"By the end of the 27th Guangxu period, Russia had launched 12 first-class battleships and 6 second-class battleships, which are what China calls heavy cruisers. Another six battleships and four heavy cruisers were under construction. Two more heavy cruisers are currently in Vladivostok in the Far East, and at the same time Russia has not built light cruisers, and there are currently only eight light cruisers in the whole of Russia. There were also a number of destroyers. ”

The 28th year of Guangxu was just over, and the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty gathered together to discuss the upcoming war against Russia. No one has forgotten that in 1895, after repelling the Russian invasion of our northeastern region, the Russian Tsar Nico II roared to take revenge on the Qing Dynasty. After seven years of development and growth, although the Qing Dynasty is not yet able to go to Russia as far as the Mongols did in the past, it at least has the strength to fight Russia in the Far East. Only the Qing Navy was far inferior to Russia in terms of the number and quality of warships, so the construction plan of new warships had long been put on the agenda. But with the completion of the tests of the Base and the completion of the revision of the drawings of the new battleship, the construction of the new battleship came to the final vote.

"Then according to the Admiralty's estimates, how many new warships do we need to build in order to defeat the Russian fleet." Li Hongzhang asked without any expression as he flipped through the documents in his hand.

"At least four basic-class battleships and four super-sea heavy cruisers are needed." Cheng Cheng was motioned by Guangxu to sit down and reply before he stood up, and Cheng Cheng thanked him and continued: "Please allow the lower official to explain in detail." Our navy has seven light cruisers, but light cruisers cannot play a big role in such a large fleet engagement. Negligible. Therefore, at present, the main warships of our Royal Navy have four battleships and five heavy cruisers, and Lanfang has one heavy cruiser that can be incorporated into the sequence of our navy. Korea and Siam each had an old Russian-made battleship and an old Russian-made heavy cruiser to mobilize. In addition, under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hawaiian side is willing to join the Qing Navy to fight against Russia. However, the name of the teacher has not yet been confirmed. In other words, the total number of naval forces available to our country at present is eight battleships and ten heavy cruisers. ”

"That is, our Navy needs to be equal in number with the enemy?" Sun Jianai was a little dissatisfied. Since the First Sino-Japanese War, when has the Qing Dynasty not won more with less, and this time it has to be the same strength to start a war? In order to successfully conclude the northward expansion plan, the Ministry of Officials has deliberately trained a large number of local officials who are ready to take over the northland over the years, but the navy has to take too many resources. Then the army's resources will inevitably be reduced, and if it can't be allowed to conquer the planned territory as planned. What does this make so many of his reserve officers do?

"Not really." Cheng Cheng continued: "Although China has begun to prepare materials and related equipment for the construction of new warships since the construction of the Foundation, eight warships were built at the same time, judging from the construction progress of China's new warships. The eight warships will take at least two years to complete. According to Russia's current shipbuilding plan, by the end of Guangxu 29, Russia will have 18 battleships and 14 heavy cruisers. At the same time, China can unconditionally requisition the fleets of Lanfang and North Korea, but Siam and Hawaii may not be able to join for unforeseen reasons. Therefore, the only combat power that our navy can clearly use is five battleships and seven heavy cruisers. ”

"Even if we build new warships, the total combat strength of our navy is only nine battleships and eleven heavy cruisers, can such a force fight against Russia?" It was Weng Tongyi who asked the question.

"Yes." Wu Deren said very firmly: "First of all, my country's newly built warships, whether they are battleships or heavy cruisers, have the strength to fight two. And there are provisions in international law. Non-belligerents are not allowed to supply belligerents. It will take two and a half months for Russia to come all the way from Europe, and after a two-and-a-half-month voyage without repairing any ground on the way, our navy will also send light cruisers, destroyers, and other high-speed ships to harass the Russian fleet along the way. This was enough to exhaust the entire Russian Navy. As long as we do not give the Russian fleet a chance to repair, we can defeat the Russian fleet at leisure. After speaking, Wu Deren added: "Of course, if we can build a few more, we are sure that we can completely annihilate the Russian fleet." Uh-huh—"

The crowd in the audience just laughed and ignored Wu Deren's last sentence. This made Wu Deren very disappointed.

"So four battleships and four heavy cruisers are the bare minimum requirements?" Lin Qizhao, who is the head of the household department, is already calculating the impact of such a huge shipbuilding program on the country's economy.

"Yes, more than less. The site for construction has already been chosen, and the Huludao shipyard is responsible for the construction of three battleships. The Arthur shipyard was responsible for the construction of a battleship and a heavy cruiser. Jiaozhou Shipyard built two heavy patrols, and Keelung Shipyard built one heavy patrol. Furthermore. We will also build three more new destroyers at the Keelung Shipyard and the Naha Shipyard. The Guangzhou shipyard, the Manila shipyard, the Pontianak shipyard, and the Incheon shipyard also each have plans to build a destroyer. The relevant materials are all in place. ”

"Four battleships, four heavy cruisers and ten destroyers, do we have enough qualified workers?"

"Yes. The difficulty of building destroyers is not high, as long as you need experience in the construction of large cargo ships, there will not be much problem in building according to the drawings and monitoring in place. With regard to the construction of the eight capital ships, the construction of the Foundation was carried out by dispatching all senior engineers and front-line technicians from shipyards across the country, and they already have a certain amount of experience in the construction of the Foundation and can be assigned to various shipyards to do technical guidance and inspection. In recent years, China has sufficient technical and manpower reserves for the simultaneous construction of the capital ship by assigning foreign studies to study and the construction of large domestic cargo ships, coupled with the construction experience of the four ships in Dinghai and the second ship in Chaohai. ”

"Are there any financial problems?"

"In recent years, there has been a surplus in the state treasury every year, and at least for two years, the normal operation of the state finances can be guaranteed."

"What are you looking for?" Guangxu, who had not spoken, glanced at Lin Qizhao, but whenever the treasury was a little insufficient, these birdmen immediately targeted the Internal Affairs Office, this habit is not good, and it must be changed. Guangxu asked very dissatisfiedly: "Have you considered a way to deal with the failure of the naval battle?" ”

"Yes. Even if our navy is completely wiped out in a decisive battle with Russia, we believe that we can reduce the Russian fleet by at least 70%. We still have submarines at our disposal. I, the Royal Navy, can guarantee it. Not a single shell from the Russian fleet could hit the mainland. ”

"In that case, why not use submarines to ambush the entire Russian fleet at sea in advance?"

"It's my meaning not to use submarines." Guangxu was silent, but he knew it very well in his heart. In later generations, China's economy will be able to influence the direction of the world. But what about that? Not to mention Japan, even small countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam dare to provoke China, what else is such a China called the rise, only the domestic self-deception that it has risen: "If a country and a nation want to rise really, it is not proved by a few weapons or money, only in the roar of artillery fire, only in the fight between blood and fire, and only in the confrontation with real guns and ammunition, such victory is the most real." Only this victory can make foreigners re-examine their attitude towards China. There is no need to discuss this matter anymore. Let's talk about how the army is prepared. ”

"At present, the Russian forces in the Far East are mainly concentrated in Vladivostok, about 20,000 men, plus the Twin Cities and Boli area, the total number of troops does not exceed 40,000. Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude are hubs in the Russian Far East, but they currently have fewer than 30,000 troops. The Russian army on the Xinjiang side is also only more than 20,000 people. According to the current situation, Russia has begun to increase its troops in Xinjiang, but the increase is very small, and the Far East has not increased a single soldier. The Army Staff believes. Russia is waiting for the completion of the Far Eastern Railway before massively increasing its troops to the Far East. ”

"I would like to report to you on the construction of the Far Eastern Railway. At present, the railways from Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude, Vladivostok to Chita, and Beijing to Ulaanbaatar via ** have been opened to traffic. The remaining sections from Ulan-Ude to Chita and to Ulaanbaatar may not be completed within two years, as the Siberian region has only four months of construction in a year. The Ministry of Communications' opinion was to make every effort to ensure the construction of the section from Ulan-Ude to Chita and to ensure that the railway was officially opened to traffic by the end of 1904. The Russians were aware of this, and they demanded that at least one section, at least the Uchi, be completed before the winter of 1904 arrived. ”

"Yes, after analyzing the situation, the General Staff Headquarters believes that the expected time for the Russians to launch is probably early 1905, when their naval fleet has been completed and can begin to be sent to the Far East. And form combat effectiveness on the road. The Russian fleet may have left for the Far East around the beginning of April 1905, in which case they would arrive in the Far East by mid-June, as we believe the Russians knew. We will not give them time to return to Vladivostok to recuperate, and we will inevitably attack them somewhere in the South China Sea. The General Staff Headquarters believed that Russia had completed the build-up of troops to the Far East by this time, so that Russia could move south and north at the same time and exert maximum military pressure on us. ”

"In response to this possibility, the Army divided the northern garrison into three theaters of operations. The Northeast Theater was led by Shoushan, and the main target was Vladivostok, which was connected to Shuangchengzi and Boli and other eastern areas. Considering that Vladivostok is the defense center of the entire Russian Far East. Therefore, all 15 airships were assigned to the Northeast Theater, with a total strength of about 70,000. Once they completed the occupation of Vladivostok and Burleigh. The main force of at least 40,000 of them will attack west along the Far Eastern Railway. The main target of the central route was the whole of Central Siberia, including Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, and this direction was the main direction of attack, with six Mongol cavalry divisions, all four infantry regiments and one armored regiment, with a total strength of about 150,000. In the west, there were many vassal states in our country, such as the Kazakh Khanate, the Burut Khanate, the Kokand Khanate, the Bukhara Khanate, the Badak Mountains and other countries, and the old and young have begun to secretly organize military forces within their borders, although they may not be able to fight head-on, but at least they are familiar with the terrain and have enough intelligence capabilities, and it is feasible to contain Russia's forces in Central Asia. In addition, countries such as Aiukhan (present-day Afghanistan), Qanzhut and Ladakh can also provide a small number of troops to directly participate in the war of our army. Therefore, the main goal of the western commander Nie Shicheng is to contain Russia's forces in the Middle East without reinforcements to the east, so only one cavalry division is equipped, and the others are infantry, and the total strength of our soldiers is about 30,000, and its vassal states can provide about 30,000 to 50,000 combat troops. ”

"The plan of the General Staff Headquarters was to allow the railway to be built to the Far East only at the end of the last construction period in 1904. The winter in Siberia was extremely cold, and Napoleon, who occupied Moscow, was defeated by the cold climate of Russia, so Russia would inevitably wait for the spring advance of the following year to increase troops to the Far East. And we did the opposite, attacking Russia at the very beginning of winter. So. Our army not only has absolute superiority in troops, but also has reached the suddenness of a tactical launch. As for the possibility that Russia will be able to increase its troops in the winter in the event of war, we only need a small number of special forces to destroy the railways in Eastern Siberia. ”

"The physique of the Russian soldier is more adapted to the cold. But it does not mean that in the Siberian winter, there must be a stronger individual ability than our soldiers. For three consecutive years, our army has conducted winter training in the northeast and northern Mongolia, and it is still going on this year. There is already a relatively clear plan on the map of the General Staff Headquarters, and the annual exercise is only adjusted according to the latest information, and then there will be competitive training in the winter. It can be said that since the end of the Qing-Japanese Lushun naval battle, the northward advance plan has been the entire work content of the staff headquarters, so we can confidently say that the northward advance in winter may not necessarily be able to annihilate the Russian troops in the cities and bunkers. At least the strategic division of the Russian army can be completed in winter. As soon as spring arrives, when the heavy siege weapons in the rear arrive, the whole of Eastern Siberia can be completely recovered in the summer. ”

"One more question. As for the winter cold protection equipment, it has been improved several times according to the training over the past three years. Winter clothes, gloves, hoods, etc. not only adopt the styles used by the people who live in the Northeast all year round, but also draw on the characteristics of the winter clothes of the Russian army. The logistics department can ensure that even in the cold winter, the attrition of casualties caused by the cold can be controlled to a very small extent. ”

"Both in terms of strategy and tactics, as well as in terms of troops and weapons. Our army has an absolute advantage over the Russian army. There will be many unforeseen things in the war, and the war may be difficult and repetitive, but the final victory over the Russian army is expected. The key now is that the ability to achieve multiple results is not determined by the front-line soldiers, but depends on the logistical support capability. ”

"Yes, but Siberia is vast and sparsely populated, and our army needs to set up more observation points and reserve forces to prevent Russia from penetrating into our army's front and disrupting our army's combat rhythm. Therefore, the above-mentioned forces, especially the number of Liang Huadian's middle route army, could not be less. Although we have been stepping up our supply training during the winter months over the years, the delivery of heavy artillery, ammunition and other munitions is the most difficult. Fortunately along the railway, the train can directly break through the ice and snow. In the summer, too, there are enough trucks developed by our country to tow artillery and transport military supplies on the flat Mongolian steppe. And our army has already begun to stock up on the fuel needed for trucks in the Northeast, Mongolia and along the route to Xinjiang. But the cold Siberian winter can freeze the fuel of a truck, and the low temperature can also prevent the engine from starting. Therefore, how to ensure the winter supply of troops far away from the railway line is still an urgent problem for our army to solve. ”

"In the cold winter, the people of Northeast China transport goods almost in the form of dog sleds. The quartermaster logistics department has made a large number of sleds and raised a lot of dogs, but the sleds have limited load capacity, and the only guarantee that the logistics department can make at present is to ensure the most basic living and defense support of the troops in winter, and wants to start a large-scale war in winter. There is no proper solution for this in the quartermaster logistics department. ”

"Then under the cover of migrant workers and caravans, the military supplies were quietly buried on the way to attack in advance?" Someone came up with a solution right away.

Feng Guozhang laughed miserably: "It's one pound of grain per person a day." The 150,000-strong army consumes 75 tons of food in a day, not to mention the consumption of ammunition. The military needs of a large army must be weighed in 10,000 tons, and this method of burying in advance is only suitable for small assault troops. ”

"This will start at the end of this year. In accordance with the tasks assigned to the Central Garrison Regiment by the Staff Headquarters, our unit will begin to bury weapons, ammunition, canned food, and other food products along the way to the mission site, using abandoned houses or other visible landmarks as references. ”

"Have you ever considered modifying the sled or making the engine cold?"

"The sled modification has no obvious effect, and the heart has to consider the load-bearing capacity of the snow. Cold-proof modifications to the engine are already underway, but judging by the tests of this winter, there is no noticeable effect. And we had thought about purifying the oil, but the current technical conditions could not meet this requirement. "The scientific research department is also helpless, and the military department has no choice but to kill them.

"It's okay, we still have more than a year to take advantage of." Guangxu suddenly smiled: "We have trucks and sleds, and we are still having a headache to deliver supplies in winter, so what will the Russians do without these tools?" It is not wrong to overestimate the enemy and underestimate yourself strategically, but you also think too highly of Russia and underestimate yourself, to the point of ignoring your own absolute superiority. ”

Hearing the emperor say this, everyone suddenly realized. Indeed, if your own side can at least guarantee the basic living and minimum combat needs of the army, how can the Russians who have nothing live? Perhaps only one assault force would be enough to defeat the hungry and cold Russian army. The people who figured it out laughed, first, laughing at themselves for being too unfounded, and second, they were full of confidence in the victory of the future war.

"We can see from the analysis of the General Staff Headquarters that whether it is strategy and tactics, or military supplies, everything from artillery transportation to a pair of gloves have been prepared. Maybe we weren't well prepared, at least we didn't miss anything, and even if the war was repeated, at least I was fighting a prepared war. We have been preparing for five years for this war for the rise of the Chinese nation, and I believe that no matter the land, sea and air forces, we will win the final victory. Now all we have to do is defeat the Russians with all our might, and then go to the other foreign devils and tell them that we want to take back all the land that was leased to them. Guangxu slammed his fist on the table: "Because Lao Tzu doesn't want to rent it!" (To be continued)