"Based on the above situation, we analyze that Kuminszy's visit to the president this time is in the hope of concluding a certain alliance with our country, although it may not allow us to join the Russian camp, but also let us remain neutral!" After Yang Du finished speaking, he bowed to Xiao Zhenlei and sat down.

There was a crystal ashtray on the table, there was only one, and it was placed in front of Xiao Zhenlei, Xiao Zhenlei listened to Yang Du's analysis, and while thinking, he took out the cigarette case, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it with a match, and smoked it.

After thinking for two minutes, Xiao Zhenlei took a cigarette and asked, "What is the reaction of other countries?" ”

Tang Shaoyi, who was in charge of international affairs and situation analysis, stood up and said: "According to intelligence, a week ago, the British Parliament held frequent meetings, and Prime Minister Asquith attended every time, apparently urgently negotiating the conflict between Russia and Japan, and later news came from China's intelligence agency in St. Petersburg that Nicholas II threatened to withdraw from the Entente and must declare war on Japan, which made Britain and France very anxious, and then Britain and France acquiesced to Tsarist Russia's declaration of war on Japan. But Britain and France had not yet declared war on Japan!

Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire all gloated over the war between Tsarist Russia and Japan, and the existence of Tsarist Russia not only threatened Germany and Austria-Hungary, but also threatened the Ottoman Turkish Empire, and there was a shadow of Tsarist Russia in the two Balkan wars that occurred at the end of the year before last year and last year, and it can be said that it was one of the driving forces behind the outbreak of the two Balkan Wars, and Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Turkish Empire had long hated Tsarist Russia. Now that Tsarist Russia and the Japanese are about to fight, they are of course very happy that Japan is holding Tsarist Russia in the Far East. Not only Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, but even Germany was much easier.

In addition, according to the information we received from the Japanese side, the German embassy in Japan has begun to make frequent contact with Japanese Prime Minister Gonbei Yamamoto, and the information from Berlin also shows that Wilhelm II has also sent a plenipotentiary envoy to Japan secretly, and is now on the way, and we analyze that the Germans' intention is likely to draw Japan into the camp of the Central Powers and contain the power of the Entente in the Far East. And at the same time to protect German interests in the Far East!

France and England wear a pair of trousers, and the situation is similar. The Italian authorities have not yet indicated anything and are in a wait-and-see attitude, and the attitude of the United States towards the Russo-Japanese conflict is based on our intelligence. The United States has convened two successive special presidential meetings, the specific contents of which are unknown, but according to various indications, the US authorities are gloating with an attitude of schadenfreude, and we analyze that this may be related to the fact that in recent years, the interests of the United States in the three eastern provinces of our country have been frequently embezzled by Tsarist Russia and Japan!

As far as Tsarist Russia and Japan are concerned, China's attitude is very important, but it is not necessary to fight for it, because the position bordering Japan and Russia is under the noses of the three eastern provinces, but the three eastern provinces are not under our control. Therefore, we speculate that Zhang Xiluan's frequent meetings with envoys from Tsarist Russia and Japan in recent times must have been trying to profit from this! Whoever gives the highest price will fall to whomever he wants! ”

Xiao Zhenlei took a puff of cigarette and said, "Some people are impatient. Originally, I thought that I would save some vitality for the country, and it was best not to make a big move, and if it could be resolved through peaceful negotiations, it would be resolved through negotiations, and those local warlords had any conditions to mention. But now it seems that this trick will not work, and I am used to being the king of the mountain in the local area. When you become the king of the mountain, you want to be the emperor, and some people are the kind of people who don't shed tears when they don't see the coffin, and don't give up until they don't see the Yellow River! This is set aside beforehand. What was the situation with the troop movements of Tsarist Russia and Japan? ”

He is not only the vice president of the Supreme Military Council, but also the staff of the presidential office in charge of military and intelligence consultation, and the military situation of various countries, the promotion and transfer of generals, and the research and development of weapons and equipment will be gathered to him, and then he will provide advice to President Xiao Zhenlei.

"According to the latest military information, the St. Petersburg side has begun to mobilize, two divisions of army units have already taken the train to the Far East, and there are four more divisions waiting to board the train, belonging to the formation of the two armies, with a total strength of about 130,000 troops, plus more than 20,000 people originally deployed in the Far East by Tsarist Russia, about 150,000 troops. However, according to intelligence analysis, the Tsarist side is definitely preparing to dispatch more than a small number of troops. The infantry was basically armed with Mosingana rifles, the cavalry was armed with dragoon rifles and Cossack rifles, and the number of artillery pieces was about 500. In terms of navy, due to the crushing defeat of Tsarist Russia in the last Russo-Japanese War, the Pacific Fleet was basically wiped out, and even the Baltic Fleet suffered heavy losses, and the Russian Navy also fell from third in the world to sixth in the ranking, and only the Black Sea Fleet was left at that time, including 7 armored ships, 2 coastal defense armored ships, 4 cruisers, 22 destroyers, 6 gunboats, 9 mine boats, 2 steamships, 8 transport ships, and 5 detained warships and 5 battleships under construction. At present, the Tsarist Navy has 8 battleships (the other 'Alexander II' is in reserve), 14 cruisers (one in the Mediterranean and one in the Pacific), 105 destroyers, 25 torpedo boats, and 25 submarines (9 in the Pacific); There are 7 battleships, 4 battlecruisers, 8 cruisers, 36 destroyers, and 18 submarines under construction. Now most of these ships are deployed in the Baltic and Black Seas, and in Vladivostok in the Pacific Ocean there is only one cruiser and some small gunboats and submarines, so they can only cower in the harbor and dare not go out.

The strength of the three divisions has been loaded onto ships and headed for Korea, the three divisions are the 2nd Division, the 5th Division, and the 9th Division, plus the strength of a division of the garrison stationed in Korea and the strength of the Liaodong Peninsula, the total strength of which is also close to 100,000, and there are nearly 400 artillery pieces. Up to now, the Japanese army has a total of 18 divisions and regiments, excluding the Guards Division, of which 14 have been designated as permanent divisions, and if the war is protracted, the two sides will definitely increase their troops, but I estimate that the Tsarist side will certainly not be able to afford to delay. The First Russo-Japanese War has already proved this, the supply lines of the Russian army are too long, if the war drags on for a long time. Add to this the terrible situation in Tsarist Russia, which is likely to be dragged down, and this is roughly the case! ”

After listening to Cai Yi's military briefing and analysis, Xiao Zhenlei smoked a cigarette while thinking, and then said categorically: "The outbreak of the First Russo-Japanese War on our soil must not happen again, and it is just a matter of Qing*, they are shameless." We can't do it, it's the new government. We still want this face, if Japan and Russia are allowed to fight on our soil again this time, then I, the president, do not have to be the president, and directly take out a gun and commit suicide to thank the world. And you go back to the countryside to farm together! Call Minkusy and let me come over tomorrow! ”

"Yes!" Cheng Baguio hurriedly agreed.

On the morning of January 22, Kumingschi came to meet Xiao Zhenlei, and the two held talks in the reception hall for foreign guests.

Xiao Zhenlei asked, "Mr. Minister, what is the matter with coming to see me today?" ”

Kumingschi said: "Your Excellency, on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, I have come today to acknowledge to the President that the new government headed by the President is the legitimate government, and at the same time, we also hope that the President and the new government can stand on the side of the Government of Japan in this war, and if the President and the Government of your country can stand on the side of the Government of China, then His Majesty the Emperor and the Government will be very grateful." In addition, on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor and the government of our country, I would like to make a request to the President and the government of your country, hoping that the President and the government of your country will allow our team to enter the territory of your government to attack the Japanese troops! ”

Xiao Zhenlei sneered in his heart. Smoking a cigarette, he said: "Mr. Minister Kuminschi, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Minister and to your Emperor and your government for recognizing our government as the legitimate government. I would like to tell Mr. Sù that now is not the time of the former Qing Dynasty. The last time you fought in the Russo-Japanese War with Japan on the soil of our country, it caused an incomparably great disaster to our people, and I haven't settled this account with your country, and now you are asking your army to enter our territory to attack the Japanese army? Do you still think that our government is the former Qing government? There is no room for negotiation on the matter of borrowing the way, and if Mr. Minister brings up the matter of borrowing the road again, it will be an enemy of China."

Kuminschi is also a diplomat in his hometown, he can bend and stretch, in the past, he could not be domineering in the former Qing Dynasty or when Yuan Shikai was in power, and the last time he came into contact with the diplomats of the new government, he had a nostril-facing and threatening attitude, and this time he knew that he could no longer treat Xiao Zhenlei with that attitude.

What Xiao Zhenlei said just now, he was not angry when he heard it, and hurriedly laughed and said: "Your Excellency, don't be angry, don't you have a saying in your country called 'business does not become benevolent and righteous', since the president and your government are unwilling to take advantage of it, then we will no longer talk about this topic, as long as the president and your government can stand on our side in this Russo-Japanese War, our government is willing to take out a part of the financial loan and technology to support your government, especially in the shipbuilding industry and machinery manufacturing profession."

Xiao Zhenlei's eyes lit up when he heard this, he didn't care how much money the Tsarist side could come up with, because he had to take out a lot of money from the Tsarist side at all, and now the money for the construction of ships in Tsarist Russia was still lent to it by Britain and France, what he wanted was Tsarist Russia's technology in shipbuilding and machinery manufacturing, although Tsarist Russia's technology in these two fields was worse than that of the British, but it was much stronger than the current China, if it could get technical support from Tsarist Russia in these two aspects, China will be able to move forward in these two areas for at least 10 years!

However, this matter is not in a hurry, since the Tsarist Russian side is anxious to win over China, Xiao Zhenlei decided to collect some interest first, and then talk about other things on this basis, he said: "I like the face-to-face technical support such as loans and manufacturing and machinery manufacturing mentioned by Mr. Minister, but I think that before talking about this matter, your government should first show its sincerity, otherwise I can't believe it!" ”

Kuminschi said with a pleasant face: "I don't know how the president wants my government to show sincerity?" ”

Xiao Zhenlei smiled and stretched out a finger and said: "First, the cancellation of a series of unequal treaties signed between your country and the former Qing government, especially the issue of reparations, must be stopped from now on, and second, the border between the two sides will be restored to the Nebuchu Treaty, and the vast areas south of the Outer Khingan Mountains, the Heilongjiang River, and the Ussuri River basin, including Sakhalin Island, are all Chinese territory!" The vast territory between the North North North Mountains and the South Branch extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Bering Strait in the east, including the Kamchatka Peninsula and the entire Udi River basin, as an area to be discussed! Thirdly, the troops of your country that invaded Mongolia should immediately withdraw from Mongolia and withdraw to the territory of your country, and they must no longer interfere in the internal affairs of our country without authorization! ”

Xiao Zhenlei thinks that even if the Treaty of Nebuchu is still an unequal treaty for China, it can only go so far at this time, and Tsarist Russia can't be allowed to cede the whole of Siberia, right? After all, with the strength of the new government, Tsarist Russia has not yet been cowardly to this point, and he has only raised the price, as for what Cheng Dù can talk about in the end, he can only do his best and obey the destiny of heaven, if he is strong enough now, then there is no need to talk about it at all, just take it back, but unfortunately there is always a gap between dreams and reality.

In the face of Xiao Zhenlei's lion's big mouth, Kuminschi did not express his extreme anger, but frowned and said: "The president, this is a big problem for me, I can't call the shots of the three you proposed!" For example, the second point you said, if our government agrees, then our government will not have to fight with the Japanese, because at that time, our borders will no longer border Korea, and our country and Japan will be separated by thousands of miles, and we will not be able to fight even if we want to! ”

Xiao Zhenlei shook his head and said: "Then you are wrong, even if it is far away, it must be fought, after all, this time is different from the past, this time it was the Japanese who killed the crown prince of your country, and took the lead in invading the border of your country, and the later matters can be resolved through negotiations, and the officers and soldiers who severely punished the invasion can apologize again, but can the matter of the Japanese authorities sending people to kill the crown prince of your country be solved through negotiations?" What a shame! If this matter cannot be resolved, what face does Emperor Nicholas II have to be this emperor? Do the Russians still have dignity to speak of? (To be continued) R655