In early February 1873, just as France had announced its defeat and signed a peace treaty with Prussia to pay land indemnities, two Russian corps of about 120,000 men launched a winter offensive against Tobolsk.

Tobolsk was the farthest city from the southeastern plain under Chinese control, on the banks of the Irtysh River, and was defended by the Imperial Fifth Army.

In the history of world warfare, the first standard anti-infantry mine "Hell" type C 1 was put into the battlefield, causing a lot of casualties to the Russians, and the Russians immediately formed a strategic encirclement, hoping to eat the troops that the Chinese came to the rescue, from Novosibirsk to Tobolsk, a distance of thousands of kilometers, to wait for work can completely offset the strong firepower advantage of the Chinese.

At this time, the Chinese Yanjing, the Imperial Military Council, the Great Emperor issued the "Against all odds, march to Moscow!" General Mobilization Order.

The whole world is boiling, and all the cities in the Central Plains are full of enthusiastic people whose national emotions have been ignited, and Xinjiang Province and Mongolia also feel unprecedentedly integrated with the Central Plains and the central government because of the large number of troops participating in the war.

The Omsk squadron began to advance in several directions and approached Petropavlovsk.

The Chinese Corps on the Western Front also began to march to the northwest, and even a rapid mobile force and cavalry troops with tens of thousands of people suddenly appeared in Maghrsk, hundreds of miles east of Orenburg, an important city in Russia, and conquered the first city in the Ural Mountains of Tsarist Russia.

The Russian [***] team besieging Tobolsk had to withdraw from the battlefield, but on the way to the evacuation, they were repeatedly ambushed, and the two sides strangled each other in the area along the Irtysh River for nearly a month, and the Russian infantry regiment was annihilated.

In this overwhelming offensive launched by the Chinese, the Chinese army engaged more than 600,000 people, and the Eastern Front Army captured Petropavlovsk, Kurgan and other cities in one fell swoop, and hit the banks of the Tobol River.

The corps of the Western Front swept almost the entire territory of Kazakhstan through Russian castles and advanced to Orenburg.

In early April 1873, when the Russian war on the Western Front was in full swing, the Turkish Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia, and the two armies climbed all the way over the Caucasus Mountains, and the Balkan Army attacked Romania supported by Tsarist Russia to threaten the Ukrainian region.

Kazan, the study of the temporary palace of the tsar.

Alexander II looked at the red crosses dotted on the long border of the map, especially in the south and west of the battlefield with the Chinese, and almost every day he received news of the fall of another town.

Although the Chinese's adventurous military policy can bring temporary victory, Alexander believes that the Chinese will not be able to maintain it for long, and when the speed of their advance becomes the end of the crossbow, the corps assembled in the capital can launch a counteroffensive, and the resistance army composed of defeated officers and soldiers and citizens in the occupied areas will definitely be able to defeat the Chinese who are not logistically guaranteed in one fell swoop.

But the sudden entry of the Turks into the war put the Russians in an extremely dangerous situation, and the current Russia simply does not have the mobilization to fight on two fronts.

In particular, the dissatisfaction of the domestic population with the political axe has risen to the highest point.

With a gentle knock on the door, Count Brin walked in, and handed a telegram to Alexander with a heavy face, the news of another riot by the citizens of Moscow, and some of the soldiers participated, and street fighting broke out with the Tula corps who went to suppress it.

Alexander sighed and put the telegram on the table, in addition to state affairs, he was even more worried about a family matter, which he was suffering from every day.

After a long silence, Count Brynn's voice seemed to drift, "Your Majesty, I think that in the current situation, reaching a temporary armistice agreement with Chinese is the best option......"

This sentence is tantamount to admitting the complete defeat of Russia, and it takes great courage to say it, but Count Brynn, as one of His Majesty's most trusted ministers, considers it his duty to bear the infamy for His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, General Milyutin and I will lead this peace talks, Your Majesty is not in good health and needs to rest well, I believe that the Chinese are unable to rule the territories they occupy, and I will do my best to strive for a favorable outcome and create the best conditions for Your Majesty to recover the lost territory in the future."

Count Brynn had been willingly saddled with the infamy of a "traitor" in peace talks with the Chinese, and His Majesty the Tsar could have excused himself for his serious illness afterwards, and after removing him, he would gain valuable time to quell the civil strife and gather forces.

Alexander II took a deep look at Count Brynn, shook his head slowly, and said: "You contact the Germans, the British, and the Austrians, and I will talk to them." ”

After the defeat of France, the German Empire was established, and Wilhelm I was crowned Emperor of Germany in Berlin.

Germany, Britain and Austria-Hungary are all countries with interests in the Balkans, and they are also European powers that can influence the situation in the Balkans and even the Sino-Russian war.

China and Turkey's Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia at the same time, and Russia is in danger of being seriously weakened or even destroyed, which will seriously affect the balance of power between Europe and the world.

Count Brin nodded silently, he fully believed in His Majesty's insight into the whole situation, and also believed that His Majesty would definitely be able to lead Russia out of the current predicament, and it would only take time, a little time.

With His Majesty's boldness, at a small price, there is a great chance of winning the support of the Austrians and the British, and even the Germans, who are close to the Chinese, may not be happy to see the earth-shaking change in the balance of power in Eurasia, and it is not impossible to stand on the side of the Russians.

Count Bryn bowed slightly, and looked at Alexander II with reverent respect.

The Novosibirsk High Command, Ye Zhao is also thinking about the same problem.

The entry of Ottoman Turkey into the war, of course, could share the pressure on the Chinese, hasten Russia's defeat, and force the Russians to sign a peace treaty to temporarily end this long war, but it would also bring great variables to this war.

This is also the reason why Ye Zhao did not want the Turks to intervene at the beginning, and Mo said that the Europeans, it was Ye Zhao, how could he want to see a powerful Islamic empire occupy the Persian Gulf?

But the Russians are reluctant to sign an armistice agreement, and a long-term state of war is a very troublesome burden for the empire, the whole world is in the great leap forward of steel and industrial technology, and in the state of war, the empire needs to requisition a lot of human and material resources, the time is too long, and the border line of the empire can no longer advance to the west, there is no situation of victory, so the people are easy to have war weariness.

The Russians must be forced to sign an armistice, and even if it is only a short period of peace, they must be freed from this state of war, and the present war, if it drags on for more than three years, four or five years, is a heavy burden on the national economy.

In fact, China can be said to have won an unprecedented victory in this Sino-Russian war, not to mention the occupied Russian territory, and it is an excellent exercise for the country's war mobilization ability, after this war, the compulsory military service system will be deepened, the number of the imperial army standing army will expand by more than one million, and the experience of various large-scale battles and campaigns is a rich wealth for the emperor's [***] theory of affairs.

Another side effect of the war was the further emancipation of women, and the sharp increase in the number of women in factory occupations, as millions of men were mobilized in the war, and although many reservists were not sent to the battlefield, they were also assembled in military districts for military training, which provided jobs for women, especially in the process of accelerating the industrialization of the empire, and the decline in young and strong labor led many factories to gradually regard the recruitment of female workers as a normal channel.

A temporary truce with Russia and the digestion of occupied Russian territories are in the best interests of the Empire.

Kizil and Abakan are actually only more than 300 kilometers apart, according to the speed of the construction of the imperial railway, more than 300 kilometers of railway can be completed in a year, but because of the complex conditions of this railway, the straight-line distance needs to pass through the Sayan Mountains and a piece of swamps, dense forests, rivers, it is not an easy task to build, and it is expected to be completed by the end of next year or the year after next year.

After the completion of this railway, the empire really gained a strategic advantage over the Russians, and did not have to waste huge human and material resources on long supply lines.

An attack on all fronts against the Russians was a means of forcing the Russians to sign a peace treaty.

However, will the Russians obediently? If European countries intervene in this war, how will they respond?

Ye Zhao sat in the car back to his residence and kept thinking about this problem. Behind the successive victories of the [***] team, there is a great hidden danger.

Ye Zhao has moved out of Viscount Werther's house, living in a Chinese-style attic next to the Armed Police Headquarters, with eaves and ridges, and a balcony viewing pavilion, of course, the walls and windows are thickened, and the corridor that originally surrounded the second floor was based on the railing design, and a thick cotton curtain was added to prepare for the winter cold.

This was originally the official office of the Armed Police Headquarters, just completed, Ye Zhao moved in, and the sign hung was "Novosibirsk Immigration Agency", the sign was mediocre, but the power was very great, all because of the gradual spring warmth, and there began to be Chinese immigrants migrating, plus more and more Chinese businessmen came to the Southeast Plain, and these immigrants and Chinese businessmen Russian institutions could not manage, and did not dare to manage, in order to give birth to the "Immigration Bureau" This agency, in addition to planning and managing Chinese immigrants in the Southeast Plains, also handles immigration cases, At the same time, Russians can file a complaint with the Migration Department in case of economic civil disputes or criminal proceedings with immigrants.

The Novosibirsk Armed Police has rightly assumed the responsibility of guarding the "Immigration Agency."

Generally speaking, some Russian high-class people think that Ye Zhao is the head of the immigration department, but in fact, an official of Ye Zhao's government office temporarily handles the affairs of the immigration department.

The official is called Zhang Zhidong, yes, it is the famous Zhang Zhidong in history that Ye Zhao knows, and is now the deputy political officer of the royal government office, he is considered to be an academic student in the imperial political arena at the age of fifteen, and he won the first place in the township test at the age of fifteen, and in his early twenties, he returned to the south from Hebei to study in Guangzhou Middle School and Guangzhou University.

In the past two years, there have been several officials who have been appointed to supervise and appease, and most of these new officials are active in their minds, and they have benefited a lot from following Ye Zhao, which can be said to be the real protégé of the Son of Heaven.

When the car stopped under the steps of the government office, I saw Natasha, who was wearing a black police uniform, walking lightly, with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a heroic police uniform, which really had an indescribable alluring taste.

Two months ago, Natasha was recommended by Ye Zhao to enter the police station, working as a clerk and depicting prisoners, and came to Ye Zhao's residence at night to work as a maid, in addition to painting and handing over to Ye Zhao to sell to repay the debt owed to Ye Zhao.

Ye Zhao pushed open the car door, beckoned to her, and said, "Get in the car." "I've known Natasha for more than two months, but I rarely chat, and even because of the war, I don't have many opportunities to meet her.

Natasha smiled charmingly, hurriedly walked a few steps, bent down into the back seat of the carriage, and sat down, although curious, but did not dare to ask more.

It was Natasha's first time in a car. Entering April, there is no need to worry about the fuel tank being frozen or not being able to turn off halfway, etc., Ye Zhao also began to change cars, in Novosibirsk City, there are more than a dozen cars, all of which are ridden by famous figures.

After a while, Zhang Zhidong hurriedly walked out of the yamen courtyard and got into the front passenger seat, and the car started slowly.

The cars were extremely slow, with a carriage in front and a rear, and the Novosibirsk rebel movement was at its lowest ebb at a time when the cold shots on the cars of Chinese businessmen had long since ceased in the middle of last year.

"Go to the white salmon for a drink." Ye Zhao leaned back on the seat with his eyes closed.

Zhang Zhidong was stunned, and said sideways: "The teacher has something difficult to solve?" After coming to Novosibirsk, in front of outsiders, Zhang Zhidong could only call him "teacher" or "sir" according to Ye Zhao's instructions.

Ye Zhao smiled and waved his hand.

Zhang Zhidong didn't dare to ask any more and turned his head. The royal car has been internally modified, with the rear seats slightly higher than the front, and even Natasha's side seats are slightly lower, so that no one is on an equal footing with the Emperor.

Natasha didn't squeak all the way, and when the car stopped at the gate of the White North Salmon Club, she was slightly stunned, and then she knew her destination, but no matter where she went, Natasha was obedient and obedient.

After entering the club, I found a relatively remote seat away from the dance floor, but several Chinese walked with a Russian policewoman with blonde hair and blue eyes exuding a charming atmosphere, and naturally became the focus of attention in the lobby.

Ye Zhao asked for Volga, and Natasha poured a glass for him and Zhang Zhidong, and asked Ye Zhao, "Can I drink?" Seeing Ye Zhao bowing slightly, he poured himself a glass.

Ye Zhao had just picked up the wine glass and took a sip, feeling the pungency in his throat, when a middle-aged Russian walked beside him, who was stopped by the guards, he bowed slightly to Ye Zhao and said, "You are Mr. Wen, I want to complain about a Central Plains businessman for fraud." "Those who can guess Ye Zhao's identity should be the most upper-class in Russia, and they must be the people who know Natasha, the most beautiful courtesan who disappeared in an instant.

The guard who stopped the Russians said in a cold tone: "Please go to the official office to appeal during office hours tomorrow." ”

The Russian businessman sighed, turned around and walked to his tea house, Zhang Zhidong was very eager to hear what was going on, Chinese and Russian businessmen had disputes, and it was normal for the Immigration Department to favor the Chinese, but when encountering some domestic cunning people who were not loved by their grandmothers and uncles, they took the opportunity to punish them to set an example, after all, these people returned to China, and they were also fraudsters.

Seeing Zhang Zhidong's cautious and inquiring gaze, Ye Zhao bowed slightly, Zhang Zhidong got up and went to sit at a table with the Russian to listen to the details.

Seeing Natasha take out her notebook and look a little hesitant, Ye Zhao said, "Do you pay off your debts again?" "I know that she must be afraid to disturb her train of thought.

"Yes, I just got paid today." Natasha carefully took out a few Central Plains banknotes from her notebook and handed them to Ye Zhao.

Ye Zhao stretched out his hand to take it, looked at her, and thought of Iori, but Natasha is too reading than Iori, and even has her own opinions, and compared to the heart of the ape when facing Iori's seductive dancing posture at that time, I really don't have any thoughts about women now, although Natasha is indeed a rare stunner.

Looking at the banknote in her hand, fifty yuan, Natasha should have only left twenty or thirty yuan for living expenses.

The level of consumer wages in Russia is far inferior to that of the Central Plains, and Novosibirsk cannot be compared with the big cities of the Central Plains, despite this, Natasha's monthly salary of more than 70 yuan is not easy to earn even in Moscow, not to mention the police class, whose salary level is not high.

Moreover, being able to earn the original currency is something that the Russians cannot ask for, and the ruble banknotes in the occupied areas are not officially recognized, and they have also encountered trouble in private circulation, many merchants have refused to accept ruble banknotes, and Chinese businessmen have not even looked at them.

Ben also, although the ruble banknote has been reformed several times, and the Russian political axe also announced the gold exchange rate of the ruble banknote, but after the outbreak of the Sino-Russian War, Russia immediately printed a large number of banknotes, and the gradually stable currency market under Alexander's rule immediately encountered a cold snap, and prices soared, and the ruble banknotes could not be exchanged for gold coins in a short period of time, that is, the local people suffered a cold reception, let alone in the occupied areas.

The only old Russian currency that can be circulated in the occupied territories today is gold and silver coins, which are exchanged with Central Plains banknotes at a certain exchange rate. The stability of the Central Plains banknotes is also obvious to all, once a Russian merchant went to the Imperial Novosibirsk Bank to exchange 300,000 yuan of banknotes, that is, 30,000 silver dollars, which was processed in a few minutes, and the Central Plains banknotes, which were already popular in Russia, won an excellent reputation, and the Russian merchant soon deposited the silver dollars in the Imperial Bank.

In fact, with the regularization of the issuance of paper money by the empire, prices gradually stabilized, and the Central Plains paper money in Asia Minor gradually became more popular than the British pound, and some Russians in the occupied areas were suspicious, but they were worried that after the southeast plain was recovered by the motherland, Chinese paper money would be declared illegal and confiscated.

In any case, Chinese banknotes have gradually circulated and dominated the occupied areas, and the classes that can directly receive the salaries of the Chinese are above the middle class in Novosibirsk.

Ye Zhao rolled the banknotes into a circle and put them into the gold silk purse, and said: "When your paintings are sold, a few accounts will be paid off, why bother to pay it back so hard every month." ”

Natasha doesn't owe much money, just to help her family get through the most difficult period, borrowing about 5,000 yuan worth of imperial banknotes from the White North Salmon at a time, but if you calculate it with club interest, you are afraid that you will not be invited, at least, the most youthful time will be spent in this bright light, and it is only basic consumption, the consumption level of Novosibirsk is low, and 5,000 banknotes is not a small amount.

Luxury ornaments, or Chinese goods that cannot be produced locally, are ridiculously expensive in the Southeast Plains because of inconvenient transportation.

Listening to Ye Zhao's words, Natasha didn't squeak, she knew that she couldn't pay off the life she owed Ye Zhao, but she didn't have to say these words, and Ye Zhao didn't like to listen to them.

"Don't you go backstage to see your friends?" Ye Zhao knew that after Natasha became a police officer, she often came to White North Salmon to see her friends, and she missed her old surname very much. Nowadays, naturally no one dares to mess with her, they all think that she is the mistress of the Chinese official in charge of the immigration department, not to mention that she goes backstage a lot, occasionally comes to the lobby to catch up with friends, and meets those who are drunk or want to laugh at her.

Natasha said, "I'm not going today." ”

Ye Zhao nodded slightly, clinked glasses with her, and took a sip of the spirits gently.

When he was closing his eyes to recuperate, he suddenly felt that the corners of his clothes were being pulled, Ye Zhao lowered his head, and saw the crystal armor as delicate as red rose petals, it was Natasha, with a cautious face, and when she saw Ye Zhao looking at her questioningly, she pointed to the dance floor.

Ye Zhao turned his head to look, but saw that on the table next to the dance floor, there were two old acquaintances, one was Mrs. Werther, wearing a gorgeous huge skirt, but she also looked gorgeous and dignified, and the other was Leonid, at this time Leonid was pulling and pulling with Mrs. Werther, Mrs. Werther was dodging and saying something.

Natasha whispered, "I heard that the Viscountess is asking for favors everywhere for Mr. Deputy Mayor." "Viscount Werther's case is in trial and I hear that he could be sentenced to about three years in prison. Natasha also visited the viscountess from time to time, knowing her difficulties.

And the scene in front of him, anyone can guess, it must be the viscountess who rushed to the hospital in a hurry and put it on Leonid's head, which attracted the entanglement of this hooligan.

Ye Zhao frowned slightly, and Zheng Aqiao on the side saw it, and then strode over.

Leonid, who was dazed, didn't notice Ye Zhao's table at all, and suddenly saw Zheng Aqiao appear in front of him, startled, stood up, didn't dare to speak, lowered his head and slipped out, for fear that Zheng Aqiao would call him, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived at the door, but he didn't dare to look back, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the inner door.

Because Leonid is a "loyal friend" of the Chinese, and the fight against the resistance is even more indispensable, the previous time Zheng Aqiao wanted to deal with him, Ye Zhao stopped him, otherwise he could still be asked to hang around outside? In this occupied territory, some villains have their own role, but they cannot introduce imperial laws for a short time.

However, seeing the sad relatives of the Viscountess with pear blossoms and rain coming to him, Ye Zhao couldn't help but feel a little sorry, Viscount Werther and Madame Werther were both good to him, in a foreign country, they were also two friends who could talk to each other.

(To be continued)