St. Petersburg, the summer palace, is located in the forest on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is about 30 kilometers from the city of St. Petersburg, covering an area of almost a thousand hectares. Designed by Tleginy, it was the suburban palace of successive Russian tsars and an early building in St. Petersburg. During the hot summer months, the Tsar would always leave St. Petersburg and live in the summer palace.

At the same time, the summer palace also became the place where the tsar dealt with state affairs. Especially after the suppression of the revolution, Tsar Nicholas II, who was in a hurry, was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The revolution that lasted from 1905 to 1907 left Russia in shambles. This former giant has fallen deep into the quagmire. However, Russia is, after all, one of the great powers of the world, with hundreds of millions of serfs for them to exploit, and the strength of the country can be restored soon.

On May 4, 1908, the high-ranking military and political officials of Russia gathered in the summer palace. On the days when Tsar Nicholas II rested, they always came to disturb very little. However, now that the stakes were high, they had to tell Nicholas II once again.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Minister in China, Lang Sovici, has sent back a report that the government of northern China has brazenly attacked the Imperial Consulate in Kulen and arrested Consul Liu Ba and the staff of the consulate. Moreover, the northern government framed the empire for poisoning the living Mongolian Buddha Jebtsundamba VIII. They demanded that the Empire give them an account and compensate them. Otherwise, they will keep the Empire accountable, and there may even be a chance of war. Russian Foreign Minister Izvorsky addressed the Tsar.

Tsar Nicholas II was stunned, as if he couldn't believe the news. In his memory, the Chinese were cowardly and cowardly, and in front of foreigners, they did not dare to be arrogant and presumptuous, for fear of offending foreigners. And now. How dare the northern government of China arrest the Russian consul in Kulen and send troops to attack the consulate?

"Your Excellency, are you sure you are not joking? April Fool's Day seems like it's been a month, right? "Nicholas II couldn't believe that this could happen.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary is not joking, it's true. Those damn yellow-skinned monkeys. It's really a provocation to the Empire. Prime Minister Kokovetsev said with a serious face.

"Oh God! How is this possible? Are those yellow-skinned monkeys alive and impatient? How dare they provoke the great Russian Empire, aren't they afraid that the troops of the heroic Russian Empire will tear them to pieces? Nicholas II roared angrily.

The ministers did not say a word, they all knew that Nicholas II was originally an irritable man. Now the Chinese actually dare to provoke the Russian Empire, which undoubtedly touched the reverse scale of Tsar Nicholas II.

After succeeding to the throne of the Russian Tsar, Nicholas II worked hard to make Russia the most powerful country in the world. It's just that the sky doesn't follow people's wishes. The fiasco of the Russo-Japanese War made Russia a big boss, and in the international community, it became a laughing stock. This made Nicholas II very angry, and he had already made up his mind to take revenge on the Japanese. However, until the Trans-Siberian Railway was built, it would be difficult for Russia's military power to influence the Far East. So, now Nicholas II is tightening his belt. It's time to build the Trans-Siberian Railway. Even at the time of the suppression of the revolution in the country, the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway did not stop. On the contrary, countless people who participated in the revolution were arrested and sent to Siberia to build railways. This has also led to a lot of improvement in the progress of the railway.

Nicholas II was very satisfied with the progress of the railway. This meant that it would not be long before Russian troops were able to move to the Far East by rail. When the time comes, they will be able to wage a war of revenge against the Japanese. Let those damned Japanese dwarfs know how powerful the Russian Empire is. But what did not Nicholas II did not expect was that before Russia was ready. The government of northern China jumped out. Could it be that they really think that the Russian Empire has fallen, and anyone can jump on it and step on it a few times?

"Since those yellow-skinned monkeys dare to provoke the majesty of the Russian Empire, let them know how powerful we are! Telegrams were sent to the Governor-General of the Far East, Aleksayev, and the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Anuchin. Let them send an army to attack those yellow-skinned monkeys and make them pay for what they have done! "Tsar Nicholas II gave the order to send troops without even thinking about it. In his opinion, with the strength of Russia, it may be very easy to eliminate a local warlord in China.

However, at this time the Minister of the Russian Army, Sukh Khomlinov, frowned. It is clear that he believed that the order of Nicholas II did not take into account the current situation in Russia at all.

"Your Majesty, at present our forces in the Far East and Eastern Siberia are seriously empty, and I am afraid that we will not be able to fulfill Your Majesty's orders." Sukhhomlinov said. During the Russo-Japanese War, Russia lost more than 200,000 men in the war. Even if the captured soldiers have been released. But in the absence of weapons and equipment, and even lack of food, it is undoubtedly extremely difficult to start a war with the government of northern China.

What's more, in the war between the Jilin Army and the Japanese Army the year before last, Sukhhomlinov had already learned about that war in detail. After all, the Jilin Army has fewer troops on the battlefield than the Japanese Army. But they ended up victorious, which Sukhhomlinov had to pay attention to.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese also dispatched fewer troops than the Russians. In the end, however, it was the Japanese who emerged victorious. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Sukhhomlinov knew that the combat effectiveness of the Japanese Army was indeed higher than that of the Russian Army. The predecessor of the Northern Army, the Jilin Army, defeated the Japanese, which shows that their combat effectiveness must be extremely strong. So, Sukhhomlinov was not willing to take risks. If he fails, I'm afraid that he, the Minister of War, will come to an end.

"What? Your Excellency, what do you mean by that? Nicholas II said with some displeasure. In his opinion, to send troops to eliminate a local warlord in China, isn't it a matter of being captured? Now the Minister of War is pushing back, which makes him very dissatisfied.

"Your Majesty, we have less than 400,000 people in the Far East and Eastern Siberia. And, we lack heavy weapons and ammunition. Even winter clothes. And our opponent, the Northern Army, has a total strength of more than 500,000 troops. And, according to the information we have received, they are still expanding their forces. Therefore, if the war breaks out, it is very likely that it will drag on until the cold winter. This is very disadvantageous for us who lack winter supplies. Sukhhomlinov said.

"Your Excellency, it's only May, and in two months at most, we'll be able to defeat those yellow-skinned monkeys. The war simply cannot drag on until winter. Nicholas II said confidently. He is still very confident in his army. Even so, they suffered a crushing defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. However, the Russian Army remains one of the most powerful in the world.

Sukhhomlinov didn't know what to say, so he could only look at Prime Minister Kokovtsev for help. Didn't Nicholas II know the current situation, and neither did the Prime Minister?

"Ahem!" Prime Minister Kokovsev coughed twice, and then said: "Your Majesty, whether or not to wage war against the government of northern China, we really need to think long-term. The revolution had just been suppressed, the treasury was empty, and we simply did not have the money to fight a war, especially a large-scale war in the far East. In addition, according to the information we have obtained, the combat effectiveness of the Northern Army is not weak, and they were able to defeat the Japanese Army in the war the year before last, which shows that their strength is also extraordinary. With our army in the Far East alone, I am afraid that we will not be able to win. If we fail again, it will be a huge blow to us. ”

Tsar Nicholas II's face suddenly turned ugly. However, he knew that what Kokovtsev said was right. After the defeat of the Russo-Japanese War, Russia was despised internationally. Germany and Austria-Hungary, in particular, did not regard Russia as one thing at all. Austria-Hungary became more and more active in the affairs of the Balkans, apparently intending to compete with Russia here. This is absolutely unacceptable to Russia.

"Your Majesty, the international situation is also not conducive to our war with the Chinese in the Far East. We and the British have signed a treaty, and the Triple Entente has been formed. Our main enemy will be the Triple Alliance, led by Germany. Our allies will not want us to invest our strength in the far East. Foreign Minister Count Izforsky said.

"Your Majesty, the finances are already in extreme difficulty. Especially now that the revolution has just been suppressed, there is no way to raise taxes, otherwise it will provoke popular opposition. With the financial emptiness, we are unable to supply the army with the war materials they need. "Chancellor of the Exchequer Sergei . Witt also said.

"Yes, Your Majesty. In such a situation, it would be better for us to avoid the outbreak of a large-scale war in the Far East. This would be very disadvantageous for the Russian Empire. War Minister Sukhhomlinov also said.

Nicholas II's face at this moment was already gloomy, as if he could drip water. He never imagined that all the ministers would oppose him. This made him so angry that he almost exploded. (To be continued......)

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