Timoshenko touched his half-bald head with his large hand for a moment, and then asked, "I can indeed make more money by doing this, but there is one thing I doubt. So what kind of benefits do you get? As far as I know, this is a sought-after item, and many countries are willing to pay a lot of money. For example, in Japan, if you are willing to sell, they will definitely be able to pay a higher price than me. Although we are friends, friends are friends, and business is business. I know there's a big conglomerate behind you. It's all things that eat people and don't spit out bones. So, if I don't understand how you can make more money, then I don't dare to do it. Money is a good thing, but you have to have a life to spend it. You say, don't you? ”

Andy listened, and silently gave Timoshenko a thumbs up in his heart. It is absolutely no accident that Timoshenko was able to become the richest big boss in Lushun. This man looks rough, but in fact, he is very measured when it comes to big things. He dared to take risks when it was time to take risks, and he knew exactly where the boundaries of his power were when it was time to be cautious.

"Brother Timoshen, we are friends, and I won't hide it from you. I'm sure you won't be talking nonsense everywhere either. You know, for the big consortium behind me, even if there is a 300 percent profit on this transaction, because the amount is limited, it is actually just a small amount of money. This money doesn't get into their eyes at all. For them, the most important thing is to use some means to preemptively control the changes in the situation. The money that can be brought in by this kind of control is much higher than the profit of this transaction. You know what I mean, right? ”

Timoshenge's business has not yet reached the point where he can make money through such means, but he has never eaten pork and has seen pigs run. He naturally understands the benefits of such control in terms of making money. War is the most volatile factor in the market. If someone can influence the trend of the battle formation, he will naturally be able to use this influence to control the market fluctuations in the direction he needs, and the profits that can be brought by this are indeed not comparable to a small arms trade. I'm afraid that it will be ten times or even a hundred times hundreds of times it.

Behind this deal, there would be such a big benefit, and Timoshenge immediately realized that he could not refuse. This is not to say that if you refuse, you will definitely be retaliated against by the big consortium behind Andy. It's because, driven by so many interests, the power that big conglomerates are willing to invest in will be quite terrifying. And the power of money, Timoshengo is very clear, he knows that as long as the other party is willing to invest, in the Far East, there are few people who can really resist the temptation of money. In other words, even if he is not willing to cooperate with others, they can find other replacements. And, judging by their actions, this move is not harmful to Russia. Of course, they may, no, they will certainly play such a trick on the Japanese side, using similar means to control the possible direction of the war and thus obtain huge profits.

"Well, since this move will not be dangerous for me personally. I think we can talk about it. Also, do you really think war is about to break out? Timoshenko asked.

"We think there's a big possibility, and it's worth the investment." Andy didn't say anything to death.

……

I have to say that Timoshenko is still somewhat patriotic. So after talking to Andy, he went to visit Governor Alekseev. One was to alert him to possible adventures by the Japanese, and the other was to sue him about the Americans' attempts to sell him including light. gas and some other weapons things. After Timoshenko left, Alekseev's son Petrov was a little nervous.

"My child, you're too nervous." Alekseev did not seem to pay attention to this reminder, "Actually, before he talked to me about this, I already knew about the Japanese issuing government bonds in Europe. Our embassies in the United States and Europe are not all idiots either. I know that they have issued 140 million yen in bonds in Europe and the Americas. But how much of a difference does that make? That's not enough money for them to beat us. In fact, the fact that the Japanese have only raised this amount of money shows that everyone is not optimistic about Japan's prospects. And as far as I know, the Japanese received these debts and mortgaged a lot of valuable things. This also shows that those guys in Europe and the United States have no confidence in the Japanese. I am afraid that many times they lent money to Japan for those collaterals, just as they did when they lent money to the Manchus. ”

"But, father, don't we need to order the army to be on alert and ready for war now?" Petrov still didn't feel at ease.

"No, if there is a war, it will be a good thing." Governor Alekseev said, "As you know, the likelihood of a revolution is growing. You also know that although the land in Russia is large, most of it is cold and barren wilderness. If we do not get more warm, rich land quickly, the outbreak of revolution will become a matter of time. When the time comes, the whole of Russia will plunge into chaos and civil war, and the tsar, the Orthodox, the landlords, the nobility will be torn to pieces in the terrible storm of the revolution. So Russia needs war. ”

"But father, I know that we are not very well prepared. Our soldiers have very few bullets in their hands, for which our shooting training is reduced, as is the artillery. And I noticed that the work on the coastal defense battery near Arthur has been proceeding very slowly. Until now, we have not put the cannon on it. Petrov said.

"That's not a problem, my son. Because of these fortifications, these batteries were not built to deal with the tiny Japanese, they were really going to defend against the British. In the Far East, only Britain can really threaten us. Little Japan, we don't need to use these things at all to deal with them. It is enough for our soldiers to get their bayonets ready. All we need is a bayonet charge to completely defeat those Japanese monkeys and take advantage of the situation to enter the DPRK. Xian, seize the entire peninsula. In that case, why rush to build fortifications that are not needed for the time being? As for the lack of bullets, my child, you are a Russian soldier, when did we Russian soldiers fight a war with bullets and shells to decide victory or defeat? 'The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a hero', isn't it? Could it be that those yellow-skinned monkeys can withstand our bayonet assault? ”

"The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a hero" is a famous quote from Suvorov, the greatest Russian military strategist, Suvorov commanded more than thirty heavy battles in his life, never failed, and was the military god in the hearts of the Russians. Therefore, some of Suvorov's views naturally have a far-reaching impact on the Russian army. For example, the emphasis is on hand-to-hand combat, and the emphasis is on assault.

It's just that Suvonov is not so studious, as the saying goes, drawing a tiger is not an anti-dog. When some Russians learned from Suvorov, they lost solid training, meticulous analysis, keen judgment, and reasonable allocation, all of which were more difficult, so they only learned to be brave as a result of learning Suvorov. This tendency was also present in the British Royal Navy when it studied Lord Nelson.

Speaking of which, Petrov had nothing more to say, because even he firmly believed that the bayonet was the key to deciding the victory or defeat of the land. And when it comes to bayonet confrontation, the Russians, who are tall and powerful, should naturally be stronger than the Japanese. "When fighting bayonets, we can deal with at least three Japanese monkeys alone" is almost the consensus in the army. However, although he was persuaded by his father on this issue, he finally asked a question.

"Father, if there is no need for this, why do you allow him to import those arms from the Americans by bartering?"

"The price of those arms is good." Governor Alekseev replied, "Even if we don't need it now, in the future we will be useful in the Balkans or elsewhere." ”

……

With the governor's approval, Timoshenko quickly signed an agreement with Andy. Less than half a month after the agreement was signed, a British cargo ship sailed into Port Arthur, unloaded some so-called "agricultural machinery" and "agricultural materials", and then left Lushun with furs and various grains.

"Those Americans are moving so fast." Looking at the departing steamer, Timoshenko sighed. At the same time, he also knew that such a quick speed also showed that war was really imminent.

"I just hope that God will bless his people and let us defeat those Japanese monkeys." Temoshenko thought so.

……

"Gentlemen, there is a great order to convey!" On the battleship Mikasa, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Heihachiro Togo, was delivering orders to his subordinates.

The so-called "daidai" refers to the divine decree issued by the emperor. So all the officers immediately stood up and listened to the "great order".

The content of the Great Mandate is very long, almost from the enthronement of Emperor Meiji and his absolution, and until the future. However, the content is very clear, that is, Japan has broken off diplomatic relations with Russia, and now the emperor has ordered the Japanese army and navy to take immediate action to expel the Russians from Manchuria, so as to "spread the emperor's power from all over the world."

After announcing the "great order", Heihachiro Togo immediately ordered the fleet to set sail and prepare to attack the Russian fleet stationed in Arthur.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this battle is our first battle against the Russian army. If we can crush the Russians in one fell swoop and block their fleet in the harbor, then we will win half the war. Therefore, I hope that all soldiers can fulfill their duties and repay the emperor's grace. Togo finally said.