In the office of the French president, French Vice President Lubet and Minister of the Navy Grevy couldn't help but nod approvingly when they heard that President Faure had decided to contact the British, take advantage of the British's scruples about Lin Daxin, and let the British stop Lin Daxin's aggression against France's Asian colonies of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Vice-President Lubet continued: "The Russian navy, like ours, is already in great shape, and our alliance between France and Russia is aimed at restraining the growing Germans, as well as Austria-Hungary, Germany's ally. Now that the navies of our two countries have been completely defeated in Asia, I think we should remind the Russians to end the war in Asia as much as possible, and to redirect the attention of the Russians to Europe, to Germany and Austria-Hungary. ”

President Faure nodded and said: "What the vice president said is very reasonable, the navies of the two countries have been defeated, and it will be very difficult for the Russians to win this war, I will send a telegram to the Russians to remind them, but the Russians still have a strong army, plus the young and vigorous Russian Tsar Nicholas II, I don't think the Russians will admit defeat lightly." ”

Finally, President Faure said to the Minister of the Navy, Grevy: "I hope that your Admiralty will make a plan to rebuild the Navy, and I will immediately propose to the Parliament that we will continue to increase the military spending of the Navy in the next few years, so that our French Navy can come out of this disaster as soon as possible!" ”

In the Kremlin in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia shouted at the Minister of the Exchequer Witte, the Minister of the Navy, the Grand Duke of Vych, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Gorrosky: "How is this possible! The powerful Russian Navy and the French Navy united. It was unexpectedly defeated by Lin Daxin's Northeast Navy! Is it April Fool's Day? I don't believe it! I don't believe it! As he spoke, Nicholas II pounded his fist against the table in front of him, and the pounding of the table rang loudly.

The results of the naval battle in the Ussuri Gulf have been transmitted back to the countries by the observation ships of various countries. The news of the crushing defeat of the French and Russian navies at the hands of the North-Eastern Navy had spread throughout the world, the Russian Tsar in St. Petersburg had received the shocking bad news, and a telegram of the heavy damage of the First Pacific Fleet in the port of Vladivostok had just been placed on Nicholas II's desk.

The Minister of the Navy, Grand Duke Vechi, said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, no one thought that Lin Daxin actually had an airship that could carry out aerial bombardment, so that the navies of our two countries could unite and be defeated. Now that the Second Pacific Fleet of the Imperial Navy has been completely wiped out, and the First Pacific Fleet has also been severely damaged, we in Russia have worked hard to build up a powerful navy in recent years. It's basically gone. His Majesty the Tsar, I serve as the Minister of the Navy of the Empire. I have to tell you that the Empire's navy is no longer capable of fighting! ”

The telegram that the First Pacific Fleet had been battered was the one that the Grand Duke of Vicky had just sent to Nicholas II.

Tsar Nicholas II listened to the words of the Grand Duke of Vich, and was speechless for a long time. Although he did not want to believe that the two Pacific Fleets, where the entire Russian Navy was located, were completely wiped out and the other suffered heavy losses, the facts were still in front of him, and he had to accept the reality that the Russian Navy had regressed for decades.

Tsar Nicholas II, who calmed down for a while and had a very ugly face, asked Grand Duke Vich: "How is the situation in Vladivostok?" What about the First Fleet in the Pacific? ”

"Admiral Makarov's telegram said that the First Pacific Fleet had been bombed by airships twice, and had sunk a number of warships, including 7 all-steel battleships, and now there are only 3 all-steel battleships, 2 large fast armored cruisers, 1 old ironclad and 3 protective cruisers," said Grand Duke Vich. But most of these warships were also damaged by bombs, and there were also some torpedo boats and small gunboats in the port of Vladivostok. If it weren't for the modification of the rapid-fire guns on some warships and some balloon guns in Vladivostok's original stockpile, the airships would have been repulsed. It is possible that the entire warships of the First Pacific Fleet will be bombed and sunk in the port of Vladivostok. ”

After a pause, Grand Duke Vicky continued: "Lin Daxin asked the airship to bomb the mountain fortifications on the periphery of Vladivostok, but fortunately, the Governor of the Far East, Alekseev, asked the Ordnance Repair Institute in Vladivostok to transform some small-caliber rapid-fire guns into anti-aircraft guns that can shoot at the air, which has repelled the bombardment of Lin Daxin's airship, and the mountain fortifications on the periphery of Vladivostok are still firmly in our hands, the telegram of the Governor of the Far East, Alekseev, said. Lin Daxin's Dingbei Army still doesn't want to step into the Vladivostok fortress! ”

Tsar Nicholas II's face looked a little better, nodded and said, "This may be the only good news I hear!" Vicky. What happened to the 15 Peresvet-class all-steel battleships built by the Empire? When will you be able to enter service in the Imperial Navy and make up for the losses of the Imperial Navy? ”

The 15 all-steel battleships of the new class of the Russian Navy are relatively thin in armor because of the construction cost, and the main guns are also selected to be 2 double-mounted 40 times the caliber of 254 mm, so they can be called second-class all-steel battleships. 8 ships were built at the expense of the Russian treasury, and Tsar Nicholas II took out the funds for the construction of 7 ships from his own treasury.

"All 15 all-steel battleships have been keeled in the dockyard and will be completed in May 1900 to join the ranks of our Russian navy," said Archduke Vechi. ”

Tsar Nicholas II continued: "It's too slow, let the shipyards speed up construction, and besides, don't your Admiralty have a plan to build 10 more large fast armored cruisers?" I approve it, and your Admiralty will arrange for the shipyard to start building it right away! ”

At this time, Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte hesitated for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, the finances of the empire have almost exhausted the last ruble for this war, and it is really not able to allocate funds to the navy to build 10 large fast armored cruisers!" ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte actually did not want to block the shipbuilding plan prepared by Nicholas II, who was in a very bad mood, at this time, but the Russian treasury had just spent a lot of money to expand the army by 2 million, and it was already in deficit, so it really couldn't come up with the money to build another 10 large fast armored cruisers for the navy.

Tsar Nicholas II said with a gloomy face: "The funds for the construction of these 10 large fast armored cruisers will be allocated by my private treasury, and I will also take out part of the funds to build our own Russian airships that can be used for war, for the sake of Russia's strength, I will not spare money!" ”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Witte, the Minister of the Navy, the Archduke Vicky, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Gorrosky, immediately shouted: "Your Majesty the Tsar is wise! ”

This is already the third time that Tsar Nicholas II has taken money from the tsar's private treasury to build a warship.

Tsar Nicholas II said to the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Gorrosky: "Immediately let the Imperial Arsenal transform a batch of anti-aircraft guns and send them to the Siberian theater of operations to prevent the airships from continuing to bomb our troops in Outer Mongolia." ”

Gorrosky nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty the Tsar, I'll arrange it right away!" ”

Tsar Nicholas II asked: "What is the situation in the Siberian theater of operations now?" How many troops have been transferred from Europe? Did Kuropatkin say when he could attack again? Now that the navy has been defeated, the only thing the empire can rely on is the army! ”

Gorrosky said: "After the battle of the city of Buying, we have sent more than 200,000 recruits to the Siberian theater of operations, and all the damaged corps have been replenished to full strength, and in addition, 22 new regiments of nearly 680,000 troops have arrived in Irkutsk of the Siberian theater by train, and then rushed to the vicinity of the city of Maimao in Outer Mongolia on foot. In this way, His Excellency Kuropatkin has gathered more than 1 million troops in the city of Bumai, but recently in order to deal with the Dingbei Army, which occupies the eastern Siberian region, His Excellency Kuropatkin has sent a part of his army to several important towns in the central Siberian region. His Excellency Kuropatkin's telegram said that when there were more weapons, ammunition, and supplies, a new round of offensive would be launched against the Dingbei Army of Outer Mongolia, and that it would strive to take the city of Darkhan, which was heavily defended by the Dingbei Army, in one fell swoop. ”

Tsar Nicholas II nodded and said: "Kuropatkin has rich experience in commanding, and he has full authority on when the attack on the city of Darkhan will begin." But now it is necessary to consider the formation of an army for an expedition to the Far East, the navy has been defeated, the plan to relieve Vladivostok from the sea has failed, and it is necessary to find a way by land, send a telegram to Kuropatkin, asking him to organize an expeditionary force first and attack in the direction of the Far East, the ultimate goal is to relieve Vladivostok, if it can cooperate with the defenders of Vladivostok to annihilate the main force of the Dingbei Army on the periphery of Vladivostok, it will be even more perfect! ”

Gorrosky said: "Yes, Your Majesty the Tsar, I will immediately send a telegram to His Excellency Kuropatkin with your order to convey the order of the Tsar. ”

Tsar Nicholas II continued: "The expansion of the army should be accelerated, and Kuropatkin should not only attack the Dingbei Army in the city of Darkhan, but also form an expeditionary force, and I do not think that a million-strong army is sure, and it is necessary to continue to send troops to the Siberian theater of operations, and in addition, weapons, ammunition and various supplies must also be sent to Kuropatkin as much as possible." ”

Tsar Nicholas II turned to Chancellor of the Exchequer and said to Witte: "There must be no shortage of funds for the expansion of the army and funds for the procurement of materials and ammunition for the front, this is a moment related to the fate of our Russian Empire!" ”

Witte said sternly: "Your Majesty the Tsar, rest assured, this part of the funds, the empire's finances have already been prepared, and it will definitely not delay the war on the front line of the empire." ”

Tsar Nicholas II said to the three high-ranking ministers of Russia with some sternness: "Since the navy has failed, our army must not fail again, otherwise our Russia will become the old saying of the Qing Dynasty, and there will be no return!" (Want to know more about Rise 1892?) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner, select Add Friends to add an official account, search for "wang", follow the official account, and never miss every update again! qdread) R655