On the morning of April 6, Moscow time, the British ambassador to Russia met with Tsar Nicholas II early in the morning, and it is said that the two sides had a good conversation, and Nicholas II also invited the British ambassador to Russia to have breakfast. It was not until nine o'clock in the morning that the British ambassador to Russia left.

"Come, bring the Prime Minister, the Minister of War and the Minister of the Navy!" Tsar Nicholas II put down the towel in his hand, and the smile on his face had disappeared cleanly. The British ambassador to Russia came to meet him for only one purpose, and that was to get the Russian Navy to join the combined fleet and join the expedition to China. Although Tsar Nicholas II was eager to destroy China immediately, it was absolutely impossible for him to unite with Britain and send a fleet under the command of the British.

Although, Russia joined the Pacific Alliance and formed a quasi-alliance with Great Britain. However, Russia and Britain are directly and still full of contradictions. Whether it was the Crimean War or the British encirclement of Russia in the Far East and the Middle East, Tsar Nicholas II did not have a good face for Britain.

In less than half an hour, the Prime Minister of the Russian government, Sergei? Witte, Minister of War Alexey? Nikolaevich? Kuropatkin and the Admiralty of the Admiralty Grand Duke Konstantin came to the palace.

"Majesty!" All three saluted Tsar Nicholas II. At this time, Nicholas II's face had regained its calmness. To be able to become the emperor of Russia, although only the last emperor, Nicholas II still had great abilities.

"Do it!" Nicholas II said.

After a few people thanked them, they did it on the sofa, looking at Nicholas II, guessing why Nicholas II summoned them.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Sergei? Witte was a little worried that Nicholas II was asking about finances and support for the front, although the tsar had only recently taken out 200 tons of gold, but the so-called cannon sounded, 10,000 taels of gold. In order to support the war in Eastern Siberia and Central Asia, the government is now spending money like water. The two hundred tons of gold that Tsar Nicholas II took out simply did not last long.

War Minister Alexey? Nikolaevich? Kuropatkin and the Admiralty Chancellor Grand Duke Konstantin were a little apprehensive. In the past few days, both the army and the navy have suffered defeats, and they are afraid that Tsar Nicholas II will take this opportunity to attack them.

"Your Majesty, is there something that summoned us today?" Sergei? Witt asked stiffly. Of the three, he had the closest relationship with Tsar Nicholas II, and at the same time held the highest position, and it was up to him to speak.

"Just now, the British ambassador to Russia came to see me!" Nicholas II said with a cold face.

"Your Majesty, what do the British want to do? Do they have any other requirements? "Sergey? Witt asked, frowning.

"The Chinese have launched an attack on Hong Kong, and the governor of Hong Kong has surrendered. The British were going to send a huge fleet to China. It's just that they don't seem to have the confidence to win, so they want us to join in! Nicholas II said.

"What? The British want us to go on an expedition to China? How is this possible? "Sergey? Witt was shocked.

"What's wrong? Your Excellency, do you think that the Imperial Navy should not go on an expedition to China? A fierce glint flashed in Nicholas II's eyes. On the land battlefield, the Russian army was losing ground and suffering heavy losses. The Navy's Pacific Fleet was also wiped out by the Chinese Navy, two battleships were sunk, and the remaining four actually surrendered, which made Tsar Nicholas II feel deeply humiliated.

"Majesty, the minister didn't mean that. It's just that the Empire's finances are already very difficult to support the war on land. If a large number of fleets were sent around more than 20,000 kilometers to the Far East, it would consume a lot of money, and the imperial finances would simply not be able to afford it! "Sergey? Witt said. After the war began, it became more and more difficult for him to be the prime minister of the government. The army at the front continued to fail, lost troops, consumed a large amount of war materials, and the daily reports of increasing the number of troops and weapons and ammunition almost filled his desk, making him miserable.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that a fleet should be sent to join them. The Chinese Navy has annihilated our Pacific Fleet, and our Navy now does not have the strength to defeat the Chinese Navy, and the Army's current front is also stagnant. Admiral Minister Grand Duke Konstantin hurriedly said.

War Minister Alexey? Nikolaevich? A trace of dissatisfaction flashed in Kuropatkin's eyes, and the accusation against the army in the words of the Minister of the Navy just now Grand Duke Konstantin made him very dissatisfied. But he knew that the army was indeed fighting very badly now, and he had nothing to say, otherwise he would definitely not have endured it like this.

"Your Excellency Grand Duke Constantine, how to solve the problem of funding? Anyway, there is no money in the treasury, and if the Admiralty can raise a fund on its own, I have no other opinion! "Prime Minister Sergei? Witt said. His meaning is very clear, anyway, the government has no extra funds to support the naval expedition.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I am also thinking about the Empire!" Grand Duke Konstantin, Minister of the Admiralty, was dissatisfied. Although Sergey? Witte is Chancellor of the Exchequer, but the Treasury is not theirs. The Admiralty is now in arrears for many years, where is the money to complete the expedition to the Far East!

"Alright, don't argue! The Chinese are too arrogant, great Russia, they must be taught a lesson! Since the British invited us to join the Combined Fleet, we must seize this opportunity. As for the issue of military spending, leave it to the British! Ask us to send a fleet, that's fine. But the British had to bear all the military expenses of the military operation, and at the same time promise a loan to the Reich! Tsar Nicholas II said. He obviously wouldn't use the Russian navy to help the British just like that, and Britain had to pay for it. And the Russian finances, which had long been exhausted by the war, now were the opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity to make a big profit from the British. In this way, we can not only defeat the Chinese Navy and avenge the destruction of the Pacific Fleet, but at the same time, we can speed up the process of the battlefield and reverse the current unfavorable war situation against Russia, and we can also obtain a huge amount of funds to support Russia in continuing to fight. Russia does not lack soldiers, but what it lacks is equipment and military spending, and as long as there is sufficient military spending, Russia will be able to fight to the death with China.

"Your Majesty is wise! If the British want to take advantage of us, they will have to pay the price! "Prime Minister Sergei? Witt said hurriedly.

"Prime Minister, you contact the British side and tell them that we have agreed to join the Combined Fleet. However, the British side must be responsible for all the military expenses of this military operation and borrow fifty million pounds from Russia! Tsar Nicholas II said.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I'll talk to the British side! I believe that they will not refuse the kindness of the Empire! "Sergey? Witt said with a smile. If we can get another loan of 50 million pounds, maybe Russia will be able to survive to the end.

"Konstantin, the Admiralty is responsible for the selection of warships for the expedition to China. I have only one request, send the most powerful warships to the Far East, teach those yellow-skinned monkeys a hard lesson, and besides, don't let the British flatten us! Tsar Nicholas II said hatefully.

"Yes, please rest assured, I will send the most powerful warship to participate in this military operation!" Grand Duke Konstantin said excitedly. Even, he was ready to personally lead the fleet to the expedition. If he can defeat the Chinese navy in this expedition, and thus completely reverse the current situation of Russia's defeat, then he will be the Grand Duke.

"Hmmm! Kuropatkin, the War Department must prepare in detail for war in Eastern Siberia and Central Asia, and in any case, cannot fail again. Otherwise, you can resign yourself! "Nicholas II stared viciously at War Minister Alexei? Nikolaevich? Kuropatkin.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" War Minister Alexey? Nikolaevich? Kuropatkin's head was covered in a cold sweat.

Next, Russian Prime Minister Sergei? Werther made contact with the British and put forward the Russian demands. The British side had long been prepared for Russia's demands. If Russia wants to join the combined fleet, Britain will definitely have to pay a certain price. However, the conditions put forward by Russia are obviously a lion's mouth, and Britain will certainly not accept them in stone.

The two sides engaged in a series of bargains, and Britain promised to pay for the military, but did not agree to continue the loan. Because over the years, Britain has lent a large amount of money to Russia, but Russia has not yet repaid, of course, because it has no ability to repay. Although Britain had money, it also needed a lot of military spending to prepare for an expedition to China, and there was no extra money to lend to Russia.

However, the Russian side used the withdrawal of the Combined Fleet as a threat, and if Britain did not agree to Russia's demand, then Russia would not participate in the Combined Fleet this time. He also said that if Britain agreed to Russia's request, Russia would send ten of its most powerful battleships to participate in this expedition, a temptation that Britain had no way to refuse. Britain sent nineteen battleships of its own, plus ten Russian battleships, which was twenty-nine battleships. Even if China's battleships are strong, they will definitely be powerless in the face of a huge fleet of nearly thirty battleships. Therefore, after careful consideration, Britain agreed to Russia's demands, and was once again blackmailed by Russia. (To be continued.) Please search, the novel is better and faster!)