Milyukin and Skobelev sat opposite each other, and the servants served refreshments. Hearing Milyugin's question, Skobelev looked out the window, and as far as the eye could see, there was a gray haze, and all the scenes were not very clear and confusing, just like his current life situation.

He didn't have much feeling about the Northeast at first, only knowing that it was a part of the Qing court, and now it is in a semi-independent state. However, after these two years, Skobelev already had another feeling, well-equipped and dangerous, and even gave him a delusion of invincibility. As a soldier, Skobelev was ashamed of his cowardice, but the continuous battles also made him feel the pathetic of being enemies in the Far East and the Northeast.

This is the sorrow of the whole empire!

Finally retracting his gaze from the window, Skobelev said to Milyukin: "Mr. Minister, please forgive me for saying that unless the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Far East can be built, it will only be a matter of time before our front collapses as long as the Northeast makes a force. And even if the railway is built in time, it will be very difficult for us to regain the lost territory, or to put it more sadly, to stop the pace of aggression in the northeast. This does not even mean that the Northeast will use its air superiority to destroy our railway supply lines. ”

Hearing this, Milyugin's eyes were slightly surprised, and he probably didn't think that his henchman would be consumed to this point and lose hope of defeating the Northeast.

"Northeast ...... Is it really as strong as you say? ”

Milyugin is not stupid, he knows the elderly man in front of him very well. Before the Eastern Russian War, it was also arrogant, roaming Central Asia, slaughtering people with bloody hands, destroying and slaughtering countless imperial rebels like lions. No one can despise his ability, and in the whole empire, the stars are like a sea, and Skobelev can also be in the top ten, or even the top five. But such a person said what he just said in front of his own Minister of War today. Milyukin couldn't tell how he should feel, angry, surprised, or sad.

"We are already at a complete disadvantage compared to the Northeast Insurance Team. If it weren't for the fact that the Northeast did not concentrate all its efforts for the sake of Africa and Southeast Asia, I believe that we would be able to hold the line of the Yenisei River now, no, the line of the Ob River, we should all feel lucky! ”

A cold light flashed in Milyukin's eyes, and he was almost so angry that he slapped the table.

If the north-south line crosses Lake Baikal, the territory of Tsarist Russia is basically divided into east and west, that is, Tsarist Russia has already occupied nearly half of the territory in the northeast. Of course, although the loss of this half of the territory was large, it did not hurt the fundamentals of Tsarist Russia, because their center of gravity was still in Europe. In the Far East, with the exception of those armies deployed along the borders and ready to invade other countries, there were very few ethnic Russians, and there were only a small number of indigenous people in the entire region. Not only did it not have an industrial base, but it did not even have an agricultural base, only very primitive fishing, animal husbandry and hunting activities.

But even so, the Russians, who had been invading for generations and had already integrated territorial expansion into their bones, suddenly began to pay attention to the war that was taking place in the Far East when they suddenly found that their country had lost nearly half of its territory. They were shocked, grieved, and looked angrily to the east, at the neighbor who came like Satan and rose up like a nightmare.

"If it's the Yenisei, we're going to lose sixty percent of our country, and as for the Ob River...... There is no difference from being driven back to Europe. Milyugin tapped his fingers on the table, and suddenly said: "But General Skobelev, do you know what you are talking about?" ”

After all, Milyugin still controlled his anger, and Skobelev shook his head at this time, and also felt that he was a little out of control because of his love. He stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Your Excellency, I was rude. ”

"Forget it, sit down." Milyugin also knew that Skobelev had been very dissatisfied all these years, and it was difficult for the clever woman to cook without rice, so she repeatedly asked St. Petersburg to increase the supply of troops and ammunition, but it was like a stone in the sea. It was common for three soldiers to use one gun, many times without even ammunition, and long-range artillery was even more lacking, and anti-aircraft weapons were deployed only in very small quantities.

The most frustrating thing for Skobelev was the fiasco last year. All the countrymen put the blame on him, but he had nothing to do with it. St. Petersburg easily sent reinforcements from three divisions, and he was happy for a long time, because at least the addition of these three divisions could effectively alleviate the current situation of tight troops. As a result, the one who led the troops was a relative of the emperor, who was probably very dissatisfied with Skobylev's defensive strategy. As a result, as soon as he arrived at the front line, he didn't even see Skobelev's face, so he directly led his troops to detour behind the Northeast Insurance Team, preparing to launch the so-called raid. In the end, he was lured and chased by the Northeast Insurance Team all the way and got into the encirclement. Although I tried my best to save it, it was a pity that I was unable to return to the sky. After the fiasco, the royal family and the War Ministry reprimanded him and put the blame on his Skobelev. Although he was not removed from his post, his return to St. Petersburg was also justified by his return.

"As Minister of the Army, I hope that General Skobelev will not lose faith in the Reich, and His Majesty the Tsar has learned about the situation at the front."

The meaning of this is very simple, it is also to reassure Skobelev that last year's fiasco has nothing to do with you.

Skobelev got up again and gave a military salute to Milyugin.

"Okay, don't just say that the Northeast Insurance Team is powerful, how powerful it is, explain it to me clearly." Ilyugin is very concerned about the Northeast insurance team, and now that Skobelev is here, of course he has to ask for first-hand information.

"First of all, in terms of command structure, it's completely different from ours. In the beginning, we were still using the traditional mode of warfare, relying on military bands for command and using primitive gun platoon tactics, but in front of the impregnable military fortresses in the northeast, it was a hellish experience. Skobelev recalled the scene not long ago when he first saw the artillery of the Northeast Fortress, and it was really unbearable to look back on.

"They don't use a military band to conduct?"

On the battlefield of this era, the main function of the military band was not to boost morale, but to direct the troops to attack and defend. And on the battlefield, there is also such an unwritten rule, that is, both sides are not allowed to attack each other's military bands.

"No, according to what I have learned, when the position is defending, the communication between their troops is mostly through wired telephones. In the field, the communication between the various units should be the use of radio stations produced in the northeast. ”

The telephone Ilyugin was no stranger, but the radio station was ...... He hadn't really heard of it.

PS: The power outage started in the afternoon today, and it was until half past ten in the evening, but fortunately this chapter was rushed out, otherwise it would have been cut off again. In addition, the vertical and horizontal suddenly revised, I really don't fit in, it seems that I really don't like the new and hate the old.