the countries of Southeast Asia. The emergence of new weapons in an endless stream has emboldened China to speak in the face of foreign powers.

When a territory larger than China was incorporated into China, the world's largest territorial power emerged. If you include Hawaii, which is inclined to China, and the Nanyang Islands under Chinese control, China is also the world's second largest maritime power. Britain is nominally the largest in sea area, controlling the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Oceans, but in these seas, France, Germany, the United States, Italy, Austria and other countries have their own warships sailing. Even in the Indian Ocean, China has a light cruiser in Banda to fight piracy in the Indian Ocean. However, with the exception of Hong Kong in the South China Sea and a Far Eastern Fleet threatened by China, the rest of China's waters are completely controlled by China, which is the essential difference.

The rise of China, which had defeated Russia, had become unstoppable, and to the east of Eurasia, the great powers could no longer do whatever they wanted. China. The posture of a great power has been placed in front of the world. The Western powers will no longer believe in the once invincible methods of crying poverty against foreigners. They'll put you under a magnifying glass. Study carefully. Why did China go from being a weak country to being so strong after a war?

"China is the victorious power. You actually ask a victorious country to go to the defeated country for peace talks, do you want the face of the empire? Facing the ministers of various countries who came to mediate the war between China and Russia, Tang Shaoyi patted his cheek angrily and said: "If you want peace talks, you can go back and tell Russia that China allows them to come and beg for peace." ”

Tang Shaoyi's remark completely closed the possibility of various countries mediating the war. When this sentence was printed word for word in the newspaper, the whole people immediately became excited. Begging for peace, thousands of years after the Han and Tang dynasties, when did the imperial court so openly ask for foreign begging peace?

Yes. China demanded that Russia beg for peace. A country, a regime, no matter how closely it regulates its internal affairs and deceitful propaganda, is far less effective in awakening the people and rallying the people than in a great victory in a foreign war. This is why, for thousands of years, the Chinese people have hardly mentioned the Song Dynasty, which had the most prosperous economy and the highest probability of winning foreign wars, because the entire two Song Dynasty had never won a great victory in killing the king. The reason why the heroes of the Han and Tang dynasties have been sung in this land for thousands of years is because they have an army that dares to rush out of the Central Plains and fight bloody battles in distant foreign lands. They captured the flag and killed the generals, and captured the enemy chieftain in front of His Majesty. They made the pride of the nation with steel and sharp swords, and they made the world bow down with iron and blood. Today, China is once again on an expedition outside the territory, this time fighting farther and winning more grandiosely. "Where the king goes. Invincible. It has become the most proud sentence of the people.

But the same words of begging and harmony deeply stimulated the European powers, and they approached Yan Fu to ask for an explanation. They didn't expect Yan Fu to say with a straight face: "If people don't come, then let Nicholas II write a letter of surrender by hand." Surrender as a courtier. ”

"Your Majesty, are your Prime Minister and Foreign Minister despising the whole of Europe?" The angry ministers collectively demanded to see the emperor. The Emperor was asked to explain, and the German ministers were also included in these ministers.

It is reasonable for them to have such a request. The royal families of all European countries are relatives. If Nicholas II, as one of the imperial princes, really wrote such a letter and sent a letter of surrender to the Chinese royal family with a courtier's courtesy, it would be equivalent to Nicholas II becoming a courtier of China. For European royalty, Nicholas II could decide himself or die in battle, but he could never surrender as a courtier. Because the European royal family will also become a nominal vassal of the Chinese royal family because of this downgrade, which will bring shame to the entire European royal family.

"I can guarantee that nothing like this will happen." As soon as Li Ming appeared, the tone was set by an unquestionable tone. Now with the assurance of the Chinese Emperor, the ministers of various countries can calm down and listen to the detailed explanations of the Chinese Emperor.

"In ancient times, when China was at war with its neighbors, the defeated monarch had to bow down to the monarch of the victorious country as a sign of respect. We in China have such a tradition, which is why Yan Xiang and Foreign Minister Tang will say these words. Of course, for Yan Xiang and Foreign Minister Tang's inappropriate remarks, I will punish them later. Here, I would like to express my sincerest apologies to the royal families. After speaking, Li Ming put his right hand across his chest and bowed down.

The ministers of various countries glanced at each other and nodded their heads in acceptance. Because from the words and deeds of the Chinese emperor, they saw that China respected the European countries as always. Now they can safely taste the best food from the Chinese royal family, the most delicious food they have ever tasted in their lives.

"In fact, the idea of Prime Minister Yan and Foreign Minister Tang is to ask other countries to put pressure on Russia and let Russia take the initiative to ask China for peace talks. The war has been going on for too long, and we are tired of the war. China is still very weak, with a large population and illiteracy, poor treasury revenues, and a weak industrial base, and the current war has allowed the army to take up most of the funds, and the construction of the country has almost come to a halt, which is dangerous. In fact, we hope that the war will end as soon as possible, that we can save money by reducing the army, and that we can restart the construction of the country that has been stopped, so that every citizen can live a better life. It is absolutely impossible for our country to propose peace talks to Russia. After all, our country is the victorious country, and this face still needs to be taken care of. ”

"Your Majesty means that your country will be disarmed after occupying such a large territory?"

"Yes. The larger the country, the more funds are needed for construction, and the only way to save money is to disarm as much as possible. Meantime. It is also a signal to the world that we do not want to go to war. I am here to assure you. As long as the Russian Government sends a signal for peace talks, all military operations in our country will cease immediately. Of course. I believe that countries should be more interested in investment. The expansion of railways, the extension of highways, ports, and mines and factories, there are so many things that China needs to build, and we will ask for the help of other countries at that time. ”

Subsequently, in front of the ministers of various countries, the Chinese emperor summoned the prime minister and foreign minister to denounce him in person. Ministers from various countries who had lived in China for a long time persuaded the Chinese emperor because they knew it. As long as the person who can mediate for the prime minister and the foreign minister at this time, it will inevitably gain more recognition in future business negotiations. So the Chinese emperor snorted heavily and left. China's prime minister and foreign minister thanked the ministers, and then discussed the coming construction tide with a hearty laugh. Unfortunately, there were no American ministers among them.

"Black face is dressed, red face is acted, it's time for the world to listen carefully to the voice from the East! Tell the army to continue the offensive as long as the war is not over, and fight for the most favorable situation for future negotiations. Li Ming straightened up, looked at Yan Fu and Tang Shaoyi, and said word by word: "**** Shangguo, it is also necessary to have the prestige and dignity that matches it." ”

Countries that have negotiated investment intentions with China have put pressure on Russia. Unwilling to be defeated, Nicholas II stubbornly conscripted his army and vowed to defeat China. And China also took advantage of the gap between sending supplies to the front line to carry out a major adjustment of the front line departments. The northernmost Liang Huadian Corps transferred the 11th Division to the Yuan Shoushan Corps, and at the same time, the Yuan Shoushan Corps transferred two divisions to the south to the Nie Shicheng Corps, and at the same time, the Nie Shicheng Corps transferred the ******** Division and the Japanese Division to the south again to Liu Shengxiu's troops. Until July 25. The adjustment of the various departments has been completed, and the supply has been completed, and China has once again launched a full-scale attack on Russia.

By August 5, Yuan Shoushan's corps was 160 kilometers from Yekaterinburg. There was no inspiring resistance along the way. Yuan Shoushan's corps approached 80 kilometers from Chelyabinsk and again met with no decent resistance. Nie Shicheng Corps since the occupation of Troitsk. After sending only two divisions of the Kazakh army to the north to attack Chelyabinsk, its main force turned west to capture Magnitogorsk and waited for supplies. But the army made a posture of going straight to Ufa. Liu Shengxiu on the southern front was strengthened to the greatest extent, and according to the strategic arrangement of the General Staff Headquarters, his main force conquered Orenburg after fierce fighting, and sent a partial division to attack Uralsk and continue to march towards Samara, while another detachment led by the Japanese Fifth Division as the main force went west after taking Atyrau lightly, and is now approaching Volgograd. This round of China's military action has completely aroused the concern of the European powers, because the birthplace of Tsarist Russia is facing the fall, which is intolerable to European countries.

"Russia cherished the sun and forcibly cut off the birthplace of our former Qing Dynasty north of the Heilongjiang River, why don't all countries say a fair word for our former Qing Dynasty?" In the face of the ministers who came to mediate, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi said: "If you want peace talks, let Nicholas II come and talk to me." ”

The Chinese language is very, but in fact, it is also bitter and unspeakable. China is also well aware that whether or not it can conquer the area west of the Ural Mountains, it will eventually have to abandon it. So by the time of the capture of Tyumen Kurgan, the original strategic goal had already been achieved. I thought that as long as it put on a posture of attacking Yekaterinburg and the mediation of various countries, Russia would bow its head and admit defeat. No one expected that now that the Chinese army has included Yekaterinburg in the range of artillery shelling, Nicholas II is still stubbornly conscripted to China for a decisive battle, which makes China very passive.

There is no need to question the fighting of the Chinese army, as long as it dares to fight and dare to kill, the Chinese army has never been afraid of any opponent since ancient times. It's just that now is no longer the era of cold weapons where you can fight the world with a knife, and the war in the era of hot weapons requires the transportation of ammunition and weapons produced in the rear, otherwise the army can only use bayonets to fight the enemy's shells. There is no shortage of materials hoarded in the rear of China, and the materials that have been stored after ten years are enough to supply the needs of the army for another year, but they must also be transported and handed over to the soldiers, and whether or not they can effectively supply materials to the front line determines the ability of the Chinese army to continue fighting. The Tyumen front was tens of thousands of miles away from the mainland, and Uralsk was even farther away. This is why the Chinese attack lasted only 10 days, because the ammunition stock had fallen to a dangerous point, and if it was defeated by a Russian counterattack at this time, it would give the Russians confidence that the war would have to be fought again, which could bring down China's fragile economy.

However, with the completion of the repair of the Irtysh River Bridge of the Far Eastern Railway, the situation has improved. On August 7, the first train had already crossed the bridge to the west, and the trains that were running day and night were constantly sending the resources piled up in Omsk. Liang Huadian's corps was not short of supplies, and they were fighting on the side of the railway. Yuan Shoushan's corps is no problem, and the shuttle car can also meet his needs. Nie Shicheng's corps is also okay, the Kazakh army keeps transporting supplies day and night, although the distance is far, at least it can ensure that Nie Shicheng's corps has enough defensive capabilities. Liu Shengxiu's corps is in a dangerous situation, and the long distance makes it difficult to transport ammunition in large quantities, so that Liu Shengxiu's corps has been equipped with a large number of Russian-made weapons, at least ammunition or something can be grabbed from the Russians. The Russians also discovered this problem, and they worked hard to gather troops to Ufa, Samara, Volgograd and other places, hoping to use the advantage of internal combat to defeat Liu Shengxiu. In this way, we can not only strive for a favorable situation for future negotiations, but also rely on victory to ease the increasingly fierce contradictions in the country.

The food of Liu's corps was supplied to China by the vassal states, and only ammunition was supplied, which greatly reduced the pressure on China's logistical supply, otherwise Liu's corps would not have been able to attack this position. But the amount of ammunition supplied determined whether Liu's corps could withstand the Russian counteroffensive.

"Whether it's a human tow or a horse, it is necessary to ensure what the Liu Corps needs." Duan Qirui, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese Royal Army, who was inspecting Orenburg, strictly ordered all the cavalry under the command of our army to pull goods. Since Kostanay built an airfield and a small power station, and used all the electricity to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen, the Air Force has moved to Kostanay, dropping supplies to Aktobinsk day and night. At this time, the Air Force had been completely reduced to a convoy.

In the face of Russia's counteroffensive intentions, the best way is to attack after attack, as long as we can completely destroy the Russian army all the way, we can completely lay down the victory of our army. But there are only so many ammunition, which cannot meet the needs of destroying one Russian army and defending two Russian troops.

"Ammunition, I just need ammunition! Give me enough ammunition and I can hit Mosk—" Liu Shengxiu roared and ordered the telegraph operator to send the telegram.

"Establish sufficient defensive depth, multi-layered and multi-echelon to block the enemy's forces. Be careful of Russia's wheel warfare, especially the vassal army, and be prepared and planned even if you retreat. This is a telegram sent by the General Staff Headquarters to Liu Shengxiu, and Wang Shizhen directly did not mention any offensive words, but thought that it was a great achievement that Liu Shengxiu's corps did not suffer a rout. At the same time, Wang Shizhen sent a telegram to Yang Dongzi, asking the special forces to delay the assembly of the Russian army by destroying roads, warehouses, barracks, and other possible means, so as to gain as much time as possible for our army.

"At this point, we should not only start from the military front, but also do something politically." At a high-level confidential meeting of the General Staff Headquarters, Li Ming pondered for a long time and then asked Zhou Qin, director of the CIA: "Can our country's spies lurking in the Russian Soviet Party influence the Soviet Party's decision-making and make it immediately launch a revolution?" ”

"Our spies in Russia had a good personal relationship with Lenin, and now they are only short of weapons to start a revolution."

"Then give them as much as they want, and if necessary, they can directly draw weapons from the front-line troops." Li Ming made a decision: "This war cannot be fought any longer, and if it continues to be fought, China will also be dragged to death." (To be continued.) )